Chapter 67: Good Taste Addiction, Bobcat Leaves the Nest

It was the second morning of the mountain climb to gather spiritual essence, and Zhao Xing was in no hurry to go to the Mountain God Temple.

While keeping an eye on the cave, he gathered materials nearby, preparing for his 'lure the tiger out of its den' strategy.

If the beast inside the cave went out to forage, that would be ideal; he could seize the opportunity to sneak in, take what he needed, and make his escape.

If it didn't emerge, he would have to lure it out.

Fortunately, his 'Grass and Trees Become Soldiers' skill had already reached the fourth transformation. Although other materials were scarce on the mountain, there were plenty of vines and willow branches, ensuring he had no shortage of supplies for his straw figures.

Zhao Xing decided not to use his 'Mighty Vajra' skill, as Vajra Bamboo was difficult to replenish quickly.

He couldn't overpower the exotic beast directly, so Zhao Xing now needed to replenish his 'Divine Speed Straw Figures'.

“Bring me some stones,” Zhao Xing commanded his Entangling Straw Figures.

“Capture some wild rabbits, mountain rats, and wild boars,” Zhao Xing then instructed his Mighty Vajra figures.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The straw figures immediately began to execute his commands.

Zhao Xing then retreated, putting more distance between himself and the cave.

He found a patch of soil.

From his Bamboo Fern Box, he retrieved two types of young saplings.

Xue Wenzhong and Chen Shijie had given him the Bamboo Fern Box two days before they entered the mountain. Zhao Xing had spent some time cultivating some of its seeds into young saplings.

Now, with a pressing need, he could immediately take them out and use them.

“If this exotic beast eats meat, then I’ll get some meat for it.”

“If it’s a vegetarian, then these Fragrant Vine Berries and Passion Grass should capture its attention.”

Both types of plants were low-grade Tier 2.

Fragrant Vine Berries and Passion Grass had one primary effect: they were incredibly delicious and addictive!

They held significant appeal for vegetarian exotic beasts.

Judging by the skeletal remains in the cave, Zhao Xing believed the exotic beast was more likely carnivorous. However, Fragrant Vine Berries and Passion Grass also had some effect on meat-eating beasts, albeit a weaker one.

“Floating Cloud!”

Zhao Xing's 'Floating Cloud' skill had reached its ninth transformation, and after breaking through to the sixth stage of Qi Condensation, his control over it had significantly increased.

Now, the 'Floating Cloud' was as large as a bed, and he could control its height to be quite low. The Qi was condensed and didn't disperse, ensuring it wouldn't cause any disturbance.

“Rainfall!”

Pitter-patter... Rain began to fall, watering the young saplings.

“Flourish!”

His max-level 'Flourish' skill caused the saplings to immediately begin transforming.

The spiritual mountain had sufficient life force, so Zhao Xing didn't need to use 'Earth Vein Harmony Qi'. These two plants naturally had short growth cycles; once they reached their growth phase, he could simply apply 'Savage Growth'. There was no need to waste his Qi on 'Earth Vein Harmony Qi'.

An hour later, both the Fragrant Berry Vines and Passion Grass had entered their growth phase.

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and began to cast a spell.

“Savage Growth!”

Both plants began to grow at a visible rate. The Fragrant Berry Vines quickly bloomed and bore fruit, releasing a faint aroma.

“Raise Wind!”

Zhao Xing conjured a circular wind wall around the area, preventing the aroma from dissipating and attracting other wild beasts.

With everything set, he patiently waited for the two plants to mature.

At the same time, he closely watched the movements at the cave entrance.

“I hope this exotic beast is hungry enough to come out and forage on its own,” Zhao Xing prayed inwardly.

If that happened, it would be ideal; he wouldn't have to waste his straw figures or his time.

Time slowly passed.

As noon approached, the Passion Grass had long since matured, and the berries were already on their second batch. Yet, there was still no movement from inside the cave.

“What kind of exotic beast is so lazy? It can't be sleeping until midday, can it?” Zhao Xing grumbled. “Does it forage at night and sleep during the day?”

Nevertheless, Zhao Xing continued to wait patiently.

“I only need to reach the Mountain God Temple before midnight.”

“If I have any success today, I can try to secure the first incense offering.”

“If there isn't much success, then I'll aim for one of the top ten incense offerings.”

Every spiritual mountain surely has a Mountain God Temple. Ascending a spiritual mountain to gather spiritual essence is inherently uncertain.

Where is the spiritual essence? How does one collect it? All of this is unknown.

Simply searching blindly, relying on mere luck, few would likely find anything.

Even if a location is found, collecting the essence might still prove impossible.

For instance, the expert riding a bamboo horse; Zhao Xing had already watched it hopping around in the mountain stream for most of the day.

Or, as in his current situation, the spiritual essence inside the cave was guarded by an exotic beast.

To ensure some success, climbers must first go to the Mountain God Temple to offer incense and seek guidance.

Every day after midnight, the True Lord within the temple would manifest, revealing to climbers where the spiritual essence was and how to obtain it.

The first incense offering was considered the best, offering the highest chance of obtaining spiritual essence.

Subsequent offerings had progressively weaker effects and would also subject the climber to trials from the True Lord.

On the first night, Zhao Xing didn't compete for the incense.

On the second night, however, he planned to participate.

However, it was still well before midnight, just past noon, so he wasn't in any rush.

“How long does this senior intend to keep us here? Are we supposed to stay as long as he does?” Fang Jie muttered quietly.

“Are you scared?” Zhou Gang asked.

“Yes!” Fang Jie admitted honestly. “That senior is immensely powerful; he can escape from the mouth of an exotic beast, but you and I might not be so lucky. If we continue to stay here…”

Zhou Gang considered this and agreed, then nodded and said, “I'll go ask.”

But just as he rose, he heard the nearby straw figure turn and walk away. Simultaneously, a voice carried on the wind: “The commotion from now on will be considerable. You two may leave on your own. If fate allows, we shall meet tonight before the temple.”

“Thank you, Senior,” Zhou Gang and Fang Jie exclaimed with joy, immediately departing in a hurry.

As the Shen hour approached (3-5 PM), Zhao Xing, despite his considerable patience, finally couldn't wait any longer.

He strongly suspected that the exotic beast hunted at night and slept during the day.

Further waiting would be a waste of time, so he initiated his 'lure the tiger out of its den' strategy.

First, he deployed two 'Divine Speed Straw Figures' as a pair. They approached the cave and began alternately throwing stones, captured small animals, and Fragrant Vine Berries inside.

There was no reaction when stones were thrown, nor when the small animals were tossed in.

However, when the Fragrant Vine Berries were thrown, there was finally a reaction from inside the cave.

A black shadow darted out swiftly, heading directly for the straw figure that had thrown the items.

It moved so fast it was still a blur, but Zhao Xing, observing from a distance, finally managed to discern the exotic beast's form.

“It's actually... a mountain cat cub?”

Mountain cats are typically small, which completely contradicted the idea of it being the cave's primary inhabitant.

Nevertheless, the plan continued.

The two pairs of Divine Speed Straw Figures were destroyed by the mountain cat within mere steps.

After confirming that the vine berries worked, Zhao Xing decisively ordered the second pair of straw figures, positioned a hundred meters away, to stand up and throw berries toward the mountain cat.

Whoosh! The mountain cat indeed rushed toward the second pair of straw figures again. It didn't even deliberately attack the figures; simply a light touch from its claws as it snatched the berries was enough to make the straw figures disintegrate.

But that was fine; soon, a third pair of straw figures stood up a short distance away, continuing the lure.

In this manner, within moments, the mountain cat was already three li away.

Three li was the maximum range for controlling the straw figures.

However, Zhao Xing was in no hurry. Along the path, he had transplanted Passion Grass in a continuous line, drawing the creature further away. His ultimate goal was to lure the mountain cat to the area where the Fragrant Vine Berries were cultivated.

“That's enough. Begin!”