"Quick, take to see that tree!" Zhang Bin said excitedly.
"We've already moved it back..." Hong Ya replied timidly.
"Where did you plant it?" Zhang Bin pressed.
Hong Ya then led Zhang Bin to the tree. He was so angry he almost vomited blood. The tree had completely withered, without a single hint of life; it was only fit for kindling now. Clearly, this was why the two pets hadn't dared to tell him—they were afraid of being severely punished after discovering the tree had died. They knew how valuable it was and that Zhang Bin would be furious.
Just as they feared, his face turned livid. He ground his teeth loudly, and his eyes seed to shoot flas.
"Master, Master, please don't hit ! I'll soon cultivate into a beautiful woman to warm your bed!" Hong Ya pleaded nervously, backing away.
Zhang Bin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He struggled to suppress his anger and began to question them in detail.
It turned out the two of them had found the tree in a very concealed location on Mount Shenlong, where it was guarded by a large snake. Of course, the snake was no match for them; they defeated it easily, and it fled. At that mont, the two fruits on the tree ripened, emitting an irresistible fragrance. Unable to hold back, they each ate one, and afterward, they discovered they could speak. Overjoyed, they carefully dug up the tree and transplanted it to Zhang Bin's territory. Unfortunately, despite watering it with plenty of Spiritual Water, it was all to no avail. The tree died almost imdiately. That was why they hadn't dared to tell Zhang Bin.
"You wastrels! You two are absolute wastrels!" Zhang Bin ranted, scolding the two pets who stood before him with their heads hung low. "Do you have any idea how valuable those two fruits were? Do you realize what a precious treasure you've wasted by eating them like that? If I had refined them into two batches of Bone Tempering Pills, I could have gotten eighteen Elixirs! Da Huang, Big Fatty, Second Fatty, Xiao Jin, and Xiao Xuanzi could have all had their intelligence unlocked! They all could have learned to speak! And another thing—how could you possibly transplant such a precious and rare tree by yourselves? That's a job I had to do! You have to dig up a massive amount of soil and be careful not to damage any part of the root system…"
The two pets remained silent, accepting Zhang Bin's tirade. They knew they had made a terrible mistake.
Finally, Zhang Bin grew tired, and his furious speech slowed. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Qian said, "Master, please don't be too upset. Since there are Bone-Tempering Trees on Mount Shenlong, it's possible other places on Earth have them too. The major Sects might even be cultivating Bone-Tempering Fruit Trees..."
Xiao Qian's voice was enchantingly soft and tender, as if it could burrow deep into a person's soul and heart, stirring them irresistibly. Zhang Bin found himself captivated by her alluring tone, and his anger began to subside without him even realizing it.
However, he wasn't as optimistic as Xiao Qian. From what had happened, it was clear that the Bone-Tempering Fruit Tree was exceptionally delicate and would easily die if transplanted. It could even die naturally without being moved. Without that large snake to guard and care for it, that specific tree would have probably perished long ago. Therefore, he reasoned, even the major Sects would find it incredibly difficult to cultivate Bone-Tempering Fruit Trees.
He imdiately called Zhou Tianyu to ask if anyone in the Cultivation World was cultivating Bone-Tempering Trees.
"Bone-Tempering Trees?" Zhou Tianyu said, astonished. "Why would we cultivators bother with those? They're practically useless, except for feeding to wild beasts. Besides, they're too difficult to grow and consu a lot of Spiritual Energy. We wouldn't waste our efforts on such an unrewarding task."
The implication was clear: Zhou Tianyu thought Zhang Bin was a fool for being interested in them. Clearly, Earth Cultivators didn't know how to refine Wisdom Pills, nor did they have the pill recipe.
How would you know the wonders of the Wisdom Pill? It's a key elixir for cultivating the Qingmu Longevity Technique, Zhang Bin ntally retorted. Aloud, he asked eagerly, "So, do you know where I can find any Bone-Tempering Trees?"
"Of course, Bone-Tempering Trees haven't gone extinct on Earth; there are still many around. However, with your current abilities, they are far beyond your reach," Zhou Tianyu replied with a strange laugh. "And I can't tell you where they are. You'd just get eaten by monsters, and then your elders would co looking for . You're better off asking the elders of your Taiqing Sect." With that, he hung up.
Far from being disappointed, Zhang Bin beca extrely excited and burst out laughing. Since there were still many Bone-Tempering Fruit Trees on Earth, the loss of this single one wasn't a total disaster; the species wasn't extinct. Once he grew stronger, he would be able to get his hands on one.
More importantly, he had discerned a great secret from Zhou Tianyu's words. Powerful monsters existed on Earth, hidden in places he had yet to discover. These monsters cultivated Bone-Tempering Fruit Trees to awaken their descendants' intelligence and set them on the path of cultivation. They were so powerful that perhaps even Zhou Tianyu didn't dare encroach on their territory. That had to be why he refused to reveal their location.
Could it be? Is the Abyss below Great Green Mountain the monsters' territory? Are there powerful monsters and countless Bone-Tempering Trees down there? Zhang Bin wondered. He began to ask Xiao Qian about the Abyss.
"Master, I don't actually know what's down there," Xiao Qian said nervously. "My mother only ever warned never to go deep into the Abyss, or I would face an inescapable calamity."
"Then where did you get that Thousand-Year Ginseng you brought back?" Zhang Bin asked, startled.
"From the edge of the Abyss," Xiao Qian answered. She explained that she had always been curious about the Abyss and would often sneak down to observe it, though she never ventured deep inside. That was how she discovered powerful monsters cultivating Ginseng on the cliff walls. She had gone to steal so but was spotted by a goat monster that chased her relentlessly. She was forced into a bloody battle before she managed to escape.
"Holy shit! A monster transford from a goat knows how to cultivate Ginseng? And it's that powerful?" Zhang Bin was completely dumbfounded. The Abyss really might be monster territory. Should I use my Invisibility Ability and go take a look?
"Master, you mustn't go down there!" Xiao Qian exclaid in horror. "Any human who enters is certain to die. My father explored the Abyss and returned gravely injured. His wounds couldn't be healed, and he eventually passed away."
"Your father was Daoist Elder Taiqing?" Zhang Bin's expression was strange.
"Yes," Xiao Qian affird.
What the... the child of a human and a Fox Spirit is a fox? How is that scientific? Zhang Bin wondered.
As if sensing his thoughts, Xiao Qian said shyly, "If my father had been stronger than my mother, I would have been born in human form. But my mother was far more powerful than him, so I could only be born a fox. You're much stronger than I am, Master. Our children will definitely be human, so don't you worry."
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