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Chapter 102: Little Peng
🕑 Added 2023-12-24 13:39:38 +0000 UTCImmortal Path Space : Table of Content/Chapter List
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The Bird Egg Wang Hong picked up from the Bird's Nest had hatched in the past few days. The newly hatched bird was slightly larger than an adult fist, with eyes yet to open, pink skin, and not a single feather on its body, making Wang Hong hesitant to handle it.
Due to the bond formed during recognition, Wang Hong could sense the constant stream of thoughts from it, echoing:
"Hungry!"
"Happy!"
"Hungry!"
"Hungry!"
...
Wang Hong crafted a nest for it using straw from the Space and placed the bird inside. Whenever Wang Hong approached the nest, the bird would open its mouth wide in an exaggerated manner.
He fed it a transparent small fish about an inch long, and the bird, with a few stretches of its neck, swallowed it down.
One small fish was enough for it to digest for several hours.
As for the transparent small fish used to feed the bird, they were now self-produced in the Space. He had initially dug a pond to plant Ink Jade Spirit Lotus, putting some fish eggs in it, and now they were breeding abundantly in the Space.
He hadn't eaten yet, but the bird had already consumed his share.
Due to the faster passage of time in the Space, he had to constantly enter it to feed the bird.
Even in the middle of the night, he could sense the bird's hungry thoughts, forcing him to enter the Space and feed it.
Feeding the bird turned out to be more troublesome than witnessing women in the village give birth.
However, each time he finished feeding, a sense of joy emanated from the bird, giving him a slight sense of accomplishment.
For the sake of a future flying mount, he could only endure this hardship. Spirit Beasts had a long lifespan, but their growth rate was slow. It was possible for a master to pass away from old age before their Spirit Beast had fully matured.
Thus, though Spirit Beasts could provide significant assistance in both combat and daily life, cultivators willing to raise them were few.
The Beast Spirit Sect possessed numerous Spirit Beasts, many of which were passed down through generations of cultivators.
Legend had it that the Beast Spirit Sect had an Nascent Soul ancestral figure formed from a Spirit Beast. Whether it was true or not remained uncertain.
In fact, Spirit Beasts and Demonic Beasts were essentially the same entities. Those domesticated were called Spirit Beasts, while those in the wild were referred to as Demonic Beasts.
The long lifespan of Demonic Beasts was both an advantage and a drawback. Their lengthy lifespan meant slow growth, and sometimes they perished before reaching maturity, even after centuries.
After feeding the bird, Wang Hong cradled it in his hands.
"I've been calling you Little Bird, which doesn't sound great. How about I give you a name?"
"How about Little Peng? As a bird, you must be an ideal one, with lofty ambitions and great goals. If you don't object, let's go with that."
Regardless of whether it understood or not, Wang Hong decided on the name.
Due to the time difference, it was inconvenient for him to leave the Space now. If he spent a day in the outside world, seventy-one days would pass in the Space, likely resulting in Little Peng starving to death.
So, he had to stay in the Space to feed the bird. Unable to cultivate in the Space, he spent his time organizing the various Spirit Plants repeatedly.
After a few rounds of sorting, he made a surprising discovery. The White Jade Mushroom he had planted in his early years, while not a particularly valuable Spiritual Herb, he had preserved hundreds of plants.
He suddenly noticed that among the sea of white, two plants looked slightly different. Although White Jade Mushrooms were white, they didn't resemble white jade much.
Yet, these two White Jade Mushrooms had a genuine appearance of white jade, crystal clear and resembling top-grade white jade.
It turned out that the White Jade Mushroom had also undergone a mutation. According to his previous experiences, when a Spirit Plant mutated in the Space, its tier would increase significantly.
Moreover, he had come across this type of Spiritual Herb in the sect's records.
This is a third-tier healing elixir called Jade Marrow Mushroom, renowned for its ability to heal any injuries below Nascent Soul level. It is said that even if one's heart is pierced, as long as death doesn't occur instantly, this elixir can bring the person back to life.
In critical moments, everyone would want to possess a plant of this life-saving Spiritual Herb. Unfortunately, in the current Cultivation World, it is nearly extinct.
Rumors tell of a Foundation Building cultivator from a small family who obtained a thousand-year Jade Marrow Mushroom in a ruin a century ago. Once the news leaked, the entire family was annihilated overnight.
Afterward, the cultivator removed all the non-mutated White Jade Mushrooms. His initial purpose in keeping these Spiritual Herbs was in hopes that they might undergo mutation someday.
These non-mutated White Jade Mushrooms also had a medicinal age of seven to eight hundred years. If used as a medicinal base for a second-tier Elixir, the quality would immediately improve significantly.
Selling these few hundred White Jade Mushrooms could fetch a good price, but it had to be done carefully and thoughtfully.
Jade Marrow Mushroom reproduces through spores, and a six-hundred-year-old one can meet the third-tier medicinal standards. However, complete maturity, with spore production, requires a thousand years.
Wang Hong was not deterred by the lack of spores for reproduction. He cut one Jade Marrow Mushroom into dozens of pieces and planted them separately. With the characteristics of the Space, it wouldn't take long before they rooted and grew into new Jade Marrow Mushrooms.
This journey into the secret realm consumed a significant amount of time on healing. This was the reason for the shortage of high-quality healing Elixirs.
"Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!"
After dealing with these matters, it was time to feed Little Peng again...
Only ten days had passed in the outside world, but nearly two years had elapsed in the Space.
Finally, one day, Wang Hong reappeared in his small courtyard, holding a round, fluffy, yellowish thing in his hands.
Having served as a foster parent in the Space for nearly two years, he finally got a little relief.
The little one had grown a soft layer of fur, feeling comfortable to the touch.
Now, if he threw a small fish to it, it would eat on its own, saving Wang Hong a lot of worry.
As soon as the little one left the Space, it tilted its head, and its round, shiny eyes kept rolling, curiously observing everything around, as if everything was new and fresh.
Wang Hong gently stroked its back, placed it on the ground, and it started twisting its round body, running around, pecking here and there, having a joyful time.
The reason Wang Hong brought it out of the Space was unavoidable. Since it grew fur and could move on its own, it liked to roam around in the Space, sometimes causing trouble for a couple of Spirit Herbs.
However, the Space was not a safe place now. Devilish Vine, Red Powder Skull Flower, and demon-hunting trees inside could pose a threat to its life.
Seeing the demon-hunting tree reminded him that he once obtained the seed of a demon-hunting tree.
He found a golden seed from a corner of a Storage Bag. Since he saw those Demonic Beasts directly swallowing it, he concluded that it should be edible.
He cut a small piece from it, carefully analyzed it, and found it to be non-toxic. With his current understanding of medicinal properties, few could match him.
After confirming its non-toxic nature, Wang Hong swallowed the seed. After the seed entered his stomach, he felt like a flame ignited within him. The heat spread throughout his body, and he quickly operated his cultivation technique to guide this warmth.
An hour later, Wang Hong slowly opened his eyes. The Spiritual Energy in his body had not increased, but his strength had improved significantly. He felt he had gained at least five hundred kilograms of strength. Moreover, his Body Refining had also strengthened.
No wonder so many Demonic Beasts risked their lives to fight for it. Most Demonic Beasts relied on their physical bodies for combat, and this seed could increase strength by five hundred kilograms. Consuming a few could elevate them to a higher tier.
It turned out this seed enhanced physical strength, a perfect aid for his Body Refining.
It seemed he needed to cultivate the demon-hunting tree properly in the future.
This trip to the secret realm yielded so many unique Spirit Plants, a harvest beyond his initial expectations.
Wang Hong suppressed his excitement and then noticed Little Peng was on his bed, pecking a big hole in his blanket with its small beak.
He quickly picked it up, then transmitted a thought, indicating that it couldn't eat or peck at the blanket.
Little Peng blinked its eyes, seemingly understanding. Did he need to tie it up?
He didn't bring it out of the Space just to play with it. He had to prepare for Alchemy soon.
Last time, he gave all the refined Elixirs to Wang Yi. Now, his Storage Bag had only a few Elixirs left. Azure Void City had many shops eagerly waiting for his Elixir supply.
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Next Chapter >>Chapter 103: Ambush
