A hunchbacked old man around sixty years old, named Zen, at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, sported a goatee and stooped posture. He appeared rather indifferent, merely cupping his hands briefly towards Leo as a form of introduction, and that counted as acquaintance.

  There was also a young man in his twenties, Skyler. His spirit artifact was a pitch-black iron rod, a low-grade spirit weapon. Although not very sharp, it suggested he also favored a strength-based approach. At the third layer of Qi Refining, he and Morana were the lowest in cultivation within the team, though he seemed reasonably capable.

  "Weren't there supposed to be eight people? How did it become nine?" Leo looked at Sasha.

  Before Sasha could speak, Kai waved his horsetail whisk and said with a smile, "Originally, there were eight. Zen insisted on joining the team because he possesses the Essence Energy Pill recipe, and would only produce it after joining. Considering you, young friend Leo, I took the liberty of agreeing. Fellow Daoist Sasha surely won't object, right?"

  "I naturally have no objection. One more person in the team adds a bit more strength." Sasha shook his head.

  "In that case, why was the agreed departure time moved forward by nearly a month?" Leo didn't take Kai's friendly gesture to heart. There was no such thing as a free lunch. Without any relation, he didn't believe Kai would do so much just for a recipe.

  "Zen also provided some information about Silver-winged Centipedes. I am determined to obtain their demon cores. For this trip, I only want the Silver-winged Centipede demon cores. Any spiritual herbs or spirit stones we encounter along the way, I won't take. What does young friend Leo think?" Kai explained.

  Leo recalled that Silver-winged Centipede demon cores were required for the sect task of the Savage Beast Sect, also a fairly powerful faction. It seemed this Kai had ambitious goals. However, most spiritual materials discovered in the Moonwatch Mountain Range were likely already taken by other cultivators. No one could be sure which direction would yield the desired materials, so the destination didn't make much difference to Leo, or to the others for that matter.

  "Give me the Essence Energy Pill recipe, and I have no objections," Leo said.

  "I've heard young friend Leo has many Qi Gathering Pills. I am poor. I dare not hope for middle-stage Qi Refining pills; just five Qi Gathering Pills will do."

  Zen's cold face finally showed a hint of a smile. Like most middle-stage Qi Refining cultivators, without suitable pills, one had to make do with inferior ones.

  Leo directly threw a pill bottle to Zen and took the Essence Energy Pill recipe in hand, feeling a surge of delight. At his current progress, he should be able to use this recipe in less than two years. However, he was somewhat curious about what deal Zen and Kai had struck.

  The vastness of the Moonwatch Mountain Range far exceeded mortal imagination, stretching for millions of miles. Within the mountains, gorges, streams, lakes, waterfalls, and forests of towering trees were everywhere, the terrain intricately complex. Even the map scrolls sold by vendors in Moonwatch Immortal City only revealed the tip of the iceberg of this massive range. Based on descriptions and records from other cultivators who had ventured in, the outer edges were somewhat documented, marking the general nearby terrain. However, venturing too deep still risked getting lost.

  Within the mountains, demon beasts, demon insects, and demon birds roamed freely. Even tens of thousands of loose cultivators entering in batches were like stones dropped into the sea. Once lost, it wouldn't be long before being swallowed by the demon beasts of the Moonwatch Mountains.

  Outside the city gate, thousands of loose cultivators formed hundreds of small teams heading into the mountains. Some ostentatious cultivators wore dazzlingly golden spirit armor, drawing much attention.

  There were also cultivators who reared spirit beasts, riding exceptionally fierce tiger or wolf spirit beasts. One cultivator even rode a massive black eagle with a wingspan over ten feet, drawing admiring sighs from those below. A second-grade spirit avian, in terms of strength alone, was no less than most mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Moreover, it could fly. With a spirit avian, travel became convenient anywhere.

  Suddenly, Leo felt a venomous gaze fixed on him from the crowd. Since becoming a cultivator, his senses had sharpened considerably. He was particularly sensitive to danger and such clearly malicious stares.

  Leo narrowed his eyes and looked over. A blue-robed middle-aged man carrying a giant sword was staring intently at him. The man looked vaguely familiar, but Leo couldn't remember where he had encountered him or why such strong hostility existed. However, this person was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining; his own cultivation was higher. What was there to fear? Thinking this, Leo glared back fiercely.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Arthur Draper was startled. Since his son's death, not a day passed without him being immersed in grief. After collecting a portrait of Leo, he traveled over mountains and rivers to reach Moonwatch Immortal City. In the vast sea of people, he had originally thought there was no hope of seeing his son's killer again. Unexpectedly, he ran into him at the city gate. While overjoyed, Arthur was horrified to discover the young man's cultivation was actually a layer higher than his own. What could he do? Seeing Leo glare back, Arthur averted his gaze, simultaneously pondering his next move.

  "Brother Leo, do you have enmity with that person?" Sasha asked in a low voice.

  "Don't know him." Leo mentally filtered through all the people he had offended before but found no connection. However, the other's hateful gaze made him take note internally.

  "Just a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. If he doesn't know what's good for him, once we're in the mountains, finding a chance to deal with him wouldn't be much trouble. How about Fellow Daoist Leo gives me a few Qi Gathering Pills, and I'll bring you his head."

  A fragrant breeze wafted from behind. Leo turned to find Iris's voluptuous body already very close. When he turned, he almost bumped into her prominent chest. Leo was a genuine virgin and it was the first time he had been so close to a woman. Instantly, his neck felt hot with embarrassment, and he hastily took a step back, saying, "No need. If he seeks death, I can handle it myself."

  "Exactly. Brother Leo's cultivation is no lower than yours. There's no need for you to intervene." Morana said with displeasure, looking at Iris.

  "I just wanted to remind you, the deal between Kai and Zen is definitely not simple. These two siblings seem to trust you quite a bit. At critical moments, only you can restrain Kai. When the time comes, I'll be on your side."

  Iris whispered a few words in Leo's ear, glanced at Morana, chuckled lightly, and retreated a few steps away.

  "That seductress!" Morana muttered under her breath, warning Leo, "Brother Leo, that woman is very mysterious. Don't easily believe what she says."

  "I won't." Leo chuckled. Morana seemed to harbor some hostility towards Iris. However, Iris was indeed not simple. He also felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it yet.

  "Let's hurry. We must reach a loose cultivator gathering point in the mountains before dark to rest. Traveling at night is very dangerous." Kai said.

  Everyone nodded. At night, demon beasts were more active. Without reaching a gathering point, their team would be vulnerable to attacks.

  Other loose cultivators leaving the city clearly thought the same. After passing the city gate, they all increased their pace, applying Lightbody Technique or Wind Riding Technique, covering several meters with each step.

  The leopard's speed wasn't slow, but Leo spent most of his time refining pills and cultivating. With ample spirit stones in the boundary space, he wouldn't ride the leopard just for convenience. Now was a rare opportunity to practice spells.

  After casting spells, everyone's speed increased sharply. Moonwatch Immortal City's towering walls disappeared behind them.

  After entering the mountain forests, although other loose cultivator teams passed by occasionally, there were many gathering points in the mountains. Each had planned rest and resupply points. As they headed in different directions, the number of fellow cultivators around dwindled.

  "Too many teams pass through the route to the gathering points. Even if there are spiritual materials, most are already gathered by others. I know a smaller path, less traveled and shorter, though the terrain is rougher. For us cultivators, the difference isn't big. We might even get lucky and find some spiritual herbs or spirit stones along the way." After running for about an hour and a half, Zen suggested.

  "Fine. We haven't encountered anything along this route; it's utterly boring." Zen's suggestion quickly received agreement from Soren, who was also on his first mountain trip and had long grown impatient with the monotonous travel.

  No one else objected either. Many loose cultivators frequented this area, and daytime posed relatively little danger. At night, demon beasts from other areas might roam over.

  "Alright, I'll lead the way up front. Although there are no powerful demon beasts, there are some bothersome demon insects. Everyone should activate their protective shields."

  After saying this, a faint yellow-glowing Earthen Spirit Shield appeared around Zen's body. Its defense was weaker than Earthen Spirit Armor but consumed less energy, lasting longer, protecting against low-grade demon insects and beasts.

  Sasha and the others activated their shields—Water Spirit Shields, Fire Spirit Shields, etc. Leo held a sword in his right hand, a spirit talisman in his left palm, and also cast a Diamond Shield on himself, cautiously staying with the group.

  Zen led the group across a stream, over two small hills. They were on a small hilltop now, with many tea trees on the slopes. The cheapest spirit tea served in many Moonwatch Immortal City taverns came from these tea trees. A narrow winding path descended, skirting a dense bamboo grove.

  This time, the hot-tempered Soren ran ahead.

  "Ah, Spring Nurturing Grass!"

  Morana, with sharp eyes, spotted a spiritual herb partially hidden by a few tea trees at the edge of the bamboo grove. Delighted, she dashed forward, picking the herb and turning to Leo.

  "Brother Leo, can you use this herb?"

  "I might need it later. This Spring Nurturing Grass looks less than two years old, worth about three low-grade spirit stones. Take this Qi Gathering Pill for now. You can make up the difference later."

  Leo put away the Spring Nurturing Grass, reaching into his storage pouch—actually sending it to the boundary space. Spring Nurturing Grass could refine Revival Pills, which could treat many spell injuries and sometimes even save a life.

  "Thank you, Brother Leo." Morana took the pill happily.