Limitless: New Dawn

Chapter 284: Nine-Turn Spirit Grass

Arthur continued deeper into the forest after failing to find anything worthwhile in the outer regions, his pace became steady but unhurried as his senses expanded outward, scanning everything around him to find any plants emitting spiritual energy. The further he went, the denser the spiritual energy became, the air carrying a subtle scent of blood that made it clear he was entering a more dangerous region. The trees grew taller, their trunks thicker, and even the undergrowth appeared more vibrant, yet despite this increase in energy, nothing he encountered in the first stretch held enough value to catch his interest. 

He paused briefly at one point, crouching slightly to examine a cluster of pale blue leaves growing beneath the shade of a tree, but after a moment of inspection, he shook his head and stood up again. “Not worth the time,” he muttered quietly, brushing the faint residue of blue dust from the leaves off his fingers. If this was all the forest had to offer, it would hardly justify the reputation it carried among cultivators.

Most of the herbs he came across were either too common or too weak in their spiritual properties to be worth collecting, and Arthur found himself losing interest with each passing minute. 

Nearly half an hour passed as he moved further into the forest, his pace was unhurried yet steady, his senses were constantly expanding outward to scan his surroundings. It wasn’t long before he detected a presence ahead of him, forcing him to slow down slightly as he went towards where he sensed the presence. 

He arrived at the location and standing in his path was a massive sabertooth tiger, its body was tense, and its muscles were coiled with power as it let out a low growl that resonated through the surroundings. 

Its golden eyes locked onto Arthur with clear intelligence, far beyond that of a normal beast, and for a brief moment the two simply observed each other, neither making a move. 

Then, to Arthur’s mild surprise, the tiger spoke, its voice deep and steady, “Human, this is my territory. Leave.” 

Arthur blinked, the surprise surfacing only in his thoughts as he muttered under his breath, “It can talk?” Though the tiger was not technically talking as their vocal cord was unable to do that, rather it was utilizing spiritual energy to produce his words.

The tiger’s ears twitched immediately, clearly having heard him, and its expression shifted into something that almost resembled irritation. “Of course I can talk,” it replied with a hint of offense. “Who do you think I am? I am an immortal beast. I am far more intelligent than you human mutts.” 

Arthur tilted his head slightly, studying it with a renewed sense of curiosity. This was his first time encountering a talking beast, and while the concept itself wasn’t entirely unexpected given the nature of this world, seeing it firsthand was still… different. He shrugged lightly after a moment. “Alright, fair enough,” he said casually. “No need to get worked up, I’m not here to fight.”

The tiger narrowed its eyes slightly, still wary but no longer immediately hostile. Arthur then added, “I’m actually looking for herbs. Do you know where I can find something worthwhile?” 

The tiger remained silent for a moment, clearly evaluating whether answering was worth it, but after a brief moment of consideration, it seemed to come to a decision. It could sense Arthur’s strength, and more importantly it could sense that Arthur had no intention of provoking a fight, it eventually flicked its head toward a deeper part of the forest and said, “If you go in that direction, you will find Nine-Turn Spirit Grass. But beware… there is a strong python guarding that place.” 

Arthur followed the direction briefly before nodding. “Got it, thanks,” he said simply, and without staying there any longer, he stepped past the tiger and continued deeper into the forest, leaving the beast watching his retreating figure with a cautious gaze before it finally relaxed its stance.

…

As Arthur moved further in, his thoughts briefly stayed on what he had just learned. He had no idea what the Nine-Turn Spirit Grass actually did, but the fact that a powerful beast guarded it was enough to confirm its value. “First thing after I get back… is to find a proper herb encyclopedia,” he muttered quietly, realizing once again how little structured information he currently had about this world. 

As he advanced deeper inside the forest, he encountered several beasts along the way, but unlike what one might expect, none of them attacked him. Instead, they retreated the moment they sensed his presence, disappearing into the forest without hesitation. They could sense danger from miles away even when he was not actively hunting them.

Arthur observed this behavior with interest, quickly reaching a simple conclusion. “These monsters have much better instincts than humans…” he murmured, noting how these creatures relied on pure instinct, allowing them to avoid danger more effectively. 

After nearly ten minutes of uninterrupted travel, the terrain began to shift, and Arthur slowed as a large mound of earth came into view ahead of him. It rose from the ground unnaturally, riddled with multiple openings of varying sizes, as if something had carved it out over time to serve as a dwelling. 

At the center of this area, however, was a relatively clear patch of land where several grass-like plants grew in neat clusters. Arthur lifted himself slightly into the air for a better view, his gaze focusing on the plants as he examined them carefully. 

Each one had a single slender stalk with exactly nine blade-like leaves extending outward, and the dense spiritual energy surrounding them made their value obvious. “This should be it…” he murmured, but he did not move forward immediately. His attention shifted toward the mound, where he could clearly sense multiple presences hidden beneath the surface.

A few moments later, from one of the larger holes something massive began to emerge. A python slithered out slowly, its body was thick and powerful, stretching over thirty meters in length and a meter thick with scales that reflected the light faintly as it raised its head to meet Arthur’s gaze. 

It let out a low hiss, its tongue flicking as it assessed him, it could sense Arthur was strong but not stronger than itself. Still it erred on the side of caution as it had just birthed its offspring and didn't want to take the risk of getting injured. 

So, after a brief pause, it spoke, its voice was surprisingly calm and carrying a feminine tone. “Human, why have you come to my home?” 

Arthur descended slightly, his posture relaxed as he answered without hesitation, “I’ve come for an exchange.” 

The python’s slit eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity flickering within them as it tilted its head a bit. “An exchange?” it repeated. “What do you want, and what are you offering?” 

Arthur raised his hand, and a large quantity of spirit stones appeared before him. “I want the Nine-Turn Spirit Grass that you have,” he said calmly. “And I’ll exchange these for it.” 

The python’s gaze immediately locked onto the spirit stones, its tongue flicking more rapidly now as something shifted within its expression. Spirit stones were not something beasts in the wild had easy access to. They relied on devouring each other’s cores, a process that was inefficient and filled with impurities. Compared to that, spirit stones were pure, refined, and far more valuable.

For a moment, greed flickered in its eyes before it spoke again. “That is not enough.” 

Arthur’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly. “Not enough?” he repeated. From the greedy glint within the python's eyes he knew he couldn't back down now. 

The python lifted its head higher, its tone firm as it replied, “Nine-Turn Spirit Grass is extremely precious, and the ones I have are all mature or near maturity. What you offer does not match their value.” 

Arthur stared at it for a moment before letting out a scoff. “Is that so?” Without another word, he waved his hand, and the spirit stones disappeared instantly. “Then I’ll just buy it from the city.” He turned and began to leave without hesitation.

The python froze for a second before panic surfaced in its eyes. “Stop!” it hissed sharply, its voice rising. “Who said you could leave?!” 

Arthur stopped mid-step and slowly turned back, his expression was no longer casual as a cold aura began to seep out from him. The atmosphere shifted instantly, becoming heavy and oppressive as an invisible force pressed down on the python. 

Telekinesis wrapped around its massive body, restricting its movement as it struggled violently.

“Hissssss!” it screeched, and its body contorting as it released a burst of spiritual energy, breaking free from the bind with force. 

“You!” it snapped, anger clearly visible in its eyes as it opened its mouth wide and released a thick wave of greenish toxic breath that engulfed Arthur completely. The forest fell silent as the toxic mist spread, lingering in the air. 

The python lowered its head slightly, and said in a cold tone. “That is what you get for defying me…” 

But before it could finish, a voice emerged from within the poison, calm and completely unbothered. “Your breath stinks.” 

The python’s eyes widened as a silhouette stepped out of the mist, Arthur was completely unharmed as he brushed his shoulder lightly as if clearing dust. 

“H…how?” the python muttered, disbelief evident in its voice. 

Arthur tilted his head slightly, but his gaze steady. “Do you still want to continue with this farce?” 

The question hung in the air as the python hesitated, its eyes flickering briefly toward the mound behind it where its offspring lay hidden. After a long pause, it exhaled slowly. “…No,” it said finally. “You can take the herbs.” 

Arthur nodded, “That’s what I thought.” and raised his hand again, but this time only half the previous amount of spirit stones appeared. “This should be enough.” 

The python’s eyes flickered with frustration, but it did not argue. It had already understood the difference in their strength. Arthur descended calmly and began collecting the herbs, moving quickly as he harvested each one without damaging them. 

Once he finished, the herbs vanished into his storage, and without another word, he turned and left the area. Behind him, the python watched him silently, its gaze was filled with murderous intent and unwilling acceptance, but it did not dare to act as Arthur’s figure gradually disappeared into the forest.

***

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