Startle the Snake by Beating the Grass

Jiang Lu blinked as well. The Flowing Cloud Sect was going too.

"So Chi Bo meant... I should trail behind them and pick up the leftovers?"

Smack—

At the sound of the clap, Chi Miao brought his hands together and gave her a thumbs-up.

"That's right! Think about it—they have numbers and strength. They'll clear the obstacles ahead, and you just need to follow behind them. With your current strength, don't even think about obtaining some great opportunity. Following them might yield more than training on your own."

Jiang Lu thought of Liu Qingqing. At a time like this, how could the female lead of a group-favorite novel possibly resist joining the excitement?

She nodded. "I understand, Chi Bo."

"Hehe, good that you understand. Your master left you quite a few good things. Hurry and sort through them, see what you can use. If nothing else, you can certainly follow behind them without being discovered."

His eyes narrowed into slits. His already plump face looked even fatter, and his eyes even smaller.

Jiang Lu nodded. That would not be a problem.

At that moment, neither of them imagined that, when cultivators gathered this time, Jiang Lu would officially enter the sights of the major powers.

"Master, what are you doing?"

Chi Li opened its eyes and saw Jiang Lu crouching amid a huge pile of magical artifacts.

Its face was full of question marks. Where had all these things come from?

Its master was not that rich.

"Chi Li, you're awake?"

Hearing its voice, Jiang Lu spotted that fluffy little bundle. She walked over and rubbed its head. Once she saw its strength clearly, she could not help but be a little surprised.

"Not bad. Your strength has risen—you've already become a second-rank Spirit Beast."

Chi Li nodded proudly.

"That's right, Master. If Cangchen and I were not too weak right now and needed to split the Spirit Pearl's spiritual power between us, I definitely could have risen another rank."

Given its personality, how could it possibly share a treasure with someone else—especially with that stinking dragon?

But now, the beast was in the Lower Realm.

If it did not absorb the Spirit Pearl, possessing a jade would become its crime.

It was better to cooperate for now and use it to increase their strength.

Jiang Lu nodded. So that really had been a Spirit Pearl. Since her contracted beasts had obtained and used it themselves, she had no intention of claiming it for herself.

"Master, where did all these things come from?"

Flapping its wings, it hopped onto the table and asked.

The corners of Jiang Lu's lips lifted, her voice unable to conceal her excitement and pride. "My master gave them to me."

Her master?

"Master, when did you get a master?"

Chi Li was utterly shocked. What had happened while they were asleep?

Would her master discover the identities of the two of them?!

"Yes, but Master left to handle something. Once it is settled, Master will come back to take us home. For now, we'll head to the Illusory Forest to train. My strength is still too low; I need to raise it as quickly as possible."

At that, Chi Li let out a breath and patted its chest. Good, good. As for how to conceal their identities later, they could discuss it together once Cangchen woke up.

Put on the heart-protecting mirror!

Put on the sprinting boots!

And this bracelet that concealed her strength—put it on. Unless a cultivator was above Spirit Transformation, they would be unable to see her true strength.

Prepare the pills.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't lose it next time.

Right!

Prepare these hidden weapons too. At a critical moment, they could give the other party a blow!

As Jiang Lu sorted through everything, she categorized these heavenly materials and earthly treasures and stored them in her space.

Now that Chi Li had awakened, her safety had gained another layer of protection. As for Cangchen, since Chi Li was awake, it should awaken soon as well.

Early the next morning, she placed the two Spirit Beasts into a cloth pouch and headed toward the Illusory Forest.

The dense forest was not too dangerous now, but that did not rule out the possibility of some formidable demonic beast suddenly appearing before her. She had grown accustomed to being cautious, so naturally she would not swagger openly before everyone.

Chi Bo had said that the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples would enter the Illusory Forest from another direction. She only needed to wait within that area.

Sure enough, after only a few days, Jiang Lu saw the figures of the Flowing Cloud Sect disciples. The Sunrise Sect and Divine Sword Sect disciples were traveling with them as well.

Jiang Lu carefully concealed her aura, then saw that familiar figure.

It was Liu Qingqing.

She stood quietly beside the Flowing Cloud Sect's group.

Yet her eyes held defiance and eager anticipation.

Jiang Lu shifted her gaze to the person at the front. Clad in flamboyant red, the woman had her hair tied high, with a golden hairpin tucked into its ends. Two curved blades on her back glinted with dangerous light.

What a valiant woman. Her bearing was beyond that of ordinary cultivators.

The instant Jiang Lu's gaze settled on her, the woman immediately turned to look in Jiang Lu's direction.

Jiang Lu was startled and swiftly looked away.

What keen perception.

The red-clad woman leading the group, the one Liu Qingqing did not dare to offend openly, was none other than Fu Yao—the Flowing Cloud Sect's chief senior sister.

At Middle Golden Core, she was the foremost figure among this generation in the Crimson Reed Domain.

Even she had come. It seemed that the news bringing everyone to the Illusory Forest this time was not as simple as the rumors claimed.

Jiang Lu was secretly alarmed. Perhaps the information that had spread this time was wrong, and Chi Bo had been drawn into the scheme as well.

But since she was already here, and she did not have a bad premonition, she might as well see what medicine they were selling in their gourds.

Fu Yao looked toward Jiang Lu's direction but detected nothing unusual. After only two glances, she shifted her gaze away.

She had long grown used to such covert scrutiny. That gaze just now carried no malice, so naturally she would not investigate further. After all, their group was indeed quite large.

Cultivators were not all fools. It was only natural that some would see them and realize there was something strange about the news.

It merely depended on each person's choice.

There were always cultivators unafraid of death who wanted to take a plunge.

When elders had been sent to investigate that day, they found Magic Beasts in the middle region of the Illusory Forest. Yet the Magic Beasts had hidden their auras well, and the elders could not locate them. That was why this training expedition had come about.

As for the anomaly in the inner region, they could not interfere.

Every domain had its own powers and overlords, and the Illusory Forest was no exception. The inner region had its own ruler, rumored to have already taken human form. If they entered without permission, it would be a provocation.

Once the news spread everywhere, people indeed formed teams and came to investigate.

What they wanted was to startle the snake by beating the grass.

The more cultivators who came here to train, the more likely they were to uncover the Magic Beast's existence.

These low-ranking cultivators would take the lead. The moment the Magic Beast's aura leaked out, the elders would immediately arrive and capture it.

At that moment, Jiang Lu did not know that every move she made had already fallen under the watch of the Three Upper Sects' elders.

Yet the ring on her hand kept them from acting rashly.

The ring of a direct disciple of the Medicine King Pavilion—among those they knew of, there were only a few such people. Now it had appeared on the hand of a cultivator they had never seen before. They did not believe it was a coincidence, nor did they believe it was fake.

They had never seen a cultivator so brazen as to impersonate a personal disciple or a direct descendant of any sect.