33: Chapter 33 Taking Stock of the Gains

"Otherwise, once I catch you, I will definitely skin you alive and pull out your tendons, torturing you thoroughly to let you know the price of daring to steal my things!"

He was already prepared for Hu Nan to kneel and beg for mercy.

However, in the next instant, the smile on Lin Hao's face froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Hu Nan didn't slow down at all, nor did he even look back. The moment he reached the lakeside, he leaped straight into the deep blue lake water.

With a soft splash, water sprayed everywhere, and Hu Nan's figure instantly sank into the lake, leaving only ripples spreading outward.

Lin Hao's eyes widened. His smugness and malice were replaced by confusion. He subconsciously stepped forward, staring at the now-calm lake surface, his brow furrowed in bewilderment and suspicion.

"Is this kid... crazy?" he murmured to himself, his voice tinged with undeniable surprise.

He truly couldn't understand Hu Nan's actions.

The fearsome reputation of the Dark Scaled Giant Python was known to all low-level Disciples in the Sect. Since Hu Nan dared to enter the Secret Realm, it was impossible for him not to know that this deadly Yao Beast resided at the bottom of the lake.

Jumping into the lake was no different from seeking death; even he wouldn't dare to do it.

Lin Hao stood by the lake, his gaze flickering as he stared at the water, for a moment not knowing what to do.

He wanted to jump in immediately to hunt him down and reclaim the Storage Pouch, but his fear of the Dark Scaled Giant Python made him hesitate.

But if he gave up now, he would have to watch the Storage Pouch sink to the bottom or be swallowed by the Yao Beast.

He was truly unwilling; the spirit cleansing grass and Golden Condensation Grass inside were treasures he was determined to obtain.

Just then, the lake surface suddenly began to churn violently. Bubbles surged out frantically, and the previously calm water boiled, a thick, fishy stench wafting towards him.

Lin Hao's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously took two steps back.

In the next instant, a massive black shadow rose rapidly. With a thunderous roar, a gargantuan creature burst through the surface, splashing water several meters high.

The giant python was covered in pitch-black scales that glinted with a cold metallic luster. Its eyes were like blood-red lanterns, fixed on Lin Hao on the shore. Its forked tongue flicked in and out, and its body radiated the terrifying Pressure of a Qi Refining Great Perfection.

However, the Nether Giant Python did not attack Lin Hao; instead, it lunged toward another part of the lake.

Within a few breaths, the Nether Giant Python burst from the water again, this time with a black-clad man clamped in its jaws.

Before Lin Hao could react, the Nether Giant Python tossed its head back and swallowed Hu Nan whole, leaving him no room to struggle.

With a loud gulp, the giant python flicked its tail with satisfaction, its blood-red eyes turning back to Lin Hao with a hint of provocation and ferocity.

Seeing this, Lin Hao's face turned as pale as paper, his blood boiled, and he trembled with rage.

With Hu Nan swallowed, the Storage Pouch on him had also entered the Nether Giant Python's belly!

The spirit cleansing grass, Golden Condensation Grass, and all the gains from the past three days would vanish into thin air!

He had gone through so much trouble to wait at the Secret Realm exit to rob others, finally managing to seize these treasures, only to be ambushed by an unknown junior. Now, both the person and the pouch had become food for a Yao Beast; this sudden reversal almost made him collapse.

But soon, a look of joy appeared on Lin Hao's face.

Because the Storage Pouch was now inside the Nether Giant Python.

He only needed to slay the Nether Giant Python to retrieve the Storage Pouch intact.

However, Lin Hao did not make a move.

He planned to report this matter to his father.

With his father's methods, he could easily slay this giant python and retrieve the treasures.

...

Servant Peak, Qin Changsheng's home.

Qin Changsheng sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, with a Storage Pouch in front of him.

This Storage Pouch was the treasure Hu Nan had placed into the Storage Space before his death.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand gently, and with a flash of spiritual light, countless items were neatly laid out on the wooden table before him, a dazzling array gleaming with a faint Spiritual Qi luster.

This was the final harvest from Hu Nan's trip to the Spirit Creek Secret Realm.

Originally, these Spirit Medicines were all obtained by Lin Hao.

But in the end, they benefited Qin Changsheng.

Qin Changsheng's gaze calmly swept over the items on the table, first landing on the mountain of low-level Spirit Medicines.

These Spirit Medicines were varied, including common Qi Condensation Grass, Spirit Gathering Flowers, and Mind Awakening Grass, as well as relatively rare Purple Leaf Orchids and clear dew grass, taking up half the space in the wooden hut.

A rough count revealed there were as many as several thousand stalks.

Every Spirit Medicine was well-grown and full of Spiritual Qi.

"These low-level Spirit Medicines are quite a fortune," Qin Changsheng murmured softly.

There was a high demand for low-level Spirit Medicines in the market; whether for low-level Cultivators to Cultivate, refine Medicinal Pills, or for daily healing, these basic spiritual Materials were indispensable.

Based on current market prices, selling all these thousands of low-level Spirit Medicines would yield at least several hundred thousand Spirit Sand, enough to support his Cultivation for several years.

Moving his gaze from the Spirit Medicines, Qin Changsheng looked at the corner of the table, where over a hundred Yao Beast Inner Cores were piled.

The Inner Cores varied in size and color, ranging from pale white to deep green, corresponding to Yao Beasts from the second or third level to the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining.

The Inner Cores contained condensed Yao Beast spiritual power, serving as core Materials for refining low-level Medicinal Pills, or they could be crushed and integrated into Spirit Arrays, or used by Cultivators to quickly replenish Spiritual Qi; they were also in high demand in the market.

"These hundred-odd Inner Cores are of decent quality," Qin Changsheng calculated. The cheapest Inner Core could sell for dozens of Spirit Sand, while higher-level ones could fetch hundreds or even thousands. Altogether, these Inner Cores could be exchanged for at least tens of thousands of Spirit Sand.

This was enough to cover his previous expenses on Talismanic Incantations, clothing, and masks, with plenty to spare.

Compared to these common resources, Qin Changsheng's gaze soon locked onto the two most central treasures on the table.

They were two Spiritual Plants placed separately. One had leaves as white and translucent as jade, with strands of pure Spiritual Qi flowing through the veins—the spirit cleansing grass that could reshape one's Spiritual Root.

The other was the Golden Condensation Grass, a primary ingredient for Foundation Establishment.

The value of the spirit cleansing grass far exceeded the sum of all the other items on the table.

Once a Cultivator's Spiritual Root was determined, it decided the limit and Speed of their Cultivation. Ordinary Cultivators might spend their entire lives without finding a treasure that could change their Spiritual Root.

But the spirit cleansing grass could completely reshape the Spiritual Root Foundation, remove Impurities, and improve the grade of the Spiritual Root, giving him hope to leap from his current Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root to Four Spiritual Roots.

At that time, his Spiritual Qi affinity and Cultivation Speed would experience a qualitative leap, and breaking through the Realm's Bottleneck would become much easier. For Qin Changsheng, this was undoubtedly a Heaven-Defying Opportunity.

And that Golden Condensation Grass was also a rare treasure that could only be encountered by chance.

The foundation establishment pill was an essential Medicinal Pill for Cultivators to Breakthrough from the Qi Refining Realm to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and Golden Condensation Grass, as the core ingredient of the foundation establishment pill, was as scarce as spirit cleansing grass.

Many Qi Refining Peak Cultivators remained stuck at the Realm's Bottleneck for decades because they couldn't find Golden Condensation Grass to refine a foundation establishment pill, ultimately ending their lives in regret.

Now with this Golden Condensation Grass, Qin Changsheng essentially held the key to the Foundation Establishment Realm in advance. He only needed to find other supplementary Materials to begin refining the foundation establishment pill and steadily move toward a higher Realm.

Qin Changsheng carefully picked up the two Spiritual Plants, placed them in a specially made jade box for preservation, and put them into his Storage Space.

Then he slowly organized the other items on the table, sorting and packing the Spirit Medicines and Inner Cores systematically.

Although he lost one Incarnation of Hu Nan during this Secret Realm trip, the harvest was plentiful and far exceeded expectations.

Not only did he obtain a massive amount of Cultivation resources, solving his long-term resource shortage, but he also gained the two key treasures: spirit cleansing grass and Golden Condensation Grass.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng decided to go to Zhang Han to ask how to consume the spirit cleansing grass to achieve the best effect.