With matters in the Red Dust Pure Land settled, and no telling when Red Dust Fairy would awaken again, Jiang Li no longer remained there. Instead, he instructed them to keep Red Dust Fairy's situation strictly confidential and never spread word of it. Otherwise, given Red Dust Fairy's charm, who knew how many storms and disputes she might stir up.
He made a trip to the Dao Sect and obtained a Remote Communication Talisman from the Dao Sect Master.
"Hmm? Every time you asked me for a Remote Communication Talisman before, you looked as if it pained you to part with it. Why are you being so generous this time?" Seeing the Dao Sect Master's beaming smile, Jiang Li could not shake the feeling that he was up to no good.
The Dao Sect Master looked about Jiang Li's age. Both appeared as youths, in the full bloom of life.
With his hands behind his back, he said with a smile, "The Dao Sect has produced an emissary of remarkable talent. How could I, as its master, not be delighted?"
"For you to call them remarkably talented, they must be an extraordinary junior. I wonder what sort of genius they are. If it isn't troublesome, why not bring them over for me to see?" Jiang Li was interested as well. If he could witness the growth of a talented junior, then as the Guardian of the Nine Provinces, he would have a share of the accomplishment too.
The Dao Sect Master continued smiling. "Not troublesome, not troublesome. You know this person too."
"Oh, a junior I know?"
The Dao Sect Master's smile vanished as he said sternly, "Zhang Li, as a Dao Sect Emissary, why do you not bow upon seeing your sect master?!"
Jiang Li's smile froze.
Later, Dao Sect disciples described how a strange man had wailed in the skies above the sect, with an angry roar faintly audible: "Ji Zhi and I are irreconcilable!"
Very quickly, the Dao Sect Master came forward to dispel the rumor. It had not been faintly audible. Someone had indeed been shouting, "Ji Zhi and I are irreconcilable!"
Soon afterward, the reigning Human Emperor issued a statement, calling upon everyone not to spread rumors or believe them.
Jiang Li gave the Remote Communication Talisman to the Red Dust Pure Land, telling them to inform him if Red Dust Fairy showed any signs of movement.
The Red Dust Pure Land naturally agreed. Their Red Dust Ancestor was an immortal from the Upper Realm, her cultivation unfathomably deep. If she caused any trouble, Jiang Li might be the only one capable of dealing with it.
Jiang Li returned to Great Zhou once more, not to trouble Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi, but to complete the task assigned by the system.
Fortunately, this task was simple. Yun Bo of the Cloud Transformation Faction was still alive. Because he had taken a Longevity Pill, he could live another two hundred years, and he still looked like a middle-aged man.
Cultivators enjoyed long lives, and their appearances did not change according to lifespan, but according to the state of their hearts.
For example, Jiang Li and the Dao Sect Master both looked like youths, which showed that their hearts were young, brimming with vitality, quick in thought, and vigorous in blood and qi. This was the spiritual state most advocated by cultivators, though very few could attain it.
For example, the female cultivators of the Red Dust Pure Land all possessed the appearance of women at their most beautiful age.
For example, Yuan Wu Xing. His cultivation was ordinary, and he had suffered setbacks and blows in the martial world. His conduct had changed from impulsive to steady, so he appeared middle-aged.
Then there was the deceased Jiang Yixing. He had clung single-mindedly to life, and thus looked extremely old.
Under the pretext of visiting an old acquaintance and offering guidance in cultivation, Jiang Li had a match with Yun Bo and completed the task with ease.
Congratulations, Host. You have defeated Yun Bo with wisdom and sweat. Would you like to claim your rewards? Task rewards: one opportunity for enlightenment, one High-Grade Spirit Tool in any chosen form (can advance), one Mysterious Map Fragment Because the Host defeated Yun Bo, who was at Foundation Establishment Early Stage, while at Qi Refining Ninth Layer, you have achieved "Qi Refining Defeats Foundation Establishment"
Jiang Li could not even be bothered to complain about the system's utterly mismatched task settlement wording. If there had been a fast-forward button, he would definitely have chosen to skip the settlement.
"Claim the rewards."
Another surge of pure power descended from the Void and poured into Jiang Li's body.
This power was terrifyingly potent, enough to allow a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator to leap straight into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A leaf drifted down. Jiang Li blew a breath at it and stripped the power away once more.
Please choose the form of the High-Grade Spirit Tool
"Swiss Army Knife."
...No match found for "Swiss Army Knife." Please choose again.
"AK47."
...No match found for "AK47." Please choose again.
"Tiger Tank."
...No match found for "Tiger Tank." Please choose again.
"Kitchen Knife."
...No match found... Match found for High-Grade Spirit Tool "Bloodstained Bone Chopping Knife"
The system had instinctively begun to reply, "No match found," only to realize halfway through that this time, it actually could match a corresponding spirit tool.
A Kitchen Knife gleaming with a faint cold light appeared in Jiang Li's hand.
"Bloodstained Bone Chopping Knife," High-Grade Spirit Tool. Bathed in vast quantities of blood, it draws vitality from blood and can advance into a Mid-Grade Magic Tool Spirit tool binding method: bind through a drop of blood
This reward from the system was more than generous. For cultivators who had just stepped onto the path of cultivation, a High-Grade Spirit Tool was an exceptionally rare weapon, one sufficient to use through the Late Stage Golden Core. A Mid-Grade Magic Tool was even more extraordinary; some Spirit Transformation cultivators were still using them.
For Jiang Li, who had just been infused with energy by the system and become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this was simply a supreme weapon!
Oh, right. I'm at the Great Ascension Stage. Never mind.
Jiang Li stared at the system's descriptions—"draws vitality from blood and can advance into a Mid-Grade Magic Tool" and "bind through a drop of blood"—and fell into deep thought.
"Are you sure it can bind through a drop of blood?"
Please do not doubt this system's professionalism
Jiang Li understood. He bit his finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the Kitchen Knife's surface.
The Kitchen Knife trembled unceasingly, radiating visible light as its aura rose without stop. High-Grade Spirit Tool... Top-Grade Spirit Tool... Low-Grade Magic Tool... Mid-Grade Magic Tool... high-grade explosi—
With a boom, the Kitchen Knife could not withstand the vitality contained within a single drop of Jiang Li's blood and exploded outright.
"Professionalism."
"...I told you it couldn't bind through a drop of blood, but you refused to believe me. If I call you a useless system, you don't object, right?"
The system pretended not to hear Jiang Li's complaint.
Please receive the map fragment
A map fragment shimmering with golden light appeared in Jiang Li's hand. The golden glow slowly faded, gradually revealing the fragment's form.
Tired of waiting, Jiang Li blew away the golden glow and looked directly at the fragment.
The fragment was the size of a palm and made of parchment. It bore a map with only a few markings.
Qian Yuan Secret Realm Map (1/3). Complete subsequent tasks to obtain the remaining fragments
Jiang Li scratched his chin, took out a jade slip from his Storage Ring, and poured spiritual power into it. The entire Nine Provinces Map appeared before him, its mountains, rivers, and cities displayed in exhaustive detail.
He scanned the Nine Provinces Map with his Divine Sense and compared it to the Qian Yuan Secret Realm map fragment. Before long, he found the location of the Qian Yuan Secret Realm: on a certain mountain in the Great Wei Empire.
Congratulations, Host. You have accidentally discovered the Qian Yuan Secret Realm. The rewards for subsequent tasks have been changed
Whether it was an illusion or not, Jiang Li heard a thick sense of frustration in the system notification.
System notice: the Qian Yuan Secret Realm is too dangerous for the Host. Please explore it only after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm
Jiang Li immediately lost interest in this Qian Yuan Secret Realm.
Danger and reward went hand in hand. If it was a Secret Realm that could be explored at the Nascent Soul Realm, could it possibly contain treasures capable of moving those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage or the Great Ascension Stage?
Before you continue