Within the Lingwu Grand Canyon, the peril grew more acute. Some cultivators had already managed to acquire small quantities of spiritual items through adventuring and hunting monstrous beasts in the canyon. The cultivators, no longer eager to venture into dangerous territories occupied by monstrous beasts, became more inclined to pilfer spiritual items from other cultivators instead.

One day, the Grand Canyon was utterly dark, devoid of light. Distant howls from monstrous beasts in the shadowed groves of the valley echoed intermittently across the vast expanse, chilling the soul.

A swift, cyan shadow suddenly darted out from beneath an inconspicuous, moss-covered rock. With a slight touch upon the stone, the figure leaped away rapidly, appearing moments later beneath a narrow, ancient path.

This path ascended in a serpentine ‘Z’ pattern, leading directly toward a precipice as sheer and sharp as a thousand-zhang blade.

This person was none other than Ye Qin. The experiences of the last few days had infuriated him; cultivators killing and robbing others were becoming increasingly common. Not only had he failed to find a single spiritual herb, but he had also been ambushed repeatedly, forced to flee in disarray. Just that afternoon, he had escaped another wave of pursuit only by expending more than ten Fire Thorn Seeds, finally finding a place to hide. In this Grand Canyon, beyond constantly hiding and fleeing, he could accomplish nothing worthwhile. It would be safer to return to Xianyuan City early.

Because of this, he decided he would depart the Grand Canyon that very night.

Above the canyon at this moment, a cold hurricane howled past. The wind had noticeably lessened compared to earlier; he estimated that in about five or six more days, the gale would cease entirely. Once the wind stopped, the thick fog would once again blanket the canyon, and no cultivator in the Qi Condensation stage would dare to venture within. To be trapped inside and lose one's bearings would surely mean death.

Just as Ye Qin was about to move, he suddenly paused.

He gazed up at the cliff face, his brow deeply furrowed, as if contemplating something.

This path was extremely narrow, making the top an ideal place for an ambush. If even a small squad of five or six ill-intentioned cultivators lay in wait there and launched a concerted surprise attack, his rash ascent would be nothing short of delivering himself to his death—either captured and killed, or sent plummeting to the valley floor.

This possibility was highly probable. Ruthless cultivators would certainly consider exploiting the natural defenses of the terrain for an ambush.

If he couldn't use the ancient path, his only recourse would be to climb the cliff face elsewhere. After all, no one could possibly set up an ambush across every point of the million-li expanse of the Grand Canyon. He only needed to find a secluded section of the cliff.

Ye Qin tilted his head, analyzing the feasibility of this alternative.

Upon closer thought, while this method avoided an ambush by malicious cultivators, it presented another danger—the Little Green Flying Rot Bugs. These repulsive insects specialized in nesting in rock crevices, spitting a foul, green corrosive fluid that possessed a powerful mana-eroding effect. His nine-person squad had encountered these bugs when descending into the canyon.

If he were halfway up the climb and assailed by the Little Green Flying Rot Bugs, he feared his mana would be exhausted before he could ascend the thousand-zhang cliff, plunging him into extreme peril.

In the middle air of the Grand Canyon, numerous flying monstrous beasts hunted by night, their vision exceptionally keen, making them easy targets. Their sudden attacks posed yet another danger.

Ye Qin meditated for a long time. Both options seemed to carry significant risks and were far from ideal.

His expression shifted for a long while before he finally devised a safer plan: he vanished from his spot and concealed himself near the ancient path. Since he couldn't devise a safe way up, there must be veterans who frequently traversed the Lingwu Grand Canyon who knew the proper method. He only needed to wait and watch from here.

The next day, sure enough, small groups of cultivators began arriving at this ancient path. Their method was surprisingly straightforward: several teams preparing to leave the canyon gathered together—thirty to forty cultivators—and ascended the cliff via the path collectively during the daytime. No one would dare attack such a large group; there would be no advantage to be gained.

Ye Qin watched this method and was depressed for nearly half a day. This was the consequence of being without a team. What was dangerous for him was simple for those who had companions.

In the following days, when a cluster of low-level newcomers, mainly cultivators at the third and fourth levels of Qi Condensation, ascended together via the ancient path,

Ye Qin immediately followed, disguising himself as a member of one of the small teams, wedging himself between two groups as they climbed the precipice. The team ahead assumed Ye Qin belonged to the group below, and the group below assumed he belonged to the team ahead. No one would dare strike at him.

The chubby young man in the team directly in front of Ye Qin even turned back to glance at him with a flicker of confusion. Ye Qin’s expression was cold; he sharply told the youth to hurry up. The cultivator, noticing Ye Qin’s cultivation was at least two levels higher, felt a pang of fear, dared not say another word, and quickly quickened his pace.

A short while later, this small cluster of low-level cultivators reached the canyon rim without incident or ambush. After exiting the Lingwu Grand Canyon, on the hundreds of miles of plateau Gobi desert near Xianyuan City, places suitable for setting an ambush were extremely scarce.

Ye Qin hurried along with this small group of cultivators toward Xianyuan City.

Although he had safely left the Lingwu Grand Canyon, Ye Qin's spirits remained somewhat low.

He had risked danger exploring the canyon this time, only finding three spiritual herbs required by the Qingdan Sect. This was far short of the thirty different kinds of rare spiritual herbs required for entry.

Calculated this way, it might take him five or six years, perhaps even ten, to gather all these herbs by repeatedly risking his life in the canyon. The likelihood of being killed within the canyon by venturing in so frequently was enormous.

"The difficulty is this high; how many rogue cultivators in Xianyuan City can find all these herbs in one go? This is practically asking cultivators to commit suicide—and willingly at that!"

Ye Qin felt annoyed and helpless. Although he could cultivate alone without joining a cultivation sect, rogue cultivators were isolated and had virtually no prospects.

The logic was simple: while he faced constant danger alone in the canyon, having a squad for support would make things several times easier. If he had the backing of a sect, he could probably traverse the valley unimpeded; few rogue cultivators or family disciples would dare to attack him lightly. A very simple difference, yet it led to drastically different outcomes, forcing countless low-level cultivators to risk death just to join a cultivation sect.

When Ye Qin returned to Xianyuan City, many cultivators who had left early were already there. To his surprise, the city was absolutely booming. Thousands upon thousands of cultivators were loudly shouting in the city's marketplace, main streets, and squares, trading the spiritual items they had found in the Grand Canyon.

"Trading 'Glazed Flower'! This flower is one of the necessities for joining the Qingdan Sect! I won't take money, only 'Black Diamond Stone'—that’s an item for the Dique Sect! Anyone with 'Black Diamond Stone' come find me now to trade!"

A lean young cultivator, clutching a flower as dazzling as glazed glass, shouted excitedly amidst the crowd. Immediately, a wealthy cultivator stepped forward, intending to purchase the flower for a large sum of spirit stones.

The lean young cultivator immediately spat and cursed the man away, "Scram! Who wants your spirit stones? This is something that gets you into a sect! I only accept 'Black Diamond Stone'; joining a sect is infinitely better than the spirit stones you offer!"

"Who wants this 'Black Diamond Stone'? I have a stalk of 'Immortal Wood' here! Give me just one 'Immortal Wood,' and I'll trade the Black Diamond Stone to him!" Not far away, another blue-robed brawny man yelled loudly, though his roar was completely drowned out by the countless voices in the crowd.

Such shouts could be heard everywhere in Xianyuan City.

It was understandable; with hundreds of thousands of cultivators entering the Grand Canyon, they were bound to find a great many spiritual items. Moreover, the items they found might not be the specific ones they needed, so they naturally had to trade with others.

Ye Qin arrived at the Xianyuan City marketplace and found nearly all thirty kinds of spiritual herbs required by the Qingdan Sect. He couldn't help but feel a surge of wild elation. With so many cultivators trading spiritual items here, he had a method to quickly assemble all thirty different spiritual herbs required by the Qingdan Sect.

Ye Qin did not delay. He immediately returned to his inn and closed the door.

Inside his Purple Mansion, he nurtured the three spiritual herbs he had obtained in the Grand Canyon. He planted them in his spiritual field, used spirit stones to cultivate them, and rapidly grew over ten stalks of each. Afterward, he left the inn and went to the marketplace to trade spiritual items with the other cultivators.

"Brother, how about I trade this 'Water Mist Flower' for your 'Immortal Wood'?"

"Water Mist Flower? Haha, certainly! This is exactly what I was looking for. This 'Immortal Wood' is yours!"

Ye Qin was delighted, and the cultivator trading with him was equally ecstatic, quickly exchanging the Immortal Wood for the Water Mist Flower.

Ye Qin obtained a small piece of wood and, smiling faintly, quickly approached the blue-robed brawny man.

"Brother, this 'Immortal Wood' of mine should be what you desire, correct?"

The brawny man stared intently at the wood, nodded rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he traded with Ye Qin. Before Ye Qin could react, the brawny man scampered away happily.

Ye Qin watched the retreating figure and shook his head helplessly. Was there any need to be so excited? Having obtained the Black Diamond Stone, he approached the lean young cultivator, whose voice was nearly hoarse from shouting. Without a word, Ye Qin merely displayed the piece of black stone in his hand.

The lean young cultivator’s eyes lit up with joy, and he eagerly traded the Glazed Flower he held for the Black Diamond Stone.

Ye Qin chuckled, securing the Glazed Flower.

Afterward, he wandered through the marketplace, the main street, and the plaza, contemplating how to acquire the spiritual herbs needed by the Qingdan Sect.

In the span of a single day, through a series of complex, convoluted back-and-forth trades, he managed to collect all thirty kinds of spiritual herbs required by the Qingdan Sect.

Ye Qin stood on the streets of Xianyuan City, watching the Qi Condensation cultivators rushing about in a frenzy, and let out a long sigh. His mood was relaxed and buoyant, filled with a feeling of soaring ambition.

Now, he had one foot already across the threshold of the Qingdan Sect. In a few days, the disciples of the Qingdan Sect would arrive in Xianyuan City to accept new members; all he needed to do was submit the thirty spiritual herbs.

Ye Qin didn't waste the remaining time.

He had also acquired several spiritual artifacts—a saber, a sword, and a fan—but found them unsatisfactory. He sold them to merchants specializing in spiritual items in the marketplace, exchanging them for a significant number of spirit stones. He then began searching the marketplace for new weapons, hoping to find something decent for self-defense.

PS: Double reward time for October has ended.