Chapter 22

Amidst the strange rocks that resembled mythical beasts and human figures, Baishi took a deep breath and cautiously entered the edge of the stone forest. Standing within the stone forest, he could not see much further. Occasionally, he could spot some green branches and thorns growing in the crevices of the rocks.

Baishi continued forward, becoming even more cautious in the rugged stone forest. Clenching his fists, energy fluctuations rapidly circulated around him. His steps slowed down, not because the path in the stone forest was difficult to navigate, but because he was well aware that in such complex terrain, the likelihood of encountering strange beasts was very high.

However, even after walking several hundred meters, everything remained as quiet as when he had passed through the Cang Forest. This silence made him stop in front of a natural hill formed by numerous rocks.

The hill was not very high, only about thirty meters, but it was covered with some weeds, resembling a large hedgehog from a distance. On some of the rocks, there were small pits filled with water, likely formed from melting snow and ice.

Baishi observed his surroundings and, based on his guess, believed he could find a place to rest on this small hill. Indeed, after a thorough scan, he suddenly noticed some disordered green grass on one side of the hill. Through the gaps in the grass, there seemed to be a hidden cave.

The cave was well-concealed and would be extremely hard to spot without careful observation. Baishi cautiously approached, knowing that the more hidden a place was, the more dangerous the beasts that might be lurking there. He found a stick and gently parted the grass. The moment he did, all his worries vanished.

When he parted the grass, he saw that the cave entrance was almost entirely covered with spider webs. This indicated that the cave had not been visited by any beasts or humans for a long time.

After clearing the spider webs, Baishi entered the cave. The entrance was not large, just enough for him to pass through, but the inside was quite spacious, enough for four or five people to rest.

Although the cave was covered with grass outside, it was not as dark as he had imagined. A small crack in the ceiling allowed sunlight to filter through, illuminating the hidden cave.

Because of the light, Baishi could clearly see some dry weeds in one corner of the cave. From his experience, he knew these weeds were not for making a fire but for sleeping. The cave entrance also had a blackened area from smoke, and below it were some scattered rocks, indicating that someone had once visited the cave.

Putting down the tiger gall, Baishi relaxed his vigilance. He walked to the rocks, wiped the black marks on the cave wall, but his fingers remained clean, as the marks had deeply penetrated the rock.

"It seems this person left a while ago..." Baishi murmured.

He then tidied up the rocks and found some wood, which was likely left by the previous visitor. As Baishi moved to another corner of the cave, he suddenly shuddered upon seeing some scattered white bones.

Among the bones, a rusted sword was embedded in the chest of the skeleton!

"It seems this person was a sword cultivator, but his cultivation level was not high. Judging by the way he died, he must have gone mad and committed suicide," Baishi deduced.

After pulling out the iron sword, Baishi noticed something resembling a desolate tripod nearby.

Furrowing his brow, Baishi approached with curiosity.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed an old desolate tripod!

"This is truly a case of finding what you seek without much effort!" Baishi exclaimed, feeling excited.

Baishi's spirits lifted as he picked up the tripod and began to examine it carefully.

The tripod was not large, about the size of a mature melon, with four curved legs and a round lid on top. It was adorned with intricate patterns, though Baishi could not identify what they depicted. He found them very intricate!

At first glance, the tripod's shape resembled a smaller version of the incense burners found in temples.

After wiping off the dust, the sunlight shining on it emitted a faint glow.

"Although this cultivator's level was not high, the desolate tripod he carried is of good quality," Baishi mused, then pulled out the sword from the bones and continued, "I wonder if this iron sword, once cleaned of its rust, will also be of good quality like the tripod!"

Baishi speculated, put down the tripod, and found a relatively smooth stone to sharpen the sword.

The iron sword was about a meter long and weighed around ten pounds. The hilt had no decorations and looked very ordinary.

In no time, Baishi had removed all the rust from the iron sword. In the sunlight, the sword emitted a faint glow, but nothing else unusual.

"This iron sword is likely a very ordinary sword, but its sharpness makes it a good defensive tool if carried at all times in the Daochen Mountains," Baishi said, placing it aside. He then took out the tiger gall, arranged the rocks, and placed the tripod, preparing for his refinement plan.

With everything ready, Baishi still needed a water source and various herbs. The water was not a problem, as he knew some small pits were filled with water. What troubled him was the herbs he had yet to find.

"Purple Twilight Spirit Grass, second grade... Chaos Flower Stamen, second grade, and the Variegated Tiger Gall... These three ingredients are needed to refine the Lotus Harmony Powder. Although I have the Variegated Tiger Gall, I still need the Purple Twilight Spirit Grass and the Chaos Flower Stamen. The Purple Twilight Spirit Grass grows in damp, shaded corners, and the Chaos Flower Stamen blooms in rock crevices. Logically, these should be easy to find in the mountains, but why have I not seen any on my journey?" Baishi frowned, deep in thought.

Sitting cross-legged, Baishi did not immediately leave the cave. Instead, he quickly speculated in his mind where these herbs might grow.

"My master once said that if one has the assistance of a spirit herb during cultivation, they won't need it for future breakthroughs. These herbs grow in early spring... Could it be that they have not yet awakened?"

Baishi speculated. Although these spirit herbs were hard to find now, compared to future herbs, they were much easier to obtain. Therefore, he wanted to lay the foundation of spirit herbs in his body during the transition from the fourth to the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment stage, making future breakthroughs easier.

After some thought, Baishi rested his chin in his hand, falling silent. With his current strength, venturing into the stone forest required considerable courage.

At the same time, the sky suddenly changed. The ground, which had been bathed in sunlight, quickly turned dark as dark clouds rapidly spread. Thunder rumbled through the sky, accompanied by rapid lightning, and a torrential rain began to pour.

The first spring rain of the year had arrived...

Because of this spring rain, Baishi suddenly jumped up and ran to the cave entrance, excitedly waiting for the rain to stop.