In the lush woods of the Qingyun Mountain Range, five individuals, four men and one woman, proceeded slowly. The sturdy young man leading the way stopped and turned to ask, "There are ferocious beasts ahead. Shall we continue?"
Ferocious beasts were no ordinary wild animals; even the weakest among them possessed the strength of entry-level martial artists, while some formidable ones could rival innate martial artists.
After a brief discussion, the group decided to press on. Wang Hong had reached the Acquired realm, Hua Wen Jue had been in the entry-level for years, and the other three had also attained entry-level martial artist status. With a united effort, they were confident in dealing with one or two ferocious beasts.
Moreover, their primary objective this time was to hone their combat skills, gain battle experience, hunt ferocious beasts, gather rare medicinal herbs, and earn some wealth.
Among them, only Hua Wen Jue came from a wealthy family, while Wang Hong had some money but didn't flaunt it. The remaining three had to find ways to make a living to support their cultivation. Areas with ferocious beasts often meant scarce human presence and better opportunities for harvest.
As they continued, the group's harvest gradually increased. Li Xiao Ya temporarily took charge of the gathered medicinal herbs, to be distributed based on each person's contribution. Wang Hong and Hua Wen Jue, with their strong abilities, focused on vigilance, while the other three concentrated on collecting.
Suddenly, Li Xiao Ya pointed to a cliff on the opposite side, exclaiming, "Look! There's a cluster of white things that seem to be White Jade Mushrooms."
Everyone turned to look in the direction she pointed, and indeed, beneath the vines on the cliff, a faint cluster of white could be seen. Wang Hong, with his knowledge in medicine, immediately recognized it as White Jade Mushroom.
Known as the healing sacred medicine, White Jade Powder was made primarily from White Jade Mushrooms aged five to ten years. It was said that even a hundred-year-old White Jade Mushroom could revive a person from near-death as long as there was a breath left. Owning a high-aged White Jade Mushroom was like having an extra lease on life.
However, White Jade Mushrooms had extremely strict growth requirements. Those within ten years were common, but most would wither and die before reaching twenty. Only a very few, in special environments, could live beyond fifty years, and reaching a hundred was exceedingly rare.
Eighty years ago, an eighty-year-old White Jade Mushroom had caused a sensation in the martial world. It led to a fierce competition among martial heroes, resulting in numerous casualties.
Approaching the cliff, Lu Jin Gou was about to climb up using the vines when Wang Hong stopped him. Wang Hong picked up a few stones and threw them towards the vines surrounding the White Jade Mushroom.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The stones hit, causing leaves to scatter.
Suddenly, the vines shook violently, and a massive snake head emerged, spitting venom and fixing its cold gaze on the group.
The group tensed, retreating cautiously until they were several yards from the cliff. Lu Jin Gou, in particular, felt a wave of relief, realizing that if he had charged up without caution, he might have ended up inside the snake's belly.
The giant python stared for a moment, then, seeing the group step back, made no further moves. Its head slowly retreated.
After a brief discussion, the group devised a strategy. They gathered a pile of stones and began throwing them at the cliff.
After a few rocks were thrown, the snake head emerged again. The group continued pelting it with stones. Li Xiao Ya even threw a small, nimble dagger, hitting the snake's neck, but the dagger's force was too weak, penetrating only a little.
Although these attacks didn't cause significant harm, they were enough to enrage the giant python.
The python writhed its thick body, charging towards the group like a gust of wind. Before getting too close, a foul wind blew in their faces. Seeing the snake approaching, Lu Jin Gou swiftly maneuvered to the side, slipping towards the cliff.
The remaining four alternated between defending and retreating, leading the snake to an open area. Two restrained its attacks while the others approached from the sides.
The snake spat venom at Hua Wen Jue, who leaped backward. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Hong, from the side, executed the Thunderous Spear Technique, launching three consecutive waves at a single point. This technique combined the power of three thrusts into one, specifically designed to deal with defensively strong opponents.
The spear thrust went in half a foot deep, causing the snake pain. It retaliated by biting towards Wang Hong. Simultaneously, Li Xiao Ya stabbed the snake's belly, creating a wound.
At the same time, the snake swung its tail towards her. Seeing this, Zhang Tie Mao quickly raised his thick-backed broadsword and slashed at the incoming tail, cutting a deep gash a few inches long.
However, the force of the massive snake tail was tremendous. Despite Zhang Tie Mao's attempt to slow it down, both of them were knocked to the ground.
Meanwhile, Lu Jin Gou, who had slipped away earlier, was now standing below the cliff, observing. He threw a few stones towards the cliff, but there was no reaction. He grabbed the vines, resembling a monkey, and swiftly climbed up.
As the snake knocked down the two, it raised its tail again, ready to strike. If it hit them again, several bones would likely break. At this critical moment, a figure pulled the two a few feet away. The snake's tail slammed forcefully on the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying.
It turned out that Lu Jin Gou had gone to secretly collect medicinal herbs, successfully returned, and timely intervened, saving them.
Originally, the plan was for the four to entangle the snake, allowing Lu Jin Gou to sneak past and collect herbs. After obtaining the herbs, if they could defeat the giant snake, they would do so together; if not, they would escape together. Now, with Lu Jin Gou joining the fight, it seemed that the combined effort of the five would be more than enough to defeat the snake.
Seeing Li Xiao Ya and Zhang Tie Mao unharmed, Lu Jin Gou, armed with a single knife, swiftly joined the battle, employing a more flexible fighting style. After striking the belly, he quickly leaped away, avoiding the incoming snake tail.
Hua Wen Jue, noticing the snake head attacking Wang Hong, swiftly counterattacked. The five coordinated their attacks, becoming more proficient. In less than a moment, the giant python was covered in wounds, lying on the ground awaiting its demise. Wang Hong and the others only suffered minor injuries.
The group had a bountiful harvest this time. The snake alone brought great joy to Zhang Tie Mao. Ferocious beasts were valuabletheir meat contained abundant vital essence, a great supplement for martial artists. Their skins were also excellent materials for crafting armor. However, ferocious beasts, especially snakes, were challenging to kill. Without the coordinated efforts of the five, defeating this giant python would have come at a significant cost.
In the cluster of White Jade Mushrooms that Lu Jin Gou collected, there was one plant that had reached nearly twenty years of medicinal age, and several others were three to five years old or seven to eight years old.
Hua Wen Jue paid fifty silver for the White Jade Mushroom that was over ten years old, providing each person with ten silver. Wang Hong received a White Jade Mushroom, a large segment of snake meat, and several other medicinal herbs.
Returning to the academy, the group gathered to enjoy a feast made from the entire snake before dispersing.
Back in his courtyard, Wang Hong first entered the space dimension to plant the newly acquired medicinal herbs. The wine made from raspberries a few days ago was ready. Wang Hong filtered it through a piece of cloth, producing two jars of deep purple fruit wine. After tasting a small cup, he found it sweet and mellow, truly excellent. He sealed the wine jars for further aging, knowing that it would only improve with time.
Wang Hong also sampled the ginseng and lingzhi wines brewed earlier. Perhaps due to the diffusing nature of alcohol, medicinal wine quickly spread throughout the body. For cultivation purposes, the rapid dispersion of medicinal properties wasn't ideal, making medicinal cuisine more effective. However, this type of medicinal wine was effective for alleviating physical fatigue and restoring energy and internal strength.
After these two battles, Wang Hong's spear technique had improved. Additionally, he considered practicing an external martial art, which essentially meant enduring beatings to enhance one's defense.
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