"Friend, are you... Did you not sleep well last night?"
Zhang Jing waited for Xu Sui at Autumn Leaf Pavilion. This was not unexpected, considering the reward was the Tempering Jade Pill. However, Xu Sui's current appearance, with sleepy eyes, suggested he might have spent the night enjoying the melodies in the pleasure quarter.
"No problem, just need a moment to adjust."
Xu Sui entered the elegant room, facing a table full of delicious dishes. He ate a little out of courtesy and then began to circulate his techniques to restore his spiritual energy.
Honestly, he himself hadn't expected such a childish side of him, combining the two lifetimes he lived; he was already quite old.
When Li Qingyi lifted Xu Sui's chin with the tip of her sword, Xu Sui wanted to retaliate. He did manage to do so, but the outcome was predictable. Annoyed, Li Qingyi used practical combat training as an excuse and vigorously trained him throughout the night. Xu Sui could only win against her if the conditions were favorable – suppressing cultivation, not using magical treasures, or when she was careless. In a real combat scenario without these elements, he was at a disadvantage.
Although foundation stage cultivators were supported by spiritual energy and could endure a night without rest, Xu Sui's spiritual energy was almost drained after a night of real combat. If he still had any spirit left, he would doubt his own constitution.
"Now that everyone is here, let's eat and talk."
Zhang Jing closed the door, and the soundproof enchantment in the elegant room took effect. Although Autumn Leaf Pavilion was operated by mortals, it had the support of Luo Fu Mountain, making it a suitable place for discussions among cultivators.
Everyone present was a disciple of Luo Fu Mountain, and attacking Xu Sui here would not only violate the rules but also ruin their reputation. Who would want to collaborate with someone willing to attack their fellow sect member?
Zhang Jing then mentioned the purpose of this trip – the Dragon Elephant Bodhi.
"The legendary Dragon Elephant Bodhi that enhances the power of a dragon and an elephant when consumed?"
A sturdy middle-aged man named Shi Shan spoke up. From his appearance, it was evident that he followed the path of body refinement, so he was familiar with spiritual fruits that enhanced physical attributes.
With this elder's explanation, everyone became more curious. If consuming the Dragon Elephant Bodhi had such incredible effects, wouldn't refining it into a pill be even more extraordinary?
"You only know part of the story," Zhang Jing continued.
The Dragon Elephant Bodhi not only increased the user's strength but was a serendipitous fruit formed when the blood of a dragon and an elephant mixed during their battle. To unleash its maximum potential, the blood of the dragon and elephant needed to be extracted and refined for alchemy.
Hearing this, even Xu Sui thought Zhang Jing's ambitions were enormous. Using dragon and elephant blood in alchemy would undoubtedly produce extraordinary pills. However, it was a task beyond a foundational alchemist like Zhang Jing. It seemed he had taken on this mission to fulfill a task assigned by a higher-up.
"I heard that such treasures are guarded by powerful demonic beasts. How strong are the guardians of the Dragon Elephant Bodhi?"
"Rest assured, I wouldn't dare to go if I wasn't confident."
Zhang Jing reassured the group. He explained that he had carefully planned their route to avoid territories of high-level demonic beasts. With five out of seven members being in the initial or middle stages of the foundational realm, they should be able to handle the challenges on their journey.
"The issue is, even though we'll be avoiding the deepest part of the Cloud Dream Swamp, encountering a foundational realm demonic beast might still cause casualties, making the Dragon Elephant Bodhi mission less certain."
After adjusting his condition through breathing exercises, Xu Sui joined the discussion. His inner landscape, representing his cultivation progress, had recovered to about 20%, twice that of an ordinary foundational stage cultivator.
Everyone turned their attention to Zhang Jing, obviously concerned about this issue. In the deeper parts of the Cloud Dream Swamp, it wasn't just foundational realm demonic beasts they had to worry about; even Nascent Soul realm creatures weren't uncommon.
"Rest assured, I've considered this aspect thoroughly."
Zhang Jing was well-prepared for this operation. He revealed a map and explained their planned route. It seemed that they would only pass through territories of foundational realm demonic beasts if they followed Zhang Jing's plan and didn't have internal conflicts. The real challenge would be how to obtain the Dragon Elephant Bodhi.
"In the past few days, I learned from my master, Daoist Danhua, that something significant is happening deep within the Cloud Dream Swamp. The various demon kings are preoccupied and won't bother with external matters. This is one of the reasons why I decided to set out recently."
What exactly was happening was not disclosed, but no one asked. A demonic beast strong enough to be called a demon king was not something they, as foundational cultivators, could handle. They all had an unspoken agreement not to delve into matters beyond their capabilities.
In this context, Danhua was the person in charge of the situation, and Zhang Jing, being his favorite disciple, naturally had some knowledge about it.
The purpose of the demonic kings was to take advantage of the phoenix's breakthrough to attack it and, at the same time, seize the opportunity to divide the territory of the Fire Phoenix. If successful, the demonic kings agreed to provide the Cloud Dream Swamp's unique spiritual herbs to Danhua's sect for alchemical purposes over the next hundred years.
Danhua, being the sect master of the Dan Peak, could not refuse such an offer. Furthermore, once the phoenix reached the Nascent Soul stage, it would have the ability to control the various demonic kings in the swamp. At that point, a war between Luo Fu Mountain and the Cloud Dream Swamp would be inevitable.
As for the phoenix, even if it managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, it was unlikely to survive this ambush. Zhang Jing sighed, realizing that the phoenix egg might not survive either.
Once they had the Dragon Elephant Bodhi, Zhang Jing's master could refine a Heaven's Awakening Pill, which would use the blood of a divine beast to activate Xu Sui's bloodline, allowing him to compete with contemporary geniuses.
This revelation solidified Zhang Jing's determination for this journey. With the Dragon Elephant Bodhi, his master could create a Heaven's Awakening Pill, and Xu Sui would then have the qualifications to stand alongside the contemporary geniuses.