Tie Xiaosheng

As Chu Xisheng and Lu Luanli made their way down, the journey became much easier.

They encountered only one squad of Long Household clan soldiers.

Strangely enough, this squad's leader was far stronger than the previous ones, having already reached Ninth-Rank Upper cultivation.

Yet after Lu Luanli killed him, Chu Xisheng's mission panel showed no response.

If anything was different from before, it was that the fight had taken place somewhere relatively secluded. It might take the Long Household some time to discover these clan soldiers' bodies.

As Chu Xisheng recalled the bursts of fireworks that had appeared before his eyes since entering Firebone Cavern, along with his experience in the Library Tower, an unusual gleam surfaced in his eyes.

So, to obtain Martial Dao Points, merely defeating someone stronger than himself was not enough-other people had to know about it too?

And on the day of the inner sect examination, a single remark from Ye Zhiqiu before a crowd had awakened his system and raised his reputation to "Ninth-Rank (illusory)."

That meant killing or defeating others was not necessarily required to obtain Martial Dao Points. Gaining recognition from someone like Ye Zhiqiu could also help raise his reputation.

That was because Ye Zhiqiu commanded considerable prestige and immense credibility. People believed what she said!

So the core of this system lay in a single word: "belief"?

As long as people believed he possessed powerful martial prowess, he could obtain enough Martial Dao Points to improve his strength and martial talent?

At this thought, the corners of Chu Xisheng's lips could not help curling upward slightly.

He had gained an initial grasp of how the system worked. Next, he would have to verify it point by point.

When Chu Xisheng came back to himself, he discovered that Lu Luanli was furtively tearing at her clothes.

Not only had she ripped all the outer purple gauze off her dress, leaving only the purple silk lining, but she had also pulled her clothing open a crack and stuck a blue-green talisman inside.

When Chu Xisheng looked over, Lu Luanli flushed slightly and pulled her neckline closed. "What are you looking at? I'm putting on a Cooling Talisman. It's too hot down here."

With her cultivation, the heat should not really have affected her this much. It was mainly the successive fights and strenuous exertion just now that had made her sweat.

Chu Xisheng raised his swordlike brows.

The faint light in the cavern was not enough to see clearly by, but he had Eagle Eye. Even at night, he could make out everything within thirty zhang in minute detail.

Lu Luanli's face was flushed, a light sheen of sweat beaded her temples, and her purple dress clung tightly to her body from the perspiration. She radiated vitality and youth from head to toe.

The young woman's natural fragrance mingled with the scent of sweat and wafted toward his nose, tempting his thoughts to wander.

Chu Xisheng could not help narrowing his eyes, his nose twitching involuntarily.

Lu Luanli's pretty face grew even redder, and annoyance showed in her eyes. "What are you sniffing at?"

Chu Xisheng gave her a composed glance, then walked behind her and plucked a small blue-black herb from an inconspicuous crevice in the rock wall.

Lu Luanli recognized it as Heartbreak Grass, one of the supplementary ingredients in the Origin-Nourishing Art's secret medicine. It could neutralize the medicinal properties of Yangyang Grass.

Her expression immediately stiffened, leaving her rather embarrassed.

"Let's go."

Chu Xisheng carefully tucked the little herb away in a pouch made for the purpose, then clapped his hands. "Since we're here, we might as well settle in. We'll have to stay here for a few days anyway, so we can look for the medicinal ingredients needed for the Origin-Nourishing Art."

He glanced sideways at Lu Luanli, anticipation in his eyes. "You spent three months undercover at Zhengyang Martial Academy. You should know the secret medicine formula for the Origin-Nourishing Art, right? You're a Seventh-Rank Spellcaster. Find some way to help me look."

Lu Luanli's feelings were complicated. She had clearly followed Chu Xisheng to keep him under supervision, while relaxing and finding some amusement along the way.

Instead, she had ended up as Chu Xisheng's bodyguard and hired muscle. Now she had become his porter too.

Chu Xisheng was in poor health, and the bags he had been carrying had somehow all migrated onto Lu Luanli.

Still, she did have a way to help Chu Xisheng.

Spell Arts abhorred metal. Lu Luanli tossed the Straight Saber in her hand to Chu Xisheng as well, then raised both hands, formed a Spirit Art seal, and chanted under her breath.

A moment later, a mass of pure white spiritual energy gathered and transformed into a small, exquisite white sable, pure and flawless.

Once its body had taken shape, the white sable first looked around, then began moving forward while sniffing the ground.

Maintaining the Spell Arts with a seal in one hand, Lu Luanli followed the white sable at an unhurried pace.

"This is my family's secret Spirit Sable Medicine-Seeking Art. It can accurately locate medicinal herbs within fifty zhang. Its drawback is that it can't distinguish between different kinds of ingredients, so what comes next will depend on your luck."

Chu Xisheng's spirits lifted, and he followed Lu Luanli forward.

The area they were in had actually already been swept clean by herb gatherers.

Yet the white sable Lu Luanli had summoned with Spell Arts was extraordinarily perceptive. Almost every fifty or sixty paces, it found medicinal ingredients in cramped, hidden corners.

After following it around for two hours, Chu Xisheng's medicine pouch was already bulging.

He had gathered all the supplementary ingredients for the secret formula. Only Yangyang Grass was missing.

After a brief hesitation, Lu Luanli led Chu Xisheng deeper into Firebone Cavern.

Ahead lay the region where Firebone Cavern truly abounded in spirit medicines, and where danger lurked on every side.

Thousands upon thousands of evil creatures lay hidden in these underground depths.

Most had been born from the union of the residual essence and spirit left by the Giant God with the foul yin baleful energies underground. There were also strange beasts bred by the unique environment here.

Many powerful, experienced herb gatherers had died within.

Even a Seventh-Rank practitioner of Dual Cultivation of Technique and Martial Arts like her had to proceed with the utmost care.

That was also why a single stalk of Yangyang Grass could command a price of a hundred taels.

Just then, the white sable suddenly raised its head, twitched its nose for a moment, then darted forward like a streak of white light.

Chu Xisheng and Lu Luanli exchanged startled glances, then both quickened their pace and followed close behind.

One behind the other, they raced after the white sable for over two hundred zhang.

Lu Luanli's gaze suddenly sharpened as she saw a black shadow shoot toward them from ahead.

It was a Golden-Ring Black Snake as thick as a human arm, launching itself from the shadows like a spring. Its mouth opened almost as wide as a large bowl, exposing two ghastly white venomous fangs.

Lu Luanli frowned slightly.

Dealing with the black snake would have been easy. The problem was that she had to maintain the Spell Arts and could hardly divide her attention.

Just as Lu Luanli was about to dismiss the Spirit Sable Medicine-Seeking Art, a flash of saber light appeared beside her. It struck the fangs with incredible precision, then twisted with its momentum and severed the Golden-Ring Black Snake's head.

Lu Luanli immediately relaxed. Not only was the fellow behind her skilled with a saber, but he also had exceptionally sharp eyesight and swift reactions. He was quite reliable.

Chu Xisheng took the opportunity to stow the snake's carcass in his bundle as well.

They were lucky. The snake had not been contaminated by the foul energies underground, so it should fetch over a tael of silver.

Its venom sac and gallbladder were both medicinal ingredients.

They followed the white sable for another hundred-odd zhang before stopping.

By now, they had entered a dense stone forest. Towering stalagmites rose from the ground on both sides, while numerous stalactites hung overhead. They interlocked like a dog's teeth, leaving only extremely narrow gaps to pass through.

The two squeezed their way deeper into the stone forest with some difficulty, then saw the white sable stopped in a corner, circling a dark shape.

Chu Xisheng froze for a moment at the sight, then looked at Lu Luanli in puzzlement. "Isn't your spirit sable supposed to find medicine?"

The dark shape before him was actually a person.

He was a middle-aged man of around forty, with a body as burly as a bear, hair as coarse and stiff as iron, a square face, large ears, a swallow's chin, and a tiger's whiskers. Yet his complexion was slightly pale, his eyes were tightly shut, and he lay unconscious. His clothes were also covered in bloodstains.

"Of course it's for finding medicine. If the spirit sable came here, that means he has medicine on him."

Lu Luanli picked up a travel bag beside the middle-aged man and opened it. Sure enough, it contained several porcelain bottles and numerous medicinal ingredients.

Chu Xisheng's pupils involuntarily contracted. He saw that there were actually two stalks of Yangyang Grass inside the bag.

Lu Luanli gazed thoughtfully at the middle-aged man on the ground. "Also, I recognize him. He's Tie Xiaosheng, the Iron Banner Gang's deputy banner chief."