“I must be careful during this journey and not lose this small life of mine……” Bai Xiaochun had a troubled look on his face as he put seven-eight layers of leather clothing as well as Zhang Fatso One’s big black pot on his back. Physically, he was small and skinny, so this attire of his made him look like a ball.

Bai Xiaochun left the Scented Cloud Mountain with a heavy heart, heading toward the South Bank’s gate. Along the way, many disciples saw Bai Xiaochun and were stunned by his attire.

Bai Xiaochun had a depressed look on his face. If he met acquaintances, he would wave his hand, bidding them farewell. As he slowly approached the South Bank’s gate from the side, he discovered two people already waiting there. One of them was a youngster who was meditating with his legs crossed, whereas the other was a girl. Seeing her figure from behind, Bai Xiaochun felt that she looked familiar. This lady was currently impatiently pacing back and forth near the gate.

“Du Lingfei?” Bai Xiaochun was stunned.

Du Lingfei also saw Bai Xiaochun and was stunned for a moment, especially when she noticed Bai Xiaochun’s attire, after which, she could only frown.

“The last person on the mission to investigate Senior Hou’s disappearance is you?”

“It is indeed me. What a coincidence……” Bai Xiaochun dryly coughed and averted his gaze towards the youngster at Du Lingfei’s side, as if it was a random gesture. This youngster was expressionless but there was a certain menacing aura surrounding him. When Bai Xiaochun looked at him, the youngster opened his eyes and glanced at Bai Xiaochun with a vague smile.

Something stirred in Bai Xiaochun’s heart. Before he had arrived, Bai Xiaochun had already analysed how Qian Dajin could act during this mission. One of the easiest way was to find a person from the Sect who was similarly executing this mission and once they had left the Sect, this person would secretly dispose of Bai Xiaochun. This way, it would be known to neither God nor a soul.

In this moment, regardless of whether it was Du Lingfei or this youngster, Bai Xiaochun was equally suspicious. Naturally, he wouldn’t let such thoughts show on his face, he even smiled at that youngster.

“This young one’s name is Bai Xiaochun, and who might this Senior Brother be……”

“Green Peak Mountain’s Feng Yan.” The youngster similarly smiled as he spoke.

“So it is Senior Feng. One look at Senior Feng and I can tell that you are definitely not an ordinary senior. This is my first time executing a mission outside the Sect and I hope Senior Feng will offer guidance along the way.” Bai Xiaochun quickly cupped his fist in greeting with an expression suggesting that he was already aware of the other party’s cultivation which was at the seventh level of Qi Condensation.

“Well said, well said.” There was a hint of scorn that flashed past Feng Yan’s eyes. The only reason why he was participating in this mission was because an inner sect disciple, Qian Dajin, had promised him something extremely tempting. Only then did he agree to kill this Bai Xiaochun during the mission’s execution.

This was a very easy task for the youngster, to the point that he did not even need to personally dispose of Bai Xiaochun. Just by giving Bai Xiaochun a slight shove, he could make it look like Bai Xiaochun had died from an accident.

The only thing that he had to be careful of was to not let Du Lingfei notice. However, it was clear to him that Du Lingfei being involved in this mission was also part of Qian Dajin’s plan.

Du Lingfei frowned. She would have never thought that she would actually meet that hateful fellow in front of her when she was going out to execute a mission. This mission was not forced onto her by others, but one that she herself had taken the initiative to accept. After all, even though this mission was somewhat dangerous, overall, it was still easy and worth a lot of Contribution Points.

She had been stuck at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Cultivation for a very long time and wanted to obtain enough Contribution Points to exchange for another Soaring Cloud Incense and break through to the next level. At the thought of the Soaring Cloud Incense, her animosity toward Bai Xiaochun increased.

“He is as cowardly as a mouse!” Seeing Bai Xiaochun look her way, Du Lingfei loathed him even more from the bottom of her heart, especially since the other party’s getup made him look like a ball from head to toe. He was even carrying a big black pot on his back. No matter how you looked at him, it was an appearance of one who feared death to the extreme.

Du Lingfei scoffed coldly and ignored Bai Xiaochun as she cupped her hands, greeting Feng Yan.

“Senior Feng, everyone is accounted for. Please take out the Wind Rider. The earlier we finish the mission, the faster we will be able to return.”

Feng Yan smiled and used his right hand to pat his storage pouch. A white ray shot against the wind. It then quickly turned into a white boat about two zhang long in mid-air.

(ED note: one zhang is approximately 3.58 meters, or 3.64 yards)

Bursts of fluctuating spiritual energy spread out from the top of this boat, forming an imposing pressure.

“Senior Feng, what is this?” After seeing this, Bai Xiaochun sized the boat up with excitement. This was the first time that he had seen such a thing, especially with regards to the fact that this boat was floating in mid-air. With a single look at the boat, Bai Xiaochun could tell that it was meant for transportation, making him feel even more amazed.

Du Lingfei had a look of contempt in her eyes, whereas Feng Yan, who was standing aside, smiled.

“This thing is a Wind Rider. When going out to execute missions, or if going to a faraway place, the Sect would offer this kind of boat for rent. It’s very convenient to operate as it does not consume much Qi when controlling it. Its only downside is that it consumes a lot of Spirit Stones.” As Feng Yan was speaking, he jumped up and landed inside the boat.

Du Lingfei followed closely behind him, and Bai Xiaochun also quickly jumped onto the boat. This boat was not big and there was not much space inside, but it was more than enough to fit three people. Bai Xiaochun sat at the back, and as he touched here and looked there, he found this object even more impressive.

“I should also get myself a boat like this.” Bai Xiaochun said to himself.

“Even if you were to sell yourself, you still wouldn’t be able to afford one!” Du Lingfei looked at Bai Xiaochun as if he was a country bumpkin and mocked him.

After hearing this, Bai Xiaochun narrowed his eyes at Du Lingfei, sizing her up, and nodded his head.

“Then if I were to sell you, I reckon that I would be able to afford one.”

“You!” Du Lingfei glared at Bai Xiaochun with her eyes curved upwards at the corners. Under Feng Yan’s control, the Wind Rider turned into a rainbow headed towards the horizon.

The boat was fast enough to produce a whistling sound, however, a curtain of light blocked the fierce wind, so even though the trio could hear the wind outside, it didn’t cause them any discomfort.

From afar, one could see the boat’s rainbow slowly disappear beyond the horizon.

At the same time, on top of the Scented Cloud Mountain and inside the Medicine Master’s Temple, Elder Xu, who had been in charge of the Medicine Apprentice’s promotional examination, was frowning slightly as he held a jade tablet in his hands.

“The Law Enforcement Agency actually bypassed my Scented Cloud Mountain and forced Bai Xiaochun to execute a mission?” Elder Xu closely looked at the jade tablet. After a long while, his eyebrows loosened up. He saw that this mission was easy and even though it was dangerous to a certain degree, it still wouldn’t endanger Bai Xiaochun’s life.

“This boy has made a habit of being lazy. Occasionally punishing him by making him do a small task is fine too.” Elder Xu thought of the task that Li Qinghou had entrusted to him before leaving and remembered what he was told about Bai Xiaochun’s personality. Therefore, he put down the jade tablet, not bothering with it any longer as he continued to refine medicine.

Meanwhile, Qian Dajin was standing outside one of the official caverns in the Green Peak Mountain where the inner sect disciples resided. He was looking at the distantly departing boat with a cold smile on his face.

“With Feng Yan’s cultivation, secretly killing this Bai Xiaochun is as easy as turning one’s hand. Bai Xiaochun…… your herb and plant mastery is impressive, unfortunately, you will not have the chance to grow any further. This time, you will die without a doubt!”

The blue sky extended for tens of thousands of li. On the boat, although Bai Xiaochun was slightly nervous, watching the ground below still gave him a feeling of excitement.

(ED note: ah, the wonder of ancient chinese units. One li is slightly more than ? of a kilometer, or approximately ? of a mile)

He poked his head out and looked down. He could see mountain peaks as sharp as swords and mountain ranges as long as dragons, especially one…… earth-shaking river.

“The Tongtian River……” Bai Xiaochun inhaled deeply. After he had become an outer sect disciple, he had seen a lot of materials and discovered that, in truth, the whole cultivation world relied on this Tongtian River to cultivate.

This river was the root of all Qi.

Therefore, all sects would be established near the Tongtian River. The higher up the stream, the richer the Qi.

The location of the Spirit River Sect could only considered to be midstream. Even so, it stood tall for tens of thousands of years without falling. In the writings that Bai Xiaochun had read, it was said that the Spirit River Sect from tens of thousands of years ago had not been in its current location but downstream. There had been an outstanding ancestor that had killed countless sects and cultivator clans, obtaining the upper sects’ recognition and only then did they earn the qualifications to open a sect in the midstream.

“It is said that even multiple Spirit River Sects can’t compare to the might of a sect located further up the stream of this Tongtian River. Legend has it that at the source of the Tongtian River……exists an even more terrifying sect.” Bai Xiaochun suppressed the excitement in his heart, he had to be vigilant on this journey.

Not far below was the Tongtian River, a golden coloured river that was continuously rolling and tumbling like a sea. On the other side of the river, there were four towering mountain peaks emitting a pure and imposing dense Qi.

“That must be the North Bank of the Spirit River Sect.” Bai Xiaochun looked into the distance at the four mountain peaks at the North Bank. He even saw the Spirit River Sect’s main peak which crossed over the Tongtian River, forming an enormous bridge!

“Zhong Dao Mountain!” Bai Xiaochun had seen all these locations when he was first brought over by Li Qinghou. The only difference was that he was still an ordinary person at that time, and now he was already an outer sect disciple. Looking at the mountains once again, the feeling that he got from it was completely different.

The boat was quick and it gradually got further away from the sect. It wriggled with the Tongtian River as it flowed downstream, flying in that same direction.

“Junior Du, Junior Bai, I am sure that the both of you have also read the mission’s details. The place we are heading to this time is the Fallen Star Mountain Range located downstream of the Tongtian River. This was the place where Junior Hou delivered his last message. This Fallen Star Mountain Range is as far as the Spirit River Sect’s influence extends to. On the other end of the mountain range is the Blood River Sect’s territory.” Feng Yan lightly spoke. His voice was muffled by the sound of the wind hitting against the boat and was somewhat fuzzy.

“This journey might be dangerous to a certain degree, but having accepted this mission, we should already be mentally prepared. As long as we are cautious, there shouldn’t be any serious problems.”

“Our destination is too far, so as to prevent from consuming too many Spirit Stones, we will be walking most of the time, only if the place is rather difficult to cross, will we use the boat.” Feng Yan finished speaking and a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes. He sat down in the front and closed his eyes in meditation.

Du Lingfei was unwilling to pay attention to Bai Xiaochun, so she leaned on the side and also began meditating.

Bai Xiaochun was rather vigilant. Even though he was meditating with his legs crossed, he had never stopped thinking about who it was that Qian Dajin had sent among the two people before his eyes.

“The possibility of it being Du Lingfei is minimal……. As for this Feng Yan, eight or nine out of ten, it would be him!”

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It has been decided that we\'ll push our limits in the following week and try to release more chapters. As such, expect 10 guaranteed chapters and up to 5 sponsored chapters the following week. Again, thank you so much for your support!

Translated by: Nat

Edited by: Crimsonguard, Arch