The Spirit Eye Spring

After the female disciple went to fetch the spirit beast, Han Li waited silently on the greeting platform, occasionally glancing at the various禁制 around him.

Apart from the mountaintop where Han Li stood, the rest of Spirit Beast Mountain was divided by multicolored禁制定 formations into habitats of varying sizes for the spirit beasts.

Each禁制-enclosed area was a驯养 site for a specific type of spirit beast. Except for the rotating disciples of Qilin Pavilion, no one else was permitted to enter, to prevent strangers from disturbing the beasts or untamed beasts from injuring outsiders.

Thus, although the entire Spirit Beast Mountain appeared quiet, it was actually home to nearly a thousand different spirit beasts—a scale that could not be called unimpressive.

The female disciple did not keep Han Li waiting long. After about the time it took to eat a meal, she emerged from one of the禁制, a beast the size of a fist held in her arms, and walked straight toward Han Li.

“This is a Double-Pupil Rat. The rental fee is one low-grade spirit stone per day.” The female disciple gently stroked the little beast’s soft fur and spoke respectfully to Han Li.

“Fine. Here are three spirit stones. I will use it for three days,” Han Li said calmly.

“In three days, Uncle-Master need only release the Double-Pupil Rat, and it will return to Qilin Pavilion on its own. During this time, I hope Uncle-Master will treat it well. This pouch contains its favorite earth pear fruits; Uncle-Master may feed it a few when he has a moment.” The young woman accepted the spirit stones, handed the beast over to Han Li, and also produced a small white pouch.

Han Li nodded slightly and accepted them without changing his expression.

Then, under her respectful gaze, he flew off on his magic tool.

Han Li flew northwest through the air.

As he traveled, he couldn't help appraising the obedient Double-Pupil Rat in his arms.

At first glance, this little yellow beast really did look like an ordinary field rat. It had the same small body, the same yellow fur, and the same long, slender tail.

The only difference was a pair of large eyes, completely unlike a field rat’s, on its face. That one difference, though minor, made the creature utterly adorable.

Especially the faint, five-colored light that flickered deep within its eyes, adding an air of mystery and extraordinariness to the beast.

Even Han Li, who was used to being cold and detached, couldn’t resist stroking it a few times when he saw how cute it was. The thought of raising one himself even crossed his mind.

But Han Li also knew that despite how docile this little beast seemed now, it was a genuine first-tier mid-grade demonic beast.

Aside from its神奇 double pupils, this beast also possessed a set of steel teeth capable of chewing through copper and iron, and front claws that could pierce metal and stone. It was far from as harmless as it appeared on the surface.

Thinking this, Han Li gave one of its small ears a playful flick. When the ear twitched amusingly in response, he couldn’t help chuckling softly. It seemed some of the childlike innocence buried deep in his heart had resurfaced.

Han Li continued flying with the beast for an entire day before finally stopping at the outermost part of the northwestern Taiyue Mountain Range.

A little over a hundred li further north from here would be the border of Yuanwu Country, the territory of the Tianxing Sect, one of Yuanwu’s major sects. They maintained a market there that stood in implicit opposition to the Yellow Maple Valley market to the east.

Two hundred li west was the border between Jianzhou and Xizhou, the smallest prefecture in Yue.

This prefecture was the only one in the seven great sects’ sphere of influence that had no驻扎. The reason was that apart from loess highlands, the land was mostly an endless desert, covering over three-quarters of Xizhou’s entire area. With a total population of only a little over a hundred thousand, it had neither resources nor manpower to spare. Naturally, it was beneath the notice of the seven great sects.

Han Li had chosen to open a cave dwelling near here for two reasons.

First, this was a relatively desolate part of the Taiyue Mountain Range, bordering Yuanwu on one side and Xizhou on the other. It was a place fellow sect members and other cultivators rarely passed through, ensuring no one would disturb his cultivation.

Second, it was not far from the Tianxing Sect’s market. If he wanted to sell some medicinal herbs or buy something, he could easily complete the transaction there without worrying about being recognized.

With these two considerations in mind, Han Li had selected this spot—which was not the best in terms of spiritual qi—rather than clustering his cave among the most qi-dense areas like other Foundation Establishment disciples.

After landing, Han Li took out a slender rope he had prepared in advance and fastened it around the Double-Pupil Rat’s neck, to prevent the little thing from running off too quickly for him to follow. Then, he took a round, yellow fruit from the small pouch and tossed it to the beast to eat.

Soon, having consumed the earth pear fruit, the Double-Pupil Rat grew lively. With a soft “squeak squeak,” it suddenly dashed into a nearby patch of grass and vanished.

Han Li unhurriedly followed the rope, walking after it…

——

Standing at the base of a treacherous peak, Han Li stared blankly at the massive cliff face before him, which rose over a hundred zhang high.

The rope in his hand extended through a narrow, nearly invisible crevice into the cliff itself.

It was now the afternoon of the second day. After nearly two days of arduous searching, the Double-Pupil Rat had suddenly gone into a mad dash near this peak. It had led him hurriedly here, then slipped straight into the crevice.

Han Li looked at the taut rope in his hand, his curiosity thoroughly piqued. After a moment’s thought, he slapped his storage pouch, and the large silver sword appeared in his hand.

Gripping the rope with one hand and wielding the silver sword like the wind with the other, he quickly widened the narrow crevice into a rough opening large enough for a person to squeeze through, cutting through the stone as if it were tofu.

Once he squeezed inside, he immediately cast a protective barrier around himself and began cutting through the rock step by step, advancing slowly along the rope. All the scattered碎石 and dirt were blocked by his water-attribute barrier, keeping him clean.

This manual labor continued for over an hour, gradually forming a crude, several-dozen-zhang-long stone passage. When Han Li struck with his sword once more, there was a sudden “crash,” and the stone wall finally broke through.

Overjoyed, Han Li swung his sword wildly a few more times to completely clear the opening, then strode through with a single step.

A natural stone cavern about ten zhang in size appeared before him. The moment Han Li entered, a wave of dense spiritual qi washed over him, catching him by surprise.

Nevertheless, his gaze followed the rope in his hand. It extended all the way to the center of the cave, where a tiny spring well was bubbling with flowing water. The Double-Pupil Rat was lying right in the middle of this several-foot-wide pool of water, swimming about contentedly.

“This is…”

Han Li was genuinely stunned this time. The concentrated spiritual qi in the cave was almost entirely coming from this spring.

He quickly walked over, cupped some of the spring water in his hands, and examined it closely.

“This is a Spirit Eye Spring. No mistake about it!” It didn’t take much effort for Han Li to confirm his guess.

“The spiritual qi contained in the water isn’t as exaggerated as the legends say, and this spring is very small, but it is indeed a Spirit Eye Spring, rarely seen in the world.” He plunged both hands into the water and muttered to himself in disbelief.

Then he closed his eyes, feeling the strands of spiritual energy emanating from the water, and a mix of surprise and delight appeared on his face.

When it comes to spirit springs, one cannot help but bring up the theory of spirit veins and spirit eyes in the cultivation world.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth is not evenly distributed. Some places are dense, others sparse. Over long periods of time, spirit veins of varying sizes tend to form in places where qi is abundant.

Large spirit veins can stretch for tens of thousands of li without breaking, while small ones may only be a few li long, pitifully narrow. But regardless of size, once formed, these spirit veins automatically emit a faint spiritual qi, sustaining the local circulation of qi so that it never runs dry.

However, even within the same spirit vein, the amount of spiritual qi produced is not uniform. The spots where qi gathers most densely are, of course, the most suitable for cultivators to sit in meditation and train. These spots are called “Spirit Eyes” in the cultivation world.

“Spirit Eyes” are generally formless and colorless, detectable only by a cultivator’s perception. But any place called a Spirit Eye is, without question, the most qi-rich point in the surrounding spirit vein.

Although Spirit Eyes are usually formless—just a name for a specific location—if the spiritual qi at a Spirit Eye is exceptionally dense and maintained over a long period, it can gradually solidify, producing a physical Spirit Eye object. Examples include Spirit Eye Beads, Spirit Eye Stones, and Spirit Eye Springs. There are even legends of the highest-grade Spirit Eye Trees.

Such physical manifestations of Spirit Eyes are extremely rare. They are the result of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, combined with favorable circumstances.

These physical Spirit Eye objects emit spiritual qi far more concentrated than ordinary Spirit Eyes. Meditating and training near them can accelerate cultivation speed at an extraordinary rate.

The best Spirit Eye objects can even increase a cultivator’s cultivation speed by twenty to thirty percent. Moreover, once formed, objects such as Spirit Eye Trees and Spirit Eye Springs can be moved with magic power without losing their efficacy.