Chapter 114: Spirit Rain Cleanses the Dust, Golden Crow Flame

After examining it, Lin You discovered that the status of the Kunshan Mountain Deity was exceptionally high. Although he did not know how it compared to the Profound Elixir and Primordial Embryo of this realm, this Taoist talisman was certainly far beyond the level of a Taoist Foundation.

This realization made Lin You’s eyes light up. Theoretically, if he had enough Taoist essence, he could instantly mold countless lesser and greater deities. However, that was merely a thought; if he truly possessed that much Taoist essence, he would prioritize enlightening Taoist seeds, allowing the small tree to produce spiritual energy and improve his own cultivation first.

Lin You shook his head and set the talisman aside for the moment. While there were many aspects worth studying, his most pressing concern was resolving his current lack of spiritual energy. Without hesitation, he fed the remaining two spiritual treasures to the small tree. Its roots pierced through the void and reached toward the treasures; within moments, the two low-grade spiritual treasures were transformed into two clusters of Taoist essence. He then brought out the golden feather and fed it to the tree as well. Though it contained less essence than the treasures, it was sufficient to condense a Taoist seed.

After absorbing the essence from these three items, the small tree now bore five Taoist seeds. In addition to the nearly mature Sword Path seed, there was the Sound Path seed formed from the ancient zither treasure swallowed during the recent battle, the Rain Path seed from the prayer banner, the Illusion Path seed from the paintbrush, and the Fire Path seed transformed from the golden tail feather.

Having gained abundant essence from the divine seal and the two treasures, he now had enough to ripen two more seeds. After a brief consideration, Lin You decided to ripen the Rain Path and Fire Path seeds. These two were of the natural order and would clearly be more beneficial to his Taoist sanctuary than the Sound or Sword seeds, whose utility remained unclear. The Chisong Sanctuary was his foundation, so he did not hesitate. With a thought, the deep Taoist essence stored within the small tree was channeled into the two seeds. They shifted from a greyish-green hue to a flawless, lustrous purple-gold.

Holding the two seeds, Lin You stepped out of the meditation room. A cool breeze blew across the cliffside, and the cloud terrace, having been shattered during the battle, had reformed into countless wisps of fine cloud. He looked up at the azure sky and tossed the two seeds high into the void, allowing them to merge completely with the world. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the changes unfold. The sea of clouds began to churn, and a vibrant vitality, like a newborn heartbeat, pulsed within—something was about to be birthed.

Everyone in the sanctuary felt a stir and stepped out of their rooms. The clouds in the sky suddenly became exceptionally bright. Where they had once drifted aimlessly, they now aligned in perfect order. The clouds converged toward the center, growing slightly dark, and in the very heart, it felt as though a living spirit was leaping with joy. Everyone felt a sense of inexplicable happiness.

Before long, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky. They reached out to catch the droplets, feeling an incredibly rich spiritual energy and a surging vitality within them. The rain nourished the earth, and the grass and trees in the forest rejoiced, greedily drinking in the rain, which carried the power of creation. In places where the spiritual springs did not reach, medicinal herbs began to sprout, and though they were mere seedlings, they were already full of spiritual aura.

"A land of spiritual beauty and extraordinary people!" The Chisong Sanctuary finally lived up to these words. If a child were born here, they would naturally be gifted, far surpassing their peers in both literature and martial arts. The rain seemed to wash away the gloom of the recent battle, leaving everyone feeling refreshed and renewed.

As the rain moistened the earth, a lively flame leaped from Lin You’s hand, transforming into a tiny three-legged Golden Crow that spread its wings and soared happily through the sky. As the spiritual rain fell upon its wings, its flames grew even stronger, as if it had consumed some great tonic, making it all the more joyful.

When Yan Wu saw the tiny Golden Crow, his eyes were filled with shock. Why was there a Golden Crow on Mount Chisong? And when he saw the palm-sized creature resting obediently in Lin You’s hand, he was so astonished his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. The Golden Crow was a divine bird of immense pride; how could it submit to anyone? Its flames were terrifying—several of Yan Wu’s uncles had been reduced to ash within a single breath after accidentally touching them. *How could Senior Yuchen hold the divine Golden Crow without being harmed?*

Qingsuo, who prided himself on his vast knowledge, was equally bewildered. He stared intently at the Golden Crow, trying to find a flaw, but the intelligent gleam in its eyes could not be faked. If it were merely an illusion or a spell, it could not possess such vitality. The scene made him doubt the records of his own sect; could the ancient masters have been wrong? He rubbed his eyes and continued to watch. The little Golden Crow fluttered, leaped, and turned into a cluster of golden flames in Lin You’s hand, appearing perfectly obedient. Eventually, with Lin You’s nod, it happily went to bathe in the spiritual spring, occasionally plucking medicinal herbs to snack on. The spiritual fish in the spring, seeing the little crow descend, fled in terror to other streams, staying far away from this "master."

Watching the little Golden Crow, Lin You shook his head. It seemed this was another great consumer of spiritual energy. This spirit, born from the Fire Path seed, was not a true Golden Crow, but it possessed the potential to become one. Though it had originated from a single golden feather, after being refined by the small tree and nurtured by the world, its foundation actually surpassed the original. If he could feed it with massive amounts of energy or find the original source of that Golden Crow, he could elevate this little creature to an unimaginable level.

Unfortunately, these spirits born within the sanctuary could not be taken outside; otherwise, he could have brought it to the Valley of the Sun mentioned by Yan Wu to explore.

Lin You then looked at the eighty jade leaves of spiritual energy on the small tree—the feedback from the world after the two seeds had merged. With a thought, sixty leaves transformed into a torrent of pure energy, replenishing his forty-eight strands of true Qi. His power was immensely vast, far exceeding that of others, and thus required more energy. However, with the upgrading of the sanctuary, it now produced a surplus of ten strands of spiritual energy daily beyond its basic maintenance needs.

His path of cultivation had finally reached the right track. If he were to enter seclusion now, he was confident he could reach the state of full perfection in his true Qi within a month.