Atop Xiu Mountain, a woman stared at the bag of medicinal herbs in her hand, her brow furrowed in thought. Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked ahead.

A young man slowly appeared on the horizon, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The woman’s voice was grave. "Another one come to challenge me?"

"That’s right," Wen Qingye said with a faint smile.

The woman snorted coldly. "You’re courting death. My Token is not something a mere Refining Spirit Eighth Layer Heaven cultivator like you can covet."

Wen Qingye just smiled and asked slowly, "May we begin?"

"Fine. I’ll give you a chance." The woman put away her bag, her gaze on Wen Qingye dripping with disdain.

But in the next instant, Wen Qingye was right in front of her.

"WHOOSH!"

All the woman heard was the wind rushing past her ears as her vision blurred into a daze.

’So fast!’

’Too fast!’

The next moment!

The woman threw her left arm up to block her chest and instinctively thrust her right palm forward.

"BOOM!"

Her delicate frame was sent flying backward. Her arm felt as if it were about to break, and her entire body went numb. The woman retreated a full thirty feet before she could steady herself, her eyes filled with unconcealable shock.

’I’m at the Peak of the Refining Spirit Ninth Layer, yet Wen Qingye defeated me with a single punch?’

"Hand over your Token," Wen Qingye said flatly.

As if a puppet, the woman nodded at his words. She took out her Token and handed it to Wen Qingye. He accepted it, turned, and left without another word.

Long after Wen Qingye’s back had vanished from sight, the woman fell into deep thought. ’Who is that man? Such incredible strength... It seems I can’t just focus on raising Spirit Beasts anymore. There are far too many geniuses in the Celestial Profound Sect.’

On the second day, Wen Qingye obtained the token for rank 1,854.

On the third day, the token for rank 1,797.

On the fourth day, the token for rank 1,523.

On the fifth day, the token for rank 1,507.

.....

On the seventeenth day, Wen Qingye looked at the token for rank 357 in his hand. His aura was unstable, and the Primordial Qi in his body was almost completely depleted. He had clearly just finished a fierce battle.

By now, Wen Qingye’s cultivation had already reached the Refining Spirit Tenth Layer. With days of continuous battles and the constant nourishment from the Profound Pearl Primordial Qi, his cultivation was advancing by leaps and bounds. He had just defeated a genius from the Jinfeng Ancient Country at the Yin Yang Realm Second Level to obtain the token he now held.

’Most of the people ranked higher than me are at the Yin Yang Realm Third Layer. Looks like I’ll have to stop and cultivate for a while.’ Wen Qingye put away the Token and slowly made his way toward Celestial Profound Mountain.

Over these seventeen days, the name Wen Qingye slowly began to draw attention. Many had begun to secretly watch this genius who had emerged from the Celestial Martial Country.

A Refining Spirit Ninth Layer cultivator who could defeat a Yin-Yang Realm master—especially since they were all disciples of the Celestial Profound Sect—was enough to attract some attention. But he was only just beginning to make a name for himself. It was like casting a stone into a vast ocean; the ripples he created were not yet large enough to draw the notice of the truly important.

Celestial Profound Mountain was, without a doubt, the liveliest place in the entire Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. It was the central hub of the outer region, second only to the Ten-Mile Cloud Mist.

At this moment, Celestial Profound Mountain was a sea of white-robed disciples. Some were chatting amongst themselves, while others were exchanging cultivation insights.

Next to the Celestial Profound Hall on Celestial Profound Mountain stood the Sacrificial Hall, the place where the Celestial Profound Sect issued its missions.

Inside the Sacrificial Hall, an old man stood beneath a large white cloth, his eyes shut. A crowd of Registered Disciples gathered around him. This was the Sacrificial Hall’s sole steward, Steward Bai.

Wen Qingye walked over as well, his gaze falling upon the white cloth.

The white cloth was covered with various Sect missions—some dangerous, others relatively easy. Completing them would earn one Sect Contribution Points and other rewards.

"A large number of bandits have appeared in the Jiu Country. This mission looks pretty easy."

"Easy? I heard the Monarch of the Jiu Country dispatched a great number of experts, including quite a few at the Yin Yang Realm Third Layer, but every single one of them was killed without exception."

"The Jiu Country is right next to our Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. How could there still be bandits?"

"Look at this one! Go to Shaoxia Mountain and find a Duobao Leaf, a Low-Level King Grade Heavenly and Earthly Treasure. It’s worth eight hundred Sect Contribution Points! You know, even the top-ranked Registered Disciple only gets one thousand points a month."

"Shaoxia Mountain? But there are Destruction Realm Demon Beasts roaming that mountain! That mission is way too hard."

.....

Wen Qingye scanned the board. Based on the crowd’s discussion, he found a mission that seemed suitable for his current abilities.

The Celestial Profound Mountain Domain was vast. Between its mountain ranges, Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi had condensed deep underground, forming rare veins that contained not only vast quantities of Primordial Stones but also other wondrous and exotic minerals.

Four Eyebrow Mountain contained one of the largest veins in the entire Celestial Profound Mountain Domain. The Celestial Profound Sect had opened it up to the disciples for mining. The Sect would take seventy percent of the harvest, while the disciple would receive a certain number of Sect Contribution Points and keep the remaining thirty percent.

Of course, mining here not only required great physical exertion but also came with considerable danger. The mine tunnels were a complex, crisscrossing maze, and it was not uncommon to run into strange Demon Beasts and other monsters. As a result, many disciples met with danger inside every year.

After reading this, Wen Qingye walked up to Steward Bai.

"I want to accept the mission to mine Primordial Stones on Four Eyebrow Mountain," Wen Qingye said, pointing at the cloth.

Steward Bai nonchalantly took out a white, jade-like object about half the size of his palm and handed it to Wen Qingye. "Mm. This is a Jade Scroll. Take this with you to Four Eyebrow Mountain."

"Register your name and the mission on it," Steward Bai added as Wen Qingye took the Jade Scroll.

Every disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect had to leave a record when accepting a mission, in case of any mishaps.

Four Eyebrow Mountain was located in the outer part of the Celestial Profound Mountain Domain, a considerable distance from Celestial Profound Mountain. Moreover, Wen Qingye still had to tend to the Spirit Field in the West Garden, so he couldn’t leave immediately.

Wen Qingye swiped a finger over the Jade Scroll, and the two words "Wen Qingye" were powerfully etched onto its surface.

"That will do," Steward Bai said with a nod.

Wen Qingye smiled, then turned and headed down Celestial Profound Mountain.

The West Garden was on the southeast side of Celestial Profound Mountain. It wasn’t too far, so it didn’t take long for Wen Qingye to get there.

The midday sun was soft and enchanting.

Blue sky, white clouds.

Within the West Garden, thousands of acres of Spirit Fields were neatly arrayed. A pleasant fragrance rose from the fresh, red earth, perfuming the entire area. An old man was leaning against a tree, a straw hat covering his face, seemingly asleep.

Wen Qingye slowly walked to the old man’s side. "Martial Uncle Chuu Guang, I would like to request half a month’s leave to handle a personal matter."

Chuu Guang didn’t move, asking casually, "Mm. The Spirit Field you manage is the one on the northwest side of the mountain, near the cliff, isn’t it?"

Wen Qingye remained silent, and Chuu Guang continued in a lazy drawl, "Go on, then. Too many Registered Disciples have been taking leave lately. I’ll personally look after your Spirit Field for you."

"Then I must thank you, Martial Uncle Chuu Guang." Wen Qingye nodded, a touch of gratitude in his heart. "I will take my leave now."

With that, Wen Qingye departed into the distance.

A moment later, Chuu Guang gently lifted his straw hat and couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation. "Why are so many disciples nowadays unwilling to settle down and study the Dao of Alchemy? It’s a real shame... a real shame."