Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The massive corpse of the Red Shrimp King lay on the ground, its lingering stench gradually dissipating into the sea breeze. Lin Yan slowly stepped forward, a wisp of pure and restrained fifth-level spiritual energy condensing at his fingertips. With a gentle tap, the Shrimp King's storage ring appeared in his hand.

"Brother Lin Yan... is this the shrimp demon's storage item?" Yi Azhu's eyes were soft and sweet as she forced back her fear and looked up at the ring. Her innate water spirit body had already sensed the rich spiritual energy flowing within it. Chen Da stood like a steel tower to the side, his bronze skin still stained with mud from the mudflats. His disheveled hair and beard made him look fierce. He was scratching the back of his head, speaking gruffly and not daring to approach, only staring at the ring with curiosity in his eyes. The spirit turtle nestled on Yi Azhu's shoulder, its palm-sized shell gleaming with a warm, watery light. It peeked out slightly at the water-attribute spiritual energy within the ring, showing a hint of affection.

Lin Yan nodded, then flicked his finger again, revealing a pile of treasures before them. This Crimson Shrimp King, having roamed the nearshore waters for a century, had stored all its plundered treasures within its ring: piles of mid-grade spirit stones neatly stacked, several sea spirit herbs imbued with the spiritual energy of the seawater lying quietly, several pieces of deep-sea black iron, a water-attribute demon core condensed from the Shrimp King's century-long cultivation, and several pieces of demon beast materials tainted with demonic energy—all items suitable for cultivation. With meticulous attention to detail, he carefully searched for a moment, then precisely selected items suitable for everyone.

Lin Yan first took out a jade pendant that was pure white and had a gentle, watery feel to it. "Yunxi cultivates water-based techniques, and she needs a warm spiritual object to stabilize her spiritual meridians. This Water Cloud Pendant is made of warm jade from the deep sea, which can soothe spiritual energy and nourish her meridians. It is perfect for stabilizing her cultivation." As he spoke, he handed it to Yunxi.

Then he picked up a piece of beast-shaped bone, as red as flame and covered with rough patterns, and turned to look at Chen Dagang. "Dagang, you are a mortal. This Xuan Tie Rhinoceros Bone is transformed from the remains of an ancient demon beast. It can strengthen your blood and qi, and ordinary evil spirits cannot get close to you."

Chen Dagang took the rhinoceros bone; it felt heavy in his hand, and a warm sensation spread from his palm to his entire body. He grinned and said in a loud voice, "Thank you, Brother Lin Yan!"

Lin Yan then looked at Yi Azhu beside him, took out a bead the size of a pigeon egg with a pale blue halo from his ring, and handed it to her: "Azhu, this Sea Rhythm Bead merges with the aura of the Warm Soul Spirit Bead on your body, which can enhance your water spirit body's perception. In the future, you will be able to detect demonic energy and spiritual energy more clearly, and it can also help you resonate with the spirit turtle better and understand its guidance." Yi Azhu carefully took it. The moment her fingertips touched it, the pale blue spiritual energy flowed through her water spirit body. She instantly felt that the surrounding wind, water vapor, and spiritual energy became clear and distinct. She quickly nodded obediently: "Thank you, big brother. Azhu will use it well."

After Lin Yan stored all the remaining treasures into his storage ring, he tapped the empty storage ring of the Crimson Shrimp King with his spiritually charged finger and casually handed it to Yun Xi. "Although this storage ring isn't top-tier, it can still hold quite a few items. You can carry it with you; it'll be convenient for traveling and storing miscellaneous items in the future." Yun Xi reached out and took it. Her fingertips touched the slightly cool texture of the ring, and her heart warmed. She thanked him softly and carefully put the ring on her finger, a hint of joy in her eyes.

The spirit turtle climbed down from Yi Azhu's shoulder, circled Lin Yan once, and gently nodded its little head towards the depths of the forest. Its shell glowed slightly and emitted subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy, clearly indicating that it had sensed unusual spiritual energy ahead.

"The spirit turtle is giving us guidance, let's look ahead." Lin Yan made a quick decision, and the others followed closely behind. In less than half an incense stick's time, the spiritual energy suddenly became several times denser. A stone cave hidden under the reef, concealed by seaweed, slowly exuded pure and peaceful spiritual energy from within the cave. It was completely free of demonic energy and was actually a natural divine acupoint for cultivation.

Yi Azhu opened her eyes wide first, activated her Water Spirit Body to the fullest, and whispered, "Big brother, the spiritual energy in the cave is so pure, there's no danger. The spiritual energy inside is much denser than at the seaside!" The spirit turtle also quickly crawled to the cave entrance, rubbed against Yi Azhu's skirt, and confirmed that the place was safe.

Lin Yan looked around and said in a deep voice, "The spiritual energy here is abundant, so we can use this place to cultivate in seclusion, stabilize our cultivation levels, and also give everyone a rest. We will cultivate here for a while."

Chen Dagang sat by the cave entrance, holding the Xuan Tie Rhinoceros Bone. His towering body stood guard on the outermost side, acting as a mortal protector. Yi Azhu held the Sea Rhyme Pearl and sat cross-legged next to the spirit turtle. Pale blue spiritual energy surrounded her. Her innate water spirit body spontaneously absorbed the spiritual energy in the cave, nourishing her meager cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining. The spirit turtle lay on her lap, resonating with her spiritual energy. Its small shell occasionally glowed, enhancing her senses and warnings.

Yunxi found a spot near the spiritual spring inside the cave and sat cross-legged. She wore the Water Cloud Pendant Lin Yan had given her, and the pure spiritual energy within her acupoints flowed continuously into her body through the pendant, gently nourishing her meridians. She circulated her water-based cultivation technique, smoothing out the chaotic spiritual energy from her previous battle with the Red Shrimp King. Her cultivation, previously stuck at the mid-stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining, gradually loosened under the combined support of the pure spiritual energy and the Water Cloud Pendant. A faint watery light enveloped her body, her hair swaying slightly in the breeze. Her previously pale complexion became rosy, and her aura grew increasingly steady. In less than half an hour, the sound of her spiritual energy circulating within her body became increasingly smooth, and she successfully broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Lin Yan found the spot in the cave with the densest spiritual energy and sat down. He straightened his back, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He first circulated the "Laoshan Sea-Viewing Technique" to draw the spiritual energy from the cave into his body. Combined with the water-attribute treasures within his body, he stabilized his cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining. His original realm was already stable, and he had vaguely reached the bottleneck of the sixth level of Qi Refining. At this moment, the pure spiritual energy flowed into his dantian like a stream. His originally abundant spiritual power was continuously compressed and condensed. The Sea-Viewing Inkstone hung above his dantian, slowly circulating and absorbing the spiritual energy. The incomplete technique of the "Canglan Sea Emperor Technique" also circulated, and the water-attribute spiritual energy became increasingly pure.

About an hour later, Lin Yan's spiritual energy suddenly fluctuated, and his slender figure emitted a faint spiritual pressure. The spiritual energy in his dantian completely broke through the shackles and steadily broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining. His realm instantly stabilized without any sense of instability, and his divine sense also became stronger. He could clearly distinguish the rustling of grass within a radius of several feet.

At the same time, nourished by the Sea Rhyme Pearl and the spiritual energy in the cave, Yi Azhu's cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining was completely stabilized. Her water spirit body's perception was greatly enhanced, and the role of the spiritual energy radar became more and more prominent. She could clearly detect the spiritual energy, demonic energy, and residual aura within a hundred feet. Her resonance with the spirit turtle was also deeper. Without the spirit turtle's actions, she could vaguely understand its emotions and guidance. Although she was still thin and weak, her eyes were more determined than before, and she was no longer so timid and cowardly.

Although Chen Dagang had no aptitude for cultivating immortality and was a pure mortal, he absorbed the warm spiritual energy in the cave while holding the Xuan Tie Rhinoceros Bone. His blood and qi became more vigorous, his original mortal body became stronger, his strength increased, and he had some resistance to weak demonic energy. He completely got rid of the weakness of mortals who were easily invaded by evil spirits.

Nourished by Yi Azhu's water spirit body and the spiritual energy within the cave, the ancient patterns on the turtle's shell became increasingly clear, its perception range expanded to hundreds of feet, and its ability to warn and track auras greatly enhanced. It could not only accurately identify demonic energy and blood energy, but also clearly lock onto residual auras in the distance, further improving its navigation and tracking capabilities. It remained as docile as a palm-sized creature, becoming increasingly loyal to Lin Yan and closer to Yi Azhu, becoming the team's most reliable early warning and tracking tool.

Lin Yan opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them, his Qi Refining Level 6 aura subdued, returning to his usual calm demeanor. He looked at the group at the cave entrance, and seeing that they had all gained something, he nodded slightly, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"Let's go home."

Yunxi and Yi Azhu got up and followed closely beside Lin Yan. The spirit turtle climbed back onto Azhu's shoulder, and Chen Dagang gripped the Xuan Tie Rhinoceros Bone and strode after him.