"What?"
This statement from Chu Liang caught the group by surprise.
They knew that in a jungle full of evil demons where their True Yuan couldn't be replenished, they could run into any sort of danger. The more stored cultivation one had, the higher the chance of escaping from danger.
Therefore, at their core, none of them really wanted to waste their True Qi on blazing a path. Hence, Fang Ting suggested a fair solution of the three of them taking turns.
When Chu Liang voiced his objections, they all thought he was trying to dodge responsibility or pull Fang Ting and Xu Ziqing into the matter.
But much to their astonishments, this warmly smiling young man volunteered to take on the task of clearing the path alone.
Given that he was only at the early stage of the Divine Consciousness Realm, his sense of responsibility took them by surprise.
"Junior Brother Chu, this is no joking matter," Lin Bei was the first to attempt to dissuade him, "Besides, it might take us an hour or so to traverse this path. If you exhaust all your True Qi, it'll only hinder our subsequent task of harvesting the Human-faced Jade Essence Flower. We should stick with the plan of taking turns to lead."
Chu Liang replied with a smile, "It's all right, I'm confident. If I'm running low on True Qi, I'll naturally step back. I have limited cultivation, and there are few ways in which I can help. This would allow me to contribute a bit more."
His words were sincere, and his expression genuine, deeply affecting the group significantly.
If you insist on this, then you should take the lead. It's getting late, and we need to enter the mountain as soon as possible," said Fang Ting. He paused, then added, "Just remember to switch the moment your True Qi is depleted more than half. If you wait until you're run out, it'll be too late."
"I understand," Chu Liang responded.
Xu Ziqing, the little girl, pouted at Chu Liang.
In reality, her spirit pet, the white bird, wasn't given to her by her elder brother, but by their master. Wang Xuanling had always adored her since she was young, and as a result, Xu Ziqing held deep affection for her master. Naturally, her impression of Silver Sword Peak, which held a grudge against Wang Xuanling, was anything but favorable.
Previously, she'd silently bristled when she heard Chu Liang was a disciple of Empress Feng from Silver Sword Peak. When he climbed onto her white bird, she was irked and rejoiced in isolating him by sitting at the front.
However, as tender-hearted as this little girl was, she was suddenly moved when she saw Chu Liang proactively taking on responsibility for the team. It was obvious that he was doing this to get closer to everyone. She suddenly felt that her previous action of isolating him was entirely unfair.
Moreover, this Senior Brother Chu...
He was calm, handsome, and had a pleasing smile... He was obviously a good person.
Xu Ziqing tugged on her sleeve corner and ran a few steps to catch up with Chu Liang. She pulled out a small bottle and said, "Senior Brother Chu, here are three Spirit Gathering Pills. Keep them."
The Spirit Gathering Pill, which could quickly replenish one's True Qi, would undoubtedly be useful at this time. However, the main effect of the Spirit Gathering Pill was to enhance one's cultivation after ingestion. Without the possibility of subsequent cultivation here, solely using it to replenish True Qi was somewhat wasteful.
"Junior Sister Xu, this...", Chu Liang was about to refuse when the little girl stared at him with her big, watery eyes, full of remorse. It seemed as if she'd start crying if he didn't accept.
This left him somewhat stunned, so he took the pills and said, "Alright, thank you."
"Hee hee, no problem; I still have plenty," Xu Ziqing responded sweetly once he accepted the pills.
Chu Liang moved forward, his flying sword at the ready. He didn't have time to delve into the emotional journeys of the Jade Sword Peak disciples. His decision to take the lead was simple.
The one clearing the path gets to fight the monsters.
...
"Hiss..."
In this vast wilderness, the dense forest was filled with ancient trees, each several feet high. Their crowns and intertwining vines blotted out the sun, letting not even a single beam of light penetrate through.
Fang Ting held a lantern-like magic artifact in his hand, emitting a soft light that enveloped the group and illuminated what was ahead. Walking at the very front, Chu Liang extended his Divine Sense a few feet ahead of him, treading each step warily.
Just as he detected a hint of demonic aura in his divine sense, a strange noise came from the front.
Out of the vines coiling around a sturdy ancient tree, one sprang forth, looking like a green spotted giant python. At the tip of the vine was a fist-sized, dazzlingly red flower bud.
A Flower Demon!
The moment the vine rushed at them, the red flower bud instantly opened, revealing a sharp-toothed, gaping mouth!
Within this beautiful flower petal laid a man-eating mouth!
"Be careful," Chu Liang warned.
Within the last half an hour, Chu Liang had dealt with four flower demons like this one. The Zhennan Region's Mountain was indeed filled with demons. Even the fringes of the forest were rife with peril. The camouflage of the vine and flower demons was impossible to discern with the naked eye. If it weren't for cultivators at the Divine Consciousness Realm with their divine sense activated, one wouldn't be able to take even a few steps before they would be eradicated.
"Let's take a break," Fang Ting suggested from behind.
Although only Chu Liang was clearing the path, the divine senses of the others were constantly extended, alert to their surroundings. Even though they conserved their True Qi and physical strength, they still felt fatigued after keeping their divine senses extended for a long while.
For cultivators, the Essence, Qi, and Spirit mattered equally.
"You all pull back your divine sense and rest up. I'll handle the alert duties for this period." After everyone sat down to rest, Fang Ting, as a Golden Core Realm cultivator, took it upon himself to look after everyone all on his own.
Lin Bei leaned over to ask, "Brother Chu, are you okay?"
"I'm in good shape," Chu Liang nodded.
He spoke the truth. With the aid of Xu Ziqing's Spirit Gathering Pill, his True Qi was still at its peak. He didn't spare a second thought to conserving the Spirit Gathering Pill - after all, defeating a lantern monster would earn it back.
As long as there were rewards from White Pagoda, fighting monsters would always be profitable.
With these thoughts, he closed his eyes for self-inspection, anticipating what lay within the White Pagoda.
Inside the iron cage of the White Pagoda, there were four golden phantom-like images, each resembling a flower. Chu Liang approached and pressed the 'Refine' option.
With a loud crack, Chu Liang reached out and grabbed the glowing object that emerged. It was something wrapped in oilpaper, appearing to be some sort of powder.
Then he received a prompt.
[Hundred Flowers Powder]:
A detoxifying medicine refined from the essences of hundreds of flowers. Half to be taken orally, the other half to be applied externally, it can counteract hundreds of poisons. Using Hundred Flowers Powder leaves the user smelling of flowers, with an upfront Jasmine fragrance, middle notes of Rose, and a base note of Osmanthus, a long-lasting rich scent.