Off he went

Chen Lingxi stood in that vast and empty place of audience, where stars twinkled and Daoist inscriptions hung in the air.

Looking at the crisscrossing array of fortuitous opportunity, he felt a Total Perception Evolution of joy and a newfound anticipation for the next awakening.

"Because of my Sight-Roaming, I was able to first glimpse the form outlined by the Chan Zhaofu for Heaven-Viewing Audience Talisman, and then, through a wisp of Divine Sense, I found the location of this Great Luo Heaven-Observing Mirror."

He silently recited it in his heart, his eyes growing brighter.

"This fortuitous fortuitous opportunity allowed me to come into contact with the Great Luo Heaven-Observing Mirror earlier than all the disciples of the Dragon-Offering Sect, and even many cultivators from the Xuanmen Immortal Clan in the Nine Palaces."

"Since I have this fortuitous opportunity, I should seize it to accumulate Great Luo Dark Qi as soon as possible... I should take all the fortuitous opportunity that are quick, easy, and unlikely to cause trouble."

With this thought in mind, he immediately looked down at the starry sky without hesitation.

As he expanded his Divine Sense, he carefully read through the numerous Great Luo Dark Qi entries arranged in the Heavenly Mirror.

As stars rose and fell, and Daoist texts changed, all the fortuitous opportunity —whether gambled on famous mountains, desolate valleys, ancient caves, or sunken ships—came into his view.

Chen Lingxi read it carefully, still pondering in her mind.

"True Person Golden Grotto's cultivation is extraordinary. These missions involving the Great Luo Dark Qi are too close to the road surface, so it's inevitable that they will be noticed by True Person Golden Grotto, who is observing me, for example... my master, True Person Xiang Shu."

His eyes flickered slightly.

"But if it's too far, it might take too much time and interfere with my cultivation."

His thoughts shifted again.

"And those entries that cross mountains and oceans, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, would take an unknown amount of time just to travel to and from them."

His thoughts wandered, his gaze darting back and forth among the stars, finally settling on a few of them.

"Ten thousand miles away, within fifteen thousand miles..."

He muttered to himself.

"Perfectly suited."

"Let's give it a try... If there really aren't any obstacles, we can try to get some distance away from it."

With that in mind, he selected six of them.

Those six entries were either located in remote mountains and fields, hidden in unclaimed old valleys, or buried in abandoned old settlements. Upon closer inspection, most of them were not within the core area of the Dragon-Offering Sect Sect's peaks, so no one should have noticed them.

Chen Lingxi then carefully compared the location, time limit, and key information of the six items again, and only after confirming that everything was correct did she breathe a sigh of relief and begin to circulate her Divine Sense again!

The next moment!

His Divine Sense slowly withdrew from the starry river of the Great Luo Heaven-Observing Mirror, and the illusory place of worship before him crumbled inch by inch, returning to the depths of the Water-Curtain Cave with its eerie stone walls and lush spiritual herbs.

Chen Lingxi stood up.

Outside the cave, a thousand-foot waterfall cascades down, its roar like thunder.

He straightened the dark black brocade robe with gold patterns that Yuan Lingyu had tailored for him, raised his hand to part the water curtain, and stepped out of the cave.

Sunlight streamed down onto my face.

Three great suns hung high overhead, one golden, one silver, and one crimson, illuminating the illusory image of the ten-thousand-foot-tall Divine Deer on Deer-Sleeping Peak with dazzling brilliance.

Chen Lingxi stood on the edge of the cliff, with clouds rising beneath her feet and faint flashes of lightning.

Then it soared into the clouds!

--

The Great Xuanzhuo Realm is vast and boundless, with magnificent mountains and rivers, and three great suns revolve day and night.

Chen Lingxi strode across the azure clouds interspersed with pale golden lightning, passing through a remote mountain wilderness!

Beneath my feet lies the Qingtu River, its waters crystal clear, shimmering with a pale bluish-green hue that reflects the bamboo shadows and tree foliage on both banks.

Suddenly, a ripple spread across the depths of the river, which then transformed into a rapidly rolling wave.

Amidst the spray, a crimson figure bursts forth from the water!

Chen Lingxi glanced at it and saw that it was indeed the Red-Scaled Flood Dragon recorded in the entry.

The dragon's body was about ten zhang long, its scales were as red as blood, its three claws were like hooks, its head was ferocious, and its eyes were like two burning embers, burning fiercely!

As soon as the Flood Dragon appeared, a foul wind swept over them, causing the reeds on both sides to bend over.

Chen Lingxi neither dodged nor avoided the attack.

His Abyssal Heaven Spirit Sword rang out, and a terrifying Sword Qi burst forth from it, then transformed into hundreds of swords, breaking through layers of wind and waves, and striking the crimson Flood Dragon directly.

In an instant!

The Flood Dragon's massive body was swept by the hundred or so Sword Qi, then crashed down into the Qingtu River, splashing water everywhere.

Chen Lingxi raised his hand and put the Flood Dragon's corpse into his Hongdong Bag. With the clouds beneath his feet, he continued flying in the next direction.

He then disguised himself and headed to [Lotus-Rage Mountain].

The mountain has an extremely unique shape, with a misty spiritual fog covering the upper part of the mountain. As the spiritual fog surges, there is a faint rhythm flowing within it!

Chen Lingxi passed through the spiritual mist and found a Qiemolian deep in a secluded valley.

Chen Lingxi plucked the Qiemolian, and the petals instantly closed upon contact, transforming into a wisp of fragrance that fell into his palm.

"These tasks were indeed as I expected; they weren't difficult and didn't take much time."

Chen Lingxi smiled slightly and looked up at Fang Mountain in the distance.

There is a gathering of Rogue Cultivator in this Fang Mountain, which is one of the Dragon-Offering Rogue Cultivator Gathering, and there happens to be an entry in it.

Chen Lingxi then went to the gathering without further delay.

There were many Rogue Cultivator at the gathering, and people came and went.

Chen Lingxi used the Concealed Edge Method to conceal his own aura, revealing only his Qi Circulation Realm cultivation, and made his way to a ruin on the edge of the market.

A battle must have taken place here; houses are dilapidated, and rubble lies everywhere.

Chen Lingxi entered the ruins and, using the Qi Observation Technique, immediately found a mysterious array plate.

The array plate was about the size of a palm, and its entire body was dark in color. It was engraved with extremely fine and intricate patterns, which were interlocked with each other, and a faint light flowed within them, as if the entire array plate was a half-open and half-closed eye.

"This is it."

He took the array disc into his palm, examined it carefully, and then put it into his bag. Only then did he leave the ruins and stroll around the Fang Mountain gathering area.

Unfortunately, most of the cultivators here were Rogue Cultivator below the Qi Circulation Sixth Floor, and their foundations were not high. Chen Lingxi gained nothing, so he went to another high mountain.

This place is called Sword-Spine Mountain!

It is an extremely steep mountain, with a ridge like a sword's spine that pierces straight into the sky, and cliffs on both sides that are barren of vegetation.

As Chen Lingxi passed by at the foot of the mountain, he immediately noticed a piece of inconspicuous scrap iron lying beside a piece of green rock on the rocky beach. It was completely black, covered in rust, and showed no signs of Spiritual Qi.

But when he scanned it with the method of Qi Observation, he saw a faint, subtle wisp of clear light flowing deep within the scrap iron.

"It went too smoothly."

Chen Lingxi smiled slightly, "It doesn't take much time at all. If we wait until the Nine Palaces access the Great Luo Heaven-Observing Mirror, I'm afraid such an easy Great Luo Dark Qi task won't fall into my hands."

"It needs to be done as soon as possible."

With these thoughts in mind, he traveled another three thousand miles. Amidst the rosy clouds, he used the Clear-Mystery Pivot-Qi Formation as a guide to gather the rosy light from the sky. The four hundred rays of light transformed into four hundred fine threads, which coiled in his palm, like a handful of sunset clouds collected in a bottle.

At this point, half a month had quietly passed.

Chen Lingxi then went to the last place on this trip, called Hekong Valley, where he cut down a Qilian Spirit Tree.

This tree was only about two zhang tall, its entire body pure white, with faint patterns flowing across its trunk. It had very few branches and leaves, with only a few scattered leaves, each covered with a thin layer of spiritual frost, making it look quite extraordinary.

This was the last fortuitous opportunity Chen Lingxi had on this trip.

By this point, all six fortuitous opportunity had been seized.

"These six tasks have been completed in just half a month."

Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered, and he found a flat blue stone deep in Hekong Valley. He took out all his gains and lined them up in front of him.

The corpse of the Red-Scaled Flood Dragon, the Qiemolian, the Mysterious Array Plate, the piece of black scrap iron, a handful of fine threads formed from the sunset, and the newly felled Qilian Spirit Tree.

The six treasures, each occupying a different spot, illuminated the secluded valley with a dazzling array of spiritual light.

He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling the Heaven-Viewing Audience Talisman he had recorded at the Chan Zhaofu's place, and then sketched it out in the Void stroke by stroke!

As he finished the last stroke...

The Heaven-Viewing Audience Talisman, formed from Dao Origin, hung in the Void before him!

In the next instant, the profound Dao arose!

But then the talisman slowly emitted a glow, and then a black light flowed out from it, which then transformed into a small vortex that hovered in front of Chen Lingxi.

Deep within the vortex, black mist swirled, exuding a profound Daoist aura!

The many treasures before Chen Lingxi were slowly drawn by an invisible force the moment the vortex opened, flying one by one into the black vortex.

The corpse of the Red-Scaled Flood Dragon transformed into a streak of crimson light, disappeared into the vortex.

The Qiemolian trembled slightly, its petals unfolding layer by layer, transforming into a wisp of dark purple smoke that plunged into the vortex.

The mysterious array plate, the black scrap iron, the four hundred thin threads of sunset glow, and the Qilian Spirit Tree that had just been felled were all swallowed up one by one.

Before long, the six treasures lined up in a row disappeared completely, leaving only a black vortex hanging quietly in front of Chen Lingxi!

Chen Lingxi remained expressionless, simply gazing silently into the depths of the vortex.

Right at this moment!

A flash of light appeared deep within the vortex, and then a message flowed into his Consciousness Sea like a gentle stream.

The sacrificial ceremony is complete.

[The Rogue Cultivator Chen Lingxi obtained 426 strands of Great Luo Dark Qi.]

Four hundred and twenty-six!

A glint flashed in Chen Lingxi's eyes, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

He let out a long breath.

"Among these missions involving the Great Luo Dark Qi at the First Profound Realm, very few should be able to stop me."

He silently recited the mantra in his mind, his eyes clear and bright, and then slowly stood up.

"In that case, I need to accumulate more Great Luo Dark Qi as soon as possible."

"Then wait for the complete Essence Replenishment Thorough Awakening Divine Ability."

With this in mind, Chen Lingxi did not linger there. He immediately took to the clouds and headed south, heading straight back to Deer-Sleeping Peak.

A strong wind blows across the sky, and the sea of clouds surges.

On Deer-Sleeping Peak, the phantom of a Divine Deer, suspended high in the Void, came into his view from afar.

The antlers reached the sky, and the rosy clouds descended, enveloping the entire area of thousands of miles in a radiant glow.

Chen Lingxi descended from the clouds, but instead of returning to the Water-Curtain Cave, she went to the main peak first.

Above the main peak, the sea of clouds surges, and the Golden Grotto Daoist Grounds stands quietly deep within it.

Chen Lingxi descended the stone steps of the temple, straightened his clothes, and respectfully bowed to the temple gate.

"Disciple Primordial Spirit Bearer requests an audience with Master."

The main gate of the temple was wide open, and inside, a single dark lamp still shone brightly, with True Person Xiang Shu sitting under it as always.

"Come in."

Chen Lingxi over the threshold, stopped three steps inside the door, and bowed again.

True Person Xiang Shu then slowly turned around.

He looked at Chen Lingxi, his eyes filled with a kindness that was even more intense than usual.

Why did you come?

Chen Lingxi his eyes and said, "I have been cultivating the great Divine Ability of the [Heavenly-Law Edict] for a long time, but there are still some obstacles that I cannot understand."

"Your disciple is dull-witted, and I fear that trying to learn by closing myself off in this mountaintop will only lead me astray."

He paused slightly, raised his head, and his gaze fell on the True Person's face.

"That is why I wish to request leave to travel and see the vastness of the world, and to witness the magnificent landscape of this land of Dragon-Offering."

"If I can gain some insight from this, I can master this second great Divine Ability sooner and reach the Dao Foundation Middle Stage sooner."

True Person Xiang Shu remained unmoved, gazing at Chen Lingxi with sincere eyes.

He spoke slowly, his voice gentle. "Cultivation cannot be rushed. It is a good thing that you are willing to go out and seek enlightenment."

"But..." He paused slightly, then lowered his head, as if deep in thought.

A few breaths passed quietly. Only then did True Person Xiang Shu slowly raise his head.

He gently flicked his sleeve.

In the next instant, a brand new talisman appeared out of Void and hovered in mid-air.

The talisman was about three inches wide and two fingers long, with a golden-purple color all over. Spiritual patterns flowed on it, and a faint Daoist charm emanated from it.

On one side of the talisman, several lines of fine seal script were written in a very ancient style.

True Person Xiang Shu gazed at the talisman and said, "I am still a little worried about you going out alone... If you encounter any calamity, you can activate this talisman, which will be enough to save your life."

Chen Lingxi was somewhat surprised, and his gaze met that of True Person Xiang Shu.

True Person Xiang Shu's eyes were clear and gentle; he was quietly looking at him, but there was a lot of concern in his eyes.

A slight thought crossed his mind.

"True Person Xiang Shu's concern seems genuine."

He had some doubts.

"He altered my memories, altered the memories of many disciples of Deer-Sleeping Peak, recruited me into the sect, and treated me with such solemnity..."

But what is his true purpose?

Chen Lingxi's mind was churning with thoughts, but her face remained expressionless.

If a Golden Grotto True Person wanted to scheme against his disciple, who Dao Foundation Early Stage, he could easily lay countless traps with just a thought.

Why be so serious? Why put on such a show?

Chen Lingxi lowered her eyes, no longer thinking about it.

He raised his hand and took the talisman that was suspended in mid-air from the Void.

"Thank you, Master." He bowed again.

True Person Xiang Shu nodded slightly, a gentle smile still on his face.

"Go."

Chen Lingxi bowed again, walked out of the temple, and clouds rose beneath his feet, carrying him down towards the Water-Curtain Cave.

Inside the Water-Curtain Cave, the thousand-foot waterfall still roars back like thunder.

Chen Lingxi parted the water curtain and entered the cave, where she sat cross-legged in front of the smooth bluestone.

He did not set off immediately, but instead took out a thin spiritual note from his sleeve.

He picked up his pen, and lines of shimmering text fell onto the sacred letter.

[Junior Sister Lingyu:]

My senior brother has been meditating in the peak recently, but he has not made any progress in his Heavenly-Law Edict Divine Ability. He is feeling somewhat sluggish and wants to travel for a while to see the beautiful scenery and perhaps gain some understanding of the Heavenly Law so that he can master this second Divine Ability sooner.

The date of return is uncertain; it may be two or three months, or it may be one or two years.

Junior sister, there's no need to worry.

--Senior Brother, Spirit Bearer]

After writing, he folded the spirit paper and, using Dao Origin as a guide, activated a tiny Seal Art on the paper.

The thin spirit note transformed into a sliver of light, flying from his fingertip, passing through the curtain of water, and heading straight towards the Yuan Lingyu cave abode on Deer-Sleeping Peak.

Chen Lingxi watched the thin light disappear beyond the water curtain before slowly standing up.

He walked to the cave entrance and glanced at the Green Bamboo.

These Green Bamboo, nourished by the Spirit Soil bestowed by the Opportunity Seeking Hall Master and lightly watered daily with Root-Protecting Water, have sprouted many more tender shoots than before, with a faint greenish-blue luster flowing around their root nodes.

Chen Lingxi looked at the growing momentum of the Green Bamboo stalks, nodded, straightened his clothes, parted the water curtain, and stepped out of the cave. Clouds rose beneath his feet, and lightning flashed faintly.

"Let's go."