“Sir, don’t you want me to accompany you?” The man inquired.
Leo shook his head, “No need.”
“Alright, take care of yourself. There might be wild boars or venomous snakes in these mountains.” The man warned and handed the small bucket containing the white jade turtle to Leo.
Leo held the small bucket and headed towards the source of the stream. His intuition told him that he might find the white jade turtle at the stream’s origin.
Activating his spiritual power in his legs, Leo moved swiftly, reaching the source of the stream in no time. It was the same cave the man had mentioned earlier.
The cave was almost concealed by vines and undergrowth, and it was only due to the flowing water that it was noticeable.
Leo placed the bucket with the white jade turtle aside, then cleared away the vegetation blocking the cave entrance and entered.
The inside was pitch-black, so Leo used his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the space. The cave was indeed not large, about one person’s height and roughly five to six square meters in size.
The stream emerged from the bottom of the front rock wall.
Leo’s disappointment grew as he realized that making this trip only yielded one white jade turtle, which wasn’t the outcome he desired.
However, just as he was about to leave-
Wait, he sensed much more spiritual energy here than down below.
Leo’s gaze landed on the spot where the stream emerged from the rock wall in front of him. The stream was carrying the spiritual energy out with it.
If the stream didn’t originate underground…
Leo’s attention shifted to the rock wall ahead. He concentrated his internal energy, channeling it to his eyes.
“I see.” Leo’s eyes lit up with understanding, and a hint of a smile curved his lips.
Approaching the rock wall, Leo activated his spiritual power within, then kicked the rock wall.
“Boom!” A thunderous sound echoed, and Leo quickly stepped back a few paces.
Soon after, cracks appeared on the rock wall, followed by a series of deep rumbles, and the entire wall collapsed.
Sunlight flooded in, causing Leo to squint briefly. The entire rock wall turned out to be artificially constructed, intended to disguise the area.
Putting away his phone, Leo climbed out from the collapsed rocks.
Outside, the view opened up instantly. This cave behind the water pool was likely the true mountaintop area.
Advancing along the stream for a short distance, Leo finally found the source of the stream.
It was a pool of water, roughly thirty square meters in size, surrounded by fishing nets. Dozens of white jade turtle were within the pool.
Seeing this scene, Leo’s eyes glimmered.
The presence of fishing nets meant that the white jade turtle here had been discovered long ago and were being raised.
He used the term “discovered” because this kind of mutated species containing spiritual energy couldn’t be artificially bred.
It appeared that the white jade turtle the villager had found had probably escaped from this pool.
Standing by the pool, Leo’s gaze then shifted to a small wooden hut hidden behind a tree in the distance.
Leo didn’t particularly care about who had discovered these white jade turtle in the pool. Since he was here, leaving empty-handed was out of the question.
The abundance of white jade turtle here would provide him with enough spiritual energy for quite some time. If he could consume them consistently for a month, he might be able to break through to the next stage of the Spiritualist realm.
Due to the presence of the white jade turtle, the spiritual energy here wasn’t much different from that at Clouddream Mountain’s Heaven’s Extreme Stone. It was indeed an excellent place for cultivation.
Just as Leo was about to break through the fishing nets, a stern shout suddenly rang out, “If you don’t want to die, stop right there!”
A figure in a gray robe suddenly appeared in front of Leo.
Leo looked up and saw an elderly man with gray hair and a white beard. He had a slender figure, high cheekbones, and sharp, intense eyes. His presence was imposing.
“Kid, who are you? How dare you trespass into the forbidden grounds of the Seven Stars Sword Sect!” The old man’s voice was chilly.
He infused his internal energy into his shout, seemingly attempting to intimidate Leo.
However, much to his disappointment, Leo remained unperturbed and stared back coldly.
“The Seven Stars Sword Sect? You’re a martial practitioner?” Leo squinted, his voice cold.
The old man was taken aback, as he couldn’t sense any martial aura from Leo. That should mean he was an ordinary person.
Since he was an ordinary person, he should be suffering from excruciating pain and even nosebleeds under the effect of the internal energy shout. Yet, this kid remained unscathed!?
Therefore, the old man didn’t immediately attack Leo. He issued another warning, “This isn’t a place you should be. Get lost now, and I might spare your life.”
Exuding his formidable aura, the old man tried to oppress Leo invisibly.
However, Leo’s face darkened. He had no problem being more domineering than those who sought to dominate him.
“I’ve set my sights on these white jade turtle. I’ll count to three; disappear from my sight immediately, or I’ll throw you into the pool to feed the fish.”
“You arrogant brat!” The old man lost his patience. He leaped into the air and struck out with his palm toward Leo.
Vigorous energy, accompanied by a strong wind, indicated that this brat would most likely perish under his palm.
Leo didn’t dodge. He raised his right hand and met the old man’s attack head-on.
“Bang!”
The old man was sent flying, rotating three hundred and sixty degrees in the air before landing on the other side of the pool.
Leo took a step back, his right hand slightly tingling.
This guy was much stronger than Eden Dunbar. He was probably an advanced-stage martial practitioner.
The old man was even more shocked. Someone who could confront his attack head-on without flinching was undoubtedly formidable, at least equal to himself, or maybe even stronger.
He glared at Leo, his gaze now tinged with disbelief. With the intensity of this kid’s attacks, he might possess strength on par with his own, or even stronger.
“Who the hell are you?” The old man’s expression grew wary.
Leo rapidly fired off a series of palm strikes. “You don’t need to know.”
Several energy blades tore through the fishing nets and headed straight for the old man.
The old man’s reaction speed was impressive. He swiftly sidestepped in midair, narrowly evading the energy blades.
“Whatever you are, you won’t leave here alive today!” The old man declared, drawing a longsword from behind his back.
The sword’s surface emitted a metallic glint, with peculiar patterns etched onto it.
“First Form of the Seven Stars Sword Technique: Fire-Piercing Meteor!”
With a clear shout, the old man lunged at Leo, sword in hand.
Fighting techniques were Leo’s weak point, so he had no interest in engaging this old man. He unleashed his Purple Radiance instead.
A flash of purple light streaked by like purple lightning.
Reacting quickly, the old man’s face twisted with fear, and he executed an aerial sidestep.
Purple Radiance grazed his arm, and droplets of blood fell into the pool.
Injured, the old man was about to fall into the pool when he managed to push off the surface of the water, performing a backflip in midair. He landed on the opposite side of the pool and retreated several steps.