Mystic Waters and Hidden Strengths Chapter 1

The Star Islands are located on the Lapis Lazuli Sea and are still as peaceful today as they were in the past.

On the Daimao Island, one of the seven Lianxing Islands, located in the Luo family's territory, under a clear waterfall, a young man in black was climbing up with one hand, his skin flushed red and shiny by the water.

At the bottom of the waterfall, on a rock that was only wide enough for one person to stand, another young man was sitting and practicing. His neat and simple blue clothes were soaked and stuck to his skin, which must have made him uncomfortable, but his expression was calm and natural.

The rocks on the waterfall have been washed by the water every day and have become extremely smooth. Even with tools, it is difficult to use them, let alone climb up with bare hands? Not to mention the resistance of the water pouring down from a high place.

However, the black-clothed boy still had some strength in one hand to put behind his back. He stepped on a smooth stone and used the force to pull himself up. Without even looking at the stone, he pressed his hand on the cliff behind the waterfall, then tensed all his muscles and rolled up with a crunch.

Half an incense stick later, the black-clad teenager who had climbed upstream to the top of the waterfall wiped the water off his face, looking very proud. He casually tied his wet hair around his neck, blew a sharp warning whistle, relaxed his whole body, and let himself be washed down by the water like a slide.

The young man in blue, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened his eyes upon hearing the whistle and dodged without hesitation to land on the shore. Just as he stood firm, the young man in black was about to fall to the bottom of the pool with the waterfall, and his head was about to hit the stone where the young man in blue had been sitting.

Faced with this situation, neither of them panicked at all. The young man in black even had time to smile at the young man in blue on the shore. Then he raised his right hand and slapped the water, creating a splash more than one person high. He also used the force to bounce back and land next to the young man in blue.

At the feet of the two men, a piece of incense stick was quietly burning, with a section as long as an adult's finger joint left that had not yet burned out.

The young man in black twisted his sleeves, and a small stream of water dripped down and extinguished the incense stick. The smug look on his face did not fade, and he turned back and looked at the young man in blue with a smile, "Qianling, what do you think?"

The young man called Qianling had a calm look in his eyes. He was as peaceful as a rock in the mountains, as quiet as a forest at midnight, and almost like a spirit in the mountains. However, when he heard the young man in black speak, a smile slowly appeared in his eyes, and his expression suddenly became lively and friendly.

"I don't think it's that good." John Han raised his eyebrows and said, "You can climb to the top of the waterfall within an incense stick without using your true energy, so you should be happy, but why did you go down the river and hit me in the end?"

"I was so overwhelmed with joy that I could hardly control myself. I was so excited that my body sank and I fell down involuntarily. Alas, Qianling, how could you be so unkind that you didn't even help me up when you saw me fall." Leon Luo brushed off the corner of his clothes and turned the tables.

John Han knew that Leon Luo was good at lying, so he didn't bother with him on this topic. He took out a set of clothes from the storage bag on his waist to change his already soaked robes, and asked: "From two hands to one hand, are you going to use only two feet next time?"

"I'm afraid this is still a bit difficult." Leon Luo said with a smile: "If I really want to increase the difficulty, I might as well carry some heavy objects on my back, such as the stone lion at the gate of my Luo family, the bronze tripod for sacrifice in the ancestral hall, or you, Qianling."

As soon as he said this, John Han could no longer hold back his otherworldly expression. He slapped Leon Luo on the shoulder in annoyance: "Go to hell."

Leon Luo laughed loudly and took out a dry piece of clothing from his storage bag. The storage bags of both of them were of the same style, with cloud patterns on a green background and tied with a black ribbon. At first glance, it was obvious that they were very expensive.

They were originally a pair of storage bags that Leon Luo's elder brother Nathan Luo brought back from the island as a gift to Leon Luo. Leon Luo liked them very much when he saw them, and he spoke to Nathan Luo about them, and finally asked if he could give one to Qianling.

Nathan Luo was so angry that he laughed.

This pair of storage bags was originally a prize won by Nathan Luo in a small sect competition. Not only is the capacity larger than that of ordinary storage bags, but it can also store living things, and it is also a magic weapon with a high grade. Who knew that his younger brother didn't know how expensive firewood and rice were, and his fingers were wide, and he wanted to share the good things before they were even warm.

"I have no right to interfere with what you do with the things I've given you." Nathan Luo said casually, "Brother, I'm just curious. If you want to marry a wife in the future, do you have to split it in half and give half to Qianling?"

"No, no." Leon Luo bowed solemnly, "My wife's skin and flesh are delicate and need to be treated gently. If I really have one, I can't give it away. But my eldest brother is wise and brave, and he has watched Qianling and I grow up since we were young, so he can be considered Qianling's half-eldrother. The most important thing is that my eldest brother has thick skin and flesh, so it's no problem to split it in half and give it to someone else..."

Nathan Luo was so angry at the little b@st@rd that he picked up the tea saucer and threw it at him: "Go away, go and play with your Qianling."

Leon Luo looked up and bent his waist to avoid the plate thrown by his elder brother, and jumped out of the middle hall in a flash. Just as Nathan Luo was drinking tea to calm down, he turned back and took out a jade box that he had prepared long ago from his arms, "Brother threw it and I almost forgot something."

"What is it?" Nathan Luo asked casually, opening the box nonchalantly.

As soon as the jade box was opened, spiritual energy immediately filled the air, making the room feel clearer. It turned out to be a star grass that was unique to the island.

This spiritual herb is extremely precious. It can help cultivators who are building their foundation to consolidate their cultivation and make them go further. To cultivators who are refining Qi, it is even more precious - the star-containing grass can help cultivators who are refining Qi to build their foundation.

Nathan Luo had just been promoted from the third level of foundation building to the fourth level, and it was the time when he needed spiritual plants and pills to strengthen his foundation. Although the sect had issued pills as rewards, they were not so suitable for Nathan Luo. He originally wanted to go out with his fellow disciples to practice and find medicine, but he didn't expect that his younger brother would give him a plant.

"How did this come about?"

"A month ago, I was lucky enough to win first place in a small competition within the clan. This spiritual herb is the reward for my victory." Leon Luo smiled proudly, with a hint of satisfaction between his eyebrows.

The clan competition is held every ten years. From children as young as ten to young men as old as twenty, as long as they are members of the Luo clan who have reached the Qi Refining level, they can participate. Nathan Luo has always known that his younger brother is extremely talented, but he was still shocked when he heard the news: "Forget about others, but Brother Chong should have reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, and he has also mastered the Qingfeng Sword Technique. How did you beat him?"

Not to mention that Luo Sicong is already 20 years old this year, six years older than Leon Luo, the difference in their cultivation alone is huge. Nathan Luo frowned, and couldn't imagine how his brother won.

"Brother Chong has a high level of cultivation, but he is a simple and honest person..."

Nathan Luo was too familiar with his brother's ways, so he immediately interrupted him: "Speak properly."

"Oh, Brother Chong is too obsessed with cultivation, has little understanding of worldly affairs, has little practical experience, and is too proud. As soon as we started, I provoked him to put down his sword with a word, and decided to compete with me in close combat, and then..."

Leon Luo didn't need to say what he was going to say next. Although Nathan Luo had been away from home for a long time, he still knew his lively brother very well: This kid played in the water and crawled in the mud every day. There was no place in the forest or the sea where he didn't dare to go wild. What was even more admirable was that he attached great importance to the toughness of his body. In terms of physical training or actual combat skills, few of his peers could compare with him.

"Although you beat Brother Chong, you are still too conceited." Nathan Luo said with a straight face: "You only verbally decided the way of the contest with him on the stage, and the rules of the competition do not stipulate that you cannot cheat and go back on your word. If Brother Chong went back on his word and picked up the sword, it would not be against the rules to pierce you."

Leon Luo sighed and said, "Brother, you have been away from home for a long time and you don't know that the rules of the competition have been changed. Since Brother Chong and I have agreed on the competition method in front of everyone, anyone who regrets halfway will lose."

"Changed?" Nathan Luo was stunned. "Why did it change when everything was fine?"

Leon Luo said embarrassedly: "Qianling and I were the ones who instigated this competition before."

Nathan Luo: "......"

Seeing that Nathan Luo didn't say anything, Leon Luo misunderstood his meaning and explained in detail: "Before the small competition, I first found out the details of the brothers, and Qianling accompanied me to analyze it. We all felt that whether it was Brother Lang or Brother Li, although their cultivation was one or two levels higher than mine, I still had the strength to fight. Only Brother Chong could only outsmart him, not fight hard. He suddenly had an idea and thought that he could make a fuss about the rules of the small competition, so I implemented it in detail..."

Nathan Luo was now convinced of his brother: "Qianling was a lonely boy when he was young. No one wanted to be around him, but you insisted on dragging him to play with you and we didn't want to be apart. I thought you were just a child at that time, but I didn't expect that you two really have the same bad taste and the same bad intentions."

Leon Luo hurriedly said modestly, "No, no, big brother, you are too kind."

"I'm not praising you." Nathan Luo was really irritated by him and laughed: "You should keep this Hanxing Grass. Big brother doesn't want it. There are always medicinal herbs in the world that can strengthen the body and nourish the essence, but there are not many spiritual herbs that can help a warrior successfully build a foundation. You are now at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and it's just a matter of time before you can build a foundation. It will be just right for you to use it when the time comes."

"Things are meant to be used by people. Big brother needs me more than you do right now, so I'll give this spiritual herb to you." Leon Luo closed the lid of the jade box and said with a smile, "Why do you want me to put it away? Big brother thinks I'm a hen, and you want to roll all the good stuff into an egg and hold it in your arms to make a nest?"

"But you still need to build a foundation..."

"The Seven Islands Competition will be held in a few days. Can't I even earn a place in the Spiritual Medicine Competition?" Leon Luo stuffed the jade box into his eldest brother's hands, signaling him to relax: "Besides, even without these external objects, I will definitely be able to build a foundation."

Nathan Luo was speechless. He took the jade box and felt his heart filled with pride and warmth. He looked at Leon Luo, his beloved brother, with handsome features and high spirits, and his eyes were filled with the youthful spirit that had never been crushed.

Fourteen years old, he is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, the youngest son of the Luo clan leader, and a rough diamond that everyone in their clan has high hopes for. Together with John Han, who is the same age as him, they are known as the "Twin Gems of the Seven Islands".

This "unpolished jade" somersaulted out of the hall like a live monkey, and ran away in two or three steps. The gradually shrinking figure turned around and shouted: "Brother, I will do as you said and go to play with my Qianling------"

All the complicated emotions in Nathan Luo's heart, which were "my younger brother has grown up", were wiped out by his shout, and he almost choked to death on a mouthful of tea.

He is indeed a heartless little b@st@rd.