Looking up, he noticed the sky was already deep into the night.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew by, and Ye Bai realized that his entire body was sticky, accompanied by a faint unpleasant odor. This was the result of the cleansing and marrow-washing process after breaking through to the peak of the eighth level of Xuan Qi. Ye Bai couldn't help but smile bitterly. He pushed open the door, stepped outside, and walked to a lakeside. He jumped into the lake to wash off, changed into a fresh robe, and immediately felt light and rejuvenated, as though he could fly with the wind.
This was the benefit of increasing one's strength—such a feeling was rare in one's life. It felt like a life well-lived.
Ye Bai stood by the lake, savoring the sensation for a moment, waiting for the wind to blow through his clothes, feeling completely refreshed. The night air carried a slight chill, and Ye Bai gently flicked his sleeve, smiled, and walked back inside.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight hit Ye Bai's face, he automatically woke up. As he got up, his bones made a crisp "crackling" sound, like bamboo in a frying pan, which lasted for about a quarter of an hour. The fatigue and injuries from his fifteen days outside disappeared as if they had never existed. He felt like a sword drawn from its sheath, radiating an aura of sharpness.
"Today I can't go to the Martial Hall. I was planning to rest for a few more days, but after one night of increasing my strength, my injuries are completely healed, and my energy has returned to its peak. It's better to continue hunting beasts and gathering herbs to make up for the 500 contribution points."
He pulled out his identification card and checked the displayed number: "385 points. I need 115 more to reach 500 points for a low-level gray-tier martial art. Based on my previous speed, it would take me at least a year to gather enough..."
"But now that my strength has increased, I should be able to go to higher-level areas, which means I'll gather contribution points faster. And the family's exchange event is only three months away!"
At this thought, Ye Bai couldn't help but sigh and silently think to himself.
"Three months, 115 points. In the past, it would have been impossible, but... I can't afford to wait!"
"Time waits for no one. If I miss this opportunity, I'll have to wait another year before entering the Xuanwu Pavilion."
"But I can't afford that, so I must seize this opportunity!"
"If it really comes down to it..." His gaze unintentionally drifted toward the wooden bed he had recently repainted and the hidden compartment above it, where three pieces of cold light iron were stored. But he immediately shook his head, "No, not unless it's absolutely necessary. I cannot take those out. If they're exposed, I might not just lose the gray-tier martial art but could even lose my life."
"Therefore, this time, it has to be up to me. No shortcuts. Three months—it's impossible by the old standards, but now that I'm at the peak of the eighth level of Xuan Qi, a bit more effort, and it's not entirely impossible!"
Clenching his fist, Ye Bai cheered himself on, his gaze becoming firm. After abandoning the idea of using the cold light iron, he became fully focused, aware that time was of the essence. He no longer hesitated. He opened the door and, just before stepping outside, subtly pressed a tile on the ground. Immediately, several nearly invisible thin lines shot up from the floor, ready to trigger if anyone entered the house. After confirming everything was in order, he smiled and walked toward the city.
The early morning was bustling, with food stalls already set up along the streets, offering soy milk, fried dough sticks, sesame cakes, steamed buns... the scent of all kinds of food wafted into the air.
Ye Bai casually bought a few buns and two fried dough sticks to fill his stomach. Then he turned and headed to a medicine shop nearby, an old shop run by a white-bearded elder. When the elder saw him coming, he immediately greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Ye, back again to buy medicine? Do you need more of the 'Bone Set' and 'Detox Powder' this time?"
Ye Bai stepped forward, clearly used to the elder's warmth. He reached into his sleeve and took out a silver ingot weighing about five taels, placing it on the counter. Nodding, he said, "Yes, the same—three packs of Bone Set and Detox Powder."
The elder looked at him with some surprise. "Such a large quantity—are you going on a long trip?"
Ye Bai nodded. The elder quickly prepared the medicine and handed it to him: three red and three green small bottles. The red ones were for the Bone Set, and the green ones were the Detox Powder. Ye Bai put them away in his robe and, with the elder's kind farewell, left the shop. After a moment's thought, he walked toward the western gate of the city.
This time, he planned to go further. He had already familiarized himself with several locations around Firecloud City. Although there were a few other decent places to the east, south, and north, they didn't compare to the west, which had abundant medicinal herbs. This was because the western area had two forbidden zones surrounding Firecloud City: the Beast Moon Lake and the Lianyun Mountain Range. However, both were dangerous places. But in order to gain contribution points more quickly, Ye Bai couldn't afford to hesitate.
The provocation from Elder Ye had given him a new sense of courage. He no longer hesitated; now everything had to be calculated with a 100% guarantee. If he were expelled from the outer sect after three months, that would be the greatest humiliation. It was better to take a risk now.
The Lianyun Mountain Range, though not an area suitable for his current strength, was still a chance to gain contribution points for the upcoming exchange event. Ye Bai decided to be careful but push forward nonetheless. With his peak eighth-level strength, as long as he didn't get greedy or reckless, the danger should be manageable.
With that thought, Ye Bai merged into the bustling crowd, quickly exiting the city. After assessing the direction, he increased his pace and headed slightly north-west, where the massive Lianyun Mountain Range stretched for thousands of miles across the land. The closer he got, the more imposing the mountains became.
An hour later, Ye Bai had already ventured dozens of miles away from Firecloud City and reached the outskirts of the Lianyun Mountain Range. Some low-level ferocious beasts began to appear, and only Xuan practitioners dared to enter such dangerous lands. Ye Bai immediately became more cautious, as this was his first time entering the Lianyun Mountain Range. Although he had heard its name for many years, it was only now that he had ventured inside.
Although only low-level ferocious beasts would typically appear on the outskirts, Ye Bai remained cautious. Who knew if a mid-level or high-level ferocious beast would suddenly appear? One wrong move here could mean death, and Ye Bai didn't want to die before becoming a true Xuan practitioner. So he activated his Xuan Qi and stayed vigilant, carefully advancing further into the mountain range.
At his current level, the beasts in the outer areas no longer held much value. To quickly accumulate contribution points, he needed to venture deeper, where higher-level medicinal herbs and more dangerous beasts often appeared.
As he moved forward, Ye Bai noticed something strange. Despite the Lianyun Mountain Range's outskirts not being a high-level area, he hadn't encountered even a second-level beast. He found this odd. Could someone have already cleared out the high-level beasts?
Climbing a hill and turning a few corners, a sharp cry suddenly pierced through the mountains. A fiery red giant bird, resembling a phoenix, burst out from a valley below. Its wingspan stretched over several dozen meters, and its body was covered in flames. Its head was peacock-shaped, with a hooked beak, and it had five long red tail feathers. As it flew, it blocked out the sky.
"Redfire Bird! A second-level low-tier beast, Redfire Bird—this is bad..."
Seeing the giant bird take off, Ye Bai's face changed. He was about to retreat when suddenly, a commotion erupted. From the valley below, a group of people appeared and began attacking the Redfire Bird with fireballs and ice projectiles. The leader of the group, a young man named Ye Po, wielded a three-foot-long green sword. With every swing, sword qi shot out, resembling a crescent moon. The others—Ye Bai recognized them as outer sect disciples of the Ye family—each had their own unique abilities.
Ye Bai paused, recognizing the group. He stopped moving and watched quietly. The leader, Ye Po, was the first in their sect, a master at the eighth level of Xuan Qi. The others, including Ye Po's companions—Ye Sang, Ye Bufan, Ye Zhen, and Ye Lan—all had unique skills, most of them one-tier lower-level techniques.
The Redfire Bird, surrounded by the five skilled practitioners, was quickly overwhelmed. Although it struggled, its wounds were too severe, and it began to falter in the air. Eventually, with a final cry, the bird fell to the ground.
Seeing the Redfire Bird fall, the group cheered and rushed forward to claim their prize.