Chapter 414: Delicately Useless Yet Fond of Play
"A fourth-grade artifact focused on speed! Excellent!"
The breakthrough of the second-grade Wind Falcon to the third-grade, yielding a fourth-grade speed-focused artifact from the light orb, greatly pleased Lu Xuan. His once weakness—spiritual consciousness—had seen rapid improvement following the maturation of three Spirit-Nurturing Pines and the acquisition of a fifth-grade treasure, the Spirit-Nurturing Scroll, along with two fifth-grade technique experience packs of the Divine Genesis Scripture from light orbs.
As for speed, Lu Xuan's repertoire only included the Floating Light Body Technique and the Five Elements Escape Technique from the Grand Five Elements Art. While satisfactory, these paled in comparison to his array of treasures. The Azure Stride Shoes perfectly addressed this shortfall.
Slipping his feet into the shoes, he felt a soft sensation, as a nimble aura flowed into his soles. With a thought, Lu Xuan soared upwards like an arrow shooting into the sky, reaching dozens of meters in an instant.
He indulged in playfulness, zooming around his dwelling, leaving behind blurry afterimages. After experimenting for a while, he gained a good understanding of these fourth-grade Azure Stride Shoes. They significantly increased his movement speed and allowed for instantaneous changes in direction, enabling a range of unimaginable maneuvers.
"Their key features are lightness, speed, and agility," Lu Xuan concluded.
He called over the newly advanced Wind Falcon. The bird cozied up to him, its rotund belly rubbing against him affectionately.
"How come your belly hasn't shrunk at all after advancing to the third grade?" Lu Xuan mused aloud.
With a chirp, the Wind Falcon turned into a streak of green light, appearing far away before instantly returning to its original spot.
"My belly might not have changed, but my speed has increased beyond measure~"
"Alright, alright, our chubby bird is the fastest."
Lu Xuan gently rubbed the Wind Falcon's soft belly, chuckling.
The Wind Falcon chirped contentedly a few times before leaving, eager to show Lu Xuan its progress and justify his efforts.
Originally just a second-grade beast known for its speed, it would have been impossible to advance further under normal circumstances. Lu Xuan's care from its early days, feeding it second and third-grade spiritual fruits, various high-grade monster meats, and rare spirit juices, provided it this breakthrough opportunity.
"You're free to roam around the mountain peak from now on."
Now a third-grade beast, the Wind Falcon's speed was among the top of its class, giving Lu Xuan peace of mind to let it roam freely around the dwelling. Keeping it confined would be a form of imprisonment. Plus, situated within the inner sect of the Sky Sword Sect, safety was assured. Allowing it to soar among the mountains could promote its physical and mental growth.
"Chirp chirp~"
Hearing Lu Xuan's instruction, the Wind Falcon chirped joyfully, transforming into a streak of green light and vanishing from his sight.
Lu Xuan, still wearing the Azure Stride Shoes and concealing his spiritual energy, became a stream of light and appeared in the courtyard, heading to a quaint room filled with a subtle medicinal fragrance.
His gaze landed on a pigeon egg-sized, creamy white pill suspended in the middle of the room. The pill's surface glowed subtly, and Lu Xuan felt a faint touch on his hand, as if a gentle stream was flowing over his palm.
"This Medicine Bug's presence is a bit too faint."
He silently mused, conveying a thought to the nearly invisible Medicine Bug on his hand.
The bug, resembling a footless, liquid-like worm, revealed itself, moving fluidly over his hand. Since acquiring this odd Medicine Bug from the Boundless Sea Secret Realm, Lu Xuan had kept it indoors, occasionally feeding it a pill to consume the residual pill toxins, incidentally enhancing the pill's quality.
The creamy white pill in the room was a Profound Yin Pill he had left earlier.
"Today, I've got something special for you, guaranteed to keep you satisfied for a long time."
Lu Xuan smiled, retrieving a dark pill enveloped in Yin energy from his storage bag.
"A fifth-grade Holy Infant Pill, impressive, isn't it?"
The Medicine Bug turned translucent, and through Lu Xuan's spiritual sense, it tightly enveloped the pigeon egg-sized Holy Infant Pill, striving to absorb any potential residual toxins.
"Not only does it have the potential to enhance the pill's quality, but it also properly nourishes this fourth-grade odd Medicine Bug, achieving two goals in one."
Feeling the bug's joy through his spiritual sense, Lu Xuan inwardly remarked.
Just as he left the room, a waft of poison smoke rose from beneath his feet. Looking down, he found the young Poisonous Heart-Eating Worm closely following him, its body emitting a faint poisonous mist.
"Are you also hungry?"
Lu Xuan retrieved a second-grade Corpse Flame Pill from his storage bag and fed it to the worm.
The worm chewed on the pill, settling down quietly on the ground to savor the Corpse Flame Pill's toxins.
After a while, a pale hue appeared on its mandible, covering only a small area without spreading further.
"It seems, no matter how sensitive you are, with enough exposure, you'll develop a tolerance."
Recalling the worm's first reaction to the Corpse Flame Pill, Lu Xuan couldn't help but reflect.
Initially, a single second-grade Corpse Flame Pill nearly killed it. Without Lu Xuan's timely intervention, it might have died on the spot. Surprisingly, after repeated exposures, the worm, highly sensitive to various toxins, had developed immunity to the Corpse Flame Pill.
The worm chewed for a while, losing interest and spitting out the pill's remnants.
"Oh, so now this little poison worm is picky about my poison pills?"
The Hundred Poisons Devouring Heart Worm looked up at him, its small eyes filled with great expectation, longing for various poisons and toxins.
"Are you sure you want to try new poisons?"
Lu Xuan asked solemnly.
This worm, with a unique constitution suited for the Perilous Poison Body, was extremely sensitive to various toxins and poisons, craving them to the extreme but experiencing severe reactions after ingestion, sometimes even risking its life.
The worm eagerly nodded at Lu Xuan's question.
"Either assimilate the toxins or die from them. My life cannot be devoid of them."
"Alright then."
Sensing the worm's resolute thought, Lu Xuan reluctantly agreed.
"Truly delicate yet so fond of play. Luckily, you've got me to look after you."