Chapter 625: Chapter 407: Conspiracy

Inside the Hero Hall, the crowd wove together like a bustling tapestry.

Celestial Strategy Academy was the Martial Arts Holy Land that Martial Artists in Yun Province dreamed of. However, arriving here didn’t mean one would have an endless supply of cultivation resources. Aside from the geniuses on the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List, the only way for ordinary students to earn credits was by completing tasks in the Hero Hall.

Xu Yang strode into the Hero Hall. The first thing that caught his eye was the high-hanging bounty for Ma Daxing and his gang. Yet, nearly half a year had passed, and even though Celestial Strategy Academy had repeatedly increased the reward, this group of people seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. The stolen Profound Water Spirit Loaches had never appeared on the market, either.

After scanning his surroundings for a moment, Xu Yang strode toward the task board that had no cultivation requirements.

His actual cultivation was now at the Celestial Essence Third Layer, but he only outwardly displayed the Celestial Essence Second Layer. He was here to earn credits, so taking on Celestial Essence Second Layer experience tasks would be a huge loss for him, and he couldn’t accept Third Layer ones. Naturally, he first looked at the tasks with no cultivation requirements.

Aside from earning credits, this trip was primarily to create a cover for revealing his Spirit Bone in the future. Therefore, he directly excluded all tasks that were not located in Jade Dragon Mountain.

As Xu Yang slowly swept his gaze over the board, he noticed that most of the tasks in Jade Dragon Mountain involved harvesting Spirit Medicine, collecting materials from Exotic Beasts, or capturing Exotic Beast cubs.

However, whether it was a Spirit Medicine task or an Exotic Beast task, there was a huge element of luck involved. None of them provided a specific location to search.

"Harvest Starlight Grass. Cultivation requirement: None. Task reward: No upper limit..."

Suddenly, one task caught Xu Yang’s attention.

It was because this task provided the specific location where the Spirit Medicine to be harvested would appear.

The task reward was also extremely high. A one-year-old Starlight Grass was worth five credits, and a two-year-old one was worth ten. Even if one harvested hundreds of stalks of Starlight Grass, Celestial Strategy Academy would settle the payment for all of them.

Xu Yang continued reading and discovered that Starlight Grass was an incredibly unique Spirit Medicine. Ordinary Spirit Medicine was born from upholding the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, and they would only absorb Spiritual Qi.

However, this Starlight Grass primarily absorbed the essence of the sun and moon. Its effects were also extraordinary. It could cleanse and refine a Martial Artist’s Root Bone. If its age was high enough, it could even enhance a Martial Artist’s Comprehension.

"If I harvest a stalk and bring it back to cultivate..." Xu Yang’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t had this kind of awareness before, but after entering Celestial Strategy Academy and learning the Yunling Technique, the thought had crossed his mind. He was immortal. If he continuously cultivated certain Spirit Medicines, what kind of things would he produce after several thousands or ten thousand years?

"I planted a blade of grass ten thousand years ago, and now it has become an Immortal Elixir?"

"I planted a blade of grass ten thousand years ago, and now it has become a Great Emperor of the Demon Race?"

No matter which outcome it was, it seemed incredibly interesting.

Moreover, even if he was immortal and didn’t need these things, he still had his younger sister, Xu Qing.

There were far too few items in the Jianghu capable of enhancing talent. It would definitely be fraught with difficulties if he wanted to alter Xu Qing’s talent in the future, so he might as well start cultivating them himself right now.

As for Xu Qing, he naturally hoped that she could attain immortality and continue living alongside him. He did not want to find himself all alone in a vast, empty world hundreds or thousands of years later, without a single person to care for.

"Brother Xu, you’ve been staring for a long time. Are you thinking of taking this Starlight Grass harvesting task?"

Suddenly, a voice rang in his ear. Xu Yang didn’t need to turn around; just by the sound, he knew it was Zuo Mu.

"I have an idea," Xu Yang said without holding back.

Zuo Mu shook his head. "I advise you to give up on that idea, Brother Xu. This Starlight Grass harvesting task might look simple, but it’s actually incredibly difficult.

"Starlight Grass only grows on Moon Peak. Think about it—if something that grows in a fixed location were easy to harvest, the Starlight Grass would have been completely picked clean long ago.

"I actually took this task before. However, Brother Wenshan and I staked out Moon Peak for half a month and didn’t even catch a single glimpse of it."

Xu Yang was puzzled. "Why is that?"

It finally dawned on him as well. Since the specific growing location was provided, why wasn’t anyone taking the task?

With so many people in Celestial Strategy Academy, if Starlight Grass were easy to harvest, the mountain would have probably been stripped bare by now.

Zuo Mu laughed. "This Starlight Grass is extremely unique. It survives by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, making it highly sensitive to changes in the surrounding Power of the Stars. The moment someone appears nearby and causes fluctuations in the Power of the Stars, the Starlight Grass will immediately sink into the ground and vanish.

"During the half-month Wenshan and I stood guard, we saw plenty of Starlight Grass. But before we could even get within a hundred feet, the damn things disappeared.

"Unless you have incredible speed, or you can quietly approach without disturbing the surrounding Power of the Stars, you simply won’t be able to harvest any Starlight Grass."

"Thank you for letting me know, Brother Zuo," Xu Yang said, sudden realization dawning on him.

However, he still didn’t plan on giving up on this task. His Wandering Dragon Void Step had reached Perfection, so his speed should be considered fast.

Most importantly, he didn’t have any major objective for entering Jade Dragon Mountain anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to go to Moon Peak and give it a try.

Besides, he didn’t intend to solely focus on this one task. He also planned to accept some tasks for harvesting other Spirit Medicines or Exotic Beast materials.

After looking for a while longer, Xu Yang memorized the names of a few tasks, turned around, and walked over to the task reception window. "Teacher, I want to take the tasks to harvest Starlight Grass, Fire Bear gallbladders, and Dragon-Horned Deer antlers."

These kinds of harvesting tasks actually didn’t strictly require a person to formally accept them. One could simply bring the requested task items over.

But formally accepting the task provided a reference file of relevant information.

Soon, the teacher behind the window registered his Waist Token information and handed him a document from the back. Xu Yang stood to the side and read it for a moment. After finishing the file, he returned it and left the Hero Hall.

Returning to his courtyard, he simply packed the things he needed to bring into the mountain. Carrying his Fenli Saber, he swiftly left Celestial Strategy Academy and hurried toward Jade Dragon Mountain.

Not long after Xu Yang departed, most of the people who were keeping an eye on him received news that he had taken on an experience task and entered Jade Dragon Mountain.

"That animal has finally left!" Huang Yi stood up, her face brimming with murderous intent.

If she waited any longer, once Xu Yang also broke through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer, she wouldn’t be able to kill him even if she wanted to. At the same stage, it was impossible for her to be his match.

With her talent, she could only reach the Fourth Layer of the Battle Tower.

"No!" She quickly slumped back down.

Xu Yang had already been gone for quite some time; it would be too late for her to chase after him now.

Jade Dragon Mountain was vast and boundless. Trying to find a single person in those mountains was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

"One of the tasks he accepted is to harvest Starlight Grass," Peng Lianyun, who had come to deliver the news, said softly.

"Harvest Starlight Grass?" The light rekindled in Huang Yi’s previously disappointed eyes.

Starlight Grass could only be found on Moon Peak. If Xu Yang wanted to harvest Starlight Grass, he would inevitably have to go to Moon Peak.

To find Xu Yang, she only needed to go to Moon Peak.

However, even if she found him, given Xu Yang’s talent, she might not necessarily be able to kill him.

"Brother Peng, help me. I can’t kill him alone. If he runs away, I have no certainty of catching him. But if you attack together with me, it will be a guaranteed success."

Huang Yi suddenly raised her head, looking at Peng Lianyun with a burning gaze.

Peng Lianyun also had a Celestial Essence Third Layer cultivation. If he were to make a move as well, Xu Yang would undoubtedly die.

"Ambushing and killing a fellow student is a capital offense if caught," Peng Lianyun said, shaking his head.

Huang Yi stared fixedly at Peng Lianyun. "I know you’ve always liked me. If you kill Xu Yang and avenge Luo Zhao, I will give you whatever you want."

Peng Lianyun’s breathing instantly quickened. "Are you serious?"

A beautiful widow—that was exactly his type.

Although the crime of killing a schoolmate was heavy, people died in Jade Dragon Mountain every day. As long as no one knew, even killing a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride would be perfectly fine.

"Naturally!" Huang Yi nodded heavily.

Overjoyed, Peng Lianyun strode forward, wanting to get handsy, but Huang Yi slightly backed away. "Kill Xu Yang first. I’m not in the mood right now."

"Fine!"

Peng Lianyun knew the importance of the right mood; haste makes waste. "We will enter Jade Dragon Mountain right now. If we’re lucky, we might bump into him before even reaching Moon Peak."

"I’ll go pack my things."

"KNOCK KNOCK..."

Just as Huang Yi was about to turn around, someone knocked on the courtyard door. She had no choice but to frown and open it.

"What are you doing here?" Huang Yi asked, frowning at Han Yingjie, who stood before her.

Yellow Maple Valley and the Purple Sun Sect were both in Fufeng County. There was naturally a history of friendship between her and Han Yingjie. However, after Xu Yang beat Lin Jingyu to death, the two sects became enemies, and their relationship had cooled.

"Let’s join forces. We kill Xu Yang!" Han Yingjie said in a low voice.

"Come inside and talk."

Huang Yi hurriedly stepped aside to let Han Yingjie into the courtyard.

***

Meanwhile, Huo Xiaochen had also received the news, but he was currently busy trying to break through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer. He had no mind to pay it any attention.

To claim the title of the number one person beneath the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides, he not only had to surpass Lu Wei in Combat Power, but he also couldn’t fall behind in cultivation speed.

However, Lu Wei had broken through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer a long time ago, while he had yet to achieve his breakthrough.

"Moon Peak..."

Fang Xu felt the urge to kill stir once more, but he lacked the personal ability to kill Xu Yang himself.

"I can only go inform my father and have him send experts to ambush him on the inevitable path to Moon Peak."

With that thought in mind, he swiftly left Celestial Strategy Academy.

***

After entering Jade Dragon Mountain from Celestial Strategy Academy, Xu Yang flew rapidly for a while before descending from the sky, concealing his aura and changing directions.

Jade Dragon Mountain was riddled with perilous death zones. There were powerful Exotic Beasts on the ground, and various fierce birds of prey in the sky. Flying through the air was not a wise decision.

If he accidentally barged into the territory of a powerful Exotic Beast, he wouldn’t even know how he died.

Moreover, flying not only made it easy to be spotted by those with ulterior motives, but it could also cause him to miss the Spirit Medicine on the ground.

After sprinting wildly through the mountains for a while, he released his Heart Spirit to envelop a three-hundred-foot radius, ensuring that any Spirit Medicine within this range would be detected. He slowly advanced deeper into Jade Dragon Mountain.

During this period, he didn’t neglect his cultivation. He searched for Spirit Medicine and Exotic Beasts during the day and found caves to cultivate in at night.

Three days later, he passed through the outskirts of Jade Dragon Mountain and began entering the true Jade Dragon Mountain.

Upon arriving here, he also began to act cautiously.

The dangers of Jade Dragon Mountain—aside from the Exotic Beasts and perilous death zones—also included the human element. After all, personally searching for resources was nowhere near as fast as robbing someone else.

Just under half a day later, he finally discovered his first Spirit Medicine. His luck was pretty good; the age of this Spirit Medicine exceeded three years.

He didn’t plan on selling it, directly swallowing and refining it in one gulp before continuing deeper.

When evening arrived, Xu Yang was just looking for a place to rest when a beast’s roar reached his ears. The sound came from far away, possessing intense penetrative power, and even caused the Power of Heaven and Earth to faintly tremble.

"At the very least, it’s an Exotic Beast comparable to a Celestial Essence Third Layer Martial Artist."

Xu Yang’s eyes lit up as he stealthily made his way toward the direction of the sound.

During this trip to the mountains, aside from Spirit Medicine, Exotic Beast Essence Blood was also one of his targets.

It was just that even though he had encountered quite a few Exotic Beasts over the past few days, they were all very ordinary, and he couldn’t be bothered to make a move.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.