A Hundred-Year-Old Spirit Herb?

Wang Yan had no idea how he had managed to leave that bloody, utterly horrifying pit.

Only after walking several miles did he find a secluded spot beneath a tree to rest.

Though he wanted to stop thinking about the bodies, the scene in that cavern kept surfacing in his mind, along with Wang Ziling's hypocritical expression. That false show of boundless friendliness made Wang Yan sick.

Wang Yan could not help connecting everything that had happened: Wang Ziling ambushing him by the cliff, the discovery of those bodies, and how Wang Ziling had befriended those people last year. Then, roughly a month ago, when the Back Mountain Trial began, Wang Ziling had been laughing and chatting with them, and Wang Yan had vaguely heard them talking about joining forces during the trial.

The more Wang Yan thought, the clearer it became.

Obviously, Wang Ziling had planned everything. Wang Ziling and the others seemed to have also obtained information about this mountain from that old fellow in the inner clan.

Presumably, quite a few disciples taking part in this trial knew there were spirit herbs on the mountain.

Wang Ziling had mingled with those disciples and come to the mountain with them. Then he might have used some secret drug to knock out those fellows he normally got along with, killed them all, and dumped them here. Afterward, he had lain there...

No...

He probably had not been lying in wait specifically.

Judging by the bodies, they seemed to have died only recently. Getting here from the Back Mountain was no easy feat, either. Perhaps Wang Ziling had not had time to leave when Wang Yan happened to arrive, so he had ambushed him.

That fellow... what a vicious, black heart he has. I've offended him now. This doesn't bode well for me...! Wang Yan could not help lamenting inwardly again. He recalled his fight with Wang Ziling earlier. Fortunately, he had not taken that damned Wang Ziling's pill or accepted his spirit herb. If he had, who knew what might have happened?

"But those fellows were no good, either. Forget them!" Remembering the fellows who had bullied him back then, Wang Yan muttered in a low voice, trying to bolster his courage. He had held grudges against them, and he had thought before that once he grew strong enough, he would give them a beating.

But he had never hardened his heart enough to consider killing them. He was only a boy in his teens, after all. Though this world of immortal cultivation was terribly cruel, he still could not bring himself to kill living, breathing people.

Yet the more Wang Yan tried not to think about it, the more his thoughts returned to the matter, leaving his mind in turmoil. Wang Ziling was so ruthless that he hardly seemed like an ordinary child.

Just what was his aim? Dealing with him in the future would be no easy task. How exactly could he deal with Wang Ziling? The question left Wang Yan increasingly unsettled.

He did not know how much time had passed... the sky had already begun to dim, and the sun was sinking in the west.

"Tch! Right! The trial!" Wang Yan suddenly remembered what mattered most and spoke in frustration. His trial was still the most pressing concern. With that thought, he hurried to his feet, hesitated, glanced around, and took out several very ordinary talismans.

"I'd better set up a warning formation!" Wang Yan said, then attached the talismans to several trees within a radius of a few dozen yards.

Only then did Wang Yan return, sit on the ground, and begin cultivating to replenish his magical power. Climbing up here had already exhausted it, and his subsequent fight with Wang Ziling had naturally drained him further. Though he wanted to find the last medicinal herb as soon as possible, it was now completely dark. His cultivation was only at the early stage of the cultivation realm, and his eyesight was not good enough to see at night. For now, he had to recover his magical power first. Otherwise, if he encountered danger again, there was no telling what would happen.

What had happened with Wang Ziling, along with that Mountain Cave full of bodies, left Wang Yan unable to concentrate and constantly uneasy.

Wang Yan cultivated the Water Spirit Art, the poorest cultivation art the Wang Household provided to its outer-clan disciples. It was the most ordinary of Water-Type Heart Methods, though it had some benefits for recovery and healing. Its power in combat was somewhat lacking.

Cultivating to replenish his magical power while thinking about Wang Ziling, he finally made it through the night. There seemed to have been no sign of trouble at all.

Wang Ziling really did seem to have left, which allowed Wang Yan to breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, little time remained. Wang Ziling had most likely headed back, since the return journey would take quite some time.

Wang Yan was in a difficult position, too. He needed only one more medicinal herb to fulfill the trial's requirements. Though two days remained, he actually had only half a day to spare, because the trial would not truly be complete until he returned and handed in the herbs. If he failed to get back within the allotted time, even having ten medicinal herbs would be useless.

So he thought.

"Tch! That damned Wang Ziling. I'll get you!" Wang Yan had spent the entire night on tenterhooks. His magical power had recovered to about half, and his mood had settled considerably, but inwardly, he found Wang Ziling increasingly frightening. Such a black-hearted, ruthless character, a sly little fox hiding behind a smiling tiger's face-having offended him, Wang Yan would have no peaceful days ahead. Once again, he told himself that he would find a chance to deal with Wang Ziling.

He gathered his composure.

Wang Yan also knew that dealing with Wang Ziling was a matter for later. Resolving the spirit herb problem came first.

With that thought, Wang Yan went straight to the lakeside and drank a few mouthfuls of water to stave off his hunger. He had no time to find anything to fill his stomach. Time was precious, though Wang Ziling had said he had searched the entire mountaintop and there probably were no spirit herbs left.

Still, Wang Yan could only try his luck. In his experience, spirit herbs were not necessarily found in the most secluded places. They also grew in spots with good light or somewhat unusual terrain. He needed only one more. Even if Wang Ziling had searched the whole mountain, Wang Yan did not believe he could be so thorough that he had missed not a single spot. Just one more herb!

Wang Yan refused to believe his luck was that bad!

In truth, Wang Yan had no other choice. Descending the mountain now would take half a day and consume considerable magical power. If he then went looking for spirit herbs, the places below where they grew were not only quite far away, but also home to many Demon Beasts. Would that not leave him with even less hope?

Naturally, he could only try his luck on the mountaintop. With that thought, Wang Yan began searching everywhere.

However.

Wang Yan really began to feel that his luck was terrible. He walked for several hours, watching his remaining time dwindle.

He was almost out of time, yet he still had found nothing. It was as though Wang Ziling really had turned over the entire mountaintop, leaving not a single spirit herb behind.

"Damn it! Does Heaven truly mean to destroy me?" Standing beside the cliff, Wang Yan tipped his head back and let out a long sigh.

Without realizing it, he had reached the opposite side of the small lake on the mountaintop.

Utterly helpless, Wang Yan said, "If I'd known, I might as well have gone down the mountain and tried my luck in those places."

So he thought.

There's still a chance! Wang Yan was not someone who gave up easily. With that thought, he was about to head down the cliff. He had to descend this cliff anyway, and there did seem to be enough time left.

Suddenly.

It seemed that Wang Yan's luck had finally turned.

"Hm?" Wang Yan suddenly shuddered, snapping to attention. He had caught a faint, elusive medicinal fragrance drifting toward him. Looking around, he murmured, "What a strong medicinal fragrance!" A hint of wild delight appeared on his face, and he began searching swiftly all around.

That way! Wang Yan thought as he looked down the slope. Throwing everything else aside, he immediately hurried down, blue light flashing beneath his feet as he pushed off several times in succession.

The farther he went, the stronger the medicinal fragrance became.

Following the fragrance, Wang Yan raced straight ahead like a man dying of thirst in the desert who had glimpsed the hope of an oasis lake.

He sprinted forward at an astonishing speed, so overjoyed that he almost forgot himself.

What Wang Yan did not know was that, from an extremely well-hidden hollow amid the vegetation, a pair of eyes watched his fleeing figure. Suddenly, a sinister gleam of amusement appeared in them, chillingly terrifying and evil.

A short while later.

Wang Yan passed through a patch of tall shrubs and saw an exceedingly well-concealed Mountain Cave in the cliff ahead.

"This is it! It really was hard to find!" Wang Yan said delightedly. An immortal cultivator's five senses far surpassed those of an ordinary mortal. Though Wang Yan had only just entered the cultivation realm, his senses were already far superior to an ordinary mortal's, and he could clearly tell that the medicinal fragrance came from that tiny Mountain Cave.

Pushing aside the weeds around the Mountain Cave, he saw that there was indeed a medicinal herb inside, bearing five leaves and emitting a faint green glow.

"Green shade grass over a hundred years old?!" At the sight of the herb, Wang Yan cried out in tremendous delight. Medicinal herbs counted among the treasures of heaven and earth did not ordinarily emit spiritual light. Only those at least a hundred years old might do so. No wonder its fragrance was so astonishing. Naturally, Wang Yan was overjoyed. With this hundred-year-old green shade grass, even if he failed the trial, this contribution alone would allow him to become an Inner Clan disciple immediately.

Overwhelmed with joy, Wang Yan had already reached out and carefully grasped the green shade grass.

At the very instant Wang Yan touched the green shade grass!

Something unexpected happened!

Suddenly!

Whoosh! A cloud of gray mist gushed straight out of the Mountain Cave, spraying Wang Yan full in the face.

"This is bad!" Wang Yan reacted extremely quickly, crying out inwardly. He moved, blue light flaring beneath his feet, and retreated seven or eight steps in an instant.

But Wang Yan was still too slow. He felt that he had inhaled quite a lot of the gray mist. All his magical power seemed to have vanished, and he could barely stand. Staggering, he crumpled weakly to the ground.

Utterly bewildered, he thought, What? What's happening?

Just then!

"Down you go! Down you go!" An utterly familiar voice rang out, sending a chill through Wang Yan's heart...