Chapter 103: Exploration

The gourd lay on the floor of the small wooden house, its surface now a deep purple hue. How had the color shifted? Where were the original three color rings? Upon closer inspection, this gourd seemed smaller than before, delicate and exquisite, resembling more of a decorative ornament than anything else.

I should use the detection mirror to see what this thing has become.

Name: Gourd
Rank: Unknown
Living environment: Unknown
Function: Absorb items containing life force and expel life essence.
Effect: The life essence can extend the lifespan of other living beings.

What in the world is this? I couldn't make heads or tails of the three aspects. I reached out with my divine sense to contact Soul Plate. That fellow had surely lived inside this gourd once.

Master, what do you need me for?

Soul Plate emerged from Dao San Sheng's sea of consciousness, circling through the air before hovering before him.

What's wrong with this gourd? Last night it suddenly absorbed so many random things, and now it has turned into this. Even the color has changed. Look.

Dao San Sheng picked up the gourd and waved it before Soul Plate. After all, this gourd had once helped him, so he couldn't bear to watch it become some grotesque form.

Soul Plate covered his mouth with his hand, then laughed, though he seemed embarrassed. Eventually, the gourd flew outside. Soul Plate took it out and directed it toward the grass, absorbing it without delay. Shortly after, a wisp of black smoke emerged.

A thick layer of black fog spread across the entire patch of grass. A faint purple tint hovered above the fog. The grass and plants that had been touched by the miasma instantly turned yellow and withered.

Soul Plate then aimed the gourd at the stone nearby. Moments later, the stone crumbled into powder. The air was left with only fragments, and a gust of wind swept through, restoring everything to its original calm. The stone's powder had vanished without a trace.

Dao San Sheng stared at the scene before him in utter disbelief. He hadn't expected this thing to be so incredibly powerful.

Soul Plate took out the gourd once more and pointed it at a small sapling nearby. The seedling instantly shot upward, growing to one meter, then two, then three... until it reached the height of a towering ancient tree before stopping. Judging by its age, it must have been over a hundred years old. Its branches and leaves were lush and dense, shading the entire small wooden house and stretching all the way to the thatched cottage.

Soul Plate picked up the gourd again and cast a spell beneath the great tree at the entrance. Before long, a large stone formed beneath the tree, much smaller than before but gleaming with a brilliant silver luster. It was nearly identical to the materials Dao San Sheng himself had forged in Heaven Forging Valley.

Dao San Sheng snatched it away and immediately stored it away. This was even more astonishing than an ancient treasure.

Soul Plate, do you still have more of this gourd? Or any other good items? Give them to me.

Dao San Sheng looked at Soul Plate with a greedy grin, his eyes full of ill intent. The sight was so comical that it left Soul Plate dazed and retreating.

This might be something I brought back from the Green Foliage Jungle. It was originally just an ordinary gourd that absorbed spiritual energy from the surrounding earth veins. But who knows how many years it has been absorbing? During the incident in the Green Foliage Jungle, I don't know when I got swallowed up by it, and it fell to this world along with me. How many tens of thousands of years has it been?

These are all things with their own fates. I have nothing like this.

Soul Plate could only say that this was the master's fate.

Dao San Sheng felt a pang of disappointment as he looked at Soul Plate. He couldn't help but take out the gourd again and examine it repeatedly in his hands.

What great matter has occurred? Is it a spirit beast invasion or a miasma assault? Why have the grasses on the ground all withered? And where did this enormous tree come from? I was only asleep for one night—what exactly happened?

When Du Xuetao pushed open the door and saw the scene before him, he knew something was amiss. The single-horned dust mouse that had been trembling on the ground at Dao San Sheng's doorway scuttled over to Du Xuetao's feet, clinging desperately to his leg while trembling all over as it stared at Dao San Sheng.

I just broke through my cultivation and advanced to the early stage of Foundation Establishment. This I know, but I wasn't aware of anything else. I had been cultivating the whole time. This is how it turned out when I went out. How do you feel about what I said?

Dao San Sheng noticed Du Xuetao's suspicious gaze fixed on him and immediately countered with a question.

No, no. Master is right. I will obey Master's orders.

Du Xuetao immediately changed his attitude, becoming unusually obedient.

Since there's nothing more, I will head out to test my strength in the distance later. You handle it as you see fit.

Dao San Sheng arrived at the edge of the pond and slowly sank down, diving beneath the surface. It felt as though he had entered another world. Inside was a vast cavern with walls painted in vibrant colors. Water splashed against the cavern walls, yet there was surprisingly no darkness and even some light.

Dao San Sheng followed the direction of the light and continued forward. As he walked, he discovered a fork in the path. The branch ahead was pitch black, with water flowing from it.

Standing at the fork, Dao San Sheng didn't know which way to go. Just then, Du Xuetao's words echoed in his mind, and a large group of fish came swimming along with the current.

The fish were entirely silver, shaped like shuttles. There were only a few dozen of them. As Dao San Sheng turned to leave, the school of fish pursued him. The silver shuttle fish moved with incredible speed through the water, like streaks of silver light racing straight toward Dao San Sheng.

Dao San Sheng tried to flee desperately, but he wasn't sure of the creature's strength. He retaliated with a palm strike. A layer of dead fish floated to the surface, their bodies still twitching as black poisonous gas billowed from them. All the fish appeared poisoned.

Looking at the dead fish, Dao San Sheng felt it was nothing special. He chased after the group in that direction. Several of the silver shuttle fish that had survived continued to swim swiftly, even against the current. Dao San Sheng pursued them from behind.

The fish soon collided with the current and tumbled. Ahead lay a high set of stone steps. One of the silver shuttle fish leaped, but it missed the steps and was swept back by the current. Dao San Sheng surged forward from the water in a single bound and caught the escaping silver fish.

The silver fish was about one meter long, its body thin and flat like a sword blade, almost paper-thin, so it resembled a shuttle from afar.

The silver fish in his grasp opened its mouth and bared its teeth. To Dao San Sheng's surprise, the creature had long fangs—an entire row of ten-centimeter teeth that gleamed with a cold white light and looked razor-sharp. Fortunately, he had grabbed it from behind.

The silver fish thrashed wildly in Dao San Sheng's hands, its body slippery. He nearly dropped it and nearly fell into the water. He didn't know what rank this spirit beast was, but he paid it no mind and simply stuffed it into his storage bag.

He then caught the second, the third, until the fifth. The rest had jumped onto the steps. Looking at the storage bag now filled with creatures that bared their teeth and claws, he saw that once outside the water, they had become much more docile. These aquatic beings were clearly too weak to survive without water.

Standing before the tall steps, Dao San Sheng approached and climbed them. From above, he saw the deeper area ahead. The water surface here was even wider, like a river, with a branch ahead leading somewhere unknown. On his side, it was only a small opening.

At that moment, hundreds of various fish pounced toward him. Dao San Sheng turned and leaped down the steps. His heart raced, but only after landing did he feel safe.

By then, many fish had also leaped down after him, following Dao San Sheng onto the steps.