Chapter 88: Emerald Pool

The Giant Lizard's fangs were stained with blood, and a few strands of monkey skin hung between its teeth, swaying with its breathing.

Watching this scene, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt no sense of schadenfreude; instead, a sense of bewilderment arose within him.

If even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator was just a mouthful of food, then what was he, a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator, in its eyes?

Spare rations, or perhaps a repair tool for the Qingming Storm Soul.

Staring at those golden slit pupils, Junior Brother Bai Ming remained speechless for a long time.

However, for the moment, he was not worried about being swallowed in one gulp.

The Giant Lizard's golden pupils shifted slightly; it leaped into the air and rode the wind away, kicking up a current of water vapor.

Before Junior Brother Bai Ming could even react, only a moment had passed.

Corpse after corpse of spirit beasts were tossed from afar, piling up into a small hill.

The spirit beasts' eyes were dull, yet their bodies remained completely intact; they had actually been killed by a burst of aura.

Pfft—

The Giant Lizard descended before Junior Brother Bai Ming, its sharp claws lightly touching the ground, its tail slapping against the pile of corpses.

Understanding the Giant Lizard's intention, Junior Brother Bai Ming walked up to the pile of corpses, extended his hands, and slowly released flames.

"In its eyes, I might just be a human-shaped barbecue grill."

He chuckled and shook his head, though the flames in his hands became increasingly delicate.

First, he used a high heat to remove the moisture, drying off the water vapor clinging to the spirit beast meat.

Once the fat melted and began to emit an aroma, he switched to a slow, gentle roast, which was mild and appropriate, ensuring the texture wouldn't be ruined.

After quite some effort, Junior Brother Bai Ming finished roasting ten spirit beasts and set them aside.

"These should be ready." Junior Brother Bai Ming wiped his forehead.

The Giant Lizard's fangs secreted sticky saliva; with a flick of its tail, it hooked a whole roasted monkey and swallowed it in one gulp.

Its golden slit pupils narrowed, and for a moment, those long, narrow eyes actually appeared somewhat cute.

If not for its massive size and the Golden Core aura surrounding it, anyone would think it harmless.

In order to strengthen his connection with the Giant Lizard, Junior Brother Bai Ming gave his all with every roast, determined to make it unable to resist and completely intoxicated by the flavor.

He looked toward the Emerald Pool nearby and had a new idea.

He controlled several spirit beasts to soak in the Emerald Pool, letting them be coated inside and out with the spiritual liquid.

When the spirit beasts that had been soaked in the spirit lake were roasted, they emitted a delicate, refreshing fragrance that was sweet and crisp.

Sniffing the air, even Junior Brother Bai Ming felt tempted and wanted to have a taste.

Just as he cut off a small piece, he discovered a huge, pointed mouth nudging up beside him.

Junior Brother Bai Ming paused slightly. "These are ready to eat."

The Giant Lizard curled its tongue, swallowed two or three in one go, and chewed, savoring the taste.

As the night wind blew, the aroma of the roasting faded.

The small hill of spirit beast corpses had disappeared; most of them had already entered the Giant Lizard's stomach.

Junior Brother Bai Ming looked up at the sky. "I've been delayed for too long; it's time for me to leave."

The chewing sound in the Giant Lizard's mouth stopped. It tilted its head back and swallowed all the remaining roasted meat.

"You want me to stay?" Junior Brother Bai Ming was puzzled; the Giant Lizard's actions were strange.

The surface of the Emerald Pool shuddered, the calm water broken as ripples spread out.

Several columns of cyan-green water shot into the sky, heading straight for Junior Brother Bai Ming.

The cyan-green water columns merged into a sphere of water, trapping Junior Brother Bai Ming inside like a prison cell.

"What is going on!"

Junior Brother Bai Ming reached out to slap the water wall, trying to get an explanation.

But before he could speak, the water sphere expanded rapidly, filling with the spiritual lake water.

A large amount of the spiritual lake water entered his nasal cavity; Junior Brother Bai Ming could not breathe and couldn't even open his mouth to speak.

The Giant Lizard approached the water sphere. The scales on its body emitted a cyan light, which shone onto the surface of the sphere, dyeing the emerald green into a fluorescent green.

The green water sphere looked like a ball of light, emitting a gentle green glow.

The ball of light stabilized; Junior Brother Bai Ming's face stopped contorting, and his breathing actually returned to normal.

"It is helping me improve my physical aptitude."

As the fluorescent water nourished his body bit by bit, Junior Brother Bai Ming realized the Giant Lizard's intention. He stopped resisting, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began to absorb it earnestly.

The lake water was cool, but it did not feel cold.

Splash—

The fluorescent light of the water sphere vanished, and it shattered.

Water splashed everywhere, and Junior Brother Bai Ming jumped out. He ran a hand through his hair, slicking his wet locks back.

His eyes were clear, and his mind felt active.

He looked down to feel the changes in his body and couldn't help but smile.

"Not only has my cultivation reached the second level of Foundation Establishment, but some of the minor defects in my body are gone too." Junior Brother Bai Ming let out a long sigh of relief. "This feels truly miraculous."

The Giant Lizard circled Junior Brother Bai Ming, its slit pupils fixed on him, seemingly admiring its own masterpiece.

It was primarily of the water attribute, but it seemed to also possess some wind attribute spiritual energy.

It actually knew how to use the spiritual lake water to wash away impurities, and its temperament wasn't considered violent.

It was truly very different from other spirit beasts; its intelligence was quite high. Just what stage of the Golden Core realm had it reached?

After observing for a moment, Junior Brother Bai Ming cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Senior Lizard. This junior will take his leave now."

Junior Brother Bai Ming bid farewell and rode the wind away. As the cool wind struck his face, the mark on his right hand glowed faintly.

A pair of golden slit pupils stared at Junior Brother Bai Ming's retreating figure, and the long, thin mouth actually held a hint of a smile.

…

Near midday.

Inside the pitch-black alchemy cave.

The familiar scent of pills entered his nostrils. Junior Brother Bai Ming's brows furrowed slightly, but his body was not as repulsed as it had been the first time.

He wasn't sure if it was the effect of last night's Emerald liquid or if he had simply gotten used to it.

A massive alchemy furnace sat in the center. The bottom of the furnace was glowing red and scorching hot, with a magic array carved into the base, continuously fueling a spiritual fire.

The temperature at the base of the furnace was appropriate. Elder Xuancao waved his hand, and several spiritual plants hovered in the air.

With a light tap of his thin, gaunt fingers, the leaves and roots were removed from several spirit herbs, and they were added to the alchemy furnace one by one.

Under the high heat, the spirit herbs melted bit by bit into a liquid state until they formed a pool of spiritual liquid.

Once the spiritual liquid base had formed, several unique medicinal herbs were added, and the heat at the bottom changed simultaneously.

Standing to the side, Junior Brother Bai Ming watched intently, carefully observing every step without missing a single detail.

He had come early today specifically to learn the art of alchemy.

According to Senior Sister Tao Yu, as long as his alchemy skills surpassed Elder Xuancao's, he would no longer have to suffer this torment.

The old man refined pills, the youth observed, and time slipped away amidst the stirring of the spiritual liquid in the alchemy furnace.

The flames extinguished, the furnace lid opened, and a smooth medicinal pill was revealed.

"Consume it." Elder Xuancao flicked his sleeve, and a medicinal pill flew toward Junior Brother Bai Ming.

"Yes." Junior Brother Bai Ming held the warm pill in his hand and swallowed it in one gulp.

The medicinal pill dissolved within his body, and the pure medicinal power collided inside him, jumping about and signaling destruction.

His expression turned ugly. Junior Brother Bai Ming sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, trying his best to stabilize his aura.

Elder Xuancao came before him, stroking his white beard as he observed him closely.

"So that's how it is. The body resists medicinal power it doesn't want to absorb, but for medicinal power that is beneficial, the body will absorb it with all its might, thereby doubling the effect." Elder Xuancao smiled, his cheeks wrinkling.

"To think such a constitution exists in the world—not based on the body's adaptation to the medicinal properties, but absorbing according to its own will."

"What a Heavenly Spirit Root! Now I can rest assured and refine pills with even stronger medicinal properties." Elder Xuancao's old eyes brightened.

Junior Brother Bai Ming remained silent, struggling to hold back the surging blood and qi within his body, preventing himself from accidentally vomiting it out.