After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

The Shan Gong Hall is located on the mountainside between Mingfa Peak and Yuxin Peak. It is a three-story wooden building with upturned eaves and corners, and the plaque with the four characters "Shan Gong Wu Liang" hangs above the door.

When Lu Qingchen arrived, dozens of people had already gathered in the square outside the palace.

Most of them were outer disciples, but there were also a few promising immortals like him, all gathered around the bulletin board checking the tasks.

"The Fire-Patterned Wood Forest on Panlong Peak needs pruning, two loads a day, with a reward of one spirit stone... It requires familiarity with the habits of the Fire-Patterned Wood and resistance to high temperatures, which should at least require cultivating a layer of protective Qi, right?"

"The furnace slag in the Liyan Peak's underground fire chamber needs to be cleaned, two hours a day, for a reward of five spirit pearls... It's dirty, tiring, and dangerous."

"Beast Taming Peak requires the collection of fur from specific beasts, priced by the tael, with uncertain rewards... This is easy, but it takes too much time."

Lu Qingchen read through the list one by one, his brows furrowed.

There are very few tasks suitable for young immortals who have not yet cultivated their Qi, with decent rewards, and that are not too dangerous or time-consuming.

Just as I was searching desperately, I overheard the idle chatter of two outer disciples nearby:

"I heard that Chu Yunfeng from Mingfa Peak has completely stabilized his Qi Refining Level 1 cultivation, and his aura is very harmonious."

"He's stabilized so quickly? He only broke through to the first level of Qi Refining less than a month ago, right?"

"With dual top-grade spiritual roots, a solid foundation, and being in a place with abundant spiritual energy like Mingfa Peak, plus Elder Li's occasional guidance, it's no wonder that things stabilized quickly."

"I heard that Elder Li bestowed a bottle of 'Qi Nourishing Pills' to help him nourish his meridians and solidify his foundation. It seems he is preparing to break through to the second level of Qi Refining."

"They're already preparing to break through to the second level? Really... it makes me not even want to try and catch up. At this rate, they might reach the threshold of the second level of Qi Refining within a hundred days?"

"Who knows? We don't understand the world of geniuses, but his consistency is undeniable, not only because of the elixirs, but also because of his hard work."

Chu Yunfeng is already preparing to break through to the second level of Qi Refining.

Lu Qingchen understood and was not surprised.

Since the establishment of the Dao Stele's Wheel System, he has been able to feel the stability and purity of his cultivation through the wheel every day. This in itself shows that Chu Yunfeng's cultivation state is excellent and his progress is steady and rapid.

It's perfectly normal for the opponent to start preparing for the next stage.

This is a double signal for him: the benefit is that the higher Chu Yunfeng's realm, the greater the base amount of cultivation he gains each day, and the "quantity" and "quality" of what he can share will rise accordingly.

The pressure lies in the fact that the other party is moving too fast, and we must desperately catch up in order to ensure that the benefits brought by this "wheel system" can be effectively utilized.

Meanwhile, Chu Yunfeng's acquisition of the "Qi-Nourishing Pill" once again highlights the importance of resources.

Without resources, even the greatest talent needs more time to hone.

He took a deep breath and suppressed these thoughts.

You can't envy what others have; the most urgent thing is to solve your own problems.

He composed himself, his gaze returning to the bulletin board, finally settling on a particular task:

Herb Garden Care: Panlong Peak Dingmao No. 3 Herb Garden. Assistance is required to loosen the soil in a specific area and remove a type of companion weed called "Steel Bone Grass". The work period is five days, about two hours per day, and the total reward is four low-grade spirit stones.

Requirements: Be patient and meticulous, and do not damage the root system of the main spiritual plant, "Rock-like Vine".

Four spirit stones and five days' work period—this reward is considered generous among the tasks that Immortal Seedlings can accept.

What's even more remarkable is that he only needs to work for two hours each day, and the remaining time is enough for him to complete his daily cultivation practice without delaying his marrow cleansing progress.

Lu Qingchen's heart stirred, but then a question arose: Why has no one accepted such a worthwhile task?

He glanced at the notice board, and the eyes of several other young immortals around him were also on this task, but no one stepped forward.

Two people whispered a few words to each other, shook their heads, and left.

Lu Qingchen frowned and leaned closer to take a closer look.

The edges of the paper were slightly curled up, indicating that it had been hanging there for quite some time.

At the very bottom of the task requirements, there is a line of inconspicuous small print, one size smaller than the main text, which is almost invisible unless you look closely:

"Note: The roots of the Steelbone Grass and the main root of the Rock-Spirit Vine are deeply intertwined. If you are not careful when pulling it out, you will damage the roots of the Rock-Spirit Vine. If you damage the spiritual plant, you will have to pay for it. Please consider carefully and act according to your ability."

Lu Qingchen suddenly realized.

No wonder no one answered.

On the surface, this task is weeding, but in reality, it hides a trap—steelbow grass is easy to pull out, but rock vine is difficult to protect.

The reward of four spirit stones sounds tempting, but the risks are clearly stated: a single Rock Vine is worth one or two spirit stones, and if three or four are damaged by mistake, not only will the work be for nothing, but a large sum of money will also be lost.

The outer disciples looked down on the small reward and were unwilling to go through the trouble.

The immortal seedlings were envious, but who would dare to gamble with something they couldn't afford to lose?

This task has been posted for quite some time, but no one has paid any attention to it.

He stared at the line of small print, his mind racing with calculations.

He certainly couldn't afford to pay compensation for the damage to the spiritual plants.

However, he also needs to obtain spirit stones as soon as possible to purchase spiritual items to replenish his essence; otherwise, if his marrow cleansing progress stalls, he will truly have no hope of passing the hundred-day assessment.

Although this task is quite risky, it is not without room for maneuver—he can choose not to be greedy or rush things.

The project has a five-day timeframe, with two hours per day. We pull out as many plants as we can, and if we find that the roots of a certain steelgrass are too deeply entangled and there is a risk of damaging the rock vine, we stop immediately and abandon the project.

If you hesitate and think too much, once you miss this task, you don't know when you'll have another opportunity with such a short timeframe and decent pay.

"That's it."

Without further hesitation, Lu Qingchen pushed his way forward, explained his purpose to the guarding disciple, and handed over his identity token.

The outer sect steward who accepted the mission was a chubby middle-aged cultivator. After looking at Lu Qingchen's identity plaque, he raised an eyebrow: "A promising young cultivator from Nurturing New Peak? What's his cultivation level?"

"This disciple has completed the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing) stage and has just entered the Xi Sui (Marrow Cleansing) stage."

Lu Qingchen reported the truth.

He just completed the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing) procedure the day before yesterday, and is now indeed in the early stages of the Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Cleansing) procedure.

"Marrow cleansing period..."

"What about your spiritual root?"

"Low grade five spirit roots."

The butler paused slightly as he stroked his beard, then looked up at him with surprise.

With five low-grade spiritual roots, he would be considered an eyesore even as a menial servant in a sect, yet he was able to push his cultivation to the Marrow Cleansing stage in such a short time.

He looked Lu Qingchen up and down several times, his gaze lingering on him for a moment before he slowly spoke:

"The 'Steel Bone Grass' in the No. 3 Medicinal Garden of Dingmao, Panlong Peak, has stems like refined iron and roots that penetrate the earth's veins. Only those who have mastered the Yi Jin Jing and possess strength close to a thousand jin can completely eradicate it without damaging the main root of the 'Rock Beard Vine'."

"Although you have perfected the Yi Jin Jing, your five spiritual roots are of low grade, and your tendons and bones are inherently weak. Even if you have perfected it, your strength is probably only just approaching the threshold of a thousand jin, right? And this task of weeding requires sustained effort and precise control, which is not suitable for you..."

"This disciple would like to give it a try."

Lu Qingchen's tone was firm; he had to obtain these four spirit stones.

The steward glanced at him a few times, then at the Immortal Seedling wooden plaque at his waist, and finally took out a bronze token engraved with "Dingmao Three": "Alright, go ahead. The construction period is five days, starting today."

"If it is not completed, there will be no payment; if the spiritual plants are damaged, compensation will be made at the original price."

"Thank you, Deacon."

Lu Qingchen accepted the token, feeling somewhat relieved.

After Lu Qingchen left, the steward murmured, "To reach this level with five low-grade spiritual roots... I hope he has some skill."

After saying that, the deacon shook his head, regained his composure, and focused on the matter at hand.

……