Chapter 16 How do we get that?

Zhao Lingfeng's skin tingled unpleasantly as he and Lin Tian slowly made their way up another terrace level, the spiritual mist growing thicker with each step. A Thunder Scale Drake moved beside them, its broad shoulder providing welcome support when Zhao Lingfeng's foot encountered a deceptively brittle patch of stone.

"Careful," Lin Tian warned, his own movements measured and precise. "The concentration of spiritual energy has certainly made the rock surface even more unpredictable." As if to prove his point, the stone beneath his next step crumbled slightly, but a Spirit Wind Leopard was already there, steadying him with its solid frame.

The Stone Claw Bears had retreated to a lower level, their massive forms huddled together in what could only be described as collective dejection after their latest attempt at 'helping' had nearly collapsed an entire terrace.

"Don't sulk," Zhao Lingfeng called down to them, trying to sound encouraging despite the increasing discomfort from the mist. "Your... enthusiasm was appreciated!" The largest bear let out a sound like grinding stones trying to cry, and Zhao Lingfeng felt a peculiar twinge of guilt.

If it was an ordinary low-tier spirit beast, they wouldn't have been so sensitive in such a manner.

Lin Tian suddenly halted, his hand gripping the Thunder Scale Drake's scales for balance as he stared at something higher up. Following his gaze, Zhao Lingfeng spotted a treasure. An Earth Lotus Root! It was growing from a nearly vertical face of stone, its exposed surface gleaming with intricate golden patterns that seemed to pulse with inner light.

"An Earth Lotus Root… but it's those patterns," Lin Tian breathed, his usual composure cracking slightly. "I've seen them in many descriptions in old texts. When the golden lines are this vibrant, this complete..."

"How old?" Zhao Lingfeng asked quickly, already feeling his heart rate quicken.

"At least ten thousand years," Lin Tian replied, unconsciously leaning forward. "Look at how smooth and deep the color is. It is no longer yellow anymore, it's gold! This only happens when the root has had at least five millenniums to absorb and refine spiritual energy. And there's enough there for..."

"Five Perfect Foundation Establishment Pills," they said in unison.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them grew thick with unspoken tension.

Such a find could change everything.

A Perfect Foundation Establishment Pill wasn't just any cultivation resource. It was the difference between merely breaking through to the next realm and establishing an unshakeable foundation for all future cultivation.

Even for the Liuyun Sect, there may be years when they may not even have one for their Core Disciples.

The Black Earth Python slithered closer, its ancient eyes studying the root with clear recognition. It turned its massive head toward them and made a series of subtle movements that seemed to convey both warning and respect.

"The corrosive mist is far worse up there," Lin Tian observed, wiping sweat from his brow. Even at their current height, the mist had begun to make their robes feel heavy with accumulated spiritual energy. "We'll need to be quick. Too much exposure to this concentration could damage our meridians."

[Warning]

[Intense spiritual corrosive energy detected within the vicinity.

Prolonged exposure may lead to the following:

Meridian instability or rupture

Mental overload

Qi deviation]

Zhao Lingfeng nodded, already aware, feeling the increased strain. His arms felt leaden, and maintaining a stable spiritual circulation was becoming increasingly difficult. "The Spirit Wind Leopards?"

Lin Tian shook his head. "The wind energy they use for movement could disturb the root's accumulated spiritual essence. Unlike most of the other plants we obtained, it is risky. One wrong gust and we could potentially disperse millennia of refinement. For a treasure like this, it requires utmost care in uprooting."

"Yeah. Also, the Jade-Spine Serpents are too light to anchor themselves properly at that height," Zhao Lingfeng added, grateful for the Thunder Scale Drake's steady presence as another wave of dizziness washed over him. "And the Thunder Scale Drakes' lightning energy would probably trigger some kind of reaction with all this condensed spiritual energy."

They both glanced down at the Stone Claw Bears, who perked up hopefully at the sudden attention. The largest one started to rise, eager to help, only to bump its head on a protruding rock and send a shower of pebbles cascading down the terraces. The other bears quickly pulled it back down before it could cause more damage.

"No," they said simultaneously, causing the bears to slump back into their collective dejection.

Zhao Lingfeng reached into his sack and pulled out a coiled rope, plain hemp, but sturdy enough to support a man's weight. "I brought this, thinking it might be useful for situations like this but..."

"A regular rope alone won't be enough," Lin Tian finished, steadying himself against another wave of spiritual pressure. "The mist would saturate and weaken normal materials at that height. Still, it could serve useful for stability, but it is unable to solve the issue of climbing."

Lin Tian tested another protruding section of rock with the tip of his dagger, only to have it crumble soon after some applied pressure. "Creating new footholds would be ideal, but at our cultivation level..."

Zhao Lingfeng sighed in response as he studied the wall's surface. Natural handholds existed, but testing each one was nerve-wracking. Some seemed perfectly solid until weight was applied, while others crumbled at the slightest touch.

"If we had better control over our spiritual energy, we could maybe find some way to reinforce the existing holds," Lin Tian mused, wiping more caustic sweat from his brow. "But with this mist disrupting our Qi..."

Zhao Lingfeng ran his hand along a seemingly solid section of wall, feeling the way the stone subtly vibrated under his touch. "The spiritual pressure has changed the rock's very nature. It's like... like crystal that's been heated and cooled too quickly. Strong in some places, but riddled with hidden stresses."

Lin Tian nodded. "And we can't tell which is which without testing each spot. One wrong choice..."

He didn't need to finish. They'd both seen enough crumbling terraces to know what one wrong handhold could mean at this height.

"Brother Tian," Zhao Lingfeng said slowly, an idea forming. "What if we work with the stone's new nature instead of fighting it?"

Lin Tian widened his eyes at this discovery but shook his head. "The problem is telling them apart," Lin Tian said, frowning at the seemingly uniform stone surface. "The changed sections look identical to untouched stone."

The fact that they now only noticed this now was proof of its uniform stone surface.

"True, but..." Zhao Lingfeng tapped his sword hilt thoughtfully. "When you struck that section earlier, did you notice the sound?"

Lin Tian's eyes narrowed. "Could you elaborate?"

"The crystallized sections rang differently. Like..." Zhao Lingfeng struggled to find the right comparison. "Like the difference between striking wood and jade."

"I see, but we cannot go around hitting the wall randomly," Lin Tian pointed out. "One wrong impact..."

"No, but maybe..." Zhao Lingfeng carefully drew his plain iron sword and held it flat against the stone surface. "Brother Tian, send a small pulse of spiritual energy through your blade. Just enough to barely scratch the surface."

Lin Tian pressed his sword against a different section of wall and channeled a minute thread of spiritual energy through it.

A soft, almost musical tone emanated from the point of contact. Barely audible, but distinct.

"The transformed sections should respond differently to spiritual energy," Zhao Lingfeng explained, excitement creeping into his voice despite his exhaustion. "They've been steeped in it for who knows how long."

Lin Tian moved his blade slowly across the surface, barely touching it. The tone changed subtly as he went, rising and falling in pitch. "The higher notes..."

"Are the more crystallized sections," Zhao Lingfeng confirmed. "They should be stronger, as long as they haven't developed stress fractures."

"The crystallized areas form patterns," Lin Tian observed, his eyes narrowing as he traced invisible lines between the points he'd tested. "Like... frozen rivers running through the stone."

Zhao Lingfeng nodded, studying the wall from a different angle. "If we can map enough of these patterns of sound, we might find stable routes."

"But we'll still need to test each point. If we are unlucky..."

Zhao Lingfeng nodded grimly. Even knowing which sections had been transformed didn't guarantee their stability. But it was better than testing blindly.

He glanced at their beastly audience, an idea forming. "Brother Tian, how's your tolerance for... unconventional methods?"

The Thunder Scale Drakes perked up at his attention, their scales crackling with barely contained energy. The Spirit Wind Leopards watched with equally keen interest, while the Stone Claw Bears remained huddled below, still whimpering from their earlier dejection.

Lin Tian's expression suggested he already knew where this was heading. "Define 'unconventional.'"

Thirty minutes later after much rehearsals, Zhao Lingfeng found himself carefully secured to the hemp rope, with two Thunder Scale Drakes acting as living anchors. Their powerful forms provided stable support while the Spirit Wind Leopards, naturally dexterous, helped manage the rope's slack with their teeth. It was fortunate that the rope Zhao Lingfeng brought was the best he could find, and the Spirit Wind Leopards weren't known for their strength or anything particular about their teeth.

This allowed one cultivator to lean out and test sections of the wall while the other maintained a stable position, then switch places to verify each other's findings.

"A little higher," Zhao Lingfeng called down, his sword tip carefully scraping another section of wall, as his feet rested on confirmed safe footholds. The note rang clear and high, another crystallized section. "Brother Tian, are you marking these?"

"Every single one," Lin Tian confirmed from his own position, preparing to take his turn once Zhao Lingfeng returned. The Black Earth Python watched their efforts with ancient eyes, occasionally making subtle movements that seemed to suggest adjustments to their technique.

Their methodology was slow but thorough. Each cultivator would take turns to map a section, then carefully switch positions to verify the other's findings.

After what felt like hours but was probably closer to thirty minutes, they had mapped enough of the wall to identify several promising routes. The crystallized sections formed rough patterns that, while not perfect, could potentially support their weight if approached correctly.

It was decided that Lin Tian would be the one that would take on the challenge. After all, he had the higher cultivation base and had more skill than Zhao Lingfeng when it came to something like this.

There were no tests runs.

It was too dangerous at this level of height.

They only had one chance.

"Are you ready?"

The protagonist simply gave a firm nod and soared into the air to the first foothold.

Zhao Lingfeng watched the protagonist do his role, ready to assist him like a supporting character.

Above them, the golden patterns on the Earth Lotus Root pulsed with a golden gleam. The wall loomed before them, its surface now mapped with the coordinates to the treasure chest, but the path the to the treasure…

Could it be so easy?