Chapter 14

The boundless Taihang Mountains were filled with a primal aura, with various tall trees and rugged peaks scattered throughout.

Amidst the roars of tigers and the cries of apes, fierce birds and beasts emerged one after another.

However, in this perilous forest, a seemingly frail figure often appeared, hunting many wild beasts.

"Damn, what bad luck!" This figure pierced a wild boar with a double horn with his sword, then landed steadily on the ground. "A perfectly good snake-shaped fruit was eaten halfway by this beast!"

This figure was Lin Xuan, who angrily cut off the pair of white horns and put them in his backpack.

For several days, he had been in the forest, searching for snake-shaped fruits and purple violets. After several days of effort, he had found three snake-shaped fruits and four purple violets. As long as he gathered five of each, he could have Old Wine brew a potion that would enhance his cultivation.

Just now, he had finally found a snake-shaped fruit, but it was half-eaten by a double-horned wild boar. In a fit of anger, Lin Xuan had to deal with the boar.

He still needed two more snake-shaped fruits and one more purple violet. He had to hurry! Lin Xuan's figure flickered, and he set off again. There were only two months left before the inner gate assessment, and his strength was still at the third stage of the Condensing Meridian realm.

Lin Xuan, like a large bird, pushed off with his toes and glided through the air. When he landed, he used the branches to propel himself, keeping him in mid-air.

The snake-shaped fruit prefers dark and damp places, while the purple violet prefers sunlight, so Lin Xuan had to move around a lot.

Whoosh!

He landed nimbly on a large tree trunk, his eyes scanning the surroundings like lightning. Sure enough, he found a snake-shaped fruit in a dark spot.

It had to be said that Lin Xuan's luck was still quite good. Although the snake-shaped fruit was not extremely valuable, it was not common, and the elders of the Xuantian Sect used a lot of it, so the nearby snake-shaped fruits had been mostly picked.

Lin Xuan stomped his foot and flew toward the snake-shaped fruit. Before he landed, something changed in the grass.

A two-tailed green snake shot up like a sword, its mouth shaped like a fan, and it bit directly at Lin Xuan's head.

"Looking for death!" Lin Xuan roared in anger, his black iron sword stabbing out at an angle, as fast as lightning, hitting the snake's vital point. He flipped his wrist, infusing spiritual energy into the sword, and the force instantly tore open the wound, as if an explosion had occurred.

With one strike, he killed the two-tailed green snake and quickly grabbed the snake-shaped fruit. As soon as he touched it, he felt a sense of danger.

He frantically circulated the Longevity Formula, his entire palm glowing with a green light, like a full moon.

Sss!

Two sharp sounds rang out, and two small snakes, about the length of fingers, hidden under the leaves of the snake-shaped fruit, bit him the moment his palm landed.

Fortunately, Lin Xuan reacted quickly, or he would have been bitten. Don't underestimate these small snakes; their venom was very potent, and anyone below the sixth stage of the Condensing Meridian realm would be severely injured or even die if bitten.

Lin Xuan directly used his strength to kill the two small venomous snakes, then picked the snake-shaped fruit and extracted the gallbladder of the two-tailed snake, putting them all in his backpack.

"These materials can at least sell for some spirit stones, but my backpack is almost full, and I can't fit any more!" Lin Xuan looked at the remaining materials with regret; they were all spirit stones.

"You country bumpkin, you can't even part with a little bit!" Old Wine's mocking voice sounded.

"Old Drunkard, didn't we agree that you should greet me before speaking?" Lin Xuan was almost driven mad, being belittled by a drunkard.

"Hmm, I haven't figured out how to greet you yet, and I can't knock on your head," Old Wine rolled his eyes. "You're still too young; I've completely adapted to living inside you."

"Damn!" Lin Xuan wished he could punch him, but for the sake of the spirit wine and the cultivation of the Thunder Movement Sword Technique, he held back.

"Xuanzi, you need to find the thousand-year spirit fruit quickly, or I'll have to go into permanent slumber," Old Wine said.

"What?" Lin Xuan was startled; this guy had tricked him into giving him so many things and hadn't delivered yet.

"Old man, at least teach me the Thunder Movement Sword Technique before you go to sleep!" Lin Xuan shouted.

"Brat, if I could get out, I would have already trained you properly," Old Wine yelled in anger.

While bickering with Old Wine, Lin Xuan continued to search for the remaining materials. With Old Wine's guidance, he quickly gathered five snake-shaped fruits and five purple violets.

"Old man, are you a beast transformed? Your nose is so sensitive?" Lin Xuan said happily.

Old Wine: ...

"Old man, should we collect more?" Lin Xuan continued, "Five fruits can brew more, is it enough?"

"If you say one more word, I won't brew it!" Old Wine threatened.

...

Old Wine took the five snake-shaped fruits and five purple violets, and Lin Xuan could only wait patiently. According to Old Wine, he needed to reach the fourth stage of the Condensing Meridian realm to start cultivating the Thunder Movement Sword Technique, or his body wouldn't be able to control the force.

Whoosh!

A shadow suddenly fell from the sky, as if the sky had been blocked.

Lin Xuan looked up and saw a pitch-black sky above him. Intense air currents shot down from above, sweeping in all directions. Rows of trees were swept up into the sky, and boulders the size of tables were scattered everywhere.

Lin Xuan was enveloped by this mysterious gale, and it was too late to escape. He could only frantically circulate his spiritual energy, relying on his own strength to resist the storm.

The wind was like a steel blade, cutting into his body. Lin Xuan's feet were deeply rooted in the ground, and his hands were held in front of his chest, fighting for his life.

Fortunately, the gale came and went quickly. Soon, the shadow in the sky and the gale moved forward, and Lin Xuan finally escaped the danger.

He looked up in shock and saw that the black shadow was a massive bird that blocked the sky. The bird's wings spread, creating two hurricanes beneath them, wreaking havoc on the forest below.

"Damn, what level of beast is this, so big?" Lin Xuan said with lingering fear.

"When will I be able to cover the sky with one hand and move mountains and fill seas?" Lin Xuan yearned for such power. As a martial artist, no one didn't want to stand at the peak of martial arts, and Lin Xuan was even more eager to become stronger because he wanted to control his own destiny!

After the intense circulation of his mystical technique, his fourth spiritual meridian had loosened. In a few days, he would definitely be able to open the fourth spiritual meridian and become a fourth-stage spirit warrior.

At this moment, Old Wine's voice sounded again: "Alright, Xuanzi, with my spirit wine, I guarantee you will break through quickly!"

However, remember to find me spirit fruits. I don't want to go back to sleep so soon after waking up. Old Wine's voice gradually faded, "Don't drink too much, only one sip each time..."

"It seems this guy is really in bad shape. Fine, I'll find him spirit fruits after I break through." Lin Xuan had made up his mind and didn't hesitate. He found a nearby cave and went inside.

Lin Xuan held a small purple gourd in his hand, which contained the spirit wine brewed by Old Wine. He opened the cap and took a sip.

The spirit wine was sweet when it entered his mouth, flowing directly into his stomach. The next moment, a warm current surged within Lin Xuan.