Raise a sword!

In the blink of an eye, another half month has passed.

Around noon, a disciple arrived at Danhuo Peak and found Jiang Peng.

"Senior Brother Jiang, the Sect Master requests your presence."

Jiang Peng was instructing the disciples of the Pill Hall on alchemy when he heard this, and his expression turned to surprise.

"What business does the sect leader have with me?"

The disciple who delivered the message shook his head and quickly left.

Jiang Peng didn't dare to delay and hurriedly made his way to the main peak, where he announced his arrival outside the sect's main hall.

"Come in, we've been waiting for you," Chu Chun'an's voice came.

Upon entering the sect's main hall, Jiang Peng discovered that not only was the sect leader present, but also Sun Yinxi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Greetings, Sect Master; greetings, Uncle-Master Sun." Jiang Peng bowed to each of them.

The sect leader nodded slightly in response.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Sun Yinxi's usually cool and aloof face.

"You should still call me senior sister."

Chu Chun'an, who was standing to the side, also laughed and said, "You've also reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Foundation Establishment is just a matter of a few years. There's no need to take seniority so seriously."

"Yes." Jiang Peng bowed to Sun Yinxi again, "Senior Sister Sun."

Sun Yinxi breathed a sigh of relief.

If an unfamiliar Qi Refining disciple calls her "Shishu" (a term of respect for a senior disciple), she can respond calmly.

But Jiang Peng was so familiar that he felt awkward no matter what.

After exchanging greetings, Chu Chun'an got down to business.

"The sect needs to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, but the main ingredient, the Profound Heart Leaf, is still unavailable... Elder Liu Zhi used to be in charge of this, but he has passed away, and the matter has been left unresolved."

"This time I intend to send the two of you to the southern foothills to visit the Liu family of Bibo Port and purchase the Xuanxin Leaf from them."

Chu Chun'an looked at Jiang Peng.

"I heard from Elder Qin that you can already refine second-tier pills?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Yinxi, who was standing next to Jiang Peng, looked at her in surprise.

It is extremely rare for someone with Qi Refining cultivation to refine a second-tier pill.

Qin Yuan possessed such abilities because he had failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage twice, ending up at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

But Jiang Peng had only just broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"My master didn't interfere with the last time we refined the Wood Spirit Pill. Although the pill was successfully refined, it was extremely difficult."

Chu Chun'an said happily, "You don't need to be modest. If there's one, there will be two. In this way, the sect's second-tier alchemists won't be extinct... Jiang Peng!"

"Disciple is here."

"If we manage to bring back the Mysterious Heart Leaf this time, I'll entrust one batch to you for refining. What do you say?"

Jiang Peng's eyes lit up.

After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, he no longer felt any difficulty in refining first-grade high-quality pills, but there were still no second-grade pills for him to practice with.

"This disciple could not have asked for it more than he could."

Chu Chun'an nodded and said, "You two can decide on your own departure date. If things don't work out, there's no need to force it. Xuanxin Leaf is not a rare spiritual material. If the path to Bibo Harbor doesn't work, the sect will think of other ways."

"Disciple obeys," Jiang Peng replied.

"Yes," Sun Yinxi replied.

After leaving the sect's main hall, Sun Yinxi and Jiang Peng walked down the mountain side by side.

"Back when I was at the peak of Qi Refining, you were only at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. Now, in the blink of an eye, your cultivation has caught up, and you can even refine second-tier pills across major realms."

Sun Yinxi looked at Jiang Peng and sighed, "If anyone calls me a genius again, I'll bring up my junior brother."

"Senior sister is joking."

"It was a joke, but there was a bit of seriousness in it," Sun Yinxi replied casually, then brought up another matter.

"There is a small matter I need to trouble Junior Brother Jiang with."

"What is it?"

"My Foundation Establishment Feast," Sun Yinxi said. "I don't like noise, but Master happens to be a lively person... When it comes to food and drink, I think you, Junior Brother, know best."

"You want me to be your head chef?"

"Yes."

"This is simple, but how much time will it take?"

"Let's wait until we finish the important business."

As they spoke, the two had already reached the foot of the mountain.

"How about we set off at noon tomorrow?" Sun Yinxi asked.

Jiang Peng immediately agreed.

...

At noon on the second day, Jiang Peng and Sun Yinxi met at the mountain gate and set off together for the southern foot of the mountain.

There are three roads leading from the north foot to the south foot.

There are three options: one is to go through the Chen Kingdom on the west side, the other is to take the trade route on the east side, and the third is to cross the Diming Mountains.

After discussing it, Jiang Peng and Sun Yinxi decided to take the eastern trade route.

Although the road to the west that passes through the State of Chen is shorter, the situation in the State of Chen is not very stable.

"In recent years, the cultivators from the Chen Kingdom have been causing trouble in the northern foothills from time to time. Every time the sect sends a message to question them, they are given the runaround, with excuses such as the cultivators from the Chen Kingdom being undisciplined and the royal family being unable to control them."

Sun Yinxi explained, "In fact, the Chen Kingdom has been seeking expansion in recent years, and it seems that they are quite coveting the northern foothills... If the Chen Kingdom comes, our Cangshan Sect will be the first to bear the brunt."

Jiang Peng didn't know much about the situation outside the sect, so upon hearing this, she let Sun Yinxi make the decision.

There are no particularly powerful forces east of the Earth-Ringing Mountains.

Firstly, the spiritual energy on the east side is thinner than in the other directions. Secondly, the east side was opened up as a trade route early on, with markets established by merchant guilds along the way, making it difficult for newcomers to establish themselves there.

Therefore, the eastern side of the mountain range is mostly inhabited by families at the Qi Refining level who have settled here and seek a living in the markets of the Chamber of Commerce.

However, Sun Yinxi did not take Jiang Peng along the familiar trade route, but instead traveled to the outer edge of the mountains and forests.

Jiang Peng did not ask why, but simply followed closely behind.

Jiang Peng did not ask why, but simply followed closely behind.

After traveling through the mountains and forests for more than two days, a confluence of rivers suddenly appeared ahead.

"Wow, the spiritual energy here is incredibly rich," Jiang Peng remarked with some surprise.

"Do you remember when I asked Brother Liu Chuang and Sister Yingying to bring back the Xuanxin Leaf? That Xuanxin Leaf was found here, at a natural spiritual spring."

Sun Yinxi stepped forward and took out a talisman from behind a rock by the river.

She then explored the area further, but ultimately shook her head in disappointment.

"This talisman was left by Brother Liu Chuang, but unfortunately, no new spiritual materials have been produced here in the past few years."

"No wonder my senior sister took me on a detour," Jiang Peng suddenly realized.

Sun Yinxi waved her hand and said, "We've been traveling for two days straight. Let's rest here for two hours before continuing our journey."

After she finished speaking, she found an open space to rest.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Peng immediately disappeared into the nearby woods. A short while later, he returned to the riverbank with two pheasants, started a fire, and threw in two stones.

Then the chicken was plucked, killed, marinated in sauce, wrapped in banana leaves, and then covered with mud.

Once the stone had cooled down to a suitable temperature, Jiang Peng first threw it into the pit she had dug nearby, covered it with a layer of soil, then put the pheasant in, and continued to fill the pit with soil.

After doing all that, he finally began to rest.

Sun Yinxi saw this and laughed, "Junior brother really doesn't forget to have something to eat no matter where he goes."

"Senior sister, would you like to try some? This is beggar's chicken, it's tender and juicy."

Sun Yinxi gently shook her head.

"No need, Foundation Establishment cultivators can already abstain from grains."