[Task]


    Find Heavenly Star Grass (0/1)


    Reward: Basic Alchemy Technique, 50 drops of Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk.


    Accept: Yes/No


    Lu Yi''s expression was a bit strange. He had already acquired various skills through quests—spiritual cooking techniques, spiritual wine brewing techniques, basic formations—and now there was a basic alchemy technique.


    ''At this rate, am I going to become an all-rounder?'' he thought.


    However, since the quest was issued, there was no reason not to accept it. Lu Yi silently accepted the quest and left the Affairs Hall.


    This time, instead of heading to the Spirit Beast Hall, Lu Yi directly left the sect. Unlike his previous mission with Senior Brother Jiang Fan and Senior Brother Bai Yulong, going out alone was undoubtedly more liberating.


    Using spells for travel, his speed was far superior to riding Qi Refining Realm spirit beasts.


    After leaving White Cloud Sect, Lu Yi confirmed there was no one around, activated his spiritual energy, and summoned lightning around him. He transformed into a streak of lightning, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the horizon.


    The extreme technique, Lightning Shadow Step, also allowed for aerial flight, with speeds far exceeding the White Cloud Steps.


    Spending two days on the road, Lu Yi arrived at the edge of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.


    At the edge of the mountain range was a large city called Myriad Beasts City. The city was surrounded by massive walls to defend against beast tides from the mountain range, preventing the city’s destruction.


    Built against the mountains, the city was home to numerous cultivators. Many rogue cultivators without resources often entered the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range in search of treasures.


    It was said that Myriad Beasts City was originally just a small village. As more cultivators came to the mountain range seeking heavenly treasures, the village gradually expanded into a market. Eventually, it grew into the massive city it was today.


    Lu Yi didn’t wear his White Cloud Sect inner disciple robes. Instead, his Jade Spirit Robe concealed its brilliance, making it impossible for others to recognize it as a mid-grade magic treasure. He appeared just like an ordinary rogue cultivator as he entered the city.


    "Steaming hot buns! Made with spirit beast meat! Satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back!" "Candied hawthorn! Sweet and delicious candied hawthorn!" "..."


    The city was bustling, filled with street vendors shouting to attract customers.


    Lu Yi leisurely wandered through the streets, buying some snacks to enjoy while strolling. Having spent his recent days in rigorous cultivation, he decided to take this outing as a chance to relax and experience the bustling world.


    Because Heavenly Star Grass was a rare herb, Lu Yi visited several pharmacies in the city, hoping to buy it directly. However, he was disappointed. Heavenly Star Grass was both rare and highly useful, as it could be refined into Heavenly Star Pills. Even if it appeared, it would be purchased immediately.


    Leaving the last pharmacy, Lu Yi decided to venture into the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range himself.


    Just then, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man approached him and whispered, "Young man, are you looking to buy Heavenly Star Grass?"


    Lu Yi was surprised and glanced at him. The man was a Qi Refining tenth-level cultivator.


    He nodded and asked, "Do you have any?"


    The middle-aged man rubbed his hands and smiled. "I don’t, but I saw some in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range."


    Lu Yi’s eyes lit up. "Really? Where?"


    The man chuckled and said, "I can take you there, but, young man, I’ll need a guide fee."


    Lu Yi didn’t object. It was reasonable to pay for information.


    He smiled and asked, "No problem. How much do you want?"


    The man’s eyes brightened as he held up five fingers. "Fifty low-grade spirit stones!"


    Lu Yi raised his eyebrows and examined the man. That price was quite steep—a blatant overcharge. Fifty low-grade spirit stones were a significant sum for Qi Refining Realm cultivators.


    However, for Lu Yi, this amount was trivial. Since he didn’t need low-grade spirit stones for cultivation, he didn’t mind paying.


    Lu Yi nodded. "No problem. If you can lead me to the Heavenly Star Grass, fifty low-grade spirit stones it is."


    The man was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lu Yi oddly. He quickly added, "Pay upfront!"


    Lu Yi narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Do I look that easy to fool?"


    Releasing a trace of his powerful aura, Lu Yi suppressed the man. The middle-aged man immediately turned pale, broke into a cold sweat, and looked at Lu Yi in terror.


    Lu Yi smiled. "I’ll give you half first. The rest comes after we find it."


    He took out twenty-five low-grade spirit stones and tossed them to the man.


    Seeing the spirit stones, the man’s fear vanished, replaced by excitement. He gratefully thanked him. "Young master, you’re so generous! I’ll definitely guide you there!"


    Lu Yi nodded. "Do your job well, and you’ll be rewarded."


    The man eagerly agreed. "Shall we leave now?"


    "Let’s go."


    The man quickly led Lu Yi out of Myriad Beasts City.


    Once outside, the two moved toward the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range. Even though this was only a small section of the range, it stretched endlessly to the horizon.


    The man, whose name was Lin Ting, was quite talkative. He shared various rumors about Myriad Beasts City, like a lucky rogue cultivator who had found rare spiritual herbs but vanished the next day without a trace, and even Golden Core cultivators who ventured deep into the mountains only to escape gravely injured.


    "The hottest rumor in Myriad Beasts City recently is that the Li family discovered the remains of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. That cultivator was supposedly a formation expert, and their cave abode is surrounded by layers of formations. The Li family is gathering other families in the city to break the formations and claim the treasures. They’re even recruiting rogue cultivators to assist. They’ll set off in two or three days."


    Hearing this, Lu Yi was surprised. "A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’s cave abode?"


    Lu Yi felt a bit strange in his heart. Originally, he had been thinking about coming up with an excuse, such as discovering the cave dwelling of a senior cultivator, to take out those treasures. Unexpectedly, he had really stumbled upon a cave dwelling.


    However, Lu Yi''s heart remained calm. A Nascent Soul cultivator''s cave dwelling, even if it contained treasures, held little appeal for him. After all, he already had everything he needed. Even if there were things he didn''t have, his master would provide them for him.


    Seeing that Lu Yi was only slightly surprised and did not inquire further, Lin Ting was somewhat puzzled. "Young Master, don''t you want to take a look?"


    Lu Yi shook his head. "A Nascent Soul cultivator proficient in formations likely left dangerous traps in the cave dwelling. Treasures are good, but you need to stay alive to claim them."


    Recently, Lu Yi had been practicing basic formations and had already trained several to level 8 or higher, giving him a solid understanding of formations. Although he didn’t know what kind of formations the Nascent Soul cultivator had set up, formations laid by such a cultivator were unlikely to be weak. He might not be able to break them, so there was no need to take such risks.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Hearing Lu Yi''s words, Lin Ting glanced at him in surprise. Most cultivators at such a young age considered themselves favored by destiny and would eagerly seize an opportunity like this.


    Lin Ting chuckled. "Young Master''s thinking is different from most. However, the immortal path is difficult, and resources are essential. If you don''t compete for such opportunities, you might miss out on a lot."


    Lu Yi looked at Lin Ting and smiled. "Are you planning to go?"


    Lin Ting smiled helplessly and said, "I''m already over fifty years old. Without a special opportunity, I fear I''ll never reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Naturally, I have to take my chances."


    Lu Yi nodded without saying much more. Everyone had their own opportunities. Since he had no deep connection with Lin Ting, there was no need to say anything further.


    Lin Ting, having spent years making a living in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, was very familiar with its outskirts. He led Lu Yi through winding paths, avoiding the territories of several Foundation Establishment-level beasts with Lu Yi’s keen senses. After a day, they arrived at the foot of a towering mountain.


    The mountain stood three to four thousand meters high, covered in jagged rocks and stunningly beautiful.


    Lin Ting took a deep breath and said, "Young Master, it''s here."


    He led Lu Yi to a cliff and pointed to the top. Soon, Lu Yi spotted a tuft of bluish-green grass that sparkled faintly with starlike specks of light.


    Even during the day, the glow was faintly visible, but at night, the light from the Heavenly Star Grass shone like stars.


    Lu Yi glanced at the grass and then at the massive cave entrance nearby, from which a powerful aura emanated.


    Raising his brows, Lu Yi looked at Lin Ting. "You didn’t mention there was a Foundation Establishment-level beast''s lair near the Heavenly Star Grass."


    Lin Ting scratched his head without any embarrassment. "Young Master, you didn’t ask. I promised to bring you to the Heavenly Star Grass, and I’ve fulfilled that promise."


    Lu Yi gave him a look but didn’t say more. Instead, he took out the remaining twenty-five low-grade spirit stones and tossed them to Lin Ting.


    Lin Ting caught the spirit stones excitedly and thanked him. "Thank you, Young Master!"


    Then he hesitated and said, "Young Master, that Foundation Establishment beast looks quite formidable. Should we go back and find reinforcements? Or perhaps wait for someone else to harvest the Heavenly Star Grass, and then you can buy it later?"


    Lu Yi shook his head, his expression calm. "It’s just a Foundation Establishment beast. No need to complicate things."


    He thought to himself, I want to collect the Heavenly Star Grass.


    Immediately, a task appeared on his interface.


    [Task]


    Collect the Heavenly Star Grass.


    Reward: Foundation Establishment Spirit Food Recipe: ''Grilled Meat Ribs''


    Accept? Yes/No


    Lu Yi felt a surge of joy. As expected, the difficulty of collecting the grass due to the nearby Foundation Establishment beast had triggered a task.


    Looking at the reward, Lu Yi was delighted. A spirit food recipe for the Foundation Establishment stage was a valuable resource. He currently had few recipes to use for training tasks, so this would be perfect.


    Lu Yi accepted the task without hesitation and stepped toward the cliff.


    Lin Ting was stunned to see him approach the cliff. "Young Master, there''s no need to risk your life! Life is more valuable than anything—"


    Before Lin Ting could finish, powerful spiritual energy surged around Lu Yi, and sword intent soared into the sky. The terrifying aura cut Lin Ting off mid-sentence, leaving him frozen in shock.


    "T-This..."


    What was this aura?! How could someone so young have such a terrifying presence?


    Lin Ting was in disbelief.


    Just then, a hiss echoed from the cave. A black snake’s massive head emerged from the darkness. Behind the head, its body, as thick as a barrel, slithered into view.


    The Foundation Establishment-level serpent fixed its yellow eyes on Lu Yi and hissed menacingly, clearly sensing Lu Yi’s threat.


    Lu Yi remained calm as his Azure Spirit Sword appeared in his hand. He casually swung it.


    Slash!


    A flash of white sword light streaked across the snake’s neck. The serpent’s body froze, and a bloody line appeared on its neck. Its head slowly slid off and crashed to the ground, followed by its massive body, forming a pool of blood.


    At the twelfth level of Qi Refining, Lu Yi’s base strength already matched the Foundation Establishment stage. Even using only the White Cloud Sword Art at the Perfection level with a hint of sword intent, he could easily slay Foundation Establishment beasts at the fifth or sixth level.


    After all, Lu Yi had already cleared the 19th level of the White Cloud Sect’s trial tower.


    This was the result even when Lu Yi had yet to use many of his techniques.


    Just twenty percent of his sword intent was enough to cause a qualitative change in Lu Yi''s combat strength, making him nearly invincible at lower realms.


    Lin Ting stared at the corpse on the ground, his expression blank.


    A Foundation Establishment realm serpent had actually been slain with a single sword strike?!


    Cold sweat broke out on his back as he glanced nervously at Lu Yi, afraid that Lu Yi might cut him down with one strike as well.


    Lu Yi paid no attention to Lin Ting behind him. He took a step forward, his whole body rising lightly into the air like a drifting white cloud. He easily reached the cliff and collected the Heavenly Star Grass.


    The mission was completed with ease.


    Feeling pleased, Lu Yi jumped down from the cliff and casually stored the giant serpent''s corpse away. It was excellent material for cooking.


    Only then did Lu Yi look towards Lin Ting in the distance.


    Lin Ting now wore an expression of terror, as if he were extremely frightened.


    Seeing Lu Yi glance his way, Lin Ting swallowed nervously, forced a smile, and stammered, "Y-Young Master, your strength is truly extraordinary! Oh, by the way, t-these spirit stones—I thought about it, and it''s better if I return them to you."


    Lu Yi glanced at the low-grade spirit stones Lin Ting handed over and smiled. "I''m not a demon. Why are you so scared of me? Since it was a fair trade, what''s yours is yours."


    Although Lin Ting had not mentioned that there was a Foundation Establishment beast near the Heavenly Star Grass, he had indeed fulfilled his part of the deal by leading Lu Yi to it.


    Lu Yi saw no reason to say more. Instead, Lin Ting had even given him another task, earning himself a Foundation Establishment-level spirit food recipe.


    Lin Ting carefully observed Lu Yi. Seeing that Lu Yi did not appear angry, he let out a sigh of relief and quickly expressed his gratitude. "Young Master is truly generous!"


    Inwardly, he was speculating about Lu Yi''s identity. Just who is this young master? Killing a Foundation Establishment beast at the Qi Refining stage as easily as slaughtering a chicken... Even in the White Cloud Sect, only the legendary Fairy Liu Ningshuang might possess such strength, right?


    Not daring to probe further, Lin Ting promptly said, "Young Master, now that the Heavenly Star Grass has been found, should we head back?"


    Lu Yi shook his head. "I plan to stay in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range for a few more days. You go ahead and return first."


    Since he needed an excuse to claim fortuitous encounters, it wouldn''t make sense to stay in the mountain range for only a brief moment. Spending a few extra days would be more reasonable.


    Hearing Lu Yi''s words, Lin Ting didn''t think too much about it. He repeatedly nodded. "In that case, I''ll take my leave now."


    Lin Ting cautiously glanced at Lu Yi. Seeing that Lu Yi had no objections, he quickly turned and left.


    Once Lin Ting had departed, Lu Yi took a step forward, moving lightly like a drifting white cloud and disappearing from sight.


    He refrained from using Thunder Shadow Steps, as their commotion might attract beasts. Instead, he used the White Cloud Steps, which produced no sound.


    Afterward, Lu Yi casually found a high mountain and dug a cave into a cliffside to serve as a temporary cultivation dwelling.


    He planned to stay in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range for a few more days before returning to the sect.


    Four days later, Lu Yi sat cross-legged in front of the cave. He was poking a piece of snow-white snake meat with a wooden stick, roasting it over charcoal. Occasionally, he sprinkled seasonings, and the rich aroma made Lu Yi look forward to the meal.


    He was currently practicing charcoal-grilled meat skewers.


    This dish could enhance spiritual energy cultivation. After consumption, the spiritual energy within the ingredients would be absorbed in an extremely gentle manner, making it possible to use in tandem with cultivation pills to accelerate progress.


    The recipe required only a few ingredients, all of which could be found in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. It hadn''t taken Lu Yi long to gather plenty of materials, and he practiced making it several times a day.


    Thanks to his earlier mastery of the Tiger Bone Spiritual Ginseng Soup, Lu Yi''s cooking skills were already decent, making the process much easier this time.


    At the very least, the flavor was acceptable.


    In just four days, Lu Yi had leveled up his charcoal-grilled meat skewer technique to level 3.


    After all, it was a Foundation Establishment-level cooking recipe, so it did have some difficulty.


    Just as Lu Yi was happily roasting the snake meat, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed from the distance.


    Lu Yi''s expression changed slightly. He looked up in the direction of the sound and saw intense spiritual light surging. Mountain peaks crumbled, spiritual energy swirled, and gales swept outward in all directions, shattering rocks and trees.


    Such a powerful aura!


    Lu Yi was a bit stunned. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn''t have such destructive power. Destroying mountains likely required at least Golden Core-level strength.


    Are Golden Core cultivators battling? What''s happening?


    Lu Yi stared in the direction of the spiritual light. With his vision, he could faintly see several figures crossing paths in mid-air.


    Soon after, Lu Yi sensed powerful energy fluctuations. Someone fell from the sky, while another fled.


    It seemed the fight had ended.


    However, Lu Yi''s expression quickly darkened because he noticed a streak of spiritual light flying toward him, pursued by another streak of blood-colored light.


    "Damn it... seriously?!"


    Lu Yi was dumbfounded. I''m just roasting some meat, and now Golden Core bigshots are passing by?


    Why me?!


    Without a second thought, Lu Yi quickly extinguished the fire, descended the mountain, and entered the forest. Activating his peak-level Concealment Technique, he hid his aura completely.


    He had no intention of getting involved in a fight with Golden Core cultivators.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two streaks of light swiftly crossed the sky, approaching Lu Yi''s location. Lu Yi managed to catch a glimpse of their appearances.


    The first was an elderly man with white hair, covered in blood and looking pale. The pursuer was a cold-faced young man with a sword wound on his chest and an icy expression.


    What caught Lu Yi''s attention was the overwhelming stench of blood emanating from the young man. The smell made Lu Yi extremely uncomfortable.


    It was exactly the same as the aura of the Blood Spirit Sect disciple he had encountered before.