First Immortal of the Sword - Chapter 2773 - The Toad Palace Pearl
Chapter 2773 – The Toad Palace Pearl
The white toad exhaled, and a fist-sized pearl floated into the air, like a rising full moon billowing clear, radiant light.
Upon closer inspection, a tree swayed inside it, scattering endless streaks of Dao Light.
When Su Yi saw it, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
The pearl was clear and translucent, and it glowed like a true celestial body, scattering mysterious, ethereal, spiritual light.
The white toad seemed to have exhausted its essence, qi, and spirit just summoning it. It breathed in ragged gasps, and its whole body seemed to wilt.
But it forced itself to remain upright and said respectfully, “Senior, this is the Toad Palace Pearl. Its origins are unknown; it fell into the River of Destiny countless years before I was born.
“It contains a naturally formed chaos ground. A mysterious osmanthus tree grows inside it. The Toad Palace Osmanthus Fruits I gave you earlier grew on that very tree. They’re extraordinarily useful when attempting a breakthrough.
“Now, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with you again, Senior. This is a stroke of fate! Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer as a greeting gift; only the Toad Palace Pearl is just barely worthy. Please, accept it with a smile!”
As it spoke, the moonlike pearl floated over to Su Yi.
Su Yi was stunned. This toad sure knows how the world works! A greeting gift, that’s all, but it’s being so generous!
He thought for a moment, then held the Toad Palace Pearl aloft.
A current of dense, pure chaos energy flowed onto his palm and into his body. His spirit lifted, his bones felt cleansed, his qi livened up, and his heart and mind were at peace.
It was much like what happened when an ordinary mortal ate ginseng. He relaxed inside and out, and his whole body felt light.
His soul, meanwhile, felt as if it had arrived in a new world. It wasn’t a large world, just one hundred thousand feet across, but it was full of dense chaos energy. An osmanthus tree was rooted in its soil, its leaves towering into the heavens and scattering moonlight.
They were indistinct, but a dozen or so fruits hung from its branches, glistening and resplendent, like nascent moons yet to solidify.
“This treasure might be useful for cultivating and breaking through, but this chaos ground has other wondrous applications too, right?” asked Su Yi.
He could sense that the most wondrous thing here wasn’t the tree, but rather, the chaos ground it grew in.
It was this miniature world and its chaos power that had given rise to the osmanthus tree in the first place.
When Su Yi examined it with his divine sense, he felt as if he stood surrounded in chaos, as if he’d returned to the earliest days of creation.
He could say with certainty that the core of the Toad Palace Pearl was the land, not the tree.
“You’re perceptive indeed, Senior. This humble toad cannot help but admire you!” said the toad. Then, after it finished flattering him, it got to the point. “The chaos power here is incomparably mystical. I’ve tested it numerous times over the years, and in the end, I learned that even rare medicines of the Grand Dao will mature at an accelerated rate if planted here.
“For instance, I once planted a rare Phoenix Blood Soul-Restoration Seed. In the outside world, even in a top-notch blessed land, it would have needed three thousand years to lay roots, three thousand years to sprout, and thirty thousand years to reach maturity.
“But here, it only needed about a decade to lay roots and sprout!”
The toad then went on to reveal a secret. “If you sever a branch of the osmanthus tree and refine it into fertilizer, you could grow Phoenix Blood Soul-Restoration Grass in just one short month!”
Su Yi couldn’t help but be impressed. What a treasure!If I plant medicine there, it’ll grow in a flash!
“When the osmanthus tree is damaged, it’ll recover in time. You can do so from time to time without fear of ‘draining the pond to catch the fish,’” said the toad. It fully intended to explain all of the pearl’s mysteries to Su Yi.
In the end, it sighed. “This humble one can say with certainty that the Toad Palace Pearl has extraordinary origins, and numerous mysteries I’ve yet to uncover. I am too dull-witted to master all of its secrets.
“This is fate; I am not destined for a treasure of this caliber, but I can say with conviction that it will display its full value in your hands. Only you can make full use of it and ensure it doesn’t go to waste.”
With that, it gave Su Yi the Toad Palace Pearl.
Or rather, it tried to, only for Su Yi to shake his head. “I did nothing to earn this, and it’s far too precious; I’d be ashamed to accept it. You’d best hold onto it.”
But when he tried to return the Toad Palace Pearl, the white toad grew frantic. “If you don’t accept it, I’ll kneel here forever until you change your mind!”
Su Yi didn’t know what to say. You’d force me to accept a gift like this?
When the toad saw Su Yi just standing there, it almost burst into tears and said in a quavering voice, “Senior, please, give me a chance! Whatever you do, don’t refuse. If you do, my Dao Heart will collapse. I’ll have effectively committed suicide!”
Su Yi was astonished. He could feel his horizons broadening.
He’d never even considered that someone could be so humble and tragic while giving a gift!
The toad was even willing to die if need be! If Su Yi refused, he’d die on the spot!
In the end, Su Yi had no choice but to accept this gift, overly generous or not.
He was initially a bit embarrassed, but the toad was visibly overcome with delight. It jumped up and down and thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you for granting my request, Senior! This humble one is endlessly grateful!”
It was practically dancing with delight.
Su Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. You’re… thanking me for accepting a gift? I should be thanking you!
This was his first time encountering a situation so absurd.
“What do you call yourself?” Su Yi put away the Toad Palace Pearl as asked gently.
The toad said hurriedly, “My name is Jin Jiu, but they call me the Star Toad. I’m somewhat famous in the River of Destiny, and those familiar with me sometimes address me as Boss Star Toad.”
He lowered his head in shame. “Boss? What boss? Compared to you, Senior, I’m entirely unworthy of the title. Please, just call me Little Jin.”
“I’ll call you Star Toad,” said Su Yi. “I’m Su Xuanjun, but that’s just one of my many names. If you ever run into trouble and need my help, you’re welcome to come looking for me at any time.”
The white toad said hurriedly, “I didn’t give that gift, hoping to receive anything in return. I just wanted to establish a positive karmic connection. I had absolutely no other intentions. “
Su Yi rubbed his forehead. He could tell that the toad’s reverence and awe were bone deep. Otherwise, how could it have been so servile?
Of course, Su Yi knew that all of this was due to the yellowed scroll Xiao Jian had left him.
“I’ll be leaving for the Literati Continent soon. This is my token. It’s imbued with a wisp of my powers of the Grand Dao. Take it,” said Su Yi, passing a medallion to the white toad from afar. “No matter how many years go by, no matter the time, and no matter the place, so long as I’m still alive, you can use it to find me.”
The toad was overcome with delight. It gripped the medallion tight. “Thank you, Senior!”
Su Yi was a bit exasperated. “Don’t call me senior. I’m only in the Unfettered Realm; I’m unworthy of the title.”
Something occurred to the toad. It said tentatively, “Senior, you carry the Book of Destiny. How about I call you… Destiny’s Appointed?”
Su Yi didn’t know what to say in the face of the pious, reverent amphibian, but he couldn’t be bothered to argue with it.
He went on to ask several questions.
Although the toad didn’t know much about the Book of Destiny, as a mighty denizen of the River of Destiny, it had seen a lot over the years, and it had heard all manner of rumors.
The toad was so eager to curry favor with Su Yi that it told one exciting tale after another, talking so fast that its spittle flew through the air.
It didn’t disappoint Destiny’s Appointed, either. Su Yi listened with relish and learned a lot.
For instance, he learned that countless denizens of the River of Destiny had their true names recorded in the Book of Destiny, but only a few could lay claim to their own territory, and all were comparable to Heavenly Monarchs at the bare minimum.
These included the Star Toad.
However, the denizens of the River of Destiny could never step onto its Far Shore. They could only live out the course of their lives here.
This was an ironclad rule.
Su Yi was curious to learn if the River of Destiny ever gave rise to entities comparable to Heavenly Sovereigns.
The toad confirmed his hypothesis. It did indeed!
Terrifying, mysterious existences every bit as powerful as Heavenly Sovereigns had existed in the Primordial Era, during the Devastation, and they existed now, during the New Beginning, too.
However, they couldn’t leave the River of Destiny, either.
They could, at most, occupy islands or other territories. Cultivators often saw these places as forbidden zones.
For instance, Thunderblast Mountain was home to a mysterious ape. The ape was a yao cultivator born of the river.
Long ago, Heavenly Sovereign Changhen made three attempts to subdue the ape of Thunderblast Mountain, but all three attempts ended in failure!
Su Yi couldn’t help but be rueful. The River of Destiny really is mysterious and strange. No one can presume to know it in its entirety.
The toad said suddenly, “Destiny’s Appointed, someone is coming.”
Su Yi looked into the distance and saw a tall bald man approaching from afar. He was vicious-looking, with a blood-red lotus imprint at the center of his forehead, and a strange, unearthly presence.
But he stopped in the distance, suppressed his aura, and bowed solemnly. “Your Excellency Su, this junior is called Lian Luo. I’m here on behalf of the Red-Robed Heavenly Sovereign to escort you to the Literati Continent.”
Su Yi naturally had no reason to suspect he was lying. After all, it was Lu Hongpao who’d created the platform he now stood on. With a few exceptions, only she and her people could sense it.
“I’ll just have to trouble you, then.” Su Yi rose, then looked at Lian Luo. This was his first time seeing him, and he had no idea how infamous and terrifying the man now bowing to him really was.
He just got the sense that someone who worked directly under Lu Hongpao had to be extraordinary.
The toad, however, was astonished. It could tell that Lian Luo was an unparalleled yao cultivator with an incomparably ferocious, terrifying aura!
Yet even someone like him was bowing to Su Yi with the utmost respect, and he’d come here on behalf of a Heavenly Sovereign!
How could the toad be anything but surprised?
Destiny’s Appointed truly isn’t simple, yet he still acts like he’s just in the Unfettered Realm. He’s far too modest! The white toad was inwardly wistful. The loftier the expert, the lower their profile. I truly cannot help but admire him!
