Ji Chan'er

Zhen Yuyan?

Seeing the newcomer, Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He was alert to the extreme, but said:

"Reporting to Senior Sister Zhen, the growth of the green leaf grass hasn't been very good these past two days, so I thought about watering it a few more times to avoid affecting the future harvest."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Zhen Yuyan nodded noncommittally, a smile appearing on her face. "As expected of someone the Eldest Senior Sister values; you are indeed meticulous and thorough."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, pointed to the empty bucket in his hand, and said calmly:

"Senior Sister Zhen overpraises me; I really don't deserve it. Now that I've watered the spirit field once, I'm preparing to go back and Cultivate."

"So it turns out I've disturbed Junior Brother."

Zhen Yuyan smiled faintly, then her eyes became slightly blurred, and she spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Did you hear any strange sounds just now?"

Her voice seemed to contain a mysterious magic, like flowing water or a song, refreshing the heart. A purple light flickered in her eyes, carrying an indescribable, eerie charm.

Qi Yuan seemed to be bewitched, standing blankly on the spot, his expression gradually becoming dazed as he murmured:

"What... what sound? I... I didn't hear... any sound just now..."

"Oh, perhaps I heard wrong."

Zhen Yuyan frowned slightly and waved her hand at him. "Go back and rest early. After you wake up, you will completely forget about meeting me tonight."

"Yes, I understand."

Qi Yuan nodded with a wooden expression and then turned to leave without looking back, though his steps were still somewhat stiff.

It wasn't until he was far away from the medicine garden that he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. His eyes instantly regained their clarity, showing no sign of being bewitched.

At this moment, his heart was still pounding, and a layer of cold sweat had faintly broken out on his forehead.

"What a powerful Soul-Snatching Technique. If I didn't have my Lifebound Treasure protecting my Divine Soul, I would have almost fallen for her trick."

Qi Yuan thought with lingering fear, his expression becoming extremely grave.

Demonic Sect!

As the Taixuan Holy Land Dao Child, Qi Yuan naturally knew about the many enemies the Holy Land had to face, and the monstrously demonic Baleful Yin Sect was a top priority.

The Baleful Yin Sect led the heterodox factions and was known for its strict rules and ruthless cruelty. The demonic Cultivators under its banner were proficient in various treacherous and evil Demonic Path secret arts, making them hard to guard against, and their combat power generally exceeded that of Cultivators of the same rank.

To obtain information on the Baleful Yin Sect's Cultivation Techniques, the Seven Great Holy Lands had lost countless undercover agents in secret.

Therefore, he recognized at a glance that the technique Zhen Yuyan had just used was precisely the Baleful Yin Sect's sect-guarding scripture, the "Senluo Phantom Yin Great Law."

Within the Baleful Yin Sect, Disciples qualified to practice this Legacy were at least at the level of a core True Disciple.

Before this, Qi Yuan really never expected that the seemingly mediocre Falling Cloud Valley would actually hide a Nascent Soul level True Disciple of the Demonic Sect.

The situation just now was dangerous to the extreme. If it weren't for his excellent acting skills, things would likely have gone south by now.

If he were to expose his identity as a Taixuan Holy Land member in front of a True Disciple of the Demonic Sect, the consequences could be imagined.

Although Qi Yuan was confident he could escape from her, fighting would definitely alert the other Cultivators in Falling Cloud Valley, meaning the subsequent System missions would completely fail, which was something he absolutely could not accept!

"For now, it seems this Baleful Yin Sect female Cultivator is clearly not after me. She is living incognito in Falling Cloud Valley and went to great lengths to secure the job of guarding the medicine garden; her target is likely that ten-thousand-year Spirit Medicine."

Qi Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the alarm in his heart. "Now that I know who is monitoring the spirit field, as long as I am cautious, I don't need to worry about her suddenly attacking..."

With this thought, he set aside his distractions and continued toward his residence.

Back at his residence, just as Qi Yuan was about to enter meditation to Cultivate, the task System interface appeared before him once again:

"Host has met the hidden conditions; a new side mission is activated."

"In the Falling Cloud Valley medicine garden, a phantom star grass that is about to become a ten-thousand-year Spirit Medicine is trapped by a Formation. Please find the location where the phantom star grass is imprisoned and break the Seal within three months to rescue the phantom star grass."

"This mission is a side mission and can be abandoned."

"Mission Difficulty: Five Stars (Extremely Difficult)"

"Mission Reward: After completing the mission, you can choose between the following two routes:"

"One: Be heartless and ruthless, crush the Ten Thousand Year Phantom Star Grass into medicine. After consuming it, the Host will gain an opportunity for a Spiritual Insight Empowerment, and your cultivation will advance greatly."

"Two: Actively release it. Upon completion, you will gain the gratitude and recognition of the Ten Thousand Year Phantom Star Grass, while also obtaining a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi. With the Heavenly Dao Qi, the Host has a chance to achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."

"Note: Undertaking this mission will offend the Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator Ji Chan'er. Once discovered by her, death is certain. It is recommended that the Host abandon this mission."

Qi Yuan saw this and was immediately invigorated, a realization dawning in his heart.

It seemed the one calling for help earlier was that Ten Thousand Year Phantom Star Grass. The reason it took the risk to contact him was likely due to the Myriad Spirits Affinity talent taking effect.

He had been watering the spirit field every day recently, and combined with his talent for increasing the favorability of non-human beings, it was natural for the phantom star grass to develop a sense of closeness over time.

As for the first route, he had no interest in it at all.

In the Taixuan Holy Land, there were plenty of Heaven And Earth Treasures that could greatly advance one's cultivation. Although consuming them would provide a boost in power, the consequence was that the internal magic power would become mixed and impure. Unless one underwent further purification, it would be extremely difficult to continue advancing in the future.

With his Aptitude, if he spent the time used for purifying magic power on cultivation instead, his progress might be even greater... What tempted Qi Yuan was the wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi in the second option!

He had once heard from his master, Daoist Hengzhen, about the different qualities of Nascent Souls, and he remembered the legendary Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul vividly.

The Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment mentioned by the System and the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul both share the words Heavenly Dao in their names, obviously indicating a connection.

Although he had long since established his foundation, if he could achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment with a wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi, wouldn't it also be possible to achieve a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul with that same wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi?

Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul—just the name sounded high-end, domineering, and classy, fitting his temperament perfectly.

With such an opportunity before him, there was no reason to give it up.

Although that Demonic Sect True Disciple under the alias Zhen Yuyan was a bit tricky, judging by the level of the technique she revealed, she was likely at the Early Nascent Soul Stage. He had his Lifebound Treasure for protection and was plotting from the shadows against an unsuspecting foe; it wasn't impossible to contend with her.

As for the System's suggestion, it was even more nonsensical. In the System's eyes, he was currently just a rookie at the Qi Refining Realm, so facing the Nascent Soul Realm Ji Chan'er would naturally be a certain death.

Thinking of this, Qi Yuan, who was on the verge of Nascent Soul Formation, immediately made up his mind and chose to accept the mission without hesitation.

However, before that, he still had to complete the main mission of the Outer Sect Grand Competition to avoid any unexpected complications at a critical moment...