Spirit-Devouring Profound Fire

Why would he be unwilling?

That godforsaken place, Hundred Herb Valley, had incredibly thin spiritual energy.

If he dared to refuse, his Flowing Cloud Technique would likely throw a fit.

Elder Xie nodded with a smile upon hearing this: "Good. Go pack your things at Hundred Herb Valley later; I will arrange for someone to find you."

"Understood."

Chen Xuan replied.

Following this, Elder Zhang continued to distribute rewards to the others.

The first place was Chen Xuan.

The second and third places were two other Spirit Body cultivators.

Chen Xuan had not encountered either of them throughout the ten days of the Floating Cloud Trial.

These two, a man and a woman, were somewhat surprised that Chen Xuan had secured first place.

Originally, they had both assumed that the top three would consist of the three Spirit Body cultivators this year.

As it turned out... Shen Xinghe had run into Chen Xuan.

This directly resulted in Shen Xinghe only placing in the top ten.

The gap between the rewards for the top three and the top ten was by no means small.

However, he had lost fairly and was convinced of his defeat, so he did not vent his anger on Chen Xuan.

At most, he could only lament his own bad luck.

With the distribution of the top one hundred rewards concluded, the Floating Cloud Trial officially came to an end.

The three elders were the first to depart.

On the plaza, the crowd of disciples also prepared to leave.

Shen Xinghe approached Chen Xuan.

"Brother Chen, you are welcome to visit Taixiao Peak whenever you have time."

"I certainly will when I have the chance."

Chen Xuan replied with polite formality.

Shen Xinghe left after greeting him.

Chen Xuan noticed that quite a few people were still staring at him, so he simply walked away.

He had not been piloting his White Cloud Artifact away from the plaza for long when someone caught up to him.

Chen Xuan initially thought it was some new disciple, but upon closer inspection, he was surprised to see it was Song Tao.

"Senior Brother Song."

Chen Xuan stopped and cupped his hands in greeting.

Song Tao looked at Chen Xuan with a strange expression.

He never would have imagined that Chen Xuan, whom he had been responsible for escorting to Hundred Herb Valley, would actually achieve first place in the Floating Cloud Trial.

Furthermore, Chen Xuan was now about to be transferred to Danxiao Peak.

The Pill Hall was merely a branch under Danxiao Peak.

The status of a Pill Hall disciple was naturally inferior to that of a Nine Firmaments disciple.

"Junior Brother Chen, you kept this secret from me for so long."

Song Tao said with a sigh.

Chen Xuan smiled: "Senior Brother, I didn't hide anything from you; you simply never asked about my strength."

Song Tao did not know what to say.

He truly had never asked.

He had subconsciously assumed that Chen Xuan, being in that godforsaken Hundred Herb Valley, was likely only at the first level of Qi Gathering.

He just hadn't expected that Chen Xuan would already be at the fourth level of Qi Gathering.

This cultivation speed was on par with a Spirit Body.

Moreover, Chen Xuan had been cultivating in Hundred Herb Valley.

Those new disciples might not understand the significance of this, but Song Tao, having been to Hundred Herb Valley, knew exactly how impressive that was.

If Chen Xuan hadn't spent his first three months in Hundred Herb Valley, he might already be pushing toward the late stage of Qi Gathering, or perhaps he would already be there.

With such a cultivation speed, let alone a Spirit Body, he could even be compared to a King Body.

"I must thank you again, Senior Brother, for telling me so much about the trial beforehand. This junior brother thanks you."

Chen Xuan cupped his hands and thanked him once more.

Although Song Tao had only provided him with some information, it could still be considered a help.

Song Tao waved his hand in embarrassment upon hearing this. "Junior Brother, don't say that; it was only right for me to do so... Junior Brother, I won't disturb you any further. You should hurry to Hundred Herb Valley and pack your things."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Chen Xuan thanked him once more, then steered his White Cloud Artifact and departed.

Not long after, Chen Xuan returned to Hundred Herb Valley.

In truth, he had nothing to pack; it was just some miscellaneous items, which he finished off by tossing into his Storage Bag.

Chen Xuan stood in the courtyard and looked around.

Although he had only stayed for three months, he had developed some attachment to this place.

This place was actually quite good—very quiet—and he liked such tranquil spots.

It was just that the spiritual energy was too thin.

Chen Xuan sat in the small courtyard and waited for a while.

A woman steered a White Cloud Artifact and landed in the courtyard.

Judging by her attire, she was a Spirit Sea Realm disciple.

In the Cloud Sea Sect, disciples were divided into three categories.

Outer disciples at the Qi Gathering Realm, inner disciples at the Spirit Sea Realm, and core disciples at the Dao Foundation Realm.

The clothing for these three types of disciples differed and was easy to distinguish.

Chen Xuan stood up and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Sister."

"Junior Brother Chen, there is no need for such formalities. My name is Jiang Qiong. Master sent me to bring you to the peak. Have you packed your things, Junior Brother?"

Jiang Qiong said with a smile.

She appeared to be an easygoing person.

"Everything is packed."

Chen Xuan nodded immediately.

"Then let's go. Step on, Junior Brother."

As she spoke, Jiang Qiong took out her White Cloud Artifact and had Chen Xuan board it with her.

Jiang Qiong's White Cloud Artifact looked similar to Chen Xuan's, but in reality, it was completely different.

Beyond the difference in appearance, the most important thing was that hers was a top-grade artifact.

Chen Xuan stepped onto the artifact as instructed.

Jiang Qiong's speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, the White Cloud Artifact carried the two of them out of Hundred Herb Valley.

"Junior Brother Chen, would you like to go exchange your trial rewards first?"

"That would be troubling you, Senior Sister."

"It's no trouble."

Jiang Qiong said, taking Chen Xuan toward the Contribution Hall.

Before they even arrived, Chen Xuan saw many people coming and going, some of whom were fellow disciples who had entered the sect this year.

It seemed they were also here to exchange for contribution points.

The two soon landed at the entrance of the Contribution Hall.

Jiang Qiong took Chen Xuan inside and helped him exchange his jade plaques and tokens for contribution points.

Jiang Qiong was quite startled when she saw Chen Xuan produce over four thousand tokens.

She did not yet know about the events of this year's Floating Cloud Trial; her master, Elder Xie, had only told her to pick up the disciple who had placed first in this year's trial and arrange for Chen Xuan to join Danxiao Peak.

She had already been surprised to hear that the top-ranked disciple was from Hundred Herb Valley, but she hadn't expected that she had still underestimated Chen Xuan. Over four thousand tokens—was this something a normal disciple could achieve?

The disciples at the Contribution Hall were stunned to see these tokens.

However, they only recognized the jade plaques and tokens and did not care where they came from; they simply exchanged them all for contribution points and transferred them into Chen Xuan's Disciple Token.

After the two left, Jiang Qiong took him toward the Artifact Hall.

The Artifact Hall and the Dao Technique Hall were not far from there, so there was no need to use the artifact again.

On the way, Jiang Qiong curiously asked about Chen Xuan's situation.

For instance, how he had managed to obtain so many tokens.

Chen Xuan did not hide anything, answering whatever Jiang Qiong asked.

Jiang Qiong clicked her tongue in wonder after hearing his story.

"Impressive, truly impressive. No wonder my master wanted to pull you into our Danxiao Peak."

"Do you have any ideas about the artifact and dao technique you'll choose later?"

Jiang Qiong sighed with emotion, then immediately turned to the matter at hand.

"What guidance does Senior Sister have for me?"

"Do you know the major difference between disciples of Cinnabar Firmament and those of the other peaks?"

"Are disciples of Cinnabar Firmament mostly skilled in alchemy?"

"Correct. Since you have entered Cinnabar Firmament, you might consider learning alchemy as well. If you are interested, you may choose the Spirit-Devouring Profound Fire; this flame is not only highly effective for alchemy, but its combat power is also extraordinary."