Chapter Seventy-One: Beneath Jiuping Mountain

“Elder Mo, Elder Wu, after resting for so long, isn’t it time you both did some work?” Suspended in midair, carried effortlessly by the black-clad youth, Lin Xiaobao didn’t have to exert himself in the slightest. All he needed to do was maintain a frightened expression to play his part.

“The seal is in a valley to the southwest, but with your current strength, entering the sealed land will be quite difficult,” Elder Wu replied, fully aware of Lin Xiaobao’s intentions.

Impressive indeed! Lin Xiaobao couldn’t help but admire Elder Wu’s formidable spiritual sense when he stated the seal’s location outright. Lin Xiaobao figured that since both the Snowy Pavilion and the Flowing Cloud Sect suspected an ancient seal here, surely powerful cultivators had repeatedly scanned the mountain range with their spiritual senses—yet found nothing. Elder Wu, only a soul residing within Lin Xiaobao, had pinpointed the seal without Lin even noticing, and had discovered even more.

“What makes it so difficult?” Lin Xiaobao pressed, both respectful and curious.

“There are many spirit beasts in the valley. Though most are only first or second rank, they’re not opponents you can handle,” Elder Wu responded, unfazed.

A first-rank spirit beast was equivalent to a cultivator at the first to third stage of the Spirit Path, while a second-rank beast rivaled those at the fourth to sixth stages.

“That will be tricky,” Lin Xiaobao frowned. “But no matter. I can lure Hua Xiaotian and Ao Wuchen here to help deal with the higher-ranked spirit beasts.”

The solution came to him quickly. Risky, perhaps, but given the situation, it was the only option. In terms of formations, he was confident none could match him, so when it came to breaking the seal, he would still hold the advantage.

“Fool! Did you stuff all the ‘Compendium of Spirit Beasts’ I taught you into a dog’s belly?” Instead of praise, Lin Xiaobao received a scolding from Elder Mo for his proud plan.

To an alchemist, herbs, minerals, and spirit beasts were all just materials for pill refining; their differences lay only in their properties.

The Compendium of Spirit Beasts was a miscellany penned by a genius alchemist, cataloguing nearly every spirit beast in existence. Their habits, traits, attack patterns, weaknesses, and medicinal uses were all listed in detail.

Elder Mo had taught Lin Xiaobao this a year ago, but the latter hadn’t recalled it in the moment.

Of course, even if he remembered, he might not be willing to take such a risk. After all, those spirit beasts were several levels stronger than he was. If that genius had made even a small error in his notes, Lin Xiaobao would be gambling with his life.

“Of course I remember! I just wanted to be a bit more cautious,” Lin Xiaobao hastily denied any fear of death.

“Cautious, my foot! If you’re afraid of everything, you’ll never reach the peak of cultivation! Do you think reaching the Dao Realm and extending your life by five centuries is so great?” Elder Mo seized the opportunity to lecture him. “This is just the first step on the path of cultivation. There’s a long road ahead, and the rewards are beyond your imagination!”

“Can you live forever?” Lin Xiaobao immediately asked what truly concerned him. To him, as long as his strength sufficed, it was enough, but immortality was a powerful temptation—no one wished to die.

“Immortality is only natural. At the highest realms, you could even destroy a world and create another,” Elder Mo replied, knowing Lin Xiaobao well enough to understand that the promise of immortality would drive him to train relentlessly.

As expected, Lin Xiaobao’s eyes gleamed at the mention of eternal life. “In that case, I’ll go all out!”

“I truly wonder what misfortune led us to depend on someone like you,” Elder Mo muttered, shaking his head. “This time, you will practice capturing spirit beasts. It’s a required lesson for any alchemist.”

Lin Xiaobao nodded. In truth, when Elder Mo mentioned the Compendium, he had already given up on recruiting Hua Xiaotian and Ao Wuchen. His earlier words had merely been to confirm whether reaching the pinnacle of cultivation truly meant immortality.

After breaking through to the Spirit Path, Lin Xiaobao had clearly felt the intoxicating power at his command. Even without such motivation, he would have forced himself to cultivate.

“Which way now?” At the foot of Ninefold Mountain, the three halted, and the young girl asked Lin Xiaobao.

Though called a mountain, Ninefold Mountain was in fact a vast range; standing at its base, one couldn’t see the ends of its endless peaks.

Following Elder Wu’s instructions, Lin Xiaobao pointed southwest. “Over there. But I must warn you, I’ve heard there are fierce beasts in those parts—and possibly spirit beasts lurking as well.”

At the mention of spirit beasts, all three faces tensed. Spirit beasts, at their current strength, were a daunting threat; even a first-rank beast was beyond their ability to defeat.

Then again, if spirit beasts truly dwelled here, the elders would surely have discovered them long ago. Most likely, ordinary people had mistaken powerful wild beasts for spirit beasts.

“Don’t worry, we’re not afraid of spirit beasts!” Once he’d reasoned it out, the white-clad youth immediately put on a brave front.

Lin Xiaobao saw through his act at once, noting the superior air in his expression. Just keep pretending, he thought. When you’re really face-to-face with a spirit beast, let’s see you keep this up.

“Let’s keep moving then!” Now that their direction was settled, the girl was eager to investigate. She still couldn’t fully trust that someone as ordinary as Lin Xiaobao would know the whereabouts of an ancient seal.

“Keep going? It’s already dark. If we continue, I won’t be able to keep up!” Determined to play the part of an ordinary person, Lin Xiaobao yawned three or four times for good measure.

“No one said you had to walk!” The girl, as always, seemed to have little patience for him.

“Even if I’m not walking, I can’t sleep while flying! If I don’t get enough rest, I’ll lose focus, and then I might lead you the wrong way. If we get lost in the night, don’t blame me!” Lin Xiaobao protested innocently.

“We’ll rest here tonight,” the black-clad youth, who rarely spoke, said before sitting down on the spot.