Chapter 774: with translation of chapter title

774. Chapter 772: Anomaly in the Mysterious Valley

Facing Lu Yuan's inquiry, she unconsciously bit her lip, and finally she still answered him.

"Mr. Lu, I…"

"Considering our sect's interests and the urgent need of our companions on the front lines for spirit‑power restoring pills, I proactively attempted to develop a new type of spirit‑power restoring pill."

Su Liyan explained somewhat nervously.

A flash of surprise and appreciation crossed Lu Yuan's eyes: "You did very well!"

Su Liyan felt a warm current surge through her heart.

She used the rare materials gathered in the secret realm and her mastery of the art of separating pills and transforming spirit, successfully developing the new spirit‑power restoring pill within five days, and selflessly shared the formula with other alchemists.

Lu Yuan smiled and patted Su Liyan's shoulder: "Your contribution is very important; it not only helped our companions but also brought honor to the entire sect."

"Keep up the effort!"

A happy smile bloomed on Su Liyan's face, and she felt that everything she had done before was worthwhile.

When the news spread throughout the Lei Huo Dan Ge, Lu Yuan expressed high praise for Su Liyan's actions.

At the banquet, he told everyone everything Su Liyan had done, and praised her for putting the sect's interests first, disregarding personal gain or loss.

He also listed Su Liyan as the most outstanding employee of the Lei Huo Dan Ge, motivating others to learn from her.

Zi Xi'er stood in the crowd, watching Lu Yuan and Su Liyan amid endless praise and applause, feeling a surge of pride.

She secretly resolved in her heart to take her sister as a role model and make even greater contributions to the sect.

Other cultivators also expressed great respect and appreciation for Su Liyan's actions.

They all expressed willingness to offer help and suggestions for improving the formula, hoping to soon resolve the supply issue of the spirit‑power restoring pills.

Lu Yuan looked at Su Liyan, smiled, and said: "Your contribution is very important; it not only helped our companions but also brought honor to the entire sect."

"Keep up the effort!"

Su Liyan's face was filled with a happy smile.

She felt that everything she had done before was worthwhile.

She well knew that she was a maid hired by Lu Yuan, and they were not companions.

But whenever Lu Yuan encountered difficulties, he was always willing to listen to her suggestions and praise her efforts.

Next, Lu Yuan decided to assign personnel to gather the materials needed for the new spirit‑power restoring pills, and planned to use these pills in future large‑scale battles.

He also needed to consider the impact of the materials' scarcity on the sect's resource management.

Therefore, he decided to search for these rare materials throughout the Xiuzhen Jie.

During this period, Su Liyan chose to keep a low profile and focus on cultivating to improve her strength.

To protect the safety of the Bixiao Town outpost, Lu Yuan decided to set up a powerful defensive formation.

He summoned cultivators from the Youhun Sect and the Black Flame Sect, with Hong Lietian and True Lord Po Tian each leading a team to carry out exploration missions in the four directions.

The purpose of this operation is to obtain more merit points, thereby raising the status and influence of the Lei Huo Dan Ge in the Xiuzhen Jie.

Hong Lietian and True Lord Po Tian immediately began preparations, organizing teams and gathering necessary equipment and resources.

Lu Yuan instructed them to be extremely careful and to constantly pay attention to safety during the exploration.

Su Liyan watched Hong Lietian and True Lord Po Tian depart, feeling a hint of worry in her heart.

She knew the outside world was full of unknowns and dangers, but she also believed they would surely complete the mission successfully.

Su Liyan stood on the wall of Bixiao Town, gazing at the distant wilderness, her heart filled with determination and anticipation.

She expressed to Lu Yuan her wish to join the exploration operation, hoping to contribute her strength to the sect.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan looked at Su Liyan's determined eyes and nodded.

"Your recent performance has been outstanding, and you have a deep understanding of the grassland terrain and its creatures, which will be very helpful for our exploration operation."

"So I agree to let you join us."

Upon hearing Lu Yuan agree to her request, Su Liyan couldn't help but reveal a relieved smile.

"Thank you for your trust! I will do my utmost to complete the mission!"

Subsequently, Lu Yuan organized a team consisting of himself, Su Liyan, and several cultivators; they departed Bixiao Town on flying swords and embarked on the journey to seek materials.

After arriving at the outer wilderness, they did not immediately begin searching.

Lu Yuan decided to first scout the surrounding environment, and besides looking for materials, he must constantly stay alert for safety.

"This wilderness is really a troublesome place."

Su Liyan narrowed her eyes, observing the activity of the strange species in the distance.

"I don't know why, but these strange species appear unusually active."

"It seems some unknown factor is influencing them."

Lu Yuan furrowed his brows, also feeling a hint of unease in his heart.

"We must respond carefully. Hong Lietian, do you have any suggestions?"

Hong Lietian pondered for a moment, "Perhaps we can try capturing a few of the strange species for study."

"To see if we can find the cause of their abnormal behavior."

Lu Yuan nodded to indicate his agreement.

"Then let's do it according to your suggestion."

"Handle things carefully, do not act impulsively."

They decided to split into two groups: one part would continue gathering materials, while the other part would stay behind to follow Hong Lietian for a deeper investigation.

Su Liyan and the other cultivators began collecting the needed materials; she focused on gathering various plants and minerals, and used her ice‑type immortal technique to keep them fresh.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Yuan, Hong Lietian, and the others discovered a mysterious energy fluctuation.

"Something here is attracting these strange species, but we cannot see it clearly."

Hong Lietian furrowed his brows, looking somewhat puzzled.

Lu Yuan stared at the energy fluctuations in the distance, a hunch telling him that some important secret might be hidden here.

"We must determine the source of this energy fluctuation."

"Hong Lietian, follow the direction of those anomalous beings to investigate; I will continue gathering materials."

Hong Lietian answered in affirmation, leading several cultivators toward the area where anomalous beings were active.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, reassembled the material-gathering team, leading everyone forward along the originally set route.

As they proceeded, Su Liyan scanned the surroundings while staying on guard.

Su Liyan looked around; the thick mist in the valley shrouded her vision, making everything appear hazy and mysterious.

In the mist, she felt an abnormal energy fluctuation, as if every wisp of fog contained some power.

Suddenly, a strange light flashed across the sky above the valley, and several energy fluctuations radiated outward in all directions.

This sudden change drew the attention of all the sect cultivators.

The Youhun Sect and the Black Flame Sect were in a tense relationship, which was especially evident at this moment.

The cultivators of the two sects immediately began to gather, facing off against each other.

"What happened? Why did this phenomenon appear?" (End of chapter)