Starting as a spiritual plant master, may I eventually become the master of all lands.

Song Chuan quickly stood up and bowed: "I have come from afar and was unaware that this water belongs to someone. Please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

"We've come from afar," the man said, crossing his arms noncommittally.

"This is the territory of Vine Flower Valley, and I am a hunter. What brings you here?" he asked again.

Song Chuan glanced at a waist tag hanging from his waist, which read "Valley of Wisteria Flowers".

Seeing that the man's tone was quite unfriendly, and considering that he was from Vine Flower Valley, Song Chuan decisively took out the Spring Sprout Token and said with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist, my family has received a token and has specially assigned me to begin my cultivation journey. I would be grateful for your guidance."

The man looked at the Spring Sprout Token in Song Chuan's hand, his gaze somewhat surprised, and said:

"So you're one of us! You don't look like you're stealing 'Lotus Gold'. Go south for about a hundred miles and you'll reach the sect."

Hejin? Could it be the gold nugget that the strange insect just collected? This person doesn't seem to have seen it.

Song Chuan remained expressionless, cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks, and said, "In that case, thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Just as he was about to leap away, he heard the man say, "Wait!" Song Chuan looked at the man with some confusion.

The man spread his five fingers on his left hand and laughed, "Although we are one of our own, this is stream water flowing from the spiritual eye of Vine Flower Valley. You need to pay five spirit stones as a small punishment."

Song Chuan felt like he had heard something unbelievable and was stunned for a moment.

He used spirit stones to propel the water-going boat all the way, only using three, but here, just one sip of water cost him five spirit stones.

"I wonder if this is the rule of Vine Flower Valley, or your rule, fellow Daoist?" Song Chuan asked.

"Is there a difference? We're only giving you such a small punishment because you're one of us. If you were an outsider, the punishment would be much more." The man's face darkened.

Song Chuan glanced at the flying artifact beneath his feet, then at his cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and suddenly laughed, "I apologize for my abruptness."

This person could have simply snatched five spirit stones from me, but instead insisted on giving me a sip of water.

I'll remember that saliva!

Just as he was about to take out five spirit stones and throw them to the man, the man tilted his head, narrowed his eyes, and suddenly revealed a mocking expression on his face.

Song Chuan followed the man's gaze and saw a petite figure rushing towards them at incredible speed, shouting:

"Fellow Daoist, save me!"

Song Chuan frowned slightly, and a beautiful young girl appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye.

Two more people were chasing after her.

The girl was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, while the other two could be vaguely discerned to be at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining.

As soon as the girl stood still, she bent over and began to pant heavily.

Her beige dress was disheveled, and her double buns were also a little loose. It seemed she had used a lot of magic to escape a long distance.

Song Chuan could tell at a glance that her escape technique was quite advanced, not the common lightness technique or wind control technique.

The woman calmed her breathing and raised her head.

She has a small birthmark on her forehead, mostly covered by her bangs, appearing and disappearing, giving it a unique beauty.

The girl's clear eyes darted around, first smiling at Song Chuan, then at the green-clad man on the other side of the stream, her expression changed, but she forced herself to remain calm.

She turned to look at the two approaching figures behind her, quickly bowed to Song Chuan, and said hastily:

"Fellow Daoist, I have unintentionally made two enemies. Could you possibly help me through this difficult time? I will certainly repay you handsomely afterward!"

Song Chuan was greatly surprised!

Logically, since there was a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining present, while he himself had only just entered the mid-stage of Qi Refining, anyone should have asked the cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining for help.

Did this woman think that talking to that person would be useless, or was there another reason?

Song Chuan was almost at the mountain gate. He had even tolerated the green-robed man's demand for five spirit stones, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"I have other important matters to attend to, so I'm afraid I can't help you. If you have spirit stones, you might be able to persuade this master of the late-stage Qi Refining realm to come."

Song Chuan shook his head, his words laced with sarcasm.

Ignoring the woman's pitiful expression, he took out five spirit stones and tossed them to the man in green.

Upon hearing Song Chuan's words, the man in green simply smiled, then spread his five fingers and gathered the five spirit stones from mid-air into one place, which landed steadily in his palm.

When the girl saw Song Chuan give the man in green five spirit stones, a strange look appeared in her eyes, as if she had thought of something.

"You wretch! Just hand over the Spring Sprout Token, and I'll let this matter drop and spare your life." A voice suddenly rang out.

The two men chasing the girl were already standing ten feet away.

The speaker was a burly, square-faced man with a thick beard. Song Chuan glanced at him and saw he was at the sixth level of Qi Refining!

The other person was a young man with long, flowing hair and straw sandals; he was at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He was holding a lit incense stick in his hand, the wisps of smoke rising from the tip and pointing directly at the girl.

It seems the two of them used this incense stick to track the girl's whereabouts.

Without saying a word, Song Chuan immediately used his lightness technique to leap south along the stream.

He didn't think staying here any longer was a wise move; it was better to get out as soon as possible.

The square-faced man also mentioned the Spring Sprout Order, which made him think for a moment.

This girl is probably also someone who possesses the Spring Sprout Token, and is being chased and robbed by a rogue cultivator.

What are you waiting for? Hurry up and leave!

The square-faced man and the disheveled young man glanced at Song Chuan's departing figure, treating him as just a passerby and not paying him any attention.

"Ge Yaoqing, do I have to say it a second time?" the square-faced man hissed at the girl.

The girl, referred to as "Ge Yaoqing," bit her lip slightly and abruptly turned to the man in green, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Shen, it was you who told us that a man named Li Pingye possessed the Spring Sprout Token, which is why we ambushed him and obtained the token."

The token is with me now, and I am almost at the mountain gate. I hope you can help me enter.

"Your kindness and virtue are unforgettable!"

The woman revealed this secret to the Shen-surnamed cultivator from Teng Hua Valley in one breath.

This Spring Sprout Token not only didn't belong to her, but it was also information deliberately leaked to the three by the cultivator surnamed Shen.

She, the square-faced giant, and the disheveled youth appeared to be accomplices. However, after they jointly killed the main culprit, Li Pingye, and obtained the Spring Sprout Token, they had a falling out.

For some unknown reason, the Spring Sprout Token ended up in the hands of her, a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

If Song Chuan were still here, I wonder what he would think upon hearing this!

The disheveled young man's expression changed slightly, while the square-faced man burst into curses:

"You little wretch! We three have known each other for a long time, and we agreed that this Spring Sprout Token would be given to me so that I could enter the mountain gate first, and then we would find a way to let the two of you also enter the mountain gate."

You actually absconded with the order, intending to enter the mountain gate alone! Do you think my friendship with Fellow Daoist Shen will help you?

"Brother Jiao, I was wrong about this. But I am so young. If I continue to be a rogue cultivator, I won't go far. If I join a major sect like Vine Flower Valley sooner, I can cultivate in peace."

Besides, with Brother Jiao's abilities, finding another Spring Sprout Token wouldn't be difficult. Why not grant my request?

Ge Yaoqing looked pleading and bowed gracefully to the square-faced man.

"The person who just left also had a Spring Sprout Token on him."

The cultivator surnamed Shen suddenly interjected, his voice leisurely, and it was unclear what he meant by those words.