Over the past few days, searching for a water source had exposed her to all kinds of dangers, and on several occasions, she felt certain she was about to die.
When she was thirsty, if she was lucky, she would find wild fruit to eat and quench her thirst; if she was unlucky, she had to rely on the moisture inside grass and leaves to stay alive.
Inside her storage ring, she had accumulated a small pile of colorful beast cores that looked quite pretty. To her, these beast cores were like spiritual supplements; whenever her spiritual power was depleted, she would absorb one. Although they could not replenish much spiritual power, having something was better than nothing, and at life-or-death moments, they could still prove extremely useful.
Yet, after surviving so many life-or-death crises, she had also gained many benefits.
For instance, she felt that her spiritual power had reached its peak, and she was only a single opportunity away from breaking through to become a Grand Spirit Master.
The water source Bai Sinan found was a lake, its sparkling waters looking exceptionally lovely.
This lake was the only water source in the entire area, yet not a single Spirit Beast came here to drink.
The reason they did not come was most likely because they dared not, and if they dared not come, it could only mean... there was a far more powerful creature in the water!
Although this lake was dangerous, as long as she did not disturb the thing inside it, the surrounding area was relatively safe.
Bai Sinan gathered some firewood nearby and then proceeded to make fire by rubbing sticks together... Although she could use spiritual power to create fire, she needed to conserve her spiritual power right now.
Alas, she had truly turned this into a wilderness survival challenge. Her skill at making fire by rubbing sticks together was top-notch; she dared say even Bear Grylls didn't possess stronger survival skills than her!
Once the fire was burning, Bai Sinan took a piece of Spirit Beast meat out of her storage ring and held it over the flames to roast. When it was almost done, she fished out some herbs from her storage ring, squeezed them into juice, and smeared it over the meat.
She had accidentally stumbled upon these herbs when she was dying of thirst, having grabbed a handful and shoved them straight into her mouth at the time.
As it turned out, they were salty, sour, and even a little spicy?
So she simply started using them as seasoning, and the result tasted remarkably good.
After devouring her meal in record time, Bai Sinan sat cross-legged to recover her spiritual power.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth rushed toward Bai Sinan in swarms. Only then did she realize that the spiritual energy by the lakeside was several times denser than in the forest; no wonder such a powerful creature chose to inhabit this place.
Yet, if she absorbed spiritual energy so frantically right now, she was bound to startle the creature in the lake. But since her bottleneck was currently loosening, this time she had no choice but to take a gamble!
The spiritual energy surrounding Bai Sinan grew so dense it felt almost tangible, and the powerful fluctuations of spiritual power finally startled the entity in the lake.
With a resounding "Whoosh!", something seemed to break the surface of the water, but Bai Sinan did not move, because she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
The creature in the water had just awakened and had yet to notice her.
One second.
The creature in the water seemed to sense something.
Two seconds.
The creature in the water looked toward her.
Three seconds.
Boom!
The breakthrough succeeded.
Bai Sinan snapped her eyes open and leaped away just in time to dodge an attack.
Boom!
The spot where Bai Sinan had just been meditating was blasted into a deep crater, and the aftermath of the spiritual shockwave sent her flying through the air.
"Human brat, you've got some nerve, actually daring to wake this lord from my sleep!"
"!"
Bai Sinan was shocked. This Spirit Beast could actually speak human language! It was a lord-tier Spirit Beast!
Her heart pounded wildly. What should she do now? There was no way she could win against it. Run? Could she possibly escape?
"Are you dead? This lord is talking to you!"
Startled, Bai Sinan hurriedly raised her head.
A gigantic head appeared before her, a pair of golden serpent pupils staring straight at her, carrying a hint of lingering fury within them.
Bai Sinan cupped her fists and said, "This junior originally only intended to rest by the lake for a moment before leaving, not realizing that the spiritual energy here was too dense and accidentally breaking through my bottleneck, thus disturbing your esteemed self's rest. I hope your esteemed self will appease your anger."
The Azure Water Flood Dragon narrowed its serpentine pupils and said, "The scent on you is very strange. You don't look like a human; you look more like... the God Clan?"
Doubt flickered in Bai Sinan's mind. The God Clan was originally a race of the High Continent, possessing immense strength, with everyone capable of becoming a god. Yet precisely because of this, they had incurred jealousy and were exterminated a thousand years ago, while her master happened to be a member of the God Clan. Why would this flood dragon know about the God Clan?
And why did it say she was from the God Clan? She was clearly just an ordinary human. Could it be because she was tainted by her master's aura?
The Azure Water Flood Dragon sized her up as if evaluating a piece of merchandise: "You don't seem to have much value. Your greatest value would be to be eaten... The God Clan should make quite a nourishing meal."
"I can refine pills!" Bai Sinan hurriedly blurted out. It appeared that this flood dragon was likely nursing injuries.
"Refine pills? There are plenty of people who can refine pills. A little brat like you probably can't even refine a tier-three pill." The Azure Water Flood Dragon let out a fierce puff of breath, instantly blowing Bai Sinan's hair into disarray.
Bai Sinan replied, "I can refine low-tier tier-three pills, and what's more, the pills I refine have no medicinal toxins."
"No medicinal toxins?" The Azure Water Flood Dragon grew interested.
Seeing the flood dragon's newfound interest, Bai Sinan let out a sigh of relief. Her life was saved. She said, "Yes, no medicinal toxins. I can refine one right here on the spot for you to see."
The Azure Water Flood Dragon proudly lifted its head and said, "Very well, human brat. Refine an Energy Recovery Pill for me. I have the materials right here."
Energy Recovery Pill—a low-tier tier-three pill capable of healing damage to the dantian and meridians. For ordinary spirit cultivators, this tier-three Energy Recovery Pill was immensely useful, but for this flood dragon, the effect would be negligible...
Therefore, what it truly needed might be... a high-tier tier-five Energy Recovery Pill!
The Azure Water Flood Dragon placed the materials for the Energy Recovery Pill on the ground, and Bai Sinan took out her own pill-refining furnace from her storage ring.
This pill furnace was just something Bai Sinan had casually bought when she first started out, and she had simply been too lazy to replace it later. However, the best tool for refining pills was actually a Pill Cauldron!
Sister Lingyun had always wanted to get her a Pill Cauldron, but failing to find a suitable one, she eventually let the matter drop.
"You're going to refine pills with this piece of junk?" the Azure Water Flood Dragon asked dismissively.
Bai Sinan nodded. "Mm, I didn't have a suitable Pill Cauldron, so I never changed it."
"Use this." The Azure Water Flood Dragon fished out a Pill Cauldron from somewhere and set it before Bai Sinan.
The entire Pill Cauldron was dark purple, and the gilt patterns etched upon it looked exceptionally mystical, clearly marking it as an advanced Spirit Tool.
Seeming to read what Bai Sinan was thinking, the Azure Water Flood Dragon said, "Ignorant human brat, this here is a divine tool."
? Don't try to fool me just because I'm inexperienced. Where would you even get a divine tool in this low-tier continent?
The Azure Water Flood Dragon seemed to read her thoughts once more: "Hmph, you little doll don't believe me, do you? Back in the day, this lord could summon wind and rain in the High Continent. A mere divine tool? I could have whatever I wanted. If I hadn't been backstabbed by petty villains when I was transforming into a dragon back then, I would have ascended to the Dragon Abyss long ago."
? What, are divine tools on the High Continent sold like cabbages? Who are you trying to kid, calling it a "mere divine tool."
The Azure Water Flood Dragon: "? You don't believe it?"
Bai Sinan wore a deadpan expression: "I believe it."
"..."