Song Shuhang asked in puzzlement, "Senior White, how come you weren't able to entertain yourself enough?"

"Because I wasn't able to enjoy the competition to my heart's content! After all, I personally arranged the race track and the traps… hence I couldn't participate in the competition as it wouldn't be fair otherwise. Therefore, I could only follow alongside everyone else to satisfy my craving. But I would have really liked to compare my speed with the other contestants and rumble on the race track at high speed, it would have been so exciting!" Venerable White said regretfully.

Right, Venerable White organized the hand-guided tractor competition precisely because he liked the idea of competing with hand-guided tractors.

But later, he ended up becoming the referee that would closely follow behind the contestants and was unable to enter the competition as a participant himself. With that, he wasn't able to enjoy himself to his heart's content.

"Ahahaha." Song Shuhang bitterly smiled.

While he was conversing with Venerable White, he thought several times of asking him about the one-month space trip and beg him to reduce the duration of the trip to half a month and so on...

But whenever he was on the verge of saying something, he would be unable to speak up.

First, he was a bit shy… second, he was still delusionally thinking that Venerable White might be kidding about the whole one-month trip in space and that he wasn't truly serious about it...

❄️❄️❄️

"Get ready, we're about to enter the final section of the hand-guided tractor competition," Venerable White said as he stretched out his hand, pointing toward the sky.

In the sky, the door of the van of the Chu Family automatically opened. Afterward, Venerable White used his spiritual energy to prop up Song Shuhang's body, placing it in the open container attached to the rear of the hand-guided tractor.

As for the van, it flew high up in the sky propped up by the disposable flying sword, flying toward Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman's small island ahead of time.

"The final section? Oh, the place where you arranged the huge runic formation together with Senior Seven Lives Talisman? Senior White, what kind of fearsome formation did you arrange?" Song Shuhang asked somewhat worried.

"Fearsome formation? Why?" Venerable White asked out of curiosity. "The formation arranged on the final section isn't a trap, it's a reward!"

"Eh? A reward?" Song Shuhang said in surprise.

"Of course! Traps and so on were placed on the race track to make it more exciting. But which competition would put traps right at the finish line? That would be quite cruel!" Venerable White replied.

What Venerable White said was reasonable, Song Shuhang was unable to refute it.

Venerable White also added, "To prepare the last formation, I spent a lot of resources and asked Fellow Daoist Spirit Butterfly and Fellow Daoist Seven Lives Talisman to help me arrange it. Each fellow daoist that manages to cross the finish line and enters the formation will be 'baptized' by its power. The power of the runes would permanently strengthen their bodies, as well as the true qi and spiritual energy within their bodies. You just advanced to the Second Stage Realm, and if you received the baptism of the formation, you would be able to thoroughly consolidate your realm and obtain several benefits."

Song Shuhang was now clear about the situation. In short, it was a formation that would permanently increase his stats if he were to pass through it. The values of his constitution, true qi, or spiritual energy, would increase by 1 point. If his luck was good, perhaps even his strength and agility would increase by 1 point?

Although only the first five could follow Venerable White to explore the ancient ruins… it was improper to make all the other participants that had come from afar to participate return home empty-handed. Therefore, Venerable White, Venerable Spirit Butterfly, and Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman joined their forces and arranged this huge formation as a consolation prize.

At this time, Venerable White also added, "Right, do you still have those three 'Aging Crystal Roots'?"

The Aging Crystal Roots?

When Venerable White and Venerable Spirit Butterfly were arranging the race track earlier, Song Shuhang was struck by lightning. Afterward, Venerable White found ten crystal-like plants beneath the feet of the charred black Song Shuhang.

Since Venerable White decided to share it with the spectators, and adding the fact that he had been struck by lightning too, Song Shuhang managed to obtain three Aging Crystal Roots. If a cultivator of the Second Stage were to eat one of these things, they would receive a boost comparable to practicing for three years.

Song Shuhang was planning to wait until his realm had been consolidated and use Aging Crystal Root while trying to break through the second small realm within the Second Stage, the Dragon Tail Dantian.

"I put them in the 'size-reducing purse' on my body," Song Shuhang replied.

"Take them out and feed them to your body. If you borrow the body tempering effects of the formation, you can assimilate the strength of the Aging Crystal Root as well. The two will complement each other, and the results wouldn't be as simple as an addition, but much better," Venerable White said.

"I see, I'll go feed them to my body." Song Shuhang crawled toward the open container behind and looked for the size-reducing purse on his body, taking the Aging Crystal Root out.

"Eh?" After taking out the three Aging Crystal Roots, Song Shuhang was somewhat confused.

He remembered that when Venerable White decided to share the treasure with the onlookers, giving him a share as well, each Aging Crystal Root had the size of an index finger...

But now… the Aging Crystal Root before his eyes had swelled and reached the size of an apple?

Song Shuhang controlled Young Master Phoenix Slayer's body and brought the Aging Crystal Root toward the driver seat, saying, "Senior White, the Aging Crystal Root underwent a mutation! Its volume increased by a lot!"

Venerable White shot a glance and laughed. "Don't worry, it's very normal. The volume of the Aging Crystal Root will quickly increase after it leaves the soil. At the maximum size, they can become as big as watermelons."

Afterward, Senior White left the driver seat and crawled into the open container in the back. He took the three Aging Crystal Roots in his hands and opened the mouth of Song Shuhang's unconscious body.

Song Shuhang, who was currently in Young Master Phoenix Slayer's body, was a bit confused.

Then, he saw Venerable White grab one of the Aging Crystal Roots and stuff it in the mouth of his unconscious body.

The whole apple-sized object was stuffed into Song Shuhang's mouth!

Song Shuhang didn't expect that such a big thing could fit in his mouth.

Next, Venerable White stretched his hand out and pressed on Song Shuhang's mouth with his palm.

"Gulp~" The apple-sized thing forcefully entered Song Shuhang's throat and slid into his belly.

Song Shuhang saw through Young Master Phoenix Slayer's eyes the throat of his original body swell due to the huge Aging Crystal Root stuffed into it.

After seeing the scene, he felt his throat was a bit sore.

I won't choke, right? After all, such a big thing was forcefully stuffed into his mouth, wouldn't it choke him to death...?

Song Shuhang used Young Master Phoenix Slayer's body to ask weakly, "Senior White, isn't it better to cut the Aging Crystal Root into pieces before eating it?"

Venerable White replied, "The effects would be much weaker that way. The best method is to swallow it whole."

Therefore… if this thing were to reach its maximum size—that of a watermelon—would I still have to swallow it whole? Even if it were Doudou assuming his five meters long form, wouldn't he still choke if he were to try to gobble down a watermelon-sized thing whole?

In the meantime, Venerable White took the other two Aging Crystal Roots and forcefully stuffed them into Song Shuhang's mouth and pressed them down with his palm, making them slid into his stomach.

"Done… now keep an eye on your body. We'll enter the space of the formation soon," Venerable White said as he clapped his hands, satisfied.

Then, he got out of the open container and returned to the driver seat, taking control of the hand-guided tractor once again and rumbling forward.

...Yep, they had been in mortal danger just now. Venerable White didn't bother stopping the hand-guided tractor when he decided to leave his seat to feed Song Shuhang those crystal-like roots.

Just now, no one was driving the hand-guided tractor… Song Shuhang felt fear just thinking about it.

After a little while.

Song Shuhang controlled Young Master Phoenix Slayer's body and stretched out his hand, placing it next to the nose of his original body… Phew, I'm still breathing. I wasn't choked to death by those three Aging Crystal Roots...

But wouldn't my stomach explode after getting filled with three of those apple-sized roots…?

Actually, Song Shuhang was worrying for nothing. After sliding into one's belly, the Aging Crystal Root would turn into liquid, starting to strengthen the cultivation level of the person that ate it.

Magical medicines were magical precisely because they defied science and logic.

❄️❄️❄️

At this time, the majestic hand-guided tractor competition was about to come to an end.

As before, True Monarch Tyrant Flood Dragon was still in the lead.

There was no way for others to compete with him; the advantage he had in this place was too big. The sea was his domain, and he had no shame, either. He would often use his innate powers to create huge waves to slow down the other contestants.

If he were unable to maintain his first position even under these circumstances, True Monarch Tyrant Flood Dragon might as well leave the sea forever and settle on the land.

Behind him was True Monarch Fallout who was still maintaining his second place, following closely behind.

Great Master Profound Principle had silently taken the third place. Along the way, he didn't speak, didn't grab the limelight, didn't get into fights with others, and didn't use underhanded tricks.

He kept a steady pace during the whole competition and ended up in the third place.

Cave Lord Snow Wolf, who had originally been third, thought of overtaking True Monarch Tyrant Flood Dragon before reaching the finish line. He was planning to launch a storm toward the latter while overtaking him and freezing his hand-guided tractor. However, not only did his plot fail, his own hand-guided tractor was almost overturned by the small single-person wave True Monarch Tyrant Flood Dragon sent toward him.

Although he tried his best to keep competing, he had to settle for the fourth place in the end.

In the fifth place was the calm-looking Northern River's Loose Cultivator. However, he intentionally slowed down his speed before reaching the finish line.

He wasn't interested in fighting for the first five places since he was planning to break through to the Sixth Stage during the next month.

A month later, he would have to fight against Immortal Master Copper Trigram on the summit of the forbidden city; hence, he had to gain enlightenment and advance to the Sixth Stage within this period of time! Since the time to advance in realm was quickly approaching, Northern River's Loose Cultivator decided to leave the opportunity to explore the ancient ruins to another fellow daoist.

And the person behind Northern River's Loose Cultivator happened to be Soft Feather.

If nothing unexpected happened, Soft Feather should be able to overtake Northern River's Loose Cultivator before the finish line now that he had slowed down his speed, placing fifth.

❄️❄️❄️

"Whizz, whizz, whizz~"

True Monarch Tyrant Flood Dragon was the first one to cross the finish line.

In the next moment, 10,000 talismans appeared in the sky, forming a huge formation right at the finish line.

Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman's complexion was a bit pale, but he was still quite excited. He rode his flying sword and soared into the sky, hovering above the huge formation and starting to manage it.