Translator: Cinder Translations
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The next day, early morning.
Pill Peak.
Song Wen stood on a small platform at the edge of a cliff, waiting for Zhou Siyi, as they had arranged to meet there.
After more than a quarter of an hour, Zhou Siyi finally arrived.
"Junior Brother Wu, I made a trip home to see my father, which made me a bit late. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's no trouble; I just arrived as well. Senior Sister Zhou, let's set off right away."
As he spoke, a flying boat appeared in front of Song Wen.
Before he could board, Zhou Siyi interjected, "Junior Brother Wu, the journey to Dayan Kingdom is quite far, over tens of thousands of miles. This flying boat is slow, and it will take too much time. Use my ship instead."
She waved her hand, and a small flying ship, about ten meters long, appeared in mid-air.
Song Wen didn't hesitate, stowing away his flying boat and leaping onto her ship.
The journey was smooth and uneventful.
Three days later, at noon, the two arrived in Dayan Kingdom.
The Spirit Breeding Workshop of the Beastmaster Sect was located by a remote large lake.
The lake was vast, with thick fog shrouding its surface, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
A faint spiritual energy flowed from the water, suggesting the presence of a small spiritual vein somewhere beneath the lake.
It was precisely because of this spiritual vein that the Beastmaster Sect established the Spirit Breeding Workshop here.
The workshop wasn't large, occupying about thirty acres; half of it was on land, and half was on the water. Giant trees stood underwater as pillars, upon which houses and lofts were built.
The flying ship approached from afar, catching the attention of the Beastmaster Sect's disciples at the Spirit Breeding Workshop.
Since the flying ship bore the sect's flag, there was no unnecessary misunderstanding.
When Zhou Siyi hovered the ship above the workshop, a male cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement rose into the air.
"Excuse me, are you two elders from the Beastmaster Sect's Pill Peak?"
Zhou Siyi replied, "My surname is Zhou; you can call me Elder Zhou. This is Elder Wu."
As she said this, she pointed to Song Wen.
"I am He Su, the steward of this Spirit Breeding Workshop. Greetings, Elder Zhou, Elder Wu. Please follow me."
Zhou Siyi stowed the ship and, along with Song Wen, used flying techniques to follow He Su.
After a moment, the three arrived at a building situated on the water's surface.
This building appeared to be specifically for receiving esteemed guests; it had ten floors, nearly reaching thirty meters* in height.
TL: It said 30 feet, but 30 feet is very short for a 10-story building. So I changed it to 30m (100 feet) tall.
The three stood at the top floor, where they could overlook the entire Spirit Breeding Workshop.
Once seated, He Su began brewing tea for Song Wen and Zhou Siyi.
"This tea is sourced from a high mountain by the lake. Although its spiritual energy isn't comparable to that of the sect's spiritual tea, it has been nourished by the mist from the lake for many years, giving it a unique flavor. Please give it a try, elders."
Zhou Siyi interrupted him, saying, "No need for that; just take us to see the Green Jade Snakes so we can complete the mission and return to the sect sooner."
He Su put down the tea set and smiled. "Elder Zhou is indeed efficient; please follow me."
Suddenly, a flicker of unusual expression flashed in Song Wen's eyes.
He had just sensed a very subtle spiritual consciousness sweep over him and Zhou Siyi. If it weren't for his spiritual consciousness being comparable to the peak of foundation building, he would have never noticed it.
In this Spirit Breeding Workshop in Dayan Kingdom, the Green Jade Snakes raised here were only first-tier spirit beasts, and the highest cultivation level of the Beastmaster Sect disciples stationed here was merely the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Where did this sudden spiritual consciousness come from?
Song Wen casually glanced toward the surface of the lake.
That fleeting spiritual consciousness had emerged from beneath the water.
Beneath the surface of the lake, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was hiding.
Why would a Foundation Establishment cultivator be concealed within the Spirit Breeding Workshop?
Did He Su know or not?
Regarding the latter question, Song Wen quickly found an answer.
Just as He Su was about to leap down from the loft towards the area where the Green Jade Snakes were kept, his body suddenly froze for an inexplicable moment but returned to normal in an instant.
Song Wen keenly noticed that He Su had just received a message, which was evidently from the Foundation Establishment cultivator underwater.
This meant that He Su was aware of the hidden Foundation Establishment cultivator beneath the water.
To avoid disturbing the other party and exposing himself, Song Wen refrained from forcibly reading the message's content.
Many questions arose in Song Wen's mind.
Which faction did the person underwater belong to? Why were they hiding within the Spirit Breeding Workshop?
Was He Su colluding with outsiders to scheme for the spiritual beasts of the breeding workshop?
Or was the person underwater actually a disciple of the Beastmaster Sect, executing a secret mission, which was why their presence was not disclosed?
...
Green Jade Snakes enjoyed water and were kept in it.
On the lake's surface, there were several snake pens constructed of black boulders, each covering an area of about a hundred square meters. The boulders had many small holes, allowing the lake water to flow.
Under He Su's guidance, the three quickly arrived at one of the snake pens.
Inside the pen were seven Green Jade Snakes, the largest about the size of a bowl, and the smallest as thick as an arm, with their strength at most at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement.
The Green Jade Snakes were quietly floating on the water's surface. Upon seeing someone enter the pen, they suddenly became aggressive, opening their mouths to reveal lethal fangs and flicking their long tongues.
Like arrows, the Green Jade Snakes shot out of the water towards Song Wen and the others.
Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared in mid-air, blocking the Green Jade Snakes—the barrier in the snake pen had been activated.
"Turn off the barrier and give them some Beast Essence Pills to see how they react," Song Wen instructed.
There was no doubt that the Spirit Breeding Workshop hid certain secrets.
However, Song Wen had no intention of probing further.
He just wanted to complete the mission quickly and return to the sect.
He was not interested in matters unrelated to the mission and did not plan to inquire further to avoid unnecessary trouble.
He Su appeared somewhat hesitant upon hearing this.
"Why haven't you activated the barrier? With me and Elder Wu here, can we not handle a few first-tier Green Jade Snakes?"
Under Zhou Siyi's urging, He Su finally took out a small flag and cast a spell on it.
After a moment, the barrier dissipated.
The Green Jade Snakes sprang out of the water, aiming to bite at the three.
"Back off!"
Song Wen called out lightly, and a powerful aura instantly spread, enveloping the entire snake pen under this oppressive force.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
Under Song Wen's overwhelming might, the attacking Green Jade Snakes abruptly halted, falling back into the water and splashing everywhere.
Song Wen raised his hand and summoned the largest and strongest Green Jade Snake with an invisible force, lifting it towards himself.
The Green Jade Snake, measuring several meters long, twisted and struggled but could not break free.
With a flick of his finger, he shot a Beast Essence Pill into the Green Jade Snake's mouth.
The spiritual power constraining the Green Jade Snake suddenly dissipated, and it plummeted back into the water.
"Activate the barrier again," Song Wen instructed He Su.
Once the barrier was reactivated, the three stood in place, quietly waiting.
After about a quarter of an hour, the Green Jade Snake that had consumed the Beast Essence Pill became restless, swimming like a snake searching for a mate.
(End of the Chapter)
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