Nine Dragons Manor, Colorful Pool.
Carson Flores watched the colorful pool below, lightly closed his eyes, and indeed felt the dense Spiritual Energy in the air.
His gaze settled on the far end of the pool, where there was a pitch-black cave.
The source of Spiritual Energy that Lilly Compton had found was inside that cave. According to her, there should be an underground water vein within, with a deep pool where the concentration of Spiritual Energy was several times thicker than outside.
As night fell, Carson Flores walked out of the nearby mountains like a ghost, while Lilly Compton, akin to a night owl, swept out from the dark cave, tapped a rock with her foot, and then landed beside him.
Carson hummed in response and, with a smile, said to Lilly, "Actually, the Spiritual Energy in each site is limited. By inviting me here, you’re really at a loss."
Lilly laughed lightly, "It’s better to enjoy with everyone than alone. Sharing good things with good friends makes it all the more joyful. Besides, if it weren’t for your help in getting me started on Cultivation, allowing me to understand my own path, I would still be just a small Cultivator who has barely reached the Inner Qi realm and cannot improve myself."
Pausing for a moment, Lilly looked around and asked, "Where’s your wife?"
Carson laughed lightly, "She’s not coming, don’t worry about her."
Carson and Shirley Miller had discussed this matter. Shirley refused to come; first of all, as Carson said, Spiritual Energy is finite - the more people come, the less each person gets to improve. Second, she had already joined Rajevols and therefore there was no need to compete with Carson and Lilly for these bits of Spiritual Energy. When the time came, she would return to Rajevols with plenty of time for Cultivation.
Carson thought it made sense and did not insist. Besides, the source of Spiritual Energy was discovered by Lilly, so her wishes needed to be considered.
It’s like being invited to dinner by a host, and then you, the guest, bring along other people. It can be somewhat embarrassing.
Lilly’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but she quickly became joyful again.
She had originally wanted to take this chance to see how outstanding Carson’s wife was. But now that she wasn’t coming, wouldn’t it mean she would get to spend time alone with Carson?
The two proceeded through the Colorful Pool under the illumination of a flashlight and entered the cave.
In the center of the cave was a pool, and around it was a large circle of rocky ground and messy wild grass. Carson’s flashlight revealed that the wild grass inside the cave was thriving, lush and full of life.
Lilly led Carson to the inside of the poolside, where she had clearly done some cleaning up. The wild grass had been trimmed to make a large open space, with a big package of food and water set aside.
Lilly handed Carson a thick cushion, "I’ve prepared water and food. You can cultivate peacefully. If you want to eat something warm or take a bath, we can go outside; there are hotels in the scenic area."
After a brief exchange, the two started their Cultivation.
Carson practiced the Hao Ran technique, and Spiritual Energy flowed into his body like a never-ending spring, strengthening him at a perceptible speed.
In the middle of the night, Carson was awakened by a rustling sound.
He opened his eyes, grabbed the flashlight, and shone it toward the source of the noise, but all he saw was dense wild grass.
The sound seemed to come from within the thick grass, clearly indicating something was moving through it.
"Don’t worry, Brother Flores, it’s a small animal, seems like an otter."
Lilly’s voice rang out. While shaking the flashlight to search, Carson asked, "Have you seen it?"
Lilly explained, "At first, I was worried about poisonous snakes, so I was very cautious, intending to catch whatever it was. When I found it, it was about the size of an adult cat, with its den in the rock wall opposite. It enters the deep parts of this pool every day to catch fish to eat. It’s very good at diving, staying under the water for a long time without coming up..."
Carson immediately felt relieved. He had previously been worried that there might be venomous snakes hiding in the undergrowth, which could bite him while he was deep in meditation, causing trouble.
"Does it attack people?"
Lilly shook her head, "It’s very wary of people and never comes near me. I originally wanted to catch it to see what it really was, but it’s very smart and incredibly fast. It darts into holes or underwater in the blink of an eye; I tried to catch it twice, but failed, so I just gave up. Let’s all be neighbors and live in peace."
Curious, Carson asked, "How fast is it?"
Lilly answered with a smile, "Like lightning. In a flash, it can dart out seven or eight meters away, leaving only a blur behind. I wonder if this little guy has mutated because it has always lived in this place of Spiritual Energy. In any case, it’s very impressive."
Carson thought that it might indeed be possible; the Spiritual Energy was so rich that even the ordinary wild grass could grow one to two meters tall. It wouldn’t be hard to understand if animals displayed some sort of strength-enhancing mutations.
"Since we are all living in peace, let’s continue being neighbors, then."
Although Carson found the animal somewhat novel, he had no firm desire to capture it. Turning off the flashlight, he closed his eyes once more...