After the personnel list was confirmed, Chu Xiaotian and the other three continued to practice their combat Spells, while Tang Yingjiang stayed in the Outer Sect Disciple area, only occasionally seeking out Chu Xiaotian.
As the departure date approached, Tang Feiyan came to inform them: “Frost Leaf Valley and Sheyun Mountain had a dispute, and Junior Martial Uncle Huo and other Junior Martial Uncles need to go handle it, so the cultivation mission will be postponed by two months.”
Chu Xiaotian knew about Sheyun Mountain; it was a School with strength similar to Frost Leaf Valley, also having a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor overseeing it.
What kind of dispute required so many people to resolve, even postponing such an important cultivation mission by two months?
However, a two-month postponement was just right; it gave them a chance to further improve their strength.
During the two-month waiting period, besides collecting trash and sparring, Chu Xiaotian went to Tang Feiyan’s Immortal Cave every three or four days, either to ask questions or to demand Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, making Tang Feiyan extremely annoyed.
He gave the obtained Medicinal Pills to Shi Qiankai and Gu Junshan, keeping the Spirit Stones for himself. Each time, he swore an oath, patting his chest, guaranteeing that he could raise his cultivation by one level before departure.
Tang Yingjiang laughed, “This kid from the Chu Family is very well-connected in Frost Leaf Valley! Even the Outer Sect Disciples are very familiar with him! He’s much stronger than your previous Tang Ba, it’s just that he’s been here for too short a time.”
“Tang Ba was truly useless, staying for nearly ten years, and only able to relay messages and run errands. But this Chu Xiaotian is not honest, he acts on his own initiative and takes an inch for a mile. If it weren’t for the cultivation mission, I’d cleave him with a sword!” Tang Feiyan said resentfully.
“Hahaha, if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass. If he were as honest and obedient as Tang Ba, needing you to instruct him in everything, your mission would be in jeopardy,” Tang Yingjiang laughed. “This Chief Escort of the Chu River Escort Agency truly has real skill; his understanding of combat techniques is much deeper than mine!”
“With the three of them cooperating, I still haven’t come up with any way to break their formation,” Tang Feiyan fully agreed with her uncle on this point.
“You can’t break it, unless you use external objects or improve your own strength. Even if you change your moves, they will change too.”
Two months passed in a flash, and as expected, all three of them had increased their cultivation by one level. Chu Xiaotian and Gu Junshan reached the fifth level, and Shi Qiankai reached the sixth level.
The departing team this time was enormous, numbering over a thousand people.
The leader, Junior Martial Uncle Huo, was named Huo Dongqing. He had Golden Core cultivation. Because he was of the same generation of Disciples as Tang Feiyan’s Master, Tang Feiyan called him Junior Martial Uncle. Chu Xiaotian, however, could not call him Junior Martial Uncle; he had to respectfully call him Old Ancestor Huo.
Many people came to see them off. Tang Feiyan’s Master was also by her side, continuously giving her instructions, as the danger factor of this trip was not small.
Chu Xiaotian was surrounded by a group of Utility Disciples. When they learned that Gu Junshan and Shi Qiankai could also participate in the cultivation mission, they were all filled with envy and practically revered Chu Xiaotian as a god.
When they usually saw him, their shouts of “Tian Ge” were louder and sweeter, and they eagerly completed the trash collection tasks assigned by Chu Xiaotian.
After bidding farewell to their relatives and friends, everyone boarded the School’s large flying boat, which could surprisingly accommodate over a thousand people.
Chu Xiaotian estimated that there were about two hundred Inner Sect Disciples participating in this cultivation mission. The Frost Leaf School had quite a large number of people!
The entire flying boat was filled with Cultivators at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, mostly wearing the attire of Outer Sect and Inner Sect Disciples.
Only Tang Feiyan’s team was different, with three Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, and notably, two of them were wearing the clothes of Utility Disciples.
As for Chu Xiaotian’s and Tang Yingjiang’s clothes, they were much more normal. Many Inner Sect Disciples’ attendants and relatives, who had Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation, also came to assist in the cultivation.
Tang Feiyan felt very embarrassed. She was the Young Miss of Tang Family Fortress and an Inner Sect Disciple in the School, yet her cultivation mission actually required the help of Utility Disciples.
Thinking of this, she glared fiercely at Chu Xiaotian.
Chu Xiaotian felt a chill down his spine, but he didn’t care and continued to admire the scenery from the flying boat.
Tang Feiyan was helpless with his demeanor and could only turn back to chat with Tang Yingjiang.
On the flying boat, they also saw Lu Changlin, leading five Outer Sect Disciples. Including himself, there were six Cultivators at Great Perfection of Qi Refining, a formidable force.
He also saw the Inner Sect Disciple surnamed Chen, whose strength was not weak either, with three at Late Stage and three at Perfection.
This mission was very simple: enter the Cloudbreak Mountains to hunt Yao Beasts and obtain the inner core of a second-tier Yao Beast.
However, only the top fifty teams would qualify to enter the Langhuan Secret Realm later.
If more than fifty teams obtained a second-tier Yao core, the ranking would be determined by the number of Yao cores.
Frost Leaf Valley was very close to the Cloudbreak Mountains, almost adjacent. The flying boat reached the edge of the Cloudbreak Mountains in half a day.
After everyone disembarked from the flying boat, Huo Dongqing said, “The mission is to be completed freely, and the time limit is two months. We will gather here in two months; anyone late will be left behind and will have to run back themselves. Remember one rule when entering the mountains for cultivation: no harming fellow Disciples. Anyone who violates this will be executed without exception!”
He then went on to explain some precautions, but no one listened carefully. After all, everyone had done detailed preparation before coming here.
After he finished speaking, everyone scattered, rushing into the mountains.
Tang Feiyan also led her team into the mountains, with Tang Yingjiang as the leader. He was an experienced Late Stage Cultivator who often traveled for the Tang Family Fortress, and was very seasoned.
After walking for more than ten days, Yao Beasts gradually became more numerous. Most of the Yao Beasts did not require Tang Feiyan or Tang Yingjiang to act; Chu Xiaotian and the other three handled them.
Because before their departure, he had discussed terms with Tang Feiyan: whoever killed it, it belonged to them. This made the four of them very proactive in hunting Yao Beasts.
Unfortunately, some first-tier Yao Beasts did not have Yao cores, which were the most valuable items.
When Tang Feiyan wanted to act, Chu Xiaotian stopped her and shared his experience as an escort leader: when encountering an Enemy, as the escort leader, he would not easily make a move, even if someone was injured. Because not acting himself was a deterrent to the Enemy and also increased the confidence of his own people. Most importantly, if the opponent had a hidden move, he could immediately respond.
Yao Beasts ran rampant in these mountains. What if another Yao Beast appeared during a fight? What if they encountered other Cultivators with malicious intentions?
His reasoning left Tang Feiyan speechless, and even Tang Yingjiang strongly agreed.
After a month of killing, the four of them had a full harvest, but unfortunately, the flesh and blood could only be roasted and eaten on the spot, and the rest had to be painfully discarded because the ancient cauldron was not brought along.
However, Chu Xiaotian would not joke with his own life. After each battle, the four of them summarized their experiences and discussed gains and losses. Tang Yingjiang was an elder and did not join them, only guarding Tang Feiyan’s side.
Tang Feiyan was getting a bit impatient; half the time had passed, and she hadn’t even seen a shadow of a second-tier Yao Beast. The team could only speed up their progress.
Soon, they encountered their first second-tier Yao Beast, a Mud Crocodile Yao Beast. The biggest characteristic of this Yao Beast was its thick skin and rough flesh, and its Spells were generally earth or water-based.
Their luck was not bad; they didn’t encounter any troublesome ones. The three Late Stage Cultivators were responsible for killing this second-tier Yao Beast, while Chu Xiaotian and the other two were responsible for killing the three first-tier ones nearby.
After assigning personnel, they split up. When Tang Yingjiang was about to set up a Spell formation, Chu Xiaotian suggested, “Set up the Spell formation nearby. Preventing people is more important than hunting Yao Beasts. Hunting Yao Beasts might just take a bit more effort; as long as we pay attention to cooperation, this Mud Crocodile Yao Beast won’t cause fatal injuries, but Cultivators with ill intentions are different.”