Faintly, Zhou Yan felt it seemed to be wriggling, transforming into a tiny seed.
"What is this seed?"
Zhou Yan was startled and stared closely at the seed, trying to get a clear look.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan paused, his mind stirring.
Instantly, the seed trembled, releasing a wisp of purple light that merged into Zhou Yan's soul.
In that moment, Zhou Yan felt his mind clear, his consciousness sharp, and his entire being invigorated.
"I know now..."
Zhou Yan suddenly understood, his face filled with excitement. "This seed is none other than a 'Innate Spirit Seed,' a naturally born spiritual entity, containing the creation of heaven and earth, capable of aiding one in comprehending the profound mysteries of laws."
All things in heaven and earth possess sentience.
Any heavenly treasure and earthly rarity is born from the world, nurtured by the creation of heaven and earth.
Of course, among the myriad of heavenly treasures and earthly rarities, those that can give rise to sentience are exceptionally rare.
This 'Innate Spirit Seed' was originally a medicinal herb that developed intelligence and transformed into a spiritual plant.
A spiritual plant has stages: seed, seedling, fruit, bud, branch, and finally maturity, forming its fruit...
Each spiritual plant is unique and extremely rare.
Moreover, these spiritual plants are incredibly precious, with seeds being highly sought after, often priceless and unavailable even with money.
After all, spiritual plants capable of developing sentience are truly rare, considered anomalies of nature.
"Haha..."
Suddenly, Zhou Yan burst into laughter, filled with inexplicable excitement.
It turned out that the Golden Lion Royal Family's treasure vault contained not only heavenly-tier cultivation techniques but also innate spiritual plants.
Innate spiritual plants, imbued with natural spiritual essence, were truly treasures.
"This Golden Lion Royal Family has good luck indeed, to possess an innate spiritual plant."
Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
"Roar~~"
Suddenly, a furious roar echoed from afar.
A massive black panther, galloping from the distance, exuded an overwhelming killing intent and charged towards Zhou Yan.
"Swish~"
Zhou Yan's gaze turned icy. With a wave of his hand, a dark iron spear appeared in his palm.
Immediately, Zhou Yan gripped the spear, his figure a blur, and met the black panther head-on.
"Bang bang bang..."
Man and beast engaged in combat, their blows fierce and their moves fatal. In a flash, they exchanged over a hundred blows.
"Hiss!"
The black panther was incredibly swift, its movements elusive, its claws sharp. Its claws tore through the air, seizing an opportunity and lunging directly at Zhou Yan's chest with deadly intent.
"Clang!"
Zhou Yan blocked with his spear, his arm shaking violently, his hand numb.
"Pfft—"
The next moment, Zhou Yan gritted his teeth, his arm muscles bulging. With a forceful swing, the spear flew from his hand, like a poisonous dragon's drill, embedding itself into the black panther's chest.
"Roar~~"
With a howl of pain, the black panther's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, spewing blood and gravely injured.
"A mere Foundation Establishment early-stage demonic beast, no match for me."
Zhou Yan snorted lightly. After dispatching the black panther, he strode forward.
During his fight with the black panther, Zhou Yan had already discovered its weakness and seized the moment when it was caught off guard to deliver a killing blow.
Otherwise, with his current dilapidated body, he would have been no match for the black panther.
...
One day later.
Outside Black Stone City.
Zhou Yan, mounted on a horse, traversed the mountains and forests, slowly departing Black Stone City.
"This ancient city is Black Stone City, not too far from our Azure Cloud Town."
Zhou Yan gazed in all directions, observing a towering city wall standing in his sight.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Zhou Yan frowned. Ahead, he saw two groups of people engaged in a fierce battle.
The group on the left, clad in armor, exuded an imposing aura and a palpable killing intent.
The group on the right, with tattered clothes and carrying wooden boxes, looked weary and quite disheveled.
It was clear they were refugees seeking refuge in Black Stone City.
However, their strength was too weak, failing to even reach the Condensing Gang realm, with only a few Innate martial artists among them.
"These people must be refugees,"
Zhou Yan mused to himself.
"This group is too weak, not even a single Innate martial artist. Truly disappointing."
On the other side, the leader of the armored soldiers, the commander, curled his lips in disappointment.
Beside him, a Condensing Gang realm expert, with a sinister expression, glanced dismissively in their direction and let out a disdainful snort.
"Hmph!"
The commander instantly flew into a rage and drew his sword, pointing it at him. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?"
The Condensing Gang realm expert sneered, "Do you not understand?"
"We are under imperial orders to eliminate the rebels of Black Stone City. If you don't want to die, get lost!"
"You..."
Upon hearing this, the Condensing Gang realm expert's face turned red with anger.
"Enough!"
The commander waved his hand, signaling him not to say more.
He then scanned the group of refugees and asked, "Who is your leader?"
This Condensing Gang realm expert was named Chen Hao, leading five thousand troops stationed near Black Stone City.
His mission this time was not only to patrol the city but also to hunt down rebels.
"We..."
Among the refugees, a young boy hesitated before stepping forward and bowing. "Reporting to the General, my father has died in battle. I am now the new village chief..."
"Heh heh... So that's how it is."
Chen Hao reprimanded, "In that case, why aren't you getting lost? Do you want to associate with those rebels?"
"I dare not!"
The young boy lowered his head, silent, his heart filled with humiliation and helplessness.
"You dare not? Who do you think you are?"
Chen Hao scoffed. "Very well, I will spare your lives today. However, remember this: this is the wilderness, fraught with danger. If you carelessly lose your lives, don't blame me for not warning you!"
His words carried a heavy threat.
Hearing this, shame flashed across the faces of many refugees.
But there was nothing they could do.
In this savage mountain range, the law of the jungle prevailed, and survival of the fittest was paramount. One wrong step could lead to being killed by wild beasts.
Therefore, many preferred to live a precarious existence rather than venture into the deep mountains to hunt.
Moreover, these were ordinary refugees. Even if they joined the army, they would merely be cannon fodder, insignificant.
"Let's go."
Chen Hao, uninterested in the refugees, led a detachment of guards to continue their search for rebel traces.
...
Night fell.
Inside Black Stone City, a quiet stillness prevailed.
In the Zhou family mansion, the lights were bright.
Currently, in a grand hall.
Zhou Yan sat at the head of the table, his eyes closed, dozing.
He exuded the scent of alcohol, clearly having drunk too much.
"Young Master, have you had too much to drink?"
Beside him, Steward Li Zhong rushed forward to help, his face filled with concern.
"It's nothing."
Zhou Yan slightly opened his eyes, pushed Li Zhong away, and took another drink of fine wine himself.
Then, he closed his eyes to rest.