A Bountiful Harvest

Chen Changming picked up the Red Disk, turning it over in his hands a few times before discovering three small characters inscribed on the underside.

"Blood Spirit Cover."

The youth nodded with a satisfied smile; surely, this must be the name of this magical treasure.

He tucked the Blood Spirit Cover away.

Chen Changming then discovered a Storage Bag on the body of the Blood Demon Sect disciple. Upon opening it, his brows instantly relaxed, and a flicker of pleasant surprise surfaced in his eyes.

He had to admit, this Blood Demon Sect disciple was far too wealthy!

Inside this Storage Bag were over a thousand spirit stones, more than a hundred Low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, and beyond that, an identity token, two precious swords, and dozens of catties of gold.

He had struck it rich!

Chen Changming hurriedly transferred these items into his own Storage Bag, a smile tugging incessantly at the corners of his mouth.

He had never imagined that simply accepting a mission to slay a ghost or evil spirit would bring him so many surprises.

Now, his crisis regarding Spirit Gathering Pills was completely resolved.

With these pills, he would have enough to break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

After exiting Penglai Lake, Chen Changming informed the villagers that the ghost and evil spirit had been slain, then made haste to return to the Lingxiao Sect.

At the entrance of the Mission Hall, he handed over the Storage Bag and said respectfully, "Senior, I have completed the Penglai Village mission. Please inspect it."

"Completed? So quickly!"

Elder Liu was momentarily stunned, then casually opened the Storage Bag and cast a glance inside.

"This is Black Spirit Silk, a magical tool unique to the Blood Demon Sect..."

Upon seeing the severed black hair and the head, Elder Liu's expression shifted, and he hurriedly asked, "This Black Spirit Silk requires at least the fifth level of Qi Refining to control within the Blood Demon Sect. Chen Changming, how did you manage to kill him?"

"Reporting to Senior, this person was wounded by our outer sect Senior Sister, and his strength was severely diminished. This junior merely succeeded through a sneak attack."

Chen Changming said calmly.

Elder Liu muttered to himself, picking up the identity token from inside, and murmured, "A sneak attack, eh? I never expected you to have such capability!"

"Elder Liu, I have come to turn in my mission."

Just then, a bright, clear female voice rang out, followed by the rhythmic thud of footsteps as a heroic and spirited beauty approached.

"Senior Sister!"

Upon seeing her, Chen Changming quickly bowed and spoke.

The number one disciple of the outer sect—this Senior Sister was a legendary figure who had saved many outer sect disciples on the battlefield, and he respected her deeply from the bottom of his heart.

Senior Sister nodded with a smile, glancing at the Storage Bag in Elder Liu's hand, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Leng Shankui of the Blood Demon Sect?"

"Luo Lan, you recognize this person?"

Elder Liu looked toward Senior Sister.

"Back when our Lingxiao Sect fought the Blood Demon Sect, this brat was heavily wounded by me and managed to escape. It was a source of great regret for me at the time. I never expected him to be dead now; truly, the cycles of heaven are fair and retribution is swift!"

Senior Sister laughed heartily.

"So that is how it was..."

Elder Liu nodded, looking at Chen Changming with a smile, "You broke the Black Spirit Silk this time and killed a wounded, hiding Blood Demon Sect disciple; you deserve a great merit! Chen Changming, how about I reward you with 1000 contribution points?"

"Many thanks, Senior."

Chen Changming was overjoyed and quickly handed over his identity token, into which Elder Liu transferred 1000 points.

Slap!

Senior Sister patted the youth on the shoulder, quite surprised, "Well done, Chen Changming, you're quite impressive! Even Leng Shankui was killed by you, haha..."

"If Senior Sister hadn't wounded him heavily first, I would never have succeeded by luck."

The youth smiled modestly.

After speaking, he took his leave of Elder Liu and Senior Sister, making his way to the Scripture Library.

Now that he had 1000 contribution points, he needed to exchange them for a sword technique.

Arriving at the entrance of the Scripture Library, he presented his identity token and explained his purpose to the black-clad old woman guarding the place before Chen Changming walked inside.

"Eh, it's you?"

Three youths walked down from the second-floor staircase, and one of them couldn't help but laugh the moment he saw Chen Changming.

Chen Changming frowned slightly.

The person laughing was none other than Shi Kelang, the genius with a high-grade Earth-level fire spirit root, whom he hadn't seen in nearly two years.

Two years had passed, and this fellow had grown taller.

He looked even more handsome and carried an extraordinary air, his cultivation already having reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

Chen Changming sighed inwardly, This is what a genius is; his cultivation speed far exceeds my own...

The youth lowered his head, remaining silent and saying nothing.

Shi Kelang's cultivation base was four minor realms higher than his own; he was by no means a match for him.

Since he could not afford to provoke him, he simply chose to remain silent. The hardships of his past life as a wanderer had long since forged in him a character of extreme forbearance.

As long as he wasn't being pushed into a dead end like Ma San in Xiliang City, Chen Changming would not risk his life.

He wanted revenge, but he would only act once he had accumulated enough strength; there was no point in indulging in the reckless courage of a common brute.

"Huh? Qi Refining Level Two? How have you been cultivating to break through so quickly? I thought you would be stuck at the first level forever."

Walking closer, Shi Kelang expressed his surprise.

He truly could not fathom how someone with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root could cultivate at such a rapid pace.

Chen Changming turned away to search the bookshelves for a sword technique.

Having made a fool of himself, Shi Kelang gave a sheepish laugh to the other two people, "We joined the Lingxiao Sect in the same year. He was originally a servant disciple, but his luck was so good that he happened to be here during the sect's recall and was promoted directly to an outer sect disciple!"

"Haha, that's some damn good luck."

One of the inner sect disciples laughed loudly.

Facing the unbridled mockery, Chen Changming turned a deaf ear, focusing entirely on selecting a sword technique.

No matter what the other party said, he would not be angered, nor would he resort to violence.

He believed that as long as he worked hard at his cultivation, one day he would rise like a phoenix from the ashes, soar like a roc for ten thousand miles, and trample these so-called prodigies beneath his feet!

"A bunch of trash, only knowing how to mock my fellow outer sect disciples. If you have the guts, how about we trade a few blows?"

Amidst the bursts of laughter, a cold shout fell like a flash of sword light, slicing through the space of the Scripture Library's first floor.

A dashing and heroic figure drifted into view.

The number one disciple of the outer sect—Senior Sister—appeared in the Scripture Library like a phantom. She clenched her fist slightly, her aura surging in layers. Her willow-leaf brows were arched, her almond eyes wide, and her gaze, sharp as a sword's edge, remained fixed on the three men.

The three inner sect disciples felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; their bodies trembled, and they dared not meet her eyes.

This number one outer sect disciple had both the background and the strength; even if the three of them combined, they would be no match for her.

Seeing this scene, a warm current surged through Chen Changming's heart.

This Senior Sister was truly a legendary figure; she was so protective even of a piece of trash like him with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root.

For the first time, this lonely and bitter youth felt a strange sense of belonging to the Lingxiao Sect deep in his heart.

"Get out!"

Senior Sister's voice rang out like a thunderclap, echoing through the entire space.

The three inner sect disciples slunk away, not daring to lift their heads, their backs hunched as they scurried out the door like dogs.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Chen Changming cupped his hands and bowed, saying with a look of gratitude.

"Junior Brother Chen, you don't need to lower yourself to the level of those dogs. They have no virtue; their consciences have been eaten by dogs!"

Senior Sister walked over and patted Chen Changming on the shoulder. Seeing the youth with his head lowered, his demeanor seemingly unable to shift from his previous humility, her heart couldn't help but ache. She understood that this outer sect disciple before her had originally been nothing more than a servant disciple, and with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root, he possessed the worst aptitude in the entire sect.

Seeing Senior Sister curse them, Chen Changming felt quite vindicated.

"Junior Brother."

At this moment, Senior Sister looked toward the door and said in a low, resentful voice, "Those heartless, ungrateful wretches, eating the spirit rice you grow without a shred of gratitude, yet repeatedly insulting you—once we leave the Lingxiao Sect in the future, I must find a way to teach those three a lesson!"

"This... thank you, Senior Sister."

Chen Changming clasped his hands and smiled, a look of gratitude appearing in his eyes.

At this moment in the youth's heart, this somewhat tomboyish Senior Sister, even if her manners were a bit unrefined, felt just right—

She was breathtakingly beautiful, and no other woman in the world could compare to even a ten-thousandth of Senior Sister.