Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Besides the booming business at Xuanhua Spirit Incense Shop, everything else remained calm as usual. The concerns Yuan Ming had did not come to pass, and people from Zhenling Sect did not find their way here.

In the secret chamber of residence number 86, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, his body faintly emanating a green glow.

With the income from the Spirit Incense Shop, he had access to almost an endless supply of elixirs for cultivation. Starting from initially taking just Four Spirits Pills, he later added the more effective Harmonization Liquid Pill which was nearly worth four hundred spirit stones per bottle.

It is said that this was the best elixir for someone in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment to consume, equivalent to the treatment a Direct Disciple from a Sect such as Chang Chun Temple would receive.

Also, aided by Purple Mysterious Spirit Incense, his cultivation had improved quite fast, and he had now reached the peak of the Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

Yuan Ming opened his eyes, a divine light faintly visible within them as he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

After steadying his mind, he flipped his hand and swallowed a white elixir, his body's green glow quickly becoming brighter.

This white elixir, called the Condensing Pill, helped in breaking through the cultivation bottleneck in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Yuan Ming closed his eyes again, inhaled and exhaled the nature's spiritual energy, and circulated the Nine Elements Technique to refine the Condensing Pill, attempting to break through the bottleneck of the Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

Soon, strong mana fluctuations burst forth from within his body, spreading out like waves continuously.

The secret chamber was enveloped in a silver light screen formed by the Silver Token, which blocked all the mana fluctuations.

This condition lasted for about a quarter of an hour; then, the green glow on Yuan Ming's body suddenly dimmed, and the agitated mana fluctuations steadied.

"Cultivating in the Foundation Establishment Stage is indeed much harder than in the Qi Refinement Realm," he murmured with resignation, opening his eyes.

This was his third attempt at breaking through the bottleneck in the past month.

Yuan Ming did not continue in seclusion. After checking the time, he stood up, left the Spiritual Fragrance Shop, boarded his Magic Artifact, and once again returned to Thunder City.

He found a teahouse to sit down in, having already secretly dispatched a soul crow to monitor the surroundings en route.

Soon, a short figure in a grey robe entered the teahouse. After casually glancing at the other customers, the figure also found a seat by the window and ordered a pot of tea.

Through the soul crow, Yuan Ming saw that nobody was following the person in the grey robe. He approached and tentatively asked, "Grandma, long time no see, you look just like I remember from my childhood."

Upon seeing Yuan Ming, the person in the grey robe looked up, her face lighting up with joy mixed with affection, "My child, you've grown so much, looking just like your mother."

She lifted her hood to reveal the face of a middle-aged woman around her forties, with slight wrinkles between her eyebrows and partially grey curly hair. Her eyes, however, were bright and spirited as she carefully scrutinized Yuan Ming's appearance, but soon, she feigned anger, "Coming to Thunder City and not looking for me, you've had me worried for a long time."

"I didn't want to cause trouble for Grandma," Yuan Ming replied.

"What would I be afraid of at my age? I immediately left seclusion when I heard you were coming to Thunder City. I waited and waited but you never showed up, and I worried myself sick. Besides, if Chang Chun Temple retaliated against you, wouldn't they be ashamed?" Grandma said.

"I still need to be cautious. Hidden dangers are hard to defend against," Yuan Ming said.

In the years that had passed, he felt fairly safe in Little Lake City. Since his soul crows patrolling the city had not detected anything unusual, he would often send letters back home to reassure his parents, although he never revealed his specific location.

Recently, he had gotten in touch with Grandma, who had asked him to meet at this teahouse in Thunder City at this time, saying she had a matter to entrust to him.

"Ah, Ming'er, you really are mature beyond your years. If your cousin Xu Tian had even half of your care, I could die in peace. Originally, I didn't want to trouble you, but in a few days, your cousin Xu Tian will go out for experience, and recently there has emerged a villain near Thunder City who specifically targets Qi Refining cultivators, with many already harmed. I can't help but worry, but the Sect Leader has just tasked me with an errand I cannot refuse, so after much deliberation, I could only turn to you," Grandma sighed, her face apologetic.

Before Yuan Ming could speak, Grandma continued, "I understand your predicament. If you can't make it, could you perhaps introduce a reliable friend? I trust your judgment."

Worried, Grandma added, "Grandma has been overly concerned. I happen to be free during this period, but I can only offer covert protection," Yuan Ming pondered for a moment before agreeing.

"You needn't worry about that. Every year, the Sect publishes missions in the Loose Cultivation Association for the experience tasks.any qualifying Loose Cultivator can participate. You just need to join under an alias," Grandma exclaimed joyfully.

Afterward, Yuan Ming inquired further about the details of the mission from Grandma, politely declined the Spirit Pills and Spirit Stones she offered him, taking only a new cloak while instead presenting her with numerous cultivation elixirs and Spirit Incense as a token of respect.

After all, before he had even set foot on the Immortal Path, Grandma had been very fond of his mother and had taken great care of his family. She had even been willing to shelter him when he had offended Chang Chun Temple and fled, though he had not gone to her for refuge.

While Grandma was visibly pleased, she also cautioned Yuan Ming to always be careful.

Yuan Ming finally parted with her and returned to Little Lake City.

...

Days later, at the Loose Cultivation Association.

Today, the task hall was exceptionally lively, with cultivators in various colored garments gathering in small groups. The chatter was slightly noisy, and behind the counter, the clerks were so busy that they hardly touched the ground. The number of people seemed to be much greater than usual.

Seeing the clerks so busy, Yuan Ming asked for a jade scroll printed with a task list and began to carefully look it over alone.

The list contained well over a hundred tasks of various kinds; the requirements for acceptance and rewards also greatly differed.

Simple tasks like escorting cultivators and transporting goods, although low in reward, were low-risk and didn't take much time; however, they required certain levels of trustworthiness and cultivation from those who took them.

Adventurous tasks, on the other hand, were almost barrier-free to accept and offered quite significant rewards.

However, these tasks were accompanied by two notes: one explaining the potential dangers, advising the taker to think carefully, and the other recording the number of cultivators who had accepted the task but had not returned within the allotted time.

For example, an exploration task in a certain secret realm within Zhao Country offered a reward of a thousand spirit stones, but the dangers were unknown, and the number of cultivators who had yet to return was already as high as thirteen.

This was why, due to their difficulty and low completion rate, exploration tasks made up a significant portion of the past task lists.

Whereas simple escort tasks were usually taken up as soon as they appeared and rarely lingered on the list for long.

However, Yuan Ming noted that today's task list was unusually full of escort tasks, and most were escorting Qi Refining cultivators.

Recalling what his grandmother had mentioned about the killer targeting Qi Refining cultivators, he called over a clerk to subtly inquire about it.

"Indeed, there have been some disturbances, but it shouldn't be much of an issue for a senior like yourself. It's just that within the Thunder Continent, a murderous, nameless cultivator has emerged who targets solitary Qi Refining cultivators, and to date, more than a dozen cultivators have been murdered," the clerk replied.

Yuan Ming feigned surprise, "Really? Has anyone figured out his background?"

"This person's ability to hide his tracks is quite sophisticated. Little Lake City has organized several investigation teams, but all have returned empty-handed. Now, affected sects have come forward to lead the efforts, offering a reward for information on this person. If you're interested, you can participate in the investigation; if you can capture this person, our association will offer a substantial reward," the clerk said respectfully.

Yuan Ming noncommittally nodded his head. Seeing his lack of interest, the clerk tactfully withdrew, leaving him alone to continue reviewing the task list.

But not long after the clerk left, two cultivators walked up to Yuan Ming and saluted with their hands.

"Pardon the intrusion, we hope Fellow Daoist will understand," one said.

The speaker was a burly man about eight feet tall with a full beard, who appeared rough but spoke with extreme politeness.

The other cultivator wore a blue long robe, held a whisk, and had a gentle expression with a slight smile on his lips and his eyes squinting into slits.

"The two of you seek me out; may I know the reason?" Yuan Ming asked, looking at them.

He had sensed someone observing him during his conversation with the clerk. As the two approached, he was somewhat blunt. Their aura indicated they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, similar in cultivation to himself.

"Hehe, it's not really instruction, but my companion and I noticed that the Fellow Daoist carries a remarkable bearing, likely possessing unique divine skills. We also happen to have a task needing more hands. Would you be interested?" the bearded man cajoled.

"I'm sorry, but I am accustomed to working alone and not interested in joining with others," Yuan Ming declined without hesitation and turned to leave.

"Hey, don't rush off, Fellow Daoist. Listen to what I have to say before you decide," the bearded man said with a laugh.

Yuan Ming stopped, turned back, and looked at them, his expression distant. However, the bearded man appeared unfazed and continued:

"As you might have heard from the association's member just now, there's a hefty reward for capturing the culprit attacking the Qi Refining cultivators. Not to deceive you, my companion, Fellow Daoist Liao, has a unique spell that can pinpoint the culprit's location. The two of us were sufficient, but considering the fiend's cunning nature, to prevent his escape, we thought it wise to invite the Fellow Daoist to join us. Of course, the reward obtained afterwards would also be shared with you. What do you say?"

Yuan Ming frowned, skeptical, "If the fiend targeted only lone Qi Refining cultivators, it suggests limited strength. You two are Foundation Establishment; why fear his escape?"

"You err in thinking thus, let alone the fact that teams organized by the association to capture this fiend included Foundation Establishment cultivators and still failed to track him. But consider this, something that might change your mind about his power," the bearded man looked around mysteriously, lowering his voice.

"Two years ago, an elder from Zhenling Sect was murdered near the wilderness of Little Lake City. Zhenling Sect was infuriated and spent great efforts to find the murderer. They even posted a high reward, but to this day, it's still open, and there's still no news of the murderer," the bearded man explained.

Yuan Ming was inwardly startled, but kept a composed face and nodded, "Oh, I have heard something of this matter, but what does this have to do with the murderer targeting the Qi Refining cultivators?"

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