In this world, which mountain-dwelling cultivator isn't meticulously calculating every detail, fearing even the slightest waste?
At least, Ji Yuan had never seen, nor heard of, a mountain-dwelling cultivator so brazenly absorbing spiritual energy, seemingly oblivious to the waste of twenty to thirty percent.
If it were just one or two individuals acting this way, it might be understandable. But for everyone here to behave like this was rather unusual.
As for Xu Luoxuan, she was more or less acceptable, as their earlier conversation revealed she was the daughter of a merchant from a second or first-tier county. Strictly speaking, she should be considered a rogue cultivator.
The rest, however, were all from mountain and swamp origins. This was not a life-or-death situation, so there was absolutely no reason for them to waste spiritual energy so carelessly.
After a brief observation, Ji Yuan realized that the spiritual energy they absorbed from the spirit stones resulted in at least a twenty to thirty percent waste, which could not be effectively converted into their own mana, instead dissipating during the absorption process.
After a long period of contemplation, he silently circulated the mana within his body, always keeping a portion ready, as a contingency plan.
The behavior of these individuals truly made him uneasy. If one or two anomalies could be considered coincidental, then when more anomalies gathered, it was absolutely impossible to attribute it to mere coincidence.
First, there was everyone's peculiar behavior and principles. Then, the fact that there were no alchemists and no one knew how to refine pills, yet there were newly made pills. And finally, mountain and swamp cultivators who were completely unconcerned about wasting spirit stones.
No matter how he looked at it, these people had significant problems!
Just as Ji Yuan was contemplating this, Huang Tianci, who was leading them, suddenly stopped and used his mana to hover over a lake.
The next moment, he quietly raised a hand. Xu Luoxuan and the others around him immediately showed wary expressions, their gazes scanning the lake surface with alertness.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan naturally became extremely cautious. He used his Dharma Eye to peer at the surrounding lake surface, but after a long while, he found nothing.
Even his spiritual sense gave no warning, as if no danger lurked around them.
"They're here!"
Huang Tianci suddenly spoke and then stomped on the lake surface.
The six people around him followed suit, leaping into the sky with a splash and scattering to land slowly around them.
Only Ji Yuan stood there in a daze. By the time he reacted and wanted to do the same, it was already a bit late.
*Bang!!!*
Before the splash caused by Huang Tianci and the other seven stomping on the lake surface had completely subsided, several water columns immediately erupted into the sky, and several dark figures appeared within the dense miasma.
Within the white mist, monstrous beasts resembling crocodiles but with a single black horn on their heads and covered in scales twisted their bodies, using the force of the water columns to appear in mid-air, descending with bared teeth and claws.
Ji Yuan frowned. It was too late to dodge now. There were such crocodile-like monstrous beasts all around him.
With his mind racing, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Then, with a slight flick of his sleeve, dozens of talismans descended, which he clutched in his palm and flung out.
In the blink of an eye, a circle of fire erupted, encircling Ji Yuan. With a mere thought, it rapidly ascended into the air!
However, the flames, though fierce, were merely from talismans of no rank. While they possessed the power to crack metal and shatter stone, they could not inflict substantial damage on the monstrous beasts before him.
In just one or two breaths, the scorching flames were torn apart by four of the monstrous beasts, and their colossal forms then pressed down.
But this brief moment was enough for Ji Yuan to employ other means. He swiped at his waist and drew his life-bound magical artifact – the Yuan Chen Whip!
As the residual sparks fell, circles of blue light swept out, not only pushing back the superheated flame fragments but also holding the four monstrous beasts in mid-air.
*Roar!!!*
The monstrous beasts roared one after another, their bodies emitting powerful fluctuations. Savage spiritual energy was immediately unleashed.
However, in the next instant, a black shadow flashed past, and the light blue whip lash struck the four monstrous beasts sequentially.
With a series of crisp sounds, the four monstrous beasts were sent flying, crashing heavily onto the water's surface and kicking up several thick water columns!
Ji Yuan flicked his wrist, the long whip whistling through the air before falling to his side, hovering in the air under the support of mana.
After repelling the monstrous beasts, he scanned his surroundings and saw that Huang Tianci and the other seven had retreated to over ten feet away at some point, with no intention of intervening.
They stood scattered on the water, their gazes cast over with amusement. They did not move their feet at all, and their auras were suppressed to the point of being almost imperceptible.
With just a glance, Ji Yuan understood. These people were either using the monstrous beasts to deal with him, or they wanted to test his strength.
However, no matter how he thought about it, the former was more likely than the latter.
But now was not the time to dwell on such matters. He withdrew his gaze and then his brows twitched slightly as his spiritual sense suddenly sent a warning.
With the aid of his Dharma Eye, Ji Yuan could barely see through the thick miasma within two to three feet, achieving the same clarity as in a normal environment.
Under his gaze, dark figures were stealthily swimming in the water, approaching him at extreme speed. In just a moment, they were less than ten feet away.
It was at this moment that he let out a low roar and then began to violently swing his whip, causing circles of blue ripples to appear.
In the blink of an eye, the lake surface beneath Ji Yuan's feet began to ripple, followed by violent fluctuations. Layers of whirlpools suddenly formed and rapidly expanded in all directions.
After several breaths, the previously calm lake surface churned into surging waves, and a massive whirlpool took shape!
The light blue whip body rotated continuously, and the whirlpool beneath his feet was also imbued with a layer of blue light. Tremendous mana was poured into it, emitting astonishingly powerful fluctuations.
If a cultivator in the Enlightenment Realm accidentally fell into the whirlpool, they would likely be torn apart by the powerful pulling force in less than three to four breaths!
*Puff puff puff!!!*
In just a few blinks, abnormal sounds emanated from the whirlpool. Immediately, the clear lake water surged with crimson, and a pungent smell of blood permeated the air.
If one looked closely with their Dharma Eye, they would see that within the continuously expanding whirlpool, many dismembered limbs of monstrous beasts had appeared, clearly unable to withstand such power and already torn apart by the formidable pulling force!
"Daoist priest, you can stop! The attacking monstrous beasts are all dead!"
Huang Tianci retracted the scrutinizing look in his eyes and replaced it with a bright smile, calling out loudly from a distance.
The others also spoke, a hint of seriousness flashing in the depths of their eyes.
After a few calls, seeing that the young man in the distance did not respond, nor show any signs of stopping, the smiles on their faces couldn't help but freeze slightly.
This was because the whirlpool he had created showed no signs of dissipating and was continuously expanding outwards, soon reaching their feet.
They could naturally retreat further, but they couldn't keep doing so. And if they were to intervene, it would be tantamount to provoking him.
Moreover, they could tell that the young man was angry and was using this to demand an explanation.
"I have two pill recipes here, both of them are graded items. I can bestow them upon you, Daoist priest, as an apology!"
Huang Tianci forced a wry smile and called out again.
As soon as his voice fell, the whirlpool before him began to gradually subside. The young man in the distance finally stopped, no longer swinging his whip.
Ji Yuan put away the Yuan Chen Whip and wound it around his waist. The surging mana within him gradually calmed down, and his aura returned to its previously somewhat frail appearance.
He couldn't help but cough lightly, his breath fluctuating slightly, making his already pale complexion even more so.
This was not a pretense. His internal injuries were already very serious, and the healing he had undergone for several hours prior had merely managed to suppress them.
After this exertion, while it wouldn't cause the injuries to relapse, it was still quite uncomfortable. His qi and blood churned, and intense pain surged.
After a brief assessment of his internal condition, Ji Yuan estimated he could still exert himself about two more times, or else he wouldn't be able to suppress his injuries, and wouldn't even be able to mobilize his mana.
Of course, if he only used a small amount of mana, or employed methods like talismans for combat, as long as the expenditure wasn't too severe, it would still be within his tolerance.
At this moment, Huang Tianci and the others leaped over, landing around Ji Yuan, their faces wearing bright smiles.
It seemed that his previous display of skill and strength had earned their approval, and their gazes had become more cordial.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He wished such a situation had never happened, and he didn't need these people to be friendly with him.
"These are the 'Hua E Jing Qi Dan' and the 'Gan Lin Di Xie Dan.' Although they are somewhat obscure pills, they are graded, making them quite valuable."
Huang Tianci took out two jade slips and handed them over with a smile.
However, for some reason, Ji Yuan felt that the other party's smile was meaningful, as if it contained some other hidden intention.
With a hint of suspicion in his heart, he slowly reached out and took the two jade slips. Then, a wisp of mana appeared in his palm, enveloping them as he meticulously examined them.
In his other hand, hidden in his sleeve, he even held a talisman to detect any hidden traps within the jade slips.
Seeing this, the people around them all smiled knowingly, and even Huang Tianci did not show any displeasure, seeming to understand this action very well.
After the final inspection confirmed they were safe, he finally put away his mana with relief and examined the jade slips in his hand with a hint of curiosity.
These two jade slips, at a glance, indicated they had existed for at least several thousand years, undoubtedly items from the time when the dojo was destroyed. A faint aura of heavenly punishment still lingered on them.
If his guess was correct, these were the spoils that Huang Tianci and the others had obtained from their previous exploration.
As a wisp of soul light merged into them, Ji Yuan only needed a brief look to immediately understand the effects of the two pills recorded in the pill recipes.
"Including the previous 'Po Zhang Dan' recipe, I'll give it all to you, Daoist priest."
Huang Tianci seemed to have thought of something and then said with a smile.
Previously, Ji Yuan had borrowed a jade slip from them to examine and had used the medicinal principles within to crudely concoct a pill.
It was precisely with this pill that the poisonous insects in the miasma dared not approach, saving them a great deal of trouble.
As they ventured deeper into the water, he had also been continuously studying this pill, trying his best to comprehend its medicinal properties. This way, if any unforeseen circumstances arose, he would be able to counteract the poisonous insects in the local miasma.
One must know that the five types of tiny poisonous insects that inhabited the miasma, any one of them individually could easily poison a cultivator in the Enlightenment Realm. The effects of two or more would give even a cultivator in the Spirit Point Realm a severe headache.
According to Huang Tianci and the others, once infected with all five variations, even a cultivator in the Dao Comprehension Realm would be unable to escape death if they could not administer an antidote in a timely manner!