Chapter 227: Advance Reward

Two years later, a lotus seed rose from the bottom of the lake and floated in front of Zhen Yuan.

This lotus seed was grey.

It exuded an ancient breath and was a little incompatible with the surrounding aura.

However, it felt friendly and its appearance didn’t disturb Zhen Yuan’s meditation.

Time passed and before they knew it, it was nineteen years since Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan entered the Yunshan secret realm.

On this day, Shen Xu opened his eyes and looked at the lotus in front of him.

“Nine-colour lotus.” He muttered and his lips curled in a brilliant smile.

From what he and Zhen Yuan learned, the lotus was the opportunity of the lake of solitude.

However, the colour and quality of lotus depended on the length of time spent on the lake and the quality of the meditative state.

Based on this, the one-colour lotus was the lowest quality while the nine-colour lotus was the best.

Looking at the lotus in front of him, Shen Xu was naturally happy and he carefully collected the flower.

’I wonder if Ayuan and Yang Shi are okay.’ He wondered, looking around.

Unfortunately, all he saw were two translucent bubbles, meaning that the two were still in meditation.

When he saw this, Shen Xu flew to the shore and sat on the ground.

After nineteen years of meditation, the double didn’t feel like practising.

Because of this, he removed an herbs compendium from the space library and began reading.

Three months later, Yang Shi opened his eyes, collected his lotus and flew to the shore.

“Master.” It greeted in a happy voice.

“You seem to be in a good mood.” Shen Xu observed and the little snake nodded.

“I got a nine-colour lotus.” Yang Shi said, proudly raising its head.

“Congratulations.” The double chuckled.

The coloured lotus was a natural treasure for widening the meridians and broadening the dantian.

After refining, a one-colour lotus could strengthen and repair minor injuries on the meridians and dantian.

On the other hand, in addition to the effect of the one-colour lotus, a two-colour lotus could double the size of the meridians and dantian.

Similarly, a nine-colour lotus could broaden the meridians and dantian by nine times.

“You just entered the secret realm and encountered such a heaven-defying opportunity. Master, you are so lucky!” Yang Shi praised but Shen Xu shook his head.

“This has nothing to do with me but everything to do with Zhen Yuan.”

Yang Shi frowned when he heard this.

“Master, don’t underestimate yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s natural that lord Zhen was teleported to the lake of solitude. However, you are different. The heavens wouldn’t necessarily let you in just because you are lord Zhen’s Taoist partner.”

“Is that true?”

“Lord Zhen is an extraordinary existence but you are also special. Believe in yourself more.”

“I see.” Shen Xu said and his eyes couldn’t help but brighten.

“Yang Shi, you seem to know a lot about the lake of solitude.” The double said, looking at Yang Shi with curious eyes.

“I know a little.” The snake said and sighed before continuing.

“In fact, it’s normally not so easy to obtain benefits from the lake of solitude.”

“Really?” Shen Xu asked, looking at the lake in disbelief.

After all, he and Yang Shi didn’t have to work too hard to obtain the lotus.

“You and lord Zhen were teleported here so you don’t know the difficulty of getting here. An ordinary cultivator will lose half their life before they are able to find the lake of solitude. Also, entering the optimal state is not as easy as you think.”

“Fortunately, you and lord Zhen have heaven’s favour. As a result, we entered the optimal state of mind within months instead of years or decades.”

Shen Xu couldn’t help but be shocked when he heard that.

Soon after, he regained his composure and looked at the sky with a grateful expression.

However, his expression soon changed.

Although he didn’t know if he imagined it, Shen Xu felt an extra thought in his mind.

From this thought, he learned that the lake of solitude was an advance reward. Sooner or later, he and Zhen Yuan would be asked to repay the favour.

“As expected, there are no free meals in the world.” Shen Xu muttered but didn’t regret the opportunity.

After all, refining the lotus would have a long-term effect on his cultivation.

As long as the request was reasonable, Shen Xu was willing to repay the favour.

Seven months passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Shen Xu and Yang Shi were eating barbecue when the lake stirred.

Looking over, they saw Zhen Yuan’s bubble had burst and the man was flying to the shore.

“Ayuan.” Shen Xu excitedly called.

“Xiaoxu.” Zhen Yuan smiled, scooping the person into his arms.

“Why did you take so long? I missed you so much.” The double complained and Yang Shi almost rolled his eyes.

’It’s only been twenty years. Do you need to be so dramatic?’ He wondered but didn’t dare to voice his thoughts.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Zhen Yuan apologised in a doting voice.

“I have just made some barbecue. Do you want some?”

“Mmh.”

After that, the three ate, drank wine, and relaxed for the remainder of the twenty years.

Two months later, they were expelled from the lake of solitude and found themselves at the edge of a desert.

At a glance, the desert stretched into the horizon and seemed endless.

However, the three knew the desert couldn’t be endless.

After all, the Yunshan secret realm was a finite space.

“If I am not mistaken, this desert…” Shen Xu started, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

“I think so too.” Zhen Yuan nodded.

“Master, lord Zhen, what are you talking about?” Yang Shi asked, staring at the two with curious eyes.

However, neither answered.

Instead, Shen Xu removed a map from his storage ring and showed it to the little snake.

“Look at this map. Do you think this place is the Endless Sun Desert?” He asked.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep