Chapter 64: Fighting, Fighting, Fighting!

The Red Thread Worm in the wooden box was wriggling with great vigor. Ruan Xing squatted down to take a closer look; the ring-like segments on its body were constantly opening and closing—that was its shell.

Red Thread Worm shell is one of the ingredients for a second-grade Pill. Ruan Xing had used it before, but she never expected its actual form to look like an earthworm, and... so lacking in prestige, being dug out of the grass by anyone at random.

Ruan Xing looked at the female Cultivator and asked casually, "Fellow Daoist, you've dug up such a large box; how many Spirit Stones can you earn?"

"Not much, it just looks like a lot. Once dried, only the shells remain, weighing about two or three liang. One liang of complete shells can sell for five Low-grade Spirit Stones." The female Cultivator wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. "Unlike some Cultivators who find it troublesome and don't want to turn the soil over one by one, they just burn the ground dry and cracked with fire, then sift through it to keep the shells. Those shells aren't worth anything; except for being used by their own apprentices who are just learning alchemy to practice with, no one wants them."

The entrance fee was fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones. If she could dig two liang of Red Thread Worms every day, that would be one hundred Spirit Stones in ten days.

No wonder the Cold Mountain Secret Realm is a paradise for low-level Cultivators; this profit is truly high.

"So that's how it is, I've learned something." Ruan Xing sighed, then suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist, you must be tired after digging for so long. Why not have a fight with me to relax?"

Upon hearing this, the female Cultivator turned her head in astonishment, nearly dropping the hoe in her hand. She stared blankly and said, "Fi-fi-fight!? I am only a small Cultivator at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and these Red Thread Worms aren't worth much... there's no need, right..."

She had mistaken Ruan Xing for a highway robber.

While the strong preying on the weak happens from time to time in the world of Cultivation, surely no one would pay a fifty Spirit Stone entrance fee to enter a Secret Realm just to rob someone of ten Spirit Stones?!

"And I, I warn you, I am an Outer Sect Disciple of the Xuanbing Sect... my fellow disciples are outside the Secret Realm. If you rob me, I will report you!" The female Cultivator was so nervous she couldn't even speak clearly; it seemed this was her first time encountering such a situation.

"You've misunderstood, I'm not robbing you." Ruan Xing patted her arm to soothe her. "I presume you, like me, have always cultivated behind closed doors and have little experience outside, right? I came to the Secret Realm this time to gain some insight and increase my practical combat experience. Help me out, have a match with me, and I will give you a reward. You can also call over those fellow disciples of yours, um... how about this: for every match, one Gathering Qi Pill per person, no upper limit."

The female Cultivator was somewhat tempted. She could not see through Ruan Xing's cultivation level, which proved the other party was at least several layers higher than her. She also lacked practical combat experience; a match would likely only last the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. As Gathering Qi Pills were essential daily items for those in the Qi Refining stage, more was naturally better.

She considered it for a moment and said, "Then, Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. I will call over a few fellow disciples I am close with."

She was still a bit afraid. If what Ruan Xing said was true, calling over a few close fellow disciples would be a way to earn some extra money. If it were false, having more people would bolster her courage, and she assumed the other party wouldn't dare to do anything.

Ruan Xing nodded, naturally unconcerned. She watched as the female Cultivator took out a jade tablet and injected a strand of Spiritual Power into it. Then, the two stood in place waiting. The female Cultivator took the opportunity to pack the Red Thread Worms from her wooden boxes, along with her hoe and tongs, into her Storage Bag.

"What is this?" Ruan Xing asked curiously.

The female Cultivator replied distractedly, "A Disciple Jade Tablet. All Sect disciples have one. You can receive news from the Sect, record Contribution Points, and contact fellow disciples who are nearby."

Ruan Xing pondered to herself: this Xuanbing Sect seems quite good to its Outer Sect Disciples? This female Cultivator has low cultivation and a rather naive and simple personality, yet she still has fellow disciples she is close with; she must have never suffered the bitterness of worldly affairs.

Her appearance is above average, yet she has never encountered the bullying that women often face.

She is diligent, accumulating Spirit Stones by relying on her own efforts in this dirty and tiring work of digging for worms; she is likely from a humble background with no family support.

It seems the Sect atmosphere is quite positive. Perhaps after this matter is settled, she should go to the Xuanbing Sect to take a look, seek apprenticeship, and use the Xuanbing Sect's techniques to break through to Foundation Establishment. Moreover, the Xuanbing Sect is a Sect with thousands of years of heritage; the techniques practiced by its disciples must be very complete from Qi Refining all the way to Return to Void.

Thinking of this, Ruan Xing couldn't help but feel closer to the female Cultivator. "Sister, how should I address you?"

"I..."

"Junior Sister Zhao!"

Just as the female Cultivator was about to introduce herself, she was interrupted by a shout from afar. The two looked toward the sound and saw several figures flying on Swords, landing on the ground.

One of the men walked quickly to the female Cultivator's side, frowning as he looked at Ruan Xing, his expression carrying a hint of hostility.

To avoid a conflict, the female Cultivator hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "This Fellow Daoist is out traveling for the first time and wants more practical combat experience, so she needs us to spar with her. The reward is one Gathering Qi Pill per match."

The male Cultivator's expression softened slightly. "So that's how it is. How does the Fellow Daoist wish to spar?"

Ruan Xing used her Divine Sense to probe, and the male Cultivator seemed to notice something, but he did not resist.

There were four fellow disciples called by the female Cultivator: the male Cultivator who spoke just now was at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, there was one man and one woman at Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and another male Cultivator at Qi Refining Layer 5.

Although their cultivation was slightly lower, one could tell at a glance that they had some experience in dueling. Furthermore, if they all attacked together and she could manage to hold her own, that would be the greatest benefit of this sparring session.

In the world of Cultivation, never expect a fair one-on-one; this has never been a place that reasons.

Ruan Xing took a deep breath. "Let's begin. One by one first."

Although the Real-scene Simulation in the Simulator could only provide memories of personal experience, as far as Ruan Xing felt, the combat experience she gained was solid and real. Those few Outer Sect Disciples of the Xuanbing Sect sparred with her one by one. At first, she could rely on her cultivation to suppress them and end the matches in a brutal and crude manner. However, it was somewhat difficult against the male Cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer; many times, she couldn't even injure him.

They also taught her quite a few tips and common knowledge regarding the use of Spiritual Power. For those in the Qi Refining stage, the Spiritual Power within their bodies is limited. When using Magic Arts or Sword Formulas, it is not the case that the more Spiritual Power one dumps in, the greater the power. In duels between Cultivators, sometimes it is even a contest of Spiritual Power endurance; whoever can hold out longer wins.

Therefore, they would instead ponder more ways to conserve Spiritual Power.

Because of alchemy and Talisman making, Ruan Xing was very skilled at controlling Spiritual Power, but she found it difficult to apply this experience to combat. Only now, by sparring with Cultivators of the same stage, could she turn this control of Spiritual Power into her own instinct.

By the time all the Pills and Talismans on her person had been emptied out as rewards, the day was almost over.

The group had sparred for a day and were all in a disheveled state, but they were very happy to have received a pile of Pills and Talismans. Watching them distribute the rewards they had earned, Ruan Xing smiled slightly. "Thank you for the sparring. See you tomorrow."

Having said that, Ruan Xing ended this Simulation.

Actually, she wanted to simulate for a few more days to have a more in-depth exchange with them regarding the experience of Qi Refining stage Cultivators facing enemies, but there was no help for it; she could no longer afford the rewards. She hadn't brought much with her to begin with, and apart from one third-grade Earth Escape Talisman, she had almost nothing of value. Ruan Xing opened the Real-scene Simulation again and, in one go, sparred with those Xuanbing Sect disciples for three days.

From being flustered and struggling at the beginning to being at ease when dealing with the four of them joining forces at the end, Ruan Xing could now confidently say that she was invincible below the Qi Refining Eighth Layer! Forget it, better to stay low-key; she hadn't fought an Evil Cultivator yet, and perhaps the way to deal with them would be different.

The male Cultivator said to Ruan Xing with a somewhat ugly expression, "Fellow Daoist, it seems we can't teach you anything. Every time you make a move, you seem to be able to predict the future and defend in advance. We cannot accept these rewards for work we haven't done."

"This is a reward for sparring, not a reward for teaching me. Just take it." Ruan Xing didn't care at all. Anyway, after today ended and she returned to the daytime, these things would return to her. Giving them to them now just let them be happy for half a day.

Not waiting for the male Cultivator to refuse, Ruan Xing stepped onto her Flying Sword and left. There was still a little time left, and she had to go see that Black Water Lake.

Ruan Xing formed seals with one hand while holding the small booklet distributed by the Xuanbing Sect in the other, studying the map on it.

"Um... I remember at the beginning I was teleported to a dense forest with half a mountain peak. The trees were very tall, the terrain was flat, and after that, I walked in that direction to the Black Water Lake..."

However, the map in the booklet did not have such a place.

Ruan Xing bit her lip and pondered.

Why is this? A hidden map? It doesn't exist on the map, and you need a special method to enter?

Ruan Xing's imagination ran wild. If that were the case, without Wang Zhi, she really wouldn't be able to find the Black Water Lake.

Damn it, she had wanted to scout the location in advance to set up some traps and Talismans.

But she couldn't be discouraged. Perhaps it was just that the map was drawn too abstractly for her to recognize?

Ruan Xing decided to go to the places marked with water on the map to take a look first.

The entirety of the Cold Mountain Secret Realm centered on Hanshan Peak, extending for a hundred miles outward. The only river was a waterfall formed by the melting ice and snow from the summit of Hanshan Peak, which flowed down, fell into the mountain rocks, gathered into a river, and flowed outward.

Hanshan Peak towered into the clouds and was very easy to find. Ruan Xing sped toward this direction on her Flying Sword. By the way, the fierce wind that hit her face when flying on the Sword had also been solved by those Cultivators; one only needed to attach a thin layer of Spiritual Power to the surface of the body to block the wind. Ruan Xing had considered this method before, but she had to form seals and set up shields, and her Spiritual Power simply wasn't enough. It was only after following their method that she realized there was such a way to save Spiritual Power.

Moreover, this method could also be used in actual combat, effectively slowing down the impact force to keep her body from being injured.

Ruan Xing's Flying Sword hovered in mid-air, her Spiritual Power mostly exhausted, only then did she arrive in front of Hanshan Peak.

The moonlight was like water; Ruan Xing did not know if this moon was a false illusion created within the Secret Realm, or if it was unaffected by the Secret Realm from over ten thousand meters above. She simply looked down by the moonlight; surrounding Hanshan Peak, there were occasionally one or two Qi Refining Monster Beasts scattered in the dense forest. At this time, most of them should have been asleep, with only a rare few nocturnal creatures still scurrying about for food.

She did not know if this dense forest was the same one from her memory.

Ruan Xing controlled her Flying Sword to land below the waterfall, her Divine Sense sweeping across the river ahead. Without any obstruction, she could see to the bottom at a glance; the river water was clear and cool, and when she cupped a handful in her hands, there was no sense of viscosity or heaviness.

Ruan Xing reached a conclusion: it seemed to have nothing to do with the Black Water Lake.

She applied a Water Avoidance Talisman to herself and jumped into the river. The water was not deep, reaching the bottom in three or five meters. Unfortunately, everything was as usual, and Ruan Xing did not find any entrance to an underground river.

Sighing, Ruan Xing had no choice but to end the Simulation.

With her current abilities, it would be difficult to have any chance of winning if she encountered Wang Zhi again and went to that Black Water Lake with him. She knew nothing about him, only that he was at Qi Refining Layer Nine and could use formations.

Yet he was too mysterious; he could almost be considered a special existence regarding the Cold Mountain Secret Realm. Ruan Xing had an intuition that the strength he displayed was not his true level.

But if she just gave up like this, Ruan Xing was not reconciled. At the very least, she had to figure out what exactly the Cave Heart Spirit Grass was, what kind of place the underground river beneath that Black Water Lake was, and she also needed to know a bit about which sect Wang Zhi studied under and what techniques he possessed.

That way, even if she avoided him during this trip to the Cold Mountain Secret Realm, she would be prepared if they met next time.

Ruan Xing spent one point and launched a Real-scene Simulation.

It took one hour to travel to the Cold Mountain Secret Realm.

At the entrance, inside a temporary market spontaneously formed by many low-level Cultivators, Ruan Xing pretended to stroll around, looking at the items other Cultivators were selling at their stalls and their prices.

Soon, in the crowd, Ruan Xing saw Wang Zhi. She walked to the stall beside him and asked the stall owner, "How much for these pheasant tail feathers?"

The stall owner lifted his eyelids and looked at her, "Eight Low-grade Spirit Stones each."

"Sorry to bother you." Ruan Xing revealed an embarrassed expression of being short on funds and turned to leave.

Suddenly, she was grabbed by someone. Ruan Xing paused, turned her head, and asked suspiciously, "Fellow Daoist, why are you stopping me?"

The familiar Wang Zhi before her wore a kind smile, "Fellow Daoist, I saw that you were looking to buy refining materials just now?"

"That's right, I need to collect some refining materials to forge a new weapon for my future Foundation Establishment," Ruan Xing went along with the flow, "It's just that the Spirit Stones I had on me were mostly spent in the city, so I've come to the Cold Mountain Secret Realm to try my luck and earn some Spirit Stones to take back."

"A Fellow Daoist at Qi Refining Layer Eight coming to the Cold Mountain Secret Realm, you must have very little experience in traveling. I have a way to make money here, but it is difficult for me to do it alone. I wonder if you are willing to help me?" Wang Zhi said in a quiet, mysterious tone, "To tell you the truth, I discovered a dangerous place in the Cold Mountain Secret Realm, and there is actually a piece of mica stone inside. This kind of ore is rare; if you add a piece when refining, it can raise the grade of a Dharma Artifact. I wonder if you are interested, Fellow Daoist?"

Damn it, that thing called Cave Heart Spirit Grass was probably just something Wang Zhi said casually, but she lacked common sense and took the bait directly.

Now that she had changed her persona to a Cultivator in urgent need of refining materials, Wang Zhi's strategy had also changed.

Ruan Xing cursed inwardly, but smiled on the surface, "Many thanks for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist, but I wonder what I need to do? And how will the spoils be divided after it's done?"

Thanks to Book Friend 20240224150037849 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20240513144817343 for the monthly ticket~(End of this chapter)