After Huang Shi and Bai Xinyue had walked around for a bit, they finally found a suitable place for his breakthrough. It was once again another cave, but this time it was at the base of a massive black mountain. The trees around the cave were so large that they seemed to stretch into the sky, while the grass had already reached his waist.
What kind of damn plants are these…
Bai Xinyue looked at him and saw his confusion before speaking in a calm tone, clarifying his doubts.
"When animals come in contact with spiritual energy, there is a chance they evolve and turn into spiritual beasts, becoming more powerful as a result. Plants that live for a long enough period of time are also touched by the gift of spiritual energy and grow bigger and stronger as a result. In fact, there are even some instances where trees and plants gain sentience."
Huang Shi silently squinted his eyes as his mind raced at this new information. Although he already had an idea about how spiritual beasts came to be, he didn't expect plants to get the same treatment.
I guess even plants can become immortal in this world if they are lucky enough. Although, I'm pretty sure they live long enough already.
Once again, they walked in silence until they finally reached the opening of the cave. This place, unlike the area around it, was free from any sort of vegetation.
In fact, the closer they got to the cave, the more certain Huang Shi was that something was living in it, or at least something had lived in it in the past.
The cave lets out a strong aura of a spiritual beast... much stronger than a Nascent Profound spiritual beast. Most likely, it's a True Profound spiritual beast.
Huang Shi felt a bit nervous. He stopped right before taking a step inside, gulped, and turned toward Bai Xinyue.
"You sure this is safe? What if the thing that lives here comes back?"
Bai Xinyue looked back at him and gave him another smile as she spoke in reply.
"How can you be considered a man if you act like such a scaredy-cat? If even a little girl like me isn't afraid, why should you be?"
Huang Shi looked back at this girl, a bit stupefied. He was clearly trying to find a set of words that wouldn't piss off the little lady, as the only thing inside his mind was this:
If even a monster of a woman like you is considered a little girl, then the world must truly be doomed.
Bai Xinyue, who seemed to notice the odd look in his eyes, clicked her tongue. Her expression turned slightly chilly before she spoke in a cold tone.
"What? Do you have anything to say to me?"
Huang Shi gulped as he quickly shook his head like a rattle drum. As a professional player, he knew when to push his luck and when to take a strategic retreat. When you're dealing with a spoiled, pampered, and incredibly powerful little miss like her, you wouldn't want to take any chances.
So instead, Huang Shi puffed up his chest, acted like nothing happened, and spoke with feigned confidence.
"If the little miss is so confident in her abilities, then clearly I have nothing to fear. I'll just go straight ahead!"
Without waiting for a moment longer, Huang Shi quickly walked inside the cave, like he was an explorer that was unafraid of death, while Bai Xinyue looked at him silently from behind, a slight smile at the edge of her lips. Clearly, she was very pleased that Huang Shi had not picked a fight with her about the issue.
The cave itself was much larger than the cave that was lived in by the grayscale wolves. In fact, it was about ten times larger. He wasn't even really sure what kind of spiritual beast would need such a large cave for them to live in.
Alright, fuck... I am officially no longer sure that this place is home to just a normal true profound spiritual beast. If I'm guessing—and I hope I'm just overthinking things—this place could be the home of a spirit profound spiritual beast or something even more powerful.
Huang Shi grit his teeth, as a bit of anxiety seeped into his features. Walking around in the home of a beast that could kill you with a single swipe of their claws, if it even had one, was a terrifying ordeal no matter the situation.
Thankfully, this thing also had its plus sides. Because it releases such a dreadful spiritual energy aura, there is no way other spiritual beasts will ever approach this place.
Although I'm not sure why we didn't meet any spiritual beasts on the way here... although I could guess at the reason for that one.
Huang Shi used his peripheral vision to stare at Bai Xinyue before quickly looking away. If she said that it was safe, then he really had no choice but to trust her, unless he wanted to leave this place on his own.
Finally, after walking for a couple more minutes, they arrived at a fairly open space, with flat ground and a moderate temperature. They were quite surprised to find large azure crystals embedded in the walls of the cave, giving off an artificial azure glow.
Bai Xinyue stared at the beautiful scene for a few seconds in shock before a happy smile covered her face as she pointed at the crystals around them.
"Do you know what those are?"
Huang Shi used the information he had learned from the information hall and that the system had memorized and gave an answer with a bit of doubt.
"Lightning Spirit Crystals?"
Bai Xinyue grinned as she nodded her head. "Bingo! It seems my time here wasn't a waste after all."
She then pointed towards a specific corner of the room, one that was slightly less filled with crystals as a cultivation mat once again appeared—the one she previously gave him.
"Sit there. I'll guard you on your breakthrough. Don't worry; as long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."