With the two of them already in agreement, Mu Fen, the mountain jade serpent opened his other hand revealing a small smooth pebble that was a mixture of three colors; golden brown, verdant green, and deep blue.

The pebble shook as the colors sparkled with more radiance rotating in different parts of the pebble. Mu Fen couldn't help but feel bitter when he saw this. This was the first time the pebble in his hands ever showed such a drastic reaction. The whole time he had it, it was dormant and dull colored almost as if it was in a perpetual hibernation, but now, it was vibrant and full of energy.

He could even feel the concentration of the earth, wood, and water essence being released by the pebble had doubled and was quickly increasing as it exuded a dense cleansing essence. He could feel his blood essence being improved just from the casual contact.

"It was holding out.." he wondered in shock as he sensed the changes. Though the improvement wasn't much, it was still enough to alarm him when he detected the spike. It was like a jolt had been passed through his body.

Choosing to pretend that the nature jade stone didn't withhold its benefits from him and it was maybe his lacking talents that restricted it, Mu Fen reluctantly handed the stone to Yang Qing. His hand shook slightly as he was handing it over. This was the first time in over 10,000 years that it had ever left his body. It left him out of sorts like he was giving out a part of his body.

Yang Qing nodded as he sensed the energy within the pebble. As small as it was it contained a vast aura of the earth, wood, and water essence, along with a special nurturing energy that made the nature jade stone so valuable to most. That special nurturing energy would refine and strengthen the cultivator's body and soul for the rest of their lives as long as the nature jade stone remained intact.

One would experience the greatest benefits if they used the nature jade stone to lay out their foundations at the beginning of their cultivation. With the nature jade stone's help, one would have one of the sturdiest foundations one could have thanks to its nurturing energy, though the energy took a slow and steady approach towards that endeavor which made it more beneficial to spirit beasts than humans when laying down those early foundations.

Human cultivators preferred using it when they were in the core formation realm by studying the profundities contained within it and making use of its other abilities such as strengthening their souls, clearing their minds and hearts, and sensitizing them to the water, and earth and wood elements. It served as a great cultivation and meditation tool.

Given enough time, as long as one had slight talent, somewhat decent cultivation ground, and resources, with the nature jade stone's help, they would be able to reach the palace realm and if the nature jade stone had sufficient essence, a decent cultivation ground, and resources wouldn't even be needed and they could just subsist of what was being provided by the nature jade stone, like what the mountain jade snake had done.

It was only the area within his mountain that seemed decent in resources and ambient spiritual qi, and Yang Qing could tell that all that was due to the nature jade stone. Its aura had permeated every single inch of the place from the plants to the ground, to the air around it. If you took its influence away, then the quality of the place would be no different than how the territory of the Clear Sword River Sect was.

"Have you always been here?" asked Yang Qing as he looked around him.

Mu Fen looked along with him before he understood what Yang Qing was getting at. With a small smile, he said,

"Yes, I was hatched here, doomed to remain a rock python if I even lived long. Luckily our kind can survive on eating rocks that have a little bit of spiritual qi in them which helped me avoid going further in the range for sustainance.

I spent most of my time in crevices around this place. For the better part of my first 50 years, I didn't know what the sun looked like or the ground above the crevices I hid in. When my body got slightly sturdier I used it to dig deeper pathways that led deeper into the ground and I could slightly manipulate it to hide the entrances..." Mu Fen paused as his gaze turned distant.

"I don't know if other rock pythons are born this way, but I was born timid. One of the very first thoughts I got when I gained sapience was I needed to hide or I wouldn't survive a week in this place which ended with me burrowing holes deeper into the ground and by a stroke of luck, I found it there.

I was too weak to even understand what it was back then, I just assumed it to be another pebble that would serve as my meal for a few weeks, and if I was really lucky maybe a few months..."

Mu Fen stopped as he scratched his beard with a slight embarrassment.

"So I swallowed it..."he said whilst struggling to speak out the words as he warily eyed Yang Qing to see his reaction.

Opposite to what Mu Fen expected, Yang Qing asked,

"How was the taste?"

Mu Fen was thrown off by the question for a few seconds before he finally said,

"The taste was heavenly. I've never been able to stomach another rock ever since.."

Mu Fen's attention was completely grabbed by the memory of that taste so he wasn't able to see Yang Qing's conflicted, slightly gluttonous gaze as it fell on the nature jade stone that was nestled warmly in Yang Qing's hands completely unaware of his designs on it.Luckily Yang Qing's internal debate was cut off by Mu Fen who managed to tear himself away from that memory.

"It took me two years to finally register that the nature jade stone was unique when even after two years I had not digested it and my body seemed to be satiated and filled with energy. It was a couple of more years after that I noticed it was purifying my bloodline.

My cowardice brought me to it. To this day I still can't believe it. It's the reason I don't involve myself in the affairs outside of here. I am afraid if I do, I will lose what brought me to where I am today if it makes any sense.."

"It does. We call it sticking to your roots. It's one of the ways developed to polishing one's heart.." said Yang Qing with respect.

"I didn't think I'd be complimented for being cowardly..." said Mu Fen with a slight chuckle.

"Well, one would say I'm a bit biased on it as a fellow practitioner of it.." said Yang Qing with a smile of his own.

"Is that so? I am glad to meet a fellow member.."

The two immediately burst out laughing as Yang Qing circulated his universal resonant light art along with activating his yin-yang jade physique and directing the resultant energy and essence into the nature jade stone.

The nature jade stone vibrated as the essence was poured into it before it settled down like it was being lulled into sleep. The color code that comprised it experienced some changes as the shades of gold orange, green, and blue got deeper and deeper, with the addition of a white shade, a yellow shade, and a smidge of purple hue that was almost negligible as it was the size of a pin-sized dot.

Mu Fen's pupils trembled as he sensed the transformation within the nature jade stone. It was denser like four or five times it was before, its essence was purer and more condensed than it was before, though he couldn't tell by how much, and it felt more complete like the missing pieces had fallen in place.

He could smell the scent of pine trees, the ocean, and wet soil, feel the heat of the sun, and the gentle coolness of the moon, and hear the gentle flow of a river joining the ebbing and flowing ocean.

He could feel a cyclic system being established within the nature jade stone. He felt once that system was firmly established and assimilated by the stone, it would be elevated even further.

"I am sorry for doubting you?" Mu Fen said with a sigh when he sensed the changes. The amount of benefits the nature jade stone would give him now was vastly superior to what he was getting. His cultivation base which had stagnated at the first stage of the palace realm was now showing signs of activity when he sensed the profound power contained within the nature jade stone.

"A little caution is understandable.." Yang Qing said with a slight smile as he handed back the nature jade stone to Mu Fen who seemed hesitant to accept.

"Like I said, I don't need it, but you do. I am not exactly being too good here, as the more powerful you become the more at ease I will be with what I have entrusted you with.."

Mu Fen looked at him and the nature jade stonefor a few moments before he solemnly said,

"I will keep my promise.."

He took the nature jade stone and stowed it away.

"You can stay there if you want if you're not completely attached to this place.." Yang Qing said as he looked at the barren area around him.

Mu Fen looked around him with a nostalgic expression before he turned to Yang Qing and said,

"It's really hard to find a place this good.."

"Don't worry the place I'm taking you is just asgood.."

They both laughed before Mu Fen finally said,

"A change of environment isn't bad and I'm curious to see what your companions will turn into....""I only hope I can stay there when they develop, even if it's just for a short while.." he hesitantly added.

"Feel free to treat it as your second home..By the way, this isn't a must but there is someone I met there, I hope you can pour a toast for him when you're there, if you don't mind.."

"I will.."

"Thanks."

After hashing out the details, Yang Qing and Mu Fen left for the former territory of the Clear Sword River Sword Sect.

Both Mu Fen and Yang Qing were surprised when they got there. The source of their surprise was the changes that had happened to the area because of the spiritual rejuvenation oak tree, the aurora azalea, and the verdant glow firefly.

The spirit rejuvenation oak tree had grown to a height of 100 meters with a girth of about five meters, stacked to the brim with deep green and blue colored leaves that dripped with dew that matched the color of their corresponding leaves. Each of those dew was potent with restoration properties for both healing of the body and spirit.

One dew had the same potency as a low tier orange grade potion, which would make it usable by those at the late stages of the foundation establishment realm, and the oak tree was filled with thousands upon thousands of those dew which were just by-products of the properties contained in the leaves themself which had as much potency as a top tier orange grade potion.

If a severely injured early-stage foundation expert were to take a whiff of the air released by the oak tree, their wounds would slowly start to close and heal along with the restoration of whatever spiritual qi had been expended.

The aurora azalea was still the same height still surrounded by an ethereal glow but despite no outwardly changes it was the prime culprit for the changes in the area as the spiritual qi had gotten at least three times denser and purer than when Yang Qing was here, slowly reaching the effects provided by a high-

grade spirit vein.

The verdant glow firefly took advantage of the rich and dense spiritual qi to promote the growth and propagation of the plants around the area. The number of plants growing in the area had more than tripled since he was last here. Everything from trees to herbaceous plants, to shrubs to flowers, were all brimming with health and vitality.

Everything from their color, size, and internal makeup was at the absolute peak standards of their rank. The area was filled with vegetation that was at the mortal rank but with the energy levels they were releasing and their outward look, one could easily mistake them for earth-rank vegetation, and by Yang Qing's estimates, it wasn't long before every vegetation in the area achieved a collective evolution.

Because of the improvement in his dao, he instantly detected that the vegetation in the area had been maintained at the same standard, none was higher than the other, which was most likely the intention of the verdant glow firefly. Every vegetation was at the absolute peak of the standards a mortal-

rank plant could achieve.

Yang Qing could feel his body relax as he absorbed the harmonious scent of new life being born, something special being created. He couldn't help but sigh in gratification. When he came here, he was lost surrounded by a fog of darkness and self-doubt and in that fog something grew and it had now developed into this paradise nature.

He couldn't help but admiringly say to the three creatures,

"You did a good job and by the looks of it, you're not that far from completely unlocking your sentience.."

He sensed that the rejuvenation oak tree, the aurora azalea, and the verdant glow firefly had already formed embryonic spirits that were at the cusp of breaking out.

"Are you sure I can stay here?" Mu Fen absentmindedly muttered in shock as he sensed the richness of the area. The richness of the area made him even doubt whether he was still in the Deer Mountain Range. He could even feel the energy within his nature jade stone swirl actively from the moment he stepped into the area.

"If you don't find it beneath you, I would like it if you stayed to safeguard them.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the three figures who had already been reacting with joy at noticing Yang Qing's presence.

"I feel like I've used up several lifetime's worth of luck..." said Mu Fen still in disbelief.

Yang Qing smiled as he guided him around the area, which wasn't much as he had only cordoned the area around the building of the former sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect.

After he had shown him around, Yang Qing also handed him the token that handled the formation he had laid in the area whilst also introducing him to the three figures. Even though they had not unlocked their intelligence completely, because they had evolved from Yang Qing's essence, they could understand him easily.

After he was done, Yang Qing decided to cultivate in the area for a short while in a bid to help the three organisms achieve complete sentience. After four days, they had all unlocked their wisdom and finally stepped on the cultivation path.

Yang Qing left after, much to their reluctance, leaving them in the care of Mu Fen who had already made himself comfortable despite his earlier reservations.

Yang Qing soon made his way to the branch, where he found Administrator Mo Guang waiting for him.

"A decision has already been made on what will happen with the branch..."