The clan assessment ended shortly after noon.
Gu Chen returned to his courtyard alone.
The battle with Gu Lin had been simple, but it had given him something more valuable than a victory.
Experience.
He sat beneath the old tree and replayed the fight in his mind.
His opponent had been at the same cultivation level.
Yet Gu Chen had noticed several flaws.
His timing had been good.
His sword control had improved.
But his Ember-Sundering Sword Art was still extremely rough.
The technique consumed too much World Energy for the amount of power it produced.
And that was only the first movement.
If he wanted to become a true sword cultivator, he couldn't be satisfied with winning against someone of the same level.
He needed to improve his foundation.
Gu Chen reached into his storage pouch.
He took out the list from the resource hall.
Twelve materials.
The first few weren't particularly difficult to obtain.
The later materials were another matter entirely.
Gu Chen's eyes stopped on one name.
Fireheart Grass.
According to the elder, the clan's resource hall had a small amount in storage.
It was one of the materials required for cultivating the Flame Demon Physique.
Gu Chen immediately stood.
The resource hall was quieter than it had been yesterday.
When Gu Chen entered, the same elder was sitting behind the counter.
The elder looked up.
"Back already?"
"I need Fireheart Grass."
The elder's expression changed slightly.
"You want to begin cultivating that body technique?"
Gu Chen nodded.
"I want to prepare first."
The elder studied him for a moment.
"That's sensible."
He reached beneath the counter and brought out a small wooden box.
Inside was a dark-red plant.
The leaves were shaped like flames.
Even without touching it, Gu Chen could feel a trace of heat.
"Fireheart Grass."
Gu Chen looked at it carefully.
"How many do you have?"
"Three."
"Can I obtain them?"
The elder shook his head.
"Not all three."
Gu Chen wasn't surprised.
"One?"
"One."
The elder placed the box on the counter.
"These are clan resources. You can exchange contribution points for one."
Gu Chen nodded.
"How many?"
The elder told him the required amount.
Gu Chen frowned.
It was considerably more than he had expected.
He had earned some contribution points from previous missions and clan activities, but not enough.
He couldn't simply take the resource because he had discovered an inheritance.
The clan had its own rules.
Gu Chen accepted that.
"What can I do to earn them?"
The elder smiled.
"Now you're asking the right question."
The elder handed him a small jade token.
"There are several tasks available."
Gu Chen examined the token.
The simplest tasks involved collecting ordinary spiritual herbs.
Others required dealing with low-level magical beasts.
Some involved guarding resource locations.
Gu Chen looked through the list.
Then stopped.
One task caught his attention.
Collect three Flame-Tail Flowers from the Redstone Valley.
The reward was enough to cover a large portion of the Fireheart Grass's contribution requirement.
Gu Chen raised his head.
"Where is Redstone Valley?"
"About two hours from the clan by foot."
"Are there dangerous beasts?"
"At most Rank 1."
Gu Chen thought for a moment.
That was within his ability.
He accepted the task.
Two hours later, Gu Chen stood before Redstone Valley.
The landscape was different from the Gu Clan.
Red-colored stones covered the ground.
Heat rose from cracks between the rocks.
A faint smell of sulfur filled the air.
Gu Chen immediately understood why Flame-Tail Flowers grew here.
He carefully entered the valley.
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
Although the beasts here were only Rank 1, he didn't become careless.
He continued forward.
After several minutes, he found the first flower.
Then the second.
The third was deeper inside the valley.
Gu Chen moved carefully.
Suddenly—
Roar!
A beast emerged from behind a large stone.
It was a red-scaled lizard nearly two meters long.
Its eyes locked onto Gu Chen.
Gu Chen immediately recognized it.
Rank 1 Magical Beast — Redscale Lizard.
The creature opened its mouth.
A burst of flame shot toward him.
Gu Chen stepped sideways.
The flame struck the ground.
He drew his sword.
The Scarlet Ember Sword trembled slightly in his hand.
Gu Chen circulated his World Energy.
A faint red glow appeared along the blade.
He didn't immediately use the Ember-Sundering Sword Art.
Instead, he waited.
The Redscale Lizard charged.
Gu Chen moved.
One step.
Then another.
He avoided its claws.
The creature swung its tail.
Gu Chen ducked beneath it.
Then—
Shing!
His sword struck the creature's side.
The scales cracked.
The beast roared.
Gu Chen frowned.
"Too shallow."
His attack hadn't been strong enough.
The Redscale Lizard turned around.
Gu Chen's eyes became focused.
This time, he circulated the Ember-Sundering Sword Art.
Ember Draw.
His sword flashed.
The red glow concentrated along the blade.
Gu Chen stepped forward.
Then struck.
BOOM!
The sword pierced through the weakened scales.
The Redscale Lizard collapsed.
Gu Chen stood still for several breaths.
His chest rose and fell.
His World Energy had been reduced significantly.
He looked at his sword.
The technique had worked.
But it had consumed too much energy.
Gu Chen understood.
Against a stronger opponent, he couldn't afford to use it recklessly.
His mastery was still only Entry.
He needed much more practice.
After collecting the Flame-Tail Flowers, Gu Chen returned to the clan.
The resource hall elder inspected the flowers.
He nodded.
"Good quality."
He handed Gu Chen the contribution points.
Gu Chen immediately exchanged them for the Fireheart Grass.
He returned to his courtyard and placed the wooden box on the table.
For a long time, he simply stared at it.
This small plant had taken him an entire day to obtain.
And it was only one material.
The Flame Demon Physique required many more.
Gu Chen smiled faintly.
"The path really isn't easy."
He opened the Ember Scripture.
The section concerning the Flame Demon Physique appeared.
A line of information emerged.
Required materials:
Fireheart Grass — 1
Flame Crystal — 3
Red Flame Beast Blood — 1
Blazing Earth Root — 2
Gu Chen's expression slowly changed.
He looked at the Fireheart Grass.
Then at the remaining requirements.
He suddenly understood something.
Reaching Rank 1 Level 5 had only opened the door.
Walking through that door would require him to gather everything necessary.
Gu Chen closed the Scripture.
He wasn't discouraged.
Instead, his eyes became determined.
One material at a time.
One technique at a time.
One step at a time.
He would build his foundation properly.
And when the time came—
he would make sure he was strong enough to walk beyond the Gu Clan's territory and explore the vast land of Tianyuan.
For now, however, he had another task.
The next morning—
he would begin searching for the Flame Crystals.