Mount Yunbian was situated at the southernmost reaches of the Yunjin Sect’s territory, bordering the Wuling Sect. The market town at the foot of the mountain was already teeming with people. Had Li Xue and her companions not been core inner disciples, they wouldn't have even found a place to stay. Fortunately, the market town still fell under the jurisdiction of the Yunjin Sect.
Just as they entered the inn, Li Xue spotted a familiar figure. It was the young girl, Lin Fei. Lin Fei possessed a three-element spiritual root, so her cultivation speed was only average.
"Auntie Li!" Lin Fei called out happily, hurrying over to greet them when she saw Li Xue’s group.
"Xiao Fei, you’re here too!" Li Xue said with a gentle smile. After a moment’s thought, she decided she should give Lin Fei a few mid-grade talismans for protection. The Lihua Palace had many disciples, and Wang Yun was not Master Jinli’s most favored student, nor was her personal wealth particularly vast. Given that Lin Fei was currently at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Condensation, she would undoubtedly face danger in the current situation.
After everyone had settled into their respective rooms, Lin Fei excitedly accepted the five mid-grade talismans Li Xue offered her in her room. She already had two of her own, but no one would ever complain about having too many talismans. She tucked them into her storage bag with a look of pure joy.
Li Lin entered the room at that moment. He looked at Lin Fei with a smile; having grown up with this girl, he viewed her as a younger sister, and his heart softened.
"Xiao Fei, take this Cloud-Turning Whip. It’s a high-grade artifact, so keep it safe!" Li Lin handed the high-grade Qi Condensation artifact to Lin Fei. In truth, he had wanted to give it to her for a long time, but he had been preoccupied with alchemy and cultivation, spending most of his time in the Spirit Void Realm within the Dream World. They simply hadn't met often.
"Heehee, thank you, Little Martial Uncle!" Lin Fei accepted it happily. This was a high-grade artifact! She was currently using a mid-grade flying sword that had belonged to her mother, Wang Yun, during her own Qi Condensation stage. With this, her safety in Mount Yunbian would be much better guaranteed.
"Xiao Fei, there are many people at Mount Yunbian this time, including many with high cultivation. You must be extra careful," Li Xue urged.
"Yes, Auntie Li, Little Martial Uncle, I will be careful!" Lin Fei bowed in thanks.
Ten days later, the mists of Mount Yunbian dispersed, signaling its opening. Li Xue and the other four flew toward the mountain, the sky shimmering with the constant flicker of sword lights. The scene felt strangely familiar to Li Xue—it looked exactly like the "new server rush" in the online games of her previous life, where everyone scrambled to kill mobs, causing the game to lag. Li Xue couldn't help but sigh at the memory.
The outer perimeter of Mount Yunbian was mostly populated by Qi Condensation cultivators who didn't dare venture into the inner depths. However, even the outer areas held many spirit herbs and demonic beasts. Spotting a stalk of Green-Light Grass, Li Xue smiled and plucked it in passing. She had been planning to refine a few batches of Green Pills, and this was exactly what she needed.
The five of them weren't particularly early in entering the mountain. Many cultivators who couldn't find lodging in the market town had simply rested at the foot of the mountain and had already surged into the inner regions. As they flew, they noticed that most of the spirit herbs along the way had already been snatched up by those who came before. To find anything of value, they would have to go deeper.
Suddenly, shouts and curses erupted from the boundary between the outer and inner regions. Clearly, a conflict had broken out.
As Li Xue’s group drew closer, they frowned. It was a confrontation between two groups: cultivators from the Yunjin Sect and the Wuling Sect.
"It's Martial Uncle Mingxuan from Zhengyang Peak!" someone in the crowd shouted excitedly.
"Youhua, what happened?" Yun Mingxuan stepped forward to question the Yunjin Sect disciple.
"Martial Uncle, these people from the Wuling Sect actually dared to harass our junior sisters!" Yun Youhua pointed angrily at an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Wuling Sect.
The faces of Li Xue’s group darkened. Instead of searching for demonic beasts and spirit herbs, these people were bored enough to stoop to this? Li Xue sensed that things weren't that simple. Seeing Lin Fei among the group, she hurried over to ask what had happened. The answer fueled her anger—how dare they harass her Xiao Fei?
"You. Were you the one harassing the disciples of my Yunjin Sect?" Li Xue pointed at the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Wuling Sect and said coldly, "If you want to play the part of a hedonistic dandy, scurry back to the secular world as soon as possible. Don't embarrass us cultivators!"
The Yunjin Sect disciples erupted in mockery. The Wuling Sect cultivator’s face turned pale. In the cultivation world, telling someone to "scurry back to the secular world" was as insulting as telling someone in the secular world to "crawl back into their mother's womb."
Seeing Li Xue’s mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, the man clearly didn't dare to be too reckless. He glanced around and saw several cultivators approaching from the woods nearby. His expression brightened, and his courage returned. He let out a lewd chuckle. "What? You want to stand up for them? You’re not bad-looking yourself. It wouldn't be so bad to have you as a concubine for my brothers and me! Hahaha!"
"Silence, Chu Peng! What nonsense are you spouting?" a stern voice called out from the distance.
But before those people could get close, several streaks of light flashed simultaneously. The cultivator’s eyes bulged. Three flying swords had sliced through his face and chest. He didn't even have time to circulate his spiritual power to resist before he collapsed.
