Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
Business at the Xuanhua Fragrance Shop was booming, and everything else remained as tranquil as ever.
The troubles Yuan Ming had anticipated never arose; the people from Zhenling Sect had not found their way here.
In the secret chamber of residence number eighty-six, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, his body faintly radiating a green glow.
Thanks to the income from the fragrance shop, he had access to a nearly endless supply of cultivation pills. He had started with just the Four Spirits Pill, but later added the more effective and nearly four hundred spirit stones per bottle He Liquid Pill to his regimen.
It was said to be the best cultivation pill for those at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, a treatment akin to what direct disciples of a sect like Changchun View would receive.
With the aid of the Zixuan Fragrance, his cultivation had progressed rapidly, and he had now reached the peak of the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.
Yuan Ming opened his eyes, which flickered with a divine light, and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. After composing himself, he took out a white pill and swallowed it, causing the green light around his body to brighten significantly.
This white pill, known as the Ninghua Pill, was designed to help break through the bottlenecks of Foundation Establishment.
Yuan Ming closed his eyes again, inhaled the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, and circulated the Nine Elements Formula to refine the Ninghua Pill, attempting to break through the bottleneck of the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.
***
Before long, powerful surges of magical power erupted within him, spreading out like a tide. The secret chamber was enveloped in a silver light screen formed by silver tokens, blocking all the magical fluctuations. This state lasted for a quarter of an hour before the green light around Yuan Ming dimmed, and the tumultuous magical power returned to calm.
"Cultivating at the Foundation Establishment stage is indeed much more difficult than at the Qi Refining stage," he muttered to himself with a hint of resignation.
This was his third attempt to break through the bottleneck in just over a month.
Yuan Ming decided not to continue his seclusion. He checked the time, got up, left the fragrance shop, rode his magical instrument out of the city, and returned to Leizhou City. He found a teahouse to sit down, having already discreetly released a Soul Crow to monitor his surroundings.
***
Soon, a short figure draped in a gray robe entered the teahouse, casually scanning the patrons before taking a seat by the window and ordering a pot of tea.
Yuan Ming approached the figure and tentatively asked, "Grandma, it's been a long time. You look just as I remember from my childhood."
The person in the gray robe looked up to see Yuan Ming, her face lighting up with joy and a touch of affection, "You've grown so much, and you look just like your mother."
She lifted her hood to reveal the face of a middle-aged woman in her forties, with fine lines around her eyes and hair that was black with strands of white. Her eyes were bright and sharp as she carefully examined Yuan Ming's features. However, she quickly feigned annoyance, "You've been in Leizhou and didn't come to see me, making me worry for so long."
"I didn't want to cause trouble for you, Grandma," Yuan Ming replied. "What trouble could I possibly have at my age?" Grandma scoffed.
"I heard you were coming to Leizhou, so I immediately left my seclusion. I waited and waited but couldn't find you; you nearly drove me to my wits' end. Besides, if Changchun View were to seek revenge on you, wouldn't they be ashamed?" Grandma said.
"Still, it's best to be cautious; hidden dangers are hard to predict," Yuan Ming replied.
Over the past few years, he felt his life in Xiaohu City had been relatively stable. Occasionally, he would send letters to reassure his parents, without revealing his exact location. Recently, he had made contact with Grandma, who had arranged to meet him at this teahouse in Leizhou City, claiming she had a matter to entrust to him.
"Ah, Ming, you're so mature for your age. If only your cousin had half your sense, I could die in peace. I didn't want to trouble you, but in a few days, your cousin Xu Tian will be going out for training. Recently, a vicious criminal has been hunting Qi Refining cultivators near Leizhou, and many have fallen victim. I can't help but worry, but the sect leader has assigned me tasks I can't refuse. After much thought, I had no choice but to ask for your help." Grandma sighed with a look of apology.
Before Yuan Ming could respond, Grandma continued, "I understand your predicament. If you're too busy, could you recommend a reliable friend instead? I trust your judgment."
"You worry too much, Grandma. I happen to be free during this period, though I can't approach openly; I can provide covert protection," Yuan Ming replied after a moment's thought.
"You needn't worry about that. Every year, the sect issues tasks at the Loose Cultivators' Meeting, and any qualified loose cultivator can participate. When the time comes, you can join under an alias," Grandma said, delighted.
Yuan Ming then inquired about the details of the task, politely declined the pills and spirit stones Grandma had brought for him, and instead gifted her with numerous cultivation pills and fragrances as a token of filial piety. After all, before he had set foot on the path of immortality, Grandma had been very fond of his mother and had taken good care of his family.
Even when he had offended Changchun View and was in need of refuge, she had been willing to take him in, although he had not gone to her for shelter.
While Grandma was pleased, she also reminded Yuan Ming to be careful at all times.
After bidding her farewell, Yuan Ming returned to Xiaohu City.
***
A few days later, the task hall of the Loose Cultivators' Meeting was bustling with activity. Cultivators in various attire gathered in groups, their conversations creating a cacophony of noise. The attendants behind the counter were swamped with work, and there seemed to be more people than usual.
Seeing how busy the attendants were, Yuan Ming asked for a jade slip with the task list and began to examine it closely. The list contained hundreds of tasks, each with different requirements and rewards.
Simple tasks like escorting cultivators or transporting goods offered low rewards but were low-risk and didn't take much time, though they did require a certain level of credibility and cultivation from the taker. Adventure tasks were the opposite, with almost no entry barrier and considerable rewards.
However, each task had two notes attached: one detailing the potential dangers to make takers think twice, and the other recording the number of cultivators who had taken the task but had not returned within the specified time.
For example, a task to explore a secret realm within the borders of Zhao Country offered a reward of a thousand spirit stones, but the dangers were unknown, and thirteen cultivators had already failed to return. Because of the high difficulty and low completion rate of adventure tasks, they often made up a large portion of past task lists. Simple escort tasks, on the other hand, were usually taken shortly after they appeared and rarely stayed on the list for long.
However, Yuan Ming noticed that today's list had an unusually high number of escort tasks, mostly for Qi Refining cultivators.
He thought of the criminal Grandma mentioned who targeted Qi Refining cultivators and discreetly asked an attendant about it.
"There have been some disturbances lately, but nothing significant for a senior like yourself. It's just that a nameless cultivator has emerged in Leizhou, targeting lone Qi Refining cultivators. So far, over a dozen have been killed," the attendant replied.
Yuan Ming feigned surprise, "Really? Has anyone figured out who he is?"
"This person is very skilled at evading detection. Xiaohu City has organized several search parties to no avail. Now, the affected sects have taken the lead, offering rewards for information on him. If you're interested, Senior, you can join the investigation. If you can capture him, the association will offer a substantial reward," the attendant said respectfully.
Yuan Ming nodded noncommittally, and seeing his lack of interest, the attendant tactfully excused himself, leaving Yuan Ming to continue perusing the task list.
Not long after the attendant left, two cultivators approached Yuan Ming and greeted him with a bow. "Excuse the intrusion, fellow Daoist," said one, a burly man with a full beard, who despite his rough appearance, spoke with great politeness.
The other cultivator wore a green robe and held a whisk, his eyes squinted into slits and a faint smile on his lips, giving off a friendly vibe.
"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Yuan Ming asked, turning to them. He had noticed someone observing him during his conversation with the attendant, and his tone was slightly brusque. Judging by their aura, they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators like himself.
"Hehe, we're not here to instruct you, but we noticed your distinguished air and assume you possess remarkable abilities. We happen to have a task that requires more hands. Would you be interested?" the bearded man flattered.
"Sorry, I prefer to work alone and am not interested in joining others," Yuan Ming declined without hesitation, ready to walk away.
"Wait, fellow Daoist, hear us out before you decide," the bearded man said with a smile.
Yuan Ming stopped and turned back, his face showing a touch of aloofness, but the bearded man continued, undeterred. "You must have heard from the Loose Cultivators' Association about the reward for capturing the culprit who attacks Qi Refining cultivators. To be honest, my companion Liao here has a unique technique that can pinpoint the culprit's location. We would have been enough, but considering the cunning of the criminal, we wanted to prevent his escape, so we invited you to join us. Of course, you'll get a share of the reward if we succeed. What do you say?"
Yuan Ming frowned, skeptical. "If the criminal only targets lone Qi Refining cultivators, it means his strength is limited. You two are at Foundation Establishment; are you still afraid he'll escape?"
"That's where you're wrong. Not to mention that Foundation Establishment cultivators have joined the association's previous capture teams and still failed to find him, there's another matter that might change your mind about his strength." the bearded man said, looking around and lowering his voice.
"Two years ago, an elder from Zhenling Sect was killed in the wilderness near Xiaohu City. Zhenling Sect was enraged and spent a lot of effort searching for the murderer, even posting a high-reward task, which remains unclaimed to this day. The killer's whereabouts are still unknown." the bearded man explained.
Yuan Ming was inwardly shocked but maintained a composed expression and nodded, asking, "Oh, I've heard about that. But what does it have to do with the criminal targeting Qi Refining cultivators?"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan