Chapter 519: Chapter 519: Tempering
The exotic snake is gone!
Zhang Yuan’s heart was once again alarmed. Without thinking, he let go of the Taowu Saber, and his right hand’s five fingers opened and clenched in front of him.
Instantly, he grasped something cold and smooth.
This grip was entirely driven by the instinct of a Tier Six peak expert, completed naturally and as swift as lightning.
In the next moment, the exotic snake that had disappeared reappeared.
Astonishingly, it was held in Zhang Yuan’s right hand.
This nearly transparent exotic long snake was precisely gripped at the crucial seven-inch point, its triangular head shaking and struggling, with a pair of pale silver snake eyes shimmering with a sinister glow.
Its long body was tightly wrapped around Zhang Yuan’s arm.
Zhang Yuan felt that the exotic snake could escape his grasp at any moment, so without hesitation, he unleashed the power of the Black Giant Ant, suddenly increasing his strength thirtyfold.
Then he gripped tightly with all his might!
In an instant, pieces of Qilin Armor stood up on the back of Zhang Yuan’s hand, revealing the dark golden skin beneath.
Moreover, the fingertips of his five fingers grew into incredibly sharp claws.
Piercing through the exotic snake’s skin!
Feeling the pain, the exotic snake’s struggles intensified.
But Zhang Yuan’s right hand firmly gripped the snake’s vital point, and under the terrifying strength augmentation, no matter how it resisted, it produced no effect.
The snake’s struggles grew weaker and weaker, its eyes bulging high, revealing a deadened look.
Pop!
With a crisp sound, the exotic snake in Zhang Yuan’s hand suddenly shattered into pieces.
Like shattering a glass vessel, countless crystalline shards fell and were swiftly swept away by the strong wind.
Vanishing in the blink of an eye.
But at the same time, a bead the size of a dragon’s eye appeared in Zhang Yuan’s palm!
Huh?
Zhang Yuan was slightly taken aback.
However, he didn’t have the time or energy to study this bead, and immediately stored it in his Storage Space.
Then, Zhang Yuan stepped forward into the stone cave.
The raging winds in the valley instantly disappeared, and even the ghostly wails embedded in the wind became extremely faint.
This sudden and dramatic change left Zhang Yuan feeling somewhat unaccustomed.
Undoubtedly, this was a natural "refuge" and the place where the Blood Orchid grew.
Not only did Zhang Yuan discover a Blood Orchid growing at the cave’s entrance, but in fact, his vision was mostly occupied by a dark red blood glow inside the stone cave.
One, two, three...
With a sweep of his eyes, Zhang Yuan discovered more than twenty Blood Orchids.
He suddenly felt a sense of striking it rich!
According to the information provided by Wulan Tuya, the last expert who brought back a Blood Orchid from Storm Valley had only harvested a single four-leaf clover.
The age of the Blood Orchid is directly related to the number of its leaves, with each leaf representing ten years.
Four leaves means forty years.
Although the Blood Orchid at the cave entrance had only three leaves, the ones Zhang Yuan found inside the cave had five, six, seven, or even more than a dozen leaves, far superior in quality to the records!
Zhang Yuan did not recklessly start harvesting but first ensured that there was no second exotic snake in the cave before taking out specialized herb-picking tools from his Storage Space.
The exotic snake he had just killed was clearly the guardian of these Blood Orchids.
For any other Tier Six expert, facing such a creature’s ambush in the unique environment of Storm Valley, they would hardly be able to kill it with such overwhelming power as Zhang Yuan did; they would count themselves lucky just to survive.
Zhang Yuan had experienced its defensive abilities!
The exotic snake was unfortunate to encounter Zhang Yuan, an opponent with cheats, otherwise, even peak Tier Six Gang Power couldn’t suppress it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Inside the stone cave, Zhang Yuan wielded a Medicine Hoe forged from Hundred-Forged Refined Iron, digging up each Blood Orchid, roots and all, along with the stones, and stored them in the Storage Space.
These Blood Orchids grew on rocks, their roots deeply penetrating the stone, making it impossible to extract them with conventional means.
Fortunately, although the Storage Space couldn’t accommodate living beings, it had no issues storing plants.
Zhang Yuan had previously conducted tests, confirming that plants stored for a while in the Storage Space could be replanted and survive.
He speculated that if he could upgrade the Finch Hair Mouse to a higher level, perhaps living beings could also be stored!
Altogether, Zhang Yuan collected seventeen Blood Orchids.
Not because there were only this many in the cave, but he only selected orchids with five leaves and above.
Those with fewer than five leaves were directly ignored.
As they say, conservation is important; leaving these "saplings" for future benefit follows the natural cycle.
To Zhang Yuan’s surprise, two of the Blood Orchids were actually in bloom.
The flowers of the Blood Orchid are small, no bigger than a thumb, hidden among the leaves and not easily noticed.
But they are extremely beautiful, with petals carved like rubies, emitting a faint fragrance.
The scent alone refreshes the mind!
Intuition told Zhang Yuan that the value of these two flowering Blood Orchids far exceeded the other orchids.
As for their purpose, further research would be necessary once he returns.
Zhang Yuan was confident that the Upper Scenic Celestial Library Pavilion would certainly have relevant records.
Having collected the Blood Orchids, Zhang Yuan, who had completed his commissioned task, was in no rush to leave Storm Valley.
Because he discovered that although this place was extremely dangerous, it was also a natural training ground.
And the stone cave where the Blood Orchids grew was the best shelter.
Zhang Yuan sat cross-legged in the cave, regulating his breath to restore his condition to the best.
Then he stripped off all his clothes, left the safe stone cave, and returned to the gale-swept valley.
By this time, Zhang Yuan had already re-applied the Six Harmonies Qilin Body!
Zhang Yuan’s cultivation in the Horizontal Cultivation Technique had already reached the Grandmaster Realm, but his breakthrough was rapid, lacking true tempering.
The terrifying winds of Storm Valley gave him a spiritual mechanism, and he decided to use the unique environment here to practice the "Six Harmonies Qilin Body," making up for the deficiencies in his cultivation of this technique.
He stood amidst the howling winds, allowing countless grains of sand to strike his body at high speed.
Relying entirely on the Qilin Gang Armor for defense!
Once his internal Gang Qi was mostly depleted, Zhang Yuan returned to the stone cave to recover.
And so, he repeated this cycle!
Since the birth of Storm Valley, perhaps no one else has dared to use such a terrifying forbidden ground as a training ground as he did.
However, the training effect was excellent.
With each tempering, Zhang Yuan gained a deeper understanding of the "Six Harmonies Qilin Body."
Also, the Qilin Gang Armor that covered his body slowly became more resilient and formidable.
To the extent that the effect quickly diminished.
Under these circumstances, Zhang Yuan moved further into the depths of the valley.
To endure even more terrifying winds for cleansing and baptism!
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Only then did Zhang Yuan reluctantly end his training and leave Storm Valley, which no longer posed a danger to him.
After all, Wulan Tuya was still waiting for his return in Nacuoda.
