After that, he swept his gaze around, preparing to return.
In this cavern, Heyhey's parents' lair, he had obtained two Natural Treasures.
Both were rare items, but they couldn't be used directly, unlike the Mountain Embryo Corpse, which could stabilize caves independently.
"..."
Before leaving, he leveled a narrowed gaze at the waterfall.
The waterfall couldn't be considered wide, but the water flow was substantial.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was likely rainwater sucked up by the mountain, oozing out at this place after seeping through the ground.
This further confirmed his guess: the rainwater during the rainy season wasn't just plain water; it was more like a tonic or something, greatly nurturing Natural Treasures and aiding the cultivation of Eerie Creatures.
But it didn't seem to be beneficial to humans.
And the Snow Lotus in the pool had been absorbing the nourishing rainwater until it matured.
"Is there anything else in the pool?"
Chen Fan looked toward the crocodile, which shook its head as if to say there was nothing beneath the water.
Without lingering further, they headed back.
...
They returned faster than they had come.
In less than half a shichen, they had made their way out from deep underground.
"..."
Chen Fan dismounted from the crocodile, looked around, and saw that the rainwater was still soaking into the mountain. He let out a slight sigh of relief.
The rainfall all over the mountain had gathered in that pool, nurturing the Snow Lotus.
He had been somewhat worried that after taking the Snow Lotus, the mountain would stop drinking in rainwater. That way, his home base in the abyss pit might risk being flooded.
Now, he was free of worries, but grew curious about something.
Since this rainwater could nurture the Snow Lotus, this pool was also a treasure in a certain sense.
Yet, without the panel for it, he knew little about the rainwater, and he hadn't seen Heyhey show any liking for the pool. Perhaps only with more information could he figure out the effect of the pool.
So, next...
He glanced around and climbed back onto the crocodile's back, preparing to go home.
The Snow Lotus had been picked and had to be placed in a suitable environment within one shichen, or its medicinal properties would dissipate. After storing the Snow Lotus, he planned to come here again.
He admitted that these two Natural Treasures were already a bumper harvest.
But he still hadn't found a firm footing in this world.
These two Natural Treasures wouldn't improve his situation much. He wanted more mundane gains, like, say, 30,000 or 50,000 Eerie Stones.
With those Eerie Stones, he could push further ahead with the "Meat Grinder" project.
Heyhey had left behind two latrines after staying here all these years. Wouldn't Heyhey's parents have left many more? If he could find all those latrines, wouldn't that be a fortune?
After warehousing the Snow Lotus, he would come back to search for the latrines.
...
Soon.
Chen Fan returned to the camp.
He dismounted from the crocodile, handed the Snow Lotus to Wang Kui, and hastily instructed, "Requires a low-temperature environment. Put it away in the warehouse."
Then, he strode towards the depths of the cave.
After consuming 32 Eerie Stones, the surreal shape of a building composed of white lines emerged before him and solidified the next moment.
A Level 3 Stone House dropped from thin air.
Now was the moment to witness a miracle.
Inhaling a lungful of air, Chen Fan was on pins and needles as he removed the brownish-yellow Mountain Embryo from his robe and gingerly placed it in a corner of the house. He was about to upgrade this building once more.
He hoped it would work. If only he knew whether killing the Mountain Embryo would turn it into a Mountain Embryo Corpse or ruin it.
After consuming another 50 Eerie Stones, the Level 3 Stone House was upgraded to Level 4, and a panel popped out.
Stone House upgraded to Level 4, becoming a Stone House. Sturdiness increased.*
Please select the upgrade direction.
1: Artifact Forging Workshop. Can forge Spiritual Treasures using Eerie materials. Requires an Artificer.
2: Alchemy Workshop. Can refine pills using Eerie materials. Requires an Alchemist.
3: Qualitative Change (Spirit Nurturing Pavilion): Allows cultivators to cultivate and learn martial skills here rapidly. (Rare)
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan instantly chose the third upgrade direction. It wouldn't hurt to check out the panel later on; better make the choice first.
"Phew..."
Chen Fan drew a deep breath and, while studying the "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" before him, couldn't help but grin. If caring little about his own image, he might have laughed heartily here and now!
Without a Mountain Embryo Corpse, he indeed couldn't obtain the "Training Room" upgrade direction.
But—
He could obtain the "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" upgrade direction!
Although both were "Rare" Qualitative Changes.
However, there are gaps even among those Rare-graded. Just from the names, it was clear they weren't to be mixed. "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" sounded far more impressive than something like "Training Room."
And...
It was worth mentioning.
That Stone House had been built against the wall. After the upgrade, the "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" could hardly have fit there. The white lines had seared a hole in the cave wall to make space for the Pavilion. It stood in stark contrast to other buildings, which wouldn't do that for themselves; without enough space, the attempt to build them would fail.
The Spirit Nurturing Pavilion occupied a much larger area than a Stone House.
It had coalesced into the mountain, with almost only a door that opened outward.
Pushing the door open and entering.
What greeted his eyes was a polished black jade floor.
"High-class!"
Chen Fan remarked with emotion.
A floor... what a novel concept. His home base didn't even have a floor, but the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion had one.
Reaching down to touch the floor, it felt quite cool, very likely a type of jade. Perhaps they might sell for a good price.
There were no rooms inside.
It was empty.
Tens of meters high, with an area of roughly several thousand square meters.
Its internal space was vast.
The surreal shape of it wasn't this large at all. It was somewhat similar to the "Mustard Seed Room", which was far larger than it looked to be.
The place looked slightly hazy, as it was not yet activated.
He used copper pipes to connect the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion to the Eerie Fire and activated it.
The next moment—
The entire Spirit Nurturing Pavilion suddenly lit up!