Chapter 10: The Poplar Oasis

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, a pleasant female voice suddenly echoed from a leisurely drifting cloud in the Sunset Desert.

"Huh? I was just taking a casual look. I'm recovering my state right now. Once I find my rhythm, I'll definitely help Xu Fairy refine the Spirit Recovery Pills."

Feng Rui was absorbed in a jade slip, lost in thought, and it took him a while to realize Xu Yanlan was speaking to him. He rubbed his nose.

"Finding your rhythm? Take your time, no rush. I want the best, just one pill will do. I don't believe two batches of ingredients can't produce one."

Xu Yanlan glared at Zhang Zhifeng with a look of indignation.

"Li Daoist, the weather is really nice today. Let's go down and spar later."

Zhang Zhifeng, standing at the bow of the boat, felt a chill and hurriedly sought help from Li Qi, who merely smiled without responding.

"There's some activity ahead, let's go check it out." Lin Feifeng, who was concentrating on controlling the Seven-Colored Lotus, reassured Zhang Zhifeng.

"Thank you, thank you, the weather is really nice!" He was inwardly grateful for the 'situation' below.

Feng Rui and his five companions had been fishing for three months, killing many beasts, and often encountering groups of cultivators hunting beasts, but not a single fish had taken the bait.

Before leaving the city, Feng Rui had specially visited the Sunset City Alliance's library, which, despite its name, was actually a repository of intelligence and information. It contained a wealth of data on the terrain around Sunset City, the distribution and characteristics of beasts, the various factions and independent cultivator groups within the city, and all sorts of strange tales.

Feng Rui could access only the most basic information, which was not particularly secret, but the systematic organization made it easy to read.

Feng Rui was greatly impressed and copied ten jade slips, studying them whenever he had free time. After three months, he understood most of it, while the other five had no such leisure and simply skimmed through the information before putting it aside.

Feng Rui's cultivation of the Spring Rain Technique was not a secret, and when Xu Yanlan learned about it from Liu Yingying, her curiosity was piqued. Somehow, Feng Rui found himself obligated to refine Spirit Recovery Pills for Zhang Zhifeng and Xu Yanlan.

Zhang Zhifeng naturally became the guinea pig.

However, he was lucky. One batch of ingredients not only produced a Spirit Recovery Pill for a metal cultivation technique but also a small gourd of spirit wine.

The specially made Spirit Recovery Pill was too precious to use recklessly, but the spirit wine proved the rumors to be true. Its absorption rate was nearly ten times faster than the spirit wine in the market, though the cost was equally exorbitant.

More disheartening was that Xu Yanlan's batch of ingredients failed to produce a single pill, causing quite a stir.

Feng Rui felt a bit guilty but was also relieved. Compared to the tricks Lin Feifeng and Liu Yingying had played on him in the past, Xu Yanlan's methods were like a pair of small slippers.

They say your neighbors determine your happiness in life. It turns out, my life is quite happy. The ancients were not wrong.

"What's the situation with the cultivators below? What kind of formation is that?"

The six had just landed on a small hilltop, and the usually composed Zhang Zhifeng hurriedly asked.

In the valley below, about fifty Swift Wind Wolves were fiercely attacking a formation. The formation's spiritual light flickered, and the sounds of spells exploding mixed with the howls of the Swift Wind Wolves. Over a dozen Swift Wind Wolf corpses lay on the ground, indicating that the wolf pack had been attacking for some time.

"It's too far to see clearly. Based on the spiritual energy fluctuations, the formation seems to have good defensive capabilities. It appears to be an Earth Formation from the Five Elements. The formation itself is common, but the person who set it up is highly skilled. The choice of terrain is particularly good, and other aspects..."

Lin Feifeng's face lit up as she talked about formations.

"Senior Sister, what should we do now?"

Liu Yingying, who knew her senior sister well, knew that Lin Feifeng's talent for formations meant that if given the chance to observe another cultivator's formation in action, she wouldn't stop for at least half an hour. She interrupted Lin Feifeng's enthusiastic discussion without hesitation.

"Kill the wolves, save the people."

Li Qi was the first to speak, as a sword cultivator, battle was his best form of cultivation.

"Save the people, kill the wolves." Zhang Zhifeng was also eager to join in.

"Use the old method."

Lin Feifeng glanced at Feng Rui, seeing he had no objections, and said calmly, leading the way toward the wolf pack.

"Brother Alliance's Qian Yuheng thanks all the fellow cultivators for your assistance. We will repay you generously afterward."

About 300 feet from the wolf pack, the cultivators and the wolves reacted almost simultaneously. About twenty Swift Wind Wolves turned to face the group, and a voice rang out clearly despite the sounds of battle.

"Qian Yuheng, Brother Alliance."

Feng Rui, standing within the Four Symbols Formation set up by Lin Feifeng, continuously cast spells to counter the wind blades spewed by the wolves, muttering to himself.

Li Qi wielded his flying sword, and Zhang Zhifeng controlled a golden spear, intercepting and killing the wolves at a distance of 30 feet from the formation. The Swift Wind Wolves that broke through were entangled by Xu Yanlan's Vine Binding Spell and attacked by Liu Yingying.

This old method had been used multiple times by the six, and their coordination was smooth, though not highly efficient, it was stable and under control.

Despite Li Qi's complaints about the lack of excitement and the thrill of life and death, Xu Yanlan and Zhang Zhifeng, after witnessing Lin Feifeng's expertise in formations and Feng Rui's speed and flexibility in casting spells, were greatly impressed by this battle strategy. Li Qi, being alone, could only vent his frustration on the Swift Wind Wolves outside the formation.

Swift Wind Wolves were common beasts in the Sunset Desert, with the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. They were fast and cunning, making them difficult to deal with. Neither Li Qi's flying sword nor Zhang Zhifeng's golden spear could accurately hit the wolves' waists, and hitting other parts did not cause fatal damage, leading to a stalemate.

After half an hour, Feng Rui noticed that the wolves were emitting fewer wind blades. They were dodging the flying sword and golden spear while slowly advancing. Although most of the wolves were injured, the injuries were not severe.

Meanwhile, Li Qi and Zhang Zhifeng, due to the distance and rapid consumption of spiritual energy, were struggling, and the power of their attacks had significantly decreased. Several times, Zhang Zhifeng's golden spear nearly lost control after being hit. The wolf pack facing Qian Yuheng and his group had been reduced to fewer than 20, causing him to frown.

"How are you doing? Should we let them through?"

Feng Rui looked at Lin Feifeng.

"I'm fine."

Lin Feifeng was puzzled because the current situation was quite good. Most of the wind blades from the wolves were destroyed by Feng Rui, and the formation was not significantly affected. The Swift Wind Wolves were not particularly strong in physical attacks, and the few that approached the formation were easily dealt with by her. She didn't understand why Feng Rui was so anxious, but there was no time to ask.

"Old Zhang, Old Li, let them through. Liu Yingying, Xu Fairy, intercept them with full force. Start."

Before Feng Rui finished speaking, the flying sword and golden spear had already returned to within ten feet of the group. Liu Yingying retracted her flying sword and cast a series of water walls, which, though easily broken by the wolves, slowed them down and forced them to attack the formation with their front paws. They were then harassed by small fireballs and water pellets, which, though not powerful, were highly accurate. Despite this, Lin Feifeng's expression was no longer as relaxed as before.

"Really intense."

Zhang Zhifeng's golden spear pierced through the waist of a Swift Wind Wolf, splitting it in two.

Seeing that Li Qi had silently killed three Swift Wind Wolves, he muttered, "Truly monstrous," and aimed his golden spear at another wolf's eye.

As the last Swift Wind Wolf was split in two by Li Qi, Lin Feifeng looked toward the Brother Alliance and saw that they had also just finished off their wolf pack.

Two people collected the materials from the Swift Wind Wolves, while seven cultivators sat in meditation to recover their spiritual energy. A tall, blue-robed cultivator with a square face, high nose, and sword-like eyebrows approached. His long hair loosely draped over his shoulders, and his presence was commanding.

"I am Qian Yuheng of the Brother Alliance. Thank you all for your assistance. These Swift Wind Wolves are a token of our gratitude. Please do not refuse."

The blue-robed cultivator bowed from a distance of twenty feet, his voice deep and pleasant, showing no signs of exhaustion from the battle.

"It was nothing, Qian Daoist, you are too kind."

Lin Feifeng raised her hand in response, while Liu Yingying rolled her eyes.

"Three of them are injured with our help, and you say it saved you a lot of trouble? And don't refuse? We killed them, why should we refuse?"

"You all are quite powerful, but I don't recognize any of you. You must have just arrived in Sunset City recently. The city has been quite unstable lately. If you are interested, you might consider joining the Brother Alliance. It will be safer, and you can explore deeper into the desert. The members of the alliance are all local cultivators, and we are familiar with the desert."

"Thank you for your offer, Qian Daoist, but we need to discuss it. Please wait a moment."

Lin Feifeng nodded at Qian Yuheng and casually set up a simple soundproofing formation, glancing at the other five.

"What do you think?"

"Brother Alliance? I have no impression. Qian's tone is strange. Best not to have any ulterior motives, or else."

Xu Yanlan and Zhang Zhifeng exchanged a glance, and Zhang Zhifeng chuckled.

"Unfamiliar? Unstable? I'm looking for something to do."

Li Qi, who usually spoke little, was a trouble-seeker.

"They have eleven people, and they are quite strong. They could handle the Swift Wind Wolves without us."

Feng Rui looked at the indifferent disciples and pondered for a moment but did not say more.

"Do you have any spirit wine left?"

Lin Feifeng suddenly asked.

"You're the leader. If you say there is, there is. Xu Fairy's water and wood cultivation doesn't have a suitable one, but there are many that are more water or more wood, though the effects are not as significant. I'll put it on the tab. Remember to return the spirit herbs when we get back to the city. The usual rules, no spirit stones."

Feng Rui rubbed his nose and took out six gourds of spirit wine, giving Xu Yanlan an extra one.

"Miser. You told me there was none just the other day."

Liu Yingying took the small gourd without hesitation but grumbled.

"These are from the market, free."

Feng Rui thought for a moment and took out a few more small gourds, giving one to each. They were actually from his practice, as he had no extra spirit stones to buy spirit wine from the market.

"Alright, let's do it."

Lin Feifeng felt a warmth in her heart as she touched the small phoenix carved on the gourd, but she did not say anything.

...

"Daoist Feng, your observation is truly meticulous. This poplar forest indeed appeared only in the past 30 years. A hundred years ago, the poplar forest on this oasis was the largest within ten thousand miles. It wasn't really a forest but a single tree, a massive poplar tree, no one knows how old it was, known as the Poplar King. When people in Sunset City mention the Poplar Oasis, they know it's here. Other larger oases have poplar forests, but only this one is named after the poplar. I saw it once, a single tree forming a forest, truly magnificent. Unfortunately, it was struck by lightning a hundred years ago. The current poplar trees are all new growth after the lightning strike. At the time, it was rumored that the poplar tree was undergoing the Enlightenment Celestial Tribulation, and several Golden Core cultivators even fought over it, but nothing was discovered. As for the truth, I cannot know. Now, it's just an ordinary new poplar forest."

An elderly cultivator spoke about the changes in the Sunset Desert, starting as casual conversation but ending with a sense of the passage of time.

"Enlightenment Celestial Tribulation? Poplars are ordinary trees, not spirit trees. They can also undergo the Enlightenment Celestial Tribulation?"

A young cultivator couldn't help but ask.

"All things in the world can cultivate, and poplars are no exception. Spirit trees are rare, and as ordinary trees, poplars find it more difficult to develop intelligence, so their Enlightenment Celestial Tribulation is less known. The cultivation world is full of strange phenomena, and what one person knows is just a drop in the ocean. That's why it's important for everyone to gather and exchange knowledge, learning from each other's strengths. The same applies to sects and alliances. One person is ultimately weak, and fighting alone is not feasible."

Qian Yuheng said this calmly, as if hinting at something or simply expressing a sentiment.

That day, Feng Rui and his group temporarily joined Qian Yuheng's eleven-member Brother Alliance. With the guidance of experienced cultivators, their efficiency in hunting beasts and finding spirit herbs and minerals greatly increased.

Such temporary alliances were not uncommon in the Sunset Desert. Both sides were roughly equal in strength, and Qian Yuheng, though assertive, was fair in his dealings, leading to a relatively pleasant relationship.

After half a month, everyone had become quite familiar, though trust was still lacking, and their defensive measures were gradually becoming less obvious.

After surrounding a group of venomous scorpions and seeing that it was getting late, the group came to the nearby Poplar Oasis to spend the night. A few people gathered to chat, and Feng Rui, noticing that the poplar trees in the oasis seemed somewhat out of place, learned about this history through their conversation.

"Enlightenment Celestial Tribulation, I should experience it."

Feng Rui quietly released his divine sense, activating the secret technique from the Spring Rain Technique to feel the vitality of the poplar trees. After half an hour, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

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