The Blooming Wilderness

After completing his divination, Su Hanxing carried Chi Qiu eastward, only setting her down once they had left the Imperial City’s domain.

He then frantically urged his Jade Sand Skiff to its utmost speed, soaring past the Imperial City and returning to the Tianyan Sect within Cangshan Commandery.

Meanwhile, Chi Qiu, burdened by her satchel, was navigating a dense jungle with considerable difficulty.

One hand gripped her fine iron sword, while the other held a map.

She used her sword to clear a path, severing the tangled thorns and vines that blocked her way.

She had already traveled for more than ten li in this manner. Earlier, while on the flying skiff, Su Hanxing had asked Chi Qiu where she wished to disembark, and she had expressed a desire to be left in an uninhabited area.

Chi Qiu had just acquired a new divine ability and naturally wished to comprehend it quickly. Since the mighty Martial King himself had chosen it, Chi Qiu, with her current cultivation, would undoubtedly be able to practice it directly.

Towns and villages, however, were bustling with people and prying eyes. Chi Qiu had already nearly fallen into trouble due to the divine ability, Intertwined Gold.

Now, having obtained another divine ability no less potent than Intertwined Gold, she naturally needed to learn from her past experience and exercise extreme caution.

Su Hanxing had complied with her request, finding a dense, rarely-trodden jungle and leaving Chi Qiu there before departing.

Only after Su Hanxing left did Chi Qiu realize she was utterly lost, with no idea where to go. Fortunately, she still had a crude map she had used previously in her bag.

Though basic, its extensive coverage allowed Chi Qiu to roughly determine her position while clearing a path with her sword.

According to the map’s records, once Chi Qiu traversed this forest, she would officially enter Zhengyang Commandery within Qiling Prefecture.

However, this seemingly small patch of forest, no wider than a finger on the map, would undoubtedly take an unknown amount of time to cross in reality.

After determining her direction, Chi Qiu put away her map and took out the jade flower branch.

She intended to try and comprehend its mysteries while continuing her journey.

After more than an hour of travel, the sky gradually darkened. Chi Qiu paused, looking around to find a place to rest for the night.

In truth, for a cultivator like Chi Qiu, who had transcended the mortal realm, day and night held little difference; seeing in the dark was effortless for her.

Chi Qiu stopped merely because the Lunar Star hung high in the night sky, signaling it was time to cultivate her Moon Gaze Treasure Canon.

She searched for a long time but couldn’t find a suitable resting spot. The undergrowth in this jungle was too dense; even if she cut it all down, the roots would still be uncomfortable.

Chi Qiu’s attention then fell upon a sturdy oak tree, more than a zhang tall. She cut down a few sections of shrubbery and trimmed their branches.

Then, she deftly climbed the oak tree, found a fork in the trunk, and wedged the shrub sections into it, securing them with grass rope for reinforcement.

Finally, Chi Qiu took a thick, smooth piece of silk from her satchel and spread it over the makeshift platform. A simple resting place was now complete.

Chi Qiu tested it briefly, finding it quite sturdy, and nodded in satisfaction.

She then tied her satchel to a nearby branch and unhooked her long sword from her waist, preparing to hang it on another branch.

Just then, a slender green shadow flashed across the canopy. Chi Qiu reacted with incredible speed, leaning back to lie flat on her newly constructed resting spot, thus dodging the attack.

She swiftly drew her iron sword and turned her gaze toward where the shadow had been.

It was a green snake. The serpent was about four chi long and an inch wide, neither small nor particularly large. Chi Qiu flicked her sword, and the green snake was instantly decapitated, its head falling to the ground.

The headless body writhed for a moment. Chi Qiu reached out and picked up the snake’s body, which promptly coiled around her hand, a rather startling sight.

However, Chi Qiu had traveled alone for several years and had long grown accustomed to such experiences. She was quite pleased, for now, she had breakfast for the morning.

Chi Qiu pinned the green snake to the tree trunk, intending to roast and eat it after finding a water source in the morning. As for now…

Chi Qiu looked up at the sky. After the brief interruptions, the sky had completely darkened, and the Lunar Star shone brightly, casting its pristine moonlight.

Chi Qiu sat cross-legged, her mind settling into tranquility, and began to absorb Lunar spiritual energy to cultivate.

After transcending the mortal realm, the next step was to accumulate spiritual energy and open a spiritual aperture within her dantian.

The moment a spiritual aperture was successfully opened marked the entry into the Spirit Nourishing Realm. Chi Qiu already had experience opening a spiritual aperture once before, so doing it again would only be faster.

Moreover, the talent of her current body was incomparable to her previous one. Chi Qiu was confident she could reach the Spirit Nourishing Realm within three months.

Chi Qiu cultivated with such desperate intensity not only to restore her cultivation as quickly as possible but also for another crucial reason.

After leaving this forest and entering Zhengyang Commandery, she would officially be outside the Imperial City’s jurisdiction, and the environment would naturally be vastly different.

Within the Imperial City’s boundaries, villages with fewer than a thousand inhabitants were ubiquitous; even in the most remote locations, ordinary mortals were willing to reside.

However, outside the Imperial City, every population center began with at least a hundred thousand people. The reason was simple: rampant demon beasts.

The Imperial City, as the core of Daqi, naturally did not permit demon beasts to roam. Monthly, specialized demon-hunting teams swept through the Imperial City’s domain, killing any demon they encountered.

Outside the Imperial City, however, management was difficult. First, the territory was too vast, and second, the sheer number of demon beasts made it impossible to completely clear them out.

Consequently, in the territories beyond the Imperial City, people spontaneously gathered in large numbers, seeking protection from cultivators against demonic incursions.

Chi Qiu hoped to reach the Spirit Nourishing Realm before entering Zhengyang Commandery, thus gaining some ability to protect herself against demon beasts.

A night passed, and Chi Qiu slowly opened her eyes. She had spent most of the night exploring the cultivation methods of the second chapter of the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon.

Her cultivation realm hadn’t seen much improvement. However, this night’s attempts had deepened Chi Qiu’s understanding of the Moon Gaze Treasure Canon‘s second chapter, making it quite fruitful overall.

Watching the Solar Star slowly ascend, Chi Qiu stretched languidly, but her stomach inconveniently rumbled at that moment.

Only then did Chi Qiu recall that she hadn’t eaten for several days. After transcending the mortal realm, her physical capabilities had improved across the board, but going without food for so long still left her feeling a little weak in the legs.

Fortunately, she had killed a green snake yesterday, so food was not a concern.

Feeling hungry was unpleasant. Chi Qiu quickly packed her belongings, rolling up the silk and stowing it back in her satchel.

She then retrieved the iron sword that had pinned the green snake. Afterward, she climbed to the treetop, meticulously searching for a water source.

Chi Qiu possessed excellent eyesight, and the jungle’s vegetation was short, with abundant water sources. In just a breath, Chi Qiu located a spring.

She slung her satchel over her back, grabbed the green snake’s tail, leaped down from the oak tree, and headed straight for the water source.

This water source was a spring. The weather had begun to warm, and the spring water flowed continuously, preventing it from freezing.

Chi Qiu drew her iron sword, disemboweled the green snake, and removed its gallbladder. After a moment’s hesitation, she discarded it along with the other entrails.

She then peeled off the snake skin, cut the snake meat into sections, washed them, and placed them in her portable pot.

Next, Chi Qiu cleared away the surrounding weeds and shrubs, creating a small open space. She then built a stone platform, placed the small pot on top, and laid dry grass and branches beneath the platform.

Chi Qiu then took out her flint, ignited the dry grass, and first blanched the snake meat. Then, she changed the water, added seasonings, and re-boiled it.

Enjoying good food was one of Chi Qiu’s few pleasures outside of cultivation, and she also loved cooking for herself.

Years of travel had taught her how to prepare most animal meats, allowing her to create palatable meals even in the wilderness.

“Huu—”

After savoring the snake stew, Chi Qiu exhaled a satisfied breath, feeling refreshed. After eating, Chi Qiu extinguished the bonfire, simply cleaned her cooking utensils, rinsed the blood-stained iron sword, and resumed her journey.

Chi Qiu took out the jade flower, dividing her attention between traveling and comprehending the divine ability, Blooming Life.

After about an hour of such exploration, Chi Qiu finally grasped a superficial understanding. She suddenly halted, sheathing her iron sword.

Then, she closed her eyes. A few breaths later, Chi Qiu opened her eyes, reached down, and pressed her palm against the earth, murmuring incantations.

Rustle, rustle…

The moment Chi Qiu’s palm touched the ground, faint, rustling sounds emanated from the nearby earth. Countless tiny sprouts drilled out of the ground, growing at an astonishing speed, forming buds, and then blossoming into flowers less than an inch tall.

These flowers had five petals, transitioning from blue on the outside to white towards the center, with pale golden stamens and a very faint fragrance.

Though small, their numbers were astounding, resembling countless stars scattered across the night sky when viewed from afar. This patch of flowers quickly spread, covering an area several zhang in radius, forming a considerable sea of blue blooms.

Chi Qiu recognized these flowers as common indigo blooms, found everywhere. Their vitality was formidable; they were resistant to both heat and cold, and could survive even months without water, hence their presence across all of Daqi.

To think that activating this Blooming Life would actually create a sea of flowers; it’s quite pleasing to the eye.

However, Chi Qiu had no inclination to admire flowers at the moment. She was pondering what purpose this ‘bloomed’ sea of flowers served.

A moment later, Chi Qiu sensed a fluctuation emanating from the indigo flower sea. She quickly closed her eyes and focused her mind, wanting to investigate thoroughly.

The instant she closed her eyes, the scenery within several zhang suddenly appeared in Chi Qiu’s mind, its detail so exquisite it was as if countless eyes had dissected it.

Even behind large rocks, which were difficult for Chi Qiu’s naked eye to perceive, and beneath the earth, everything was crystal clear.

At this point, Chi Qiu finally understood the purpose of this indigo flower sea: each flower became an eye for Chi Qiu, transmitting useful information back to her.

Currently, having only grasped a superficial understanding, she could make the flower sea grow to several zhang in radius. If the divine ability were to reach mastery, who knew how far it could extend?

Once Chi Qiu understood the flower sea’s function, she ceased her spellcasting. The images in her mind vanished instantly, and the dense indigo flowers on the ground gradually withered, quickly turning into dried grass covering the earth.

Seeing this, Chi Qiu nodded in satisfaction. She certainly didn’t want to leave a trail of flower seas wherever she went after using this technique; that would be far too peculiar.

Chi Qiu took out the jade flower. She noticed fine jade dust beginning to fall from it. Chi Qiu understood this was due to her comprehending the divine ability, causing the power of inheritance within it to dissipate.

Although she had comprehended the divine ability, she couldn’t bring herself to be happy. While this flower sea’s ability to scout was useful, it couldn’t directly enhance her strength, making it somewhat impractical to learn at this moment.

After much thought, Chi Qiu drew her long sword, preparing to continue her journey. However, she noticed that the jade flower in her hand had not completely dissipated.

This surprised and delighted Chi Qiu. She held up the jade flower and examined it closely, finding that only one petal had vanished, while eight petals remained on the jade flower, each inscribed with profound patterns.

Does this mean there are still eight different wondrous techniques awaiting my discovery?

Thinking this, Chi Qiu, usually expressionless, couldn’t help but smile. She carefully put away the jade flower, her mood greatly improved, and continued on her way.