Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Chapter 88 Vigilance

That's good, we don't have to wait until the next day to go up the mountain.

The three of them not only spent the whole night looking for mules, but also climbed the mountain to watch the sunrise. When the rising sun dispelled the darkness and birds began to sing, the mountains and forests came to life.

Zhu Wuyao sat on a rock on the mountain peak, resting his chin on his hand, and suddenly understood what the mountain was thinking.

She found nothing strange at the bottom of the river.

It's because those things are treasures to humans, but mountains are different; they might be some kind of spiritual mineral that the mountain doesn't like.

Or perhaps it was that blue jasmine flower, or that tree spirit, that was stealing its spiritual energy to nourish itself.

Mountains aren't that forgiving.

This claim is somewhat questionable. Before going back to the Star-Picking Tower to ask the mule, I should ask about this matter first, lest I be kicked out and end up asking no one.

Xu San'er rushed to catch the sunrise and the mountain spirits to return to their nests, then swam around in the river by himself, and unsurprisingly, found nothing.

It makes one suspect that he secretly pocketed the money.

"Come quickly, come quickly, the pills are ready, one for each of you."

Zhu Wuyao and Xu San'er each contributed some items in exchange for freshly made Qi Condensation Pills. These pills weren't particularly rare, but during the Qi Refining stage, one could consume a maximum of three, after which they would become useless.

Moreover, the effect of improving cultivation level is not that significant.

Zhu Wuyao carefully accepted the first pill he had received since entering the world of cultivation, and was filled with emotion.

She's already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, but compared to newcomers in the cultivation world, her wealth isn't much stronger, and might even be inferior to those disciples from aristocratic families.

During this trip into the mountains, my cultivation level improved, and I used the other spirit mine and the spirit herb to exchange for pills.

It was placed in the storage bag.

I plan to use it in conjunction with the Sky-Gazing Technique when I've accumulated enough cultivation points and am close to leveling up.

"We should start looking for white amber."

"and many more!"

Hua Yingting suddenly appeared behind her, circling twice around the rock where Zhu Wuyao had just sat watching the sunrise, looking somewhat surprised and uncertain.

Zhu Wuyao thoughtfully handed over the pickaxe, which made Hua Yingting chuckle. She then gathered spiritual energy at her fingertips and blasted out a pit in the ground.

The boulder is connected to the mountain, and the white spot at its base is white amber.

"We've struck gold! Such a large piece of white amber can not only be exchanged for contribution points, but we can also keep quite a few!"

Xu San'er's eyes lit up with excitement, and he looked at the white amber stone with the same fervor he would show for silver.

He rubbed his hands together eagerly and said:

"Let me do it. I'll dig this big piece out completely. Who knows, a whole piece of white amber might be worth more contribution points?"

The two entrusted this matter to Xu San'er with confidence, knowing that with him there, no white amber stone would be missed.

Zhu Wuyao and Hua Yingting were also somewhat excited.

Especially Zhu Wuyao, this trip to Jiguanshan was a real steal!

Not only did his cultivation level increase by four levels, but he also gained Qi Condensation Pills and White Amber Stone. This whole piece of White Amber Stone will definitely be worth a lot of contribution points!

In other words, once she completes a few more tasks, she will be able to find the sword manual in the library!

Xu San'er dug with great enthusiasm, muttering to himself as he dug:

"The sect's grand competition, hahaha, here I come! I'm waiting to get a new protective magic artifact. If I successfully make it into the top ten, I'll also receive spirit stones and contribution points as rewards!"

The Star-Picking Tower is a group of fragile individuals with weak combat power and few disciples. Every time they hold a cultivation conference, they only accept disciples in the Qi Refining stage with a bone age of forty or below. They can only choose the shortest among the short.

He was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and possessed both metal and earth spiritual roots. With the little bit of wealth he had accumulated, he could practically take the top ten spots in the sect's grand competition with ease.

His only worry was that after winning a prize, he would have to participate in the Immortal Cultivation Conference. With a protective magic artifact, he could feel a little more at ease.

Zhu Wuyao, who was listening from the side, was also very excited!

So the sect competition has rewards, and Xu San'er seems very confident. With my Qi Refining level 8, wouldn't I be even more confident?

If they give a lot, wouldn't that allow them to change their escape technique again before the Immortal Cultivation Conference?

I don't know if I can get credit, or if that doesn't work, I'll borrow some from someone!

The three returned home with a full load.

To accommodate Zhu Wuyao, who had lost his mount, the two of them could only lead the horse slowly until they entered the town and finally regained their mount.

Zhu Wuyao chose a dark horse this time, which is a good omen.

She, Zhu Wuyao, was at the fourth level of Qi Refining when she left the mountain, and at the eighth level after returning. She will surely become a dark horse in the sect competition!

This upgrade speed, who else can match it!

If Ye Xiaozhou were here, he would pat her on the shoulder and tell her not to get carried away.

In the Star-Picking Tower, although the eldest senior brother is unreliable, there is still the second senior sister to uphold the status quo.

Don't show off, or you'll get struck by lightning. Second Senior Sister has a mutated lightning spiritual root; she's been able to strike people since she was twelve and established her foundation.

Zhu Wuyao was immersed in his own smug illusions, until—

"Li, the city management officer... explain to me what this is?!"

Inside the city management office, there are three memorial tablets.

The name of Zhu Wuyao, Hua Yingting, and Xu San'er is engraved on it, and there are several incense sticks in front of it, which look like they were just lit recently.

And... Li, the city management officer, fully armed and ready to set off for Jiguanshan at any time to see if he could collect their bodies.

It seems she did have a genuine cry.

Upon seeing the group return, Li, the city management officer, dropped his tools and threw himself on Zhu Wuyao, bursting into tears again.

"My goodness! You haven't come back for a whole day and night! I only saw that mule come back by itself. I was so scared my heart was pounding, and I'm so regretful I could die! Waaaaah!"

Zhu Wuyao didn't know whether to push her away or not, so he finally raised his hand, patted her on the back, and advised her:

"Don't worry, don't worry, your senior sister is back, and the white amber stone has been found."

"Ah? The white amber stone was found?" After crying for a while, Li Chengguan stood up straight, rubbed his red eyes, and continued:

"I was thinking yesterday, what if you found the white amber and pretended not to to lie to my darling?"

Zhu Wuyao: ...

"Has my mule come back? Where is it?"

"You mean that clever mule that can open the door by itself? It ran away again while I was carving the memorial tablet, and I don't know where it went."

Zhu Wuyao: ...

Hua Ying stood to the side, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She wanted to keep her piece as a souvenir, but Xu San'er quickly stopped her.

"Sister Hua, you mustn't take this! It's very unlucky!"

As he spoke, he quickly snatched it away and burned it along with the other two.

After doing all this, he picked up an incense stick, bowed to the heavens, and said:

"I'm still alive, and I'll continue to live on in the future. The two people who were standing next to me just now are still here too. May we live to be thousands of years old and live forever!"

Li, the city management officer, quickly chimed in from the side, "Me too! I'm immortal too!"

This mission: To protect the happy life of Li, the urban management officer.

Mission status: A perfect ending (except for the loss of one mule)