189: Chapter 189 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (137)

Afterward, Chu Shi lowered his head and swept a glance beside him.

The various metal ingots and pure gold blocks that had originally been stacked neatly were reduced to just a few sparse pieces, their edges eroded and pitted by the Golden Qi.

The hundred Low Grade Yuan Stones had long since weathered into powder, and the jade box that held the cold marrow jade ganoderma was likewise empty, with only a faint trace of cold mist remaining at the bottom of the box.

The resources were nearly bottomed out.

At this moment, two sounds of exhaling and ending cultivation came from beside him; Qiu Yang and Qiu Feng opened their eyes one after the other.

A flash of sharp light glinted in Qiu Yang's eyes, and his fingertips subconsciously pressed toward the sword hilt, the white copper luster on his knuckles flashing and vanishing.

His progress over these two months was also not small; his originally sluggish bone-tempering progress had been pushed forward by nearly one-third, already approaching the Peak of the Copper Bone Realm Mid-Stage.

Qiu Feng stretched his body in a big yawn, his bones clicking in a series. Just as he was about to open his mouth to shout, he caught a glimpse of Chu Shi's expression and hurriedly swallowed his words, leaning in to whisper, "Senior Brother Chu, have you finished your cultivation?"

Chu Shi nodded, tapped his fingertip against the empty jade box, and sighed helplessly, "The cold marrow jade ganoderma is exhausted. The remaining metal ingots and Yuan Stones can at most last another two or three days. Continuing to seclude ourselves is of little significance."

Once these words were spoken, the joy on the brothers' faces faded slightly.

Qiu Yang also lowered his head to look at his own Storage Pouch and gave a bitter smile, "That's right, ours are about the same. The medicinal power of this cold marrow jade ganoderma is fierce, and cultivating with it is very enjoyable, but it just doesn't last long. We used ours up a month ago. This whole time, we've been relying on basic acceleration to Cultivate. We really must find a way to pull off another job."

"Isn't that the truth," Qiu Feng said, drooping his head, "The further along you go, the more time-consuming bone-tempering becomes. If we stay any longer, we'll be reduced to chewing on grass roots."

Hearing this, Chu Shi rubbed the space between his brows, raised his eyes to look at the two, and asked, "Over these past two months, you two have taken turns going out to scout. How well have you figured out the situation outside?"

"We've figured it all out!" Qiu Feng immediately perked up upon hearing this. As he answered, he reached into his Storage Pouch, flipped his wrist, and pulled out three or four plump silver-scaled fish, their tails still gently swishing.

"Let's eat while we talk. This morning, my brother and I went around to scout the Spirit Creek in the secondary forest to the west. That place is very remote, and no one is fighting over it. The creek water is imbued with a bit of Spiritual Qi from the mountain stream, so the fish raised there are a circle fatter than elsewhere. We just happened to catch a few. Tonight, let's change our flavor; they'll be very fresh when grilled."

As he spoke, he squatted by the campfire, pulled out a short blade, and nimbly scraped off the scales and removed the innards, the blade making a fine rustling sound as it brushed against the scales.

"That creek valley is just outside the edge of the core area. If you walk twenty or thirty li inward, you arrive at the zone of chaotic battle. The location is remote, and usually, no one goes there; otherwise, I wouldn't dare to go over and catch fish."

Qiu Yang sat up straighter, his expression becoming solemn as he followed the conversation to discuss serious matters, "The core area is indeed chaotic right now. Five large teams have each occupied a resource point. The leaders are all top-tier experts of the Copper Bone Realm Mid-Stage. Each team has seven or eight people, and by joining forces to set up formations, it is said they can withstand the Copper Bone Realm Late Stage without being defeated. Additionally, there are three smaller teams, each with four or five people, also assisted by joint-attack formations, which are not weak either. Recently, in order to fight for that spirit fruit grove in the middle, these people have been mixed up in chaotic battles with the local Yao Beasts. They have been fighting for nearly three days straight, injuring over a dozen people. Two small teams were directly shattered, and their people scattered. It seems those were the teams of Zhou Lie and Lin Mo."

Hearing this, Qiu Feng let out a gloating laugh. "That serves them right. Who told them to bully us before? Evil deeds will surely bring about one's own destruction."

"Shut up." Qiu Yang turned his head and glared at his younger brother who had interrupted him, then continued, "News from the side of the snowy mountain is spreading more and more intensely. It is said that the Ice Soul Lotus will begin to mature in at most two and a half months. Now, in order to catch the timing, that group of people have all gone red-eyed, risking their lives to hoard resources and rush their Realm, just waiting to go to the snowy mountain to get a share of the spoils. Otherwise, they wouldn't be fighting so fiercely over the spirit fruit grove here. After all, this is the only rich resource point left in these Cold Iron Mountains."

"Also, also!" Qiu Feng added without raising his head, while processing the fish. "That Dong Huniu is also wandering around over there. As long as she doesn't run into an ambush, basically no one can stop her. Yesterday, she just robbed a small team; she's very fierce. However, she doesn't look down upon the small fish and shrimp at the Spirit Creek. If we go around that side, there's a high probability we won't run into her."

In the time it took to speak, Qiu Feng had already cleaned the fish, skewered them with iron spits, and placed them on the campfire. He then took out his jar of precious seasoning and sprinkled a thin layer over them.

The charcoal fire crackled. Before long, fish oil sizzled out along the texture of the meat, dripping into the fire and splashing up fine sparks. The fresh, fragrant aroma, mixed with a faint Spiritual Qi of plants and trees, spread out, having a bit more refreshing sweetness than the beast meat they usually ate.

Qiu Feng held the iron spits and slowly turned them. The fish meat gradually roasted into an enticing golden yellow, the fish skin slightly curling, and the oil droplets glistening.

He first picked the fattest skewer and handed it to Chu Shi, then shoved another one to Qiu Yang. Holding the rest himself, he blew on them twice before eating them in small bites.

The three ate while chatting. The fish meat was tender and not fishy, with a faint Golden Qi upon entering the mouth. Although it could not compare to a Heaven And Earth Treasure, it could still nourish one's blood and Qi to some extent.

"There is nothing left to gain here." Chu Shi took a bite of the fish meat and said in a calm but exceptionally firm tone. "When we first came in, this place had already been explored quite thoroughly. Now that these two months have passed, the spirit fields and jungles of this Golden Ear Valley and the Cold Iron Mountains have surely been swept back and forth many times. To continue wasting time here is simply a waste of time. If we want to rush to the Late Stage and want to encounter the Ice Soul Lotus, we can only go to the fruit grove in the center of the chaotic battle to find an opportunity."

Qiu Feng's action of chewing the fish meat paused. He raised his eyes to look at Chu Shi, then glanced at Qiu Yang, and muttered in a low voice, "It's fighting so fiercely inside; there are only three of us. What if we get surrounded... Furthermore, those monkeys are not easy to deal with either. Otherwise, it wouldn't be the case that until now, no one has advanced to the Copper Bone Realm Late Stage."

Hearing this, Qiu Yang also frowned and did not speak. It was indeed so. The risks were obvious. The two of them had gone to scout more than once during this period and knew deep down how deep the waters were. It was not just a problem of the chaotic battle; those damned monkeys were also very cunning. Once a fruit tree was about to be unable to be defended, they would destroy all the fruits before fleeing, never leaving them for the humans who came to snatch them.

Chu Shi did not explain much. He flicked his finger, and a wisp of dark golden Qi, condensed like a needle, burst through the air. With just a crisp "ding" sound, a translucent small hole was instantly burned into the hard cave wall, its edges smooth as glass.

"No matter, I will take action." Chu Shi retracted his hand and said calmly. "Before, when I had just advanced to the Copper Bone Realm Mid-Stage, I was confident I could withstand the Copper Bone Realm Late Stage a little. Now that I have tempered more than thirty Copper Bones, with my strength greatly increased, I think getting some gains will not be a problem. After all, even those five large teams, aren't they just claiming they can withstand the Copper Bone Realm Late Stage? Once we want to leave, they definitely won't be able to stop us."