Chapter 29: Stop Fighting

Su Yi was stunned. There was a major issue with the herb garden? He passed by it every single day, so how had he never noticed?

"It's true!" Xu Ze’s expression was grave. Seeing this, Su Yi felt a sense of bewilderment. He himself had noticed nothing, yet Xu Ze had... As a dignified Golden Core cultivator, if what Xu Ze said was true, it meant the situation in that herb garden far exceeded the level of the Golden Core stage!

Xu Ze took a deep breath and continued, "Brother, I once read in an ancient book that wherever rare flora and fauna appear, there must be primordial wood essence. Today, I detected a faint, almost imperceptible trace of wood essence from those dozen or so jade-leaf grasses."

"This means that hidden within that spiritual field is likely a plant spirit that has already achieved sentience, one at least seven or eight thousand years old, perhaps even... ten thousand!"

Xu Ze’s eyes burned with excitement as he looked at Su Yi, clearly gauging his reaction.

A ten-thousand-year-old plant spirit? Su Yi’s expression shifted upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but gasp. He had never imagined that the tiny Xianxia Sect could harbor such a divine treasure! If this were true, even some Great Vehicle stage cultivators would likely cast aside their dignity to seize it. At ten thousand years of age, even a single jade-leaf grass could temper one’s body with spiritual energy and lead to a massive breakthrough in cultivation.

At this thought, the way Su Yi looked at Xu Ze changed instantly. He truly was the "Child of Destiny" recognized by the system; the events he stumbled upon were incredible. To be able to encounter such a great opportunity at his current cultivation level was remarkable.

As for the excuse Xu Ze had fabricated, Su Yi didn't believe a word of it. What "ancient book"? As the Holy Son, he had read and come into contact with far more books than Xu Ze, and he hadn't noticed a thing. It was likely that the ring Xu Ze possessed had told him, or he had secretly awakened some heaven-defying ability, perhaps something related to treasure hunting. But whatever; since he didn't know the specifics and it wasn't his, he didn't care.

Regarding Xu Ze’s concealment, Su Yi was quite understanding. After all, a person is innocent, but coveting treasures is a crime. He wasn't foolish enough to expose the other party. It had to be said that for this guy to risk exposing his abilities just to share this information showed enough loyalty to treat Su Yi as one of his own—or at the very least, he was someone who repaid kindness and not an ungrateful wretch.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Su Yi laughed and patted Xu Ze on the shoulder, saying kindly, "Thank you for the warning, Brother Xu. I will find a way to investigate this matter. There will certainly be rewards for you, brother."

"Brother Zhang, you have misunderstood my intention," Xu Ze said, his expression shifting slightly as he cupped his hands solemnly. "If this matter is true, you must not offend that senior. Although plant spirits are often timid, possess low combat power, and rarely harm humans, they are still not beings that we Qi Refining cultivators can afford to provoke. You must be cautious when you are in the herb garden; do not act rashly!"

Hearing Xu Ze’s earnest advice, Su Yi raised an eyebrow and replied with a soft laugh, "En, I will be careful."

After seeing Xu Ze off, Su Yi sat back down in his chair and fell into deep thought. Perhaps he really should place a projection talisman around Ling Tian... But before that, he needed to finish that ridiculous task. At this thought, anger surged within him. He had been promised a normal story, so why was it getting more and more warped?

That night, Su Yi put on his night-traveler outfit with a pained expression, obscured his features tightly with a black cloth, and vanished into the darkness like a shadow.

Xianxia Sect, Outer Sect. The night was like ink, with only faint starlight. On the gentle, low hills, spacious and luxurious spiritual beast enclosures were arranged in rows. Each of these enclosures was protected by independent barriers and equipped with specialized spiritual gathering arrays. The environment was beautiful and the spiritual energy dense; the living conditions were far superior to those of the servant disciples.

A dozen or so spiritual beasts lived in these enclosures, most of them pets owned by elders and deacons. According to the sect rules, these pets could not be brought into the Inner Sect but were instead kept in a designated area in the Outer Sect. For the servant disciples, looking after these high-status beasts was a chore they dreaded. Not only did they have to handle the feeding, but they also had to clean up the filth, and with the slightest carelessness, they risked being attacked by the beasts; injuries were common. These beasts were mostly the favored pets of the high-ranking elders, and relying on their deep backgrounds, they were arrogant and foul-tempered, looking down on ordinary disciples.

At this moment, in one of the enclosures, a giant tiger several feet long, covered in dark patterns, was snoring loudly on the ground, hot breath puffing from its nostrils. Suddenly, the formation outside the enclosure rippled, and silently, a gap opened. A figure in black, wearing a mask, slipped inside.

*Target found!*

Seeing the giant tiger ahead, the eyes of the man in black—the only part visible—brightened, and a curve of excitement tugged at the corner of his mouth. Like a hunter finally finding his prey, he approached impatiently.

"ROAR!"

The sudden movement caused the giant tiger to snap its eyes open. It glared at the intruder with great dissatisfaction. "You blind fool, how dare you disturb your Tiger Grandfather's sleep? Are you tired of living?"

This Black Tiger, at the Foundation Establishment stage, had already gained sentience and could speak human language. "Get lost! Or Tiger Grandpa will swallow you whole!" It assumed it was just some foolish servant disciple interrupting its nap and didn't even bother to lift its eyelids, its tone incredibly arrogant.

"You are the Flame Tiger, the pet of Elder Xu from the Inner Sect, aren't you?" The man in black didn't seem angry, nor was he in a hurry to strike; he simply strolled toward the tiger.

"Wrong! You don't even know who Tiger Grandpa is; you aren't a servant here!" The giant tiger became alert immediately. Its massive body rose from the ground, its fur standing on end, and it stared with bared fangs. "How dare you trespass on Tiger Grandpa’s territory? I won't let you off today!"

As it spoke, a cloud of black mist rose around the giant tiger. Waving its sharp claws, it lunged at the man in black with ferocious momentum.

The next moment.

*BANG!*

Before it could even launch its attack, an unadorned fist smashed into its massive forehead. The Black Tiger immediately felt dizzy, its limbs went weak, and it collapsed heavily to the ground. Then, the man in black closed in and began to beat it up...

A few moments later.

"Wuwuwu, stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I surrender! I was wrong! Please, spare me..." The Black Tiger whimpered, clutching its head with its paws, crying and begging for mercy. "I’m not the Flame Tiger! My name is Black Shadow Tiger, I'm Elder Yang's pet!"

The man in black paused, then sneered coldly. "You mangy beast, you dare try to deceive me? It seems you haven't been hit enough!" With that, he proceeded to pummel the black tiger again.

"I'm not lying! I really am the Black Shadow Tiger!"

"Hmph, you still dare to argue!"

The man in black remained unconvinced.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*