Chapter 371: Wanglin Blossom

Chapter 371: Wanglin Blossom

Li Yuanjiao held the mirror for a while, unable to decipher anything. He assumed this person was an immortal descendant of a Golden Core Realm cultivator and that the item on his back was a treasure.

Gritting his teeth, he handed the mirror to Li Qinghong and said softly, "I will go down and take a look... You hold the mirror and observe. If anything happens, activate the Supreme Yin Profound Light immediately."

"All right!"

Li Qinghong strapped the spear to her back and took the mirror, feeling a cool sensation as the white light flowed across its surface, giving it a mystical aura.

"What a fine mirror..." she murmured to herself as she held the mirror, feeling an all-over coolness on her body, her senses becoming sharp and clear. The spear on her back, which had been emitting white light, quickly dimmed and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao arrived at the foot of the mountain. Inside the hall, Li Yuanping was having a pleasant conversation with Wang Xun. As Li Yuanjiao approached the courtyard, he heard a hearty laugh.

"Brother Yuanping, you must be joking! My Wang Family is limited to Yinghua Prefecture, with just over 200,000 people in the mundane world! Those who attain the Dao enter our family's grotto heaven, avoiding worldly entanglements, so naturally, there are no connections. The lord of my family is one of the Three Gold, and even among the Buddhist Sects, there is constant internal strife, with factions too busy currying favor to dare interfere with us... And so this is how things have been for centuries."

Li Yuanjiao gently knocked on the door before entering. Wang Xun looked up and immediately fixed his gaze on the sharp sword at Li Yuanjiao's waist. Li Yuanping smiled and introduced him to the guest.

"Senior, this is my elder brother, Li Yuanjiao."

"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

They exchanged polite greetings. Wang Xun carefully observed Li Yuanjiao before smiling and commenting, "Your brother has quite an impressive presence!"

Li Yuanjiao responded politely to his compliment and then said, "I already know the purpose of your visit, Senior. Our family’s spirit sword contains a preserved sword intent left by our elder, sealed for many years and never used. If you wish to borrow the sword to advance your path, do you intend to take the sword or the intent? And if so, will it damage the sword intent?"

Li Yuanjiao had already thought the matter through and went straight to the point.

"Fellow Daoist..." Wang Xun smiled wryly and replied, "Our Wang Family has plenty of Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifacts—most of them swords. I have traveled far to seek this sword specifically for its intent."

"Allow my brother and I a moment to discuss this," Li Yuanjiao replied courteously.

"Of course!" Wang Xun nodded, examining the sword as the brothers stepped outside the hall to talk.

Once outside, Li Yuanping and Li Yuanjiao both spoke at the same time.

"Essence Gathering Pill!"

"Spirit root!"

Both were momentarily stunned by each other’s outbursts and then laughed wryly. Li Yuanping had intended to ask for Essence Gathering Pills to help his brother and elder sister break through to Foundation Establishment Realm, while Li Yuanjiao had considered requesting a spirit root, similar to the Snake Dragon Tree, to alleviate their family's annual financial struggles.

Each brother had the family's best interests at heart—one focusing on cultivation, the other on the family's well-being. They shared a knowing smile. Li Yuanping quickly said, "The family can manage; the key is for you and our elder sister to break through! Even though the Essence Gathering Pill only increases the chances of Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough by fifty percent, it's still a big help. Besides, since the Wang Family is descended from Golden Core Realm cultivators, he might have even more powerful pills..."

Li Yuanjiao thought for a moment and hesitated, "I also feel that everything Wang Xun holds is extraordinary... Although the Essence Gathering Pill is precious, it seems a waste to exchange it for a favor from the Wang Family. If he has a spirit root, it would surely be a special one that could sustain our family for centuries to come..."

Given that Wang Xun promised spirit items and precious herbs, and since the brothers had seen many spirit items but not many treasured panaceas, their best bet was a spirit root. With one such root, they could continuously produce spirit items.

After some deliberation, the brothers found themselves in a dilemma. Li Yuanping laughed and said, "Now that we have such an opportunity, it is making us hesitant."

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a moment and then replied, "Let us ask the senior first... We don't know whether he has something better than the Essence Gathering Pill or maybe no spirit roots on hand. With clear options, we can then compare and decide."

"Agreed!"

They then returned to the courtyard and tactfully presented their request to Wang Xun. He nodded in relief as he mumbled thoughtfully, "A spirit root... I do have one, which I found by chance in our grotto heaven."

He retrieved a red-yellow seed the size of an almond from his storage pouch and said softly, "This is called the Wanglin Blossom. A thousand years ago, it was the treasured relic of the Wanglin Upper Sect in Jiangbei. After the spiritual energy waned, it could no longer thrive there, and only a few remain in our grotto heaven. This spirit root blooms every three years and withers in three days, bearing fruit every three hundred years. It is very delicate and requires daily watering with spirit spring water if the spiritual energy is insufficient. Its flowers are a type of spirit item, considered to be of the Foundation Establishment Realm according to the standards of Jiangnan, and can alleviate worries and sustain life."