Chapter 2

In the east of the State of Jin, near the Endless Sea, a sword light shot up like a towering peak, piercing through the clouds. The faint silver sword glow emitted a fierce aura, covering a thousand miles.

This was the Tianjian Sect, the top cultivation sect in the State of Jin!

Three years ago, at the age of twelve, Ye Yun left his hometown and came here, passing through multiple tests to become a servant disciple.

Servant disciples of the Tianjian Sect were highly respected even among the officials and warriors of the State of Jin. However, in the Tianjian Sect, servant disciples like Ye Yun were as numerous as ants. In this place alone, there were nearly a thousand of them, with no status at all, essentially the lowest of the low.

However, once a servant disciple passed the test and became an outer sect disciple, it was like a fish leaping into the dragon gate, rising to the top.

In the outer courtyard, servant disciples moved back and forth, their faces full of urgency, with countless tasks waiting to be completed every day.

"Only a month remains until the outer sect disciple test this year. I wonder if I have a chance with my current cultivation level." Ye Yun stood on a rock, his gaze looking into the distance, as if he could see through the clouds to the faintly visible pavilions and halls in the mist, places only formal disciples of the Tianjian Sect could go.

*Crack!*

A sharp sound of breaking air exploded on Ye Yun's back.

"Ye Yun, you haven't finished collecting a hundred Feather Transformation Grass plants, yet you waste time here?" Liu Daolong, wearing a cloud-patterned brocade robe, appeared behind him, holding a whip, his face full of mockery.

Ye Yun gritted his teeth, feeling a burning pain on his back.

Liu Daolong was his uncle, and the nearly a thousand servant disciples in this medicinal valley were under his jurisdiction. Liu Daolong's cultivation talent was extremely ordinary, even worse than most servant disciples, but he had entered the sect earlier, and his cultivation level was at least one minor realm higher than all the servant disciples. His cousin, Liu Yu, was a disciple of the Heavenly Candle Peak, which, although only an outer sect for refining low-grade elixirs, still allowed formal disciples to access true cultivation techniques, making their status vastly different from that of servant disciples.

Ye Yun had often been criticized by Liu Daolong, but for the sake of his cultivation dream, he had always endured it.

Seeing that Ye Yun was silent, Liu Daolong's eyes narrowed, and he sneered, the whip in his hand cracking again on Ye Yun's body. "What, do I have to ask you again?"

The whip struck Ye Yun's eyebrow, leaving a bloody mark, and the pain made his scalp throb. If it had been a bit lower, Ye Yun's eyes might have been injured.

"Eighteen more plants are needed." Blood rushed to Ye Yun's face, but he forced himself to remain calm, his head hanging low.

"Eighteen more, and you still dare to waste time." Liu Daolong laughed. "It seems you don't just want to miss this month's cultivation spirit stones, but also want to go to the Spirit Beast Tower."

The Spirit Beast Tower was where the Tianjian Sect trained beasts. The trained beasts needed to fight humans to gain combat experience and bond with their masters. Servant disciples and captured opponents often became sparring partners for the beasts. With the cultivation level of servant disciples, entering the Spirit Beast Tower was almost a death sentence.

"Uncle Liu Daolong, I can still collect the remaining eighteen plants by the end of the month," Ye Yun said, his voice trembling with anger but not showing fear. "It should be possible."

"Before, it was the end of the month, but now it's today." Liu Daolong looked at Ye Yun mockingly. "The Heavenly Candle Peak has changed the deadline. The Feather Transformation Grass must be delivered by nightfall today."

"By nightfall today?" Ye Yun almost jumped up, unable to contain his anger. "There are less than three hours left. How is it possible to finish in time?"

"Three hours, how is it not possible? Besides, I heard you have many complaints about me. Perhaps going to the Spirit Beast Tower is more to your liking." Liu Daolong laughed, his mocking gaze sweeping over Ye Yun before he turned and left.

Ye Yun watched his back, his fists clenched, his whole body trembling.

Feather Transformation Grass, though not extremely valuable, was almost impossible to find eighteen plants in less than three hours. It had taken him over half a month to find the first eighty-two plants. Now, he had to find a hundred in such a short time. It was almost impossible.

From Liu Daolong's words, Ye Yun knew that Liu Daolong had been targeting him for a long time. This was an opportunity to get rid of him.

"Liu Daolong! I have always been dissatisfied with you, but I have never shown it. I have never fawned over you like others. Now you want to deal with me. I, Ye Yun, swear that if I ever surpass you in cultivation, I will make you pay the price!"

Ye Yun's heart raced, each breath burning his chest.

But he knew he had to get through this crisis first.

...

The Yunlong Mountain Range, where the Tianjian Sect was located, stretched for a thousand miles, with towering peaks and strange rocks. The mountains were home to rampant beasts and rare herbs. Over the centuries, the Tianjian Sect had gradually driven the beasts to the deeper parts of the mountains, creating a place called the Beast Valley, to protect the disciples from attacks while gathering cultivation materials.

However, the Tianjian Sect did not gather all the beasts together. Instead, they separated them by rank, setting up barriers to prevent high-level beasts from entering the outer areas. This way, the Beast Valley became a training ground for disciples, with different areas suitable for different levels of cultivation.

Feather Transformation Grass could be found in various areas of the Beast Valley. For outer sect disciples, the outer two layers were filled with low-level beasts, which they could easily kill. For servant disciples, who did not have access to the true cultivation techniques of the Tianjian Sect, even the outer layer was very dangerous.

"In the past half month, I have almost searched all the outer areas, and the Feather Transformation Grass has been mostly collected. I have to take a risk and enter the second layer to complete the task in such a short time."

About twenty miles east of the outer courtyard, a towering ancient tree reached into the clouds, visible from the outer courtyard. This was one of the entrances to the Beast Valley. Beyond this tree, one entered the Beast Valley.

Ye Yun, drenched in sweat, appeared under the ancient tree, looking ahead, his brows furrowed, and stepped into the Beast Valley.

The moment he crossed the ancient tree, the scenery changed dramatically. The clear sky disappeared, and the leisurely clouds vanished, leaving the world in darkness. The occasional roar of beasts echoed from the depths, making one's heart race.

This was the Beast Valley, the Tianjian Sect's training ground.

Ye Yun raised his hand, and a faint, soft light rose from his body, stopping above his head, illuminating a few dozen meters around him.

This soft light was called the Soft Light Technique, which all servant disciples had to cultivate. In the Beast Valley, only the Soft Light Technique could pierce the darkness and allow one to see the surroundings. Of course, if one became an outer sect disciple, they would have more advanced techniques or even magical treasures, which could illuminate a thousand meters, making everything visible.

In the past half month, Ye Yun had relied on the faint light of the Soft Light Technique to search almost all the outer areas of the Beast Valley, finding eighty-two Feather Transformation Grass plants. This required not only unimaginable patience and willpower but also luck. The outer areas of the Beast Valley, though not home to powerful beasts, could still be dangerous if low-level beasts gathered in groups.

With less than three hours left, finding eighteen Feather Transformation Grass plants was an impossible task. Unless he entered the second layer. The second layer had more Feather Transformation Grass, and no servant disciples dared to enter, while outer sect disciples would not waste time collecting such low-level herbs. If he entered, he could complete the task in about an hour, but the beasts in the second layer were at least second rank, with third-rank beasts often appearing. For Ye Yun, who was still at the third level of the Body Tempering stage, it was like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

A stone tablet appeared before Ye Yun, faintly glowing red under the soft light.

This was the boundary marker of the second layer.

Having made his decision, Ye Yun took a deep breath and leaped over the stone tablet.

The soft light from the Soft Light Technique suddenly flickered like a candle in the wind, and the visible range shrank to just ten meters.

Beyond ten meters, it was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

"No wonder outer sect disciples cultivate a more advanced Soft Light Technique. The second layer of the Beast Valley is so dark that my current Soft Light Technique would be useless in the third layer." Ye Yun looked around with the faint light, his expression becoming more serious. Finding Feather Transformation Grass in such a limited range would be extremely difficult.

Since he had entered the second layer, Ye Yun did not want to waste time. He bent over and moved slowly, focusing on finding Feather Transformation Grass.

The second layer was rarely entered by servant disciples, and outer sect disciples rarely came to collect such low-value materials. According to Ye Yun's thinking, he should be able to find some.

Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, a half-foot-tall plant appeared in the faint light, with blue stems and leaves, the most distinctive feature of Feather Transformation Grass.

Ye Yun was overjoyed, not expecting to find one so easily in the second layer. At this rate, he might really complete the task in two hours.

The second plant was found just as easily, followed by the third, fourth, and so on.

Ye Yun was truly surprised to find so many Feather Transformation Grass plants so easily. In just an hour, he had already collected eight.

"Liu Daolong, you won't expect my luck to be this good. When I surpass you, I will make you pay for all the humiliation." Ye Yun saw the ninth plant, a glint of determination in his eyes.

"Wait, why are there so many Feather Transformation Grass plants growing in the same area?" Ye Yun realized he had overlooked something. "No good, Feather Transformation Grass is cold in nature, and third-rank beasts like to eat it to enhance their cold energy. Could it be..."

*Whoosh!*

Just as Ye Yun realized something was wrong, a cold, sharp light appeared behind him, slicing through the air with a hissing sound, aiming straight for his back.

Ye Yun's hair stood on end, and he instinctively rolled forward. The pale blue light grazed his back, cutting a piece of his robe.

Looking up, Ye Yun saw two large, white snakes coiled on the grass, their bodies emitting a cold, eerie light, their red tongues flickering with terrifying hisses.

Third-rank beasts, Ice Soul Snow Snakes!