Translator: Cinder Translations
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Song Wen's Cave Mansion.
Seated cross-legged, Song Wen took out the jade slip given by Chen Yi and carefully examined it.
The content of the jade slip was divided into two parts. The first part introduced the Rainbow Grass, while the latter part contained information about the Yan family.
The Rainbow Grass matures within a span of one hundred years. Initially, it appears no different from ordinary weeds, with the whole plant being green and emitting faint spiritual energy.
When it reaches ten years of maturity, an orange ring appears on the leaves.
Every subsequent decade, another color appears on the leaves, until at seventy years, it exhibits all seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.
Upon reaching one hundred years, black patterns form along the edges of the Rainbow Grass leaves, a crucial indicator of its maturity.
A fully matured Rainbow Grass can be used to refine Profound Qi Pills, which enhance spiritual energy for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators. Similar to Song Wen's current Qi-gathering Pills, but with much richer spiritual energy.
The jade slip contained these details about the Rainbow Grass, followed by information about the Yan family.
Located in the Poison miasma swamp, the Yan family is a foundational family affiliated with the Corpse Demon Sect. They often station themselves in the poison miasma swamp, which is perpetually shrouded in poisonous mist. Due to their long-term management, ordinary cultivators find it difficult to enter, essentially making the relatively small Poison miasma swamp the Yan family's private domain.
The patriarch of the Yan family is a powerful foundational cultivator and currently the only one in the family. However, he is advanced in age and nearing the end of his life, rarely seen in recent years.
In the past few decades, no outsider has seen him, leading to rumors outside that the patriarch of the Yan family has passed away. However, to maintain their position and protect their interests, the Yan family has not made any public announcements.
The Yan family boasts thirteen cultivators in the late-stage of Qi Refinement, among whom Yan Zhengping is at the peak of Qi Refinement. However, being over sixty, it's unlikely he will succeed in foundational cultivation.
Additionally, Yan Zhengping's third brother, Yan Gao, is a cultivator at the Ninth Stage of Qi Refinement.
Among them, one person caught Song Wen's attention.
Yan Yiwen!
At just eighteen years old, she has already broken through to the late-stage of Qi Refinement. Such talent is extremely rare, even within the Corpse Demon Sect.
...
The next day.
Morning.
The Alchemy Hall is located at the northwest foot of the Corpse Demon Peak. It is said to have chosen this location due to natural underground fires that aid in alchemy.
As a crucial location of the Corpse Demon Sect, it is heavily guarded, with numerous disciples on duty everywhere.
Song Wen arrived at the Alchemy Hall gates two quarters early.
However, the Alchemy Hall wouldn't open until morning, so Song Wen could only wait outside the gates.
He waited until the doors of the Alchemy Hall finally opened, and Song Wen entered with his mission token.
The Alchemy Hall covered an extensive area, a massive courtyard spanning over a hundred acres.
Guided by the guards, Song Wen arrived outside Elder Shen's small courtyard.
However, Elder Shen didn't immediately allow Song Wen in, leaving him waiting outside. The guard escorted Song Wen to the designated area and then departed.
Song Wen could only wait alone.
A few minutes later, a handsome man arrived outside the courtyard under the guard's escort.
This man gave Song Wen a sense of straightforwardness, which was quite unusual here in the Corpse Demon Sect.
Typically, disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect exuded either gloominess or arrogance and ferocity, influenced by their techniques and the aura of corpses.
Even Song Wen at this moment was no exception, surrounded by corpse aura and a chilling Yin energy, appearing far from being benign.
However, the man's demeanor, coupled with his handsome appearance, gave a favorable first impression, especially among the female disciples who easily took a liking to him.
"Junior brother, are you here for the mission outside the Poison miasma swamp?" the man spoke first, asking Song Wen.
Song Wen nodded respectfully and replied, "Yes, Senior brother. May I ask how I should address you?"
The man exuded a strong aura comparable to someone at the Seventh Stage of Qi Refinement, indicating his strength.
It wasn't difficult for Song Wen to analyze that this man was the fellow cultivator assigned to the mission with him.
For the foreseeable future, they would be spending a lot of time together, and given the man's obvious superiority in strength, maintaining a good relationship was natural.
"So, you're Junior brother Ji Yin. I'm Guo Tao," Guo Tao smiled.
Song Wen clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, Senior brother Guo. My strength is still weak. I hope Senior brother will take care of me on this journey."
Guo Tao seemed pleased with Song Wen's respectful attitude and nodded. Just as he was about to say something, a voice suddenly came from inside the courtyard.
"Are you two Guo Tao and Ji Yin, tasked with assessing the Rainbow Grass at the Yan family this year?"
Before the words finished, a middle-aged man with a cold expression appeared abruptly before them.
It was Elder Shen from the Alchemy Hall.
Seeing him, both Song Wen and Guo Tao immediately turned and respectfully bowed.
"Disciple Guo Tao/Ji Yin pays respects to Elder Shen."
"Hand over your mission tokens and disciple tokens for my inspection," Elder Shen said.
Song Wen and Guo Tao handed over their tokens to Elder Shen, who verified their identities and mission tokens without issue. He then took out two jade slips and handed one to each of them.
"This is the main content of your mission this time. I must remind you once again, when assessing the Rainbow Grass, you must be meticulous and not the slightest bit negligent."
"Under no circumstances should you collude with the Yan family, occupying sect spiritual herbs. If any discrepancies are found after the assessment, what awaits you will be excruciating punishment, both physically and spiritually."
Facing Elder Shen's warning, Song Wen and Guo Tao immediately assured him.
"We will do our utmost with full dedication."
Elder Shen nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.
"Set off as soon as possible."
With that said, Elder Shen soared into the courtyard.
Seeing Elder Shen depart, Song Wen and Guo Tao exchanged a glance and were about to leave.
Suddenly, Song Wen heard Elder Shen's voice echoing in his mind.
"Young man, remember, your task is to monitor Guo Tao. If he oversteps in any way, you must report to me promptly after the mission. Don't think this mission is just a formality. If there are any mishaps, I can ensure your life will be worse than death."
Faced with Elder Shen's sudden warning, Song Wen's expression changed slightly. However, he immediately pretended as if he hadn't heard anything.
Elder Shen had clearly used a telepathic technique, specifically speaking to him alone.
Feeling somewhat stunned, he realized he had only revealed his cultivation level of the Third Stage of Qi Refinement. How could he possibly monitor Guo Tao, who was at the late stage of Qi Refinement?
If he did discover any wrongdoing by Guo Tao, the latter could easily kill him in retaliation. Did Elder Shen really think he will allow him to survive to report back to the sect?
However, just moments ago, it seemed even Elder Shen hadn't detected his hidden strength, which was somewhat reassuring.
(End of the Chapter)