Chapter 84: Earth Rock Spirit Flower

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Earth Rock Spirit Flower

Ever since the Ice Luan became Li Heng’s soul energy pet, Bao Yaoyao felt that the exam’s difficulty on the island had suddenly become much more reasonable.

Bao Yaoyao had seen things clearly now. She finally understood that Li Heng wasn’t just strong—he was a true powerhouse!

First, he had easily taken on ten opponents at once.

Then, he had killed a Tier Two High-Grade Soul Beast and even turned it into his soul energy pet.

This level of strength was beyond all common sense!

A powerhouse like him was the ultimate pillar of support!

With such an obvious opportunity right in front of her, Bao Yaoyao felt she had to seize it.

So, on the second day of the exam, she shamelessly pestered Li Heng, begging to team up with him. She even promised that she wouldn’t take any of the points they earned from their explorations, whether from herbs or Soul Beasts; she would give them all to Li Heng.

In response, Li Heng stated that they wouldn’t be teaming up. They should each act on their own, gather at the resting point at night, and take turns keeping watch.

If they truly ran into trouble, they could just shout, and if the other was able and had the time, they could help each other out.

Had it been any other exam, or if he didn’t have his pet Ice Luan, Li Heng probably would have agreed to team up.

But now that he had the Ice Luan, entrusting his back to a soul energy pet that had a 99% chance of never betraying its master was far more reliable than trusting a stranger he had only known for a day.

Even though she had offered to give him all the resources, Li Heng had to be on his guard in case Bao Yaoyao had other intentions.

After all, they had only known each other for a day. Besides knowing she was a foodie with a great figure, he knew basically nothing else about her.

And most importantly, Li Heng didn’t think he needed a teammate right now.

「 」

Seeing her request rejected by the powerhouse, Bao Yaoyao wasn’t discouraged. ’As long as there are no altars, I’m not afraid, even if the island has mountains.’

She had discovered that the Tier Two Soul Beasts all seemed to be on Island Mountain, while the forest below only had ordinary creatures and Tier One Soul Beasts.

She could just explore the forest or the island’s coastal areas.

’Even if a Tier Two Soul Beast does come down from the mountain, Li Heng is here! I can’t handle a Tier Two Soul Beast on my own, but for a powerhouse like him or his Ice Luan, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

Li Heng also seemed to have figured out the distribution of creatures on the island: the Tier Two Soul Beasts were on the mountain, while below there were only ordinary creatures and Tier One Soul Beasts.

Furthermore, Li Heng discovered that the Soul Energy Herbs and other medicinal resources were denser on the mountain than below.

So, they reached a tacit agreement. On the second and third days of the mystic realm exam, Bao Yaoyao’s activities were confined to the base of the mountain, while Li Heng’s were always on the mountain itself.

As he "climbed the mountain," Li Heng deliberately slowed his pace, trying not to miss a single corner.

If he saw Soul Energy Herbs, he picked them. If he encountered a Tier Two Soul Beast, he confronted it head-on.

Even with the Ice Luan around, Li Heng didn’t get arrogant. The moment he met a Soul Beast, he would unleash his strongest combo.

As for the Ice Luan’s role, Li Heng had it stand guard over the surroundings, ready to attack immediately if it sensed danger.

During this time, Li Heng had also directed the Ice Luan to fight, but he only received half the soul energy points for any Soul Beast the Ice Luan killed.

Therefore, from then on, whenever he encountered a Soul Beast, Li Heng handled it himself.

And so, after about three and a half days—around noon on the fourth day—Li Heng finally reached the summit of Island Mountain.

"You know, the sea view from up here is actually amazing!"

The moment he reached the summit, a mix of mountain and sea breezes rustled through Li Heng’s short hair, carrying the distinct scent of the ocean.

Maple City was located inland, so Li Heng had almost never been to the seaside in his daily life. Opportunities to see the ocean were pitifully few. Now, as he stood high and looked out, all he could see was the vast sea.

For some reason, Li Heng felt his mind clear. It had been four and a half days since the exam started, and aside from occasional moments of fatigue, it almost felt like a vacation.

Barbecue, sunshine, beaches, the ocean, and a busty girl!

’It’s rare to get a moment to relax. I should tally up the points I’ve gathered so far!’

Taking another deep breath of the ocean-scented air on the summit, Li Heng sorted through the items in his Space Stone.

There were piles of Tier Two herbs stacked neatly, no fewer than thirty stalks in total. The Soul Energy Herbs alone were already worth over 1,500 points.

Beside them was a large stack of wooden cards obtained from killing Soul Beasts. The Ice Luan card accounted for the largest share at 218 points, the Heavy-Armored Antelope was 78 points, and the rest were worth around ten points each.

In total, they were worth approximately 700 points.

All told, in four and a half days, he had accumulated over 2,200 points. Li Heng felt that this score shouldn’t be low.

But considering the entire exam, and the fact that some candidates had brought herbs with them, Li Heng felt his score might not be considered outstanding or excellent.

’Looks like... if I want to get into a Double First-Class Soul Energy University, I still need to put in more effort.’

Soul Energy Universities these days no longer used terms like "Project 211" or "Project 985," only "Double First-Class."

With a system to back him up, Li Heng was naturally aiming for the most elite universities.

’However, the available resources on this island have been more or less exhausted by me and Bao Yaoyao. If I want more, I’ll probably have to wait for other islands to "drift" over.’

At the same time, Li Heng planned to trade his point cards with Bao Yaoyao for Soul Energy Herbs after he went down the mountain.

’I’ll trade away the cards worth less than 50 points. Then, I can use 100 soul energy points to upgrade a herb to Tier Two (Rare), making one stalk worth 50 points. Some 20-point cards can be exchanged for two Tier One herbs or even a pile of common herbs.’

’It’s a profitable exchange no matter how you look at it.’

’I have about 6,000 soul energy points left, which should be enough. I’ll have to be more frugal with them from now on.’

After tallying his points and organizing his thoughts, Li Heng began to carefully survey the summit of Island Mountain.

He also took the opportunity to get a good look at the entire island. After all, he had been here for four and a half days but had only just reached the summit to look around.

Directly ahead was a large pile of rubble. The terrain was very uneven, with many jagged rocks.

As he observed, Li Heng noticed that the messy pile of rocks seemed to be arranged quite neatly, as if someone had deliberately placed them there.

"Ice Luan, watch our surroundings. If there’s any danger, attack immediately!"

Sensing he had found something, Li Heng didn’t just casually walk over. Instead, he first had the Ice Luan stand guard.

Only after repeatedly confirming that the area was safe did he raise his Empty Cicada Longsword and slowly walk toward the pile of rocks.

Name: Earth Rock Spirit Flower

Category: Soul Energy Items

Value: Rare

Effects:

1. Main ingredient for crafting the Earth Vein Spiritual Pill.

2. Can be directly consumed by an earth-element practitioner with extremely high talent to permanently increase earth-element Soul Power affinity and perception by 3 points.

3. It is said that mixing it with Spiritual Objects of other elements can produce certain unexpected effects.

’A Rare-value herb!’

Before he had taken more than a few steps, Li Heng suddenly spotted a very short flower. Its entire body was grayish-brown, making it inconspicuous among the pile of rocks.

Li Heng only noticed it because the system displayed its information when he glanced over.

There were no other people or Soul Beasts around, but Li Heng wasn’t blinded by the sudden appearance of the Soul Energy Herb. Instead, he immediately activated his Wolf Walk Technique.

’According to common sense, a place where a "heavenly treasure" like this grows couldn’t possibly be without a high-level Soul Beast guarding it.’

’This is the first time I’ve directly discovered a Rare-value herb. According to this world’s settings, this is a Tier Three herb!’

’There must be a high-grade Soul Beast guarding it!’

Thus, Li Heng’s entire body tensed up. He immediately retreated several steps, ready to attack at any moment.

And yet... he saw no sign of any Soul Beast activity.

He remained on alert like this for two minutes. A vein popped on Li Heng’s forehead, and he flexed his slightly numb right hand.

Five minutes later...

Staring at the still-quiet surroundings, Li Heng thought to himself, ’As expected of a Tier Two Soul Beast! Its cunning is on par with the Blood Wolf King! Don’t think you can fool me like this!’

Ten minutes later...

Li Heng remained vigilant, but the only sounds were the mountain and sea breezes rustling through the grass and over the rocks.

Fifteen minutes later...

Li Heng felt that waiting around like this wasn’t a solution, so he decided to taunt it. "Don’t think I can’t see you just because you’re hiding! If you’ve got the guts, come out and fight me! Come on!"

WHOOSH~

WHOOSH~

WHOOSH~

But the only answer Li Heng received was the gusting mountain wind.

...

Twenty minutes later...

Li Heng decided he needed to change his approach. Waiting around foolishly wasn’t getting him anywhere.

So, he slowly took a few steps toward the pile of rocks where the Earth Rock Spirit Flower grew. Just as he was about to get close, he immediately retreated with his Empty Cicada Longsword raised, staring ahead warily.

"Holy crap! This Soul Beast is really patient! It’s still not coming out! Looks like I need to up the ante."

Then Li Heng took a few more steps forward, only to retreat again just as he was about to reach it.

Back and forth, over and over...

Throughout this entire process, from when Li Heng first stood guard to when he started his erratic dance around the Earth Rock Spirit Flower...

...the Ice Luan, Li Heng’s soul energy pet, just tilted its head and stared at him. It seemed to be thinking about something, but it showed no other reaction, simply watching its master with a cocked head.

After half an hour, the Ice Luan finally seemed to understand. Its master seemed to want the little flower in the pile of rocks. It then let out a series of clear cries.

SCREECH~

Li Heng, who was in the middle of his back-and-forth dance with the Empty Cicada Longsword in hand, suddenly heard his Ice Luan’s cry. Thinking it had discovered something, a flash of intense joy crossed his face.

"You son of a bitch! You’re finally out! Now die!"

SCREECH~

Turning around, ready for a massacre, Li Heng immediately received feedback from the Ice Luan.

After processing the Ice Luan’s feedback, Li Heng froze, stunned on the spot.

Thirty seconds later...

Li Heng didn’t say a word. He just slowly lowered the Empty Cicada Longsword in his hand, walked over to the Earth Rock Spirit Flower, and plucked it.

After taking the Earth Rock Spirit Flower, Li Heng sat down on the pile of rocks and silently gazed into the distance, his expression somewhat complicated.