Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: The Green Lotus

Ye Yun was clearly distracted, yet inwardly triumphant. She hadn't expected that a chance trip to Green Mountain City would yield such a prodigy. While Daoling defeating Qing Yijun wasn't overly surprising, his emergence as a pill refiner filled her with pride. After fixing her beautiful eyes on the fair-faced youth and giving a few admonitions, Ye Yun hurried off—evidently eager to verify the effects of the mysterious energy. Alone in the quiet room, Daoling pursed his lips, closed the door, and scanned the surroundings. Still uneasy, he retrieved the nine blood-red flags and erased the marks on them. Though emanating a凶煞 (fierce) aura, the nine small blood-red flags were crystal-clear, as if carved from blood jade, glowing with wisps of blood-red light when activated. Spinning in the air, the flags suddenly grew to half a zhang in height as Daoling channeled his energy, hovering mid-air. "Sacrifice!" Daoling's eyes burst with golden light. With a loud shout, the nine flags combined, unleashing a surging波动 (wave) that vanished as quickly as it came. The flags now shimmered faintly, completely isolating the room from the outside world. "This killing formation is impressive. The Divine Mountain is indeed wealthy—even a mere servant wields such a treasure," Daoling marveled, eyeing the array flags before turning his attention elsewhere. "What could it be?" Anticipation lit Daoling's face, though he still glanced around furtively like a thief. "Being first place, it must be a rare treasure, right?" Sitting cross-legged, Daoling took out the void bracelet and, with bated breath, retrieved the mysterious treasure from the Small Martial Dao Stele. He hadn't inspected it since obtaining it. One look at the object resting in his palm turned his face as dark as a cauldron, and he nearly spat out blood. It was a withered root, tinged with a faint green, tiny in size—resembling the whiskers of a mountain ginseng and on the verge of decay. Daoling's嘴角 (mouth corner) twitched. "Winning first place, and they give me trash?" His face darkened, overcome with the urge to crush it. Yet he不甘心 (unwilling) to dismiss it, channeling strands of energy into the root to check if it was a hidden treasure. The golden energy surged into the root, vanishing into what felt like a barren sea. "Strange—it absorbed the energy. Does it need activation?" Daoling's eyes flickered. He increased the energy flow, but after dozens of breaths, his energy was half-depleted, and the root remained unchanged. This only confirmed its uniqueness. As he prepared to cut off the energy, the root suddenly unleashed a voracious pull,疯狂 (wildly) absorbing his energy. "Not good! What is this thing? It's absorbing my blood essence!" Daoling panicked, feeling his energy drain. "Dammit, is this thing alive?" When his muscles ached, Daoling sat down to absorb heaven and earth essence, swallowing a drop of golden energy to replenish himself. The moment the energy entered, the root greedily sucked it in, vanishing from his hand and appearing within his body to devour the golden energy. "What's happening?" Daoling's hair stood on end. "Is it truly alive?" His spirit swept through his body, watching the root closely. It seemed harmless—and under the life essence of the golden energy, the withered parts of the root began to shimmer with divine light. "Maybe this root was a treasure, and the golden energy is healing it?" Daoling relaxed, realizing its potential. Grimacing, he consumed another drop of golden energy. Two drops later, the root glowed with emerald light, faint yet exuding an otherworldly aura. To his shock, it even rooted beside the small pagoda within him, as if making itself at home. "Is this thing using me as a pond?" Daoling glared, horrified at hosting a plant in his body. "I'll find out what kind of monster you are!" After observing, Daoling took the plunge, consuming drop after drop of golden energy. With each drop, the root's divine light intensified, even exhaling混沌气 (chaotic qi), evoking the dawn of creation. His heart pounded—this was undoubtedly a supreme treasure! But half his golden energy reserves were gone, and he winced. The green bamboo had transformed with minimal energy, yet this thing was insatiable. After dozens more drops, a green lotus虚影（motion blur）emerged from the misty root, shimmering in the chaos and radiating a world-shaking aura. "Is it a lotus?" Daoling frowned as the root grew, taking the shape of a lotus. Though only a bud and a single petal emerged, they emanated pure life essence and radiant light. Amazed, he realized how extraordinary this lotus was—requiring so much energy to manifest. But when he reached for more golden energy, he found the bottle nearly empty. From a thousand drops in the Spirit Pagoda, only thirty remained. Ye Yun had been thrilled with ten drops, but this "glutton" had almost drained him. The green lotus, shrouded in混沌迷雾 (chaotic mist), rooted in his body and settled. When Daoling mentally contacted it, the lotus shimmered with brilliant light, releasing surging life essence. "Dammit, what's its use?" Daoling winced, feeling cheated by its voracity. Yet as he connected with it, he sensed a faint intelligence, and the lotus emanated a greedy yearning for his void bracelet. Puzzled, he took out a cyan stone—Green Yang Stone, a rare ore containing extreme yang energy for forging treasures. The lotus instantly coveted it. "Does it eat ore too?" Daoling's face fell. To his astonishment, the lotus fired a beam that coiled around the stone, cracking it and absorbing its essence. After consuming the Green Yang Stone, the lotus exuded a sharp metallic aura, clearly transformed. "It can eat ore? What on earth is this?" Daoling was惊骇(astounded). Testing further, he found he could channel the lotus's energy. A green lotus虚影（motion blur）appeared behind him, shattering layers of vacuum silently with a swipe. "Treasure! A supreme treasure!" Daoling rejoiced. Though each activation drained him, the lotus's potential was immense. He fed it more ore—each piece precious, leaving onlookers (had there been any) aghast at the waste. After eight ores, the lotus turned up its "nose" at the rest, seeming to require progressively better materials. "Does it need graded enhancement?" Daoling scratched his head, awed by the lotus's growth. Each upgrade made it harder to wield, but its power was undeniable. "This thing is extraordinary. What treasure could it be?" He took a deep breath, envisioning it maturing with divine stones. Calming his mind, he began restoring his energy. An hour later, he opened his eyes, delighted to find his strength nearing the sixth heaven threshold. "Fighting高手 (experts) really does boost my power," he thought. A little more磨练 (training), and he might break through. The sixth heaven was a watershed, doubling one's aura. "Young friend, come out," a gentle voice drifted through the wall. Daoling guessed the visitor—none other than Elder Sun Xiangshan, the Third Elder in charge of new student assessments. "Third Elder," Daoling greeted with a nod. Sun Xiangshan beamed. Daoling's emergence as a dark horse thrilled him. Many prodigies joined the Star Academy for the Star Palace, but this one, mentored by Ye Yun, was one of their own. The Third Elder was amazed—Qing Yijun's Star Overlord Body, though nascent, had been defeated by Daoling, whose combat power hinted at greatness, enough to rival prodigies from other provinces.