After establishing his foundation, Yu Su first learned Qi Manipulation. However, lacking a magic sword, he could only fly a short distance. To soar long distances, a magic sword was necessary.
When Lu Yan saw him using Qi Manipulation to fly, his eyes widened, and he instinctively reached out to grab him, a panic he had never felt before rushing through him.
"Yu Su!"
Startled by the loud call, Yu Su landed, asking, "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly shout so loudly?"
Seeing Lu Yan frown as if frightened, Yu Su smiled, "Did I scare you? This is Qi Manipulation. Once you establish your foundation, you'll be able to fly too."
Lu Yan, now understanding, replied, "Let me forge a magic sword for you, then you can fly longer distances."
As Lu Yan would likely establish his foundation when the sword was ready, they could fly together.
Even if Yu Su went elsewhere, Lu Yan could catch up.
Not aware of Lu Yan's thoughts, Yu Su commented, "It's good; flying with Qi Manipulation consumes a lot of spiritual power."
Lu Yan sighed in relief.
Then he furrowed his brows, realizing he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refinement. When would he be able to establish his foundation?
Yu Su pondered and said, "Possibly next year?"
Lu Yan's cultivation speed was impressive, being a single spiritual root. Establishing the foundation shouldn't be a problem next year... maybe.
Unable to predict with certainty, Yu Su assured, "Don't worry. With your high talent, establishing the foundation is a matter of course. When you accumulate enough, the time will come."
Accumulate enough?
Lu Yan wondered, "Are items like the Fire Spirit Stones from last time useful?"
Yu Su nodded, "Certainly useful, but they are rare."
Now more experienced, Lu Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Would Black Flame Valley have them?"
Yu Su paused, considering, "Possibly. The Flame Serpent chose Black Flame Valley for its nest. Besides the spiritual herbs in the valley, the Black Flame Mountain should have something."
This time, they could explore Black Flame Valley, finding potential treasures.
"After we return, let's visit Black Flame Valley."
"Okay."
Lu Yan was even looking forward to it.
The main goal achieved, they now needed materials for forging.
While exploring the eastern mountains, they found suitable materials like Tiger Demon bones and Snake Demon skins. Going deeper, they expected to discover more.
Before that, they planned to visit the Lion Tribe.
Yu Su wanted to see what the Witch Fruit truly was.
Two days later, they returned to the Lion Tribe.
Now at the Foundation Establishment stage, Yu Su learned the Concealment Technique, making him invisible to beings of the same level. Confined outside, Lu Yan and the Little Black Bird waited.
Seeing Lu Yan gaze at the Lion Tribe, the bird chirped with discontent.
Lu Yan, unable to understand, said, "Yu Su went in."
The bird looked frustrated, wanting to ask Lu Yan what's wrong.
Unable to comprehend, Lu Yan questioned, "Is there any way for me to establish my foundation immediately?"
The bird chirped angrily as if saying, "You're daydreaming."
Instant foundation establishment was impossible; even Yu Su achieved it by consuming the Life Fruit. Lu Yan needed patient cultivation.
Frustrated, Lu Yan looked at the bird, "Can you use Concealment Technique?"
The bird chirped, clearly irritated. How could a little bird learn such advanced skills? It expressed its annoyance to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan, ignorant of its meaning, sighed, "Is there a way to speed up my foundation establishment?"
The bird chirped again, expressing disbelief.
Impatient, Lu Yan desired to go to Black Flame Valley, find Fire Spirit Stones, and accelerate his cultivation.
The main goal accomplished, they sought materials for forging. While exploring the eastern mountains, they found suitable materials such as Tiger Demon bones and Snake Demon skins. Going deeper, they expected to discover more.
Before that, they planned to visit the Lion Tribe.
Yu Su wanted to see what the Witch Fruit truly was.
Two days later, they returned to the Lion Tribe.
Now at the Foundation Establishment stage, Yu Su learned the Concealment Technique, making him invisible to beings of the same level. Confined outside, Lu Yan and the Little Black Bird waited.
Seeing Lu Yan gaze at the Lion Tribe, the bird chirped with discontent.
Lu Yan, unable to understand, said, "Yu Su went in."
The bird looked frustrated, wanting to ask Lu Yan what's wrong.
Unable to comprehend, Lu Yan questioned, "Is there any way for me to establish my foundation immediately?"
The bird chirped angrily as if saying, "You're daydreaming."
Instant foundation establishment was impossible; even Yu Su achieved it by consuming the Life Fruit. Lu Yan needed patient cultivation.
Frustrated, Lu Yan looked at the bird, "Can you use Concealment Technique?"
The bird chirped, clearly irritated. How could a little bird learn such advanced skills? It expressed its annoyance to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan, ignorant of its meaning, sighed, "Is there a way to speed up my foundation establishment?"
The bird chirped again, expressing disbelief.
Impatient, Lu Yan desired to go to Black Flame Valley, find Fire Spirit Stones, and accelerate his cultivation.
The bird chirped again, expressing disbelief.
Impatient, Lu Yan desired to go to Black Flame Valley, find Fire Spirit Stones, and accelerate his cultivation.
...
Yu Su entered the Lion Tribe, scanning it with his divine sense to understand its situation.
Approximately six hundred normal residents and numerous ugly Witch Slaves filled the tribe. Surprisingly, these Witch Slaves, although numerous and powerful, obediently followed the tribe's orders.
"They were captured after their villages were destroyed. It's strange how obedient they are to the Lion Tribe."
[Indeed, quite peculiar.]
Noticing the tribe's high productivity, Yu Su observed they possessed many iron tools, utensils, and sturdy houses. Although not as refined as his village, it was a luxurious lifestyle in this region.
In the chief's house, wealth overflowed with shells, pearls, and more.
However, Yu Su also saw numerous slaves confined like livestock, their faces expressionless.
Frowning, Yu Su couldn't locate the Witch Fruit so far.
"Lord Xiong has been away for two days and hasn't returned."
"Yeah, no new Witch Slaves have been born these days, and we don't know how the Witch Fruit in the temple is faring."
People in the Lion Tribe discussed the Witch Doctor Xiong Li and the Witch Fruit.
"Xiong Li isn't in the Lion Tribe?"
Listening closely, Yu Su learned that Xiong Li had gone to the Rice Village.Xiongli learned through divination that those witch-slave warriors had died and that the people from Dao Village had gone to a northern village, highly likely Great Thistle Village.
Yusu was astonished, "Is divination really that accurate?"
[Witch clans with genuine skills are indeed quite accurate in divination. During the peak of the Arts Era, sects like God Machine Gate could also discern some secrets through divination. However, such individuals are rare, and most accurate diviners tend to have some personal issues.]
Yusu knew about the five disadvantages and three lacks such issues usually entailed.
But Xiongli wasn't from a witch clan; he was just a regular witch doctor. The old witch doctor in Dao Village even mentioned that Xiongli might be devoted to an evil deity.
[Master, why not check the temple first?]
Yusu nodded and learned the temple's location from the people in Xiongli's tribe.
The temple, though roughly built, was partially embedded in the stone mountain, and its primary section seemed to be inside a cave. Yusu easily bypassed the guards, entering the temple as if invisible.
Inside, he found a peculiar tree in a large cave. The tree was entirely dark purple, with bulging, diseased-looking growths on its trunk and leaves. It emitted a strange odor from its dark purple fruits, each about half the size of a fist.
In the cave were numerous iron cages containing people who seemed to have died in agony from a burst of spiritual power—likely from consuming the witch fruit.
"This Xiongli tribe is truly harmful."
Yusu, after inspecting the strange tree and its fruit, instructed, "Scan it to know more."
[This is a type of spirit plant, but my database lacks records on it. It's likely extinct since the Primordial Era.]
Surprisingly, Yusu didn't know about this plant—perhaps figures like Qingze and the Life Tree, natives of the Primordial Era, might have information.
"I'll pluck one fruit for Qingze to examine. As for this harmful tree, let's not leave it."
Yusu burned the tree entirely after activating a protective barrier. No one outside noticed the fire.
[If they investigate inside, they'll find the tree missing.]
"Just now, those people said no one is allowed inside the temple, except Xiongli and his trusted ones. So, until Xiongli returns, they won't discover anything."
"Next, let's visit Xiongli's residence."
Yusu easily found the luxurious house belonging to Xiongli, the witch doctor, who was known for his divination skills. Inside, he discovered strange experiments with bloody tools.
Disgusted, Yusu also found several pieces of black stones underneath a table. Although he couldn't comprehend them, the images on these stones seemed eerie.
"What are these?"
[Possibly related to black magic.]
"Leave them. Take these black stones and the scrolls to show Qingze. I doubt Xiongli's moral compass."
Finally, Yusu couldn't resist taking a box of money beads and pearls from Xiongli's house.
"Don't waste resources."
Yusu took these items without any guilt.
In the nearby vicinity of Dao Village, Xiongli had been searching, but there were no signs of the witch-slave warriors' corpses. His intuition suddenly alarmed him, as if something terrible had happened in the tribe.
"Lord Xiongli, what do we do now? Pursue the people from Dao Village?"
Xiongli glared coldly, "Pursue what? They've been gone for a while now."
Shocked, the subordinate dared not speak further.
Xiongli glanced northward, sensing that Dao Village's people probably headed to Great Thistle Village.
"Perhaps it wasn't the people from Great Thistle Village who killed those witch-slave warriors?" suggested Xiongli's apprentice.
Xiongli squinted; if not Great Thistle Village...
Suddenly, he felt an ominous premonition. Something major had occurred in the Xiongli tribe!
The others, despite their doubts, had to follow him back.