Azure Mountain Town

Spirit Devouring Rats—

a kind of Low-level Demonic Beast especially harmful to the yields of Spirit Fields when Spirit crops were planted there.

They were no different from field mice in mortal farmlands.

The difference was that mortal field mice merely stole and ate ordinary grain crops,

while Spirit Devouring Rats stole and ate the Spirit Plants growing in Spirit Fields.

It was said that Spirit Devouring Rats were ordinary mice that had devoured spiritual energy and thus gained all manner of Demonic Power. But Zhang Qingyuan was no biologist, nor was he interested in getting to the bottom of the rats' origins.

The reason he had chosen this mission

was simply that although Spirit Devouring Rats were Demonic Beasts, they possessed virtually no offensive ability.

They were like monsters in a game

that had put all their skill points into support skills such as agility and stealth, and only knew how to make basic attacks.

Against such an opponent,

it was most suitable for Zhang Qingyuan's first battle, allowing him to gain combat experience fighting Demonic Beasts.

Besides,

there was

another relatively important reason:

Zhang Qingyuan held a considerable advantage in this mission—he knew the Manifestation Tracing Technique!

Spirit Devouring Rats had habits much like mortal field mice.

They hid by day and emerged at night.

After becoming Demonic Beasts, they knew how to wield Demonic Power

and use Innate Spells,

making their tracks even more elusive.

Only by finding the nests they hid deep in the mountains could one possibly corner and kill them. Otherwise, one could only sigh at the sight of rats, helplessly watching them ruin the Spirit crops.

As for the Manifestation Tracing Technique,

very few people in the Outer Sect knew it.

Cloud Water Sect housed a vast collection of spells. When the deans of other Separate Courtyards taught spells, they rarely taught such auxiliary arts. And even when someone like Headmaster Liu did teach it, few were willing to learn.

Moreover,

unless it was necessary,

no one would spend precious Sect Contribution Points to exchange for such a spell.

As a result,

this mission had hung in Area B for more than ten days

without anyone accepting it.

The person who posted it could only keep raising the reward.

For a mere Spirit Devouring Rat that even someone at the third or fourth level of the Spirit Essence Realm could kill, the reward had instead climbed all the way to 200 Contribution Points, plus a handful of Spirit Grain seeds—a generous sum indeed.

Yet no one accepted it.

Or rather, no one could complete it.

One had to know that two hundred Contribution Points were already worth two Spirit Stones. Let alone the handful of Spirit Grain seeds, which were worth more than One Pill Spirit Stone.

After killing the Spirit Devouring Rat,

selling it at the Marketplace as a Demonic Beast

would bring in several more Spirit Stones.

All together,

the Harvest from dealing with a Spirit Devouring Rat whose strength had not even reached the third or fourth level of the Spirit Essence Realm was no less than the rewards for certain Area A missions where teams hunted Late Spirit Essence Realm Demonic Beasts.

From what Zhang Qingyuan had learned from the menial Disciple who posted the mission,

the Cloud Water Sect Outer Sect had originally possessed a "rat-catching expert" who specialized in the Manifestation Tracing Technique. But not long ago, the man had accepted a relatively remote mission.

He had been unable to return in time.

Among the many Outer Sect Disciples, those who had cultivated this spell

either had missions on hand and could not leave,

or looked down on such a small reward.

So the mission had remained posted there.

This had allowed Zhang Qingyuan to pick up a bargain.

After accepting the mission,

he returned to the Inner Residence and prepared his weapons and protective gear.

Once he had made his plans,

Zhang Qingyuan headed down the mountain,

alternating between the Light Body Technique and Cloud Smoke Steps as he traveled.

After running one hundred and seventy li south,

he soon arrived at Azure Mountain Town.

[You used the Light Body Technique to travel. Constant use along the way has made your Light Body Technique more proficient. Your Light Body Technique proficiency +1]

[You used Cloud Smoke Steps to travel. Constant use along the way has made your Cloud Smoke Steps more proficient. Your Cloud Smoke Steps proficiency +1]

[After a period of cultivation and use, your clumsy understanding of Cloud Smoke Steps suddenly became clear. Your Cloud Smoke Steps have advanced! Your Cloud Smoke Steps have reached Minor Accomplishment!]

Light Body Technique: (Third Layer: 10/1000 (+1))

Cloud Smoke Steps: (Minor Accomplishment: 1/100 (+2))

After the journey,

he had unexpectedly gained a little.

Even his Cloud Smoke Steps had broken through into Minor Accomplishment.

It put Zhang Qingyuan in a fine mood.

Azure Mountain Town

was surrounded by mountains on all sides. Within the mountain ranges, giant trees ten or twenty zhang tall could be seen everywhere. Only a plain basin spanning more than ten kilometers lay amid the encircling mountains.

Azure Mountain Town had been built at the edge of that basin plain.

Roughly Two Hundred Years ago,

a Spirit Spring had appeared near Green Mountain Village.

Overnight,

an ordinary spring began to emit a trickle of spiritual energy.

Although the news was later reported to Cloud Water Sect,

and Sect cultivators came several times to investigate whether there were any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures,

they found nothing.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy emitted by the Spirit Spring was not much.

Sending people to occupy and guard it was not worth the cost.

Thus, Cloud Water Sect abandoned the idea of claiming the Spirit Spring.

What followed was that several insignificant Cultivation Families and Small Factions began slaughtering and fighting over it.

These so-called insignificant small Cultivation Families and factions

had only three or four cultivators in their families, with the strongest not even reaching the Mid Spirit Essence Realm.

This Spirit Spring

was a Chicken Rib that Cloud Water Sect could discard with a casual toss,

but to those insignificant Cultivation Families with only A Few Stragglers,

it was the foundation upon which a family could establish itself for generations!

The conflict was particularly brutal.

Until eventually, a small Cultivation Family surnamed Hu emerged victorious from the struggle, seized the Spirit Spring, and used it for cultivation while diverting its waters to irrigate the land and create Spirit Fields.

Over two hundred years,

the former Green Mountain Village had become Azure Mountain Town.

The little Hu Family had worked diligently through generations of inheritance and effort, creating twenty mu of Spirit Fields near the Spirit Spring.

As a force under Cloud Water Sect's jurisdiction,

every year,

the Hu Family handed over half of the Harvest from their Spirit Fields to Cloud Water Sect.

In return, Cloud Water Sect acknowledged the Hu Family's position in Azure Mountain Town and protected their family enterprise from being wantonly plundered by other outside Cultivation Powers.

But that was all.

As for anything else,

such as during the planting and Harvest seasons for Spirit Plants, or when problems arose in the Spirit Fields, if they wished to ask people from Cloud Water Sect for help, they could only spend their own resources to post missions in the Outer Sect or Inner Sect, asking Cloud Water Sect Disciples to Made a move.

Cloud Water Sect would not concern itself with such trivial matters.

In truth,

in Zhang Qingyuan's view,

that fifty percent Harvest tribute

was more like protection money paid to a gang.

Before the sun had even set, Zhang Qingyuan had already strolled leisurely to the edge of Azure Mountain Town.

There,

the Hu Clan Leader had long since led his clansmen in waiting.