58: Li Huayuan's compensation! Golden intelligence reappears!

Chapter 57: Li Huayuan's Compensation! gold intelligence Reappears!

Behind the waterfall was not the damp cave one might imagine, but a spacious and bright corridor paved with white jade.

On the walls on both sides of the corridor, a fist-sized night-luminescent pearl was embedded every few dozen feet, emitting a soft and stable white light that illuminated the entire passage with crystal clarity.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and pure Spiritual Qi, bringing peace to the mind.

Yu Kun led the way, his mouth never stopping as he talked about everything from funny anecdotes when the Immortal Cave was first built to the embarrassing stories of several fellow Disciples, and then to the loving daily life of the Revered Master and his wife... the amount of information was massive, and his speaking speed was astonishing.

Lu Qiu followed behind him with an appropriate smile on his face, occasionally echoing a word or two, but secretly clicking his tongue in his heart.

This Senior Brother was truly worthy of being the publicly recognized "humanoid gossip transmitter" and "Immortal Cave know-it-all" in the original work.

Passing through the long white jade corridor, the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing an extremely vast giant Immortal Cave hall with a ceiling height of over ten feet.

The floor of the hall was paved with black marble as smooth as a mirror, and four thick coiled Dragon jade pillars supported the dome. The dragon shapes carved on the pillars were lifelike, with bright precious pearls held in their mouths.

Most striking was one side of the hall, where a gurgling stream actually flowed through. The water was crystal clear, and several Spirit Fish with silver-white bodies and shimmering scales swam within it.

On both banks of the stream grew many exotic flowers and rare grasses that Lu Qiu could not name. They were colorful and full of Spiritual Qi, clearly all rare Spirit Medicines.

Further away, there was even a small "indoor spirit field" where sunlight was simulated by a Formation. Several Spirit Medicines of various forms were planted inside, among which a plant that was entirely crimson and shaped like a Ganoderma emitted a strong fire spirit Qi; it was surprisingly a "Red Fire Ganoderma" at least five hundred years old.

Several brightly feathered Spirit Birds, only palm-sized, flew gracefully among the flowers and Spirit Medicines, letting out crisp and pleasant chirps, adding much life and elegance to this magnificent Immortal Cave.

"How is it, Junior Brother? Revered Master's Immortal Cave is not bad, right? A lot of effort was put into renovating it back then! This 'Qi-Guiding Stream' directly connects to a water Spiritual Vein deep in the mountain. These 'Silver-Thread Spirit Fish' have delicious meat and contain pure water Spiritual Qi, which is great for harmonizing magic power and nourishing the Meridians..."

Seeing Lu Qiu sizing up the surroundings, Yu Kun immediately entered explanation mode again, knowing them like the back of his hand.

Lu Qiu nodded in agreement, but thought to himself: The Immortal Cave of a Core Formation Cultivator is indeed extraordinary. Not only is the space vast and the functions complete, but it also exudes a sense of depth and leisure everywhere. Compared to it, his newly established "Chixiao Cave" was simply a crude, unfinished house.

Deep in the hall, on a wide sandalwood carved chair, sat an elderly man with a lean face, wearing a pale gold Daoist robe with silver hair draped over his shoulders; it was Li Huayuan.

He did not intentionally emit Spiritual Pressure at this moment, but the profound and unfathomable aura of a Core Formation Cultivator still made Lu Qiu feel a trace of invisible pressure as he stepped into the hall.

Beside Li Huayuan, slightly behind him, was a slightly smaller brocade chair, on which sat a beautiful young woman in her late twenties.

The young woman was dressed in a pale purple silk skirt, her hair piled high and held by a green jade hairpin. She had a beautiful face, fair skin, and the gentle beauty characteristic of women from the Jiangnan water regions. With a smile on her lips, she was quietly watching Lu Qiu as he walked in.

"Disciple Lu Qiu greets Revered Master."

Lu Qiu did not dare to be negligent. He stepped forward a few paces, stopped ten feet from the chair, and bowed deeply with an extremely respectful attitude.

"Mhm, rise."

Li Huayuan's voice was calm, showing little emotion. His gaze swept over Lu Qiu, and he nodded slightly. "Your Early Foundation Establishment Stage Realm is quite stable, and your magic power is condensed. It seems you didn't rush for success; your Foundation is well-laid."

"Thank you for the praise, Revered Master. I do not dare to be negligent." Lu Qiu stood up and stood with his hands down.

A faint smile appeared on Li Huayuan's face, clearly quite pleased with Lu Qiu's respectful attitude.

He turned and pointed to the young woman beside him, his tone softening a bit: "This is your Master's Wife. You should meet her as well."

Lu Qiu hurriedly turned to the purple-skirted woman and bowed again: "Disciple Lu Qiu greets Master's Wife!"

The young woman covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice soft and pleasant like a gurgling spring: "Alright, no need for such formality. I've long heard Huayuan mention you, saying that among the newly recruited Disciples, your Heart-Nature and luck are both good. Seeing you today, you are indeed a fine-looking young man, and your cultivation is solid."

Her words carried a natural friendliness that made one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Master's Wife overpraises me."

"Sit down and talk."

Lu Qiu sat down as instructed, his back straight, looking like he was listening intently to the teachings.

Li Huayuan stroked his beard and said slowly: "That you could reach Foundation Establishment so quickly is indeed beyond my expectations. It seems you've had some Opportunity. That you haven't forgotten your roots and came to report immediately after leaving seclusion shows that your Heart-Nature is acceptable."

"Thanks to Revered Master's great kindness in accepting me as a Disciple, I do not dare to forget." Lu Qiu replied flawlessly.

Li Huayuan nodded and seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking again, his tone becoming more serious: "Lu Qiu, I've summoned you here today not only to check on your situation after Foundation Establishment but also for another matter. The batch of Spirit Medicines you brought back from the Forbidden Ground has been... well, a lifesaver for your Master's Wife."

As he said this, the purple-skirted woman beside him also nodded slightly, her gaze toward Lu Qiu becoming even softer.

Lu Qiu's heart stirred, knowing the main event was coming.

He appropriately showed a bit of "confusion" and "fear" on his face and hurriedly said: "Revered Master, you overstate it! As a Disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, serving the Sect and Revered Master is my duty. Why speak of kindness? It is my blessing that those Spirit Medicines could be of help to Master's Wife."

Li Huayuan waved his hand, interrupting him: "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. I, Li Huayuan, am clear about rewards and punishments. Your other half of the Spirit Medicines is of great value. Logically, I shouldn't take advantage of a junior like you. However, several of those Spirit Medicines are indeed needed for your Master's Wife to treat an old ailment, and it's quite urgent..."

He paused and looked directly at Lu Qiu: "Therefore, I will shamelessly accept that half of the Spirit Medicines. But I won't take them for nothing. Is there anything you want? Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, Cultivation Techniques, Talismans, or any difficulties in cultivation that need answering? As long as it's within my power, you can ask for it as compensation."

It's here!

Right now!

Lu Qiu's heart skipped a beat, but his face showed a look of contemplation as if he were thinking seriously.

After a moment, he looked up with a bit of "embarrassment" and "hesitation" and cupped his hands: "Revered Master's kindness is immense, and I am deeply grateful. It's just... this is sudden, and I can't think of what I need most at the moment. Could I... stay in Revered Master's Immortal Cave for a day to think it over carefully and report to Revered Master tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Li Huayuan was slightly stunned, then laughed: "What's so difficult about that? I have plenty of guest rooms here, and your Senior Brothers often stay over. Yu Kun!"

"Here, Revered Master!"

Yu Kun, who had been standing by and trying to hold back his words, immediately responded.

"Take Junior Brother Lu to the east wing guest room to settle in and treat him well."

"Yes, Revered Master! Junior Brother Lu, follow me!" Yu Kun immediately became active again.

"Thank you, Revered Master! I shall take my leave."

Lu Qiu bowed again before following Yu Kun out of the hall.

Passing through several elegantly decorated corridors, they came to a relatively independent area on the east side of the Immortal Cave. There were several doors lined up here, and the environment was quiet.

"Junior Brother Lu, this room is usually empty, but a Puppet cleans it every day, so it's very clean! If you need anything else, just tell me! By the way, you haven't met the other Senior Brothers yet, have you? Besides me, there are several other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters under Revered Master..." Yu Kun began his non-stop introduction as he pushed open a door.

The room was indeed tidy, with simple but complete furnishings, and the Spiritual Qi concentration was much higher than outside.

Just as Yu Kun was enthusiastically introducing various facilities and precautions in the Immortal Cave, steady and powerful footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

A man with a sturdy build, thick eyebrows, large eyes, wearing black martial arts attire and appearing a few years younger than Yu Kun, strode over.

This person walked with a powerful gait, and a sharp aura faintly circulated around him; he was clearly a Cultivator who focused on the path of combat.

"Senior Brother, who is this?" The black-clad man's eyes were like lightning, instantly landing on Lu Qiu with scrutiny and curiosity.

"Haha, Fourth Junior Brother, you've come at the right time!"

Yu Kun clapped his hands and smiled, "This is the new Named Disciple Revered Master just took in, Junior Brother Lu Qiu! Junior Brother Lu, this is your Fourth Senior Brother Song Meng. He loves sparring and fighting, so you'd better be careful!"

It was indeed him, the "Martial Maniac" Song Meng.

Lu Qiu understood and smiled, cupping his hands: "Lu Qiu greets Senior Brother Song."

Song Meng's eyes lit up as he sized Lu Qiu up, especially after feeling the solid Early Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Pressure on Lu Qiu. His Battle Intent clearly rose: "So it's Junior Brother Lu! I heard you just reached Foundation Establishment not long ago? Your Foundation is very solid! How about it? Interested in having a few rounds with me? Don't worry, I'll suppress my cultivation to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage and only use thirty percent... no, fifty percent of my strength!"

He looked eager to try, clearly a combat fanatic.

Lu Qiu had long known this Fourth Senior Brother's personality. He shook his head with a bitter smile and politely declined: "Senior Brother Song must be joking. I have just reached Foundation Establishment, my Realm is unstable, and my magic power is shallow. How could I be a match for you? It's better to wait until my cultivation has improved before asking for your guidance."

"Eh, it's just a spar, we can learn from each other!" Song Meng was a bit unwilling.

"Alright, alright, Fourth Junior Brother, Junior Brother Lu has just arrived. Don't scare him."

Yu Kun hurriedly smoothed things over, "Junior Brother Lu still needs to think about what to ask Revered Master for tomorrow. Don't disturb him."

Hearing this, Song Meng reluctantly withdrew his stance but still said to Lu Qiu: "Then it's a deal. Once you've stabilized your Realm, you must have a fight with me!"

"Certainly, certainly."

Lu Qiu agreed with his mouth, but thought to himself that it was best not to fight. Fighting a Martial Maniac was a hassle if he won and embarrassing if he lost; it wasn't worth it either way.

After a few more pleasantries, Yu Kun and Song Meng left one after another.

Closing the door and activating the simple soundproofing Restriction that came with the guest room, Lu Qiu let out a long sigh of relief.

Facing a chatterbox Senior Brother and a combative Fourth Senior Brother was more tiring than fighting a Yao Beast.

He sat down on the prayer mat in the room, his eyes becoming clear and calm.

"Staying for a day is to wait for tomorrow's Opportunity information to be reorganized. By reorganizing it inside Li Huayuan's Immortal Cave, the search range should be able to cover places like his treasure vault, right?"

This was Lu Qiu's plan.

Li Huayuan letting him make his own request seemed generous, but it was also hard to grasp.

If he asked for too little, he would lose out; if he asked for too much, it might cause the other party's displeasure or even suspicion.

It was better to use the Golden Finger to directly peek at what treasures in Li Huayuan's collection were best for him and whose value matched that batch of Spirit Medicines, and then strike with precision.

He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing and waited quietly.

The next morning.

Lu Qiu opened his eyes on time, his mind stirring slightly.

That familiar information panel unfolded silently before his eyes.

[white information: In a cliff crevice three hundred feet west of Huayuan Peak, there grows a two-hundred-and-thirty-year-old 'Clear Heart Orchid,' which has a slight effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit.]

[silver information: In the northeast corner of the third level of Core Formation Cultivator Li Huayuan's private treasure vault, there is a magic treasure fragment obtained from an ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave. It can complement the 'yang pearl' fragment held by the host, providing an Opportunity to smelt and repair it into the complete Magic Treasure 'yin yang pearl.']

[gold intelligence: In Core Formation Cultivator Li Huayuan's treasure vault, there is a gold book page. When combined with the silver page in the host's hand, a Soul Transformation Cultivation Technique can be obtained.]