As the weather cooled, yellowing bamboo leaves drifted to the ground. The already gloomy bamboo forest became even more desolate. The pill servants had no real way to stay warm, so they curled up in their rooms and refused to come out.
Only Lin Yuan stood bare-chested in the depths of the bamboo grove, practicing his blade techniques.
“Final Slaughter, third form—Wave Overlap!”
A seemingly ordinary slash cut through the air, making the thin bamboo stalks sway slightly. But then came another strike—its force clearly stronger than the previous one, causing the bamboo to bend even more.
Swish, swish, swish!
The blade didn’t stop. One strike after another followed like crashing waves, stacking endlessly. As the number of slashes increased, the speed of each swing grew slower. Oddly enough, though his swings slowed to a crawl—clearly visible to the naked eye—the momentum behind them only grew heavier, as if it could split apart even the thick clouds above.
“Thirteenth strike!”
Lin Yuan’s face flushed red as his spiritual power surged. Concentrating all his energy, he unleashed the final strike. Whoosh! A blade light a meter long swept out, cutting down all the bamboo in front of him like rotting wood.
Not far away, Ding Yaozu and the other four huddled together, watching with terror. They’d been lucky to survive up to this point, but after witnessing Lin Yuan’s strike, they looked like wilted eggplants, completely drained of their arrogance.
“Is he… is he going to come for us next?” Zhao Dabao whimpered.
“All you do is cry. What’s the use of that?” Ding Yaozu cursed, but the fear in his eyes didn’t fade. In his heart, he thought, I’ve seen outer sect experts at the 10th stage Qi Refining Realm strike before, but even they couldn’t cause such destruction. What cultivation level is Lin Yuan at now?
Seeing Lin Yuan walking slowly toward the bamboo huts, the five looked at each other in panic and quickly retreated inside without daring to peek.
Watching them move in perfect unison, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but find it amusing. As for finding trouble with them? Impossible. He was counting on them to help absorb some side effects.
As he walked along the path, Lin Yuan’s bronze-colored skin gradually returned to normal.
“I’ve reached the first level—Bronze Skin Realm—of the Hundredfold Tempered Golden Body Technique. The next layer, Iron Bone, requires swallowing black iron. But black iron is a hundred times more valuable than ordinary iron. With my current finances, I can’t afford it. Plus, I still need a movement-type martial technique. Looks like I really have to start doing missions to earn contribution points.”
After cultivating non-stop for a month, Lin Yuan felt it was time to accept a few missions and give himself a bit of breathing room.
Not long after returning to the bamboo hut, Sang Xiaoya arrived with an annoyed look on her face.
“What’s this? Who made our great pill master of the Fragrant Pill Pavilion angry?” Lin Yuan teased with a grin. He’d been at the Fragrant Pill Pavilion for over two months now. Though not exactly intimate, he and Sang Xiaoya were much closer than before.
“So annoying, I’m not telling you,” Sang Xiaoya huffed, folding her arms.
“If you won’t tell me, then I’ll speak instead. I’d like to take a few days off, go out for some experience, and complete a few missions.”
If anyone else had heard that a pill servant wanted to go out on a mission, they’d die laughing. But Sang Xiaoya knew Lin Yuan’s true strength, so she wasn’t surprised at all.
“Can I issue you a mission?”
“What kind of mission? Let’s hear it.”
Propping her chin, Sang Xiaoya recalled, “I’m missing one ingredient for the Strength Pill. Elder Qian said our Immortal Gate Sect doesn’t have it. It’s supplied by the He Family, 350 kilometers to the east. Normally, they deliver it monthly, but they’re already several days late. Can you go check it out?”
The He Family? A cultivation clan?
“Sure, I’ll take care of it,” Lin Yuan agreed readily. A 350-kilometer round trip wasn’t far—he could be back in four to five days.
“Yay! Now what reward should I give you?”
Seeing her act like a little adult, Lin Yuan laughed. “You’d better think hard about that reward. If it’s not enough, I’m not going.”
“Don’t rush, I’ll look!” Sang Xiaoya opened her storage ring and began rummaging through it.
Soon, a pile of treasures was spread out on the floor.
Top-grade magical artifacts?
Tier-2 pills?
Tier-2 defensive talismans?
Seeing all that, Lin Yuan was green with envy. Truly, basking under the shade of a Golden Core cultivator made life different. She was absurdly wealthy at such a young age.
“Found it! What about this?”
Sang Xiaoya handed him a piece of beast hide.
Lin Yuan glanced at it—and was even more shocked. It recorded a movement martial technique named Blink Step. Its grade was unknown, but a quick skim made his brow furrow.
An incomplete scroll?
Sensing his doubt, Sang Xiaoya pouted and said, “Don’t look down on it just because it’s incomplete—it’s actually really powerful. Grandpa said if this were complete, it’d be at least a top-tier tier-3 technique, maybe even tier-4!”
Tier-4 martial technique!
Lin Yuan’s pupils shrank.
There was no way Sang Mu would lie to his granddaughter. This Blink Step definitely had its merits.
He laughed. “Everyone else gives the reward after the mission. Who hands it out first like you?”
“So you can run faster after learning it!”
“Oh? So that’s what you were plotting.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
…
The Immortal Gate Sect’s sphere of influence extended for thousands of kilometers. Though the He Family was far, it was still under its jurisdiction.
Two days later, Lin Yuan reached the area where the He Family resided.
It was a massive valley, damp and ideal for growing spiritual herbs. Thanks to their herbal cultivation, the He Family’s overall strength wasn’t weak. Rumor had it their Patriarch was already at the late Foundation Establishment Realm.
That level of cultivation could at least qualify him as a Elder within the Immortal Gate Sect.
“Honored guest, you’ve traveled far—we failed to greet you properly.”
He Jiaye, the He Family’s third-in-command, led a group of juniors to wait in advance.
They didn’t know Lin Yuan was just a lowly pill servant in the Immortal Gate Sect. All they saw was the Fragrant Pill Pavilion’s emblem in his hand. That alone was enough to warrant their utmost respect.
“How’s the harvesting of the Azurefall Flower going?” Lin Yuan got straight to the point.
The Azurefall Flower grew on cliff faces, had excellent medicinal properties, and was one of the ingredients Sang Xiaoya needed for her pill refinement.
“Ah… about that…”
He Jiaye looked embarrassed.
“Sir, this year we suffered a natural disaster. Not a single Azurefall Flower survived. But rest assured, we still have other herbs.”
As he spoke, he discreetly slipped Lin Yuan a brocade box.
A strong medicinal fragrance wafted out. Lin Yuan’s nose twitched.
Although his alchemy skills hadn’t improved during his time at the Fragrant Pill Pavilion, his ability to identify pills had definitely sharpened.
Judging by the scent, that was at least a tier-2 pill.
So generous?
“You’ve traveled far. Please, come inside for a proper welcome,” He Jiaye said with a chuckle after seeing Lin Yuan accept the box. He then turned and instructed his men, “Hurry and prepare a banquet for our honored guest.”
Lin Yuan silently observed this entire scene.
Something… felt off about the He Family.