Qin descended the snow-capped mountain and proceeded to the Hall of General Affairs to claim a token for the Cave Trial.

To his surprise, the main contingent of the Green Pill Sect participating in the Cave Trial had departed for Ten Thousand Withered Mountains over ten days prior, already gathered with other sects under the guidance of several dozen Foundation Establishment stage Martial Uncles and Martial Elder Brothers.

Nearly all six hundred birds raised by the Green Pill Sect had been commandeered by the main group. The few disciples remaining who still intended to join the Cave Trial but were not yet fully prepared would have to make the journey to the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains on foot.

Traveling from the Green Pill Sect to the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains by bird would take about half a month; on foot, it would take roughly a month. The Hall of General Affairs sold scrolls of the Map of the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range, which clearly marked the route from the Green Pill Sect to the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains—following the map was the surest way.

This news stunned Ye Qin. He had lingered too long in the stone chamber atop the snow mountain and missed the departure time with the main party. He purchased a map scroll and hurried towards the Beast Hall, hoping to see if any birds were left.

Just as he entered the Beast Hall, he was greeted by a loud commotion and argument.

Ye Qin moved closer and saw the scene unfolding.

Three high-tier Qi Refining stage young disciples had arrived just before him and were loudly and angrily berating the staff. They demanded to know why, when the sect normally kept so many birds, there wasn't a single one available for them to rent now.

The attendant disciple in the Beast Hall wore a pained expression, desperately trying to placate the fury of the disciples dressed in green robes.

Maintaining the flying birds was a significant burden; the entire Green Pill Sect only kept just over six hundred, intended for the routine travel needs of Qi Refining disciples. Normally, few disciples needed them, so half that number would suffice. But with such a large-scale deployment of Qi Refining disciples now, the birds were naturally insufficient. They pleaded for the senior brothers' understanding.

A wry smile touched Ye Qin's lips. No birds, just as expected. It seemed he would have to walk. And it wasn't an easy walk at all—not only was the distance vast, but it was also easy to run into monstrous beasts.

As he pondered his options,

A gust of wind, carrying a faint, fresh fragrance, swept in from outside the hall. Four female disciples in green robes hurried inside—it was Xue Xia and her companions. They had just descended the snow mountain, following close behind Ye Qin, and upon returning to the main gate, had immediately come to the Beast Hall intending to rent birds for the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge.

But their outcome was disappointment; there were no birds left to rent at the Beast Hall.

The three young male disciples, seeing the arrival of the female disciples, exchanged glances and a flicker of hidden delight appeared on their faces. Their agitation ceased, replaced by a casual tone. "None of us managed to catch the right time. Why don't we all travel together? It would be good to look out for each other. There are three of us here, and four of you, totaling seven. All of us are at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining—that should be enough to ensure our safety on the road."

Whether intentional or not, their words completely excluded Ye Qin, who had just entered the hall, as if they hadn't even noticed him.

Xue Xia surveyed the hall with her beautiful eyes, spotted Ye Qin standing alone and seemingly about to leave the Beast Hall, and stated calmly, "There is one more Senior Brother here who also appears to be heading for the trial. Perhaps we should travel together; one more person offers better mutual support."

Ye Qin, about to leave the Beast Hall, paused upon hearing this. He stopped, said nothing, effectively agreeing to join their party.

He didn't object to traveling with fellow sect members; after all, he was unfamiliar with the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range, and having a few companions offered some level of security.

What made him slightly uncomfortable was that he was the only one traveling alone in this group, while the others all had company. The three young male disciples seemed reluctant to have him join. This compelled him to remain as low-key and silent as possible, avoiding attracting further hostility.

The three young disciples didn't know Ye Qin. Seeing that he tacitly agreed to join, they showed some displeasure. However, since the female disciples all approved of adding one more person, they couldn't object outright, though their dissatisfaction was very clear.

"Haha!"

A loud burst of laughter echoed from outside the hall.

A thin, monkey-like youth, brimming with youthful arrogance, strode into the Beast Hall, leading five or six companions dressed in blue.

Ye Qin, standing near the entrance of the Beast Hall, shifted his body fluidly, silently making way for the group of blue-robed disciples.

The person who entered was Zhao Qiankun, whom Ye Qin had a vague recollection of.

Zhao Qiankun, for reasons unknown, was grinning from ear to ear. He led his group of familiar blue-robed disciples swaggeringly into the hall, immediately demanding that the Beast Hall attendant arrange several prized birds for them.

The Beast Hall attendant, seeing Zhao Qiankun, grimaced. "Senior Brother Zhao, there are no prized birds left!"

Zhao Qiankun froze, then erupted in fury, slamming his palm onto the counter. He pointed at the attendant's nose and roared, "How can there be none left? Didn't I specifically instruct you half a month ago to reserve seven top-grade prized birds for me? Did you treat my words as wind in your ears? I finally prepared the treasures for the trial, and you tell me there are no birds! Believe it or not, I’ll let you taste why flowers are so red."

The Beast Hall attendant flinched, rapidly waving his hands. "Senior Brother Zhao, you can't blame me for this! I remember your request perfectly and specifically prepared several prized birds. However, the ones you requested were taken by Senior Brother Wang a few days ago; he forcibly took them, and I couldn't stop him!"

"Senior Brother Wang? Which Wang? Surely not the one from Elder Wang's family? Damn it, relying on his old man being the Second Elder, he dares to walk all over me!" Zhao Qiankun seemed to recall something, his expression changed, and after cursing a few times, he asked again, "What about the regular birds then? Give me seven."

"Gone, all taken by other senior brothers."

The attendant dared not cry, keeping his head bowed, afraid to look at Zhao Qiankun's face.

Zhao Qiankun glared at the attendant for a long moment, before gritting out a sentence through clenched teeth. "Damn it, how did that bastard surnamed Wang know I pre-ordered several prized birds at Green Spring Peak? Sabotaging my affairs on purpose just to make me look bad."

His five or six blue-robed companions who had accompanied him all started to murmur agreement. If they had to travel to the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains, it would take at least half a month; wouldn't they be exhausted? If they encountered fierce beasts, it would further delay them. Whether they could arrive at the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains in time was a major issue." "By the time we arrive, the Cave Trial will likely have already begun."

No birds, so even if he was furious, the outcome was the same.

Zhao Qiankun, his belly full of unvented rage, scanned everyone in the Beast Hall. Suddenly, he spotted Xue Xia and her group, his eyes lit up, and he plastered a smiling face on, laughing loudly. "Ah, isn't this Junior Sister Xue Xia from Green Spring Peak? Right, Senior Brother heard recently that you sisters have been refining Snow Silkworm Silk Armor. Have you finished making it? Senior Brother is in urgent need of one; sell one to me, how about it!"

"No!"

Xue Xia felt disgust, her face turning cold as she uttered the word. She and the other female disciples left the Beast Hall. The three young male disciples quickly followed. Ye Qin remained silent, trailing at the very end, and exited the hall after them.

"You~!"

Zhao Qiankun watched Xue Xia completely ignore him, his nose almost curling up in anger. He, the son of the Third Elder of the Green Pill Sect, who should get whatever he asked for. But this past half-year had been unusually unlucky; nothing went his way. A jar of spiritual wine was snatched by the First Senior Brother and his cronies. The prized birds he secretly pre-ordered at Green Spring Peak were snatched by that kid surnamed Wang. Now, even a female disciple in green dared to show him no respect.

Was he truly the son of the Third Elder? The good mood he had just enjoyed after leaving his father's residence was instantly ruined. A blue-robed disciple standing nearby, his eyes darting around, whispered a suggestion, "Senior Brother Zhao, why don't we intercept them halfway?"

Zhao Qiankun listened to the suggestion with a dark expression. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and strode out of the Beast Hall. "Let's go and teach them a lesson! Otherwise, people will think that I, surnamed Zhao, am someone to be trifled with!"

The territory occupied by the various cultivation sects in the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range accounted for less than one-thousandth of the whole. The vast majority remained wild, mountainous forests, infested with numerous monstrous beasts.

Most of these were ground-dwelling beasts, while aerial beasts were relatively scarce.

The reason was simple: Foundation Establishment stage cultivators often flew about in the air above the Spiritual Mist Mountains using their swords. Flying beasts that encountered them were usually killed by these cultivators, resulting in a naturally small population. Ground beasts, hidden deep in forests and caves, were inexhaustible, and Foundation Establishment cultivators mostly ignored them.

Ye Qin had considered traveling to the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge alone. However, since fellow sect members invited him to travel together, he chose to set out with them. The safety factor was slightly higher.

The eight of them, using the Wind Control Technique at full strength, left the thousand-mile radius of the Green Pill Sect's territory and headed toward the Ten Thousand Withered Mountains, following the directions on the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range Terrestrial Map scroll. They traveled during the day, and at night, they found secluded spots within the mountains to settle down and make camp, avoiding unforeseen incidents.

What none of them anticipated, however, was that as soon as they left the patrol range of the sect's mountain territory, they were intercepted by a group of people—none other than Zhao Qiankun and his seven blue-robed disciples, who had been tailing them.

"Haha, what a coincidence, we meet again! Since we are all fellow sect disciples, I won't waste time with pleasantries. Junior Sisters, hand over your Snow Silkworm Silk Armor; Senior Brother will be magnanimous and overlook your previous poor attitude. And you boys, hand over your best spiritual artifacts!"

Zhao Qiankun stood atop a massive boulder, hands behind his back, his face full of arrogance, desperately trying to strike a dignified pose. Unfortunately, his thin, monkey-like face ruined the image, making him look like a large baboon perched on a rock.

The other six blue-robed disciples stood beneath the boulder, happily playing the supporting roles to enhance his imposing presence, arms crossed, ready to watch the show.

The eight were startled and hastily manifested their respective spiritual artifacts—swords, blades, and so on.

One of the leading young men stepped forward, furious. "Zhao, you dare to openly rob fellow sect members! Aren't you afraid of punishment under the Green Pill Sect's rules?"

Zhao Qiankun gave the youth a look of contempt. "Pah, what kind of useless trash crawled out from where? What are you squawking about? Sect rules? At most, it’ll mean a few months of confinement for me. Don't be foolish; none of you people are qualified to participate in any Cave Trial. You think you have a chance at those Foundation Establishment Pills? That’s a huge joke. Now, hand over your best spiritual artifacts. After Senior Brother finishes the trial, obtains a Foundation Establishment Pill, and becomes a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I won't forget to reward you with some benefits. Who knows, if I’m in a good mood, maybe I’ll become your backer, ensuring your peace in the sect from then on."

The blue-robed disciples chimed in loudly, "Hand over the spiritual artifacts immediately! We still need to rush to the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge!"

The leading youth glanced left and right, mustered his courage, and angrily retorted, "On what grounds should we give you our spiritual artifacts? Don't think we’ll be afraid just because you are blue-robed disciples! We... we have eight people on our side!"

"On what grounds? On the grounds of this treasure my father gave me!"

Zhao Qiankun sneered coldly. He slapped his waist pouch, and immediately, a small blue sword, several inches long, flew out. It shimmered with flowing light, exuding a commanding spiritual aura. This little sword traced a beautiful arc and hovered flexibly beside Zhao Qiankun, completely under his control.

"A magic tool!"

"The Profound Yin Sword—that was Elder Zhao's famous artifact from his early years!"

The members of the eight-person team gasped in unison.

The young disciples exchanged glances, all showing signs of horror, and took several steps back. Their eyes held no fighting spirit whatsoever; they were already retreating in fear. Xue Xia and the four female disciples also saw their complexions drastically change. The terrifying power of a magic tool was something their spiritual artifacts simply could not resist.

Writing has been slow these past few days, giving me a headache with the plotting. I will try my best to finish Chapter 47 tonight. Mid-month has passed; please cast your monthly votes. (To be continued. For future developments, please log in to wwwidiancomm for more chapters, to support the author, and to support genuine reading!) First published