A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

Amidst a lake, a profusion of Black Water Blood Lotuses grow. Each lotus is a treasure, but being born within the black water makes it an extremely rare treasure. Its petals can be consumed directly, a sacred healing remedy. It's said that a single breath of water can sustain a life, and when refined into an elixir, they are even more potent, said to be able to bring the dead back to life. Lotus seeds nourish the soul and spirit, healing damage to the spiritual consciousness and enhancing it. Of course, the effects are doubled when refined into an elixir. Its branches and leaves can also be refined into magical instruments, possessing nourishing and spiritual protection. The lotus root is also edible and a highly nourishing tonic.

But the black water was a bit troublesome. Flying over it was impossible, not even with flying magic tools, and it was extremely corrosive. The nearest lotus plant was two meters away, making it difficult to reach. Furthermore, the lotus flowers hadn't even bloomed yet, but already a large crowd had gathered by the lake. They were clearly divided into factions: the Buddhist and Taoist sects stood together, the Demonic sect in one, and the Hehuan sect in another, all looking as if they were simply watching the fun and offering no assistance.

Du Shuangshuang looked at the three groups. The Daoist sect clearly had the advantage in numbers, but with several sects united together, if a fight really came to a head, it was unclear whether their tacit understanding or their hearts would truly be united. If a fight really broke out, her fellow disciples probably wouldn't have the energy to constantly protect her. She was probably still a rookie among them, and there should be many Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and Golden Core cultivators here. Thinking of this, Du Shuangshuang quietly hid herself behind the crowd.

The Black Water Blood Lotus hasn't bloomed yet, so it seems these people won't start fighting for now. Once the Black Water Blood Lotus blooms, I'm afraid everyone will start scrambling to get it. If someone resorts to dirty tricks, picking it might lead to a huge fight.

The first person to pick lotus, and even the first few, would be watched by everyone. It was safest to strike only when most people had already made their move. Since one's strength was limited, it was best to leave the scene quickly after finishing. While there was a high risk of being targeted during the picking process, if one stayed put, the seniors wouldn't be able to focus on them during the chaos, which would only make things more dangerous. Thinking this through, Du Shuangshuang quietly searched for a suitable position. The initial positions everyone would strike from were definitely closer to the shore, making them easier to pick. She needed to avoid these locations and find a suitable spot that would be both convenient for her to strike and easy to escape from.

The lake was enormous, with at least a thousand blackwater lotus plants within it. The deeper you went, the denser the flowers became. Getting inside was difficult, but once you were inside, you'd find lotus leaves everywhere, allowing you to find a place to rest. Just be careful not to get any of the blackwater on you. As for yourself, even a little contact wouldn't be a problem. You had earthbeast meat, and blackwater was a corrosive poison, so the meat should be enough to flush it out.

The various factions were constantly on guard against each other, exercising restraint and refraining from attacking. Dao Zong's men were also discussing their respective directions, trying to spread out and avoid collisions.

The fragrance in the air gradually became stronger, and the Black Water Blood Lotus was about to bloom in sight. Everyone's face was filled with excitement and eagerness to try.

"Ah..." A scream attracted everyone's attention. Where did this young man get so fearless that he actually flew into the lake with a sword wearing a golden bell cover. As a result, he fell into the water just one meter away from the shore. Because he didn't understand the situation and was not prepared, he fell directly into the black water. If he had been prepared in advance, he could have jumped back on the sword with the buoyancy of the sword when it fell into the water, or jumped onto the nearest lotus leaf.

A large amount of white gas emerged, and the black water began to corrode his flesh. The man wailed in pain. Someone threw vines and ropes to pull him out. The places where the black water had touched him were still corroded. Only the painful wails could be heard. Many people took the initiative to avoid him, fearing that they would also be contaminated by the poisonous water.

The cultivator with water spiritual roots condensed water to wash the places on his body that were stained with black water. His pants and the lower half of his clothes were almost corroded, his robes had lost their spiritual glow, his legs and feet were exposed, and white bones were exposed in many places. Even though the black water was washed away, the corroded areas continued to corrode.

The man's veins bulged with pain, and he writhed on the ground, "Help me, help me, I don't want to die." Someone stuffed him with an antidote pill. Antidote pills are rare, and this one that can cure all poisons is even rarer. But the pill had no effect on the man, so everyone gave it a try, and the result was clear to everyone. In the end, the man died when the corrosive wound spread to his heart. This tragic scene shocked many people.

His experience frightened many people, and after realizing that the antidote pills were useless, many chose to leave. Treasures are great, but life is more important! Most people still waited there, unwilling to give up.

At this time, someone threw out a silk-shaped weapon, directly entangled the Black Water Blood Lotus, and pulled it out, but she only plucked the flower part and a small part of the stem. Seeing someone successfully pick it, many people rushed to imitate, and vines and ropes were thrown out, scrambling to pick the flowers closer to the shore.

The ropes and vines were flying and entangled with each other. There were very few black water blood lotuses nearby, so naturally everyone wanted them.

Du Shuangshuang was confident she could use the fleeting buoyancy of her belongings once they hit the surface to get inside. She didn't have any extra gear, but she did have plenty of mortal clothes and bedding. She could just toss them into the water and use the buoyancy to find a place to stay. Those things were useless to her, so losing them wouldn't hurt. Du Shuangshuang bundled the clothes into a ball, just big enough for her to step on. There was no grass within a kilometer of the lake, so she'd better cut down some trees.

Those things that carried spiritual power would lose all their spiritual power the moment they came into contact with water. Soon, a spiritual boat placed in the water quickly lost its spiritual power and was corroded bit by bit.

Some people took advantage of the momentum to step over the spirit boat before it was completely corroded, and then stepped onto the lotus leaves, picking lotus flowers in the lake. Soon, others followed suit, taking out their equipment and throwing them into the water, using the momentum to step in. Of course, if they met someone, they might try to do something bad.

Du Shuangshuang found a direction where there was no one, threw out three pieces of clothes and stepped on a lotus leaf. Because the lotus leaves here were far away and no one was walking here, only Du Shuangshuang was there. Du Shuangshuang did not rush to pick the lotus, but quickly approached inside.

The lotuses were densely packed inside, and people were entering from other directions. Du Shuangshuang chose a direction away from the crowd. The dense lotus leaves made it impossible to see her from outside without spiritual sense. With the support of many lotus leaves, Du Shuangshuang could easily stand on them. So, Du Shuangshuang began to pick and pull the lotus stems out, but this only added more stems and failed to uproot them. However, Du Shuangshuang did not give up, continuing to pull one at a time. She found that the deeper she went, the more mature the lotus flowers seemed. Some flowers had already fallen, leaving only the lotus pods.

Du Shuangshuang ran inside, filled with anticipation, hoping to find ripe lotus seeds. She walked along the lotus leaves, tirelessly searching. Along the way, she saw many immature lotus pods, but she did not stop and continued forward.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Du Shuangshuang finally spotted a patch of ripe lotus pods in the distance. They exuded a refreshing fragrance, even richer than the scent of the lake water outside, which instantly made her feel refreshed. She quickened her pace, eagerly heading towards the lotus pods.

As she approached, she discovered the lotus pods were lush and full, each one plump and round, radiating an alluring sheen. She carefully plucked one and gently peeled it open, revealing plump lotus seeds, each as white as snow, like pearls.

Du Shuangshuang was ecstatic, as she knew these lotus seeds were of extremely high value.

Du Shuangshuang hurriedly picked the mature lotus pods, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the stems of the lotus pods actually produced lotus roots. She had originally thought that using lotus seeds for planting might take a long time, but with lotus roots, things would grow much faster. Soon, there were over a thousand lotus pods with lotus roots in the ring. No one had come by during this time, but the mature lotus roots were only in this patch, and they were so sparse that they could hardly withstand the force of someone standing on it and pulling them out. Du Shuangshuang gave up pulling and simply broke off the lotus roots from the top and took them away. After collecting the lotus roots, Du Shuangshuang quickly fled.

I ran to the lotus area to continue picking lotus flowers, and used the Qiankun bottle to fill many bottles with black water, preparing to plant black water blood lotus in the future. The environment can be simulated, but without black water, the black water blood lotus cannot grow.

The ring was also filled with a large pile of Black Water Blood Lotus. Du Shuangshuang chose a deserted spot to go ashore. This time, she lost even more clothing, over twenty pieces. Because this place was farther from the Black Water Blood Lotus, no one was there. Who would carry as many ordinary clothes as Du Shuangshuang? Everyone was using equipment. Throwing so much equipment into the water would be like throwing money. And even if they were willing to throw it, they would need to have enough equipment.

Du Shuangshuang quickly left after reaching shore. To escape this dangerous place as quickly as possible, she not only activated her ethereal power but also channeled spiritual energy into her boots, allowing her to escape at breakneck speed. After some distance, she encountered a group of three demonic cultivators, but due to her speed, they were unable to catch up.

Three months had already passed in the secret realm. She had originally thought it would be safer to stay with her senior brothers and sisters, but after the incident with the lotus, tensions were high. A fight could easily break out, and a large group fight would be too dangerous. Du Shuangshuang felt it would be safer to be alone. She had already collected a lot of treasures, so if things didn't work out, she could just find a place to hide.

Du Shuangshuang was traveling through the mountains and forests at this time. Du Shuangshuang felt that the forests were great because there were countless spiritual plants, monsters and various minerals in the forests.

Spiritual plants are, of course, essential for cultivation. Any unused ones can be traded for spirit stones or contribution points, or used to practice alchemy. Monsters are even more useful. First, they can be used for training. Du Shuangshuang can hone her swordsmanship and body movements, gaining combat experience. Besides selling parts, many monsters are edible. My family plans to open a restaurant someday, so any amount is always a good thing. These are all first- and second-tier monsters. If I were to encounter a third-tier monster, even with all my might, I'd be unsure if I could defeat it.

If you are lucky, you might come across something good. The woods are full of spiritual plants, but most of them are of relatively low level. Before, when I was with Lingling and Xiaopang, we were in a hurry to get on the road, so we would only pick the ones that were rare outside and of relatively high level. Now Du Shuangshuang is alone, and she is not in a hurry. She will not refuse to pick spiritual herbs because their level is too low. She will pick some of them even if they are only of the first level that can be used for her own body training. The rest are those that are not available outside, or spiritual plants of the second level or above. Du Shuangshuang is like a mouse that falls into a rice jar. It can be said that she is very happy to pick them and very satisfied to fight them. Du Shuangshuang adheres to the principle: If you can beat me, I will beat you and never let you go. If you can't beat me, I will run away and no one can catch up with me.