The young Golden Spirit Rat was extremely agile, disappearing into the bushes in an instant.
However, Zhou Xun was not an ordinary person; he was a true cultivator.
He infused spiritual power into his eyes and quickly spotted the whereabouts of the little Golden Spirit Rat dozens of yards away.
"Found it!"
Immediately, he channeled spiritual power into his legs, gently exerting force, and his entire being took off nimbly. The beating of his heart perfectly synchronized with his footsteps, which were light and orderly, like a ghostly apparition.
The time was early morning, sunlight began to pierce through the mist, casting golden rays upon the earth.
His eyes, like a hawk's, remained fixed on the golden shadow ahead.
Even when obscured by bushes and branches, he could quickly find it again.
After several breaths of pursuit, Zhou Xun got closer and closer to the Golden Spirit Rat.
Suddenly, they reached a valley; the Golden Spirit Rat vanished in a flash, and Zhou Xun hurriedly followed.
When he arrived at the valley entrance, the Golden Spirit Rat was nowhere to be seen.
But Zhou Xun was not worried because this valley was the lair of the Golden Spirit Rat.
This young Golden Spirit Rat had panicked and ran straight back to its home base, making it easy for him to catch it like a turtle in a jar.
Zhou Xun started to search carefully and soon discovered a cave on a mountain wall, two feet wide and five feet high, just enough for a person to enter.
The cave was covered by vines, and without a careful examination, it would be impossible to find.
Zhou Xun picked up a dry pine branch, used a Flame Technique to ignite it instantly, then brushed aside the vines, held his breath, and ventured inside with the torch.
With his current cultivation level, he could hold his breath for half an hour without any issue.
Mosses grew on both sides of the cave, and as Zhou Xun ventured deeper, the cave increasingly expanded, allowing him to walk upright.
After walking about twenty yards, the stone walls on both sides became dry, and there were no more mosses or similar plants.
Additionally, as he delved deeper, the spiritual energy inside the cave became more and more intense.
Alarmed, Zhou Xun held the javelin horizontally before his chest.
After walking about a hundred yards, the front suddenly opened up, revealing a hall.
The hall was nearly ten yards in size, with a pool of water about three yards in diameter in the middle, and in the center stood a high platform where four plants were growing.
"Spirit Medicine!"
Two words flashed through Zhou Xun's mind.
Unfortunately, Zhou Xun didn't recognize these four plants that resembled unopened orchids from his previous life.
Counting them, each plant had precisely seven leaves.
The leaves were entirely emerald green, as if made of jade, clearly precious spirit medicine at a glance.
However, Zhou Xun had no intention of picking them at the moment.
He remained extremely vigilant since the young Golden Spirit Rat was still nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind overhead, and Zhou Xun quickly dodged.
A Golden Blade grazed past his forehead, slicing off a strand of hair.
Zhou Xun was shocked.
"Almost got caught by it!"
Angrily, he raised the javelin in his hand and thrust it toward the shadow in front of him.
With a "squelch—" sound, like skewering a gourd, the javelin pierced through the young Golden Spirit Rat's heart; it struggled briefly and then died.
"Next time, I must prepare a defense talisman!" Recalling that Golden Blade, Zhou Xun was still frightened.
He had almost lost his head.
Calming his mind, Zhou Xun pulled out the javelin and turned to walk out of the cave.
After taking only a few steps, he saw Shan Xionghai entering.
"Xionghai, you solved it so quickly?" Zhou Xun asked in surprise.
"Those two little ones didn't run; they even tried to ambush me, but I speared one with each jab!" Shan Xionghai laughed heartily, unconcerned.
"So where are their bodies?" Zhou Xun asked.
"Already taken care of! The blood, whiskers, and the demon beast flesh—I've collected them all. By the way, let me handle yours as well, or it'll lose its value over time!" Shan Xionghai patted the large backpack on his back.
Zhou Xun nodded, assuming that Shan Xionghai had dealt with it while he was searching for the cave.
He handed the javelin to Shan Xionghai, then pointed to the four plants in the hall's center, and asked:
"Those seem like spirit medicine, do you recognize them?"
"Spirit medicine?" Shan Xionghai took the javelin, pulled out the Golden Spirit Rat's body, and looked in the direction Zhou Xun was pointing.
"Spirit Gathering Grass!" Shan Xionghai exclaimed.
There was an incredulous joy in his voice.
"Spirit Gathering Grass?" Upon hearing those words, Zhou Xun also exclaimed.
"No wonder the spiritual energy concentration increased the deeper I went in, and in this hall, the concentration is even comparable to Red Leaf Square!"
It's worth noting that the entire Red Leaf Square is built on a Tier Two Low-Grade Spirit Vein.
Although normally most of Red Leaf Square's spiritual energy is confined within arrays to supply the clan lands of the Four Great Clans, the spiritual energy concentration across the market is comparable to a usual Tier One High-Grade Spirit Vein.
Even though he didn't recognize it, Zhou Xun had heard of the renowned Spirit Gathering Grass.
From its name, one can discern its effect, which is to gather spiritual energy.
This is the reason the cave had such a high spiritual energy concentration, all thanks to the Spirit Gathering Grass.
And it's this effect that many powerful cultivators like to plant this spirit grass near their cave mansions to enhance spiritual energy concentration.
However, what made the Spirit Gathering Grass so famous was not its gathering effect, but because of a type of elixir—the Spirit Gathering Pill.
Famously known in the cultivation realm, able to help Middle-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators break through bottlenecks, the Spirit Gathering Pill is refined using this spirit grass as the main medicine.
Moreover, even the disciples of the Four Great Clans of Red Leaf Square can only obtain it if they have extraordinary talent or have contributed significantly. Most people never get the chance.
Every Spirit Gathering Grass can refine a batch of several Spirit Gathering Pills.
Thus, this shows the preciousness of these four Spirit Gathering Grass, signifying immense wealth.
"With these, you, me, and Second Uncle all have the chance to become Late-Stage Qi Refining Great Cultivators!" Shan Xionghai couldn't help but grab Zhou Xun's wrist, saying excitedly.
In the Late-Stage Qi Refining, even among the Four Great Clans of Red Leaf Square, they are considered high-ranking.
Each is a key figure presiding over an area.
After the initial excitement, the two calmed down.
Zhou Xun pointed at the Golden Spirit Rat's corpse on the ground:
"We haven't dealt with this Golden Spirit Rat yet!"
"Oh, almost forgot," Shan Xionghai chuckled, grinning:
"The Golden Spirit Rat is worth a few bucks, but these Spirit Gathering Grass are enough to exchange for resources to cultivate to Late-Stage Qi Refining!"
Shan Xionghai wasn't exaggerating; the price of each Spirit Gathering Pill alone requires an ordinary Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator to exhaust their family fortune to afford one.
Soon enough, Shan Xionghai dealt with the Golden Spirit Rat.
Then both of them turned their attention to the four Spirit Gathering Grass.
"Fortunately, I brought jade boxes specifically for preserving spirit medicine; otherwise, we would have had to make another trip!" said Shan Xionghai, exhaling with relief as he carefully placed the Spirit Gathering Grass into the jade boxes.
Holding the four jade boxes in his hands, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the four jade boxes in Shan Xionghai's hands, Zhou Xun pointed at them and asked:
"Luckily I discovered these four Spirit Gathering Grass. Do you recognize them?"
"Spirit Medicine?" Shan Xionghai took the javelin, removed the body of the Golden Spirit Rat, and raised his eyes to look in the direction Zhou Xun pointed.
"Spirit Gathering Grass!" Shan Xionghai exclaimed.
There was incredulity mixed with delight in his voice.
"Spirit Gathering Grass?" Hearing these words, Zhou Xun also cried out in surprise.
"No wonder, when I entered earlier, the spiritual energy concentration was increasing, and when I reached this hall, the concentration even matched Red Leaf Square!"
Bear in mind, the whole of Red Leaf Square is built upon a Tier Two Low-Grade Spirit Vein.
Even the spiritual energy at Red Leaf Square usually rivals a regular Tier One High-Grade Spirit Vein due to that.
Although he didn't recognize it personally, Zhou Xun had also heard of the renowned Spirit Gathering Grass.
This high concentration of spiritual energy in the cave is the result of the Spirit Gathering Grass's effects.
Many Powerful Cultivators covet this property, thus plant this grass near their cave mansions.
However, it's not its spirit-gathering attribute that made the Spirit Gathering Grass renowned, but the fact that it can be refined to create a type of elixir—the Spirit Gathering Pill.
The Spirit Gathering Pill is something even the descendants of the Four Great Clans at Red Leaf Square struggle to obtain, with only a few of the most talented having access to them.
Each Spirit Gathering Grass can be refined into several Spirit Gathering Pills.
This illustrates the preciousness of these four Spirit Gathering Grass, and yet at the same time, shows its true value.
"Fortunately, I brought jade boxes for preserving spirit medicines; otherwise, we would have to walk back for another trip!"
Shan Xionghai took the javelin from Zhou Xun, plucked the Golden Spirit Rat from it, and looking in the direction Zhou Xun pointed, exclaimed, "Spirit Gathering Grass!"
"Luck was truly on our side this time!"
He gently placed each of the four Spirit Gathering Grass into the jade boxes and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching the four jade boxes in Shan Xionghai's hands, Zhou Xun felt a sense of excitement bubble up inside him.
"Lucky that I brought these jade boxes to preserve spirit medicine, otherwise we'd have to make another trip!"
"You're right, Xionghai. It is as you say!"