Taoist cultivation begins with being a miner

"Hello, Sister Yue," Lu Yan greeted obediently.

"Okay, let's wait a bit. They should be here soon." Yue Tingxin nodded and then started chatting with Lu Yan.

"Little Brother Lu, how old are you this year?" Yue Tingxin asked curiously, seeing that although Lu Yan was strong and handsome, his skin was fair and his features were still youthful.

"Eighteen," Lu Yan replied.

"Your surname is Lu, so you're a member of the Lu family in Jinzhou, Great Yan?" Yue Tingxin pondered for a moment and asked again.

"No, it's a small family in Bianzhou." Lu Yan then made up an identity for himself, otherwise no one would believe that he came from a mining background.

"No wonder. At such a young age, he has already reached the third level of Qi Refining. At the very least, he has the aptitude of three spiritual roots. If he were from the Lu family of Jinzhou, he would have his elders leading the way and would not have come to Zhongyun." Yue Tingxin nodded and said.

"Just a heads-up, the thing you need to be most careful about in Worry-Free City is other people, whether they're inside or outside the city."

"Thank you for the reminder, Sister Yue." Lu Yan nodded, pretending to be a complete newbie who had just come from home.

A moment later, the other eight people also arrived one after another.

Including Lu Yan and Yue Tingxin, there are a total of ten people, six men and four women.

Apart from Lu Yan, the other five male cultivators were all around thirty years old. Judging from their dark and rough skin, they were probably miners. Three were at the third level of Qi Refining, and two were at the second level of Qi Refining.

The three female cultivators were all in their twenties, two at the third level of Qi Refining and one at the second level.

"Now that everyone is here, let's set off." After letting everyone get acquainted, Yue Tingxin waved and led the group out of the city.

To be honest, although Lu Yan went out of the city every day while mining, the western part of the mining area was often cleared of monsters by high-level cultivators, so it was still quite safe as long as it was during the day.

But the north side is different, facing Qiongyi Ridge, where all kinds of demonic beasts are everywhere. Even if a large number of cultivators kill them all, they still can't kill them all.

Other mountain ranges only cross states or countries, but the Qiongyi Mountains are said to span several continents, boundless and limitless.

Worry-Free City is insignificant compared to Qiongyi Ridge.

Lu Yan looked around and found that there were tens of thousands of cultivators traveling with him, but even so, these people were just a drop in the ocean compared to Qiongyi Ridge.

"Wait a moment and follow orders. Do not act on your own, especially do not fall behind. With me here, the other cultivators will still give Zhongyun some face."

"Once you fall behind, those at the third level of Qi Refining are somewhat better off, but those at the second level of Qi Refining are lambs to the slaughter outside." Yue Tingxin instructed the group as she walked.

"Understood," everyone replied.

Carefully observing the other eight people, Lu Yan understood a principle: never underestimate others, especially those who have worked their way up from the bottom; none of them are easy to deal with.

The one with the strongest aura among the five male cultivators was named Zheng Qu. He was tall and powerful, and carried a large Xuanhua axe. It seemed that he was pursuing the path of physical cultivation.

One of them was named Li Feng. He carried a large knife on his back and was rather thin. Judging from his light steps, he must have practiced agility.

One of them was named Ma Hong. He used a long sword and had a well-proportioned physique, so no particular skill was apparent.

These three were all at the third level of Qi Refining, making them the three strongest members of the team besides Yue Tingxin and themselves.

The remaining two male cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining were Zhao Yu, who wielded a broadsword, and Sun Zhe, who wielded a flat sword.

Like Lu Yan, these five people were used to using fine iron pickaxes, and when choosing weapons, they would also choose some slashing weapons.

As for the three female cultivators, one of them was named Mei Xiaoyu. Judging from her beautiful face, upright posture, and thoughtful movements, she should be working as a shop waitress.

Similar to a modern receptionist or greeter.

One of them, named Shang Lin, was charming and walked with a swaying gait, exuding a seductive air. Her hips protruded outwards, suggesting she had a special profession: teaching Chinese Pinyin.

The last female cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining was named Pang Ziyue. She had a rather androgynous appearance and a tall stature. Although she was only at the second level of Qi Refining, she gave Lu Yan the feeling that she was stronger than the two female cultivators at the third level of Qi Refining.

All three women wielded swords, and judging from the thick calluses on their tiger's mouths, they must have practiced swordsmanship.

Lu Yan was secretly watching the eight of them, and the eight of them were doing the same, especially paying close attention to Lu Yan.

There was no way around it; among the group, Lu Yan was the youngest, with a fair complexion and an extraordinary demeanor. Coupled with the storage bag at his waist, it was clear that he came from a family of cultivators.

Twenty miles north of the city lies a bare plain, specially cleared by Wuyou City to prevent demonic beasts from using the trees to approach the city. Therefore, the group will have to walk for a while before they can capture any demonic beasts.

All eight were cunning old foxes, and none of them spoke up until Shang Lin walked up to Lu Yan.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu Liu." The group had introduced themselves earlier, and Lu Yan had used the name Lu Liu.

"Fellow Shang, what is it?" Lu Yan replied, knowing that Shang Lin was testing him.

"I'm a little thirsty. Does Fellow Daoist Lu have any water with him?" Shang Lin feigned a delicate demeanor, looking at Lu Yan with pitiful eyes.

"Here you go." Lu Yan took a water pouch out of his storage bag and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lu." As Shang Lin took the water pouch, her little finger lightly traced across Lu Yan's palm, teasing him.

Lu Yan pretended not to know and waited for the other person to finish drinking before putting the water pouch back into his storage bag.

"Fellow Daoist Lu is already at the third level of Qi Refining at such a young age, you must come from a prominent family, right?" After drinking some water, Shang Lin started to chat casually.

"Just a small family. If they were from a really big family, they wouldn't be wandering around Wuyou City all by themselves," Lu Yan replied with a smile.

"That's still better than us. Fellow Daoist Lu doesn't know how hard it is for us unfortunate cultivators to survive."

"You could easily die somewhere and no one would care." As she spoke, Shang Lin moved closer to Lu Yan again, letting her fragrance fill his nostrils.

"Fellow Daoist Shang is too pessimistic. You are all cultivators who have risen from among many; you naturally possess extraordinary abilities. How could you die so easily?"

"That's not necessarily true..."

During their casual conversation, Lu Yan learned that Shang Lin's situation was similar to his own; both of them had been tricked into working in the sex industry in order to survive.

After recently breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining, I want to find another way out and say goodbye to the past.

I suspect the other people are the same.

"Attention, we are about to enter the forest. We need to be extremely careful," Yue Tingxin shouted a warning before entering the forest.

Lu Yan looked up and saw nothing but greenery stretching as far as the eye could see.

However, this area is not part of Qiongyi Ridge; it is merely a forest at the foot of the ridge, and is still far from the real Qiongyi Ridge.

"Today I will teach you how to hunt red-clawed rabbits." After entering the forest, Yue Tingxin began to explain to Lu Yan and the other nine.

"The Red Claw Rabbit is the most numerous monster outside, named for its red claws."

Once it reaches adulthood, it will be the size of an adult, weighing over 100 pounds. Its attack power is relatively weak, and a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining can handle it.

But watch out for its claws, or you might find yourself in trouble.