Godly Revival System: I Buy My Killer's Stats #Chapter 33: [Heaven's Harvest] - Read Godly Revival System: I Buy My Killer's Stats Chapter 33: [Heaven's Harvest] Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT
'It's time to awaken a new Talent.'
Before going to the Lin Family, Ethan wanted to awaken a new talent and even hatch the Spirit Beast Egg.
'Crunch'
'Gulp'
Without any delay, Ethan ate the green-colored fruit that looked like an apple in three bites.
It was sweet and juicy; however, Ethan's focus was not on the taste but on the system notifications that rang in his head.
'Ding,
The host has consumed a Talent Blessing Fruit and awakened a Cultivation Talent [Enhanced Harvesting].
'Ding,
Cultivation Talent: Enhanced Harvesting.
Effect: When the host harvests the Spirit Plants he nurtures, the yield will be increased by 40 percent.
Note: It is required for the host to harvest at least 10 same-type Spirit Plants.
'Ding,
The host can convert the Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent by spending one Life Point.
'As I expected, it is related to Spirit Farming and it increases the yield of my harvest by 40 percent. It is a perfect talent for me.'
Ethan's eyes lit up when he saw the simple but useful effect of his new Cultivation Talent.
Before he even awakened the Cultivation Talent, Ethan already knew that his new talent would be related to Spirit Farming because he received it from a Secret Realm related to Spirit Farming.
Since Ethan was going to be a full-time Spirit Plant Farmer, having a talent that could increase the yield of his harvest made him excited.
'I wonder how it will transform after I convert it into a Special Talent?'
Converting a Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent upgrades the effects, and Ethan was curious about it.
However, he frowned when he noticed that it required a Life Point to convert the Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent.
'Wasn't it free last time?'
Although it was a single Life Point, Ethan was not going to pay it without asking for clarification because a single Life Point might seem insignificant now, but Ethan knew the value of every point.
'Ding,
It is free of cost when converting a Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent for the first time.
'Ding,
However, as the host converts more and more Cultivation Talents into Special Talents, the cost for conversion will also go up.
'Ding,
1) First Conversion = Free.
2) Second Conversion = 1 Life Point.
3) Third Conversion = 10 Life Points.
4) Fourth Conversion = 100 Life Points.
To his question, the system answered without hiding anything, making Ethan realize, 'Looks like I have to be careful in converting the Cultivation Talents into Special Talents.'
If he recklessly converted the Cultivation Talents now and awakened a Heaven-Defying Cultivation Talent later, he might have to pay a huge price for conversion.
'However, this new Cultivation Talent is definitely worth converting into a Special Talent.'
Ethan calmed himself for a moment before coming to a conclusion to convert the new Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent.
"Alright, let's do this."
Ethan said a firm voice with a face full of with confidence. "No risk, no reward. If I want to stand at the top, I can't afford to hesitate."
'Since it can increase the yield of my harvest, converting it into a Special Talent might increase the yield of my Life Points.'
With the experience of his past two Special Talents, Ethan was confident that the Special Talents would reward him with Life Points.
Hence, how could he not convert a Cultivation Talent that can very well complement his first Talent?
'Convert it.'
With such thoughts in mind, Ethan no longer hesitated as he directly ordered the system.
'Ding,
The host has spent a Life Point to convert his new Cultivation Talent.
'Ding,
The Cultivation Talent [Enhanced Harvesting] is successfully converted into a Special Talent [Bountiful Harvesting].
'Ding,
Due to the compatibility of the [Essence of Bountiful Harvesting] and the [Bountiful Harvesting, the two Special Talents will be merged.
'Ding,
The merged Special Talent has been upgraded into [Heaven's Harvest].
'What?'
Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see that his two Special Talents merged into a new Special Talent.
'Let's see what are the effects of this new Special Talent.'
Suppressing his shock, Ethan hurriedly opened the interface to check the details of his new Special Talent.
'Ding,
Special Talent: Heaven's Harvest.
Effects:
1) The user can get full information of all the Spirit Plants and see their Live Status.
2) Upon harvesting the plants, the user will receive Life Points depending on the rank and quality of the plant.
3) The quality of the harvested products from the plants he personally nurtured will reach Good Quality and have a 50 percent chance of reaching Perfect Quality.
4) When the host harvests the Spirit Plants he nurtures, he receives double the Life Points and yield.
'As I expected, I will receive double the Life Points.'
Ethan was excited to see the fourth effect under his Special Talent [Heaven's Harvest].
If harvesting a Perfect Quality Spirit Grass gave him 0.5 Life Points before, he would receive one Life Point now.
So, obviously, he was happy about it as he checked the other effects, which were almost the same except for one — a 50 percent chance of a Perfect Quality Harvest.
'Just thinking of rows of Spirit Plants thriving under my care, each harvest yielding extra hLife Points and Spirit Plants.'
The thought of abundant resources and endless Life Points filled him with anticipation. This talent wasn't just useful; it was a game-changer for his cultivation path.
'Although I was able to harvest Perfect Quality Spirit Grass before, it was because they are only Rank 1 Spirit Plants and the environment inside the Secret Realm was perfect for the basic Spirit Plants.'
Ethan was happy about the change because when he nurtured the Rank 3 or above Spirit Plants, he could easily achieve a Perfect Quality Harvest.
'I have good cultivation and my future path for Spirit Farming is set.'
Ethan was supposed to be happy; however, he suddenly thought, 'If only I could find a way for my parents to cultivate alongside me, it would have been great.'
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In this cultivation world, despite its rich environment, a mortal's lifespan is typically limited to 75 years and, due to the countless dangers that lurk, most mortals rarely live past 50.
Of course, if they have the protection of a powerful backer, like Ethan's parents, who were supported by the Lin Family, they could die of old age.
Right now, what troubled Ethan most was that Garrick and Vera were already in their forties, leaving them with less than forty years to live, while his own lifespan had already reached 280 years and it would continue to increase in the future.
Though he could use treasured items to extend their lives, their effectiveness on mortals was significantly reduced compared to cultivators.
Because of this, Ethan was thinking of ways to help his parents embark on the path of cultivation.
'I should find treasures that could let them cultivate.'
Although they were quite old, Ethan could always get them some good cultivation resources and most importantly, once he took control of the Mystic Soil Domain, he could bring them into the Secret Realm along with him to cultivate faster.
'That's right! I should keep an eye out for such treasured items.'
Ethan made a mental note in his head.
After calming his emotions for his parents' future, Ethan focused on the Spirit Beast Egg.
'I wonder what type of Spirit Beast will come out of this egg?'
With a curious look on his face, Ethan dropped his blood on the Spirit Beast Egg.
'Kacha'
Soon, cracking sounds started coming from the Spirit Egg and in no time, Ethan saw a dark-green turtle shell, shimmering with an earthy hue as it spun around itself.
'A turtle?'
Ethan was pleasantly surprised as he was not expecting a turtle to come out of the Spirit Beast Egg.
The turtle shell stopped spinning and it poked its head out of the shell, blinking up at him with round, innocent eyes.
'You… are cute.'
Ethan never had a pet and looking at the small turtle around the size of his fist, he gently picked it up before tapping its head with his finger.
'Hizz'
The turtle let out a soft, almost contented hiss, nuzzling his finger as though it was already attached to him.
As Ethan was playing with his first pet, a system notification rang in his head, showing the full information about his pet.
'Ding,
Spirit Beast: Mystic Soil Turtle (Hatchling).
Strength: Rank 1.
Skills: Spirit Soil Shell.
Skill Information: Its shell acts as a small plot of Spirit Field where it can grow the same ranked Spirit Plants. When these Spirit Plants mature, the Mystic Soil Turtle's strength increases slightly.
Information: The Mystic Soil Turtle is a rare spirit beast known for its deep connection to the earth and soil. It eats dirt from the Spirit Field and its waste enriches the spirit soil. It is known that it has the potential of becoming a Rank 5 Spirit Beast and could grow as big as a mountain.'
'Is this what they call a Portable Spirit Field?'
After reading the information about the Mystic Soil Turtle, Ethan could not help but become excited.
Currently, it was the size of his fist; however, according to the information provided by the system, it could grow as big as a mountain.
A moving mountain that can be used to grow Spirit Plants, and its waste acts as a Spirit Fertilizer without any additional methods… How can Ethan not be excited with all these abilities of his pet?
"You might become a mountain in the future; however, since you look like a pebble right now, I will call you Pebble."
Ethan thought about it for a moment and named it Pebble.
'Hizz'
The small turtle didn't understand his words and looked at him with innocent eyes.
"Pebble, I will bring you to the Spirit Field in a while, until then, make do with the regular dirt."
Slowly, Ethan placed Pebble on the earthen floor inside his room as it started searching for its own food.
'Having a pet that takes care of its own food is a perfect pet.'
Ethan had heard it's not an easy thing to take care of pets; however, Pebble seems easy to take care of.
'Let's record the Seed Condensation Method for the Thunderleaf Seed.'
Next, Ethan shifted his focus to the last reward from the Secret Realm, which was a Seed Condensation Stone that he decided to use to record the Thunderleaf Seed in his possession.
'Wait a second… instead of recording and learning the Thunderleaf Seed Condensation Method, isn't it more beneficial if I got a Rank 1 Spirit Plant?'
Just when Ethan was about to record the Thunderleaf Seed Condensation Method, he thought of some things that made him hesitate in his previous decision.
'I have only one Thunderleaf Seed and even if I learn its Seed Condensation Method, it would take years before I could mass produce them.'
First, Ethan had to plant his Thunderleaf Seed and nurture it.
Since it is a Special Rank 2 Spirit Seed, it will take at least a year to mature, when Ethan can condense two or three seeds.
Later, Ethan had to replant these two or three seeds, nurture them for a year before condensing more seeds, and he had to repeat that process multiple times.
'Even if I use the [Green Pulse Art, I might reduce the duration by half; however, it would still take years before I could harvest the Thunderleaf Spirit Plants.'
'In the meantime, if I can learn the seed condensation method for a Rank 1 Spirit Plant like Spirit Grass, I can start mass nurturing from the start because getting 1000 Spirit Grass Seeds is not very difficult.'
If he followed his new plan, Ethan could harvest at least 1000 Life Points every day, and including the weekly survival benefits, no one could stop him from becoming a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.
'As long as I can harvest a good number of Life Points from the beginning, I don't have to worry about my future.'
With enough Life Points, he could not only instantly learn the Cultivation Techniques and increase their mastery, but he could even buy his killer's cultivation.
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'Swiish'
Once Ethan made his decision, he no longer hesitated and placed one of the Perfect Quality Spirit Grass from his Vital Bloom Ring on the Seed Condensation Stone.
That's right!
The 1000 Perfect Quality Spirit Grass he harvested in the Secret Realm were also neatly placed in his Vital Bloom Ring by the Gentle Voice.
'Swiish'
Soon, the white stone shone brightly and an image of a Spirit Grass appeared on it.
'The Seed Condensation Method is successfully recorded into this stone.'
'Kacha'
With the appearance of the Spirit Grass image on the stone, Ethan nodded his head and without any hesitation, he directly crushed it.
'Swiish'
In the next second, a special white energy was released from the crushed stone and entered into Ethan's head as new information about the Spirit Grass' Seed Condensation Method appeared in his head.
'Ding,
The host has learned the Seed Condensation Method of the Spirit Grass.'
'With this Spirit Grass' Seed Condensation Method, I don't have to worry about the Spirit Seeds for my farming.'
Although Spirit Grass' Seeds are not costly, he couldn't buy them continuously in bulk, which gradually increases the price and raise unwanted attention.
According to Ethan's plan, he would first buy Spirit Grass Seeds in bulk before mass nurturing them.
Once they mature, he would set aside a portion of Spirit Grass for Seed Condensation while harvesting the majority for Life Points, and he could repeat the process without worrying about buying the Spirit Grass Seeds ever again.
'However, the most important thing is, I need my own Spirit Field. Hopefully, my talk with the Lin Family goes smoothly.'
Another one of the reasons why Ethan decided to reveal his encounter with the Secret Realm and his cultivation to the Lin Family was because they have many Spirit Fields under their control.
Ethan believed that he could get access to his private Spirit Field which he could use to harvest Life Points.
"It's time to go and visit the Lin Family."
After having lunch with his family, Ethan went to the Lin Family Manor to meet Manager Merrick.
"You…how did you become a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator in less than two days?"
Since Ethan intentionally released his aura, Merrick instantly noticed Ethan's cultivation and asked him with a shocked look on his face.
"Uncle Merrick, I should thank you for this. Because of the Earth Essence Integration Cultivation Technique, you taught me..."
Soon, Ethan narrated the same story he narrated to his parents, making Manager Merrick more and more shocked.
"You entered the Mystic Soil Domain?"
Before Manager Merrick could react, a surprised voice came from the distance and Ethan saw a middle-aged man walk towards him.
This newcomer had some resemblance to Merrick and Ethan could easily tell that they were brothers.
"Third Brother, have you finished the exploration of the new Secret Realm already?"
Seeing the newcomer, Merrick became excited because it was none other than his youngest brother, Rowan Lin, the strongest cultivator among the brothers.
Because of this, Rowan was in charge of exploring the Secret Realms that open in their territory, and since he returned safely from the Secret Realm, Merrick felt relieved and excited.
"Yes, Big Brother. Thankfully, there were no casualties this time and I found some Spirit Seeds in there which I brought for you."
Another one of the reasons for Merrick's excitement was, Rowan always brought the Spirit Seeds for him from the Secret Realm.
"Big Brother, who is this fellow cultivator?"
Rowan asked his brother and without waiting for the answer, he asked Ethan, "Fellow Cultivator, did you really enter the Mystic Soil Domain?"
"Replying to the Elder….Yes, I have entered the Mystic Soil Domain and perfectly completed a task inside."
Since Merrick addressed the newcomer as 'Third Brother', Ethan replied to Rowan respectfully.
"Third Brother, he is the youngster I recruited from the Silvermoon Village. His parents are the Spirit Labourers, working for our Lin Family for the past 20 years."
Merrick hurriedly informed Rowan about Ethan and started narrating the same story that Ethan told him earlier.
"As I heard, this Mystic Soil Domain is really generous with its rewards."
After hearing that Ethan broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Rowan was not surprised.
"Third Brother, do you know about this Secret Realm?"
Merrick asked Rowan with a curious look.
"I know it and Big Brother, even you know about it."
Rowan replied with a smile, "Did you already forget how our Grandfather broke through the Foundation Establishment Realm?"
"How can I forget it? He got a Perfect Grade Foundation Ascension Pill from a Secret Realm…wait a second…don't tell me that Secret Realm is the Mystic Soil Domain."
Soon, Merrick remembered the Mystic Soil Domain.
"If only he was still here, our Lin Family might have been even more powerful."
Thinking about his Grandfather, Merrick could not help but become sad.
'Damn it…why did I bring my Grandfather's name up.'
Rowan cursed himself for reminding their Grandfather despite knowing it was Merrick's soft spot.
The reason why Merrick became a Spirit Farmer was because of his Grandfather who was also a Famous Spirit Farmer that even Sects would acknowledge his expertise.
"Big Brother, let's make our Lin Family stronger and make him proud."
Without any delay, Rowan hurriedly diverted Merrick's attention.
"That's right! We should not disappoint our Grandfather and Ancestors of the Lin Family."
Merrick took a deep breath as he controlled his emotional state.
'...'
On the other hand, Ethan became speechless at the conversation between the brothers.
'I didn't expect Uncle Merrick to be so emotional just like me.'
Nevertheless, for some reason, when he looked at Merrick, Ethan felt like he was looking at himself.
"Kai, since you have become a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, you are qualified to become an Elder of the Lin Family."
Soon, the brothers' attention landed on Ethan as Merrick offered Ethan an 'Elder' position for the Lin Family.
"What? Elder of the Lin Family?"
Ethan and Rowan were both shocked to hear those words.
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"What? Elder of the Lin Family?"
Ethan was shocked by Merrick's words.
'What? Big Brother is making him an Elder of the Family just like that?'
Not only was Ethan shocked, even Rowan was shocked by Merrick's offer to Ethan.
According to the rules of the Lin Family, any family member could become an Elder when they broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
However, it was a rule only for the direct descendants of the Lin Family and not the ones recruited from their subsidiary villages.
For members like Ethan, they are supposed to serve the Lin Family for at least 15 years to prove their loyalty to the family before becoming an Elder.
But, Ethan officially joined the Lin Family for only two days and now, his big brother was promoting him to an Elder.
'Is there something that Big Brother is hiding from me? Wait a second…don't tell me this brat is Big Brother's secret son.'
Rowan could not help but think of Ethan as Merrick's secret son.
'T-this brat…he must be thinking something inappropriate about me.'
Looking at Rowan's expression, Merrick frowned; however, he didn't want to embarrass him in front of Ethan.
So, he soon started talking about the benefits and responsibilities that Ethan would get as an Elder of the Lin Family.
"As an Elder, you will be given a courtyard with rich Spirit Essence, 500 low-level Spirit Stones per year, and a few other benefits."
"Along with the benefits, there are responsibilities you have to bear."
"You have to contribute to the family and protect it when there is danger."
"I understand, Uncle Merrick."
Ethan was satisfied with the benefits and as for contributing to the family, he was not worried as he had many ways to do it.
"Good. I have high expectations of you, Kai."
After that, Merrick asked someone to bring Ethan to his new courtyard while he stayed back to have a talk with Rowan.
"Big Brother, is he your…."
Once Ethan left, Rowan spoke to clear his doubts; however, before he could complete his sentence, Merrick interrupted, "He is not my secret son."
After clearing the most important doubt in Rowan's head, Merrick started explaining why he promoted Ethan to an Elder of the family.
"When I first recruited Kai into the Lin Family, I guessed he had a cultivation talent related to Spirit Plants because all the Silverstem Flowers he harvested were Good Quality."
"Since he was able to enter the Mystic Soil Domain, I am confident that he has the cultivation talent related to Spirit Plants."
"What's more, he has a cultivation of Foundation Establishment Realm, which means, even without any treasured items, he could live for more than 200 years."
"By showing how much we care about him, it won't be long before he becomes loyal to the family."
Merrick spoke one thing after another, making Rowan understand the reason behind his brother's decision.
"What if he has other thoughts and becomes a problem for our family?"
Rowan might be younger than Merrick; however, he had more worldly experience than Merrick thanks to his adventurous spirit.
"You are doubting your Big Brother's judgment now?"
Merrick acted serious for a moment before informing, "I have already run a background check on him and I found something interesting."
"What is it?"
Rowan became curious.
"He ran away from home and joined the Sky Cloud Sect before getting kicked out for not breaking through to Level 2 Qi Refining Realm."
If Ethan were to hear Merrick's words, he would have been shocked.
"What? He was an ex-disciple of one of the three biggest sects in the province? How could they miss a cultivator with a cultivation talent?"
Rowan was shocked by Ethan's background and soon understood why Merrick was giving special treatment to Ethan.
"A former disciple of the Sky Cloud Sect changed his life with a fortuitous encounter after getting kicked out of the sect."
Merrick and Rowan have grown up listening to their grandfather's stories, where the protagonists always started weak, faced countless setbacks, and eventually rose to greatness, stronger than ever.
"Big Brother, everything is good; however, I don't think you can use this reason to convince the Second Brother."
Suddenly, Rowan realized another problem as he reminded Merrick about it.
"I might not be able to convince him; however, I have you to support me, right?"
Merrick chuckled as he patted Rowan's back and pulled him to their Second Brother, Edwin Lin, who was also the Family Head of the Lin Family.
North Street, Greenspire Town.
As Merrick and Rowan were busy convincing their Second Brother regarding Ethan's promotion, a servant guided Ethan to his personal courtyard.
The courtyard was not huge but it was not small either.
'A Spirit Field? Great.'
The first thing that caught Ethan's eye was a small plot of a spirit field that was a hundred times better than the Spirit Field his parents used.
The atmosphere in the courtyard was richer in spirit essence compared to the area outside the courtyard which was perfect for cultivation.
At the center, a simple pavilion, a small pond , and neatly arranged stone pathways enhanced its tranquil and harmonious ambiance.
In short, entering the courtyard made Ethan feel like he had entered a Secret Realm; of course, it was still not comparable to the Mystic Soil Domain's Spirit Essence.
"Elder Kai, the courtyard is protected by a Rank 4 formation known as the 'Wall of Illusion.' It prevents any cultivator below the Golden Core Realm from entering or even peering inside."
"Along with it, there are two Rank 3 Formations named 'Essence Gathering Formation' and 'Essence Replenishing Formation' for Elder's cultivation and to nurture the Spirit Plants."
The servant explained while giving Ethan three green-coloured formation plates that controlled three formations.
"A Rank 4 Formation and two Rank 3 Formations?"
Ethan knew the Lin Family was powerful but he didn't expect they were this powerful to casually equip a Rank 4 Formation and two Rank 3 Formations for a newly promoted Elder's courtyard.
"Elder Ethan, I will take my leave now. If you need anything, just contact me through the Communication Talisman."
After giving a complete tour of the courtyard, the servant left, leaving Ethan alone in the courtyard.
'Activate.'
After the servant left, the first thing Ethan did was to activate all the formations.
'Swiish'
Soon, invisible barriers appeared around the entire courtyard, stopping others from seeing into his courtyard.
"Pebble, this will be our new home from today."
Next, Ethan took his Spirit Pet out of his robes and said, "It is time to farm."
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'Even after strolling the entire market, I barely got 1000 Spirit Grass Seeds.'
Once Ethan decided to start farming, he went to buy Spirit Grass Seeds.
First, he went to the same shop he bought Spirit Seeds from during his last visit to Greenspire Town.
There, he bought all the remaining 500 Spirit Grass Seeds in the shop and if he wanted to buy more, he had to wait for a few more days.
However, he didn't want to waste any time as he visited more than a dozen seed shops, finally getting 350 Spirit Grass Seeds.
Adding to the 150 Spirit Grass Seeds he bought in the past, Ethan finally got his hands on 1000 Spirit Grass Seeds.
Actually, Ethan could have taken the Lin Family's help to collect the Spirit Grass Seeds in no time; however, he didn't want to ask for help as soon as he became an Elder.
'Moreover, Uncle Merrick said that it would take a couple of days to officially announce my promotion.'
Ethan smiled a little and thought to himself, 'In the future, I don't have to struggle to buy the Spirit Grass Seeds anymore.'
From the next time, Ethan planned to condense the Spirit Grass Seeds on his own for planting the next batch of Spirit Grass.
'Anyway, let's complete the planting and bring my parents here.'
[Earth Essence Integration Technique]
After using the Earth Essence Integration Technique, Ethan enriched the soil before planting all the 1000 Spirit Grass Seeds.
'After planting, it is time for watering.'
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Swiish'
Thanks to the Spirit Rain, the spirit seeds inside the ground got nourished and their growth got stimulated a little.
'Time for some special treatment.'
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
Without any delay, Ethan used the Special Cultivation Technique to speed up the growth of the Spirit Seeds as buds shot out of the ground.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
After checking a few Spirit Plants' status, Ethan used the [Flourishing Spirit Rain] before using the [Green Pulse Art].
'Huh? Why do I feel their growth rate is much slower compared to the Secret Realm?'
After using the two cultivation techniques in rotation, Ethan noticed something.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Plant Name: Spirit Grass]
[Status: Stressful, it is feeling intense pressure due to the external accelerated growth]
[Maturity: 95 days]
'It has already started feeling pressured?'
Back in the Secret Realm, every day, Ethan could reduce the maturity of the Spirit Grass by 10 days before they felt the pressure from the accelerated growth.
However, now, he only reduced the maturity by 5 days and they were already feeling pressured.
'Is it because the environment inside the Mystic Soil Domain is top-notch?'
This was the only reason Ethan could come to after thinking for a moment.
Whether it was the Spirit Essence or the Spirit Soil, they were top-notch inside the Mystic Soil Domain, which was perfect for nurturing the Spirit Plants.
'I should not miss such a good Secret Realm at any cost.'
Thinking back to the environment inside the Secret Realm, Ethan's determination to get that Secret Realm intensified.
'As for my current situation, it is alright to wait for another 10 days for harvesting the Spirit Grass.'
According to Ethan's plan, he could harvest the Life Points in 10 days; however, now, it has increased to 20 days due to environmental factors.
Nevertheless, Ethan was not disappointed much.
"Let's plant a Rank 1 Spirit Plant on Pebble now."
Currently, the Mystic Soil Turtle is small, and only one Rank 1 Spirit Plant can be planted on it.
'I have two Rank 1 Spirit Seeds. One is Mutated Ironleaf Grass and another one is Mistvine Seed.'
After thinking for a moment, Ethan went with a genuine Rank 1 Spirit Seed, the Mistvine Seed rather than a Gradeless Spirit Seed that mutated into a Rank 1 Spirit Seed.
'How do I plant it?'
Ethan, holding the seed in his hand, wondered in his mind.
'Hizz'
'Gulp'
On the other hand, the small turtle extended its neck and swallowed the seed in one gulp, making Ethan speechless.
'Swiish'
In the next second, a tiny green-coloured dot appeared on the turtle's shell, attracting Ethan's attention.
'Let's see.'
Ethan gently touched the turtle's shell with his finger as his Special Talent triggered, giving out the information about the Spirit Plant.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Plant Name: Mistvine Seed]
[Status: Extremely Joyful.]
[Maturity: 100 days]
'The plant is very happy to grow on its back?'
Ethan's eyes lit up as he activated the [Green Pulse Art] to speed up its growth.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
Since it was a single plant, while using the two cultivation techniques, he spent very little Spirit Essence and Energy.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Plant Name: Mistvine]
[Status: Stressful due to the accelerated external growth]
[Maturity: 90 days]
Surprisingly, he was able to reduce the Mistvine's maturity by 10 days, making Ethan extremely happy.
'From tomorrow, I should place Pebble inside the Spirit Field while I nurture the Spirit Grass.'
By doing so, he wouldn't have to nurture the Mistvine Seed separately, saving him a lot of Energy and Spirit Essence.
'I wonder what kind of benefits Pebble will get after the Mistvine Seed matures.'
Ethan was curious about it; however, he had to wait for 10 days to know that.
"Now, it is time to bring my parents here."
After resting for some time, Ethan quickly went to bring his parents to the courtyard and told them about his new status in the Lin Family.
They were shocked as they knew it was extremely difficult for an outsider like their son to become an Elder of the Family.
Nevertheless, they were loyal to the Lin Family and trusted Merrick wouldn't do anything bad to their son.
Time continued to pass and in a flash, two days passed by.
"Kai, the Family Head has personally come to meet you."
While Ethan was taking care of the Spirit Plants along with his parents, Merrick and Rowan arrived to meet Ethan along with another person.
He was none other than Edwin Lin, the current Family Head of the Lin Family.
"Family Head."
"Uncle Merrick."
"Uncle Rowan."
Ethan hurriedly opened the formations and welcomed them into his courtyard and respectfully greeted everyone.
"You are quite good, having reached the Foundation Establishment Realm at such a young age."
When Edwin heard about Ethan from his brothers, he felt they might be exaggerating things; however, after sensing Ethan's cultivation, he was satisfied.
"It's all thanks to Uncle Merrick who taught me….."
Ethan hurriedly gave full credit to Merrick, which was half the truth.
"He taught hundreds of youngsters like you; however, no one has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm in just two days."
Family Head Edwin shook his head, giving full credit to Ethan for his fortuitous encounter.
"However, the Family can't make you an Elder just because of your cultivation, and you know why?"
Edwin continued, "But, since both my brothers recommended your promotion to become an Elder, I want to assign a mission for you. The moment you complete it, you will be officially announced as an Elder along with a special reward from me."
"Mission? What kind of mission?"
Ethan hurriedly asked, not because he was excited about the reward but for the position of Elder.
"It is a very simple mission for you."
Edwin smiled as he informed, "If you can successfully nurture this Rank 3 Clearheart Lotus Seed, you can officially become my Lin Family's Elder."
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When Ethan narrated his fortuitous encounter to Merrick, he not only told about his increased cultivation, but he also told about the Cultivation Techniques, basic knowledge about the Spirit Plants, which were the Welcome Gift from the Gentle Voice.
Thus, Merrick believed Ethan was able to complete the task of the Secret Realm with the help of those gifts along with his Cultivation Talent related to Spirit Plants.
When Merrick convinced his Second Brother Edwin, he mentioned all these things and even added a few things, exaggerating Ethan's talent in the Spirit Plants.
Therefore, Edwin Lin has come up with a task for Ethan which is related to Spirit Plants.
"I will complete the task and won't disappoint the Family Head."
On the other hand, Ethan was happy because he was confident in completing the task.
He knew that becoming an Elder of the Lin Family was not easy as there would be others questioning his abilities.
By nurturing a Rank 3 Spirit Plant, along with his cultivation, it was enough quality to shut everyone's mouths.
"Good."
Edwin was satisfied with Ethan's confidence in completing the task as he added, "While completing the task, you can have this courtyard and even visit the Lin Family's Library to read about the Spirit Plants and learn some basic cultivation techniques."
"Thank you, Family Head."
Ethan heaved a sigh of relief that he could still keep his courtyard. Hence, he thanked Edwin and wanted to ask something, but he kept his mouth shut.
"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"
Edwin noticed Ethan's hesitation and asked him about it.
He looked at Merrick, who nodded his head to speak before Ethan finally spoke, "Family Head, if you don't mind, can I take some missions related to Spirit Plants to contribute to the Family?"
"Of course, you can, and you have to do it while taking your Elder Promotion Mission."
Edwin turned to Merrick and said, "Big Brother, you don't have to give him easy missions just because you like him."
"Yes, Family Head."
Merrick replied with a smile as he secretly gave a thumbs up to Ethan.
"Rowan, let's go. I have a mission for you. You have to go to the Green Fire Sect..."
Soon, Edwin left with Rowan as they talked about some mission related to the Green Fire Sect.
"Ethan, looks like my Second Brother has taken a liking to you."
After the two brothers left, Merrick told Ethan, "If not, he would have assigned a tougher assessment mission for you."
"..."
Ethan remained silent as he heard Merrick continue speaking, "The Clearheart Lotus is a Special Rank 3 Spirit Plant which is much easier to nurture compared to the regular Rank 3 Spirit Plants."
"More importantly, it has the same maturity period of most Rank 2 Spirit Plants, which is six months."
"If you use your Green Pulse Art, you can easily harvest it in less than four months."
Merrick was in a good mood, making him speak nonstop, telling Ethan how he could become an Elder within four months.
"Really?"
Ethan was pleasantly surprised with the specialty of the Clearheart Lotus.
Actually, Ethan could get all this information once he starts nurturing the Clearheart Lotus Seed. For now, he could only see the basic information like its name and its rank.
"As for the missions related to the Spirit Plants, you can pick one for yourself."
Soon, Merrick gave Ethan a thin booklet made up of leaves and each leaf contained some words on it.
...
[Family Mission : Cultivate Spirit Grass (Rank 1)]
[Mission Type: Easy and always ongoing]
[Reward: 1 Spirit Stone per Spirit Grass]
...
[Family Mission : Cultivate Skydew Grass (Rank 1)]
[Mission Type: Easy and always ongoing]
[Reward: 1 Spirit Stone per Grass]
…..
[Family Mission : Cultivate Greenleaf Herb (Rank 1)]
[Mission Type: Easy and always ongoing]
[Reward: 1 Spirit Stone per Herb]
….
.
.
.
There were more than a dozen missions on the leaf booklet, and all of them were related to nurturing Rank 1 Spirit Plants.
'T-these….are all low-level tasks.'
Ethan looked at Merrick in confusion because just a moment ago, the Family Head had asked him not to give easy tasks.
"For now, start with Rank 1 Spirit Plants until you complete your Elder Promotion Task."
Merrick seemed to sense Ethan's thoughts as he explained, "The task seems easy; however, what if I add a condition that you have to submit at least 100 Perfect Quality Grass or Herbs per month?"
For others, it might be very difficult to have a Perfect Quality Harvest; however, Merrick knew Ethan could easily do it…at least for the Spirit Grass.
The reason why Merrick gave only Rank 1 Missions was not because he didn't trust Ethan; instead, he wanted Ethan to put all his efforts into nurturing the Clearheart Lotus to become the Elder of the Family.
Once Ethan becomes an Elder, Merrick has some great plans for him.
"Yes, Uncle Merrick."
Ethan understood Merrick's intention and nodded his head.
"I have already submitted the 1000 Perfect Quality Spirit Grass you gave to me and got these 3000 Spirit Stones."
After talking for a while, Merrick gave 3000 Spirit Stones to Ethan, pleasantly surprising Ethan.
"A Normal Quality Spirit Grass costs only one Spirit Stone, and a Good Quality Spirit Grass costs one and a half Spirit Stones, whereas a Perfect Quality Spirit Grass costs three Spirit Stones."
Merrick explained why he received 3000 Spirit Stones rather than 1000 Spirit Stones.
"Thank you, Uncle Merrick."
The main reason Ethan was interested in Spirit Farming was because it was the easiest way for him to accumulate Life Points, whereas the income earned by selling the harvested Spirit Plants was considered a bonus.
"Also, you said you didn't have any regular cultivation techniques for your protection, right? It is a special gift from my Third Brother, Rowan Lin."
Merrick didn't stop with the Spirit Stones as he took out a jade slip containing a cultivation technique.
'Verdant Thorn Armour?'
Ethan read the name of the cultivation technique on the jade slip.
"This cultivation technique is not only used for defense, but it can also be used for attacking your enemies."
Merrick briefly explained the cultivation technique, making Ethan repeatedly thank Merrick for all his gifts.
After that, Merrick explained a few things about the family before leaving Ethan's small courtyard.
'Let's plant this Clearheart Lotus Seed.'
Once Merrick left, Ethan planted the Clearheart Lotus Seed in a corner of the Spirit Field to get its complete information.
'Huh? T-this…is this really a Rank 3 Spirit Plant?'
When Ethan saw the information on it, he was pleasantly surprised.
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[Spirit Plant Name: Clearheart Lotus]
[Grade: Rank 3 (Special)]
[Status: Unhappy. As a water-type Spirit Plant, it dislikes being planted in the dry soil.]
[Maturity: Not Possible in its current condition.]
[Information: A Clearheart Lotus is supposed to be nurtured in wetlands or in water. All it needs is the Spirit Essence either from the soil or the spirit farmer.]
[Additional Information: There is a myth that if someone successfully nurtures a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, he will awakened a Cultivation Talent that clears all his inner doubts and even demons in his heart.]
Ethan was not surprised with the plant being unhappy because the Clearheart Lotus was a water-type plant.
However, the additional information about the Clearheart Lotus made him pleasantly surprised.
'A cultivator encounters some setbacks every now and then, and these setbacks are turned into self-doubts and even Inner Demons.'
Ethan recalled the importance of having a Clear Heart for the cultivators because, without it, a cultivator can't break through to the next realm.
'Although I don't have to worry about breaking through my cultivation, having a Cultivation Talent that clears all my inner doubts is very useful to me.'
With a Clear Heart, Ethan could make the right decisions at the right time and most importantly, he could convert the Cultivation Talent into a Special Talent, making it even more powerful.
Although it required Ethan to harvest a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, he believed that he could do it with some additional care.
As the rank of the Spirit Plants increases, the chances of harvesting Perfect Quality Spirit Plants become difficult, but with Ethan's ability to observe the plant's status, he could easily achieve it.
'Moreover, it is quite easy to take care of and, more importantly, harvesting it can not only make me an Elder of the Lin Family, but I will get a good amount of Life Points along with a Clear Heart that is free of Inner Demons.'
Thinking about all the benefits from taking care of the Clearheart Lotus, Ethan was excited.
'Let's transplant this Clearheart Lotus into the small pond.'
The small pond was filled with normal water; however, since the Clearheart Lotus hates being in the dry soil, Ethan decided to plant it at one corner of the small pond, where it was slightly muddy.
[Status: Content. It was content compared to its previous environment.]
[Maturity: 200 days]
'Even though it is not happy, it will do just fine until Uncle Merrick sends me the Spirit Gathering Crystals.'
Earlier, Merrick mentioned his plans to convert the small pond in his courtyard into a Spirit Water Pond to nurture the Clearheart Lotus.
However, it would take a few days for him to acquire the Spirit Gathering Crystals before sending them to Ethan.
As their name suggests, these crystals draw in Spirit Essence from the surroundings, concentrating it into a specific location to enhance its spiritual quality.
'Until then, I will nourish you with my own Spirit Essence.'
With a smile, Ethan decided to create an artifact Spirit Rain for the plant.
'Wait a second…isn't it better to upgrade my techniques to the Small Success Stage?'
Suddenly, Ethan remembered he had enough Life Points to upgrade his cultivation techniques.
'After this week, I will get more Life Points and additional gifts from the system. So, there is nothing wrong in using the existing Life Points to increase the mastery of my cultivation techniques.'
Of course, Ethan thought about it a few times before upgrading his two Farming Techniques.
'Ding,
The host has spent 200 Life Points and successfully cultivated the [Flourishing Spirit Rain] to the Small Success Stage.
'Ding,
The host has spent 200 Life Points and successfully cultivated the [Green Pulse Art] to the Small Success Stage.
'Ding,
Remaining Life Points: 103.
Soon, Ethan felt like he had practiced these two cultivation techniques hundreds of times and now, he could use them for a longer time with less Spirit Essence.
'Time to test them.'
Without wasting any time, Ethan directly started testing the two upgraded cultivation techniques.
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Swiish'
Since it was only a single plant, Ethan only created a small cloud; however, each raindrop contained 20 percent more Spirit Essence than before upgrading the cultivation technique.
'20 percent increase in the Spirit Essence and at the same time, I require 20 percent less Spirit Essence in using that cultivation technique.'
Ethan was satisfied with the artificial rain he created.
[Status: Happy. Finally, there is Spirit Rain. I can grow…grow now.]
[Maturity: 200 days]
'Good.'
Ethan checked its status and became happy seeing that the Clearheart Lotus was happy with his Spirit Rain.
'It's just the beginning. I will make you even happier until you beg me to stop.'
He lightly touched the spot where he planted the Clearheart Lotus Seed and activated his Special Cultivation Technique, [Green Pulse Art].
'Swiish'
Soon, his Spirit Essence turned into a Pure Plant Essence, pouring it into the Clearheart Lotus Seed.
'The purity of the Plant Essence has been increased by 20 percent, and the cost of Spirit Essence has been decreased by 20 percent.'
The [Green Pulse Art] has the same changes as the [Flourishing Spirit Rain, making Ethan smile as he focuses on the Clearheart Lotus Seed.
'Swiish'
After a few moments, there was an extremely small sprout coming out of the ground.
[Status: Very Happy. First, there is Spirit Rain and now the Pure Plant Essence…is today my Lucky Day or what?]
[Maturity: 198 days]
'Not only has it become very happy, but even its maturity has decreased by 2 days in just one session?'
Reducing the maturity of a Rank 1 Spirit Grass by three days in one session of [Green Pulse Art] was one thing, but reducing the maturity of a Special Rank 3 Spirit Plant like Clearheart Lotus was something that Ethan was extremely happy about.
'Let's see how many days I can reduce for its maturity?'
Soon, Ethan became excited as he used the two farming cultivation techniques one after another, satisfying the Clearheart Lotus while checking its Live Status.
[Status: Extremely Happy but Tired. It is definitely my Lucky Day, but if it continues, I will become the first Clearheart Lotus to die from excessive Plant Essence.]
[Maturity: 190 days]
"Don't worry, I won't let you die even if you want to die."
After observing the status, Ethan could not help but reply to the Clearheart Lotus, and as for the maturity, he was more than satisfied for reducing 10 days from its maturity.
'At this rate, I only need 20 days to harvest the Clearheart Lotus.'
Ethan clenched his fists in excitement; however, soon, he realized he was extremely tired.
Not only did he take care of the Spirit Grass in the morning, but he also took care of the Clearheart Lotus now, making him extremely tired.
'I will take some rest before my parents return.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan went to sleep for the day.
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, two days passed by.
As Ethan was taking care of his Spirit Plants, a series of system notifications rang in his head, making him excited.
'Finally, the Weekly Survival Rewards are here.'
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Other than spending his time with his parents and taking care of the Spirit Plants, the most exciting thing for Ethan was the Weekly Survival Benefits.
'After severing my bad relationship with the Eternal Shadow Guild, life has become very peaceful.'
It's been more than two weeks since he met his parents, and so far, he hasn't died even once, making Ethan enjoy his peaceful life, which he wanted very badly in his previous life.
'Anyway, let's check out the Weekly Survival Rewards.'
Putting his thoughts aside, Ethan focused on the system notifications.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for surviving a second consecutive week without using the [Godly Reviving Ability].
'Ding,
The host has received the following rewards for his achievement:
1) 200 Life Points.
2) A Free Voucher worth 500 Life Points.
3) A Revival Life Card.
'Only three rewards?'
However, looking at his weekly survival rewards, Ethan was not happy; instead, he was a little disappointed.
Previously, he received five rewards, and now, he received only three.
Although the Life Points he received doubled and even the free voucher's worth had increased from 200 to 500 Life Points, Ethan was no longer a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator.
If he died now, he would have gained 264 Life Points, and before his breakthrough, he used to receive only 99 Life Points.
Moreover, Ethan's expectations for these Weekly Survival Rewards were quite high, leading him to major disappointment.
'Am I becoming greedy for free things?'
Suddenly, Ethan realized the change in his behavior and bitterly shook his head, 'I should keep my greed in check.'
'As long as I stay here and earn Weekly Survival Rewards for a few years and accumulate lots of Life Points and the Revival Life Cards, I can become the strongest Cultivator of this Cultivation World.'
Ethan calmed himself by thinking about the greatness of the Weekly Survival Rewards.
However, the system sent him a couple of system notifications, making his jaw drop.
'Ding,
The Weekly Survival Rewards is a limited event for the host to adjust to the Cultivation World.
'Ding,
The host can only claim a total of three Weekly Survival Rewards before they will be converted into Yearly Survival Rewards.
'System, this is a joke, right? There will be more Weekly Survival Rewards, right?'
Ethan couldn't help but ask the system about it; however, there was no reply from the system, crushing all the expectations he had a moment ago.
Unlike before, Ethan was unable to recover from his sadness quickly, and it took nearly five days before he got good news.
'The Mistvine on Pebble's shell has finally matured.'
Ethan was always curious about the changes that would be brought by the Mistvine to his Mystic Soil Turtle, and now, it had finally matured.
'Ding,
The host's Spirit Pet has nurtured its first Rank 1 Spirit Plant.
'Ding,
Thanks to the Spirit Pet's [Spirit Soil Shell, it has grown a little, coming out of its hatchling phase.
'Ding,
The host's Spirit Pet has learned a new skill, [Morning Mist Brew].
Before Ethan could harvest the Mistvine from the turtle's back, he received the system notifications, informing him of the things it gained for nurturing the Mistvine Plant.
'What? It can even learn skills related to the Spirit Plants it nurtures?'
Ethan was not surprised by its growth; however, he was surprised by the Mystic Soil Turtle's ability to learn skills from the Spirit Plants it nurtures.
'Ding,
The Mystic Soil Turtle can acquire a new skill from the first Spirit Plant it nurtures at each grade.
'Oh. So, it is limited to its first Spirit Plant from each grade.'
Ethan understood what the system said and muttered, 'Looks like I have to find a Special Rank 2 Spirit Seed for Pebble when it becomes a Rank 2 Spirit Beast.'
'The more special the Spirit Plant is, the more special the awakened skill will be, right?'
This was what Ethan thought as he decided to get a Special Rank 2 Spirit Seed for Pebble in the future.
'Anyway, let's check this new skill.'
After understanding how the Mystic Soil Turtle's [Spirit Soil Shell] worked, Ethan focused on the turtle's newly awakened skill.
'Ding,
Skill Name: Morning Mist Brew.
Effect: The turtle can absorb the morning fog from its surroundings and condense it into a Spiritual Brew called Morning Mist Brew.
Information: A Rank 1 Spiritual Brew that helps mortals and even low-level Qi Refining Cultivators quickly recover from their exhaustion.
'A Spiritual Brew that helps in recovering stamina?'
Other than taking care of the Spirit Plants, Ethan was also reading a lot of books in his free time to increase his knowledge about the cultivation world.
Thus, Ethan knew about Spiritual Brews; however, seeing that his Spirit Pet could make a Rank 1 Spiritual Brew now, pleasantly surprised him.
'Pebble, you are definitely my Support Pet.'
He could use it as a Spirit Field, and now, it could make Spiritual Brew, and in the future, it would learn more skills, making it an all-around Support Pet.
Thanks to his Mystic Soil Turtle, Ethan was finally able to come out of his disappointment regarding the Weekly Survival Rewards, making Pebble a perfect Support Pet even for his mental health.
'Ding,
The host has harvested a Perfect Quality Mistvine and received a Life Point.
Soon, he harvested the Mistvine from the turtle's back, and without any surprise, it was a Perfect Quality Mistvine, which Ethan stored in his Vital Bloom Ring to sell later.
'This time, let's nurture Ironleaf Grass.'
Ethan fed Pebble with a Rank 1 Spirit Seed and went back to his regular routine.
Time passed by as Ethan received the Spirit Gathering Crystals from Merrick, turning his small pond into a Temporary Spirit Pond.
[Status: Joyful. This is life… what more can I ask for other than a perfect home to grow? I love you, my dear servant, for taking such good care of me.]
'With the Spirit Pond, my chances of harvesting a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus are very high.'
He was satisfied with the change in the Clearheart Lotus's mood, and the word 'Servant' didn't bother him at all.
'I was literally a corporate slave for years for a bare minimum salary, but here, taking care of these Spirit Plants gives me generous rewards for my hard work.'
Ethan had no complaints about being a Spirit Farmer.
Soon, another day passed as Ethan received his last Weekly Survival Rewards, which were surprisingly much better than his expectations.
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'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for surviving a third consecutive week without using the [Godly Reviving Ability].
'Ding,
The host has received the following rewards for his achievement:
1) 500 Life Points.
2) A Free Voucher worth 1000 Life Points.
3) A New Safe Point.
4) A Multiplier Life Card.
5) A Revival Life Card.
6) A General Revival Life Card.
'1500 Life Points? The final Weekly Survival Rewards are really generous.'
Just the combined Life Points were enough to make Ethan stop worrying about not getting any Weekly Survival Rewards in the future.
'With the new Free Voucher, I can finally buy the Mastery of the Shadow Steps and bring it to the Great Completion Stage.'
Since Free Vouchers will expire in a week, Ethan had to spend them.
The previous Free Voucher was only worth 500 Life Points and even combining his regular Life Points, he couldn't afford to buy the Mastery of the Shadow Steps.
Thus, he used the previous voucher to learn and upgrade the new cultivation technique along with his existing cultivation techniques.
Now, with just the new voucher, Ethan could afford to buy it without having to spend any of his regular Life Points.
'There is also a New Safe Point which I can set in my Small Courtyard.'
Ethan was happy about his new Safe Point because he didn't have a Safe Point in the Emerald Green Region.
His first Safe Point, the Hidden Cave, was in the Sky Cloud Region whereas the second Safe Point was inside the Mystic Soil Domain.
With this third Safe Point, he can revive in his own home now.
'Other than Life Points and the new Safe Point, there are three Life Cards among which two are old ones.'
Ethan's focus was on the 'General Revival Life Card' as a White-Coloured Card appeared in front of him along with the information displayed by the system.
'Ding,
Item Name: General Revival Life Card.
Item type: One-time consumable.
Effect: It is basically a different version of the Revival Life Card that can be used to revive others.
Conditions: 1) It has to be used within an hour of the target's death for successful revival.
2) The target has to die right in front of his eyes to be able to revive the target.
Note: 1) The revived person will be loyal to the host.
'T-this…I can revive others with this card?'
Although there are two conditions, Ethan was still surprised and happy to have the ability to revive others.
'Wait a second…if there is a Life Card that can mimic the regular revival for others, then there must be a Life Card that can mimic the Godly Revival too, right?'
Suddenly, Ethan thought of something and his eyes lit up.
So far, Ethan noticed two types of revivals. They are Regular Revival and the Godly Revival.
Using the Revival Life Card, Ethan could undergo a Regular Revival upon his death; however, he couldn't buy the stats of his killer.
As for the Godly Revival, it is Ethan's own ability where he could buy his killer's stats and revive stronger than before.
So, Ethan thought that since there is a General Revival Life Card, there must be a Godly Revival Life Card that he could either use for himself or use on others.
'If there are really such Godly Revival Life Cards, then I can help my parents become cultivators and extend their lifespan.'
Ethan was always worried about his parents who had less than 30 years to live and thinking of the Godly Revival Life Cards, gave him hope.
'Ding,
The host can get the information of some high-level Life Cards after breaking through the Golden Core Realm. So, please focus on becoming stronger.'
As Ethan was thinking about the Godly Revival Life Cards, he suddenly received the system notification.
'The system didn't say 'No'; instead, it is asking me to become powerful to get more information from it regarding the Life Cards.'
Ethan clenched his fists in determination as he added a short-term goal of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm as soon as possible.
'Ding,
Due to the host's determination, the system has issued a new mission.
'Ding,
Mission Name: Golden Core Cultivator.
Details: Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm within six months.
Reward: A New System Feature and additional rewards.
Penalty: One Major Realm drop in the cultivation.
'What? There is a penalty?'
Ethan was happy with the new mission until the penalty, making him raise his brows.
Actually, Ethan was confident in breaking through to the Golden Core Realm sooner or later; however, the problem was the duration of the mission.
'Finding a Golden Core Realm Cultivator is a small problem; however, the big problem is the Life Points required to buy the Golden Core Realm Cultivation from the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].'
All Ethan wanted was to peacefully cultivate the Spirit Plants, accumulate the Life Points, become stronger and happily live with his parents.
Just to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Ethan required 1000 Life Points and it is easy to guess that the Golden Core Realm required at least 10,000 Life Points which is very hard for Ethan to accumulate within six months.
What's more, he won't be getting any Weekly Survival Benefits.
'From now on, I have to focus on dying every week and focus on killing my killer to get more Life Points and Lifespan.'
By dying, he could get 264 Life Points every week and if he could kill his killer, depending on his Killer's strength, he would get more Life Points and even Lifespan which would increase his Life Points for the next week's death.
'Other than dying, taking revenge, I have to nurture as many Spirit Plants as possible to harvest Life Points.'
After seeing the mission, Ethan was thinking of a plan to earn as many Life Points as possible.
'Also, if I can get my hands on the Mystic Soil Domain, my chances of completing the mission will be much higher.'
Due to the Time Flow Distortion, time moves fast in the Mystic Soil Domain and the Spirit Essence in that realm makes it a favourable place for Spirit Farming.
Therefore, Ethan believed that the Secret Realm is the key for his quick breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.
'Let's upgrade the Shadow Steps.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan tore the Free Voucher and instantly upgraded his mastery of the Shadow Steps to the Great Completion Stage.
'Now, I can silently leave Greenspire Town without alerting the Lin Family.'
Since Ethan decided to make some big moves, he didn't want to expose his identity and the Shadow Steps at Great Completion Stage were a perfect cultivation technique for it.
'What is taking so long for my parents today?'
In the evening, Ethan had a bad feeling when he thought about his parents, who were supposed to return that afternoon, still hadn't come home.
'I should go and check on them.'
Ethan couldn't wait anymore as he hurriedly rushed to the Spirit Field his parents were in charge of.
'T-this…what happened here?'
Looking at the splashed blood on the destroyed Spirit Plants in the Spirit Fields, Ethan became anxious.
'Clang'
'Swiish'
"Elias Feng, how dare you break the rules by attacking my Family's Spirit Labourers?"
Suddenly, Ethan heard some fighting noises along with Merrick's angry voice, making Ethan's heart beat faster in anxiety.
'No…no…no…nothing should happen to my parents.'
Ethan prayed in his heart, as he quickly rushed in the direction of the fighting sounds.
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"Uncle Merrick, why are you making a fuss about some lowly Spirit Labourers?"
A man in his twenties scoffed at Merrick and sneered, "And what rule did I break, exactly?"
Across from him, Merrick knelt beside a middle-aged man lying unconscious on the ground, carefully checking his pulse.
Next to Merrick, a woman sobbed uncontrollably, her face covered in tears as she looked at the unconscious man.
"He can be saved, right?"
The woman asked Merrick while sobbing.
"He is alive. He is just unconscious due to the severe blood loss from the severed leg."
The physician brought by Merrick spoke in a heavy tone.
"..."
Merrick was unable to find words to console the woman when he looked at the missing leg of the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was none other than Garrick, and the sobbing woman was Vera.
While they were tending to the Spirit Plants in the Spirit Field, a group of cultivators appeared and destroyed the Spirit Plants.
Without any delay, they quickly called for help from Merrick; however, the attackers severed Garrick's leg, making him handicapped for life.
"Harming the other family's Spirit Labourers is strictly forbidden, and you still dare to ask me what rule you broke?"
Merrick clenched his fists in anger as he looked at the man named Elias Feng and angrily shouted.
There were many cultivation families in the world other than the Lin Family.
The Feng Family is one of the rival cultivation families surrounding the Lin Family's territory.
Other than the Lin and Feng Families, there are three other cultivation families, forming a union, creating some rules among themselves for co-existing in the region.
Among those rules, not harming the Spirit Labourers was one of them because all five families relied on Spirit Plants and Spirit Labourers should not be harmed at any cost.
"A small correction… killing the Spirit Labourers was forbidden. Not harming them."
Elias Feng chuckled as he curiously asked, "Don't tell me you are going to fight me for cutting off a Spirit Labourer's leg?"
As soon as Elias finished his words, the group of cultivators behind him entered into a fighting mode, ready to take action if Merrick attacked their young master.
'He brought more than a dozen Qi Refining Cultivators with him. Fighting him won't do any good to us.'
Merrick looked at the strong fighters brought by Elias whereas he only brought six fighters from his family.
If he started fighting, Merrick knew that none of them could leave this place and controlled his anger.
"You… why did you harm a Spirit Labourer in the first place?"
Merrick asked Elias to know why he attacked them suddenly.
"Uncle Merrick, you are intelligent enough to find it out."
Elias didn't face Merrick as he turned around and said, "Let's leave."
"Huh?"
Merrick raised his brows and suddenly thought of something, 'Don't tell me it is because of that.'
Looking at the Feng Family cultivators who were about to leave, Merrick thought in his head, 'How did the Feng Family find out about it?'
Merrick didn't stop them because he could not stop them even if he wanted to.
"Where do you think you are going after harming my parents?"
Suddenly, an angry voice resounded from the distance, and Merrick felt a silhouette fly past him at an incredible speed.
'Slash'
'Slash'
'Swoosh'
'Slash'
Before anyone could realize what's happening, the more than a dozen Feng Family cultivators fell to the ground with looks of shock and terror on their faces.
"Kai"
Vera grew even more emotional at the sight of the newcomer, who was none other than her son, and her crying increased.
Yet, amidst her tears, a faint hint of relief flickered in her eyes as she noticed the fallen cultivators and called out her son's name.
The newcomer was none other than Ethan, who used the Great Completion Stage Mastery of the Shadow Steps to rush to this place.
Seeing his unconscious father who was missing a leg, and his crying mother who was also covered in injuries, Ethan's rage became uncontrollable.
In the next second, using his cultivation technique, Ethan moved like a ghost as he killed all the Feng Family Cultivators except for the so-called Elias Feng.
"I am sorry, Mother. I am late."
Ethan looked at his mother with tears in his eyes as he apologized.
"Kai…."
Vera wanted to say more; however, she could not say anything… to be exact, she didn't know what to say.
"Uncle Merrick, please take my parents to the Healing Pavilion?"
Ethan controlled his emotions before asking Merrick, who nodded his head and instructed his loyal subordinates to take care of Ethan's parents.
Soon, everyone left except for Ethan, Merrick, and Elias Feng, who anxiously asked Ethan, "Y-you… you are the son of those Spirit Labourers??"
Elias Feng was thoroughly shocked with the death of his guards and knew the other party was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"Sir, I am sorry I didn't know they were Sir's parents. I will make sure my Feng Family compensates for my actions and sincerely apologize."
So, he quickly used his family's name to stop the other party from killing him.
Feng Family's ancestor was a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, and it was also the reason why Elias was always arrogant in his actions.
Nevertheless, after witnessing the death of his guards, Elias was not arrogant; in fact, he even fell to his knees to apologize to Ethan.
"Tell me the reason why you severed my father's leg?"
The reason for not killing him was not because Ethan was worried about the Feng Family; instead, he wanted to find out the exact reason behind his actions.
"..."
Elias remained silent, making Ethan release his cultivation aura to suffocate him.
"I will tell… I will tell you. The Feng Family learned that four Lin Family's Spirit Labourers were able to cultivate Good Quality Silverstem Flowers. If it continues, our Feng Family will lose its market."
"So, my father sent two groups to take care of those Spirit Labourers, and two of those Spirit Labourers turned out to be Sir's parents."
Elias knew that the only way to get out of here alive was by telling the truth, and so, he did say the truth behind his actions.
"What? Just because of that?"
Ethan was shocked at Elias' words and burned with rage.
"Sir, it might seem simple; however, if it continued….."
Elias explained; however, the more he explained, the more furious Ethan became.
"Sir, I know the Feng Family is in the wrong but please spare me."
Amidst his explanation, Elias continued to beg Ethan.
"Kai, I think it is best to spare his life for you because killing him will result in a Family War between the Lin and Feng Families."
Merrick knew his words might sound harsh; however, as one of the Family Heads of the Lin Family, he knew how much destruction a Family War could cause.
"Uncle Merrick"
Ethan was shocked by Merrick's words as he didn't expect to hear that from Merrick.
"Kai, if a war starts, do you know how many will die? Even if we win the war against the Feng Family, it's not worth it."
Merrick gritted his teeth as he asked Ethan to spare Elias' life.
'Excellent. I knew that Merrick is a peace-loving person; however, I didn't expect him to be a complete coward.'
On the other hand, when he heard Merrick's words, Elias celebrated in his heart.
"Phew…. I got it now."
Ethan took a deep breath as he nodded his head, making Elias hurriedly thank, "Sir, thanks for sparing my life. As soon as I return to the Feng Family, I will come back with my father to offer my sincere apologies."
With that, Elias turned around to leave.
"Who said you can leave?"
However, Ethan's voice stopped Elias in his tracks as he heard Ethan's cold voice, "Uncle Merrick, today, I learned how foolish I was."
"Kai, what are you talking about?"
When he heard Ethan's words, Merrick had a bad feeling in his head.
"I believed that by joining the Lin Family, I and my parents could become a part of the family; however, I was wrong."
"In the eyes of the Lin Family, we will always be outsiders… especially my parents who can be easily replaced by other Spirit Labourers."
Ethan spoke in a calm but cold voice.
"Kai, it's not how you…."
"Uncle Merrick, answer this question, and I will do whatever you say."
Before Merrick could finish his words, Ethan interrupted and asked Merrick a question, "If one of the direct descendants of the Lin Family got their leg severed, would the Lin Family still say the same thing as you said to me just now?"
'...'
Merrick couldn't answer that question because they would have killed Elias without any hesitation and thought of the consequences later.
"If that's how things work with the Lin Family, then I don't want to be a part of such a family that can't protect its outside members."
"Uncle Merrick, listen carefully. From today onwards, I am no longer a member of the Lin Family and whoever I kill has nothing to do with the Lin Family."
With each word Ethan spoke, the colder his voice became as he ended his words by saying, "Since I am no longer a member of Lin Family, killing this b*stard won't start a Family War, right? Even if it does, that doesn't have anything to do with me?"
"Did you hear that? I don't belong to the Lin Family, and I am the sole person who is responsible for my actions. Now, die."
Before Elias could speak, he saw Ethan's cold face right in front of his eyes before his surroundings started spinning and in the end, he noticed a familiar headless body.
"Uncle Merrick, I am leaving the Family now."
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In the Feng Family Manor,
"What did you say? Young Master Elias has died? How?"
Darius Feng, the Family Head of the Feng Family and the Father of Elias Feng, received the news of his son's death and was shocked before becoming furious.
"Young Master was accompanying one of the groups sent by the family to take care of the Lin Family's Spirit Labourers. The Spirit Labourers' son was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and in a fit of rage, he killed...the Young Master."
The guard explained everything he knew about Elias' death.
"What?"
Darius was shocked again to hear about the Spirit Labourers' son being a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"Why the hell did Elias accompany the guards? Wasn't he house-arrested?"
Coming out of the shock, Darius asked the Head Guard of the Family.
"T-this…Young Master said he wanted to contribute to the family and wanted to….."
"Contribute to the Family? All I asked him was to stay put!"
The more Darius thought about it, the more furious he became.
"What is the Lin Family saying? Are they going to hand over that person or what?"
Despite the death of his son, Darius quickly controlled his emotions as he clearly knew his anger would only cloud his ability to make the right decision.
"They are claiming that the person who killed the young master has severed his ties with the Lin Family and left Greenspire Town along with his parents yesterday night right after the incident. No one knows his current whereabouts."
The Head Guard replied about Ethan's whereabouts as unknown.
"Not only did they watch my son getting killed but they even let the killer escape. How could the Lin Family not pay the price?"
Suddenly, Darius chuckled with a strange smile as he ordered, "Summon the Family Heads and let's make the Lin Family pay the price first."
"Yes, Family Head."
The Head Guard hurriedly nodded as he silently thought, 'His enmity with the Lin Family is much greater than the love for his son.'
"What about that cultivator who killed the young master, Family Head?"
The Head Guard could not help but ask about it.
"Why should we worry about that? It is the Lin Family who let him escape. So, it should be their job to catch him."
Darius didn't seem to be much bothered about catching the killer; instead, his goal was to make the Lin Family pay the price.
"I will start working on your orders, Family Head."
Soon, the Head Guard bowed and left the manor, leaving Darius alone in the hall.
'What about losing a wastrel son who couldn't even join a Sect? Gavin and Ronan are the only children I care about anyway.'
…..
Time continued to pass and in a flash, two days passed by as the family heads of all five families of the Emerald Green Plains gathered in the Greenspire Town to discuss the matter regarding the death of the Feng Family's Young Master.
Other than Lin and Feng families, the remaining three well-settled cultivation families in the Emerald Green Plains are Wu Family, Zhao Family, and Han Family.
Other than the five family heads, there was a thin old man sitting at the main seat with an annoyed look on his face.
He didn't belong to any of the five families but he is a Sect Elder of the Greenfire Sect that always helps to settle the issue between the five families.
"Thanks to all the family heads and the Senior for gathering here on such short notice."
Darius first thanked the other family heads before saying, "Since everyone's time is valuable, I will come straight to the point."
"My loving son was brutally killed by a cold-blooded killer recruited by the Lin Family right in front of Elder Merrick. All I want is justice for my son who died unjustly."
If anyone didn't know about Darius personally, they would easily mistake him for someone who loved his son.
However, all the family heads in the meeting hall knew that it was Darius's acting.
Nevertheless, they didn't bother to say it out loud because except for Edwin Lin, the remaining Family Heads had the same goal here.
It was to suppress the Lin Family and even if possible, destroy it completely.
"Family Head Lin, do you have anything to say?"
The three family heads asked Edwin whether he had anything to counter Darius' statements.
"It was the Feng Family that started the attack. They attacked my Family's Spirit Labourers, severed a Spirit Labourer's leg and even killed one."
Edwin knew that the other four families hated the Lin Family and were waiting for a perfect opportunity to suppress it. So, he countered Darius's words in a domineering voice.
On that day, other than Ethan's parents, his Uncle and Aunt were also attacked by the Feng Family Cultivators because Joran had also submitted the Good Quality Silverstem Flowers along with Garrick.
In that attack, Aunt Elva was killed whereas Uncle Joran barely made it out alive.
"What about it? On the other hand, that b*stard has killed more than a dozen cultivators from my Feng Family including my own son."
Darius countered with the number of lives that the Feng Family had lost on that day.
"It is you, Feng Family, who started the fight in the first place and do you want us to fold our hands and watch it?"
Edwin continued with his domineering way of talking, making the remaining Family Heads stay in their places.
"Fine, I will leave the matter of our Feng Family losing more cultivators; however, you shouldn't have killed my son. Don't you agree?"
Darius took a deep breath as he questioned, "When did killing the young masters of other families become justified with reasons like they started it?"
He didn't let Edwin speak as he continued, "Isn't killing the young masters of the family strictly forbidden no matter what the reason is?"
That's right!
Among the rules established by these five families, the number one rule was 'Never kill a young master or young miss of the other families no matter what evil they commit.'
Of course, if a young master or a young miss commits a crime, he or she will be put to trial in front of the five Family Heads and their punishment decided.
It was also the reason why Merrick tried to stop Ethan from killing Elias.
"That's correct, Family Head Lin."
"Your Brother, Elder Merrick, should have stopped Kai or whatever his name is from killing young master Elias."
"Since Elder Merrick could not stop Kai, I hope he will be punished severely."
"Also, the Lin Family should properly compensate the Feng Family and sincerely apologize for killing their young master."
With Darius' strong point, the rest of the Family Heads started speaking one after the other, making Edwin furious.
From beginning to end, the old man from the sect didn't say anything as he only listened quietly.
"You…"
Nevertheless, Edwin Lin suppressed his anger and took a deep breath before asking, "You guys want me to punish my Elder Brother and compensate the Feng Family for their loss?"
"Yes."
The three family heads nodded their heads.
"What compensation do you want?"
Edwin Lin nodded his head and asked Darius about the compensation.
"No matter how valuable your compensation is, it can't replace the loss of my son."
Darius said in a painful tone as he continued, "However, if you give the three villages under your Lin Family's control, I can feel your sincerity."
"What? You want three of my Lin Family villages?"
For a moment, not only Edwin, even the three Family Heads were shocked by Darius' greed.
'Isn't that a little too much?'
The three Family Heads had the same thoughts in their heads; however, they didn't voice out their thoughts and patiently waited to see Edwin's reaction.
"Haha…Darius, you really know how to make me laugh."
Edwin laughed out loud in anger as he looked at the three Family Heads, "Do you also believe that giving away three villages belonging to my Lin Family is an appropriate compensation for the Feng Family?"
"...We can't compare a life with the monetary value."
"It is right."
"I agree with Family Head Darius' words."
The three family heads hesitated a little; however, they still agreed with Darius's words, making Edwin even more furious.
'What a load of bullshit! When did life become valuable in this dog-eat-dog world?'
The old man who was listening to their words could not help but scoff at their words; however, he still had no intention of joining their conversation.
"..."
As for Edwin Lin, he acted speechless; however, deep down, he thought, 'Everything is going as planned.'
"You…you are all in this together, right?"
Edwin acted like he was burning in rage and before anyone could react, he asked, "If you were in my place, would you give away the three villages under your control?"
"Of course, we would have."
Darius was the first one to reply to Edwin's question as he continued, "What's more, if you had protected my son and put him on a trial as our regular method, I would have compensated you with three villages under my Feng Family."
"What did you say?"
Hearing Darius' words, Edwin was shocked as he asked for confirmation.
"You heard it, right. If only you protected my son and put him on trial in front of all the Family Heads, I would have compensated you with three villages under my Feng Family."
"Elder Wren, did you hear those words?"
Edwin no longer bothered with Darius; instead, he asked the old man from the sect.
"I heard it loud and clear."
The old man sensed something in Edwin's voice; however, he nodded his head.
"Young Master Elias, why don't you come and greet your father and other family heads?"
Once he got the confirmation from the old man, Edwin shouted out loud and soon, a young man entered the meeting hall, shocking everyone in the hall.
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Two days ago,
"Kai, you should not have killed him."
Looking at the headless corpse on the ground, Merrick said in a helpless tone.
He wanted to stop Ethan from killing Elias because things would get complicated for the Lin Family.
But, Ethan not only had a higher cultivation than him but his speed was so insanely fast that Merrick barely reacted from beginning to end.
"Uncle Merrick, I am leaving the Family now."
After killing Elias, Ethan said those words and was about to turn around to leave.
'Ding,
The system has detected that the host is in a crucial situation.
'Ding,
Initiating a choice-based quest for the host. Please select a mission that you want to complete.
'Ding,
1) Mission Name: Leave the Lin Family.
Mission Details: You felt like the Lin Family abandoned you at a critical moment, and you want to leave it once and for all.
Reward: 1000 Life Points.
'Ding,
2) Mission Name: Kill Merrick.
Mission Details: You felt even if you left the Lin Family, the Feng Family would create a scene for the Lin Family. But, if you can kill Merrick, the Feng Family won't be able to trouble the Lin Family anymore.
Reward: A Revival Life Card.
3) Mission Name: Help the Lin Family.
Mission Details: Your momentary rage won't just bring trouble to the Lin Family, which has supported your family for years—it will also burden your parents. Instead, find a way to help the Lin Family resolve the current situation with the Feng Family, which will ultimately benefit you as well.
Reward: 1000 Life Points and A Special Life Card.
'T-this….what did I just do?'
As Ethan was reading the three missions that appeared in front of him, his rage subsided, and he could think clearly.
Only then, he realized the mistake he made by killing Elias, and Ethan also realized that even if he left the Lin Family, it wouldn't help the Lin Family in any way.
'Moreover, it will be difficult to escape from here with my parents.'
If he was alone, Ethan would not have thought much about it because, with a mastery of the Great Completion Stage in his [Shadow Steps, no one below the Golden Core Realm could catch him if he wanted to leave.
What's more, even if he got caught and killed, he could safely be revived either in the Mystic Soil Domain or in the Hidden Cave.
'It is going to be difficult to protect my parents while running away.'
Ethan clenched his fists as he cursed himself, 'My anger…it is always the source of my problems.'
Even in his previous life, his momentary rage got him into lots of trouble, and now, he brought the same old habit into this world.
"Ethan, take your parents and leave Greenspire Town…no, leave the Emerald Green Plains."
As Ethan was realizing the consequences of his momentary rage, he heard Merrick's voice, "If I was in your place, I would have done the same thing if someone harmed my parents."
"Uncle Merrick."
Hearing those words, Ethan's heart ached even more because he knew the Lin Family would be in even more trouble for not apprehending the killer of Elias.
"Since you are an ex-disciple of the Sky Cloud Sect, you can go to the Sky Cloud Region and live in one of the towns managed by the Sect."
Merrick didn't let Ethan speak as he asked Ethan to live in Ironwood Town or some other towns controlled by the Sect.
"But…."
"With your talent and luck, you will definitely become a Golden Core Realm Cultivator in the future, and when that happens, I just hope you will help my Lin Family if it is in trouble."
Merrick urged, "Now, go and take your parents with you as soon as possible."
There were some passersby who had witnessed Ethan murdering Elias, and Merrick knew it would be a matter of time before the Feng Family knew about it.
Once the Feng Family found out about the incident, Ethan's chances of escaping wouldn't be easy, and what's more, the Lin Family couldn't openly help him unless they wanted to fight the other cultivation families.
'...'
Ethan remained silent as he stood motionless.
He took a look at Merrick, and the system interface was filled with three missions from which he had to choose one.
'The second mission is completely out of the equation.'
There was no way Ethan would kill Merrick, the very first person he felt close to in this world other than his parents.
Moreover, even if Ethan was not a soft person, he could not afford to kill Merrick because, at that time, he would be hunted by two Cultivation Families instead of one.
'The first mission is simple, and if I run away now, I can go back to Ironwood Town with my parents, but….it will cause problems for the Lin Family.'
Ethan's mind raced as he looked at the third mission, which was the most difficult one but also the most beneficial one.
'If somehow, I can resolve the problem for the Lin Family, not only can I enjoy the temporary peaceful life with my parents, but the system rewards are good.'
Ethan's eyes shone when he saw the rewards for the third mission mention 'A Special Life Card'.
'But the problem is how can I solve this issue? The Feng Family intentionally wants to find trouble with the Lin Family.'
'If only I controlled my anger and didn't kill him…..wait a second. The problem is because of his death, right?'
Suddenly, Ethan's eyes lit up as he thought of something that could help him complete the third mission.
'Since there is no penalty for the mission, I will go with the Third Mission.'
Once he got an idea, Ethan no longer hesitated and made the choice.
'Ding,
The host has selected the third mission. Please complete the mission to receive the rewards.
There was a system confirmation notification; however, Ethan was focused on perfecting his plan to complete the third mission.
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"Uncle Merrick, I am sorry for my earlier actions."
Once Ethan thought of his plan, he quickly apologized to Merrick.
"There is no need for any apologies, Ethan. Just leave with your parents and become powerful."
Merrick shook his head and asked Ethan to leave.
'Uncle, I have a plan but it is not the place to discuss it anymore. Come to my courtyard and let's talk there.'
Ethan whispered in Merrick's ear before putting Elias' corpse in a storage ring and disappearing into the shadows.
Earlier, when Ethan killed Elias, there were a few passersby; however, by now, there were many people gathered and watching them from a distance.
Therefore, Ethan wanted to execute his plan in the courtyard.
'Huh?'
Merrick raised his brows; however, he noticed something in Ethan's eyes that made him nod his head.
'Swoosh'
Soon after, Merrick rushed towards Greenspire Town to meet Ethan in his courtyard.
…
In Ethan's Courtyard,
After checking on his parents in the Lin Family's healing hall, Ethan brought them to the courtyard and asked them to rest while he started working on his plan.
'This is the only way for me to help the Lin Family and help myself.'
Looking at the white-coloured card in his hand, Ethan gritted his teeth and decided to use it.
'Ding,
Host, do you want to use the General Revival Life Card to revive Elias?
Sensing his thoughts, the system asked for his confirmation.
That's right!
Ethan was planning to revive Elias using the General Revival Life Card and as long as Elias was alive, the Feng Family couldn't find trouble with him or the Lin Family.
Originally, Ethan was planning to save the General Revival Life Card for his parents; however, his current situation was dire and as long as he solved it, he could go back to his peaceful life…at least for some time.
'According to the system, the revived person will be loyal to me. So, having the loyalty of a young master from the Feng Family is a good thing for me.'
'Other than that, I can get a Special Life Card and 1000 Life Points from the system.'
After recalling all the benefits of using the General Revival Life Card, Ethan no longer hesitated and used it.
'Kacha'
Soon, the white-coloured card cracked as it emitted a blinding golden light, blocking Ethan's vision.
Amidst the blinding golden light, Ethan felt the card turning into tiny light particles and starting to materialize a human body.
The entire process didn't take long as the Golden Light disappeared within a couple of minutes, revealing Elias standing in front of him with a confused look on his face.
'Ding,
The host has used the General Revival Life Card and successfully revived Elias.
"Master, thank you for reviving me despite causing harm to your parents. I beg your forgiveness, Master."
When Elias saw Ethan, he fell to his knees and sincerely thanked and apologized at the same time.
'He is calling me 'Master'? And he knows about the revival?'
When Ethan heard Elias's words, two things surprised him. One, Elias calling him 'Master' and the other was Elias knowing about the revival.
'Ding,
There are multiple ways the system induces natural loyalty into the revived targets.
'Ding,
While reviving Elias, the system used the most common method and that was making Elias believe that not only can the host revive him but he can also help him fulfill his dreams and goals from before his death.
'Ding,
The system reminds you that using the General Revival Life Card on stronger targets, won't make them absolutely loyal to the host.
'Ding,
Also, if the revived target feels that the host can't help him achieve his goals, his loyalty might waver.
'So, that's how it works.'
Looking at the system notifications, Ethan understood how the loyalty of the revived person worked.
"As my loyal subordinate, I will forgive you."
Ethan hated Elias for harming his parents; however, he killed him to vent his anger.
Now, the revived Elias was his loyal subordinate who was going to help him a lot in the future.
Therefore, Ethan had no issues with forgiving him.
"Thank you, Master."
Elias hurriedly thanked Ethan.
'Master is like a God who was able to bring me back from death. As long as I follow him, it is only a matter of time before I fulfill my dreams.'
Elias felt excited, thinking about his future.
'Ding,
The system has issued a new mission related to your loyal subordinate.
'Another mission?'
Suddenly, Ethan received a system notification, making him hurriedly check it.
'Ding,
Mission Name: Revival Saint.
Mission Details: The revived target has absolute faith in the host. As the saying goes, strike the iron while it's still hot, and help him break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within a month.
Rewards: 1000 Life Points additional rewards depending on the accomplishment.
Penalty: Slight decrease in Elias' loyalty.
'T-this…how is it possible?'
Ethan was shocked by the mission details because it was impossible even for a Level 9 Qi Realm Cultivator to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within a month, not to mention, that Elias was only a Level 6 Qi Refining Cultivator.
'Even if Elias has a High-Grade Spirit Root, it would be impossible for him to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within a month without a Foundation Establishment Pill.'
The more Ethan thought about it, the more hopeful he felt regarding his new mission to increase Elias's cultivation.
'Ding,
Since Elias has acknowledged you as his Master, the host can check out the full information about his loyal subordinate.
'What is the use of it? It's not like he will have a High-Grade Spirit Root?'
If someone really had a High-Grade Spirit Root, even a loose cultivator would have been recruited by the Sect and his cultivation would have easily reached the Foundation Establishment Realm before the age of 20.
Currently, Elias seemed to be in his mid-twenties and still in Level 6 Qi Refining Realm.
So, Ethan didn't have much expectation as he checked Elias's information provided by the system.
'T-this…how is this possible?'
However, when he saw Elias's profile, Ethan was thoroughly shocked and became excited.
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'Ding,
Subordinate Name: Elias Feng.
Lifespan: 24 / 85 years.
Cultivation: Peak Level 6 Qi Refining Realm.
Spirit Root: Pure Fire Elemental Spirit Root (High-Grade Spirit Root).
Cultivation Techniques: Violent Wind Refining Technique (Small Success Stage), Soaring Gale Step (Small Success Stage), Gale Severing Slash (Small Success Stage).
Introduction: The eldest but also an illegitimate son of the Feng Family's Head, Darius Feng. Because of his status, he was not liked by the direct descendants of the Feng Family, and after seeing that he was not progressing much in his cultivation, his father gave up on him.
Since the System went through Elias Feng's memories, it was not surprising for Ethan to see the full details of Elias.
However, what shocked him the most was Elias's Spirit Root.
'H-he…he has a Pure Fire Elemental Spirit Root, which is a High-Grade Spirit Root.'
If the top three sects of the province knew about Elias's Spirit Root, they would recruit him at any cost while offering lots of Cultivation Resources.
'But, why hasn't he joined a Sect yet? Won't it increase the Feng Family's status if he joined a Sect?'
The Cultivation Families might be strong; however, in front of the sects, they are weak, and all these families will happily send their young masters into these sects as long as they have at least a Mid-level Spirit Root.
However, in Elias' case, despite having a High-Grade Spirit Root, he has not joined the sect.
'No matter how much he is disliked by the Feng Family, they would be idiots for not sending Elias into the Sect, but I don't think it was the reason.'
Ethan could tell that the Feng Family didn't know about Elias's Spirit Root; however, it raised another question in his head,
'How could they not know about it? Even an outsider will be checked for his Spirit Root, not to mention Elias was the illegitimate son of the Family Head.'
'The most important thing is, why is his cultivation so low?'
Ethan looked at Elias and then his profile window for a moment as his eyes fell on the cultivation technique.
'Wait a second…why the hell is he cultivating a Wind-attributed Cultivation Technique?'
Ethan finally understood the reason behind Elias's low cultivation despite having a High-Grade Spirit Root.
'I understand now… it must be someone intentionally fooling Elias… not just Elias but the entire Feng Family.'
From the information provided by the system about Elias, Ethan concluded that someone evaluated Elias's Spirit Root as a Low-level Spirit Root and even made him cultivate the Wind-attributed Cultivation Technique to increase Elias's difficulty in cultivation.
As someone who had a Pure Fire Elemental Spirit Root, cultivating Fire-attributed Cultivation Techniques would give double rewards for half efforts, but it would be reversed if he cultivates other attributed cultivation techniques.
'Half rewards for double efforts, and even with such difficulty, he still managed to reach Peak Level 6 Qi Refining Realm.'
'Moreover, his comprehension in cultivation techniques seems terrifying that he has the mastery of Small Success Stage in all of them despite not having the affinity with the Wind Element.'
After learning more about Elias, Ethan could not help but become proud of having such a genius cultivator as his subordinate.
'What if he starts cultivating Fire-Related Cultivation Techniques? Won't it become an absolute cultivating monster?'
Just thinking about it, Ethan felt that completing his latest mission might not be as hard as he imagined it to be.
'If I can get a Foundation Establishment Pill and let him use it, I can easily complete the mission. But, where can I get the most-wanted pill in the world?'
'Also, I need to find a Fire-Attributed Main Cultivation Technique for him.'
Soon, Ethan started the things he needed to complete his latest mission.
'Knock'
As Ethan was thinking about his latest mission, he heard someone knocking on the Courtyard's Wooden Gate.
'It must be Uncle Merrick.'
Ethan stopped stressing over the mission as he shifted his focus on the urgent matters first.
"Let's surprise Uncle Merrick."
Ethan asked Elias to stay in his room as he opened the formation to let Merrick enter the courtyard.
The arriving person was obviously Merrick; however, he was not alone as he brought both his brothers, Edwin and Rowan.
'Did I make a mistake by trusting Uncle Merrick?'
Suddenly, Ethan got worried; however, his worries disappeared when he heard their words.
"Kai, we heard everything. It is better for you to leave the Emerald Green Plains with your family."
"It is best if you can join the Sky Cloud Sect."
The two brothers were equally concerned about Ethan as they asked him to leave Greenspire Town as soon as possible.
'Was I… trying to leave these people earlier?'
Ethan was ashamed as he was thinking for himself when he killed Elias.
However, he also felt warm in his heart to have people who were worried about him.
"My dear uncles, I have a surprise for you."
Ethan took a deep breath and called, "Elias, why don't you come and greet the Family Head and Elders of the Lin Family?"
In the next second, they saw a person who was supposed to be dead, walking out of the pavilion, shocking the three Lin Family Brothers.
'T-this….how is he still alive? I—I watched him die with my eyes.'
Merrick was the most shocked one because he witnessed Ethan beheading Elias right in front of his eyes.
"Brother Merrick, didn't you say Elias was killed by Ethan?"
"Brother, are you toying with us?"
Edwin and Rowan frowned as they asked Merrick for an explanation.
"Actually, I received a Heavenly Treasure from the Secret Realm….."
Soon, Ethan explained about it and gave the full credit to the Mystic Soil Domain once again.
"What? Is there really such a Heaven-defying thing?"
The three brothers felt it was unbelievable as they looked at Ethan with doubtful eyes.
Ethan knew how unbelievable his words were; however, he believed that the brothers were good people.
"Uncles, since Elias is alive, I don't have to run away with my parents, right?"
Looking at the shocked brothers, Ethan asked with a slight smile.
"Not only do you not have to run away, but it is a huge opportunity to get back at that despicable Feng Family."
Edwin, the most intelligent one among the three brothers, quickly recovered from the shock and thought of something that could greatly benefit the Lin Family.
"A huge opportunity?"
Hearing Edwin's words, everyone was surprised and asked what Edwin was planning to do.
"Let's make everyone believe that Ethan killed Elias and escaped with his parents."
Soon, Edwin shared his entire plan with Ethan and others, making everyone's eyes light up.
'Will the Feng Family really fall into the trap?'
Ethan was a little doubtful as he hesitantly told Family Head Edwin about it.
"Nephew Kai, you don't know my Second Brother's planning skills. It was because of his intelligence that our Lin Family was able to stand still even after being suppressed by the four families."
Merrick and Rowan proudly bragged about Edwin's intelligence.
"Since both Uncles are so confident in Uncle Edwin's plan, I will blindly follow it."
Ethan replied with a slight smile.
"Good. It is time to execute our plan."
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That night, some cultivators witnessed Ethan leaving Greenspire Town with his handicapped father and injured mother.
Behind them, the Lin Family Guards angrily rushed to catch them; however, with Ethan's speed, no one below the Golden Core Realm could catch him.
"I heard that the cultivator named Kai beheaded Young Master Elias's head with his dagger."
"You heard it, but it is not what actually happened. I have personally seen with my own eyes that the cultivator named Kai pierced his blade into Young Master Elias's heart."
"Yeah. I have seen it too, but I was a bit late and only saw that the cultivator named Kai burned Young Master Elias's corpse and danced in the ash like a maniac."
.
.
.
Other than that, the exaggerated news about the Feng Family's young master getting brutally killed by Ethan spread like wildfire throughout the entire town.
In short, it was a crazy night in Greenspire Town as everyone talked about a cultivator named Kai, Young Master Elias, the Lin Family, and the Feng Family.
In the Small Courtyard,
"The stage is set and it is time for the Feng Family to do their part in our plan."
Edwin was excited about his plan because he had absolute confidence in it.
Soon, everything went as Edwin planned as Family Head Darius learned about Elias's death and used it to cause some trouble for the Lin Family.
He gathered all the Family Heads and even the Sect Elder to oversee the incident related to Elias's death.
...
Present day,
In the Lin Family's Meeting Hall.
"Greetings to all the Seniors. I apologize for all the trouble I caused with my actions."
Entering the meeting hall, Elias made a deep bow and apologized to everyone.
"T-this…"
Seeing Elias standing in front of them without a single scratch on him, everyone was shocked.
"You…why are you still alive?"
On the other hand, Family Head Darius could not help but say his inner words out loud.
'Making the Lin Family pay for killing me is one thing; however, my father is more interested in causing trouble for the Lin Family rather than being happy to see me alive.'
'Now, I understand. No matter what I do and how much I try, he won't like me like he loves his other sons.'
Elias knew his father didn't like him as much as he loved his stepbrothers who joined the sect; however, when he heard these words, Elias felt his heart shatter.
"Darius, are you even a human? How could you say such words to your own son?"
Edwin felt bad for Elias as he angrily shouted at Darius.
"Everyone, I am sorry to make a ruckus over such a small thing."
Darius didn't even bother to argue with Edwin as he hurriedly apologized to the other family heads and the Sect Elder.
"It is not a ruckus… Hehe."
Elder Wren, the Sect Elder, shook his head and contrary to everyone's expectations, he was not angry; instead, he chuckled.
"For the first time, your Family Politics entertained me."
He continued as he looked at Darius, "Since your son is alive, aren't you going to compensate the Lin Family with three of the villages under your Feng Family's control?"
"T-this…."
Darius didn't expect things to turn out this way as he didn't expect that his son was still alive.
"Just give the three villages close to the Lin Family and let's end the meeting here."
Elder Wren didn't even bother to listen to Darius' reply as he directly concluded the issue, making Darius furious.
However, no matter how furious Darius was, there was nothing he could do about it as he already promised to give three villages to the Lin Family if his son was still alive.
If he were to go back, even before the Sect took action, the remaining three families would attack him, to act righteous in the Sect's eyes.
"Fine."
In the end, Darius agreed to give the three villages to the Lin Family.
"End of the meeting."
Soon after, the meeting officially came to an end as the two family heads worked on transferring the full ownership of three villages to the Lin Family under the envious eyes of the three Family Heads.
"Uncle Edwin's acting was so damn good that even I was fooled for a moment."
On the other hand, Ethan was silently observing everything that was happening in the Lin Family's Meeting Hall and was pleasantly surprised by Edwin's acting skills.
"If he didn't fight for that long, the situation regarding Elias's death might have been easily resolved; however, our goal was to get a hefty compensation from the Feng Family."
From the side, Merrick explained to Ethan, "He waited until Family Head Darius said it with his own mouth regarding the compensation he would pay if Elias was alive."
"Even after that, he didn't reveal Elias; instead, Uncle Edwin confirmed with Family Head Darius and made Sect Elder Wren bear witness."
Ethan finally understood why Merrick and Rowan were fully confident in Edwin's family because it was not just about the plan but the way Edwin executed it.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the mission [Help the Lin Family].
'Ding,
Since the host has not only resolved the issue but also helped the Lin Family get three additional villages from the Feng Family.
'Ding,
Because of this, the host will be rewarded with bonus rewards.
'Ding,
The host is rewarded with 1000 Life Points and a Special Life Card.
'Ding,
The bonus rewards consist of 500 Life Points, a Revival Life Card, and a General Revival Life Card.
While talking with Merrick and Rowan, Ethan suddenly received the system notifications, which sounded very pleasant to his ear.
'Bonus Rewards?'
He hurriedly took a look at those system notifications and when he saw 'Bonus Rewards', Ethan became even more excited.
'Life Points and Revival Life Cards are always good, and as for the General Revival Life Card, it is what I needed the most right now.'
Ethan was fully satisfied with the Bonus Rewards as his eyes focused on the Special Life Card.
'I wonder what kind of special effect this new Life Card has.'
Ethan curiously asked the system about it, and soon, the system displayed its information, making Ethan's eyes light up.
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As Ethan was checking out his rewards, Darius transferred the ownership of the three villages his family used to control to the Lin Family.
After finishing it, everyone started leaving the meeting hall.
"Let's go."
Darius looked at Elias while trying his best not to explode in anger in front of others.
"This time, you will be under house arrest for a whole year."
Without looking back, Darius spoke in a cold voice.
"Huh?"
Just as he took a couple of steps, Darius realized that Elias was not moving and frowned, "What? You don't want to go back home now?"
"Father, do you really love me?"
Elias mustered all his courage and finally asked the question he had always wanted to ask his father.
"It looks like you have really betrayed the family by joining hands with our archenemy."
From the moment Elias stepped into the Meeting Hall, Darius noticed something unusual—the Lin Family had never once coerced him. Yet, the son who had always lowered his gaze now met his eyes with unwavering resolve. And then, he dared to question him.
How could Darius not see it? Elias was no longer the son he once controlled. It was very clear that he had sided with the Lin Family, becoming a traitor to the Feng Family.
"Just answer my question, Father."
Elias asked Darius to answer his question.
"Since things have turned out like this, let me clear some things with you."
Darius was so angry that if they were not in the Lin Family Manor, he would have broken all the bones in Elias's body.
Nevertheless, he replied in a cold and angry voice, "Did you achieve anything that made me love you? Your brothers, who are younger than you, have successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, whereas you are still stuck at Level 6 Qi Refining Realm."
"I never once had much hope in you, a wastrel son of mine."
"Despite that, I, your father, still provided you with food and shelter, but what did I get in return? Endless problems? Just thinking about all the problems you have caused for the past two decades makes my blood boil."
"But now, you have betrayed the Feng Family that gave you a name and a comfortable life and joined the Lin Family, making me lose face in front of everyone."
"Since you don't want to come back with me, I will grant you one last wish by kicking you out of the Feng Family. Don't come back begging me to take you in."
After unleashing his fury, Darius turned and left the Lin Family, leaving behind a tear-stricken Elias.
No matter how disappointed Elias was in his father, he could not help but feel sad hearing those words.
'So, I have always been a burden to him?'
'But all those troubles… I didn't create them. As a father, shouldn't you at least ask whether I am alright whenever such things happen?'
'Even if you didn't ask about me, did you even come to see me when such things happened? You have already worried and looked after my younger brothers, giving them all the cultivation resources and love, whereas I got only hate, no matter how hard I worked for your approval.'
All these thoughts surfaced in Elias's mind, making him sad.
'Father, I will prove you… prove you wrong that I am a wastrel son of yours. Instead, I will become more powerful than my younger brothers and show you how mistaken you are about me.'
Suppressing his emotions, Elias clenched his fists, determined to fulfil his goals and show his father that he was wrong about him.
"I will not let you regret your decision, Elias."
Seeing that Elias was confronting his father, Ethan paused his curiosity regarding the Special Life Card and came to support Elias.
Although they did not have a good start, right now, Ethan trusted Elias, and Elias did the same.
'Kacha'
As soon as Ethan came to support Elias, a crisp sound came from his body, and the aura around him increased slightly.
"Congratulations, Elias. You have successfully broken through and become a Level 7 Qi Refining Cultivator."
Ethan was surprised only for a moment before congratulating Elias on his breakthrough.
"It's all thanks to the Master's new cultivation technique."
Elias was already at the peak of Level 6 Qi Refining Realm, and breaking through to Level 7 Qi Refining Realm was only a matter of time.
However, Elias still gave full credit to Ethan because Ethan had asked him to cultivate a new Main Cultivation Technique.
Initially, Elias was doubtful but still followed Ethan's guidance, re-cultivating with a Fire-Related Cultivation Technique.
Surprisingly, in a single day, he regained his old cultivation realm, and now he had even broken through to Level 7 Qi Refining Realm, one step closer to his goal.
"It is just a small thing."
Ethan shook his head.
He hadn't told Elias about his Pure Fire Elemental Spirit Root yet and planned to tell him after he completed the mission [Revival Saint, fully solidifying Elias's loyalty.
"Uncles, I still have to take care of the Spirit Plants in the courtyard. I will take my leave now."
Soon, Ethan informed Merrick and the others before returning to his courtyard with Elias.
"I will stabilize my cultivation."
As soon as they returned, Elias started cultivating because, thanks to his new cultivation technique, he was no longer feeling any pain while cultivating. Instead, it was quite comfortable… as though he was soaking in a hot spring after a very tiring day.
Other than that feeling, his cultivation had already increased at an incredible speed, making him cultivate all the time.
'Let's complete today's routine before checking out the Special Life Card.'
Soon, Ethan took care of all the Spirit Grass in the Spirit Field, which was thriving under his care.
There were 1,000 Spirit Grass in the Spirit Field, a Clearheart Lotus Plant in the Small Pond, and Mutated Ironleaf Grass on the Mystic Soil Turtle.
It took him three hours to complete his routine, and he finally took out a Special Life Card to check its stats.
'Ding,
Card Name: Godly Lifespan Card.
.
.
.
'Ding,
Card Name: Godly Lifespan Card (Small).
Effect: Using it, the user can permanently increase the Lifespan of his own or others, by anywhere between 100 to 1000 years.
Note: By exchanging it, the host can get 2000 Life Points.
'Increase the Lifespan by hundreds of years?'
Ethan's eyes lit up when he saw the effect of the Special Life Card.
Not only could he increase his own Lifespan with it, but he could also use this card for others.
'My guess is right! There are more Life Cards that have godly effects.'
For cultivators nearing death, at least one day's increase in the Lifespan was considered a blessing, and with the help of this Special Card, Ethan could increase the Lifespan by anywhere between 100 to 1000 years.
How could it not be considered as a Godly Effect?
'What's more, it is a Smaller Version of the Godly Lifespan Card, how great are the effects of Higher Versions?'
Just thinking about it made Ethan excited and looking forward to the day when he could get his hands on one.
'It looks like I was worrying too much about my parents' Lifespan a lot.'
Previously, he was worried about his parents' limited Lifespan; however, with the appearance of this Special Card, Ethan had hope.
'Even if I can't get a Godly General Revival Card for my parents, with this card, I can extend their Lifespan by a minimum of 100 years.'
Ethan laughed at the thought of spending time with his parents for more than a century, and within that century, he could find many other ways to turn his parents into cultivators.
'But, right now, using this card on myself is the best thing.'
No matter how emotional Ethan was, he would also try to be rational, and thus, after thinking for a moment, he decided to use it on himself.
Even if Ethan was unlucky and increased his Lifespan by 100 years, it would be a bonus of 100 Life Points for his every week's death.
Moreover, Ethan had to accumulate as many Life Points as possible to break through to the Golden Core Realm because he was worried about not having enough Life Points when a Golden Core Realm Cultivator killed him.
'According to the system, as long as I can become a Golden Core Realm, I will get access to more Special Life Cards. So, for now, it is better to become powerful.'
Ethan consoled himself that he was doing the right thing.
'Although exchanging it gives me 2000 Life Points, only an idiot would exchange it.'
As for exchanging it, Ethan directly rejected it and decided to directly use it.
'I will be more than happy if I get an increment of at least 500 years, and anything above it, I will be over the moon.'
Ethan took a deep breath and crushed the card.
'Kacha'
'Swiish'
As soon as the card got crushed, a mix of gold and green energies was released from it and entered into Ethan's body.
'Huh? A Painless Process? Great.'
Sensing that he was not feeling any pain, Ethan felt happy.
The process didn't last long as Ethan received a series of system notifications in his head.
'Ding,
The host has used the Godly Lifespan Card.
'Ding,
The host's Lifespan has been increased by 700 years.
'Ding,
The host's current Lifespan is 16/980.
'T-this…is this how it feels like standing on cloud nine?'
Looking at the number that was close to 1000, Ethan doubted whether he was seeing things for a moment; however, he soon realized that it was real.
'Other than these 964 Life Points, if I add the effects of the Multiplier Life Card, I will get a huge number of Life Points every time I die. With such a huge number of Life Points every week, my chances of becoming a Golden Core Realm Cultivator have greatly increased.'
Of course, the mission was still hard; however, compared to before, Ethan's chances were much higher.
'Let's see how many Life Cards I have in my possession.'
With a thought from Ethan, the system quickly showed the information.
'Ding,
1) Revival Life Card x 3.
2) Multiplier Life Card x 2.
3) General Revival Life Card x 1.
'Other than my Free Weekly Godly Revival, I have three additional revivals. Looks like I can take some risks with my plan.'
To complete his mission of becoming a Golden Core Realm Cultivator within six months, Ethan had made a plan and it involved some risk.
However, with multiple Revival Life Cards, Ethan was no longer worried about risks.
'Also, I have to help Elias with his breakthrough and complete another mission. For that, I have to find a Foundation Establishment Pill for him.'
Even with a High-Grade Spirit Root, it was difficult for Elias to become a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator within a month.
However, a Foundation Establishment Pill can solve the problem.
'But, getting my hands on a Foundation Establishment Pill is…very hard.'
Even the Lin Family, in its entire history of nearly 1000 years, only got less than 10 Foundation Establishment Pills and among them, more than half of them were brought by them through their disciples who were able to join the Greenfire Sect.
'I have a Minor Foundation Pill; however, it will cut off the cultivator's path to the Golden Core Realm.'
Giving it to someone like Elias, was a waste of his talent who has the potential to break through to Nascent Soul Realm or even higher.
'Phew…..I am thinking too much. I will just go with my plan and make the changes accordingly.'
Taking a deep breath, Ethan kept a full stop to the countless thoughts in his head before checking on his parents.
'Father, please bear with it for some time. I will not only make you walk again but even cultivate.'
Ethan's heart wanted him to use the General Revival Life Card and make his father undergo a revival to get his leg back; however, his brain stopped him from doing it.
'Just because I listened to my heart once, I nearly got hunted by the Feng Family and my parents would have suffered for my actions. So, I will do what my brain says from now on.'
Ethan didn't want to let his emotions make his situations complicated. So, he decided to listen to his brain; instead of his heart.
…..
Two days later,
'So, this is the entrance of Azure Serpent Garden.'
Looking at the cave entrance in front of him, Ethan's eyes shone brightly.
Since there were no longer any survival rewards for not using his Godly Revival Ability, Ethan planned to die to get the weekly Life Points.
However, instead of dying without a purpose, Ethan decided to explore some Secret Realms to seek for opportunities hidden in them.
In his plan, there was no loss for him.
So, amidst his conversation with Rowan Lin, who has the most knowledge in exploring the Secret Realm, Ethan slowly brought up the topic and got the information about various secret realms.
Among them, the Azure Serpent Realm caught his eyes because it was exactly what he was searching for.
'Less explored, dangerous but highly rewarding. A Perfect Secret Realm for me to search for opportunities.'
With a smile on his face, Ethan walked towards the gate.
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In this world, the gates to the Secret Realms open every now and then, giving many opportunities to those who enter it.
Most of these Secret Realms disappear after completing the trials inside them, whereas a few Secret Realms won't disappear.
These few Secret Realms would be claimed by the Powerhouse in the region where these Secret Realms appear.
Azure Serpent Realm was one such realm that appeared in the Emerald Green Plains, and as the Powerhouse of the region, the Greenfire Sect claimed its ownership.
"Fellow Cultivator, it's 1,000 Low-level Spirit Stones."
Just when Ethan was about to enter the cave entrance that leads to the Azure Serpent Realm, he was stopped by two cultivators who seemed to be guarding the gate.
"Here."
Ethan already knew about the entrance fee and paid the two disciples.
Other than harvesting the resources from the Secret Realms, the Sect earns a hefty income from the cultivators who want to enter the Secret Realms under its control.
Of course, it is free for the Sect Disciples, and it was also one of the reasons why all the cultivation families were eager to send their youngsters to these Sects.
'It is costly, but the things inside the Azure Serpent Realm are more valuable.'
Ethan was not bothered too much about the 1,000 Spirit Stones as he got 3,000 Spirit Stones from Merrick after selling the Perfect Grade Spirit Grass.
'I hope I can harvest enough Azure Profound Grass to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Greenfire Sect.'
With that thought in mind, Ethan entered the cave, surrounded by complete darkness, feeling the damp air brush against his skin.
As he moved forward, a faint light appeared in the distance, growing brighter with each step.
Before he knew it, he had arrived on the other side of the cave, which made him feel like he had entered a different world.
'Ding,
The host has entered the Secret Realm: Azure Serpent Realm.'
Like when he entered the Mystic Soil Domain, the system notified him about the Secret Realm.
'The Spirit Essence in this realm is purer compared to Emerald Green Plains but less pure compared to the Mystic Soil Domain.'
Every Cultivator is sensitive to the Spirit Essence around them. So, Ethan could easily tell the difference in the purity of the Spirit Essence between the two Secret Realms and the Emerald Green Plains.
'It is vast and beautiful.'
After sensing the Spirit Essence in the Azure Serpent Realm, Ethan focused on his surroundings.
Azure Serpent Realm is a vast, untamed land filled with towering ancient trees, mist-covered valleys, and winding rivers glowing with a faint blue hue.
"Hey, Fellow Cultivator, are you alone?"
Just as Ethan was enjoying the environment of the Azure Serpent Realm, a cultivator walked towards Ethan.
'A sect disciple?'
Ethan recognized the cultivator as a sect disciple from the robes he was wearing and nodded his head.
"Fellow Cultivator, don't you know it is dangerous to explore the Azure Serpent Realm alone?"
The sect disciple asked Ethan as he continued, "Even the Golden Core Realm seniors have to be careful in the realm, not to mention Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators like us, who need to be even more careful."
"I know it is dangerous."
Ethan entered the Azure Serpent Realm because there were many dangers inside it, and he wanted to find some opportunities amidst those dangers to complete his goal of becoming a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.
Hearing that, the disciple's eyes lit up as he hurriedly introduced himself, "My name is Felix Wu, an outer disciple of the Greenfire Sect."
"Hello, Disciple Wu, I am Ethan, a loose cultivator."
Ethan used his past life's name because he didn't want to complicate his 'Kai' identity.
He wanted to make Kai, a famous Spirit Farmer who only focuses on nurturing the Spirit Plants, and whereas the identity 'Ethan' is used to explore the Secret Realms and other dangers.
'Ethan must always wear a mask.'
This was the rule he made for his 'Ethan' identity, who would do all kinds of dangerous stuff in the future.
"Brother Ethan, since you know it is dangerous, I think you must be looking for a team, right? I am also looking for a member to team up with."
Soon, Felix quickly invited Ethan to join his team, making Ethan feel it was not right.
"Sorry, but I am a lone wolf."
Sect Disciples consider themselves as superiors, whereas the loose cultivators are considered as lowly lives.
So, how could a Sect Disciple think of forming a team with a Loose Cultivator?
So, he could instantly tell that Felix had some ulterior motives. Hence, he instantly rejected his offer without any hesitation before turning to leave.
"Brother Ethan, I know a place where there are lots of Azure Profound Grass. As long as you form a team with me, I will show you that place."
However, Felix seemed to expect Ethan's reply as he tried tempting Ethan with something.
'Now, let's see how you can't join me.'
After using his offer, Felix was confident that Ethan would agree to form a team with him.
"A place with lots of Azure Profound Grass?"
As Felix expected, Ethan was indeed tempted when he heard Felix's words.
Azure Serpent Realm is filled with many Spirit Plants and Herbs; however, the most valuable one was Azure Profound Grass, a Special Rank 3 Spirit Plant.
There are many alternatives for the main ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pills; however, the pills refined using the Azure Profound Grass will have a 100 percent chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment Pills.
Such a powerful Spirit Plant is only found in the Azure Serpent Realm, making all the cultivators enter the Secret Realm regardless of the danger inside it.
Each Azure Profound Grass found by the cultivators can be exchanged for Cultivation Resources from the Greenfire Sect.
However, after many years of exploration, it became a little difficult to find the Azure Profound Grass in the Secret Realm, and one has to venture deep into the Secret Realm to get a few Spirit Plants.
'As long as I get 10 Azure Profound Grass, I can directly exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Greenfire Sect.'
Since Elias was required to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within a month, Ethan was trying to get his hands on the Foundation Establishment Pill.
In a way, it was the main reason why Ethan was entering the Azure Serpent Realm.
Therefore, Felix's words were quite tempting to Ethan.
"Yes. Also, compared to the other locations, this location is less dangerous."
Felix knew Ethan took the bait. So, he struck while the iron was still hot.
"I get it."
Ethan nodded his head, "However, can you tell me why you want to form a team with me?"
"T-this…there are some false rumours about me."
Felix hesitated a bit but still answered Ethan.
"Rumors?"
Ethan raised his brows.
"Yes. Everyone thinks that I am a 'Cursed Cultivator' and whoever forms a team with me will die. So, everyone avoids me like a plague."
Felix observed Ethan while explaining the rumours surrounding him, which only made Ethan's eyes light up.
"I didn't expect people to believe such things like Cursed Cultivators in this Modern Cultivation Era."
Ethan shook his head and said, "Let's form a team and prove them all wrong."
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After hearing Felix Wu's words, Ethan understood the problem.
'Whether he is really a 'Cursed Cultivator' or not, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to know the location where lots of Azure Profound Grass are growing.'
On the surface, Ethan said he won't believe such things; however, in reality, he doesn't care about them.
For him, a 'Single Death' in exchange for the location for the bunch of Azure Profound Grass was totally worth it.
"Brother Ethan…you are really a kind person."
Felix thought he had to put more effort into convincing Ethan to form a team with him.
However, seeing that Ethan readily agreed to form a team with him with just a few words, he heaved a sigh of relief and thanked Ethan.
"Disciple Wu, shall we go now?"
Ethan urged Felix to guide him to the special location.
"Sure."
Felix nodded and turned around to guide him.
"By the way, Brother Ethan, I don't know how old you are but since we are both Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, you can just call me Brother Wu or Brother Felix."
"Okay, Brother Felix."
Ethan nodded as they walked into the depths of the Azure Serpent Realm.
"Did you see that? That Cursed Felix has lured another newbie to form a team with him."
"What the…? How can Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators be this dumb?"
"Even I have the same doubt. How can they follow a stranger in a Secret Realm that is filled with dangers?"
"Anyway, how many cultivators did that Cursed B*stard get killed in the Secret Realm?"
"I think it's 10 if I include today's dumb cultivator."
"What? You are already adding him to the dead list?"
"Was there a single one who survived after forming a team with him?"
.
.
.
As Ethan and Felix walked, some of the cultivators who noticed the pair couldn't help but discuss themselves as they looked at Ethan with pity.
The Azure Serpent Realm was filled with floating Islands, and the Islands close to the entrance had already become barren, making the cultivators go to the Floating Islands away from the entrance.
Felix led Ethan through a winding path between floating islands, the ancient stone bridges beneath their feet weathered but sturdy.
'I heard the entire Azure Serpent Realm is filled with deadly Azure Serpents but why didn't we encounter at least a single one?'
Along the way, Ethan asked about the most common spirit beasts in the Azure Serpent Realm.
According to what Ethan heard, there are so many Azure Serpents in this realm and eventually named as the Azure Serpent Realm.
"It is because of this Artifact which I spent 1000 Spirit Stones to buy."
Felix seemed like he was waiting for Ethan's question as he proudly pointed at his wrist.
There was a tiny silver bell tied to his wrist, making almost no sound at all.
"It is called Azure Repelling Bell and its effect is simple: it repels the Rank 1 and Rank 2 Azure Serpents, saving us a lot of trouble inside the Azure Serpent Realm."
Felix explains about the artifact, clearing his doubts.
With their strength, taking care of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Azure Serpents was not difficult; however, it is tiring and wastes a lot of cultivators' time.
Moreover, if they are not careful, they will be poisoned.
So, the Greenfire Sect has created some artifacts and talismans to save the cultivators' time during their exploration and at the same time, make some good money by selling those artifacts and talismans.
Although they were low-level, there were only limited items, making it very hard for the loose cultivators to buy them.
"Interesting."
Hearing about the Azure Repelling Bell, Ethan's eyes lit up.
"Since Brother Ethan has formed a team with me, I will give it as a gift."
Felix noticed that Ethan was interested in the bell, and he directly gifted it to Ethan.
'Ding,
Item Name: Azure Repelling Bell.
Grade: Rank 2.
Effect: Injecting a bit of Spirit Essence into it will make the bell emit a frequency that disturbs the senses of Rank 1 and Rank 2 Azure Serpents, making them avoid the area.'
'Since there is nothing wrong with it, I can keep it.'
Ethan doubted Felix's good intentions; however, seeing the system notification, he decided to keep the item as it was useful to him in the Azure Serpent Realm.
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, two hours passed by.
'How far do we need to walk to the location you mentioned?'
As they moved dozens of kilometers deeper, Ethan couldn't help but ask Felix about it.
"We are close…almost there."
Felix kept saying the same thing, and at some point, Ethan wanted to just leave the team to explore on his own.
"We are here…this is the Special Location I mentioned."
Just when Ethan was about to give up on Felix, he finally heard Felix's excited words.
It was a secluded grove atop a smaller floating island, and within the grove, there were lots of Spirit Plants with long, slender leaves that shimmered with a deep azure hue, almost as if they were infused with liquid sapphire.
Those spirit plants were none other than Azure Profound Grass, the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pills.
'T-this…there is really a place filled with Azure Profound Grass.'
While following Felix, Ethan lost hope in Felix's words about the Special Location filled with Azure Profound Grass. So, when he saw them in the grove, Ethan was excited.
"During my previous explorations, I got chased by a Rank 4 Azure Serpent and found this hidden grove."
Felix proudly raised his head and explained how he found this Special Location.
"Then why didn't you harvest them when you found the location and wait until now?"
No matter how excited Ethan was, he didn't rush to harvest the Azure Profound Grass; instead, he asked Felix a question.
"Who said I didn't harvest?"
Felix explained, "However, when you harvest an Azure Profound Grass, it will awaken the Azure Serpent Fiends."
"Azure Serpent Fiends?"
Ethan became serious when he heard about the Azure Serpent Fiends.
Before entering the Azure Serpent Realm, Ethan heard about the Azure Serpent Fiends.
The Azure Serpent Fiends are mysterious and deadly humanoid serpent monsters lurking deep within the Azure Serpent Realm, and no one would enter the Azure Serpent Realm without knowing about them.
"Yes, even the weakest one has the strength of a Rank 2 Spirit Beast."
Felix quickly shared more information with Ethan, "When I first came here, I harvested an Azure Profound Grass and awakened two Azure Serpent Fiends with strength equal to Rank 3 Spirit Beasts which I absolutely can't beat."
"The only way for me to escape was by dropping the Azure Profound Grass I harvested."
"After that, I arrived a few more times and the same thing happened, making me get a rough understanding of how it works."
Felix seemed a bit frustrated as he continued, "If there is someone who can assist me, I can deal with the two Azure Serpent Fiends and thus, I chose you."
Felix revealed the reason why he was searching for someone to form a team with.
'So, this is the reason.'
Ethan nodded his head but he still didn't trust Felix's entire words.
"Shall we start harvesting the Azure Profound Grass now?"
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"Shall we start harvesting the Azure Profound Grass now?"
Felix asked Ethan and, without waiting for Ethan's reply, he entered the groove and gently harvested an Azure Profound Grass.
'Rumble'
The moment he pulled out the Azure Profound Grass from the ground, there was a minor earthquake as two terrifying humanoid monsters climbed out of the ground, blocking the entrance from anyone leaving.
The two creatures looked exactly the same, with a snake's head, glowing slit eyes, and a body covered in shimmering azure-blue scales.
They looked both menacing and powerful, making Ethan's body stiffen in fear because it was his first time seeing such terrifying monsters.
'Hiss~'
Hearing the low hissing sounds made by the two Azure Serpent Fiends, a shiver crawled down his spine. For the first time in both his lives, he felt the weight of true fear pressing down on him.
'Ding,
The host's Special Talent [I am Your Killer] has met the requirements and unlocked a passive effect [Predator's Spirit].
'Ding,
[Predator's Spirit: When facing a stronger opponent, instead of feeling fear, the host's instincts sharpen, and his thoughts will become clear.
'Huh? A new effect under my Special Talent?'
Suddenly, Ethan received a couple of system notifications and, at the same time, the fear he felt towards the Azure Serpent Fiends disappeared in an instant.
'T-this…I can unlock effects under my Special Talents? Great.'
Ethan was pleasantly surprised and heaved a sigh of relief because he truly didn't expect to freeze in front of the monsters before entering the Azure Serpent Realm.
Everything happened so fast that Felix didn't notice the changes in Ethan; instead, he explained to Ethan while looking at the Azure Serpent Fiends.
"Brother Ethan, they won't attack us when we are inside this groove; however, the moment we step out with the harvested Azure Profound Grass, they won't stop until we die."
"If we can kill them, the harvested Azure Profound Grass is ours to keep, and we could either leave this place or harvest another Spirit Plant to repeat the process."
"In case we can't beat them, all we have to do is throw the Azure Profound Grass at them before running out of this small floating island."
Before they take action, Felix wants Ethan to know the mechanism of leaving the Small Floating Island.
'Interesting. What if I harvest all the Azure Profound Grass in the groove and store them in my Vital Bloom Ring before dying? Won't I be able to revive them?'
Ethan felt it was a good mechanism and thought of a loophole with his [Godly Revival Ability].
Whenever he died, except for the clothes he was wearing at the time of death, all the things in his possession would also be returned to him.
Hence, Ethan could not help but think of an easy way to harvest all the Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
'It looks like I can get the Foundation Establishment Pill for Elias much sooner than I expected.'
Thinking about it, Ethan was over the moon as he counted the Azure Profound Grass in the groove, 'A little more than 100 Azure Profound Grass. Besides the Foundation Establishment Pill, I can exchange the Azure Profound Grass for many other things from Greenfire Sect.'
'For now, let's fight.'
However, Ethan didn't have any plans to execute that plan right away; instead, he wanted to check his current battle prowess.
After entering Kai's body, Ethan greatly increased his cultivation and became a lot stronger; however, he didn't have a proper fight to test his battle skills.
Hence, Ethan thought the current situation was perfect for that.
"Brother Ethan, are you ready?"
Summoning a long sword, Felix asked Ethan in an excited tone.
"I will take the left one."
Ethan summoned a Rank 2 Dagger and chose his target.
"Just stall for some time and I will quickly take care of my target."
As soon as he finished his words, Felix rushed out of the groove and started attacking one of the Azure Serpent Fiends.
'Huh? He is also a Level 1 Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, but he is confident in killing it. No wonder, the sect disciples are all monsters.'
Ethan was surprised by Felix's confidence; however, when he remembered that Felix was a sect disciple, he was no longer surprised.
'Anyway, let's start working now.'
[Shadow Steps]
Without wasting any time, Ethan used his Great Completion Stage [Shadow Steps] to move like a shadow.
'Swiish'
'Swiish'
Ethan was quite fast that the Azure Serpent Fiend was unable to see him properly, much less catch him.
'Hiss~'
Ethan's movements only angered the Azure Serpent Fiend as it hissed at him.
"No matter how angry you are, if you can't catch me, you can't do anything to me."
Maybe it was because Ethan was not worried about death, he was at ease as he toyed with the Azure Serpent Fiend, waiting for a perfect opening to kill the fiend in a single attack.
'An opening.'
Ethan toyed with it for a few moments and found an opportunity.
'Swiish'
"Now, die."
Without wasting time, Ethan directly slashed on the fiend's back.
'Clang'
'Kacha'
However, the dagger didn't enter the fiend's body; instead, it was blocked by the Azure Scales growing on the Azure Serpent Fiend's back.
'What a terrifying defense?'
Also, the Rank 2 Dagger in his hand was broken during the attack, which greatly shocked Ethan.
'Hiss~'
[Azure Venom Mist]
Although Ethan's attack didn't do any damage, it made the Azure Serpent Fiend furious as it hissed and released a poisonous mist at Ethan.
'Dodge'
'Swiish'
Ethan could tell that the mist was dangerous as he hurriedly maintained distance from it and returned to the groove.
Once the mist had disappeared completely, Ethan walked out of the groove and resumed his fight with the Azure Serpent Fiend.
'Interesting…his movement technique must be at least at the Completion Stage.'
While fighting, Felix kept an eye on Ethan's fight and was pleasantly surprised with Ethan's rapid movements.
'From the looks of it, he didn't seem to have any attack-type cultivation techniques.'
Seeing that Ethan was unable to break through the defences of the Azure Serpent Fiend, Felix guessed Ethan's disadvantage.
'This is why one should not focus on a single cultivation technique and leave out the others.'
Felix recalled his father's words with a smile, 'But, his movement technique is enough for us to harvest more Azure Profound Grass than I expected.'
When Felix brought Ethan with him, he was only expecting Ethan to stall one of the Azure Serpent Fiends for a few moments, and for that, Ethan's movement technique was perfect.
"It's time to finish this Azure Serpent Fiend."
After getting some understanding of Ethan's battle prowess, Felix no longer held back and went all out against his Azure Serpent Fiend.
[Flowing River Sword Art - Ripple Slash]
Once Felix became serious, he used one of his powerful moves as he continuously slashed at one spot for more than a dozen times in a couple of seconds.
'Kacha'
'Pierce'
'Puchi'
Finally, the azure scales on the Azure Serpent Fiend got broken and in the next second, Felix directly pierced his long sword into that spot, killing the Azure Serpent Fiend.
"Brother Ethan, move aside."
After that, Felix didn't waste any time as he shouted at Ethan.
[Flowing River Sword Art - Torrential Strike]
Without waiting for Ethan, Felix swung his sword, releasing a powerful sword wave at the second Azure Serpent Fiend.
'What?'
Ethan barely dodged the incoming sword wave, which slashed the Azure Serpent Fiend into two halves.
"Bastard, are you trying to get me killed too?"
Looking at the fiend's corpse, Ethan could not help but shout at Felix.
"Sorry, if I went a little overboard with my attacks; however, I noticed that Brother Ethan has a great mastery over his movement technique."
Felix quickly apologized; however, inside his heart, he was shocked, 'His mastery has definitely reached the Great Completion Stage. How old is he? 20? Not even 20 but has mastery of Great Completion in a Cultivation Technique.'
'His comprehension of the cultivation technique is quite scary.'
The more Felix thought about it, the more shocked he became; however, at the same time, he felt lucky to form a team with Ethan because he was a perfect teammate for him ... at least that's what Felix believed.
"Shall we continue to harvest them?"
Ethan didn't sense any ill intentions from Felix yet and, since the other party had apologized, he could only nod his head and ask whether they should harvest or take a rest.
During the fight, Ethan seemed to move a lot, he barely spent any Spirit Essence. So, he was ready to continue; however, he was not sure about Felix, who killed the two Azure Serpent Fiends back to back.
"Yes."
Felix spent a portion of his Spirit Essence; however, he could still go on for a few more rounds.
So, he was ready to harvest the next Azure Profound Grass.
'Swiish'
'Huh? Brother Felix, look at the corpses of the Azure Serpent Fiends.'
Just as they were about to harvest their second Azure Profound Grass, Ethan noticed the two corpses of the Azure Serpent Fiends on the ground started glowing with azure light and started turning into tiny dots.
"How could I forget it?"
Suddenly, Felix remembered something as he excitedly explained to Ethan, "I heard that upon killing the Azure Serpent Fiends, they will leave behind a treasure."
"What? Leaving behind a treasure?"
Ethan was pleasantly surprised as he curiously looked at the two disappearing corpses, wondering what kind of treasures they would leave behind.
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Felix was so excited about harvesting the Azure Profound Grass that he forgot about the Azure Serpent Fiends' corpses.
However, once he remembered they would leave the treasures, Felix was excited.
"Do you have an idea about what kind of treasures they will leave behind?"
As the corpses slowly disintegrated, Ethan could curb his curiosity and asked Felix about it.
"As far as I heard, the corpses leave behind a wide range of items that increase the cultivation, speed up the cultivation speed, increase the lifespan, Spirit Seeds, and many more."
Felix answered with some uncertainty; however, he knew that in a few moments, they would see what treasures they would receive.
Time continued to pass, and it took 10 minutes for the two Azure Serpent Fiends' corpses to disintegrate completely, leaving behind an Azure Jade Box each.
"Let's open."
Felix and Ethan quickly picked one Azure Jade Box each and opened it.
'Ding,
The host has opened an Azure Jade Box and received three Azure Foundation Pills.'
Just as he opened the box, Ethan received a system notification, explaining the item inside the Azure Jade Box.
'Azure Foundation Pills? Never heard of them.'
There was no information about those pills in Kai's memories. So, Ethan was clueless about them.
"Ethan, you are damn lucky. You got Azure Foundation Pills."
On the other hand, Felix's shock was evident to see the three blue-coloured pills in Ethan's box.
"Azure Foundation Pills? What are they used for?"
Without hesitation, Ethan asked Felix about the pills.
"You don't know about them?"
Felix frowned at Ethan's words; however, he didn't think much before explaining the effects, "It helps the newly ascended Foundation Establishment Cultivators stabilize their cultivation and even helps them break through to the next level regardless of their cultivation talent."
"It is just as rare and valuable as the Azure Profound Pills. In fact, it is even rarer because the cost to refine these pills is very high and its effects are considered relatively lower compared to the Azure Profound Pills. So, even the sect rarely refines them."
As he explained, the greed in Felix's eyes was easy to notice.
"Really? There are such valuable pills?"
The only part that made Ethan excited was it would help the cultivators break through to the next level regardless of their cultivation talent or the cultivation root.
'If I can use it, I can save some Life Points, right?'
Ethan silently thought about it before asking Felix, "What about you? What is in your Azure Jade Box?"
"I am not as lucky as you. There are 10 Azure Profound Grass Seeds."
Felix answered, showing the seeds to Ethan.
'Spirit Seeds. I can nurture them and harvest for Life Points.'
Azure Profound Grass might be a Rank 3 Spirit Plant; however, it is a very special one, much rarer than Rank 4 Spirit Plants.
Hence, Ethan thought that by nurturing and harvesting them, he could get more Life Points with his Special Talent [Heaven's Harvesting].
Nevertheless, he didn't show much interest in them, making Felix believe that he was also not interested in the Spirit Seeds.
"It's alright! Anyway, in the end, we will be equally sharing all our gains."
While coming here, they had already discussed the ratio they should share their gains.
Felix suggested that they would share the gains equally, and Ethan didn't have any problem with it.
"Yes."
Felix smiled and nodded at Ethan's words as he said, "Then, how about we consume one Azure Foundation Pill each before harvesting more Azure Profound Grass."
Since the pills could help them increase their cultivation by a level, there was no reason why they should not consume them.
Hence, Felix suggested, and Ethan agreed.
"I will consume the pill first while you stand guard."
It was Ethan who suggested that he would consume the Azure Foundation Pill first and break through to the Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Sure."
Felix agreed without any hesitation.
'Now, it is time to find out his true nature.'
There was a reason why Ethan said he would consume the Azure Foundation Pill first.
It was to see whether Felix would show his true colours when he broke through to the Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm.
'Toss'
Taking out one Azure Foundation Pill from the bottle, Ethan directly tossed it into his mouth.
'Swiish'
The moment it entered his mouth, the pill melted right away, releasing pure spirit essence.
'The Spirit Essence is very pure.'
[Earth Essence Integration Technique]
Ethan didn't waste any time as he hurriedly circulated his Main Cultivation Technique to guide the incredible pure Spirit Essence towards his dantian.
'Swirl'
The bead that formed inside Ethan's dantian after his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm spun at an incredible speed, crazily devouring the rushing pure spirit essence.
This bead is nothing but the foundation of Ethan's cultivation, and it absorbs the pure spirit essence to stabilize itself.
'Aargh…it is painful.'
Ethan gritted his teeth in pain; however, he still continued to circulate the cultivation technique to refine the Pure Spirit Essence.
Once it stabilized, the bead stopped spinning; however, it didn't stop its crazy devouring.
'Is it over? But I…Ughh.'
'Kacha'
Just as Ethan was wondering, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, followed by a crisp sound in his body, and in the next second, the bead inside his dantian grew slightly bigger.
'Ding,
Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to the Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm.'
At the same time, Ethan received the system notification, making Ethan heave a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, Brother Ethan."
Seeing Ethan finish his breakthrough, Felix congratulated him.
"Thank you, Brother Felix. It is your turn now."
Ethan smiled and gave an Azure Foundation Pill to Felix, asking him to start his breakthrough.
'Looks like he is really serious about harvesting more Azure Profound Grass with my help.'
Seeing that Felix didn't harm him during his breakthrough, Ethan built a slight trust towards Felix.
Soon, Felix consumed the Azure Foundation Pill and successfully completed his breakthrough, becoming a Level 2 Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Ethan.
"Congratulations, Brother Felix."
Ethan congratulated him before asking, "So, shall we start harvesting more Azure Profound Grass now?"
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After their breakthroughs, they started harvesting the Azure Profound Grass one after another, and compared to their first time, they had a much easier time killing the Azure Serpent Fiends in the subsequent harvests.
For each Azure Profound Grass they harvested, two Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends would come out.
While Ethan stalled for time, Felix quickly killed one before assisting Ethan in killing the second Azure Serpent Fiend.
Time continued to pass, and in just three hours, they harvested eight Azure Profound Grass before almost emptying their dantian.
"Ethan, you are a perfect teammate for me. How about we continue to explore the Azure Serpent Realm together?"
While they were resting, Felix shared his thoughts about their team. Fighting side by side made them a bit closer, and they started calling each other casually.
"It is my pleasure forming a team with Felix."
As they fought together, Ethan witnessed how powerful Felix was and thought in his head, 'If he wanted to kill me, I would be long dead by now.'
Each one of his sword techniques was able to break the defences of the Azure Serpent Fiends, and one of his main attacks was able to cut the Azure Serpent Fiend into two equal halves.
Seeing all that, Ethan felt that there was no way Felix had other intentions towards him.
Moreover, Felix is a Sect Disciple, and becoming his friend would only bring him more advantages compared to the disadvantages.
"Haha…you really have a way with words, Ethan."
Felix laughed at Ethan's words and said, "How about we leave after harvesting one more Azure Profound Grass?"
It is getting darker, and the night in the Azure Serpent Realm was very dangerous.
So far, including the first two, they killed 18 Azure Serpent Fiends and received 18 Azure Jade Boxes, which gave them good cultivation resources.
From these 18 Azure Jade Boxes, they have received mainly four types of items. They are:
1) Three Azure Foundation Pills x 2, (Total 6 Pills).
2) Ten Azure Profound Grass Seeds x 10 (Total 100 Seeds).
3) Azure Spirit Fruits x 2.
4) Rank 3 Beast Cores x 4.
By consuming an Azure Spirit Fruit, a cultivator can increase his Lifespan by 20 to 50 years depending on the cultivator's luck, whereas the Beast Cores are either used to feed other Spirit Beasts or used in alchemy.
The most valuable one was obviously the Azure Spirit Fruits, followed by the Azure Foundation Pills, Rank 3 Beast Cores, and the least valuable ones are Spirit Seeds.
With all those gains, both Ethan and Felix were satisfied with their gains for the trip.
Moreover, they were fighting for the last three hours, depleting 80 percent of their Spirit Essence.
Hence, Felix suggested that they should return after harvesting one Azure Profound Grass.
"As you say, Felix."
Since they harvested 9 Azure Profound Grass, harvesting another makes 10, making it easier for them to share equally.
Hence, Ethan also didn't have any problems with it because he had other plans for the remaining Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
'Pluck'
Like always, Felix gently harvested an Azure Profound Grass and waited for the Azure Serpent Fiends to walk out of the ground.
'Rumble'
"T-this…what's happening?"
There was an expected earthquake; however, it was not a small earthquake like before; instead, it shook the entire small floating island they were standing on.
"It seems we have awakened a powerful Azure Serpent Fiend by harvesting 10 Azure Profound Grass."
Felix quickly replied and asked Ethan, "Be prepared to run away in case it is a Rank 5 Azure Serpent Fiend."
Even a Golden Core Cultivator would have trouble dealing with a Rank 5 Azure Serpent Fiend; there is no way two Level 2 Foundation Realm Cultivators could stand a chance against such a powerful foe.
'Hiss~'
There was a powerful hissing sound that came from the ground, followed by a tall Azure Serpent Fiend climbing out of the ground.
"It is ... an Azure Serpent Fiend King. Ethan, let's run away."
As soon as Felix saw the huge Azure Serpent Fiend King, he warned Ethan.
"Damn it…I thought everything was going rather smoothly this time, and I triggered another unlucky incident."
Felix cursed his luck and, without any hesitation, took out a talisman from his storage ring, and injected a bit of Spirit Essence into it.
"Ethan, I am really an Unlucky Cultivator who triggers the Unlucky Incidents."
Felix gritted his teeth and told one truth that he hid from Ethan, "It was also me who got all my previous teammates killed with such unlucky events. It was because of this reason no one wanted to form a team with me."
"Among all my former teammates, I felt a lot closer to you and have a powerful movement technique. I really hope you will survive and meet me at the entrance of the Secret Realm."
'Swiish'
As soon as he finished his words, the talisman in Felix's hand shone brightly and, in the next moment, he disappeared, leaving behind a speechless Ethan.
'H-he is an unlucky cultivator? B*stard, if you are an unlucky cultivator, it is you who are supposed to die and not your teammates.'
Ethan entered the Azure Profound Realm to die in the first place. So, he didn't mind dying in the hands of this Azure Serpent Fiend King. In fact, he was a bit excited to die, wondering what kind of things he could buy from the [Interface of the Killer's Stats].
However, Ethan was speechless at Felix's words, claiming himself as an unlucky cultivator when he was the one who survived all those unlucky events.
"Forget it. Before I die, I will harvest as many Azure Profound Grass as possible before dying."
Ethan quickly rushed towards the Azure Profound Grass to harvest; however, his hands passed through the Azure Profound Grass as though it was not real but an illusion.
'Ding,
The host has fallen into an illusion.
'An Illusion?'
Ethan understood what was happening as he bitterly smiled, 'Looks like I will be dying without harvesting any additional Azure Profound Grass.'
'Anyway, I can harvest them another time.'
Nevertheless, Ethan was not bothered too much about it as his current gains were already much greater than he expected.
'Looks like it is time to….'
Before he could finish his line of thinking, Ethan's vision blanked as he received a system notification.
'Ding,
The host has been killed by a Rank 5 Azure Serpent Fiend.
'Ding,
.
.
.
.
'Ding,
The host has been killed by a Rank 5 Azure Serpent Fiend.
'Ding,
The host's Godly Revival Ability has been triggered.
'Ding,
The host has received 964 Life Points.
'Ding,
Since the host has used a Multiplier Life Card, the received Life Points will be multiplied by 4.
'Ding,
Instead of 964 Life Points, the host will receive 3856 Life Points.
'Ding,
The [Interface of the Killer's Stats] is generated. Please wait for a while.
In the soul state, Ethan opened his eyes with a series of system notifications popping in front of him.
'The Multiplier Life Card has triggered a 4x Multiplier? Excellent.'
A Multiplier Life Card, he can multiply the Life Points received by Ethan after his death by 2 to 5 times.
And Ethan triggered a 4x, making him feel full of excitement.
'I should have consumed the Azure Spirit Fruit earlier and increased my Lifespan by another 20-50 years.'
Looking at the Life Points he received after his death, Ethan regretted not eating the Azure Spirit Fruit when he had the chance because he missed nearly 100 free Life Points now.
'Forget it,'
Ethan shook his head and decided to focus on the positive side as he checked his available Life Points.
[Available Life Points: 6156]
'Holy…I have accumulated more than 6000 Life Points. It's all thanks to the Godly Lifespan Card and the Multiplier Life Card.'
Looking at his Life Points, Ethan clenched his fists in excitement and gave the full credit to two Life Cards.
Without the Godly Lifespan Card, his Lifespan would have still been below 300 years and without the Multiplier Life Card, he would have not been able to multiply his Life Points by four times.
'It looks like I have to collect more Special Life Cards.'
His interest in the Life Cards was already high and now, it had reached the next level.
'Anyway, let's check my surroundings until the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] gets updated.'
Ethan was curious about what the Azure Serpent Fiend King would do now after killing him.
With that thought in mind, he directly spent a Life Point to activate his [Soul Sight]
'Swoosh'
Soon, the void space around him brightened as Ethan could see his surroundings.
'Huh? What is he doing? Is he planting those seeds in the groove?'
The scene Ethan witnessed shocked him because he didn't expect the Azure Fiend King to plant the Azure Profound Grass Seeds in the Groove.
'Wait a second…don't tell me this groove is his personal Spirit Garden.'
Ethan found it absurd to believe; however, the fierce Azure Serpent Fiend King tending to the Azure Profound Grass in the groove made him come to this conclusion.
'But why didn't he awaken when Felix harvested the first Azure Profound Grass? Are there some restrictions that stop him from waking up until the tenth Azure Profound Grass is harvested?'
There were many questions in Ethan's head but no answers.
'Ding,
The [Interface of the Killer's Stats] has been generated. Do you want to check it?
While observing the Azure Serpent Fiend King, Ethan received the system notification he was waiting for.
'Ding,
[Interface of Killer's Stats]
[1) [Cultivation] Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm- 5,000 Life Points]
[2) [Cultivation Technique] Earth Essence Integration Technique (Great Completion Stage) - 2000 Life Points]
[3) [Skill] Azure Serpent Eyes - 1000 Life Points]
[4) [Inventory] Azure Serpent Fiend King's Poison- 1000 Life Points]
[Available Life Points: 6156]
'What? A minor breakthrough in the Foundation Establishment Realm costs 500 Life Points?'
Ethan already guessed that the cost to increase his cultivation would increase; however, he didn't expect it would increase by quite a lot.
'Wait a second…why did a human cultivation realm appear in the Azure Serpent Fiend King?'
Suddenly, Ethan remembered that the Azure Serpent Fiend King's method of cultivation is different from the human cultivators.
Although a Rank 5 Azure Serpent Fiend King is as powerful as a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, their cultivation paths are completely different.
'Also, why did the mastery of the [Earth Essence Integration Technique] appear in the interface of the Azure Serpent Fiend King?'
If [Cultivation] made Ethan raise his brows, the [Cultivation Technique] in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] completely shocked Ethan.
'System, did you convert the Azure Serpent Fiend King's cultivation into a Human's cultivation before projecting onto the Interface?'
'Also, is it because I have the [Earth Essence Integration Technique, did you show it on the [Interface] to increase my mastery?'
Ethan thought about it for a moment before asking the system two questions.
'Ding,
The system does have such an ability but, currently, all the items shown on the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] are directly related to the host's Killer.
'Ding,
As for the selection of the Cultivation Technique, the system chooses either the best one or the one that the host is already cultivating from the Killer's Cultivation Techniques.
'T-this…'
Seeing the replies from the system, Ethan was confused even more; however, it made him think of something which seemed completely unbelievable even to him.
'System, show me the information on my killer.'
Although it seemed very hard to believe, Ethan had a way to prove his absurd conclusion regarding the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
To do that, he needed to check the information on the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
His system can't project the information on everyone he sees; however, it could project the complete data of someone who killed him.
Since the Azure Serpent Fiend King has killed him, he could get the free information on him.
'Ding,
Killer's Name: Azure Serpent Fiend King (Cedric Lin).
Strength: Rank 5 Mutant Beast.
Lifespan: 122 / 2500 Years.
Information: The Family Ancestor of the Lin Family who got transformed into an Azure Serpent Fiend King after absorbing lots of Azure Serpent Qi during his breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm. His breakthrough was successful; however, he had transformed into an Azure Serpent Fiend King with all his memories sealed by the Azure Serpent Qi.
'T-this…my guess is correct. He is indeed a human before transforming into an Azure Serpent Fiend King.'
Ethan was still shocked and what was even more shocking was, 'He is none other than the Lin Family Ancestor, the so-called Grandfather of Uncle Merrick who entered the Mystic Soil Domain just like me.'
'Even after turning into a Mutant Beast, he still didn't lose his instincts of being a Spirit Farmer.'
At the same time, Ethan got an answer to his previous question of why the fierce Azure Serpent Fiend King was tending to the Spirit Plants.
It was because Cedric Lin was a Spirit Farmer…to be honest, a very famous one back in his time.
'His memories might have been sealed but his instincts of taking care of the Spirit Plants didn't.'
From this, Ethan understood how much Cedric Lin loves nurturing the Spirit Plants.
'Is it fate that I encountered him?'
Ethan could not help but ask himself while observing the Azure Serpent Fiend King who was taking care of the Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
'I wonder if there is a way for me to help him transform back into a human?'
The Lin Family was taking care of his family and he was even seeking their protection. So, he wanted to help Cedric Lin.
'Ding,
The host has triggered a new mission for the host.
'Ding,
Mission Name: Kill the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
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'Ding,
Mission Name: Kill the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
Details: Although Cedric Lin's memories are sealed, each second of his life as an Azure Serpent Fiend King is quite painful, wanting him to die; however, he can't kill himself as the body is not in his control and is waiting for someone to kill him.
Reward: 10,000 Life Points A Special Life Card.
Penalty: None.
Time Limit: None.
'A New Mission to kill the Azure Serpent Fiend King?'
By now, Ethan was no longer surprised to receive the sudden missions from the system.
'It is issuing the mission whenever I want to do something.'
Previously, he was thinking of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, and the system issued a mission for that, and now, he wanted to help Cedric Lin, and the system issued a mission to kill him, which seemed to free Cedric Lin from his pain.
'Looks like there are no methods to turn him back into a human.'
As an emotional person, Ethan was a bit sad to see that; however, there was nothing he could do about it.
'The reward looks enticing.'
10,000 Life Points aren't a small sum. Along with that, there is even a Special Life Card, which makes Ethan complete the mission at any cost.
So, even if he was not an emotional person, he would still try his best to complete the mission for such a good reward.
'Anyway, I need to wait until I break through to the Golden Core Realm.'
With his current cultivation, there was no way Ethan could land a single attack on the Azure Serpent Fiend King, much less kill him.
Also, there was no [Time Limit] and [Penalty] for the mission, so Ethan was not worried much about it and focused on his current situation.
'As I expected, when I get killed by the Spirit Beasts or Mutant Beasts, I can buy at least one Skill.'
Unlike humans, the Spirit Beasts can't cultivate the Cultivation Technique; instead, they awaken skills belonging to their race. So, Ethan was not surprised to see a Skill.
'Azure Serpent Eyes… it seems interesting.'
Ethan couldn't see the effects of the skills or the cultivation talents without buying them; however, he could tell that it was definitely an interesting and useful skill.
'According to the system, all the things shown in the [Interface of the Killer's Stats] are useful to me.'
Ethan recalled the earlier reply from the system and decided to buy it along with the cultivation.
For him, improving his cultivation is a must and should, and even after buying it, he would still have enough Life Points to buy the skill.
'As for the last item, it is the Azure Serpent Fiend King's poison, which is deadly enough to kill the Golden Core Realm Cultivators.'
However, Ethan couldn't afford to spend 1000 Life Points on it.
'For now, I will only buy the [Cultivation] and the [Skill].'
If Ethan was following the regular cultivation path, increasing the mastery of the Earth Essence Integration Technique was important.
However, without a proper talent, no matter how high his mastery in the Main Cultivation Technique was, it was quite useless for him.
Based on these thoughts, Ethan made his decision.
'Ding,
The host has spent 5000 Life Points to increase his cultivation to Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm.
'Ding,
The host has spent 1000 Life Points and bought a Skill [Azure Serpent Eyes].
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 155.
'Ding,
The bought items will be reflected after the host's revival.
…
Time continued to pass as Ethan observed the Azure Serpent Fiend King plant the Azure Profound Grass Seeds and use various farming techniques to nurture them before leaving the groove and disappearing without a trace.
"Where did he go? Will he come back if I harvest 10 Azure Profound Grass?"
Seeing the Azure Serpent Fiend King disappear, Ethan's eyes lit up as he got an idea.
Ethan patiently waited in the soul realm for an hour, waiting for the system notifications regarding his revival.
'Ding,
The revival waiting time has been completed.
'Ding,
Host, please choose where you want to revive from the following:
Death Point. First Safe Point: Hidden Cave. Second Safe Point: Mystic Soil Domain. Third Safe Point: Small Courtyard.
Originally, Ethan planned to revive in the Mystic Soil Domain; however, he changed his plans after seeing the Azure Serpent Fiend King disappear.
'Even if I encounter any danger, I still have two Revival Life Cards.'
Despite his Godly Revival Ability being on cooldown, Ethan was not worried about his death thanks to the two Revival Life Cards.
'Death Point.'
Since he had already decided, Ethan didn't think much and directly chose the [Death Point, which means he would revive in the same place where he had died earlier.
'Swoosh'
Soon, the same process of revival started, and in no time, Ethan successfully completed his revival in the groove that was filled with Azure Profound Grass.
'Much stronger than before.'
Even without observing, Ethan felt the growth in his strength; however, it was still impossible for him to deal with two Azure Serpent Fiends at once.
Next, he briefly checked the changes in his body, and without any surprise, his Foundation Bead and the Dantian had increased in size.
'Now, I can hold more Spirit Essence, which means I can fight for longer.'
Ethan clenched his fists in excitement as he took a look at his first skill.
'Ding,
Skill Name: Azure Serpent Eyes.
Use: 1) Helps in detecting hidden formations, poisons, and spirit energy fluctuations, and most importantly, it helps the host in seeing through the illusions.
'Interesting skill. It will be very helpful against the Azure Serpent Fiend King in the future.'
Seeing the effect of the Azure Serpent Eyes, Ethan felt the 1000 Life Points were well spent.
'Other than illusions, I can see through the hidden formations, poison, and spirit energy fluctuations too.'
Ethan smiled a little before looking at the thriving Azure Profound Grass.
'It is time to harvest as much Azure Profound Grass as possible.'
Ethan gently touched the Azure Profound Grass to harvest it.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Unhappy. Who are you? If you harvest me, I will wake up a Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiend]
'What? It will only wake up a single Rank 2 Azure Serpent Fiend?'
Ethan was surprised for a moment; however, suddenly, he realized, 'Wait… I can see how many Azure Serpent Fiends will come out if I harvest this Azure Profound Grass?'
Until now, it was Felix who was harvesting the Azure Profound Grass, and as soon as he harvested it, two Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends would wake up and attack them.
So, at first, Ethan was surprised to see that the Azure Profound Grass that he was planning to harvest would only awaken a single Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiend.
What's more interesting was, that Ethan didn't expect that his Special Talent [Heaven's Harvesting] would let him see the number of Azure Serpent Fiends awakened by the harvested Azure Profound Grass.
'If there is a Spirit Plant that can only awaken one Azure Serpent Fiend, then there might be some which won't even awaken a single Azure Serpent Fiend, right?'
When this thought came to his head, Ethan's eyes lit up as soon, as he started searching for it.
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[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Unhappy. Who are you? If you harvest me, I will wake up a Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiend.]
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[Status: Unhappy. A Plant Thief? If you harvest me, I will wake up a Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiend.]
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'Huh? All these Spirit Plants will awaken only one Azure Serpent Fiend?'
After checking the [Live Status] of more than a dozen Azure Profound Grass, Ethan frowned.
Previously, when Felix harvested the Azure Profound Grass, each one of them awakened two Azure Serpent Fiends, whereas the ones he touched planned to awaken only a single Azure Serpent Fiend, making Ethan a bit confused.
'Don't tell me it is because I am luckier than Felix.'
Ethan found his thoughts didn't make any sense.
'Let's continue to check the remaining Azure Profound Grass.'
Putting aside his thoughts, Ethan continued to check the [Live Status] of each Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
[Status: Angry. Don't touch me. I am already frustrated that I got less Plant Energy from the Nurturer earlier. If you mess with me, I will wake up three Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends.]
'A new status.'
After checking a few plants, Ethan found a plant that would awaken three Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends, making Ethan think of something.
[Status: Slightly Angry. I am still hungry. I want more Plant Essence. If you mess with me, I will wake up two Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends.]
'I get it now…the awakening of the Azure Serpent Fiends doesn't have anything to do with the harvester's luck; instead, it depends on the status of the Azure Profound Grass.'
As Ethan continued, the [Live Status] of one Azure Profound Grass made him understand how it works.
Since the Azure Serpent Fiend King has just tended to them with his Farming Techniques, the mood of most of the Azure Profound Grass has improved from Slightly Angry to Unhappy.
'A Slightly Angry Spirit Plant awakened two Azure Serpent Fiends whereas an Unhappy Spirit Plant will awaken only one Azure Serpent Fiend.'
'As for the Angry Spirit Plant, it will awaken three Azure Serpent Fiends. I wonder how angry the Spirit Plant that Felix harvested was, that it summoned the Azure Serpent Fiend King.'
As he understood the relationship between the Azure Profound Grass and the Azure Serpent Fiends, Ethan could not help but think about the mood of the Spirit Plant that summoned the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
'Wait a second…if I harvest a Spirit Plant that is happy, there won't be any Azure Serpent Fiends, right?'
Suddenly, Ethan's eyes lit up when he came to this conclusion.
Since Unhappy and Angry Spirit Plants are awakening the Azure Serpent Fiends, Ethan guessed that a Happy Spirit Plant won't awaken an Azure Serpent Fiend.
Thus, he excitedly shouted, "Let's find a Happy Azure Profound Grass."
Maybe he changed spots or lady luck smiled on him, Ethan quickly found the Azure Profound Grass he was searching for.
[Status: Happy. I finally got to see the Nurturer after a long time. The Azure Essence he provided in his nurturing session is quite good.]
'Finally, I found one.'
The status of this particular Azure Profound Grass was saying happy and didn't mention anything about awakening the Azure Serpent Fiends, which in turn made Ethan happy.
'Let's harvest it and confirm my thoughts.'
Without hesitation, Ethan gently harvested the blue-coloured Spirit Plant from the ground and kept an eye on the spot from where the Azure Serpent Fiends woke up.
'No Azure Serpent Fiends are awakened….excellent.'
Ethan smiled and soon, with lots of excitement, he started searching for more Azure Profound Grass that were happy.
'One stalk, two stalks, riches untold,
Harvest of blue, worth more than gold.'
While harvesting the Happy Azure Profound Grass, Ethan sang a song he made up.
Even though he was missing the rewards left after killing the Azure Serpent Fiend, Ethan didn't have proper combat cultivation techniques.
Moreover, he was already satisfied with his current haul, and after learning about an easy way to harvest the Azure Profound Grass, Ethan changed his earlier plans.
That's right!
From the moment he entered the groove in the morning with Felix, Ethan had already thought of a plan to collect all the Azure Profound Grass at the end of the day.
However, it requires him to die once to successfully execute that plan.
If Ethan's [Godly Revival Ability] was not in the cooldown, he would have still gone with that plan; however, now, he had to use a Revival Life Card, which he didn't want to use casually.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Fuming with Rage. Greedy Mongrel….aren't you satisfied with 9 Azure Profound Grass? If you don't stop harvesting, I will awaken my Nurturer.]
'Huh? You will awaken the Azure Serpent Fiend King?'
Finally, after Ethan successfully harvested nine Happy Azure Profound Grass, he found an interesting change in the mood of the Azure Profound Grass.
He checked the [Live Status] of a few more Azure Profound Grass, and all of them had the same thing, answering the question in his head.
'So, the Azure Serpent Fiend King will be awakened when harvesting the 10th Azure Profound Grass.'
'Is this where I end my today's harvest? Absolutely not.'
Ethan didn't give up yet because he had some plans to harvest more Azure Profound Grass from the groove.
'First, let's plant some Azure Profound Grass Seeds.'
Ethan took out the 100 Azure Profound Grass Seeds from his Vital Bloom Ring and started planting them using his farming techniques.
That's right!
Since the environment inside the groove was ideal for the Azure Profound Grass, Ethan decided to use it as his personal garden to nurture them.
Moreover, he had another reason why he wanted to plant the Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
[Earth Essence Integration Technique]
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
In no time, Ethan planted the 100 Azure Profound Grass Seeds in the groove and showered them with the Spirit Rain.
'Please let my guess become true.'
While praying, Ethan checked the status of the matured Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
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Earlier, when Ethan was in the soul state, he observed the Azure Serpent Fiend King plant some Azure Profound Grass Seeds and tend to them along with the already matured Azure Profound Grass in the groove.
Before the Azure Serpent Fiend King tended to these Spirit Plants, most of the Azure Profound Grass in the groove awakened two Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends.
However, after the Fiend King's brief nurturing session, Ethan believed the [Live Status] of the Spirit Plants changed, and instead of awakening two Rank 3 Azure Serpent Fiends, most of them planned to awaken only one Azure Serpent Fiend, and there were even some that were happy, resulting in a peaceful harvest.
Therefore, Ethan decided to follow the exact steps of the Azure Serpent Fiend King to see whether he could change their [Live Status] from 'Fuming with Rage' to [Happy].
After completing the most basic steps of the Spirit Farming, Ethan expectantly looked at the status of a matured Azure Profound Grass.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Surprised but unhappy. You are a Spirit Farmer and you still dare to steal the Spirit Plants from others' garden? I will awaken a single Azure Serpent Fiend. As long as you can kill it, I will be your prized possession].
'I…it changed. I successfully changed its status.'
The [Live Status] of the Azure Profound Grass had changed, and it no longer planned to awaken the Azure Serpent Fiend King but only a single Azure Serpent Fiend.
Even though he didn't completely make the Spirit Plants happy, Ethan was more than happy because things were going as he expected.
'I still have another trump card to make these Azure Profound Plants happy.'
Ethan smiled a bit and remembered something, 'Before that, let's see the information on the seeds I planted just now.'
As soon as he placed his hands on the spot where he planted the Azure Profound Grass, Ethan's Special Talent showed the information about the plant.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: 500 days]
[Status: Happy]
'As expected of a Special Rank 3 Spirit Plant.'
Looking at the 500-day maturity time period for the seeds he planted, Ethan was not surprised because the higher the rank of the Spirit Plant, the longer the time it required to mature.
'However, the trump card I planned to use will reduce its maturity time.'
After that, Ethan used his Special Cultivation Technique, the [Green Pulse Art, to speed up the growth of the seeds he just planted.
[Maturity: 499]
[Status: Excited]
'Their maturity time has been reduced by a single day in a single session.'
Ethan was not surprised because the higher-ranked Spirit Plants required more Plant Essence to speed up their growth.
However, Ethan could repeatedly use the [Green Pulse Art] in the day, meaning he could further reduce the maturity time for the Azure Profound Grass he planted.
[Green Pulse Art]
'Swiish'
[Flourishing Spirit Rain]
'Swiish'
Time continued to pass, and Ethan used his cultivation techniques and successfully reduced the maturity time for the 100 plants he planted to 480 days.
[Maturity: 480]
[Status: Excited but tired. I am full…I am full]
'Unlike the Azure Serpent Fiend King, I took care of the seeds I planted, and they have even sprouted already.'
Ethan was fully satisfied with his hard work as he expectantly checked the [Live Status] of the matured Spirit Plants.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant Name: Azure Profound Grass]
[Grade: Rank 3 Special]
[Maturity: Ready to harvest]
[Status: Very Happy. You not only replenished the garden but even nurtured them with care].
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.
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[Status: Very Happy. I take back calling you a Greedy Mongrel. You are a good person who maintains the balance in the garden. I will be your reward].
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[Status: Very Happy. You seem like a nice person who will put me to good use].
'T-this…all the Azure Profound Grass in the groove became very happy.'
Ethan believed he could make the Azure Profound Grass happy; however, he didn't expect to make every single Azure Profound Grass in the groove very happy.
'Time to harvest.'
Suppressing his excitement, Ethan started harvesting them one by one.
Of course, he double-checked each Azure Profound Grass before harvesting to make sure none of the Azure Serpent Fiends were awakened.
'I was only hoping to get at least 10 Azure Profound Grass before entering the Azure Serpent Realm; however, I got more than 100 of them.'
That's right!
Once Ethan nurtured new Azure Profound Grass, he was able to harvest 90 of them, and he was still harvesting more, making Ethan unable to help but smile brightly.
[Status: Fuming with Rage. You have harvested enough of us. It is time to stop before I summon the Azure Serpent Fiend King].
Ethan has harvested exactly 100 Azure Profound Grass, and when harvesting the 101st Spirit Plant, its [Live Status] changed from 'Very Happy' to 'Fuming with Rage'.
'I think it is because I have planted 100 Seeds; they let me harvest 100 matured Azure Profound Grass.'
He didn't think much to come to this conclusion, which seemed pretty valid.
'The gains for this trip are much greater than I expected. So, there is no need to risk my life anymore.'
Maybe he was triggered by the words 'Greedy Mongrel' or it was getting darker in the Azure Serpent Realm, and Ethan decided to return home.
'Swoosh'
With a mastery of the Great Completion Stage in the [Shadow Steps] and thanks to the Azure Repelling Bell, Ethan reached the entrance of the Azure Serpent Realm in less than an hour.
'Phew…with so much Azure Profound Grass, I can easily exchange it for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Greenfire Sect.'
'With that pill, I can complete the mission to help Elias become a Foundation Establishment Realm.'
Thinking about the Foundation Establishment Pill, Ethan could not help but become excited.
"Ethan"
Amidst his thoughts, Ethan heard a familiar voice from the distance and saw Felix excitedly running toward him.
'This shameless person….how could he still dare to come to me?'
On the other hand, Ethan was not really happy to see Felix.
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"I knew it."
"I have no doubts regarding your survival, Ethan."
"Ethan, I am sorry to leave you, but it was because I am confident in your movement technique."
"Ethan, I've securely stored our gains from the trip while waiting for your return."
"Shall we go to the Greenfire Exchange Hall?"
Felix quickly approached Ethan and said a ton of things, making Ethan speechless.
'How can he be this thick-skinned to strike a conversation with me after abandoning me to death?'
Ethan felt Felix was a bit annoying with his non-stop talk; however, he was not really angry at him.
Not only did he get 'Death' in the hands of a powerful opponent, but he also harvested 109 Azure Profound Grass after Felix abandoned him.
Since it was thanks to Felix he was able to enter the Small Floating Island that was filled with Azure Profound Grass, in a way, Ethan was grateful to Felix.
Moreover, Felix's escaping from the Small Floating Island was the best thing for him as he was freely able to execute his plans in the groove.
"What happened, Ethan? Why are you not saying anything?"
Felix acted like they were best friends for a long time, making Ethan bitterly shake his head.
"It's nothing. Let's go and share our gains before going to the Greenfire Exchange Hall."
Coming out of his thoughts, Ethan finally replied to Felix.
Before the Azure Serpent Fiend King appeared, Ethan stored 100 Azure Profound Grass Seeds, four Azure Foundation Pills, along with the nine Azure Profound Grass they harvested in his storage ring.
On the other hand, Felix stored the two Azure Spirit Fruits and two Rank 3 Beast Cores in his storage ring.
They planned to share the rewards equally after leaving the Azure Serpent Realm; however, the Azure Serpent Fiend King appeared and spoiled their plan.
Since they were reunited now, Ethan suggested they share their gains.
"Ethan, I will be honest with you. I am feeling very bad to escape alone, leaving you behind. So, I won't be thick-skinned and equally share the gains with you."
Felix said something that made Ethan think, 'Don't tell me you want to give up on your share?'
"I am only interested in the Azure Spirit Fruit, one Rank 3 Spirit Beast Core, and four Azure Profound Grass."
"As for my remaining share of 50 Spirit Seeds and two Azure Foundation Pills, you can keep them as my apology for abandoning you."
However, after hearing Felix's words, Ethan became speechless again.
'Here, I am feeling bad that he was really feeling sad for abandoning me. Looks like he is more thick-skinned than I imagined.'
Among their loot, the most valuable one was obviously the Azure Spirit Fruit, and Felix was not giving up on it.
As for the Azure Foundation Pill, it is valuable; however, since he already used one, Felix didn't have much use for those pills.
As for the 50 Spirit Seeds, they were even more useless to him other than selling them to the Sect at a cheaper price.
In short, Felix was not losing much by giving up on the Spirit Seeds and two pills whose combined costs less than 5000 Spirit Stones.
"I will accept them and forgive you."
Nevertheless, Ethan gladly accepted them as there was no reason for him to reject them.
"Good. Let's go to the Greenfire Exchange Hall now."
After sharing their gains from the trip, Ethan and Felix walked towards an imposing structure which was a few kilometers away from the Azure Serpent Realm's entrance.
The imposing structure was none other than a Greenfire Exchange Hall that was established by the Greenfire Sect, the absolute powerhouse of the Emerald Green Plains.
As the name suggests, the Greenfire Exchange Hall primarily serves as a place where cultivators can exchange the Azure Profound Grass harvested from the Azure Serpent Realm for cultivation resources, artifacts, and techniques.
However, its role extends far beyond that. It also allows cultivators to trade other cultivation materials, exchange useless resources for more valuable ones, and even purchase items crafted by sect disciples.
In short, it was a single-building marketplace created by the Greenfire Sect for both Loose Cultivators and the Sect Disciples.
"Hey, someone is still alive even after forming a team with Felix."
"Really?"
"I don't think they ventured deep enough to trigger any unlucky encounters."
"Did you forget that incident already? One of his former teammates got killed right at the entrance. That's how dangerous it is to form a team with him. He might even die on his way to the Exchange Hall or after coming out of the Exchange Hall."
"Haha…true…..Felix is infamous for killing his teammates in the most unexpected method."
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While they were moving towards the Greenfire Exchange Hall, the disciples and loose cultivators who recognized Felix and Ethan, started to comment and laugh.
"Ethan, ignore them. You've already proven them wrong by making it out of the Azure Serpent Realm alive."
Saying that, Felix rushed Ethan to the Greenfire Exchange Hall.
'Their statements are not wrong though.'
Ethan silently thought in his head.
…..
Inside the Greenfire Exchange Hall,
With Felix's identity as a Sect Disciple, they quickly entered the huge hall.
Inside the hall, there were different sections like [Exchange, [Cultivation Techniques, [Spirit Beasts, and [Cultivation Resources].
Since the Exchange Hall belongs to the Sect, all the attendants inside the hall were none other than the disciples of the Sect.
"Felix, how is today's harvest? Any luck?"
As soon as they entered, one of the Female Sect Attendants asked Felix with a slight smile.
Felix might be a Cursed Cultivator; however, he always brings something from the Azure Serpent Realm. So, most of the Sect Attendants in the hall had some good relations with him.
So, seeing him, one of the Sect Attendants curiously asked.
"It's not bad. I got 4 Azure Profound Grass."
Felix quickly took out the four stalks of the Azure Profound Grass and gave them to the Sect Attendant.
"Felix, unlike what others call you, you really are lucky to get a few Azure Profound Grass on your every trip to the Azure Serpent Realm."
The Sect Attendant seemed to be a little close with Felix.
"Aria, can you please stop talking about luck."
Felix acted pitiful at the Sect Attendant's words, making her smile brightly.
"Careful with that smile—if it gets any brighter, I might start believing you're the lucky star born for me."
"Felix…Hehe."
Hearing that, Aria laughed elegantly and asked Felix, "Where do you get these lines?"
"When I am in front of an angel, I blurt out such lines."
"Hehe"
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.
.
'Hello….am I visible to you, guys?'
From the side, Ethan felt like a third wheel, who got stuck between a lovebird and hearing those lines made his head ache.
"By the way, is he your new teammate?"
After a while, Aria asked Felix about Ethan.
'Finally…..'
Ethan heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed him.
"Yes, he is Ethan, my sworn brother with whom I went through thick and thin today and survived a major danger together."
Felix also finally remembered Ethan and proudly introduced him to Aria.
"Wait…you went with him and successfully came out of the Azure Serpent Realm in one piece?"
Aria was shocked to hear Felix's words and quickly asked Ethan.
'T-this….idiot, even your girlfriend thinks you got your previous teammates killed.'
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"Aria, Ethan is the living proof that my former teammates' deaths have nothing to do with me."
Felix was not bothered by her words; instead, he claimed that he was not a Cursed Cultivator.
'I knew it…this idiot brought me here to make a statement regarding his bad name.'
If not for Felix's usefulness for Ethan's future plans, he would have maintained distance from Felix.
"That's right! Felix is not a Cursed Cultivator like everyone claims; otherwise, I would not be here."
Ethan casually made a remark, making Felix emotional because no one had ever said that he was not a Cursed Cultivator.
Even though Aria had a good relationship with him, she didn't believe that he was not a Cursed Cultivator.
"..."
Aria deeply looked at Ethan for a moment before shaking her head; no one knew what she was thinking in that moment.
For a moment, there was an awkward silence between them before Felix broke the silence, "Aria, I want to exchange my Azure Profound Grass for Azure Essence Pills."
"Sure."
Aria recovered her composure and quickly brought four pill bottles, each containing 10 Azure Essence Pills.
Azure Essence Pills are the upgraded version of the Qi Refining Pills for the Foundation Realm Cultivators that help in their cultivation.
In the Greenfire Exchange Hall, an Azure Profound Grass can be exchanged for 10 Azure Essence Pills, and Felix needed them for his cultivation. So, he directly bought them.
"What about you, Ethan? What are you going to exchange your Azure Profound Grass for?"
Once Felix completed his transaction, he asked Ethan.
"I want a Foundation Establishment Pill, but I know I don't have enough Azure Profound Grass."
Although he had lots of Azure Profound Grass, he couldn't openly bring them out for exchange…at least not in front of Felix.
From Rowan, Ethan learned that he needed 15 Azure Profound Grass to exchange for a single Foundation Establishment Pill, but after splitting the gains with Felix, Ethan only had five Azure Profound Grass with him.
"A Foundation Establishment Pill?"
Felix didn't expect Ethan to need a Foundation Establishment Pill and spoke in a low voice, 'Brother Ethan, you are really lucky.'
'Lucky?'
Ethan was confused; however, when he continued to listen to Felix's words, his eyes lit up.
'He is not as bad as I thought.'
The thing is, Felix just said to Ethan that he had a Foundation Establishment Pill with him and he would give it to Ethan for free, making Ethan's opinion of Felix completely change.
As for the reason why he whispered about the Foundation Establishment Pill in Ethan's ear was the moment someone knew about the pill, it wouldn't end well for the person who had the pill in his possession.
"However, I have a condition."
Felix hesitated a bit and stated his condition, "Be my teammate and continue to explore the Azure Serpent Realm and other Secret Realms along with me."
Since Ethan was someone who was able to survive exploring together with him, Felix wanted Ethan to be his teammate for future explorations.
"Aren't we teammates already?"
On the other hand, Ethan asked Felix with a slight smile, making Felix feel touched.
One of the main reasons why Ethan entered the Azure Serpent Realm was to die, and since Felix is infamous for getting his teammate killed, Ethan believed Felix was a perfect person to form a team with.
Thus, Ethan didn't hesitate and directly agreed to form a team with Felix.
"In our new adventures, I won't abandon Brother Ethan ever again."
Felix swore in a serious tone, making Ethan believe his words.
"No. When we encounter any danger, I want Brother Felix to choose his safety over mine."
However, Ethan shook his head and explained why he wanted Felix to escape alone, "With my movement technique, I was able to escape from the Azure Serpent Fiend King and I can do it with other dangers we might encounter in the future."
"Y-you…you are really very kind, Brother Ethan."
Hearing those words, Felix nearly had tears in his eyes.
"Can you tell me the things I can exchange here with the Azure Profound Grass?"
Ethan didn't say anything to Felix as he turned to Aria and asked her.
"Here is the list of things a Foundation Realm Cultivator can exchange for the Azure Profound Grass."
Soon, Aria gave Ethan a scroll to check.
The things a Foundation Realm Cultivator can exchange are as follows:
1) Azure Essence Pills x 10 – 1 Azure Profound Grass.
2) Azure Healing Pills x 10 – 2 Azure Profound Grass.
3) Azure Aura Talisman x 3 – 3 Azure Profound Grass.
4) Azure Attack Talisman x 3 – 3 Azure Profound Grass.
5) Azure Defense Talisman x 3 – 3 Azure Profound Grass.
6) Azure Foundation Pill x 1 – 5 Azure Profound Grass.
7) Foundation Establishment Pill x 1 – 15 Azure Profound Grass.
Note: The main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill is Azure Profound Grass. So, it is a Special Foundation Establishment Pill.
The items mentioned in the scroll were created using the Azure Profound Grass. So, they all have the word 'Azure' in their names.
'Since I already have the Foundation Establishment Pill, there is no reason to buy another one.'
'After his breakthrough, Elias can use the Azure Essence Pills for his cultivation. So, I need them.'
Looking at the list of items, Ethan decided to buy the Azure Essence Pills.
'If only my parents were cultivators, these Azure Healing Pills would have quickly healed their injuries.'
Although Azure Healing Pills can't regenerate the limb, they help the Cultivators in quickly recovering their injuries.
However, when mortals consume those pills, they get killed due to the pure Spirit Essence in the pills.
Of course, Uncle Merrick had already given some low-level healing pills that were quite effective for mortals who couldn't cultivate.
"I will take Azure Essence….wait a second."
Just as Ethan was planning to exchange his 'Known' five Azure Profound Grass for Azure Essence Pills, he suddenly thought of something that made him excited.
"How many Azure Profound Grass Seeds can I get in exchange for an Azure Profound Grass?"
Amidst his words, Ethan asked about the exchange rate for the Azure Profound Grass Seeds.
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Back in the groove, Ethan was able to peacefully harvest 100 Azure Profound Grass after planting 100 seeds of the same plant.
So, he suddenly thought that by planting more Azure Profound Grass seeds in the groove, he could harvest more Azure Profound Grass without awakening the Azure Serpent Fiends and the Azure Serpent Fiend King.
Therefore, Ethan wanted to buy more Azure Profound Grass seeds from outside.
'I just have to plant a seed, and in exchange, I will get a mature plant, saving me 300 days.'
Ethan could not help but become a little excited, thinking about all the Azure Profound Grass he could harvest in the groove.
"Huh? You want to exchange Azure Profound Grass for its seeds?"
Both Felix and Aria were surprised at the same time and asked Ethan.
"If the exchange rate is good, I will exchange them."
Ethan nodded his head as he explained, "Actually, I have a friend who is a Spirit Farmer and has been interested in Azure Profound Grass seeds for a long time."
"Is that so?"
Aria and Felix nodded their heads in understanding; however, Aria could not help but inform Ethan, "You do know that it is impossible to nurture the Azure Profound Grass outside the Azure Serpent Realm, right?"
"I know it."
Ethan had already learned about it from Rowan that the only source of Azure Profound Grass was the Azure Serpent Realm.
The Azure Profound Grass requires a special energy called Azure Essence, which is only available in the Azure Serpent Realm.
It was also the main reason why the Greenfire Sect established this Exchange Hall to acquire all the Azure Profound Grass.
"It's good then."
Aria nodded her head and informed, "A stalk of Azure Profound Grass can be exchanged for 15 seeds, but in my opinion, it is not worth exchanging even if you are a Spirit Farmer yourself."
'15 seeds for an Azure Profound Grass? Excellent.'
Ethan was satisfied with the exchange rate, and without thinking much, he directly exchanged his five 'known' Azure Profound Grass stalks for 75 seeds.
After the exchange, they left the Exchange Hall and Felix gave Ethan the Foundation Establishment Pill as promised.
"Felix, let's meet in front of the Azure Serpent Realm in a week, what do you say?"
Soon, Ethan suggested their next exploration date.
In a week, his [Godly Revival Ability] would come out of reset, and thus, Ethan wanted to explore the Secret Realm again. Until then, he decided to stay with his parents and take care of his Spirit Plants.
"I am okay with it."
Felix also wanted to use the Azure Essence Pills he just exchanged. So, he agreed with Ethan's plan.
"Okay then. Let's meet in a week."
"Ethan, if you don't mind, can you tell me why you need Azure Profound Grass seeds? I might be able to get more Azure Profound Grass seeds for you at a much better price than the Exchange Hall."
Just as Ethan turned around to leave, Felix could not help but ask what he wanted to ask for a while now.
Felix was much more intelligent than he looked; otherwise, how could he have survived with his rotten luck until now?
By now, Felix had guessed that Ethan was planning to do something with Azure Profound Grass seeds, and he wanted to help him.
"Huh?"
Hearing Felix's words, Ethan frowned.
"Fine then. Looks like Brother Ethan still doesn't trust me enough to share his secrets."
Seeing Ethan frown, Felix sadly shook his head but said, "Nevertheless, if you really want more seeds, I can get them for you at a better deal."
"This…."
Ethan thought about it for a moment and said, "If you can collect 200 Azure Profound Grass seeds within a week, I will show you something interesting."
"All I can tell you now is, you will get at least 100 Azure Profound Grass stalks in return for your investment."
"What? 200 seeds for an opportunity to get 100 Azure Profound Grass stalks?"
Felix was shocked for a moment; however, when he heard Ethan's last words, he instantly became interested.
"That's right!"
Ethan nodded with a slight smile.
There were multiple reasons why Ethan decided to share the Azure Profound Grass with Felix. They were:
First, Felix brought him to the Small Floating Island where lots of Azure Profound Grass were growing. As an emotional person, he felt guilty about enjoying all the Azure Profound Grass by himself.
The second reason was that with Felix's connections, he could get the Azure Profound Grass seeds from fellow disciples at a cheaper price.
The third and most important reason was that he needed someone to exchange all his Azure Profound Grass on his behalf, and Felix was the most suitable person.
Not only could he not form teams with other cultivators due to his infamous name, 'Cursed Cultivator,' but Felix seemed to have emergency trump cards to escape when in danger.
'Of course, if he can't collect 200 seeds within a week, I will enjoy all the Azure Profound Grass by myself without bothering about my inner guilt.'
As for why Ethan wanted Felix to collect 200 seeds within a week, it was because there were around 300 mature Azure Profound Grass stalks in the groove.
Once he revealed the mechanism behind the peaceful harvesting to Felix, Ethan wanted to empty the entire groove.
If he didn't do that, Felix could return to the groove alone with more seeds and harvest all the mature Azure Profound Grass, which Ethan didn't want to happen.
"Don't worry, Ethan. It might be difficult for others; however, I can easily collect them."
Felix was excited that he could get 100 Azure Profound Grass stalks. So, he assured Ethan and started working on it.
'I hope you don't disappoint me.'
Ethan silently muttered to himself before returning to Greenspire Town like a shadow in the darkness.
'It feels good to be home.'
First, Ethan checked on his parents, who were resting after taking medicine, before tending to the Spirit Grass and the Clear Heart Lotus.
'All 1000 Spirit Grass plants will be mature in a couple of days, and I will get a batch of Life Points.'
Ethan was looking forward to that day because he really needed more Life Points.
The system informed him that in the Foundation Establishment Realm, it would cost 5000 Life Points to increase his cultivation realm by a single level.
Currently, he was at Level 3 and needed 30,000 Life Points just to reach Level 9 of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
So, Ethan was excited to harvest some Life Points from the Spirit Grass he was nurturing.
"Pebble, did you miss me?"
After taking care of his Spirit Plants, he picked up his Mystic Soil Turtle from the Spirit Field and played with it for a while.
'He is fully dedicated to his cultivation.'
Lastly, he checked on Elias, who was sitting cross-legged and cultivating with full dedication.
'Ding,
Cultivator's Name: Elias Feng.
Cultivation: Level 8 Qi Refining Realm.'
'He broke through to Level 8 Qi Refining Realm already?'
Ethan was shocked for a moment to see Elias's cultivation and thought, 'When talent and hard work exist in the same person… that's when monsters are born.'
When he remembered that the monster was loyal to him, it gave Ethan a pleasant satisfaction.
Time continued to pass, and in a flash, two days had passed, and two good things happened that morning.
'The Spirit Grass is ready to harvest, and Pebble has broken through to Rank 2… Excellent.'
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It's been three weeks since Ethan entered the Small Courtyard and twenty days since he planted the 1,000 Spirit Grass.
Generally, it takes one hundred days for the Spirit Grass to mature; however, thanks to Ethan's [Green Pulse Art, he sped up their growth and got them to mature in just twenty days.
As for the Mystic Soil Turtle, the Mutated Ironleaf Grass on its back also matured, helping the Mystic Soil Turtle break through to Rank 2.
'Let's harvest the Spirit Grass quickly before checking Pebble.'
To harvest a Perfect-Quality Spirit Plant, it has to be harvested as soon as it matures, and thus, Ethan didn't want to miss the timing.
'Ding,
The host has harvested a Perfect-Quality Spirit Grass and received 0.5 Life Points.
'Ding,
Due to the effects of the host's Special Talent [Heaven's Harvesting, the yield will be doubled.
'Ding,
The host has received an extra 0.5 Life Points and an additional Perfect-Quality Spirit Grass.
As soon as he harvested his first Spirit Grass, his [Heaven's Harvesting] triggered, and he received double the yield for both the Spirit Plant and the Life Points.
'Let's continue.'
Since Ethan already knew about his Special Talent's effects, he was not surprised much, but he was clearly excited as he continued to harvest more and more Perfect-Grade Spirit Grass.
'Ding,
Successful harvest: Two Perfect-Grade Spirit Grass and one Life Point.
'Ding,
Successful harvest: Two Perfect-Grade Spirit Grass and one Life Point.
.
.
.
It took around half an hour to harvest all 800 Spirit Grass, and the results were 1,600 Perfect-Grade Spirit Grass and 800 Life Points.
'As for the remaining 200 Spirit Grass, I can condense Spirit Seeds from them.'
Ethan had learned the Seed Condensation Method for the Spirit Grass for this very purpose.
With the help of the [Green Pulse Art, Ethan could harvest the Spirit Grass every twenty days, and buying 1,000 seeds that often would be very eye-catching.
'Let's condense the seeds after I harvest the Mutated Ironleaf Grass.'
Ethan didn't relax as he harvested the Mutated Ironleaf Grass on Pebble's turtle shell.
'Ding,
Successful harvest: Two Perfect-Grade Mutated Ironleaf Grass and one Life Point.
'Ding,
Available Life Points: 957.
'Time to check on Pebble.'
Once he completed the harvest, Ethan stored the plants in his Vital Bloom Ring before focusing on his Spirit Pet.
'Ding,
Spirit Beast: Mystic Soil Turtle (Pebble).
Strength: Rank 2.
Skills: Spirit Soil Shell, Spirit Domain.
Special Skills: Morning Mist Brew.
'It has unlocked a new skill.'
Ethan focused on the new skill, and soon, the information about it appeared in front of Ethan.
'Ding,
Skill Name: Spirit Domain.
Effects: The Spirit Beast can turn a piece of land into a Spirit Field that can be used to nurture Spirit Plants. At its current rank, it can convert around ten square meters of land into a Spirit Field.
Note: If the Spirit Beast leaves that circular area for a few days, the Spirit Field will turn back to a normal piece of land.
'It can create a Spirit Field to nurture Spirit Plants?'
Seeing the effects of Pebble's new skill, Ethan was pleasantly surprised.
'Although ten square meters of land is very small, it is still better than nothing, right?'
The Spirit Field in the Small Courtyard was around one hundred square meters. So, compared to that, the Mystic Soil Turtle's Spirit Domain was relatively smaller.
Nevertheless, Ethan was happy that he could plant one hundred extra Spirit Grass in Pebble's Spirit Domain and harvest another one hundred Life Points from them.
'Moreover, as Pebble's rank increases, its Spirit Domain will further increase, right?'
Ethan believed it was very much possible and hoped that the Mystic Soil Turtle would soon become a Rank 3 Spirit Beast.
"Pebble, can you create a Spirit Domain?"
'Hizz'
Ethan tried communicating with the Mystic Soil Turtle, and surprisingly, it understood his words.
"Great."
He excitedly asked the turtle to turn the adjacent land beside the Spirit Field into a Spirit Domain, increasing his original one hundred square meters of Spirit Field into one hundred ten square meters.
'Dig'
The little turtle buried its head into the ground before activating its new skill [Spirit Domain].
'Swiish'
As soon as it activated the skill, the nearly two-meter radius around the turtle shone brightly for a minute before returning to normal.
However, that area was no longer just normal land but a Spirit Field.
"You are really a Mystical Spirit Beast, Pebble."
Ethan picked up the turtle and praised it by lightly tapping its head.
'Hizz'
The small turtle enjoyed the gentle pats and made excited sounds, asking for more pats.
"Since you are now a Rank 2 Spirit Beast, it is time to feed you a Rank 2 Spirit Seed."
After playing with it for a while, Ethan took out a special Rank 2 Spirit Seed to feed the Mystic Soil Turtle.
By swallowing the Spirit Seed, the Mystic Soil Turtle could nurture it on its soil shell.
After harvesting the first Rank 1 Spirit Plant from the turtle's shell, Ethan realized that the first spirit seed of a specific rank was very important because the Mystic Soil Turtle would awaken a special skill related to that Spirit Plant.
Therefore, Ethan had kept the special Rank 2 Thunderleaf Seed he bought in the past aside for the Mystic Soil Turtle.
[Heaven's Harvest]
[Spirit Plant: Thunderleaf]
[Grade: Rank 2 (Special)]
[Status: Unhappy: What took you so long to plant me? Since you put me in a good environment, I will forgive you.]
[Maturity: 250 days]
'Two hundred fifty days? It requires an extra twenty days to mature compared to regular Rank 2 Spirit Plants.'
Ethan silently made the comparison between Thunderleaf Spirit Plants and regular Rank 2 Spirit Plants.
'However, with my Green Pulse Art, I can easily harvest it in less than a month.'
'At that time, I wonder what type of special skill my Little Pebble will awaken.'
Ethan was curious and excited about the Mystic Soil Turtle's second special skill.
'Its first special skill was already quite helpful to my parents and Qi-refining Cultivators.'
Previously, the Mystic Soil Turtle had awakened its first special skill, the [Morning Mist Brew].
Every week, Ethan was able to collect a bottle of Morning Mist Brew from the turtle's shell.
First, he tasted a couple of drops, which barely replenished his Spirit Essence; however, when he gave the brew to his parents, their rate of recovery was quite fast.
'Since it has become a Rank 2 Spirit Beast, Pebble should be able to collect more Morning Mist to condense the Morning Mist Brew, right?'
Ethan was looking forward to the quantity and even quality of the Morning Mist Brew after its breakthrough.
"Anyway, I should condense the Spirit Grass Seeds now to plant in my slightly enlarged Spirit Field."
With that thought in mind, Ethan walked to the two hundred Spirit Grass in the field to start condensing seeds from them.
'Huh? The Clearheart Lotus… it's shining.'
Just as Ethan was planning to condense the seeds, he noticed the Clearheart Lotus on the edge of the Spirit Pond shining brightly.
'It… it has matured already? I was expecting it to mature tomorrow.'
Ethan was pleasantly surprised and checked its [Live Status] before harvesting.
'How many Life Points will you give me?'
The moment Ethan harvested the Clearheart Lotus, he received a series of system notifications, giving him multiple surprises.
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'Ding,
The host has harvested a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus.
'Ding,
The host has received 10 Life Points.
'Ding,
For successfully nurturing a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, the host has received a New Cultivation Talent [Clear Heart] from the Spirit Plant as a gift.
'I was waiting for this Free Cultivation Talent.'
While taking care of the Clearheart Lotus, the system had already informed him that if he could harvest a Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, he would receive a [Cultivation Talent] as a gift from the Clearheart Lotus Plant.
Therefore, Ethan paid extra attention to it and satisfied its every need to get a Free Cultivation Talent from it.
Hence, Ethan was not surprised to see he got a Cultivation Talent.
'As for the 10 Life Points, it is not high, but not low either.'
Although the Clearheart Lotus is a Rank 3 Spirit Plant, it has a maturity period similar to Rank 2 Spirit Plants. So, in a way, he was satisfied to see 10 Life Points from harvesting it.
'However, that was not the end of the system notifications, there are still more.'
Ethan smiled as he focused on the remaining system notifications.
'Ding,
Due to the Special Effect of the [Heaven's Harvesting, the host has received double yield.
'Ding,
Bonus Gains: Perfect Quality Clearheart Lotus, 10 Life Points, and the Cultivation Talent [Clear Heart].
'What? Even the Special Gift I received from the Clearheart Lotus got doubled?'
Ethan was already used to the extra harvest and Life Points; however, he was pleasantly surprised to see that he received the same Cultivation Talent again.
'What is the use of having the same cultivation talent? It won't…..'
'Ding,
Due to the existence of the same type of Cultivation Talents, they will be merged into a Special Talent [Radiant Clear Heart].
Before he could finish his train of thought, he received another system notification that thoroughly shocked Ethan.
'What? I got a New Special Talent that easily?'
Ethan read the latest system notification again before muttering, 'This saved me the trouble of manually converting it into a Special Talent.'
Ethan could convert his Cultivation Talents into a Special Talent using Life Points; however, with each talent he converts, the cost of Life Points increases tenfold.
So, he was happy with the automatic merging of two identical Cultivation Talents into a Special Talent.
'Let's see the effects of the Special Talent.'
Suppressing his excitement, Ethan hurriedly checked the information on his new Special Talent to get a full understanding of his talents.
'Ding,
Special Talent Name: Radiant Clear Heart.
Effects:
1) The user's confusion and negative emotions will be dispelled, and he will be able to think clearly and act decisively in any situation.
2) The user's heart resonates with the essence of nature, making him attractive and likeable to Nature Spirits and Spirit Plants.
3)By making Nature Spirits happy, the user can receive a small number of Life Points.
'The first effect might be the effect of the Cultivation Talent [Clear Heart].'
Ethan could tell that the second and third effects appeared after the [Clear Heart] became [Radiant Clear Heart].
'The effect I like most is none other than attracting Nature Spirits.'
Compared to dispelling negative emotions, Ethan liked the second effect.
Nature Spirits are mystical entities born from the essence of nature, embodying elements like plants, rivers, winds, and mountains. They can communicate with nature, nurture plant life, and grant blessings or protection to those with a pure heart.
Having a Clear Heart might have a small chance of encountering one or two Nature Spirits in an entire lifetime; however, with [Radiant Clear Heart, Ethan could actively attract those mystical entities.
'By making them happy, I will not only receive blessings from them, but I will even get Life Points, adding another source of income for me.'
Thinking about it, Ethan could not help but become excited and hoped that some Nature Spirits would soon come to him.
'As for Spirit Plants taking a liking to me, that's also good news for me,'
'I wonder whether they will let me harvest more of them without waking up the Azure Serpent Fiend King.'
When Ethan noticed this effect, he could not help but think about the Azure Profound Grass in the Azure Serpent Realm.
'It doesn't matter. When I go next time, I will harvest almost all of the matured Azure Profound Grass.'
Nevertheless, Ethan was confident in his plan to harvest all of them regardless of whether they liked him or not.
'Since the Clearheart Lotus gave me 20 Life Points, I should try nurturing more of them.'
With Ethan's mastery at the Completion Stage for the [Green Pulse Art, he could harvest the Clearheart Lotus in just 20 days.
Hence, he decided to nurture a few more Clearheart Lotuses around the small pond.
'If my guess is correct, I can nurture around 10 Clearheart Lotuses around this small pond. Adding one more Clearheart Lotus Plant might make them crowded.'
Just because they can give him more Life Points, Ethan couldn't mass produce them without a proper environment.
'Anyway, I am just overthinking. Finding Clearheart Lotus Seeds is not easy, and I don't think the Lin Family has more seeds.'
Suddenly, Ethan thought of something, and his eyes lit up.
'How can I forget my new brother from the Greenfire Sect? With his connections, he might be able to get me some Clearheart Lotus Seeds, right?'
'All I have to do now is find a way to upgrade the small pond to plant more Clearheart Lotus Plants around it.'
Ethan decided to ask Uncle Merrick after a few days while submitting the Clearheart Lotus to the Family Head.
'Once I do it, Uncle Edwin will officially announce me as a Family Elder of the Lin Family.'
Ethan was not exactly excited because of the title but for the benefits that come with it.
'But, I can only wait for some time before submitting the Clearheart Lotus.'
Although everyone knew that he had a cultivation technique to speed up the growth of Spirit Plants, he didn't want to reveal that he had reached the Completion Stage in its mastery.
'Hm…I will submit it after I complete my trip to the Azure Serpent Realm.'
Ethan silently decided before walking toward the 200 Spirit Grass Plants he left for Seed Condensation.
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'The first step of Seed Condensation requires gathering the essence of the entire Spirit Grass at its core, and this process is called Essence Gathering.'
Ethan gently touched a Spirit Grass and infused it with his spiritual energy, guiding its life force to converge at the center, according to the Seed Condensation Method he had learned.
The first step seemed simple and easy; however, it was very difficult.
If Ethan injected too little Spirit Essence, then he wouldn't be able to gather the Essence of the Spirit Grass, and if he injected too much, the Spirit Grass would be destroyed.
'Phew…the first step is done, but I have to be extremely careful during the second step.'
Ethan heaved a sigh of relief for completing the first step; however, he didn't waste any time before starting the second step, the Seed Formation.
'Form as many seeds as possible.'
During the Seed Formation, using his spiritual sense, Ethan had to compress the gathered life force into dense seeds, stabilizing their energy.
Thanks to Ethan's ability to see the [Live Status] and the knowledge from the Seed Condensation Stone, Ethan quickly completed the second step, successfully forming six tiny dots.
'Six seeds in the first attempt? Great.'
Although the seeds were yet to fully form, Ethan was not too worried about it because the final step was the easiest one.
Moreover, a matured Spirit Grass could be condensed into four to eight Spirit Seeds, and Ethan had managed to condense six Spirit Seeds on his first attempt.
Hence, Ethan was excited and fully satisfied with his ability to condense the Spirit Seeds.
'Let's extract.'
Ethan didn't waste any time and injected a tiny bit of Spirit Essence into the Spirit Grass to complete the last step of the Seed Condensation Method, which was called Seed Extraction.
'Swiish'
The moment Ethan's Spirit Essence entered the core of the Spirit Grass, the tiny dots started transforming into seeds.
At the same time, the healthy Spirit Grass started drying up before turning into dust, leaving behind six healthy Spirit Grass Seeds.
From start to finish, the entire Seed Condensation Process only took one minute, and since it was Ethan's first time condensing the seeds, he was a bit slow.
Otherwise, it could be completed in just thirty seconds.
'Ding,
The host has successfully condensed and extracted six seeds from the Spirit Grass.'
'Ding,
The host's Special Talent [Heaven's Harvest] has been triggered, and the host has received another six seeds.'
'What? The [Double Yield] effect from the [Heaven's Harvest] works even on the Seed Condensation?'
Just when Ethan was about to pick up the six seeds from the ground, he received two system notifications, making him pleasantly surprised.
'If this is the case, then I will get nearly 2,500 Spirit Seeds from condensing the remaining 199 Matured Spirit Grass.'
Looking at the remaining Matured Spirit Grass, Ethan could not help but chuckle and excitedly continue condensing the seeds from them.
'Ding,
The host has received six seeds (and six more seeds thanks to the talent).'
'Ding,
The host has received eight seeds (and eight more seeds thanks to the talent).'
.
.
.
It took nearly three hours for Ethan to complete the Seed Condensation for all two hundred Spirit Grass plants in the field, giving him more Spirit Seeds than he had expected.
'2,800 Spirit Grass Seeds…I don't have to condense seeds for the next two batches.'
Ethan smiled and thought, 'I will let the Spirit Field absorb the remnants of the dried-up Spirit Grass tonight and start planting the seeds tomorrow.'
Although he was in a hurry to nurture the next batch as soon as possible, Ethan didn't forget the basics of Spirit Farming.
After the harvest, the Spirit Field should remain empty for at least one day for multiple reasons, including the restoration of Spirit Essence, soil recovery, and most importantly, the purification of the residual energies from the previous harvest.
Thus, Ethan didn't plant the next batch of Spirit Grass immediately; instead, he spent time with his parents.
'T-this….don't tell me he broke through again.'
Later at night, Ethan sensed a sudden surge of spirit energy from one of the rooms, making him shocked.
It was just two days ago that Elias had broken through to Level 8 Qi Refining Realm, and now, he had once again broken through, reaching Level 9 Qi Refining Realm.
'At this rate, he will reach the Foundation Establishment Realm within ten days, and the mission will be completed.'
Other than 1,000 Life Points, Ethan would receive additional rewards from completing the mission. So, he was both curious and excited about those rewards.
"Elias, congratulations on breaking through to Level 9 Qi Refining Stage."
Seeing Elias open his eyes, Ethan congratulated him on his breakthrough.
"Thank you, Master."
After becoming Ethan's loyal subordinate, Elias smiled every day as he was able to break through one level every two days.
It was all thanks to Ethan's guidance and his changing of Elias's Main Cultivation Technique, and Elias was grateful for that.
"Here is a small gift for you."
Ethan handed a bottle of Qi Refining Pills and a Jade Box to Elias.
"Master…."
Seeing that his master was giving him another batch of pills, Elias was moved to tears because he had rarely received cultivation resources in the Feng Family; however, now, he was getting a steady supply of Qi Refining Pills.
"…Thank you."
Elias didn't hesitate with Ethan as he took the pill bottle and Jade Box from his master's hands while thanking Ethan from the bottom of his heart.
"Open the Jade Box and see what's inside."
Ethan urged, and the moment Elias opened the Jade Box, he froze in shock.
"Master…you are giving me a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
His voice trembled at Ethan's generosity.
"Since you consider me as your master, it is a Master's duty to help his subordinates become stronger."
"Without strength, how are you going to help me in the future when I need you?"
Ethan shared his thoughts truthfully, making Elias fully agree with his words.
"Master, I will become stronger and protect you at any cost."
Elias swore in front of Ethan, and in the next second, Ethan received a series of system notifications that pleasantly shocked him.
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