Volcanic Age

The distinctive feature of the tree was that, unlike the trees outside, the leaves were aqua, not green.

Its trunk was so thick; Zhou Xuchuan believed it to be at least a thousand years old. The roots that held up the whole tree also branched out all across the floor.

The Underwater Spiritual Tree.

As its name suggested, it was a tree that could grow underwater. What was even more surprising was that it could grow without the presence of sunlight.

The Underwater Spiritual Tree was one of the rarest plants in existence, and not many of them existed all across the central plains.

However, the Underwater Spiritual Tree wasn’t the cause of Zhou Xuchuan’s surprise. It wasn’t that he had failed to discover the Water Spiritual Fruit either. Just as that wanderer had mentioned, he could see a blue fruit rolling on the ground.

However, there was one difference. Something that didn’t exist even during his visit in his previous life was there.

‘What the heck is that!’

It was a snake.

Although it wasn’t as large as the Underwater Spiritual Tree that filled the whole clearing, it was definitely far larger than an average snake.

Zhou Xuchuan could tell from its length that the snake wasn’t ordinary. It was at least five zhang in length and three chi in diameter from what he could tell.[1]

A spiritual being!

Animals and plants that possessed spiritual energy or special capabilities were called spiritual beings. The Underwater Spiritual Tree was one as well.

In the case of plants, having spiritual awareness did not mean they were dangerous. Normally, when a plant was considered dangerous, it was classified separately as a poisonous plant.

However, spiritual animals were a different story, and most of them were dangerous. Despite being animals, they were just as intelligent as people, and they were powerful enough to threaten some experts.

Something as big as that is certainly…

As Zhou Xuchuan had been alone most of the time in his previous life, he had read quite a lot of books. Some of them were about spiritual beings, and thanks to his endeavors, he knew more than most people.

Dammit, that thing must be hundreds of years old.

Spiritual snakes were classified on the same level as dangerous beasts, as they had an immense boost in speed, strength, and above all, the impenetrability of their scales, which in some cases, were strong enough to deflect sword qi. The most fearsome of all was the poison in their fangs.

It seems to be asleep for now…

Zhou Xuchuan had been regretting choosing to come to this place in winter. However, it was the opposite right now. He was grateful that it was winter.

Snakes, be they spiritual or not, went into hibernation during winter. It was thanks to this that Zhou Xuchuan hadn’t been discovered yet.

If I fight it, no, if I wake it up, I’ll die.

A spiritual animal of that caliber could only be confronted by several Peak and Absolute Realm experts. It would be hard to deal with it without vajra qi, a symbol of a Harmony realm expert and a weapon that could cut better than any famed sword in existence.

In other words, it would be suicide for Zhou Xuchuan to go against that snake without the power he had attained in his previous life.

I didn’t hear about such a thing existing in twenty years… It probably didn’t exist by then.

Considering the personality of that light-mouthed wanderer, he would’ve boasted of his survival against such a powerful snake. The fact that he hadn’t heard about it meant that the snake wouldn’t be there in twenty years.

As for why, Zhou Xuchuan couldn’t tell. It might have been hunted down by another spiritual animal or reclusive expert, or it might have transformed into a demi-dragon.

However, that wasn’t the case now. Now, twenty years prior to the original event, the snake was hibernating in this underwater cave.

He was extremely unlucky.

Do I have to escape?

Spiritual animals weren’t called spiritual for nothing. He could risk waking it up if he approached it, which would lead to his certain death.

But I don’t want to go back at this point.

He raised his head to look at the Underwater Spiritual Tree. He could see a fruit under the humongous tree that overwhelmed him—an aqua-colored fruit. It had to be the Water Spiritual Fruit.

He looked at other branches or roots, but the only sign of Water Spiritual Fruits he saw was the one on the ground.

That must be it.

He knew what the Water Spiritual Fruit looked like because that wanderer talked about it.

However…

Right next to it was the gigantic head of the snake in deep hibernation. He couldn’t summon the courage to approach it.

Zhou Xuchuan closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Proceed? Or go back?

He didn’t hesitate for long. He lowered his stance and masked his presence as much as possible. Then, he slowly moved forward like a turtle.

Master!

He would have the same opportunity next year, but he couldn’t guarantee that the snake would no longer be here by then. If that thing nested itself here until he turned fourteen, it would be game over. Liu Zhengmu would die just like he did in his previous life. The sense of unease and fear instilled courage in Zhou Xuchuan.

Zhou Xuchuan held his breath as he carefully approached the Water Spiritual Fruit.

His heart thumped in his chest.

He usually didn’t care about what kind of sound his heart made, yet right now, it thundered in his ears.

Zhou Xuchuan glanced at the snake as he moved silently.

I don’t want to regret this later.

He had experienced plenty of regrets in his previous life. He still couldn’t forget the frustration and resentment he had back then.

Huh?

When he approached, he could get a better look at the Water Spiritual Fruit. It was just big enough to fit in his palm. However, there was something different compared to when he was observing from a distance.

There’s not one, but two?

He hadn’t noticed because of the slope right behind it, but there turned out to be two Water Spiritual Fruits.

What luck!

He almost laughed with joy. From the accounts of the wanderer twenty years later, that man only consumed one. From what he could infer, this fruit would probably be damaged when the snake left this place in the future.

Good, calm down. Calm down.

He bent down and reached his hand out, grabbing it to prevent any rolling or sound and put it in his bosom.

He successfully obtained one fruit. Then, he picked up the other one quietly and put it in his bosom as well.

Yes!

He suppressed the urge to laugh and stood up. The snake hibernating next to him had yet to move. Zhou Xuchuan inwardly cheered and turned around.

Then, he froze on the spot.

Hisss-!

He could see golden eyes between the half-open eyelids. His own dumbfounded figure was reflected in its vertically slit irises.

He forgot how to breathe. No, his thought process stopped altogether.

The snake looked at Zhou Xuchuan with its half-open eyes. There was no murderous intent, nor were those the eyes of something looking for food.

It was entirely emotionless and as cold as the water of the river.

Drip-

A droplet fell on his head. It was water, not from the snake but from the ceiling.

He looked into the snake’s eyes. In its eyes, he saw a nine-year-old boy, as well as satiety and laziness.

The snake blinked its half-open eyes a few times before turning its head to the side as though it had lost interest.

THUD-!

Its head seemed to be considerably heavy as the entire cave shook when it settled down. And that was the end of it.

Zhou Xuchuan was unaware of whether the snake had fallen asleep again, or was in the process of doing so. He couldn’t see its face after all.

He had been frozen on the spot, and he stood still for a while before walking again. He didn’t know how much time had passed.

His mind had blanked out and wasn’t capable of continuing a thought process.

His hands were holding the Water Spiritual Fruit without letting them go.

Zhou Xuchuan went back the way he came, neither running nor even walking quickly.

He simply walked at a casual pace and submerged himself under the water again.

Splash-

A head emerged from the water.

It was a child.

The child, Zhou Xuchuan, left the river.

When he had dived earlier, he could remember the sun being in the middle of the sky. However, as he surfaced, the sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky red, and he thought that the color was beautiful.

Zhou Xuchuan climbed onto land extremely quietly, unlike last time and muttered with his expression still dazed, “Holy shit…”

***

After safely obtaining the Water Spiritual Fruit, he returned to Mount Hua. It was on the third day after he left, right before lunch.

Liu Zhengmu returned from his gathering around dinner.

A few days later, Zhou Xuchuan found himself in a dilemma.

How do I give this to Master?

Mount Hua didn’t possess anything like the Water Spiritual Tree, and the appearance of these fruits was anything but ordinary.

Although they were the size of ordinary fruits, they were aqua in color. Anyone would be able to tell that they weren’t ordinary.

In the first place, it’s too dangerous to not tell him that this is spiritual medicine.

Chewing and swallowing spiritual medicine wasn’t the only thing there was to consume them. Spiritual medicine that possessed enormous energy like the Water Spiritual Fruit needed special caution when consuming it.

Anyone who ate it without proper preparations would be shocked by the sudden influx of energy. That panic would lead to loss of control and potentially lead to cultivation deviation.

Urgh.

He wouldn’t be able to avoid suspicion no matter what he did. Buying spiritual medicine of this quality would cost a fortune, and claiming that he picked it from the side of the road was simply ridiculous.

As a disciple of an orthodox sect, saying that he stole it from someone was out of the question, not to mention beyond his capability.

Zhou Xuchuan sighed repeatedly, feeling helpless.

“Is something troubling you?”

It didn’t take long for Liu Zhengmu to figure out that his disciple was worried about something.

“M-Master!”

“I could see that you were filled with worry during the past few days. If you cannot resolve it yourself, it’s not a bad idea to seek help from those around you.”

Liu Zhengmu patted Zhou Xuchuan on the head as he always did.

“Urgh.”

Despite Zhou Xuchuan’s youthful appearance, he was an old man on the inside. Whether in age, experience, or even the understanding of martial arts, he was several levels above Liu Zhengmu.

However, the fact that he had regressed didn’t seem to matter in front of Liu Zhengmu; in front of him, Zhou Xuchan always felt like a child.

Even aside from that, it was very difficult to hide something from his master. He could easily lie to others so that he didn’t catch their attention. His acting skills were pretty decent and everyone was fooled by him.

That is, with the exception of Liu Zhengmu.

Right. Even if he suspects me and presses me for answers, I don’t have a choice.

Zhou Xuchuan gulped. He had made a decision.

To save Master…

What if the spiritual medicine expired today?

When he thought about that, he felt a chill run down his spine. Sure, he might be overthinking it. Even he believed that he was worrying excessively for no reason.

However, that "what if" tugged at his heart.

Zhou Xuchuan summoned the courage to bring out the Water Spiritual Fruit from his bosom.

“Master, would you please eat this?”

“What is that?”

“A spiritual medicine.”

Zhou Xuchuan’s response lacked any hint of hesitation.

Whoa…

Liu Zhengmu was suddenly taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh. A boy who was only nine seemed to be troubled by something for days, suddenly took out what was allegedly a spiritual medicine, and told him to eat it.

Anyone would be taken aback in this situation.

“...Mmm.”

Liu Zhengmu groaned. His eyes were fixed on the aquatic fruit in Zhou Xuchuan’s hand.

Then, there was a moment of silence.

Liu Zhengmu was the one to break the silence.

1. Li (~500m), zhang (~3m), chi (~30cm), and cun (~3cm) are traditional Chinese measurement units. Their exact metric equivalents vary by time period, but this is a good rule of thumb. Also, this snake is about 5m longer than any snake in recorded history and three times as thick. ☜