Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 107 Origins of Southern Xinjiang
A strange atmosphere descended upon the dense forest.

Song Yan remained hidden, while the young girl sat alone on the giant toad, surrounded by the sounds of monsters chewing.

A moment later, a giant scorpion slowly crawled out of the dense forest and stood beside the girl, standing with the giant toad.

The two blood-stained Qiankun bags of the black-robed cultivators hung from the scorpion's tail, swaying precariously.

The girl casually picked it off, held it in her hand, and examined it.

The silver bells rang, and the girl pulled her feet back and sat cross-legged on the giant toad's head.

"Why are you still hiding? You're such a coward."

The girl smiled, revealing two shallow dimples at the corners of her lips.

Innocent and carefree, yet chilling.

The scorpion's tail stretched out again and suddenly stabbed towards where he was hiding!
He leaped and dodged the needles, landing in the arena.

It was clear that this time, the scorpion's tail wasn't moving fast, and it seemed to have no malicious intent.

However, Song Yan still kept a wary eye on her, his fingertips secretly taking out the talisman used for escape.

Running away from an eight or nine-year-old girl might seem a bit laughable, but it's still better than getting entangled with this strange girl here.

Although the opponent's spiritual energy fluctuations were not strong, the poisonous scorpion he controlled could instantly kill a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining!

This is the strangest place.

The spiritual power displayed by this girl was only about the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Click.

The scorpion's tail suddenly extended, blocking his retreat and subtly pulling him towards the girl. Drops of blood, clinging to its stinger, dripped down to her feet.

"Senior Brother Song..."

The girl tilted her head and chuckled, "You took the Mingjue Pill and ran away, but you haven't settled Ling'er's hard-earned fee yet."

With a gentle flick of his fingertip, the scorpion's tail contracted, forcing him to take a few steps forward.

A fair, small hand reached out towards Song Yan's face.

There was no fluctuation of spiritual energy; the touch was merely a gentle caress on the edge of his face before the human skin mask was slowly removed.

His original face was revealed.

rustling...

The scorpion retracted its tail, and there were no obstacles behind it; it seemed it could leave at any moment.

The girl held the human skin mask in her hand and played with it, occasionally putting it on her own face and making a face at him.

“This… fellow Daoist.”

Song Yan forced himself to bow and clasp his hands in greeting.

People call him senior brother, but he dares not call them junior sister.

This person looks like an old-timer who's pretending to be young, just like Granny Qin.

"I am very grateful for your help in escaping danger this time."

Seeing his restraint, the girl giggled and said, "You're welcome. I just want this fake face."

"My name is Xiang Zhaoling."

She leaned forward and perched on the giant toad's head, her little feet dangling behind her as she watched Song Yan with great interest.

"Senior Brother Song, I often hear Qingqing talk about you. Are you two... a couple?"

Gu Qingqing?
Could this person be a Foundation Establishment elder from Lotus Nether Peak?
Now that the crisis has passed, upon closer listening, one can hear a unique accent in this person's speech.

And they lack common sense.

Song Yan shook his head and told the truth: "Uh... Fellow Daoist misunderstands. My junior sister Qingqing and I are good friends, not lovers."

"Oh……"

The girl suddenly realized what was going on, and then said something astonishing.

"Then how about you become my boyfriend?"

"...?"

Song Yan was stunned and speechless for a moment.

"Ouch……"

Seeing Song Yan's stunned expression, the girl suddenly looked troubled: "The rules of the Central Plains are really troublesome. Feelings need to be cultivated slowly..."

Central Plains?

Song Yan was startled.

He wondered to himself if this person might be from the Southern Frontier.
"Oh well, never mind, I'll be your lover if I get the chance."

No, perhaps this fellow disciple's choice of words is a bit too vulgar.

She patted the giant toad's head with her small hand, and the giant toad turned around and was about to leave.

On the giant toad's back, the girl still held the human skin mask and turned around to wave to him.

"Senior Brother Song, remember to come visit me often for secret trysts when you return to the sect!"

Before she could finish speaking, the giant bluish-gray toad had already carried her high into the air.

They leaped into the twilight. "..."

Watching the disappearing figure, Song Yan remained silent. After a moment's thought, he did not linger any longer.

He simply summoned the Wind Escape Talisman again and rushed back towards the sect.

The State of Chu and these small border states never referred to themselves as the Central Plains.

The northern frontier is so far away that people may not even know that there are nine border kingdoms.

Therefore, the other party most likely comes from the southern border region south of the Tianshan Mountains, or the East Sea.

"Are there such people in the sect?"

I have no recollection of Song Yan.

I had never seen this person before when I went to Lianyou Peak.

Why did she help me?
The bond between fellow students?

Not too possible.

After thinking it over, I'm afraid it's just something I find fun.

As for the nonsensical things she said, Song Yan didn't take them to heart.

Without stopping, they returned to Qingye Peak.

Stepping into the cave, I let out a long sigh of relief.

In fact, even if Xiang Zhaoling hadn't helped, Song Yan was confident he could have escaped alive, but a fierce battle would have been inevitable.

Fortunately, the situation later reversed, which saved him a precious Earth Escape Talisman.

It consumed some spiritual energy and a wisp of sword essence, but didn't even suffer any injury.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, meditating and regulating his breathing, slowly recovering his spiritual power.

After a long while, he opened his eyes.

He took out a jade box from his Qiankun bag and gently opened it.

The pills in the box were about the same size as ordinary pills.

It is pale yellow in color with a glossy surface. The cinnabar coating is semi-transparent, and faint patterns on the cinnabar can be vaguely seen.

These are not pill patterns, but rather traces left by the unique alchemy techniques of the Pill Refining Workshop on Suspended Sword Mountain.

It's equivalent to Granny Qin stamping the pill with a seal.

Holding it in your hand, it is shaped like a perfectly round jade bead and has a warm, smooth feel.

The Mingjue Pill has a market price of around 500 to 600 spirit stones.

However, because such pills are less common in the market, their prices are generally much higher than this range.

Song Yan's bid this time was quite worthwhile.

"..."

After putting away the pills, he began to ponder other things.

This breakthrough pill is extremely rare and hard to come by.

In the current situation, it is simply unrealistic to start from scratch and pick up the art of alchemy again in order to become self-sufficient.

Now that Mingjuedan has been won, many of my original ideas have changed.

The most urgent task is naturally to proceed steadily and cultivate spiritual power until breaking through the seventh level of Qi Refining and advancing to the inner sect.

However, my plans for the future have changed slightly.

"As Senior Brother Lin Qing said, a year of guarding the border region would provide enough resources to exchange for a breakthrough pill."

"The mission deadline is approaching, and it's time for the sect competition, which also includes elixirs as rewards."

Song Yan clenched his fists, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Naturally, seeking peace and stability, after breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining, he hid in the sect to cultivate, remaining in seclusion.

But opportunities don't last forever; if you miss one, you'll miss every other.

He never considered himself a chosen one, only believing that fate would give everyone opportunities.

However, when this opportunity is presented to you, at the very least, you should reach out and accept it!

The Great Dao contends for supremacy.

If there's no need to fight or compete, it's better to be buried sooner rather than later.

"If what Senior Brother Lin Qing said is true, then the matter of stationing troops in Changping will take at least another three months..."

"Moreover, the mission has a two-year time limit. As long as we stay for one year, we can make enough contributions to exchange for elixirs."

"Not urgent……"

There is plenty of time, enough for him to steadily break through to the late stage of Qi Refining!

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(End of this chapter)