Chapter 272: Chema Mushroom and Moonlight Fox (First update, requesting all support)

Humans are not made of wood or stone, so how could they be without feelings? For Li Zhangsheng to say he wasn't moved would be a lie; Instructor Ning was simply too good to him.

During this period, Li Zhangsheng had been searching for the heart of a high-level demon, wanting to refine White Tiger Essence Blood to further strengthen Aixi.

Yet this item was quite rare; after all, a high-level demon could at least contend with a Fifth-tier Beastmaster, and sometimes even a Sixth-tier one, and many Stronger individuals would not sell it even if they obtained one.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing of this, Instructor Ning had sent him a high-level demon heart directly and even prepared a treasure for him to serve as the grand finale item for the auction house.

"Granny, how has Instructor Ning's condition been lately?" During this time, Li Zhangsheng had been out training, and whenever he returned to rest, Instructor Ning happened to be in a deep sleep; he hadn't seen her for nearly a month.

"The Master's condition is not good! The Li Fire Parasol Tree is on the verge of withering. Without absorbing enough Li Fire Essence, the Master's Three-Legged Fire Crow's injuries show signs of further deterioration. To help the Three-Legged Fire Crow bear the pressure, the Master, who originally woke up every three days, now only wakes up every five days!"

When she reached the end, there was a hint of choking in Granny's tone. She had watched Ning Bizhen grow up from childhood, and having no offspring of her own, she regarded Ning Bizhen almost as her own daughter; the depth of their bond was evident.

Li Zhangsheng's expression tightened; he had not expected that in just two or three months, the Li Fire Parasol Tree would be so close to withering.

However, Li Zhangsheng still consoled her, saying, "Granny, given the Instructor's character, I believe she will surely overcome this difficulty!"

As he spoke, Li Zhangsheng felt an increasingly urgent need for Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence.

However, the Three-Legged Golden Crow was not a dragon; it was not as lustful as the draconic Divine Beasts, which had numerous descendants and branches, resulting in a scarcity of Spirit Beasts possessing the Three-Legged Golden Crow bloodline. At the very least, Li Zhangsheng had never seen a second Spirit Beast with the Three-Legged Golden Crow bloodline.

Even with the Book of Bloodlines, Li Zhangsheng had to face the predicament of a clever housewife struggling to cook without rice.

Despite this, Li Zhangsheng believed that as long as he paved the way with money, he would certainly be able to purchase information on Spirit Beasts possessing the Three-Legged Golden Crow bloodline.

When that time came, he would definitely go search for it; as long as the Three-Legged Fire Crow recovered as before, Instructor Ning would surely be able to emerge from her low point.

"I hope so!" Granny shook her head. She knew very well in her heart that the possibility of obtaining Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence was slim to none. What she hoped for most now was to find a second Li Fire Parasol Tree to keep the Three-Legged Fire Crow alive.

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, Li Zhangsheng hurriedly changed the subject, "Granny, won't you come inside to rest for a while?"

"Forget it, this old one must return to look after the Master, so I shall head back now!"

After handing the tray to Li Zhangsheng, Granny chose to leave.

"Safe travels, Granny!"

Li Zhangsheng watched Granny leave, feeling that compared to before, her frame, which had been quite sturdy, had become much more frail.

Not until Granny's figure disappeared did Li Zhangsheng heave a light sigh and return to his bedroom with the tray.

He opened the two boxes immediately.

The large jade box contained the high-level demon heart; its shape was similar to a human's, but its size was several times larger. What was astonishing was that it was still beating with a 'thump, thump, thump'.

This was a high-level demon, its vitality far exceeding that of mid-to-low-level demons.

Inside the small jade box was an ox-shaped spirit mushroom, or more accurately, the exceptionally rare Chema Mushroom, about the size of a human head.

Chema Mushroom: Formed from spiritual flora that bathed in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. Due to unknown reasons, it did not cultivate into a plant-based spirit monster, and the plant essence condensed and remained, eventually becoming a Chema Mushroom. The Chema Mushroom is proficient in Earth Escape and can travel a thousand miles in an instant. The Upper Mushroom is shaped like a carriage and horse; eating it allows one to tread on clouds and mist, and it is covered in cloud vapor. The Middle Mushroom is human-shaped; eating it grants immortality, and it was formed from the seven carriages and horses of the Yao era. The Lower Mushroom is shaped like livestock; eating it can cure illnesses, strengthen the body, and prolong life.

This Chema Mushroom was ox-shaped, which is the so-called Lower Mushroom. Eating it can cure illnesses, strengthen the body, and prolong life. The former is easy enough to find, as many Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures or Alchemical Pills possess the efficacy of curing illnesses and strengthening the body, but those that prolong life are very rare. For those Beastmasters whose lifespans are coming to an end, what they crave most are such Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures that can prolong life.

Besides Beastmasters with short lifespans, there would surely be many of their descendants competing to bid for the Chema Mushroom to gift to their elderly elders.

"Although the life-extending effect of a Low-grade Chema Mushroom varies from person to person, it can at least extend one's life by ten years. Plus the high-level demon heart—this debt of gratitude I owe the Instructor will not be easy to repay!"

Looking at the items in the two jade boxes, it would be a lie to say Li Zhangsheng's heart wasn't complicated. This Low-grade Chema Mushroom alone could attract a large number of potential clients.

A debt of gratitude is not easy to repay!

Li Zhangsheng liked letting others owe him favors, but he very much disliked owing favors to others. He never wanted to trouble others for things he could do himself, and likewise, he looked down upon the practice of those who liked to trouble others for no reason.

A debt of gratitude is not easy to repay, especially since the person he owed was Instructor Ning. Aside from Three-Legged Golden Crow Spirit Essence or a Li Fire Parasol Tree, Li Zhangsheng could not think of any other way to repay this favor!

"I will formulate the Advanced Dissolving Agent once the materials are complete!"

Li Zhangsheng put away the two jade boxes. Besides the high-level demon heart, the Advanced Dissolving Agent required other materials, some of which were worth no less than several hundred Soul Crystals. Before the auction ended, he did not have enough Soul Crystals to purchase them.

Soon, Li Zhangsheng focused his mind and began to condense the Secret Technique Imprints for Ox's Brute Force and Owl's Insight.

These two intermediate secret techniques were each composed of dozens of runes, and their difficulty could not be compared to the Bloodthirsty Frenzy secret technique. It took only a little over half an hour for Li Zhangsheng to successfully condense them into Secret Technique Imprints.

After everything was settled, Li Zhangsheng left Yuanling Academy and arrived at the courtyard where Lin Wan and her daughter resided.

There were still three days until the auction at the Starry Sky Auction House. He needed to extract the High Quality Fairy creatures that had hatched during this time, and while depositing them into the auction house, he also needed to print a large number of auction catalogs featuring the rare and precious treasures and Spirit Beasts to build up hype.

When Li Zhangsheng arrived at the small courtyard, he saw Lin Ling squatting on the ground, looking spirited and joyful as she watched over a dozen Spirit Beast cubs eating their food.

If one observed closely, they would notice her gaze was mainly focused on a petite and cute Moonlight Fox, her eyes filled with doting affection.

Lin Wan was still in the Incubation Room, tending to the Fairy Eggs inside. She rarely left the Incubation Room, and every time she did, she required Lin Ling to look after things; it was even the place where she ate and slept.

Li Zhangsheng was very satisfied with the performance of Lin Wan and her daughter.

"Ah, Master!"

Only then did Lin Ling finally notice Li Zhangsheng; she hurriedly trotted on her small feet into the Incubation Room to call Lin Wan out.

"Master!" Lin Wan bowed respectfully. There was still some sweat on her forehead. Compared to over a month ago, they had changed significantly; their figures were no longer like bamboo poles, and their faces had gained a healthy, rosy glow.

Li Zhangsheng got straight to the point: "I have come this time to collect these Spirit Beast cubs!"

"Ah!"

Lin Ling was stunned for a moment, then looked at the Moonlight Fox cub with eyes full of panic and loss.

(End of chapter)