“Damn it…”
At this point, what could Cassian even say?
“No rush, we’ve still got two days,” Charles chuckled.
“Get some rest.
Whether this works out or not…
it’s all on you now.”
Cassian had no words.
He’d had this nagging feeling for a while-that he was just a piece on someone else’s board.
But thinking deeper, it all made sense.
Once benefits got involved, so did manipulation.
That word-manipulation-made Cassian think of something else: those rare herbs Crimsonlotus mentioned, and that half-dead tree that could talk.
He wasn’t exactly afraid of getting wrapped up with Crimsonlotus over some gain.
Truth be told, he was a bit curious-what could that old freak offer him if he got those herbs?
“Uncle, if there’s nothing else, I think I’ll head back and rest.”
Charles nodded.
“Only thing left is electing the Faraday elders.
If you’re worn out, go ahead.”
“Good luck, bro!
I’ll ask the cooks to send you something tasty later!”
Noah gave Cassian a fist pump, flashing a grin like nothing could faze him.
Cassian rolled his eyes at his younger brother and just shook his head before heading out of the hall.
Next stop-the Faraday Elixir Hall.
“Cassian-wait, I mean, Young Master now, eh?
What brings you here?”
Inside the hall stood a plump middle-aged man: Albert, a second-rank herbalist.
He usually took care of gathering herbs for the clan and handled some of the elixir-crafting.
Herbalists and elixirs were ranked from first to ninth grade.
Across the entire Etherion Continent, even an eighth-rank herbalist was rare.
The higher the rank, the better the elixir-simple as that.
“Uncle Albert, just call me Cassian.
‘Young Master’ sounds weird.”
Albert liked Cassian.
He’d helped the kid plenty and knew that Cassian becoming one of the clan’s top three wasn’t just luck-it had a lot to do with their history together.
“You rascal,” Albert laughed.
“Alright then, what do you need from me?”
Cassian didn’t beat around the bush.
“Do you have Goldthread Herb, Qilin Root, Eightfold Fruit, or Phoenix Eye Herb?”
Albert frowned a bit.
“Goldthread, Qilin Root, and Phoenix Eye, yes.
But Eightfold Fruit?
No way.
That stuff’s rare.
It’s got this special effect on the body-good for strengthening flesh and blood.
Second-tier spirit material.
No one sells it, most keep it for themselves.”
“What do you need those herbs for anyway?”
“Uh…” Cassian scratched his head, clearly clueless.
“A friend asked me for them.
If you don’t have it, never mind.”
He was disappointed.
The Eightfold Fruit Crimsonlotus wanted wasn’t some minor trinket.
A second-tier spirit material…
that wasn’t going to be easy.
So much for that “surprise reward,” huh?
“I don’t have it,” Albert said slowly.
“But I know where you might find one…
question is, do you dare go?”
Cassian’s eyes lit up.
“Where?”
“I’ve heard Eightfold Fruit trees grow in the valley twenty miles west in the Verdant Spirit Range,” Albert said, his voice low.
“But that’s just hearsay.
No one’s sure if they’re really there.
And you know how dangerous that place is…”
The Verdant Spirit Range-a vast, untamed wilderness running through the Northreach Dominion and stretching into the Western Continent.
People say the deeper parts are crawling with venomous beasts, savage monsters, and bloodthirsty birds.
Some even claim to have seen a dragon of the Western lands deep in its heart.
Just thinking about it makes your skin crawl.
Still, the range is packed with valuable resources.
Plenty of cultivators make the trip, though none dare venture too deep-too deadly in there.
“Twenty miles west isn’t too deep, shouldn’t be anything too crazy,” Cassian muttered to himself.
He figured it through.
There were still two days before the Elwood Clan’s marriage trials.
Besides, he owed the Bloodfiend two hundred kilograms of blood.
If low-tier spirit beasts show up in the range, he could knock out both problems in one go.
No need to hesitate.
Cassian headed straight to the family stables, picked out their finest horse, and bolted out of Lunaris.
*****
A hundred miles was nothing for that thousand-mile runner-it only took an hour.
“Ugh…!”
About ten miles into the western part of the range, Cassian couldn’t hold it anymore.
He flipped off the saddle and staggered to the edge of a clear blue lake, puking his guts out right there.
“Damn it!
I swear I’m coughing up my stomach here…”
Even as a sixth-tier spiritblade realm cultivator, he couldn’t believe he still got motion sick.
Sure, cars back on Earth made him queasy, but horses too?
Splashing water on his face, he got his head straight-only to notice something weird nearby.
A pale stone sat beside the lake, with a white sheer dress, a pink undergarment, and a pair of fine white boots laid neatly on it.
“What the hell…
why would this stuff be out here?”
Curious, Cassian instinctively grabbed the dress and undergarment.
A sweet, flowery scent drifted up, soft and lingering.
“Whoosh!”
Right then, a woman rose from beneath the emerald waters.
She had skin like ice, smooth as jade.
Her figure was lean yet full, her face fresh and radiant, glowing with a relaxed grace.
She looked like she’d stepped straight out of a dream, like a lotus flower blooming from the lake.
“…Damn.” Cassian couldn’t help the sound that left his mouth.
But even though his voice was quiet, the woman still heard it.
Her eyes locked on him, and then-“Ahhh!”
A piercing scream rang out.
Mortified and furious, she practically exploded.
“Boom!”
With a single palm strike, she smashed the surface of the lake, sending a massive wave soaring into the air.
Her body vanished behind the crashing water-but what really rocked Cassian was the terrifying pressure that suddenly poured from her.
“Holy hell…
a spiritcore realm cultivator?!”