21 Pei Changqing's Objective

After Pei Changqing finished his instructions, he dismissed the group. The young acolytes had become accustomed to their senior brother’s style. When they had first joined the sect, they still required Shi Jingtian to guide them back to Liuxia Peak, but now, three years later, everyone could make the journey on their own.

Leaving the Sect Master’s Main Hall, some summoned the sect’s immortal cranes to fly back to Liuxia Peak, while others departed using various magical artifacts. Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er left sitting atop a large, dark-green snake equipped with fleshy wings on its back.

This green snake was one of Jin Xiu’er’s蛊 (gu) pets. Although its wings were incapable of flight, the creature possessed a trace of the ancient Teng snake’s bloodline, granting it the innate ability to ride the wind. Once the two girls were settled, the serpent channeled its secret arts and carried them through the air.

The snake did not fly high, nor was it particularly fast. Neither girl bothered to manifest protective barriers, preferring instead to let the gentle breeze brush against them. After spending so much time in their gloomy, subterranean caves, they always felt a sense of relief whenever they reached the open, expansive wilderness.

Jin Xiu’er asked, "Qianqian, do you still intend to go to the Dharma Transmission Hall to learn new Daoist arts?"

Since the first time she learned the Asura Thorn from the Dharma Transmission Hall, Yao Qian had not studied any other techniques. Jin Xiu’er was the same; she focused exclusively on the Scriptures of Gu Insects. They shared the same philosophy: rather than learning a bit of everything, it was better to master one thing.

Expanding their repertoire could wait until after they reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Once they achieved that, they would have three hundred years of lifespan, providing ample time to develop other skills. However, the stories of the dangers of wasteland reclamation, often recounted by the elders in her clan during her childhood, had instilled a sense of crisis in Jin Xiu’er, making her subconsciously want to learn a few more defensive arts.

Yao Qian pondered for a moment before replying, "I won't be learning any for now. Mastering a Daoist art requires a great deal of time, and I don't think I can become proficient in three months. Besides, I have been drawing talismans all these years, so I can rely on those for defense."

She had grown accustomed to using the God-Slaying Needles to fend off enemies and felt no desire to switch to a different technique. Furthermore, the God-Slaying Needle manual included methods for refining the weapons themselves, but the crafting process was tedious. Since she only stayed outside for a month at a time, she had never asked anyone to forge them for her.

Now, with three months of time available, she could ask the Treasure Pavilion to help her forge the needles. Yao Qian stated her own decision without offering advice to Jin Xiu’er. Wasteland reclamation was far too dangerous; one wrong step could cost them their lives. In such moments, one had to make their own choices.

Jin Xiu’er mused, "Let’s go ask Luo Ming."

Luo Ming was the boy who had previously swindled Yao Qian out of her Three-Sun Talismans. His parents had both been Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Wuji Sect, but they had perished five years ago. Consequently, Luo Ming had grown up on Liuxia Peak and was extremely familiar with the ins and outs of the sect.

Yao Qian valued his well-informed nature and often traded talismans with him for information. Over time, they had grown close, and Yao Qian no longer wore a disguise in his presence. She had even introduced Jin Xiu’er to him, and Jin Xiu’er frequently traded her insects with him as well.

All three were among the top ten acolytes, yet they never displayed their private friendship in public. It was always Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er together, while Luo Ming moved alone. Yao Qian, who had also been planning to seek him out, suggested, "Have him come to my cave dwelling."

Jin Xiu’er nodded. "Agreed."

Luo Ming had already guessed that they would come looking for him, and he had matters to discuss with them as well. He arrived at Yao Qian’s cave ahead of them and waited. Seeing them return, he got straight to the point: "Let’s work together for this outing."

An orphan who had grown up in the Wuji Sect, Luo Ming was instinctively distrustful of human nature, but he clearly trusted Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er more than the other acolytes. "Wasteland reclamation for the Wuji Sect is different from that of smaller sects. They primarily aim to seize spirit veins from monster territories, and the journey takes us through completely desolate lands. While they say an Nascent Soul cultivator will lead the team, who would actually protect us? If any situation arises, we will surely be the first ones they abandon." Luo Ming did not believe a word of Pei Changqing’s reassurances; regardless of whether Pei was leading the team personally, he would not protect them.

***

Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er had been prepared for this, which was why Jin Xiu’er wasn't overly panicked. Yao Qian frowned. "He spent so much effort cultivating us for three years just to use us for wasteland reclamation?"

Yao Qian did not view Pei Changqing as a saint, but if that was his only objective, did it not seem counterproductive? If he wanted them to serve as manual labor, he should at least wait until they reached Foundation Establishment. They currently lacked the power to protect themselves; wasn't it a waste to throw them into the wasteland now?

Luo Ming shook his head. "That's not it. I suspect Pei Changqing is cultivating us to send us to the Dragon Burial Cliff."

"Dragon Burial Cliff?" Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er exchanged a glance. "What place is that?"

Luo Ming hesitated. "I don't know the specifics, but I've heard it was an ancient ruin filled with many treasures, which once drew many powerful cultivators to fight over it. Later, it seems some strange mutation occurred. A hundred years ago, high-level cultivators who entered would trigger various spiritual energy storms, so the sects closed it off. It seems the Dragon Burial Cliff will reopen in a year, and this time, only cultivators below the Golden Core stage are allowed to enter. I suspect Pei Changqing wants us to harvest Dragon-Whisk Grass there."

Yao Qian asked, "What is Dragon-Whisk Grass?"

Luo Ming explained, "It’s a unique treasure found only at the Dragon Burial Cliff. Initially, it is a spiritual plant, but through repeated evolution, it can transform from a plant spirit into a living, flesh-and-blood creature. If it can fully transform into a Golden Dragon Grass, it gains infinite lifespan."

Yao Qian asked in confusion, "Is it a life-extending herb?"

Luo Ming shook his head. "Not exactly, but it has a similar effect. Life-extending herbs are refined into pills, but the Golden Dragon Grass can be bonded as a life-bound spirit beast, allowing you to share its lifespan."

This was the first time Yao Qian had heard of such a miraculous species. She said hesitantly, "Such a heavenly treasure should be very hard to find, right?" If Golden Dragon Grass were common, there would be far too many immortal, indestructible masters in the cultivation world.

Luo Ming nodded slightly. "Yes, naturally occurring Golden Dragon Grass is rare. However, the sect has a secret method to make ten thousand stalks of Dragon-Whisk Grass devour each other to cultivate a Golden Serpent Grass. The Golden Serpent Grass has a lifespan of three thousand years. If one can bond with it, they would live longer than a Nascent Soul cultivator." In theory, Nascent Soul cultivators had a lifespan of about two thousand years, but most did not live that long.

Yao Qian understood. "So Senior Brother wants us to go to the Dragon Burial Cliff to harvest Dragon-Whisk Grass?" It went without saying that such artificial methods surely didn't have a hundred percent success rate; it was likely that only one success came from fifty or sixty thousand stalks. "Are there many Dragon-Whisk Grasses at the Dragon Burial Cliff?"

Luo Ming scratched his head. "I don't know, we'll find out when we get there. The Dragon Burial Cliff is a place where all sorts of people gather; it's far more dangerous than the Yama Cave." That was why Pei Changqing wanted them to gain experience in wasteland reclamation first.

Yao Qian humbly asked, "What do you suggest we bring for the journey?"

Jin Xiu’er also asked, "Are there any other simple, high-damage Daoist arts in the sect?"

Seeing that the two girls treated him like an all-knowing sage, Luo Ming sighed helplessly. "Yin Spirit Stones are essential for the journey. The outside world lacks the abundant spiritual energy of the sect, and relying solely on absorbing ambient energy will result in slow progress. Therefore, we should avoid using our own Yin Spirit Stones as much as possible."

***

Luo Ming didn't ask, but he suspected they both had a fair amount of Yin Spirit Stones. He saw more of Yao Qian, and as far as he could tell, her expenses were limited to Inedia Pills, Three-Sun True Water, talisman ink, and paper. Since she drew many talismans, she was basically self-sufficient, and he had never seen her trade for Yin Spirit Stones.

Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er looked at each other; they had both forgotten that detail. Yao Qian felt a secret sense of relief that she hadn't traded her stones away.

"As for other items, it’s much the same as the Yama Cave. If you can upgrade your defensive arrays, do so; if not, focus on staying hidden." Luo Ming had no particularly brilliant advice; he was just as worried about his own survival. "In places like the wasteland or the Dragon Burial Cliff, one must cooperate." That was why he was determined to form an alliance with them.

Regarding the Daoist arts Jin Xiu’er mentioned, Luo Ming said, "Our sect is full of such arts, but I don't suggest you learn them. These techniques have severe side effects, the biggest being the damage they cause to one’s state of mind. Unless you possess the cultivation-of-heart methods of a righteous sect, do not easily dabble in such secret arts."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiu’er abandoned the idea. "Qianqian, I'm going to the market to buy supplies. How about you?"

Yao Qian shook her head. "I'm not going for now." She needed to organize the gains she had accumulated over the years before heading to the market.

Luo Ming reminded them, "There will be an auction in three days. There should be many good things there, but don't get distracted. Just buy defensive artifacts to save your lives."

Both nodded simultaneously. "Thank you."

After seeing Jin Xiu’er and Luo Ming off, Yao Qian returned to her secret chamber to organize her findings. Her cultivation technique, improved by the Heavenly Derivation Stele, allowed for rapid progress. Furthermore, due to an excess of Taiyin True Energy, the Taiyin talisman in her sea of consciousness had mutated, allowing it to cultivate slowly and autonomously even when she wasn't meditating.

Worried about the imbalance between Taiyin and Taiyang energy in her body, Yao Qian had barely cultivated at all over the last two years, focusing solely on the God-Slaying Needle technique and drawing talismans, or else mining Yin Spirit Stones and slaying Yin-Soul Beasts.

To say nothing else, the number of Yin Spirit Stones she possessed within her Heavenly Derivation Stele was astronomical. If she were to cultivate purely, these stones would likely be enough to carry her to the Nascent Soul stage. She was fortunate that Luo Ming had reminded her; otherwise, she might have been tempted to trade the stones for a portable cave dwelling.

Anyone who had read enough fantasy novels couldn't resist the allure of a portable cave, and Yao Qian was no exception. However, the price for one at the Treasure Pavilion was exorbitant, with the cheapest costing over two hundred thousand spirit stones.

One could say that Yao Qian’s motivation for mining for the past two years had been to buy that portable cave. But compared to cultivation, cultivation was more important. She wouldn't be spending her days in a gloomy environment forever, so she had to speed up her progress...

Just as Yao Qian’s thoughts were wandering, a knock sounded at the door. She was startled. In her three years at Liuxia Peak, she had only associated closely with Jin Xiu’er and Luo Ming, occasionally with Li Wei. Since her two friends had just left, who else would be looking for her?

Yao Qian used her spiritual sense to investigate and discovered that the person standing outside was Luo Ming. She was even more puzzled. Why was he back?

Luo Ming had waited until Jin Xiu’er left for the market to return to Yao Qian. He asked her, "How many talismans do you have on hand right now?"