Tang Hongliang, Wang Kun, and the others, like Li Mu, all had corresponding Managing Disciple responsibilities; some were in charge of spirit ore mines, some of hunting Cultivators, and some of Spirit Medicine collection, each carrying a large amount of Cultivation resources to hand over to the Sect.
The five of them traveled together, flying towards Gangyang City, being careful all the way, deeply afraid of encountering rogue Cultivators.
These Outer Sect Disciples managed towns, spirit mountains, and spirit mines for the Qingxuan Sect, maintaining the Qingxuan Sect's interests within its jurisdiction, representing the Qingxuan Sect's face. Generally, Loose Cultivators and Family forces would never dare to act against them, otherwise, they would face the Qingxuan Sect's furious retaliation and relentless pursuit.
What they feared most was encountering hostile Sect forces, who would infiltrate the Qingxuan Sect's controlled areas, specifically targeting Outer Sect Disciples transporting Cultivation resources to their superiors, slaughtering Managing Disciples, and incidentally plundering a wave of Cultivation resources.
"After flying over this mountain range, it's probably fifty more li to Gangyang City. This assignment should be successfully delivered," Wang Kun said with a joyful expression, mentally calculating what Sect contributions he would exchange after completing this assignment.
"Yes! Let's all push forward with full strength! We'll rest once we reach Gangyang City!" Nangong Hong also looked pleased and suggested.
"Wait, it seems there's an ambush!" Li Mu quickly spoke to stop them, signaling.
What!
The four were all startled, their sword-riding speed plummeted, and they gazed down at the mountain range with uncertainty.
"Where's the ambush? Don't scare me!" Tang Hongliang widened his eyes, scanning the mountain range below repeatedly, but found nothing.
"Senior Brother Nangong, quickly launch a distress flare! Everyone, split up and run immediately!" Li Mu didn't bother to respond to Tang Hongliang, instructing Nangong Hong.
Before he finished speaking, Li Mu released a Spirit Boat from his Storage Pouch and flew into it.
The next second, with a "whoosh," the Spirit Boat shot away from its original position with lightning speed, turning into a black dot in the blink of an eye, its figure rapidly disappearing into the horizon.
Seeing this, the four were all stunned. Immediately, they saw five dark figures rapidly pouncing on them from ahead. They were clearly the rogue Cultivators who had ambushed them; having been discovered early, they were forced to act hastily.
The four were startled and instantly scattered like a flock of birds, flying off in all directions on their swords.
While fleeing, Nangong Hong did not forget to heed Li Mu's advice and conveniently launched a distress flare, calling for help from Qingxuan Sect Disciples within twenty to thirty li.
"Damn it, how did they discover us from so far away? One person chase one, resolve the battle quickly."
The leading black-robed rogue Cultivator ordered in exasperation. He couldn't understand how the young man who escaped on the Spirit Boat had discovered them; since he had already escaped, they could only chase the other four.
Nangong Hong frantically swallowed a few Spirit Pills and Qi Burst Pills, fleeing for his life on his sword, speeding towards a small town twenty li away. However, he found that the person chasing him was actually a Foundation Establishment rogue Cultivator, and the distance was not only not widening but rapidly closing.
With no other option, Nangong Hong plunged into the dense forest.
...
Li Mu piloted the Spirit Boat, increased his flight altitude, and flew at full speed towards Gangyang City to summon reinforcements.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Li Mu arrived at Gangyang City. After landing, he immediately put away the Spirit Boat and used the Five Elements Earth Escape to travel, reaching the inner city after a few shifts.
"Guo Senior Brother, Guo Senior Brother, we were attacked! Senior Brother Nangong and the others are being pursued by five black-robed rogue Cultivators!" Li Mu jogged all the way to the Contribution Hall, seeking help from Guo Changming.
"What! You were robbed? Go to the Enforcement Hall for help! Why come to me!" Guo Changming was startled and asked exasperatedly.
"I don't know the Senior Brothers in the Enforcement Hall, so I had to come to Guo Senior Brother," Li Mu quickly said.
"Come on, follow me!" Guo Changming immediately pulled Li Mu and hurried to the Enforcement Hall.
At the Enforcement Hall, four Foundation Establishment Cultivators heard the commotion and walked out first, followed by a group of Qi Refining Peak Disciples.
"Where did you encounter the rogue Cultivators? Quickly explain the situation clearly!" A leading Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator, with a sword scabbard on his back, looked at Li Mu and questioned him aggressively.
"Near Six Blessings Peak, a team of five black-robed Foundation Establishment Cultivators," Li Mu quickly explained.
"Five Foundation Establishment Cultivators? How did you escape?" The Sword Cultivator was startled and looked at Li Mu, asking inquisitively.
"For this mission, I specifically rented a second-tier Spirit Boat from a Senior as a precaution. Relying on it, I escaped the scene first and came to summon reinforcements!" Li Mu quickly took out the second-tier Light Cloud Spirit Boat from his Storage Pouch and explained.
Upon seeing the second-tier Light Cloud Spirit Boat, everyone immediately understood.
"Well done!" The Sword Cultivator gave Li Mu a meaningful look and praised him.
"We'll depart immediately. Ye Ming, you stay and record the details for him." The Sword Cultivator gave an order to an Enforcement Disciple, then soared into the air, releasing a warship dozens of times larger than the Light Cloud Spirit Boat.
Seeing this, the others followed suit, flying onto the warship.
With a "clash," it sped towards Six Blessings Peak with lightning speed, leaving a trace of distorted spatial spiritual power in the air.
"A third-tier warship is much faster than your Spirit Boat. Perhaps it can save the other Junior Brothers," the remaining Enforcement Disciple, Ye Ming, said with a smile to Li Mu, then asked with concern, "Do you remember the appearances of those rogue Cultivators?"
"Yes, I do. Senior Brother, please give me paper and a pen, or a blank Jade Slip will do. I can draw their appearances," Li Mu said, putting the Light Cloud Spirit Boat back into his Storage Pouch and gesturing to Ye Ming.
Having learned Formation, carving, Spiritual Charms Drawing, and other skills, Li Mu indirectly also mastered superb drawing techniques. He had scanned the faces of several rogue Cultivators with his Divine Sense, and now he was fully confident in drawing their external features.
"Being able to draw on a Jade Slip would be even better, Junior Brother, I trouble you!" Ye Ming was overjoyed and took out a blank Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch, handing it to Li Mu.
Li Mu took the blank Jade Slip, closed his eyes slightly, and immersed his Divine Sense, engraving the appearances, styles, clothing, and features of the five black-robed rogue Cultivators one by one into the Jade Slip. As long as one immersed their Divine Sense to view it, they could see their external features, which was very convenient.
Li Mu deliberately delayed for about a quarter of an hour before handing the Jade Slip to Ye Ming: "Senior Brother, please take a look."
Ye Ming happily took the Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense to browse it.
"So it's those scoundrels from the Corpse Refinement Sect and Profound Yin Sect!" Ye Ming immediately recognized the five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Jade Slip and happily said to Li Mu, "Junior Brother, you did well. When those five guys are caught, the Enforcement Hall will definitely recommend you for a reward."
"Thank you, Senior Brother! What else do I need to do?" Li Mu thanked him gratefully and asked with concern.
"Nothing else. Give me your Disciple token. Just don't leave Gangyang City for now. As for other matters, we'll make a decision after Senior Brother Zhou and the others return," Ye Ming waved his hand, signaling.
"He still has a mission. Let him first hand over the Spirit Plant Division mission, then send his Disciple token over!" Guo Changming, who was watching from the side, quickly interjected.
"Oh, right! Junior Brother, you first go to the warehouse to hand in your mission. After you're done, send your Disciple token to me," Ye Ming suddenly realized and quickly signaled.
"Okay! Senior Brother Ye!" Li Mu readily agreed, turned, and left the Enforcement Hall, heading to the warehouse for handover.
...
By the time Li Mu returned from the warehouse, an hour had already passed.
When he arrived at the Enforcement Hall to hand over his Disciple token, Li Mu was startled; the Enforcement Hall was incredibly lively at the moment.
The Enforcement Disciples who had left earlier on the warship had already returned, each with more or less some injuries. Li Mu even saw Nangong Hong in a dying state, lying on the ground, receiving treatment from a doctor.
"Senior Brother Ye, were they caught? Is Senior Brother Nangong the only one left? What about the other Senior Brothers?" Li Mu walked over to Ye Ming and asked inquisitively.
Ye Ming looked at Li Mu, his expression depressed as he explained: "We only caught one Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Profound Yin Sect and successfully rescued Nangong Hong. Junior Brother Nangong was more cunning; he knew how to use the terrain to contend with the enemy and waited for rescue. The other Junior Brothers weren't so lucky; the other four rogue Cultivators also escaped."
Li Mu nodded, feeling very fortunate that he had slipped away quickly. Otherwise, facing several Foundation Establishment rogue Cultivators all at once, he probably wouldn't have had a good outcome either.
"Senior Brother, this is my Disciple token," Li Mu quickly handed his Disciple token to Ye Ming.
"No need! We caught one person, so this matter can be concluded! You did extremely well in this matter, being able to detect the ambush of several Foundation Establishment rogue Cultivators in advance, preserving your life, and promptly notifying the Enforcement Hall. You just wait to collect your reward!" Ye Ming smiled and politely refused, praising Li Mu.
"Senior Brother Ye, can I leave the Enforcement Hall now?" Li Mu asked with concern.
"Go busy yourself! The Enforcement Hall is swamped with things right now; we don't have time to entertain you," Ye Ming smiled and nodded, waving his hand.
Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Before leaving the Enforcement Hall, he went forward to carefully check Nangong Hong's condition.
Nangong Hong had no good skin left on his body, lying on the floor with only his eyes able to move. The doctor was nervously treating him, applying medicine, and bandaging wounds. Nangong Hong's body seemed to have lost all sensation, allowing himself to be manipulated.
Seeing Li Mu, Nangong Hong blinked his eyes a few times, and a tear welled up at the corner of his eye.
Nangong Hong was both regretful and angry. When he thought of Li Mu escaping alone on the Spirit Boat, he gritted his teeth in hatred. However, he also had to thank him for the timely warning and the rescue after his escape; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have waited for the Sect's reinforcements.
However, seeing Li Mu completely unharmed and even credited with rescuing fellow Disciples, Nangong Hong's anger surged uncontrollably.
"Don't get agitated. You're already so injured and still acting emotional. Do you not want to live?" Noticing Nangong Hong's abnormality, the doctor treating him became angry and scolded loudly.
Hearing this, Li Mu smiled self-deprecatingly, as if he had indeed stimulated Nangong Hong, and wisely retreated.
After leaving the Enforcement Hall, Li Mu went directly to the Hall of Dharma Transmission to inquire if the Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture had been delivered.
Hall of Dharma Transmission
As Li Mu stepped through the door, he saw a Transmitting Dharma Disciple sitting by a bookshelf, idly flipping through an ancient book.
"Senior Brother, this is my Disciple token. I exchanged for a Cultivation Technique last time; has it been delivered yet?" Li Mu walked straight up, handed his Disciple token to the Transmitting Dharma Disciple, and asked.
"Which Cultivation Technique?" The Transmitting Dharma Disciple closed his book and took the Disciple token.
"Yin Yang Five Elements Scripture!" Li Mu quickly reported the name.
"No, come back in two months," the Transmitting Dharma Disciple said upon hearing it, quickly returning the Disciple token.
"Uh! Disciple also wants to exchange for a Body Refining Cultivation Technique, Senior Brother, could you give me a Cultivation Technique catalog?" Li Mu quickly gestured.
The Transmitting Dharma Disciple nodded, immersed his Divine Sense into the Disciple token to check the Sect contribution points within, confirmed there were a thousand points, then took out a white Jade Slip and handed it to Li Mu: "Choose quickly, don't be too picky. Choose a Cultivation Technique that suits you."
"I will, thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother," Li Mu took the catalog Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense, carefully reviewing it.
"Giant Spirit Forging Body Art"
"Starlight Tempering Body Art"
"Golden Bone Body Forging Art"
"Mixed Spirit Spirit Refining Method"
"Three Revolutions Body Forging Art"
...
Li Mu immersed his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip, filtering for Cultivation Techniques related to Body Refining. The next second, a dense list of various Body Refining Cultivation Technique catalogs appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
Hundreds, even thousands, of Body Refining Cultivation Techniques. For a moment, Li Mu was overwhelmed and didn't know which Body Refining Cultivation Technique to choose.
Li Mu pondered briefly and immediately thought of a filtering method. He designed several filtering conditions: high Cultivation Technique Rank, greater power, low contribution point requirement for Elementary Cultivation Techniques, simple Cultivation conditions, no harsh resource requirements... As for Cultivation difficulty and incomplete manuals, these could be ignored.
Relying on the function of the proficiency panel, problems like Cultivation difficulty and the inability to Cultivate incomplete manuals later could all be solved.
Soon, hundreds, even thousands, of Body Refining Cultivation Techniques were quickly eliminated by Li Mu, leaving only a dozen or so Cultivation Techniques awaiting selection.
Li Mu immediately locked onto his target: "Spirit Devouring Body Nourishing Art," an Earth Rank incomplete Cultivation Technique that allowed Body Refining and body nourishing simply by eating. The Cultivation process involved efficiently absorbing various Yao Beasts, Spirit Pills, and Spirit Medicines by eating them, transforming them into bodily nourishment to achieve the goal of Body Refining.
The Qi Refining Stage portion of "Spirit Devouring Body Nourishing Art" coincidentally only required 1000 contribution points, which he could exchange after completing his contribution mission.
"Senior Brother, I've chosen. I want to exchange for the Qi Refining Stage of 'Spirit Devouring Body Nourishing Art,'" Li Mu returned the catalog Jade Slip to the Transmitting Dharma Disciple and signaled.
"'Spirit Devouring Life Nurturing Art' is an Earth Rank Cultivation Technique. Logically, it can be Cultivated to the Nascent Soul Realm. However, the Sect only has the Foundation Establishment portion; other Realms have long been lost. Are you sure you want to exchange for it?" The Transmitting Dharma Disciple looked at Li Mu and asked.
"Senior Brother, what should I pay attention to when Cultivating this Cultivation Technique? Are there any other flaws?" Li Mu nodded to confirm and asked with concern.
"Didn't you read the Cultivation Technique introduction? To Cultivate this Cultivation Technique, you need to prepare a large amount of Yao Beast meat, or Spirit Medicine, spiritual food ingredients. The higher the spiritual power, the better. You can Cultivate by just eating, which is very suitable for Disciples who don't like to Cultivate. The flaw is that it consumes a large amount of Cultivation resources, otherwise, progress will be slow," the Transmitting Dharma Disciple looked at Li Mu and introduced it carefully, then confirmed again: "If there are no problems, I'll help you exchange for it. This Cultivation Technique is available in the branch hall, so you don't have to wait for the Secret Manual to be sent from the main hall."
"Mm, I'll exchange for this Cultivation Technique, thank you, Senior Brother!" Li Mu nodded solemnly.
The Transmitting Dharma Disciple nodded understandingly, deducted a thousand contribution points from the Disciple token, and then handed Li Mu a green Jade Slip along with the Disciple token, solemnly instructing: "This method is only for your personal Cultivation; it must not be passed on to others! If you dare to violate this, you will be dealt with according to Sect regulations."
"Disciple understands!" Li Mu saluted and respectfully accepted the method.