The domain of Qi was vast, predominantly composed of mountains and grasslands, where the populace sustained themselves through agriculture and nomadism. Their customs were fierce, and the land was far from prosperous. Even the capital of Northern Qi barely rivaled the wealth of Qingzhou City under the jurisdiction of Southern Liang.

Recently, the atmosphere within Northern Qi had grown tense. Troop movements were frequent, with forces massing near the border shared with the Great Zhou Kingdom. The guards at the gates of the Northern Qi royal city subjected all entrants and exits to rigorous scrutiny.

More than ten days later, Ye Qin walked the streets of the Northern Qi royal city, acutely sensing the palpable tension within. After entering the capital, he had sent a sound-transmitting talisman to Yan Xuan and the others, arranging to meet at "Zui Xiang Lou," a premier tavern in the city.

At noon, two male cultivators, their faces obscured by cloaks, knocked and entered a private room at Zui Xiang Lou.

One cultivator lifted his scarlet cloak, revealing a face of delicate beauty—it was Yan Xuan. She smiled at Ye Qin, who was already drinking alone in the room, and greeted him, "Junior Brother Ye, long time no see."

Ye Qin’s eyes brightened momentarily before returning to a placid expression. He nodded, noting the absence of Zhu Changyun, and inquired, "Why are there only the two of you? Where is Senior Brother Zhu?"

The stout Lü Yuan, who had been following behind, emerged with a huff, grumbling, "Don't even mention that brat. Since arriving in Northern Qi, he hasn't done a single proper thing besides eating, drinking, and amusing himself.

Right now, he’s enjoying the courtesans in the palace with those Lü clan disciples. How could he possibly attend to serious matters?"

Yan Xuan sighed with resignation, "Senior Brother Zhu is part of the Zhu family. This trial expedition has nothing to do with his clan. He’s purely here to make up the numbers, treating this expedition as mere recreation. He won't exert himself and is just waiting for the three-year term to expire before returning to Qingmen. Therefore, we can only rely on the three of us to complete this expedition."

Ye Qin felt helpless.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group wasted no time on trivialities.

Yan Xuan withdrew a large scroll from the storage pouch at her waist and unrolled it across a square table in the room.

Ye Qin approached the table and glanced at it. It was a paper topographical map, meticulously marked with detailed fortresses and vital military strongholds. This was clearly not a map intended for cultivators, but a mundane military chart.

"I didn't bring a proper map, so I had to procure one from the Northern Qi court’s archives. We’ll have to make do," Yan Xuan explained in a light tone. Then, with a slender finger, she pointed to the terrain marked on the map, saying, "Here, where Northern Qi and Great Zhou meet, are the territories controlled by our Lü clan and the Zhou clan, respectively. Between the two nations lies a narrow stretch of jungle and valley thousands of li long, traversable only by mountain paths. There are several military passes here; this jungle and valley serve as the natural boundary between the two nations."

Ye Qin froze. The jungle Yan Xuan indicated was precisely where he had passed through. The armies of Northern Qi and Great Zhou had already fought a minor engagement there.

Looking at the densely marked map, he suddenly pointed to a large, long blank area at the very top and asked, "What is this blank area? Why is there no marking here at all?"

Yan Xuan gazed at the empty space on the map, her expression tinged with apprehension. "If you cross Northern Qi and proceed further northeast, you reach the Myriad Moon Lake cultivation world; heading northwest leads to the Sky Dome Plain cultivation world. This blank zone is a buffer area between the cultivators of the Spirit Mist, Myriad Moon Lake, and Sky Dome Plain cultivation worlds, known as the Land of Chaos. Within this Land of Chaos reside many exceptionally powerful cultivators, and even the Lü clan rarely ventures there."

Ye Qin was surprised. "So, Northern Qi marks the northern boundary of the Spirit Mist cultivation world?" He recalled hearing Headmaster Wu of Qingmen mention the Myriad Moon Lake and Sky Dome Plain before. They originated differently from the Spirit Mist cultivation world.

Yan Xuan nodded seriously. "That’s right. Northern Qi is still within the domain of the Spirit Mist cultivation world; beyond it, that is no longer the case. Cultivators from the Myriad Moon Lake and Sky Dome Plain cultivation worlds have always maintained separate spheres from ours in the Spirit Mist world—like water not interfering with rivers. Although cultivators from different cultivation worlds occasionally enter each other's territories, they do not establish domains within the others. Doing so risks provoking massive inter-cultivation world warfare."

Ye Qin pondered this. The monks and black-robed cultivators he encountered in the jungle—those from the Buddhist Palace and the Red Cloud Sect—were likely not from the Spirit Mist cultivation world but had come from the Land of Chaos, or perhaps Myriad Moon Lake or Sky Dome Plain.

"Senior Sister, do you know anything about the Red Cloud Sect or the Demonic Buddha Palace near Northern Qi?"

Yan Xuan shook her head. "The Red Cloud Sect? I entered Qingmen when I was very young, so I’m not very familiar with the local situation here. I haven't heard of them. Let me first explain the current situation in Northern Qi. Northern Qi and Great Zhou have maintained peace for centuries, even engaging in marriage alliances. Two years ago, a low-level cultivator from Northern Qi, while searching for spirit herbs, unexpectedly discovered a small spirit stone vein in the border valley. The Lü clan prepared to mine the spirit stones here. However, the secrecy surrounding this matter was poor, and it leaked out."

Ye Qin questioned, "How could such vital intelligence be leaked? Mobile access: www.1b."

Yan Xuan said helplessly, "It leaked from the Northern Qi Royal Palace. The royal families of Northern Qi and Great Zhou had a marriage bond; a Princess of the Zhou clan married the Crown Prince of our Lü secular royal line. The Prince knew a little about it, and during a bout of drunkenness, he inadvertently revealed it. Thus, the intelligence reached the Zhou clan’s cultivators. The Zhou clan developed ambitions to seize this small spirit stone vein, causing enmity between the two great families, and skirmishes have been constant along the border. Because of this, the Crown Prince has already been deposed, and that Prince was forced to drink poisoned wine to commit suicide."

Ye Qin was speechless. Such crucial information leaked out so carelessly; the Lü clan was truly unlucky.

He asked, "How strong are the Lü clan and the Zhou clan in terms of power?"

Yan Xuan provided a detailed explanation: "Our Lü clan possesses seven Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and over eighty Qi Refining stage cultivators. The Zhou clan has six Foundation Establishment cultivators and over seventy Qi Refining cultivators. The two cultivation families are fundamentally evenly matched. If the two clans engaged in a direct conflict, neither side would have an advantage."

Ye Qin nodded silently. A wave of relief washed over him; neither cultivation family possessed a Core Formation stage cultivator—that made things much simpler. He was deeply wary of the power wielded by Core Formation cultivators.

Yan Xuan continued, "If you four are included, Northern Qi would now have eleven Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, the Zhou clan has many disciples from the Beast Spirit Gate; they will certainly request support from the Gate. In the end, the cultivation strength on both sides will be roughly equal."

"Then how do you plan to resolve this conflict?"

"Go to war!"

"War? How do you plan to fight the Zhou clan?"

Ye Qin was startled, frowning deeply. If the great cultivation families of Lü and Zhou went to war, he would seriously need to leave this place and abandon his trial. He had descended the mountain for three years of trials not to act as a hired blade for the Lü clan. Even if it meant offending the Lü clan as a result, he had no intention of involving himself in such a bloody conflict. Regardless of who won or lost between these two families, it offered him no direct benefit, making the risk to his life unwarranted.

"Of course, it won't be us cultivators making the move, but rather using the armies of Northern Qi and Great Zhou to fight," Yan Xuan chuckled slyly. "Junior Brother Ye might not be familiar with the customs of the great cultivation families. The great cultivation families absolutely never engage in war with each other lightly. Each great family possesses its own national territory and will not infringe upon the other arbitrarily.

The most common tactic employed by the great cultivation families is to dispatch the mortal armies of their respective nations to occupy the enemy’s territory, thereby annexing the land belonging to the opposing family. This approach minimizes the possibility of deep-seated grudges forming between cultivation families.

If the Zhou cultivation family and the Lü cultivation family were to fight directly, resulting in casualties among their key cultivators and family members, it would easily breed fatal enmity. This could then drag the Qingmen and Beast Spirit Gate sects into the conflict, escalating the war—a scenario no one desires. Therefore, unless they intend to completely annihilate the opponent, the great cultivation families will not easily fight directly.

Dispatching mortal armies to seize territory is the best method for resolving conflict. The mortal armies of the two nations will engage in warfare along the border, incorporating this valley, thousands of li long, into their respective national boundaries. Once the formal national borders are established, the family naturally gains legitimate control over the spirit stone vein within the valley.

It’s not just our Lü clan that operates this way; the Zhou clan will do the same. After the war concludes, whichever nation controls the valley, that family claims ownership, and the other party has no grounds for objection. However, mortal wars often drag on for a very long time; spanning years or even decades is common."

Ye Qin was momentarily stunned.

He began to understand why there was such extensive mobilization of mortal troops in Northern Qi, and why the atmosphere in the royal city was so tense. It turned out the Lü clan intended to dispatch these mortal armies to contest the border and seize the spirit stone resources within the valley.

Ye Qin inquired, "Since Northern Qi is sending its armies to seize the border, what is required of us?"

Yan Xuan replied, "Our trial expedition is naturally aimed at helping the Lü clan secure this small spirit stone vein. The first step is to thoroughly investigate the reserves of this spirit stone vein. Secondly, we need to ascertain the situation regarding the Zhou clan and their reinforcements. Only after obtaining accurate intelligence can the sect decide whether to dispatch more disciples for support."

Ye Qin asked, "How does one survey the reserves of a spirit stone vein?"

Yan Xuan explained, "We must open at least one tunnel to determine the thickness of the spirit stone layers. The more tunnels opened, the more accurate the survey. However, both the Lü clan and the Zhou clan have already stationed numerous cultivators near the vein to prevent the opposing cultivators from digging tunnels in the valley to mine. Thus, our clan members are currently finding it difficult to accurately survey the vein’s reserves. What we can do now is try to uncover the situation with the Zhou clan as much as possible. To complete this trial, Senior Brother Zhu has a suggestion."

Ye Qin asked, "What suggestion?"

Yan Xuan glanced at Lü Yuan.

Lü Yuan poked his head out from behind and urged, "The three of us—myself, Tang, and Senior Brother Zhu—will remain here in Northern Qi, while Junior Brother Ye will personally infiltrate Great Zhou to investigate the Zhou clan’s situation."

Ye Qin’s brow furrowed upon hearing this, and he said calmly, "Me going to Great Zhou alone—what does that mean?"

Lü Yuan adopted an expression of helplessness. "Both myself and Tang are members of the Lü clan; too many people recognize us, making infiltration into Great Zhou impossible. Even Senior Brother Zhu has been openly showing off in the Northern Qi royal city and has long exposed his identity, making it inevitable that he will be targeted by Zhou’s spies. Only Junior Brother Ye has just arrived, and his movements have been discreet, his identity unrevealed. You can absolutely disguise yourself and infiltrate Great Zhou to gather intelligence. When the sect assigned the four of us for this trial, they naturally hoped we could achieve merit. Junior Brother Ye venturing alone into the depths of Great Zhou to scout intelligence—this foremost merit belongs undeniably to you."

Ye Qin showed no expression on his face, but inwardly, he cursed Zhu Changyun and Lü Yuan up one side and down the other. They lounged comfortably in Northern Qi while suggesting he undertake the danger in Great Zhou.

Lü Yuan, observing Ye Qin’s unreadable face, felt somewhat uneasy. He realized trying to guess Junior Brother Ye’s thoughts was extremely difficult. "As far as I know, the Zhou clan is currently recruiting assisting cultivators to bolster their influence. If Junior Brother Ye disguises his identity and blends in, he can fully ascertain their situation."

Ye Qin glanced at Yan Xuan and Lü Yuan, both looking expectant, and remained silent. Merely entering Great Zhou territory to gather intelligence wasn't particularly dangerous. The real danger lay in being discovered by a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Zhou clan—that was no trifling matter.

Yan Xuan blinked, watching Ye Qin, seemingly guessing his worry. "Junior Brother Ye, only the four of us know your identity. Aside from us, absolutely no one in Northern Qi or Great Zhou can know who you are. Northern Qi and Great Zhou are far from Qingmen; the round trip alone takes a year. Even if someone in the Zhou clan suspects your background, it would take at least a year to confirm. When Junior Brother Ye enters Great Zhou, the Zhou clan members will seek to win you over, not easily move against you. As long as you can obtain intelligence on the Zhou clan, this mission will be more than half successful."

"I will make a trip to Great Zhou. However, I cannot guarantee whether I can secure intelligence on the Zhou clan," Ye Qin said somewhat gloomily. He had to make the trip to Great Zhou, but they shouldn't expect him to risk his life to bring back any intelligence. Zhu Changyun was enjoying himself in the Northern Qi royal city, contributing nothing. Yan Xuan and Lü Yuan were also staying put safely in Northern Qi; why should he, an outsider, risk danger?

If anyone should take risks, it should be members of the Lü clan, not an outsider like him.

If he were an ordinary cultivator, he might desperately try to help the Lü clan seize the spirit stone vein to curry favor with them. But Ye Qin had no such intentions.

The merits he had earned for Qingmen far outweighed the benefits he had received from the sect. The Lü clan still owed him a favor.

During these three years, he could just as easily travel around the surrounding nations or find a quiet place for closed-door cultivation, waiting for the time to pass before returning to Qingmen. Even if he achieved no merit during this trial, would Qingmen expel him because of it?

Yan Xuan and Lü Yuan were unaware of Ye Qin's thoughts. Seeing that he had agreed, they were overjoyed.