Chapter 775 - 696: Ascend to the Peak 95
The reason top-grade Spirit Stones are so precious is that, regardless of low-grade, mid-grade, or top-grade Spirit Stones, they are used up once consumed.
Only top-grade Spirit Stones can be reused. After the Spiritual Energy within them is depleted, they turn into transparent stones. Placing them in areas abundant with Spiritual Energy allows the stones to absorb and replenish, transforming them into top-grade Spirit Stones again.
Due to this reusable characteristic, top-grade Spirit Stones are exceedingly rare, and the Blood Sand Stone is equally valuable. It is generally auctioned at top-grade Spirit Stone prices, or even higher when bartered with anything less.
The Blood Sand Stone’s tremendous worth attracts countless adventurers to the perilous Blood Mist Desert, willing to risk life and limb for it.
Since they were passing through the Blood Mist Desert, Tan Shuangshuang and the group decided to try their luck and possibly acquire some Blood Sand Stones.
Tan Shuangshuang wasn’t particularly concerned about obtaining the Blood Sand Stone; her outing was mainly for leisure and relaxation, unlike those who would gamble everything for them. She planned to explore the safer regions of the Blood Mist Desert, take in its unique scenery, then leave.
Tan Feiyu, Lu Tianyi, and Bai Sheng Fei Hu supported Tan Shuangshuang’s approach, as none of them lacked money. Lu Tianyi, with his unmatched ability to generate wealth, had a stunning amount of Spirit Stones.
Although Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu’s Spirit Stone reserves couldn’t rival Lu Tianyi’s, they possessed plenty of Fire Spirit Essence, which was more valuable than Spirit Stones. As for Bai Sheng, Tan Shuangshuang wasn’t sure about his wealth, but Bai Sheng spent generously, especially for Fei Hu, buying valuable Spiritual Medicine, indicating he was quite wealthy.
Fei Hu, the singular penniless one, had Tan Shuangshuang as his mother, Tan Feiyu as his uncle, Bai Sheng indulging him, plus Lu Tianyi pampering him, leaving him without money concerns but abundant in Spirit Stones, receiving whatever he needed.
The Blood Mist Desert teems with danger, containing few Magic Beasts yet potent ones skilled at covertly striking in the shadows, causing unknown numbers of cultivators to perish under their claws.
The group found themselves on the outskirts of the Blood Mist Desert, where few formidable Magic Beasts existed; only the extreme temperature variations between day and night posed danger. The daytime heat scorches enough to dry one to a husk, while the frigid nights can freeze a person solid in moments.
This extreme temperature isn’t ordinary; it’s induced by a unique Spiritual Power field, making humans vulnerable to the damage caused but unable to resist the intense heat and cold.
With their Body Cultivation background and having endured the Heaven-Reaching Road’s icy trials, Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu regarded the alternating temperatures as a cultivation challenge, handling it with the operation of Spiritual Power.
The most uncomfortable was Lu Tianyi, whose cultivation wasn’t enough, and not a Body cultivator. He walked briefly in the Blood Mist Desert before feeling like he might go mad from the heat, desperately seeking a cool refuge never to leave.
Similarly, Fei Hu struggled. Despite his usual majestic fur, he suffered immensely, resembling a big cat turned dog by the heat, only panting with his pink tongue out.
Bai Sheng wasn’t much better. Despite his transformation into a human form losing his fur coat, being innately a big cat made him particularly intolerant of heat, maintaining an aloof demeanor without sticking out his tongue like Fei Hu, yet visibly wilted from discomfort.
Touched by Fei Hu’s plight, Tan Shuangshuang activated the Flying Heaven Palace, opening its Protective Shield to admit Fei Hu, Lu Tianyi, and Bai Sheng for shelter, fully isolating them from the external intense heat.
Meanwhile, Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu continued their trek through the Blood Mist Desert, cultivating as they walked, employing Spiritual Power to fend off the surging waves of heat, while the Flying Heaven Palace advanced alongside them.
The Blood Mist Desert’s heat was peculiar; whether using Spiritual Power or external ice crystals, none had effect. The intense heat seemed ingrained in your flesh and bones, inescapable unless quitting the desert.
Initially, Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu’s progress was slow and painful, their entire bodies feeling as though ablaze from within. They tirelessly circulated Spiritual Power to withstand this harsh sensation.
While the Spiritual Power didn’t insulate from the heat, its circulation subtly strengthened their meridians and bones, providing slight comfort amidst the oppressive heat reminiscent of Hell.
After a lengthy trek, as evening approached, Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu entered the Flying Heaven Palace, joining Lu Tianyi, Bai Sheng, and Fei Hu beneath the Purple Vine Flower for a hearty meal.
Once meals were consumed and night descended, the engulfing red mist of the Blood Mist Desert enshrouded everything, obscuring stars and moonlight, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.
Cold descended perceptibly, turning the nighttime chill into a cultivation opportunity for Bai Sheng and Fei Hu.
Bai Sheng transformed into his original form, resembling a mountain-sized white tiger with wings, accompanied by Fei Hu, who appeared tiny by comparison, resembling a plush toy. The Winged Tigers commenced their cultivation session.
Lu Tianyi shivered, wrapped himself snugly, and joined them outside the Flying Heaven Palace by Fei Hu’s side, participating in cultivation.
Due to inadequate cultivation, Lu Tianyi could only meander briefly in the Blood Mist Desert for his training. Having exercised during the day, he hoped to extend his evening training period.
Previously diligent but not overly devoted to cultivation, Lu Tianyi’s deep business passion shifted after long association with Tan Shuangshuang, a cultivation enthusiast. Driven partly by admiration for Shuangshuang, he unconsciously began copying her intense practice habits alongside indulging in their shared fondness for food.
Initially capable only of enduring short walks in the Blood Mist Desert, Lu Tianyi tenaciously persisted for an hour during daylight and managed an additional hour at night, almost freezing stiff by the time Tan Shuangshuang ushered him back to the Flying Heaven Palace.