Wang Qi stared at the corpse of the Nether Spider and the piles of countless smaller spider corpses. He still couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.
He remained in a daze for a long time before finally realizing the reality before him. A surge of emotion rose in his chest.
Too powerful.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at Bai Ying was now full of admiration. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t met powerful cultivators before. In his sect, he had seen Golden Core and even Nascent Soul stage elders.
But none of them had ever killed demonic beasts like this.
This wasn’t a battle.
This was a one-woman performance.
“Fellow cultivator, you’re incredible.”
Now he completely understood why Lin Yizhi called Bai Ying “boss.”
He was tempted to call her that himself.
At that moment, Wang Qi’s teammates had already gathered all eight stalks of the Purple Spirit Mushroom. According to the original agreement, two of the stalks and one thousand mid-grade spirit stones were to go to Bai Ying.
But Wang Qi handed her two Purple Spirit Mushroom and seven thousand mid-grade spirit stones instead—six thousand more than promised.
Bai Ying looked at the storage pouch he handed over and said, “You gave too much.”
“It’s not too much. You did most of the work. Naturally, the reward should go to you. If we didn’t desperately need this Ganoderma, I would’ve given you two more.”
They had taken six stalks themselves and felt a bit ashamed. They hadn’t done much. Even their weapons and talismans had barely been used. What they gave Bai Ying truly wasn’t too much.
Bai Ying thought for a moment, then took out four pills from her storage pouch and handed them to Wang Qi.
They were Nourishing Essence Pills she had casually refined the day before.
“Then take these.”
Wang Qi accepted the pills. He hesitated, a bit embarrassed, wanting to ask Bai Ying to enhance his weapon now—but he had so clearly rejected her earlier…
Just as he hesitated, his communication talisman suddenly lit up. It displayed only two urgent words: Return Immediately.
Wang Qi’s expression changed. He quickly turned to Bai Ying and said, “We have something urgent to handle. We’ll take our leave for now. I hope we’ll have the chance to work together again.”
With that, they flew off on their swords without delay. The source of this chapter is g.com.
After they left, Bai Ying took half of the spoils and tried to give them to Lin Yizhi. But he didn’t dare accept. In the end, only after Bai Ying insisted repeatedly did he reluctantly accept one stalk of Ganoderma. He refused to take anything more.
Wang Qi and his teammates rushed back because the Grand Elder of their sect was nearing the end of his lifespan. The Purple Spirit Mushroom was said to be capable of extending life.
Their sect, Celestial Peak Sect, was the strongest power in the region. The Grand Elder had long reached the Nascent Soul Realm and had guarded the sect for thousands of years.
But now, his life was fading. This was a potentially devastating blow to the entire sect.
Though Wang Qi was just a Foundation Establishment disciple and couldn’t help much, he still wanted to contribute however he could.
It was said that the Purple Spirit Mushroom could restore life, so they had gone to retrieve it.
Now, having obtained four stalks, they were all excited and hopeful.
With this rare treasure in hand, they rushed back to the sect.
As soon as they arrived, they reported the good news to their master, who was equally overjoyed. He immediately brought them to visit the Grand Elder.
When Wang Qi saw the Grand Elder, his face was as pale as paper, completely devoid of blood. His once star-bright eyes were now dim, like dying embers. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, each one telling the story of a life stretched across centuries, now at its end.
Wang Qi’s eyes reddened. He respectfully took out the ornate box containing the Purple Spirit Mushroom and presented it to the Grand Elder.
“Grand Elder, we picked these Ganoderma especially for you. They’re said to prolong life.”
The Grand Elder looked at the Ganoderma and smiled gently, clearly moved.
“You kids… you’re truly filial. You’ve helped me a great deal.”
Hearing this, the group sighed in relief, all smiling happily.
“Grand Elder, please take it right away.”
The Grand Elder smiled and consumed one of the stalks. Instantly, the color began to return to his face, and his spirit noticeably improved.
“This Purple Spirit Mushroom is surprisingly effective! Grand Elder, do you need more? My friend still has two left. If you’d like, I can purchase them for you.”
But the Grand Elder kindly shook his head. “This is enough. Thanks to you, I already feel much better.”
Wang Qi and the others smiled joyfully.
“Then we won’t disturb your rest. We’ll take our leave.”
After they left, Wang Qi’s master remained behind, pleased and ready to praise the disciples.
“Grand Elder, what’s wrong?!” he asked in panic.
The Grand Elder let out a weary sigh.
“My time has come. To protect the sect’s future, after I pass away, you must never let word of my death spread. If our enemies hear of it, they will attack immediately.”
“I will spend my remaining strength reforging the sect’s protective formation. I’ll also write down everything I’ve learned over these thousands of years. You must all strive to reach the Nascent Soul Realm quickly.”
As the Grand Elder spoke, the master began to cry silently.
So it turned out—the Purple Spirit Mushroom was useless.
The Grand Elder had simply wanted to comfort the children… to make the outside world believe that his life had been extended, so no one would dare touch the sect.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Ruan Xinrou was pacing anxiously, her expression twisted in frustration as the system reported her current fortune point.
She had once seized 70% of Bai Ying’s fortune. With Lin Yizhi as her powerful protector, she had been sure she would ruin Bai Ying’s reputation, easily stealing even more of her luck.
But who would’ve thought Bai Ying would perform so brilliantly in the Wetbone Forest trial?
Now, not only was she admired and praised by countless people—even Lin Yizhi had sided with her.
Her fortune point had plummeted back down to 50%.
All the effort she had made over the years was now wasted.
Ruan Xinrou stomped her foot and yelled at the system, “Then what should I do?!”
“Don’t panic,” the system replied.
“There’s news that the Grand Elder of Celestial Peak Sect urgently needs Purple Spirit Mushroom to survive. Bai Ying just happens to have one. You can use this as a turning point.”
Hearing the system’s words, Ruan Xinrou’s lips curved into a smile.
“I know exactly what to do now.”