Chapter 128, Planting Spirit Beans on Spirit Mountain

Translator: StarReader

 

The river flowed endlessly, shrouded in a heavy mist.

 

The small boat glided along the river, still days away from the sprawling mountains in the distance.

 

Su Chen finished a bowl of fresh fish soup and returned inside, continuing to study his spirit treasures.

 

A tendril of his Divine Sense delved into Spirit Mountain.

 

On the small peak within Spirit Mountain, his Azure Lotus spirit remained unchanged, rooted and growing, though the lotus leaf had grown a mere tenth larger than it was a year prior.

 

In addition, a pale yellow spirit bean had sprouted and taken root within Spirit Mountain, growing into a Spirit Bean plant.

 

This was a secret Su Chen discovered when he absentmindedly played with a shriveled Bean Soldier he pulled from his pouch.

 

He simply needed to stir his Divine Sense, and he could transfer the spirit treasures into the Spirit Mountain within his mind.

 

Of course, this was limited to small, lightweight spirit treasures. Anything that wasn’t a spirit treasure or was too heavy couldn’t be drawn inside.

 

This surprised and intrigued him.

 

Su Chen tried a few times and realized that each transfer would consume a small amount of Divine Sense. Draining his Divine Sense left him feeling tired.

 

This year, he had been attempting to cultivate the spirit beans within Spirit Mountain.

 

This Bean Soldier was a Spirit Bean.

 

Before planting, the surface of each bean must be inscribed with the incantations of the White Lotus Spirit Sutra. Once they matured, yielding a succession of spirit beans, they became Bean Soldiers.

 

Within Spirit Mountain, the rate at which spirit beans grew depended on the amount of essence they absorbed.

 

If they absorbed a great deal, they grew incredibly fast, expanding a significant length in a single day. At their fastest, they achieved a year’s worth of growth overnight.

 

But without the blue essence to draw upon, their growth ceased.

 

Su Chen was not in a hurry, attempting to cultivate a single vine within Spirit Mountain to observe the growth and potency of these Bean Soldiers and to avoid planting too many. Allowing it to slowly absorb a small amount of blue essence, it grew at a leisurely pace.

 

The normal maturation period for spirit beans was a year. Recently, this single vine had reached maturity, producing several pods of Bean Soldiers.

 

Perhaps because the essence within Spirit Mountain was so abundant, these spirit beans grew exceptionally plump. On a single vine, it bore over a dozen swollen pods, each containing two or three Bean Soldiers.

 

His Azure Lotus spirit inherently required blue essence to grow, and he certainly wouldn’t waste it on these Bean Soldiers.

 

…

 

Su Chen withdrew his Divine Sense from within Spirit Mountain.

 

At this point, he held in his hand a pod of Bean Soldiers, shimmering with an azure luminescence. It was round and full, brimming with spiritual energy, far surpassing the shriveled, yellowish Spirit Bean of Master Mao Ziyuan in the White Lotus Society.

 

“Bean Soldiers, form your ranks!”

 

Su Chen recited the incantation for Bean Soldiers and tossed it casually.

 

As the pod fell, it split open.

 

In an instant, three hulking White Lotus thugs nearly seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and thick arms, materialized from spirit beans and appeared before Su Chen.

 

They were expressionless and bare-handed, let out a low growl, and quietly and docilely prostrated themselves before Su Chen, utterly still.

 

These Bean Soldiers would obey anyone who summoned them.

 

Without Su Chen’s command, they wouldn’t do anything at all.

 

Within this rather cramped boat shelter, they nearly filled the space with their three enormous forms.

 

“Young Master, what’s happening?”

 

Ah Nu was working the oars outside and, hearing a strange noise from within the boat shelter, was startled and immediately darted inside. She saw that three White Lotus thugs had appeared, prostrated on the ground.

 

“Where did these three come from?”

 

“It’s nothing. These are Bean Soldiers, White Lotus thugs conjured from three spirit beans! I acquired a few spirit beans earlier and suddenly remembered to test their power.”

 

Su Chen chuckled.

 

“Bean Soldiers… this is a legendary immortal art!”

 

Ah Nu was astonished, carefully examining their faces.

 

Indeed, their expressions were stiff, their eyes blank. They weren’t Daoists; they lacked intelligence and completely fabricated Bean Soldier combat puppets.

 

The boat shelter was too narrow, so Su Chen led them out of the cabin, onto the open deck, to test their strength.

 

“I’ll give it a try!”

 

Ah Nu, driven by curiosity, wanted to spar with them barehanded.

 

“Roar!”

 

A White Lotus thug bellowed and threw a punch toward Ah Nu.

 

Ah Nu was surprised to find that she couldn’t defeat it. She could only rely on her nimble movements to evade. Any direct confrontation would send her flying with the sheer force of the White Lotus thug.

 

The force behind the White Lotus thug’s punches and kicks was immense, each reaching over three hundred kilograms, incredibly powerful. Moreover, they were incredibly resilient, enduring any injury without fear. They were all spirit constructs formed from spirit beans, controlled combat puppets, truly embodying unyieldingness to death.

 

Unless a fatal blow severed their heads or shattered their hearts, they wouldn’t disappear.

 

These three White Lotus thugs possessed a strength that reached the peak of the late first-rate realm, surpassing Ah Nu, who was an early first-rate expert.

 

Previously, Mao Ziyuan, the leader of the White Lotus Society, had merely reached the early first-rate status with his withered Bean Soldier.

 

“Ah Nu, be careful; it’s too strong to take its force head-on! It doesn’t seem very agile; you can try attacking it from behind.”

 

Su Chen watched Ah Nu spar with a White Lotus thug, observing Ah Nu’s strength against this White Lotus thug puppet.

 

He was quite satisfied with their strength, though he also held some reservations.

 

These White Lotus thugs formed from spirit beans weren’t a match for a Grandmaster, let alone an immortal cultivation practitioner in the Qi Refining Stage; they could be instantly annihilated.

 

They were also less potent than talismans.

 

However, the Bean Soldier’s greatest advantage lay in their vast numbers, practically limitless. Releasing dozens, or even hundreds, of Bean Soldiers at once would still cause significant trouble for any opponent.

 

Ah Nu skirted the bow of the ship, evading the White Lotus thug in a futile attempt to spar, and ultimately had to abandon the effort.

 

The three White Lotus thugs settled back onto the boat, falling into a silent stillness.

 

Su Chen was surprised to find they could still persist after such a fierce battle.

 

He had recently acquired this medicine pouch and had tried it once, using a shriveled Bean Soldier to conjure a White Lotus thug. But the conjured one only lasted an hour before its spiritual energy was depleted, causing it to dissipate automatically. If a battle were to occur, the duration would be even shorter.

 

He hadn’t expected that these Bean Soldiers, now brimming with spiritual energy, could continue to exist after a round of sparring.

 

Su Chen speculated that it was perhaps because the spirit beans contained such a wealth of spiritual energy that they could sustain their existence for a considerable length of time. They would remain as long as the spiritual energy wasn’t exhausted.

 

These Bean Soldiers were one-time conjurations; once conjured, they couldn’t revert to spirit bean form and would simply remain until their spiritual energy was completely depleted, then automatically annihilate.

 

Having tested their capabilities, he handed over the three White Lotus thugs to Ah Nu, letting her take charge.

 

Ah Nu was overjoyed and assigned the three strongmen—one to row the boat, one to fish and do laundry, and the last to chop wood, build a fire, and cook.

 

They surprisingly worked quite diligently.

 

Using these combat puppets for menial tasks seemed quite useful. It was just too wasteful of the spirit beans; the quantity was limited, making them unsuitable for everyday use.

 

Su Chen smiled and stopped concerning himself with them.

 

He returned to the boat’s cabin to contemplate other water spirit pearls and some talisman-making spiritual items.

 

His medicine pouch still contained a small amount of spirit horse hoof lotus seeds and gourd magic item seeds, which could be used to cultivate a spirit horse and a gourd magic item.

 

But these spirit horses and gourd magic items were quite large, and cultivating them required far more essence than a tiny Bean Soldier.

 

The White Lotus Spirit Sutra detailed that the Spirit Gourd Vine typically bore seven or eight gourds in a cluster, and they were exceptionally large, requiring the absorption of a vast amount of spiritual energy to cultivate.

 

If planted within Spirit Mountain, the consumption of blue essence would likely exceed that of Bean Soldier by dozens, even hundreds of times.

 

Although curious about their uses, Su Chen lacked sufficient blue essence and wasn’t ready to plant them at this time. He could only wait until he was in a better position to try cultivating one.

 

Su Chen harbored countless questions and uncertainties regarding immortal cultivation and yearned to unravel them.

 

Within the jade slip titled Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter, he only saw terms such as Qi Refining Stage, spirit, and spiritual energy. This immortal book made no mention of Spirit Mountain, nor did it detail Spirit Mountain’s influence.

 

He wondered if other immortal cultivation practitioners experienced the same, their spirit rooted within Spirit Mountain.

 

…

 

Those three figures conjured from nothing possessed an abundance of spiritual energy, their vitality surprisingly robust, and they hadn’t automatically dissipated.

 

Ah Nu directed these three powerful figures to row the boat, and their speed had noticeably increased.

 

Two days later, at dawn.

 

The boat navigated along the river and arrived before a desolate expanse of mountains and ridges, stretching as far as the eye could see.

 

This area was recorded on the Great Tang map, designated as the Mang Mountains.

 

It wasn’t particularly renowned; if it hadn’t been documented on the Great Tang map, Su Chen would likely have passed through without a second glance.

 

From afar, a humble, ancient village was visible at the foot of the Mang Mountains.

 

A hazy river mist enveloped the village, obscuring a clear view.

 

Nestled among hills and rivers, the villagers had carved out a living.

 

The wooden houses of the small village appeared and disappeared amongst the foliage, likely housing close to several hundred families. The sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking drifted through the air, wisps of cooking smoke rising as most farm families roused themselves to prepare breakfast and begin their labor.

 

“Young Master, we’re here!”

 

Ah Nu’s clear voice carried from outside.

 

Su Chen rose, opening his eyes and unfolding his legs, before rising to lift the curtain of the boat and step out.

 

A chill wind blew across the river’s surface.

 

He saw that the deck of the boat was covered in a layer of frost. Ah Nu’s footprints marked its surface, leaving delicate and elegant impressions.

 

“Let’s go have a look!”

 

Su Chen and Ah Nu disembarked from the pungee boat, securing it to the bank, and, accompanied by three White Lotus thugs, headed toward the quaint, rustic mountain village.

 

The village was small, a place where chickens and dogs knew each other well. As strangers entered, the fifteen or so village dogs bounded out, barking.

 

But when they caught sight of Su Chen, Ah Nu, and the three imposing White Lotus thugs, as if sensing some terrifying presence, they abruptly fell silent, retreating with fear.

 

Su Chen entered the ancient village and inquired of the elders, asking if they had heard of any immoral individuals appearing in the area or any supernatural events.

 

He held out little hope; he had searched many famous mountains, ancient ruins, and ancient villages and had found nothing unusual.

 

The village elders, women, and children, upon hearing his question, all shook their heads.

 

“Our little village has existed for centuries, and we’ve never heard of anything immoral.

 

“However, this Wild Ridge Mountain is a sacred mountain, difficult to traverse. It’s said that beyond this mountain lies a vast expanse of mountains, swamps, and treacherous terrain. Tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals roam freely. No hunter dares to enter; nine times out of ten, they don’t come out.

 

“Still, there are those who dare. At the edge of the village and the foot of the mountain, there lived Woodcutter Wu. This Woodcutter Wu frequently entered the deep mountains to fell trees, returning periodically with a felled tree. Most remarkably, for dozens of years, he hadn’t been bitten by a wolf. But he was a solitary fellow, rarely interacting with his peers in the village beyond entering the mountain to chop wood.”

 

Su Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of excitement and astonishment in his expression.

 

Given Wu’s ability to freely enter the dangerous mountain, he clearly possessed some skill, likely a hidden expert residing here, perhaps even a Grandmaster.

 

Such talented individuals naturally knew more than ordinary villagers. If there were any divine occurrences in this Wild Ridge Mountain, they would undoubtedly be more informed than others.

 

Su Chen and Ah Nu exchanged a look and immediately headed toward the mountain foot to find this Wu.