Chương 116: Chapter 7: White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice

Reyn reached for the purple jade box. Inside lay a weathered, yellowed map fragment. Its texture suggested immense age, a relic from an era long forgotten. Reyn let out a soft "Hmph" of surprise as he gripped it. He channeled his True Essence, exerting a significant amount of physical strength to test its durability, yet the parchment didn't so much as crease under his pressure.

"To be so carefully hoarded by that old ghost Ming Diao, this map is clearly no ordinary object," Reyn murmured, his eyes narrowing.

"But judging by its jagged edges, this is barely a third of the whole. In a world as vast as this, finding the remaining pieces will be like searching for a needle in a boundless ocean." He shook his head, tucked the fragment back into its box, and swept it into his storage bag with a flick of his wrist. His gaze then landed on the final storage bag. With a sharp wave of his hand, he forced it open. This bag was cavernous, boasting a space of nearly a hundred square meters.

However, it wasn't filled with gold or weapons, but rather a mountain of strange, dark-red grains. Each grain was as large as a child's fist. Intrigued, Reyn reached in and pulled one out. Immediately, a refreshing, potent aroma filled his senses. A surge of boundless vitality radiated from the grain, causing his heart to skip a beat. This single grain contained enough life force to rival a century of a mortal's lifespan.

"Sister, come quickly. Look at what I've found," Reyn called out mentally. A moment later, Yu Meiren's lazy, sultry voice echoed in his consciousness. She let out a dainty yawn before asking, "What is it now? Did you stumble upon another little trinket?" Reyn's expression stiffened slightly. Though he had grown more accustomed to her natural charm, her voice still had a way of bypassing his defenses. He quickly regained his composure.

"It's this blood-colored rice. The vitality within it is staggering. Do you recognize it?"

"Oh?" Yu Meiren's tone sharpened with interest.

"Let me see." Reyn felt a ripple of Divine Sense emanate from his mind. A second later, a gasp of pure shock escaped her. Yu Meiren's ethereal figure manifested beside him, her eyes wide and fixed on the grain in his palm.

"White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice!" she cried out, her usual composure shattered. Reyn frowned, confused by her reaction.

"You know its origin?" Yu Meiren stared at the rice for a long time before exhaling a slow, shaky breath.

"Little brother, it seems you truly are a man blessed by the Heavens. To find something as heaven-defying as White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice in the mortal realm... your future path is truly limitless." Her eyes shimmered with excitement as she began to explain. Legend had it that this rice was harvested from ancient trees stained by the blood of a True Dragon. It possessed infinite life force. A single grain could grant a mortal a hundred years of life.

For a cultivator, refining it didn't just extend their lifespan; it nourished the physical body, eventually tempering it until it became as indestructible as a high-grade Spirit Tool, granting immense power to every movement. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. But that wasn't even its most precious trait. A True Dragon was a legendary existence, powerful enough to rival a cultivator at the Great Ascension stage.

Because this rice carried the aura of a True Dragon, it contained traces of the Heavenly Dao. If a cultivator consumed it regularly, it would sharpen their perception of the world's laws, allowing them to break through bottlenecks with ease.

"Even in the Spirit Realm, this is a divine treasure that only appears once every ten thousand years," Yu Meiren said, her voice filled with nostalgia.

"I only know of it because I saw it at a senior's birthday banquet. A famous rogue cultivator offered ten grains as a gift. My senior was ecstatic and rewarded him handsomely. Later, when that senior hit a wall in their cultivation, they consumed those ten grains and used the resulting Dao insights to successfully ascend to the next realm." She paused, looking slightly embarrassed. Her lips parted, and she spoke with a hint of hesitation.

"Little brother... I have a favor to ask. Could you give this grain to me? I know how rare it is, but it is vital for me. With just this one grain, the injuries to my Primordial Spirit could finally begin to heal." Her face flushed a soft pink, and she looked at him with trepidation. She knew the value of the rice; it would be perfectly reasonable for Reyn to keep it for himself. When he remained silent, she let out a melancholy sigh, her eyes dimming. The sound of her sigh snapped Reyn out of his daze.

Seeing her dejected look, he cursed himself for his hesitation.

"Sister, don't misunderstand! If this is useful to you, please, take it." Yu Meiren gave a forced smile, assuming he was just being polite. Reyn grew anxious.

"I'm serious! I only froze because... well, look for yourself." Confused, Yu Meiren extended her Divine Sense into the storage bag. Her breathtaking face froze. The shock was so profound she couldn't speak for a long time. After a minute of silence, Reyn scratched his head.

"Sister? Is it really that rare? I mean, I just killed a Golden Core cultivator from the mortal realm. How did I end up with a mountain of the stuff?" Yu Meiren: "..."

"You brat... what kind of luck do you have?" she finally hissed.

"Look at the patterns on the grain. They resemble a nine-clawed True Dragon. The life force is unmistakable. This is definitely White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice." Her brow furrowed in a serious expression.

"You must never let another soul know you possess this. If word gets out, every cultivator in existence will hunt you. Even those old monsters at the Soul Transformation stage would crawl out of their secluded caves to tear you apart for this hoard." A cold sweat broke out on Reyn's back. He nodded fervently, vowing to keep this secret buried. Before he could put the rice away, Yu Meiren snatched the grain from his hand with a giggle.

"I'll take this one for now. Give me one every ten days. At this rate, even without that pill we discussed, my soul will recover." With a flash of light, she vanished back into his body. Reyn shook his head with a wry smile. He spent the next hour layering dozens of restrictive seals on the storage bag before he felt safe enough to relax. The rice was a miracle, but it wouldn't solve his immediate problem. In three days, the Xuanxiao Sect would clash with the Qingyan Sect. Time was running out.

Reyn hesitated for a moment, then reached into his bag and pulled out a small jade bottle. His eyes turned cold and sharp as he prepared for the coming storm.