The first jade slip described mining Cold Pond Iron Ore-a precious mineral used by Artifact Refining Peak in forging artifacts.
A magical artifact infused with Cold Pond Iron Ore would carry a bone-piercing frost force when wielded, greatly amplifying its power.
But the danger was severe. There was a high chance of cold Qi invading the body. In mild cases, the meridians would suffer damage. In severe cases, one’s cultivation would regress with no hope of further advancement.
The second jade slip was for a pill-testing attendant-testing experimental pills for alchemists researching new formulas. The compensation was generous: merit points, plus one Spirit Stone each month.
The higher the return, the greater the risk. This assignment carried an extreme chance of death.
There was also a spirit beast caretaking assignment. A gentle-tempered beast posed little threat, but a violent one could maim or kill.
Some were simpler. Helping talisman masters prepare talisman paper, for instance, though it required basic talisman-crafting skill.
Helping Outer Sect Disciples tend Spirit Fields required Qi Condensation third layer and Proficient mastery of the Cloud Rain Technique.
Lu Qinghe scanned through them all. There was almost nothing he could take.
Seeing his difficulty, Bai Yutong spoke up. “Junior Brother, if you can’t find anything suitable, I happen to have one.”
Lu Qinghe looked toward her. “Please enlighten me, Senior Sister.”
“Within the Zhao Kingdom’s borders, there are suspected demons appearing-right within our Taixuan Sect’s territory,” Bai Yutong said. “The Sect plans to dispatch two Outer Sect Disciples and ten Menial Disciples to investigate.
The duration is half a month. As long as you return alive, you receive five Spirit Stones.”
She finished and watched Lu Qinghe with a faint smile. Five Spirit Stones-compensation no Outer Sect Disciple could refuse.
But this time, Bai Yutong was caught off guard.
Lu Qinghe refused outright. “Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but this Junior Brother knows his own strength is lacking. I cannot take on such an assignment.”
Lu Qinghe understood what “demons” meant. Some were Demon Beasts and spirits that had cultivated to maturity. Others were demonic path cultivators who practiced forbidden arts.
Whether beast, spirit, or demonic cultivator-none were easy to deal with. He had no intention of throwing himself into danger.
As for five Spirit Stones? He couldn’t care less. His Black Soil Space still held seventy-one pieces stacked in a pile.
If he ever needed Spirit Stones, he only had to sell off the Spirit Rice and Blood Ginseng stored inside. That alone would yield thousands.
Lu Qinghe picked up a jade slip. “Senior Sister, I intend to take this one-searching for spirit herbs.”
Finding ten spirit herbs. Another assignment Menial Disciples could scarcely complete, but one with far greater freedom.
More importantly, it posed no difficulty for him. He only needed to find spirit herb seeds, then grow them in the Black Soil Space. Any herb reaching ten years of age would satisfy the requirement. Get faster updates on NovelPing.
Bai Yutong stared at him in surprise. He had refused her offer and chosen an even harder assignment instead.
She said nothing more, only nodded. “Then this assignment goes to Junior Brother. You need only deliver ten spirit herbs to the Affairs Hall before year’s end.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister!”
Lu Qinghe tucked the jade slip into the storage bag at his waist and hurried out of the Affairs Hall.
After he left, Bai Yutong murmured to herself, “It seems there are a few capable ones hiding in the menial courtyard after all.”
Though Lu Qinghe had piqued her curiosity, he was still just a Menial Disciple. She set the thought aside and returned to her own affairs.
Lu Qinghe did not go back to his residence. Instead, he went straight to the menial trading area.
He took out a wooden placard and wrote: Purchasing spirit herb seeds at high prices. Also seeking wood-element techniques, metal-element techniques, and the Small Cloud Rain Technique.
This time he made no effort to hide his identity. Within the Sect, he could not conceal himself forever.
It drew some attention from passing cultivators, but far less than when he had openly sold Spirit Rice.
Lu Qinghe waited the entire afternoon. Not a single person came to trade.
He stood and left. Finding what he needed here was nearly impossible.
He called out again at Wang Shan’s courtyard gate. No response. He returned to his own dwelling.
He would enter Secluded Cultivation and break through to Qi Condensation fourth layer.
The seclusion lasted a full month.
During that time, he refined every strand of spiritual power at the third layer, then painstakingly liquefied the energy within his Dantian, drop by drop.
Only after consuming a hundred-year Blood Ginseng did he finally break through to Qi Condensation fourth layer.
At the same time, he noticed something troubling. Blood Ginseng was growing less effective at advancing his cultivation-perhaps even inferior to Spirit Gathering Pills at this stage.
If he wanted to maintain his pace, he had two paths. The first was obtaining Spirit Gathering Pills, or better yet, Yellow Dragon Pills. The second was finding spirit herbs that could directly elevate cultivation and planting them in the space.
But the breakthrough itself opened a door. At Qi Condensation fourth layer, he qualified for the Outer Sect. Once he became an Outer Sect Disciple, many of his plans could finally take shape.
Lu Qinghe gathered his belongings and left the menial courtyard, heading for the Affairs Hall. Entering the Outer Sect required review by the hall’s managing disciple.
Bai Yutong, as usual, was cultivating in the main hall when she had no other duties.
Hearing his voice, Bai Yutong opened her eyes and looked at him with visible surprise. “Junior Brother-have you completed the assignment already? You’re here to turn it in?”
She remembered him.
Lu Qinghe shook his head. “Finding spirit herbs is hardly that simple. I was merely fortunate enough to break through to Qi Condensation fourth layer. I humbly ask Senior Sister to recommend me for the Outer Sect.”
His words made Bai Yutong freeze. She looked him up and down, her gaze sharpening.
Her expression turned serious. “Junior Brother, you aren’t joking?”
She did not know his exact age, but she could tell he was young. At such an age, reaching Qi Condensation first or second layer would already be respectable. Fourth layer? That should have been impossible.
“Please verify for yourself, Senior Sister.”
Lu Qinghe released the Magic Power of Qi Condensation fourth layer. The aura rippled outward, unmistakable.
Bai Yutong’s eyes widened. He had truly reached the fourth layer.
“How?” she asked, genuine curiosity breaking through her composure. “How did you advance so quickly?”
Lu Qinghe offered the story he had prepared. “I took the Affairs Hall’s assignment to search for spirit herbs. Fortune smiled on me-I stumbled upon a Blood Ginseng.
I couldn’t hold back. I swallowed it on the spot and managed to break through.”
Bai Yutong extended her spiritual sense and probed his Magic Power. Sure enough, the thick medicinal aura of Blood Ginseng permeated his channels.
She let out a sigh. “Junior Brother’s luck is remarkable. That herb must have carried at least a hundred years of medicinal power. Swallowing such a Blood Ginseng raw is terribly wasteful.
Had it been refined into pills, the effect would have been many times greater.”
She paused. “But Junior Brother-did you truly find it by chance?”
Lu Qinghe met her gaze without flinching. “Every word is true.”
“Junior Brother’s fortune is enviable,” Bai Yutong said lightly.
In her heart, she did not believe him. More likely, he had obtained the hundred-year Blood Ginseng long ago and simply used this moment to refine it.
But she pressed no further. Everyone had their own Fated Chances and secrets. She was not the sort to pry or seize what belonged to others.
“I’ll take you to register with the Outer Sect now.”
Bai Yutong rose. A long sword materialized at her side. She grasped Lu Qinghe by the arm and launched from the Affairs Hall, streaking through the air toward the outer gates.
When they touched down, they stood before a grand hall.