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

Whether there was a fight or not, Du Shuangshuang didn't want to get involved. It was a bloody fight, and she wouldn't participate unless she had no other choice. If things went wrong, she would be doomed. She hadn't lived long enough. Was she going to risk her life for someone she'd only known for a few days? Why was her life so worthless?

In the evening, Du Shuangshuang found a place near a water source. There was a pond next to it and a small waterfall above the pond. The water was not very fast.

The mountains are as green as ink, the water is as clear as a mirror. Under the sunlight, mist rises and rainbows shuttle through the water, creating a fairyland. The waterfall's water crashes against the rocks, splashing water like pearls, forming rainbows of breathtaking beauty. The fresh air and cool breeze add a sense of comfort and relaxation to the waterfall. The surrounding vegetation is full of lush greenery, adding vitality and vibrancy to the waterfall.

The clear stream, gurgling with water, added a sense of tranquility and harmony to the waterfall. In the pool, spirit fish occasionally swam, mostly first- and second-tier fish. Du Shuangshuang didn't notice any precious treasures. Suddenly, several figures caught Du Shuangshuang's attention, and she couldn't help but approach the pool for a closer look.

Du Shuangshuang's eyes burst into extremely bright light. Five Elements Spirit Fish! It really is a Five Elements Spirit Fish!

A typical Five Elements Spirit Fish is only about the thickness of a finger and typically only 15 to 20 centimeters long. Its entire body is translucent, the color of its corresponding five elements: gold for metal, green for wood, blue for water, red for fire, and yellow for earth. Only its two black eyes are noticeable. The fish itself is crystal clear, soft, and scaleless, without bones. This fish is extremely rare in the world of immortal cultivation, and even those who possess one keep it carefully hidden.

This fish can ignore the cultivation level below the stage of transformation into a spirit. As long as it takes ten five-element fish with the same attributes as itself, it can advance to a small realm without any side effects. However, it is only effective for those who take it for the first time. Even after the stage of transformation into a spirit, it can still help with advancement. It is called the "holy fish" by people.

Du Shuangshuang used her wood spirit to weave a fishing net and began to fish. She placed the five-element fish she caught into a jade box filled with water. She had also put aside her original plan to set up a formation and meditate at night. Of course, catching the treasure was more important.

At first, each cast of the net would always yield a dozen or so, with three or five of each being a Five Elements fish. Du Shuangshuang collected the Five Elements fish separately, but didn't intend to discard the others. She found a box to store them for later consumption. Later, perhaps the fish grew wary, and each cast would only yield three or two, only one or two Five Elements fish, or sometimes none at all. Du Shuangshuang simply stopped fishing. She decided to eat some herself first to advance, as she was eager to improve her cultivation.

Du Shuangshuang came to the edge of the pond and after searching carefully, she finally found a relatively flat stone. She carefully began to set up the formation. After completing the formation, Du Shuangshuang slowly sat down, but at this moment, she had no intention of appreciating the picturesque scenery around her.

She eagerly pulled the box containing the five-element spirit fish from her storage bracelet, her eyes focused and eager. She carefully selected the wood and fire-attributed spirit fish from the box, grabbing a few without hesitation and placing them in her mouth. As soon as these spirit fish entered her mouth, they instantly transformed into a warm current, flowing down her throat and into her body.

Du Shuangshuang carefully selected five of the largest and best-quality fire-attributed spirit fish and five equally outstanding wood-attributed spirit fish, devouring them all. Suddenly, an immensely powerful warmth surged through her body, like a surging wave. Simultaneously, a vast amount of spiritual energy surged through her, seemingly breaking free from its constraints.

Feeling the surging power within her, Du Shuangshuang didn't dare to delay even a moment and immediately began practicing the technique. As she practiced the technique, she guided the vast spiritual energy to circulate within her body. After several cycles, Du Shuangshuang was pleasantly surprised to discover that her cultivation had truly improved significantly, successfully breaking through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment! Sure enough, the legend of the Five Elements Spirit Fish was true, worthy of being called a "Sacred Fish."

It was dark, and the stars twinkled in the night sky. She closed her eyes and meditated, listening quietly to the sound of the waterfall and the chirping of insects, feeling the tranquility of nature.

The next morning, Du Shuangshuang continued to collect spiritual plants in the forest.

She discovered a rare seventh-tier spiritual herb, the Tribulation Crossing Grass, the only elixir that could help those in the Void Refinement Stage advance to the Tribulation Crossing Stage. Taking this elixir increased the chance of success by over 60%. High-tier spiritual herbs like these were bound to be guarded by high-tier demonic beasts. A seventh-tier demonic beast was more than she could handle, but she had never seen such a high-tier demonic beast in the secret realm. Du Shuangshuang thought perhaps there weren't any such high-tier demonic beasts. She decided to try and take a look. If the demonic beast wasn't around, she could steal it and run away.

Of course, this time she might be facing a seventh-level monster, and she was afraid that nothing would work, but Du Shuangshuang couldn't bear to give up like this. She was shamefully moved. It would be fine if she didn't meet it, but if she did, she really couldn't bear to give up like this.

After extensive exploration, Du Shuangshuang found no nearby demonic beasts, so she decided to take a chance. She wore the Golden Bell Talisman, held a magical shield, and clutched a teleportation talisman, ready to flee at the slightest sign of trouble. Spiritual energy infused her boots, and she swiftly approached with the power of ethereal invisibility. As she neared the Tribulation Grass, her hair stood on end, a sense of danger gripping her. Without time to dwell, she activated all her defensive gear and the teleportation talisman, reaching out with her free hand to grab the grass before it could teleport. Her vision went dark, and from a distance, she could only see a massive snake body crashing down upon her.

Du Shuangshuang wondered, "Am I going to die?" She felt a crushing pressure closing in. The Golden Bell talisman on her body felt like paper, shattering at the slightest touch. The mid-grade protective treasure didn't even last. The shield on her ID card popped three times like a soap bubble, and the protective shield, like paper, shattered. The immense pressure seemed to crush her into a pulp. This feeling filled her with despair and helplessness, as if the world had ended. But just when she thought she was doomed, everything suddenly vanished. She found herself teleported away, unsure where she was. When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in her original place, but in an unfamiliar environment. The teleportation talisman had transported her at the last moment, and Du Shuangshuang breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally survived.

Du Shuangshuang tried to stand up, but found herself unable to move. She looked down at her body and found that she was covered in blood and her bones were almost broken. She realized that she was seriously injured and needed treatment as soon as possible. The bones of her left arm, which had been holding the Tribulation Grass with all her strength before leaving, were completely shattered. The Tribulation Grass was still intact and even had roots, so it should be able to be planted, but there was no time to deal with it now. She had worked so hard to get it, so she gritted her teeth, endured the severe pain, and put the Tribulation Grass into the ring.

Her internal organs were likely severely damaged, leaving her practically unable to move, even breathing becoming difficult. Every breath was accompanied by unspeakable pain, yet she shed no tears. Her incessant tearing at the sight of pain had unexpectedly resolved, but Du Shuangshuang had no time to rejoice. Du Shuangshuang was too busy to focus on anything else; only her right hand could still move. The seventh-rank demon beast was truly formidable. Even before it even got close, its imposing presence in a single instant nearly cost her life.

She didn't dare relax even a little, forcing herself to resist fainting. Du Shuangshuang knew that if she fainted now, she might never wake up again. A passing cultivator or a ferocious monster could easily take her life. Furthermore, the blood she had just vomited would likely attract nearby monsters. She had to quickly recover some strength, set up a formation, and hide. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.

I was so badly injured that the rejuvenation pills were probably of little use. I didn't feel bad for my precious baby at this moment. Only when I used it myself would it truly belong to me. Trembling, I took the petals of the Black Water Blood Lotus into my mouth. Du Shuangshuang no longer had the strength to move. But the Black Water Blood Lotus was still very powerful. The moment it entered my mouth, it turned into a warm current flowing throughout my body. Finally, the pain in my body was not so severe, and I could muster a little strength. I stuffed more Black Water Blood Lotus petals and the rejuvenation pills into my mouth. Remembering that I still had a red fruit, I didn't feel bad anymore. I took a bite and swallowed it. Although it was gentle, it took up most of my strength.

Waves of warm air continuously flowed into her body, slowly repairing the injuries in her body. Du Shuangshuang trembled as she crawled forward with difficulty. Every move made her feel excruciating pain. Her head was dizzy again and again, and her eyelids felt heavy. Despite this, Du Shuangshuang knew that she had to set up the formation as soon as possible. Because at this moment, she had almost lost all her defense capabilities. If she encountered any danger at this time, she would not be able to fight back and could only wait for death. Only by completing the formation could she gain a sense of security. With great perseverance, she finally persevered until she successfully set up the invisibility formation. Du Shuangshuang closed her eyes and let herself fall into a coma.

The sleep was incredibly long. When Du Shuangshuang opened her eyes again, a full half month had passed. Her injuries, both internal and external, had almost healed, and her bones had grown back, but she was still hungry. She had a snack and then a second-grade, golden-feathered black-bone chicken. This chicken was delicious and highly sought after in the world of immortal cultivation, a common ingredient in spiritual food. She also took out a fine jade crystal ginseng and stewed them together to nourish herself.

Only then did Du Shuangshuang have time to take a good look at her condition. Although her body had recovered well, her complexion was still not very good. Moreover, Du Shuangshuang felt that she was too fragile. If time were not precious now, she would have wanted to start body training right now.

Not a single piece of the sect's robe remained. The one she had bought inside was shredded into rags, dangling from her body and stained with blood. The innermost robe, while intact, was dull and lifeless, likely due to its depleted spiritual power. Du Shuangshuang quickly donned a new one. The shield was completely destroyed; Du Shuangshuang didn't even see a fragment. The ID card had a faint crack, but it wasn't likely to shatter. She was truly miserable. No, she needed to mend her ways.

She arranged for the earth-armored beast meat she had been craving for so long. Watching the crystal-clear meat on the skewers gradually shrink under the spiritual fire, sizzling and oozing with oil, the unique aroma of earth-armored beast meat growing stronger and stronger, Du Shuangshuang's mouth watered. She quickly grabbed a handful of seasoning and evenly sprinkled it on the skewers. The tangy aroma of earth-armored beast meat and the seasoning combined was a delightful combination. After swallowing another pound of earth-armored beast meat, Du Shuangshuang felt immensely satisfied. A warm current warmed and nourished her body, and her spirits lifted.

I took the time to transplant the Tribulation Grass into the bracelet's medicine garden. I risked my life to get it, and I almost died, so I had to keep it alive. I also used some black water to plant two lotus roots from the Black Water Blood Lotus. I also planted the spiritual plants I had picked for body building in the bracelet's medicine garden.

After meditating to digest the vast amount of spiritual energy brought by the earth-armored beast meat, Du Shuangshuang felt her body light again, though she excreted almost nothing. An hour later, she opened her eyes to the aroma of the rich stewed chicken. Having absorbed most of the spiritual energy, her stomach could now hold more food.

Du Shuangshuang devoured the rice cakes with the tender, fragrant stewed chicken. Not only did she finish the chicken, she also devoured the jade crystal ginseng used in the stew. The fresh aroma of the chicken and the taste of the jade crystal ginseng made them delicious. She felt as comfortable as if she were soaking in warm water. More energy flowed into her muscles and bones, nourishing them. Du Shuangshuang had originally thought that strengthening her muscles and bones would be very painful. After all, she had heard that taking a medicinal bath during bodybuilding would be very painful. It seemed that the jade crystal ginseng was quite gentle. Du Shuangshuang felt a little drowsy, but she didn't force herself to stay awake and fell asleep.