“Linglong, cut it! Hurry up and cut it!”
“You hold it tight so it can’t move, Shiqi, you stay back for now… Sigh!”
On a patch of grassy ground where the trees grew sparse, three young ladies were displaying their skills as they surrounded a giant bird with a wingspan of nearly five meters.
Countless vines sprang from the earth, binding the bird’s talons firmly in place. Linglong was searching for the right moment to strike.
But as for Shiqi—Shiqi charged straight ahead, only to be sent flying by a single sweep of the bird’s wing.
She spun seven hundred and twenty degrees through the air before landing, and when she got up, her head was still dizzy, little stars circling in her eyes.
“Now! This is our chance!” Hua Jian scattered a few more seeds, urging them to sprout and grow into spiny vines, temporarily binding the bird’s wings.
At last, they had created a real opening. Linglong raised her sword and, with a swift motion, sliced off half of the bird’s head.
As the giant bird crashed to the ground with a thud, Hua Jian wiped the sweat from her brow.
She thought their coordination couldn’t exactly be called seamless—but perhaps it couldn’t be called anything at all.
It had been over a month since they left the Sea of Flowers, and the temperature in the Northern Mountains was starting to drop.
Give it another month or two, and snowflakes would be falling from the sky.
After more than a month of living in the mountains, they had almost reached the southern foothills of the Northern Mountains.
Compared to areas further north, the spirit beasts here were of lower quality, but there were far more cultivators.
There was no such thing as a “resource zone” here. Or perhaps the whole mountain range could be called a resource zone, with only a few local powers holding onto the richest patches.
That was perfectly normal. One person couldn’t monopolize a place, but a small group banding together could hold it.
No one here would report them for “malicious teaming,” either.
In most storybooks, these little factions were nothing more than experience fodder for the protagonist, who could drop by for a quick round of loot whenever they were bored.
Unfortunately, Hua Jian didn’t have the leisure to clean them out. She’d just leave the loot with them for safekeeping for now.
“These Tieyu Feiying feathers are top-notch material for making flying spiritual artifacts—we’re about to strike it rich!”
As soon as Linglong finished off the bird, Hua Jian eagerly rushed forward and began plucking feathers from its wings.
It had taken the combined efforts of the three of them to bring down this bird, so naturally the materials it yielded were extraordinary.
Hua Jian did a quick calculation—this bird alone would bring in nearly a hundred Spirit Stones.
Not a bad payoff for the effort they’d put in to kill it.
“We’ve been rich for ages, haven’t we? Are you really short of a hundred Spirit Stones right now?” Shiqi walked back, sword in hand, still a little dizzy.
This bird’s strength was nearly at the Ling Wang Realm, and that slap from its wing had hurt for real.
After all that, she’d only earned a few dozen Spirit Stones. Shiqi couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“Of course I’m short! The Venerable’s gift was a windfall—if we don’t keep earning more, we’ll burn through it all!” Hua Jian lectured Shiqi as she plucked the bird’s feathers.
It was great to land a big haul, but you couldn’t rely on luck forever.
Eat your fill of the little blues and purples—don’t be picky! That’s the real steady source of Spirit Stones.
“Do you really think what the Venerable gave us will last that long? Wait till you reach Ling Wang Realm—you’ll see just how fast Spirit Stones disappear!”
What the Venerable had given them seemed bountiful, but that was only true for the Ling Master Realm.
Once they ascended to the Ling Wang Realm, most of those treasures would be useless.
Even if traded for Spirit Stones, the equipment would barely be enough for a few sets suitable for the Ling Wang Realm.
Linglong wasn’t wrong: the Venerable’s most precious gift was those few garments. Those were true treasures that would last them a long time.
Just like Hua Jian now—she practically wore her Spiritual Garment at all times.
With it, she no longer had to worry about all kinds of poisonous bugs biting her legs beneath her skirt.
Plus, the garment came with water- and stain-resistant properties.
No matter what she did, she didn’t have to worry at all—talk about practical!
As for the embarrassment she’d used to argue with Linglong about, well, with such a powerful garment, any remaining shame was Hua Jian’s own problem.
She could overcome these little mental hurdles!
Besides, her outer clothes were quite conservative. Anyone looking at her would just think she was wearing white socks and white gloves—no one would guess they were all part of the same equipment.
“Ling Wang Realm, huh… It feels so far away,” Shiqi said as she joined Hua Jian in plucking feathers.
Unlike Hua Jian, she didn’t keep the garment on all the time, only letting the Spiritual Garment cover her whole body in battle.
After all, being wrapped up from head to toe still felt a bit weird.
Usually, she just used the gloves—after all, when she was with Linglong, the bugs in the woods didn’t dare come near.
Not like Hua Jian, who was basically a bug magnet. She had no choice but to wear the Spiritual Garment all the time.
“It’s not that far. Shiqi, as long as you cultivate normally, you’ll break through to Ling Wang Realm in a few years,” Linglong encouraged her.
Though she figured Shiqi’s breakthrough would be a little slower than Hua Jian’s.
Hua Jian had been weaker before, but after all her recent adventures, her cultivation speed had shot up so fast that everyone was calling hacks.
Even Linglong was surprised by Hua Jian’s cultivation rate. If an average cultivator was at a one, ordinary geniuses would be a two or three.
A genius like Linglong herself could reach five.
But now, Hua Jian’s cultivation speed had surpassed even Linglong’s—almost reaching ten.
Of course, that counted all kinds of other advantages. If it were just raw cultivation speed, Hua Jian was at seven or eight.
The rest came from her not-so-remarkable devouring ability.
Maybe it was because she’d absorbed Dragon Blood Vine. Now, Hua Jian could gain some cultivation just by eating things.
Take the giant bird before them—after they harvested all the valuable parts, Hua Jian would have the vines devour the remains, which gave her about half a day’s worth of cultivation.
At first, Linglong worried that Hua Jian’s tendency to eat everything might backfire, afraid that it might drive her mad.
But after watching for a while, she realized Hua Jian was just frugal and didn’t want to waste materials. That put her mind at ease.
Being stingy was a good habit at times like this—much better than bloodlust, right?
“I’m telling you, the Jian Sect loves little airheads like you. You joining the Saint Sect is a done deal!”
Even though Hua Jian was complimenting her, Shiqi felt she’d rather not be praised this way.
What did she mean by “little airhead”?
She wasn’t airheaded at all!
But clearly, Linglong and Hua Jian agreed—Shiqi was bound for the Jian Sect.
Even Linglong, the Saintess of Yaochi who dreamed of bringing Hua Jian into the Jade Pool as her junior, thought so.
That showed just how suited Shiqi was for the Jian Sect.
Otherwise, Linglong would’ve already tried to steal Shiqi away.
Why else would she let so much time pass and even push her toward the Jian Sect?
Some people just looked like they belonged somewhere, and you couldn’t change that.
Hua Jian was more ambiguous. She could go to the Jade Pool, or the Wanling Sect—either would suit her.
If you counted the demonic path, Wanhuagu would probably take one look at Hua Jian and declare, “This is our destined Sacred Maiden!”
The three chatted and laughed as they finished harvesting the giant bird, and Linglong took out a map to plan their route.
They were about to leave the main range of the Northern Mountains for the foothills, where small human settlements dotted the landscape.
In other words—little mountain villages.
These villages were mostly isolated, with their only contact with the outside world being the occasional peddler passing through.
Most of their ancestors had fled into the mountains to escape pursuit, and had simply made a life there.
The Saint Sect hadn’t forgotten these people. Every few years, they sent someone to check in and test the children for cultivation talent, taking away any with potential.
It was a small glimmer of hope for these mountain folk.
“I think this is the year they’re testing the children’s talent…” Linglong muttered under her breath.
Children of age with enough talent would be taken to Ascension City to attend the Ascension Gathering.
If they weren’t chosen by the Saint Sect, they could either return to the mountains or stay in the Central Continent to make a life for themselves.
Most of the children, after seeing the outside world, wouldn’t choose to go back.
“So we might run into Saint Sect seniors and juniors?”
“Not necessarily. The test dates aren’t fixed—they might be early or late, and we can’t stay in any village for long,” Linglong shook her head.