FVN Chapter 53 White Vein Corroding Insect
Chapter 53 White Vein Corroding Insect
The Yunhai ship had a small market. It was filled with all sorts of goods, including basic observation tools like the Qingwei Mirror. Zhao Cheng'an spent one spirit stone to temporarily rent it.
At this moment, he was sitting at his desk in the room, carefully observing the fused Iron Vein Vine with the Spirit Mirror.
Although the surface of the vine did not show the structural characteristics that should have appeared after the fusion of the Thunderbolt, Zhao Cheng'an discovered a completely new rune deep within the rune domain of the Iron Vein Vine.
"The structure of this rune is somewhat similar to the innate runes on the Thunderbolt."
Zhao Cheng'an stared at the mirror and muttered to himself.
"It seems the runes themselves have successfully fused. The failure likely lies in the conflict between their physical structures."
"It's also possible that because the Iron Vein Vine, as a low-level spirit vine, has been cultivated for too long, its characteristics have become fixed. If a higher-level vine could be used as a carrier, there is still a possibility of success."
Zhao Cheng'an speculated about the reason for the problem and felt a little regretful.
On one hand, he couldn't buy the high-level materials he needed on this immortal ship. On the other hand, the five hundred spirit stones he obtained from the manuscript of the Daoist Canon had been almost entirely spent over the past few years of cultivation.
"However, at least we have obtained a new rune, which may come in handy sometime."
"Besides, the Qiankun Cauldron is just sitting idle anyway, and it doesn't need to be charged." Zhao Cheng'an comforted himself with this reason.
Next, he spent some time picking up a brush and meticulously recording the newly fused rune structure on the manuscript.
Just as Zhao Cheng'an finished checking and organizing the manuscript and was about to get up to return the Qingwei Mirror,
The sky outside the window suddenly darkened without warning.
Immediately afterwards, a muffled rumble rolled in from the far distance.
The sound seemed to possess a strange penetrating power, accompanied by violent vibrations, echoing directly in Zhao Cheng'an's chest. Even the blood and internal organs in Zhao Cheng'an's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Zhao Cheng'an's expression changed slightly, still not understanding what had happened outside.
A series of hurried footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor outside.
An Qingtang's clear but anxious voice came through the wooden door.
"Thunderstorm is coming! All passengers, please stay in your rooms and do not move around!"
Outside, dark clouds rolled in, pressing down on the celestial ship like thick ink.
Blinding flashes of lightning flickered wildly in the clouds, illuminating the dimly lit room intermittently. The deafening roar of thunder continued unabated.
This terrifying thunderstorm lasted for three days and three nights.
It wasn't until the morning of the fourth day that the first soft rays of light pierced through the clouds and shone into Zhao Cheng'an's room.
Zhao Chengan breathed a long sigh of relief.
Faced with such devastating divine power, even cultivators who have embarked on the path of cultivation are truly insignificant.
Fortunately, all was well and the ship safely passed through the thunderstorm area.
Zhao Cheng'an pushed open the door, left the room, and went to the dining area outside.
He held a bowl of hot porridge and sat facing Chen Heng.
Although food is provided free of charge on board, it is all very ordinary and commonplace, and its appearance and taste are both very rough.
Other exquisite foods containing spiritual energy require additional spirit stones to purchase.
Zhao Cheng'an's savings are almost depleted, so he naturally wouldn't waste spirit stones on things like satisfying his appetite.
As the two ate quietly, they overheard several monks at the next table talking in hushed tones.
"Did you feel it? After passing through the thunderstorm, the speed of the Yunhai has slowed down significantly."
"I heard that the manta ray pulling the boat was injured."
"Impossible!" another person immediately retorted. "The Cloud Sea Ray is a large, flying spirit beast with thick hide and innate magic that can withstand lightning strikes. This level of thunderstorm wouldn't be able to harm them."
"What happened?"
"It's said that he's sick."
"Sick? What kind of sickness?" The other person couldn't give a clear answer either.
Zhao Cheng'an pulled his attention back, looked up, and saw Chen Heng sitting opposite him with her brows slightly furrowed.
"What's on your mind?" Zhao Cheng'an put down his chopsticks and asked softly.
Chen Heng nodded, put down the porcelain bowl in her hand, and said, "According to the normal speed of the Yunhai, we would have about half a month to prepare after we arrived at Fulin Cave."
"Although half a month may not seem like a long time, the concentration of spiritual energy in Floating Scale Cave is extremely high. If one can make good use of this time to cultivate diligently, it can still bring about a significant improvement."
"Furthermore, our bodies need time to adapt when we first enter the cave environment from the low-spirit zone. Not to mention, the Dao Court has also undergone a change in its assessment system."
Chen Heng's tone revealed a hint of worry.
"The ship's speed has slowed down. While it won't make us miss the big exam, it will definitely put us under a lot of pressure."
Zhao Cheng'an looked at her and said with a smile, "It's rare to see you so nervous."
"However, there may be a solution to this problem."
Chen Heng looked at him with some suspicion. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's still worth a try."
Zhao Cheng'an picked up the bowl and finished the last few mouthfuls of rice porridge. He stood up and left the dining area.
Following the wooden stairs, Zhao Chengan arrived at the upper deck.
The sky after the thunderstorm was a clear, deep blue.
In the far distance, several majestic, verdant mountains could be seen. Those peaks, resembling enormous, unfurled screens, stood tens of thousands of meters high, piercing the clouds—a truly extravagant sight. Such a magnificent spectacle was something he could never have witnessed on Earth in his previous life.
Small groups of monks were gathered on one side of the deck, pointing at the distant scenery and talking.
Zhao Cheng'an withdrew his gaze, paused briefly, and then walked towards the other side where the cloud-like algae were planted.
at the same time.
On the other side of the deck, An Qingtang and her daughter An Changzhi were standing together.
An Qingtang's usually energetic face now looked somewhat dejected. "Dad, it seems like Da Bai's old problem has flared up again."
She looked at the huge figure undulating in the sea of clouds below, "It flew weakly, and its aura was somewhat disordered."
An Changzhi frowned. "Have you fed it any algae?"
An Qingtang nodded and replied, "I've fed it, but for some reason, the effect isn't obvious."
An Changzhi thought for a moment, then sighed, "Let's go harvest some more Cloud Poria Algae to feed it. If that doesn't work, we'll have to feed it some Blood Burning Pills."
An Qingtang's face immediately showed hesitation and resistance.
While the Blood-Burning Pill can boost the Cloud Sea Ray's stamina, it comes at the cost of depleting their life force. Repeated feeding can have serious consequences. An Qingtang has been caring for these Cloud Sea Rays since childhood and has developed a deep affection for them, treating them almost like family.
Naturally, I don't want to do such a thing.
An Changzhi patted his daughter's shoulder, his tone helpless: "Father knows. But the situation is special now. There are some valuable goods on the ship, as well as students from the Imperial Academy, all of which need to be delivered within a limited time."
"Otherwise, our An family will face huge compensation claims."
An Qingtang bit her lip, her eyes slightly red, but she still nodded in agreement.
She turned around and walked quickly toward the direction where the algae were planted.
From afar, she saw a young man in a blue robe standing in front of the spiritual plants that emitted a blue light.
An Qingtang's mood was already terrible because of Da Bai's illness. Now, seeing someone violating the rules and approaching this restricted area, her anger flared up immediately.
She strode forward, hands on her hips, and shouted loudly, "Hey! Didn't I tell you not to come near this place?"
Upon hearing the voice, the young man in the blue robe slowly turned around, revealing a handsome and gentle face.
This harmless appearance made An Qingtang lower her guard a little.
But she still raised an eyebrow, looked Zhao Cheng'an up and down, and asked, "You're one of the students who boarded the ship from the Seven Kingdoms' Imperial Academy, right? What are you doing here?"
Zhao Cheng'an didn't answer her question. Instead, he pointed to the spiritual plant in front of him and asked, "Miss An, do you know what a White Vein Corrosive Worm is?"
An Qingtang was startled.
Immediately afterwards, her two thick, dark eyebrows furrowed deeply. She tilted her head, pondering carefully.
She remembered hearing an elder in her family casually mention this name before. But it had been so long, and it seemed like it was just her imagination.
Finally, she could only honestly answer:
"have no idea."
"But why are you asking me this!" An Qingtang put her hands on her hips again and spoke with a straight face.
Zhao Cheng'an wasn't angry; he just smiled gently. "The White Vein Corrosive Worm is a tiny parasite that specifically lives on the cloud-like algae."
"They will quietly enter the roots of the plant along the leaf veins through the 'cloud milk tank' used to cultivate the cloud algae, and gnaw on the nodes that store spiritual energy inside."
"Because when the *Lycopodium clavatum* matures, bright silver veins naturally appear on its leaf veins. The white-veined core-eating insect is extremely small and also white in color. It gnaws along the leaf veins, making it difficult to detect any abnormalities from the outside."
"However, if you look closely, there are still subtle differences between the two."
Zhao Cheng'an waved to An Qingtang, signaling her to come closer.
He stretched out his finger and pointed to the root of one of the algae plants.
An Qingtang approached with some skepticism.
as predicted.
Following the direction of Zhao Cheng'an's finger, she saw the silver veins on the roots of the Yunling algae, with irregular serrated bite marks on the edges, and the color was also darker than normal leaf veins.
The situation described above is exactly the same as what Zhao Chengan just described.
An Qingtang's eyes widened in surprise.
She first carefully examined Yun Lingzao in front of her, then turned her head to look at Zhao Cheng'an, who was smiling beside her.
Her pretty, slightly tanned face was filled with disbelief.
She has been feeding the cloud sea rays for over a decade, dealing with these cloud algae every day, and she herself hadn't even noticed this strange and hidden disease.
Zhao Cheng'an, a guest who had only been on board for a few months, actually had such keen observation skills.
This is simply unbelievable!