
According to an old saying, time passes by like a glimpse of a white donkey flashing through a crack in the wall. That was exactly what happened to Bai Xiaochun. A month later, a cold wind blew in the Heavenspan River and through the Spirit Stream Sect. Suddenly, Bai Xiaochun realized that he had already been in the sect for a year.
The past year has been full of one event after another. He had left the human world to become a cultivator, increased his cultivation base to the third level of Qi Condensation, and had resolved all the conflicts that had arisen because he had joined the Oven.
Xu Baocai never appeared in the Oven again, and when Bai Xiaochun left with supplies and saw him from a distance, he would rush off, obviously terrified.
Despite all that, however, after a month had passed, Bai Xiaochun looked as anxious as ever, and constantly sighed. He did not speak to Big Fatty Zhang and the others about his worries; he simply wallowed in his helplessness.
“One year of longevity...” thought as he looked at a tree in the distance, whose leaves had started yellowing and falling to the ground.
“I am like that tree, and the fallen leaves are like my lost long years After reaching this point in his thinking, Bai Xiaochun suddenly felt extremely sentimental.
Over the past month, he had come up with many ideas on how to recover his lost longevity, however, the white hair on his head remained as white as usual. He made some indirect questions from Big Fatty Zhang, and learned that in the cultivation world, there were indeed methods that could restore longevity. However, such a method was a well-kept secret, or as easy to trace as a phoenix feather or a qilin horn.
Soon, he even lost interest in eating and drinking, and his face turned pale and pale. Finally, he decided that he had no choice but to give up and accept the fact that he had lost his longevity. However, the next day when he went out to run the Oven supplies, he happened to see a huge stone inscription under Third Peak, and suddenly, he started to pant.
On the southern edge of the Spirit Stream Sect, all the mountain peaks had stones like this. It was covered with dense script, lines and lines of writing that gleamed with a bright light. Sometimes, the script lines will flow like water because the old characters are replaced with new ones.
The stone inscription was where the mission was shared by the Spirit Stream Sect. Anyone in the sect who wanted to be able to complete missions to obtain the spirit stones needed for cultivation, as well as achievement points.
Achievement points can be used to pay the entrance fee to a scriptural sermon or the Magic Art Pavilion. They could also be used to gain access to all kinds of special places in the sect that were devoted to a certain aspect of cultivation. Almost everything in the sect could be obtained with achievement points, and they were actually viewed as more valuable than spirit stones.
Right now, several Outer Sect disciples were gathered around the Third Peak Mission Monument, staring at the mission. When one of them chose a mission to take, they would respectfully inform the middle-aged cultivator sitting cross-legged under the inscription.
There were even some servants who mingled with the disciples of the Outer Sect. The servants wore their uniforms, and the disciples of the Outer Sect wore green robes embroidered with designs of clouds and rivers, making it very easy to know who was who.
There were certain missions that could only be accepted by the disciples of the Inner Sect, but such missions would not appear on this particular stone inscription. The mission here is acceptable to the Outer Sect disciples and servants.
Many ambitious servants saw this place as their first step to becoming like a fish jumping over a dragon gate, reaching its peak.
Bai Xiaochun stood there for the time it took for incense to burn, his face grim as he stared at one particular line of script in the middle of the stone inscription. Finally, an expression of doubt appeared in his eyes.
“Pil Enhancer Long Life..” he muttered. “I never imagined that this stone inscription would offer such a medicinal pill as a reward. From the name alone, you can tell that the pill might increase longevity. ” After a bit of thought, he approached the middle-aged cultivator.
When the disciples of the Outer Sect sensed Bai Xiaochun approaching, they completely ignored him. Considering their status, they did not care at all about the maids, whom they considered below them.
Bai Xiaochun waited until the crowd around the middle-aged cultivator thinned slightly, then, looking as attractive and as innocent as possible, held hands and bowed in greeting.
“Good day, Brother,” said.
The middle-aged cultivator looked at Bai Xiaochun from top to bottom, then nodded slightly.
The matter of his own longevity swirled in Bai Xiaochun's mind as he asked: “Kakak, one of his missions was to go look for some medicinal herbs. The reward was a Longevity Enhancing Pill. May I ask if the pill is useful to prolong life? ”
“Pil Enhancer Long Life…. Yes, this is the mission here. The Pill can actually extend your life and increase your longevity. In fact, it adds up to a full year. However, this has many limitations. It can only be used if you are at the fifth Qi Condensation level or lower, and can only be consumed once. If you take the pill more than once, it will do nothing. You could say it was worth it, but unfortunately, the longevity of a year was not very meaningful. ” Seeing how charming and innocent Bai Xiaochun looked, the middle-aged cultivator decided to add a little more information.
“In general, this is a pill that the disciples will give to their mortal family members who reach the end of their lives. However, it is still very expensive. Do you want to take on the mission? ”
Bai Xiaochun looked back at the stone inscription, did some calculations, and then nodded.
The middle-aged cultivator waved his finger at the stone inscription, and his mission turned gray. At the same time, he took out a jade slip that he handed over to Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun left, holding the jade slip in his hand, the term “Long Life Enhancement Pill echoed in his mind. His eyes began to shine with firmness.
“I will definitely take that medicinal pill and make up for one year of my lost longevity.”
Full of determination, he rushed to the Four Seas Room, where he poured the information available to the servants. He soon found an introduction to Greenspirit Leaves, a type of medicinal plant that only grows in habitats occupied by Hopespirit Birds. Hopespirit Birds live in large colonies, and usually grow to the second level of Qi Condensation, making Greenspirit Leaves difficult to harvest. As a result, the cost tends to be expensive.
Unfortunately, there are no records in the Four Seas Room of the Earthdragon Fruit or Stonebeetle Husk. Bai Xiaochun patted his bag, smiled bitterly, and left. After returning to the Oven, he asked Big Fat Zhang and the others about them. No one had heard of the Earthdragon Fruit, but Third Fatty Hei knew about Stonebeetle Husk. Apparently, it was nothing more than an exoskeleton from a kind of Spirit Insect called Stonebeetle.
Supposedly, the outer skeleton was extremely strong and heavy, but it was rare on the south coast. However, they are commonly found on the north coast, as most of the techniques they plant there are shamanic magic. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the north and south coasts were part of the Spirit Flow Sect, they were separated by a main mountain bridge. Moreover, only Inner Sect disciples were qualified to be able to cross that mountain bridge to move from one beach to another.
“What do you ask about this medicinal herb?” Big Fatty Zhang asked, patting his stomach. “You can't eat it, you know. In addition, if you try to buy it in the southern edge market, the price is very high. ”
When Bai Xiaochun heard the word ‘pasar’ mentioned, his eyes suddenly sparkled. After giving a brief explanation, he rushed down the mountain. In the year he became part of the Oven, he had only come out of the sect on a few occasions, yet was very familiar with the market outside of the sect.
Most of the stalls were run by various clan cultivators related to sect disciples. There were even some places that were owned by disciples, and were reserved specifically for other disciples. Gradually, a set of unspoken rules had been set and obeyed by everyone.
In general, any supplies the Oven needs can be found here.
Bai Xiaochun took a walk in the market for a while and visited some medicinal plant shops. By the time he returned to the Oven, his brows were furrowed and he sighed left and right.
“Truly rip-off! Especially the Earth Dragon Fruit. All of them were a kind of fruit that grew underground. Why is this so expensive !? ” Bai Xiaochun was disappointed to learn that, given his current situation, he was basically unable to obtain the Longevity Enhancing Pill.
He basically had no concept of money. To him, no amount of wealth could compare to longevity. Unfortunately, he is currently short of funds. Furthermore, he knew that even though his elder brother had a very large stomach, their bag was as empty as his. They must not be richer than him.
Although no one would bother calling them to duty due to eating a small amount of food from the Oven's stock, if they tried to sell that food, the Supervisory Department would definitely arrest him, and would not be happy.
After thinking about this matter from various angles, Bai Xiaochun could not come up with any ideas on how to make money, other than selling some of his spirit-enhanced items.
However, it doesn't seem like the right thing to do. He continued to ponder the matter for a few more days. One morning, he was sitting cross-legged in his hut practicing cultivation when he heard the sound of bells echoing in the sect.
His voice was not too loud, and quickly disappeared. Bai Xiaochun slowly opened his eyes. He was not surprised by the bells. In fact, they call every month. He had learned from Big Fatty Zhang that the bells indicated that a trial with fire would begin for the servants. Anyone who succeeded would be given a place as an Outer Sect disciple.
For those extremely ambitious servants who wanted to become Outer Sect disciples, the first step to becoming the fish who leaped over the dragon gate was to reach the third level of Qi Condensation. Then they could select one of the trials by fire. The trials by fire were nothing more than a path of stone steps that led to the top of the mountain peak. However, that path was imbued with magical power, making each step extremely arduous. Anyone who managed to make it to the top would be qualified to become an Outer Sect disciple.
Unfortunately, the place in the Outer Sect was limited, so only the first three competitors to the top, the best of the best, could enter. After all, there were many servants in the Spirit Stream Sect. There are thousands and thousands on the southern edge alone. Therefore, there is always a fierce struggle to succeed.
Of course, Oven members would rather die from starvation in the Oven than try to climb the stairs in the Outer Sect. Therefore, on this particular day every month, they lifted their noses in all the frenzy.
Bai Xiaochun closed his eyes. However, a moment later, they opened, and a strange expression could be seen within. Then, they began to glitter with excitement as new ideas formed in his head. He jumped up and started pacing around inside his hut. After considering this idea for some time, a joyous expression appeared on his face.
This is the ticket! yells. Then he pushed his door open and shouted to Big Fatty Zhang and the others, who were currently arguing about which unlucky servant would be promoted to an Outer Sect disciple.
“Elder Brothers, I have found a way to get rich, but I need your help. Then we can all be rich together! ” He licked his lips and looked at Big Fatty Zhang and the others, his eyes shining.
Big Fatty Zhang was familiar with this expression; it was the same look on Bai Xiaochun's face as he brought up the idea of making the bottom of the bowl thicker. Considering how much the idea had benefited the Oven, Big Fat Zhang couldn't wait to hear Bai Xiaochun's idea.
“Ninth Fatty, what's your plan? To be honest, we are all really poor, and that is all the fault of that damned Supervisory Department. If it wasn't for them, we could have sold some of our goods and become completely rich! ” Big Fatty Zhang patted Bai Xiaochun on the shoulder, his eyes shining with anticipation.