172: Chapter 172 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (120)

After speaking, he retreated while vigilantly staring at the remaining Spiritual Plant in Chu Shi's hand, muttering under his breath.

"You need to ration your eating; don't devour it all in one go. Once you finish yours, go find more yourself; don't come snatching mine again."

As he spoke, he looked down at the bundle of lush green Spiritual Plant in his arms; the anxiety on his face instantly faded, replaced by a silly smile. He scratched his head and chuckled, his ear tips turning red.

"This half-bundle is specifically reserved for Princess Xiao Yunyao. As a girl, she surely wouldn't be comfortable traveling so far to harvest Spiritual Plant..."

Chu Shi rolled his eyes dramatically, hugged the half-bundle of Spiritual Plant in his arms, and turned to leave.

"Got it, I won't steal your precious offering."

"Hey, don't walk so fast!"

Ling Chen hurriedly followed, carefully hugging the bundle to his chest, terrified of dropping a single leaf.

"By the way, Senior Brother Chu, you spent the whole afternoon Cultivating; how many bones did you refine? Judging by your aura, it seems much stronger than it was this morning."

"Just started the sixth one, refined about one-fifth," Chu Shi replied casually.

"One-fifth? That fast?"

Ling Chen's eyes widened, and then he became smug again.

"Well, I'm definitely faster than you! I have a 5.2x acceleration! Once I achieve a Breakthrough to the Middle Stage, the first thing I'll do is settle the score with that guy in gray who snatched my Spiritual Plant!"

Chu Shi couldn't be bothered with his daydreaming; he quickened his pace and headed toward the spot where Chen Lingxi and the two princesses were Cultivating.

From afar, he could see that the three women had finished their session and were sitting together, chatting.

Princess Xiao Yunyao held a blade of grass in her hand, chewing it slowly with a bored expression on her face.

Xiao Weizhao was looking down, wiping the sword at her waist with gentle, meticulous movements.

Chen Lingxi held the animal skin map, pointing at the markings, seemingly studying something intently.

Seeing the two approach, the three women looked up.

"Senior Brother Chu, Senior Brother Ling," Chen Lingxi greeted them with a smile.

Her gaze then fell on the bundles of Spiritual Plant in their arms, and she asked curiously, "Did you... go out to harvest Spiritual Plant?"

"That's right!"

Ling Chen's spirits were immediately lifted. He strode over to Princess Xiao Yunyao and handed her the bundle of the freshest Spiritual Plant, a look of pride on his face as if he were presenting a treasure.

"Princess Xiao Yunyao, I specifically ran three miles to harvest the best Spiritual Plant for you! Look at these leaves, how green and tender they are; they're the best for replenishing Qi and blood! All the good spots near the protective barrier were snatched up by others; it took me a long time to find this patch."

Princess Xiao Yunyao looked at his eyes, which shone like stars, and then at the grass leaves clinging to his hair, his torn collar, and the mud stains on his trousers. She couldn't help but chuckle.

She reached out to take the bundle, and her fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of Ling Chen's hand. Both of them froze for a moment.

Ling Chen pulled his hand back abruptly as if scalded, scratching his head with an even sillier smile, his ear tips turning red enough to drip blood.

"Thank you, Ling Chen," Princess Xiao Yunyao said, holding the Spiritual Plant in her arms, her cheeks also flushing slightly.

"Actually, I could have gone myself; you didn't need to run so far."

"How could that be!" Ling Chen immediately straightened his back and said solemnly.

"Those guys are like lunatics when it comes to snatching Spiritual Plant. What if you get pushed or bumped by them? Besides, I'm strong and have plenty of energy; running a trip isn't tiring at all. If you run out of Spiritual Plant in the future, just tell me, and I'll harvest it for you!"

Chen Lingxi, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and mercilessly exposed him: "Give it a rest. Who was just over there cursing and complaining about being robbed of half an acre of Spiritual Plant by some guy in the Middle Stage of the Copper Bone Realm, leaving not even a sprout behind?"

"I was letting him have it!" Ling Chen blushed, stiffening his neck to retort.

"If I really fought, would he be my match? I just didn't want to fight on the grassland; what if the Temporal Platform's Formation judged it a violation and expelled me? That wouldn't be worth it!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Chen Lingxi drew out her tone, looking at him with a smirk.

"I seem to recall hearing someone's muttering; it seems he only dared to draw a circle and curse his enemy."

"Chen Lingxi!" Ling Chen stomped his feet in anger. "Can you stop exposing my shortcomings all the time!"

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Xiao Weizhao gave a soft cough.

She looked up at Chu Shi and asked calmly, "Senior Brother Chu, is your Cultivation going smoothly?"

"It's alright," Chu Shi said, placing the Green Blood Grass in his arms on the ground and distributing it to the three.

"4.9x acceleration truly lives up to its reputation. In the outside world, it takes twenty days to refine one bone, but here, it can be done in about four days."

"That fast?" Chen Lingxi stopped bickering with Ling Chen and looked at Chu Shi in surprise.

"It takes me about ten days to refine one bone now. Sister Weizhao is a bit faster than me, probably seven or eight days. That guy Ling Chen can activate 5.2x acceleration, so he might barely be able to keep up with your speed."

"That's because I can't be bothered to compare with him!" Ling Chen immediately interjected.

"Brother Chu is a freak; you can't measure him by normal standards! Besides, if I were like him, sleeping only one hour a day and spending all the remaining time Cultivating, I would definitely be faster than him!"

Chu Shi glanced at him and said indifferently, "If you could actually do that, you wouldn't have been bullied while out harvesting Spiritual Plant alone because you couldn't sit still."

Ling Chen: "..."

He rubbed his nose sheepishly, picked up a piece of Green Blood Grass, and stuffed it fiercely into his mouth, as if he were chewing on the guy in gray who had snatched his Spiritual Plant. He didn't dare speak again.

The group chatted for a while longer about the pioneers who were scouring for resources like locusts, about the Heaven And Earth Treasure in the Scarlet Flame Hills, and about what Realm they might each reach after two years...

The warm yellow light emitted by the Formation bathed them, adding a rare touch of warmth to this extremely monotonous time of Cultivation.

Soon, the light of the Formation gradually brightened, signaling the start of a new day.

"Alright, it's time to Cultivate," Chu Shi said, standing up and brushing the dust off his body.

"Hurry, or the Heaven And Earth Treasure outside will be completely scavenged by others."

Everyone nodded and returned to their respective Cultivation spots to sit down.

Before leaving, Ling Chen didn't forget to turn back and urge Princess Xiao Yunyao:

"Princess Xiao Yunyao, feel free to eat that Spiritual Plant; if you need more, just tell me, and I'll go harvest more for you tomorrow! I guarantee I'll get you the freshest ones!"

"Got it, got it."

Princess Xiao Yunyao waved her hand with a smile, "Hurry up and go Cultivate; don't delay."

Ling Chen then left, looking back every few steps.

Chu Shi watched his back, shook his head helplessly, and also sat down cross-legged.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and looked inward at himself.

The Flaming Sun True Qi within his Dantian flowed slowly, surging into the bone in his right arm that shimmered with a red copper color.

Golden flames burned on the surface of the bone, refining the Impurities inside bit by bit.