Immortal Path Space

Chapter 106: Sect Grand Competition

Wang Hong returned to his small courtyard with over a million Spirit Stones in his possession, feeling a sense of calm. Releasing Little Peng, who had been confined in the Spirit Beast pouch for days, the creature immediately rubbed against him affectionately, seemingly more eager to please Wang Hong than its own father.

Entering his spatial realm with Little Peng, Wang Hong allowed the creature to roam freely. He scattered the just-acquired 1.4 million Spirit Stones across the land in his spatial realm, with Little Peng trailing him eagerly.

After dispersing all the Spirit Stones, Wang Hong sat by the pond where he cultivated the Ink Jade Spirit Lotus. He caught two small fish for Little Peng to feast on.

Observing the small pond, Wang Hong recalled digging a hole when he first took soil from the spatial realm. As Spirit Stones were added to the space, it automatically leveled the previously dug hole. He wondered if the pond would be similarly leveled.

As the Spirit Stones were gradually absorbed by the spatial realm, the Spirit Qi in the pond became richer. With the growth of Spirit Qi, the nature of the pond seemed to quietly change. The slightly greenish water gradually became clear and transparent, allowing a clear view of the transparent little fish swimming inside.

When the Spirit Qi in the pond reached equilibrium with the spatial realm's soil, it ceased to increase. At this point, the land began to expand, and the water level slowly rose. When it reached the same level as the surrounding soil, it finally stopped.

Wang Hong was surprised to discover this feature of the spatial realmbeing able to consume Spirit Qi to improve the pond water.

Seeing the now improved and crystal-clear pond water, containing Spiritual Energy far superior to the Spirit Spring Water he had bought in the past, he thought it would make excellent water for cooking and tea.

However, watching the transparent fish happily swimming inside, Wang Hong lost his appetite. Even though the water was excellent, it was only bathwater for these small fish.

After all the Spirit Stones were absorbed, the spatial realm gained a little over thirteen acres of land. Transforming the pond water, along with raising its level, consumed a significant amount of Spiritual Energy, costing several tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Nevertheless, Wang Hong dug a one-yard-sized pit on the newly added land, planning to construct a new pond for his drinking water in the future.

To fill this pond, he would need a considerable amount of Spirit Spring Water, which he didn't currently possess and would have to purchase.

With a little over ten acres of remaining land, he trimmed branches from the Spirit Tea tree and replanted fifty of them, covering one acre. Although he had only tasted Spirit Tea twice, he sensed its exceptional quality, despite its slow growth.

The Resplendent Visage Fruit branch he had planted in the secret realm had grown into a small tree, bearing mature fruit. Two Resplendent Visage Fruits, left immature at that time, were now fully ripe.

Half of the remaining land was used to plant the primary and auxiliary herbs needed for Foundation Establishment Pillsa strategic resource in the current Cultivation World. He had only exchanged for nine Foundation Establishment Pills, but it had already attracted the admiration of many cultivators.

Considering the potential dangers of possessing large quantities, he planned to distribute them sparingly when his strength increased in the future.

These scarce items needed to be cultivated in advance, just in case they would be needed later. Given the slow growth rate of the main herb for Foundation Establishment Pills, even with the spatial realm, it would take hundreds of years to cultivate a significant quantity.

The rest of the empty space was dedicated to planting second-tier Spiritual Herbs. These would be needed when he advanced to Foundation Building, so preparing them in advance was essential.

After completing these tasks, Wang Hong left the spatial realm with Little Peng. He also caught some transparent fish from the pond for his lunch. As a cultivator in the later stages of Qi Cultivation, he quickly processed the fish, frying them until golden brown and seasoning them lightly.

Placing two large plates on the central stone table in the courtyard, he opened a bottle of Spirit Wine and poured a full glass. After giving two pieces to Little Peng, he felt a wave of joyous thoughts from the creature. Wang Hong had recently discovered that the little fellow also enjoyed cooked food.

Eating two fish and taking a sip of Spirit Wine, Wang Hong felt incredibly content.

Just then, a knocking sound echoed from outside. Annoyed at the interruption during his meal, Wang Hong opened the door to find Senior Brother Gao, the one-armed Senior Brother Tian, Ke'er Shimei with twin ponytails, and Duanmu Shimei with an oval face.

They had fought together in the secret realm, and their impressions of each other were positive. Since leaving the secret realm, they hadn't been in touch.

"Junior Brother Wang! Apologies for the disturbance," Senior Brother Gao spoke first.

"No need to be polite, please come in!"

"Ah, so Junior Brother Wang is having a meal. We really did disturb you."

Entering the courtyard, they noticed the food and wine, realizing Wang Hong was in the midst of a meal.

"Arriving early is better than arriving on time. How about we all sit down and have a few drinks together?"

Saying so, Wang Hong invited them to sit, and the four of them settled around the stone table without much ceremony.

"Wow! How adorable! Senior Brother Wang, is this your Spirit Pet? Can I hold it?"

Ke'er Shimei spotted Little Peng circling the table and immediately squinted her eyes into crescent moons. The little creature was fluffy and round, irresistibly cute.

"Of course." Before Wang Hong finished speaking, Ke'er Shimei had already lifted Little Peng into her arms.

Duanmu Shimei beside her also reached out, gently stroking the fur on Little Peng's back.

The two female cultivators, engrossed in cuddling Little Peng, forgot about the meal and drinks.

"Junior Brother Wang, don't mind them. This is how female cultivators are. You'll understand when you have a Dao Companion in the future."

Senior Brother Gao, taking a sip of wine, said with a hint of satisfaction.

"Oh! Senior Brother Gao must have a wealth of experience. You must have had many Dao Companions. I truly admire you, Senior Brother."

Wang Hong knew that when Senior Brother Gao first held Duanmu's hand, he was so nervous that he could hardly walk. Now, after just a few months, he was boasting in front of him as if he were an experienced person.

At this moment, Duanmu Shimei, playing with Little Peng on the side, glanced over at them.

"How is that possible? In these decades, I've been diligent in cultivation, rarely speaking to female cultivators. Each conversation lasts no more than five sentences."

Duanmu Shimei turned her head to continue playing with Little Peng, while Senior Brother Gao took a big gulp of wine.

"This wine is excellent! And the fish is also top-notch!"

Senior Brother Gao continued to shove two more fish into his mouth. Senior Brother Tian had already noticed how delicious the fish and wine were and had been quietly enjoying them.

Indeed, the wine was delightful. Wang Hong had aged this Spirit Wine in the spatial realm for five hundred years. Though initially only a middle-grade product, after absorbing Spirit Qi for half a millennium, it had far surpassed high-grade quality.

"Junior Brother Wang, in a few months, the sect will hold its once-in-a-decade grand competition. The top twenty participants will receive Foundation Establishment Pills as rewards. Are you prepared?"

Senior Brother Gao, munching on a fish, vaguely asked.

Wang Hong had heard of the sect's grand competition held every decade. After each secret realm trial, the sect organized a competition, and the winners were awarded Foundation Establishment Pills.

Some talented disciples would avoid going all out in the secret realm, considering the risks. After all, even someone like Wang Yi with a Heavenly Spirit Root had nearly perished. It was not a profitable venture for the sect or the individual.

"I'll pass; I won't participate."

Wang Hong answered. He already had enough Foundation Establishment Pills. Competing for another one wouldn't make much sense and might attract envy.

"I guessed Junior Brother Wang wouldn't participate, but we came here to buy some Spirit Wine from you. The Spirit Wine you gave us last time was a great help; it practically saved our lives."

"At first, we were worried you might be gone, but it seems we were overly concerned."

Senior Brother Tian took a sip of Spirit Wine. Even the one he was currently drinking was enough to replenish the Spiritual Energy of a Qi Cultivation late-stage cultivator. Yet, Wang Hong was using it as a side dish.

"We each want two catties of Spirit Wine."

"Half a catty per bottle, five bottles per person, and one extra bottle as a gift." Wang Hong took out twenty bottles of Spirit Wine from his Storage Bag and placed them on the table.

"Senior Brother Wang, your little bird is so much fun. Can I borrow it for a couple of days?"

Holding Little Peng while organizing the Spirit Wine, Ke'er Shimei asked.

Wang Hong found the request somewhat awkward.

"Its name is Little Peng. If you like it, you can take it with you for a few days. I'm almost annoyed by it."

Wang Hong was actually eager for someone to take care of Little Peng for a few days. In the spatial realm, he was afraid the creature would be eaten by the demon-hunting tree. Little Peng didn't like being in the Spirit Beast pouch, and letting it roam freely outside required constant supervision.

"Wow! That's great. Thank you, Senior Brother Wang!"

Ke'er was so delighted that she almost jumped up.

When Senior Brother Gao and the others left, Wang Hong handed a bag of transparent small fish to Ke'er Shimei. He also took out a bottle of Elixir, giving it to Ke'er and instructing her that when Little Peng nudges her and spins in circles on the ground, she should feed it the Elixir, and the rest of the time, she should give it regular food.

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