Cultivation: Beginning with the Heart Reflecting Heaven and Earth

However, the Spirit Stone can enhance spiritual sense without any side effects, making it an extremely precious treasure. Under normal circumstances, no matter how outstanding a Qi Refining disciple is, it is difficult for them to enjoy such a resource.

The fact that the Holy Land is willing to offer Spirit Stones as a reward is already extremely generous.

For example, a century-old stalactite can only enhance the cultivation level of a Qi Refining cultivator without any side effects, but it cannot be used without limit. Therefore, although this thing has value, its value is limited and it is not considered a very precious treasure.

The Spirit Stone is different; even Nascent Soul True Monarchs can use it. It can also help Qi Refining Disciples condense their divine sense in advance and increase their chances of Foundation Establishment. Only Holy Lands are willing to offer it to Qi Refining Disciples as a reward. Under normal circumstances, such spiritual materials are directly supplied to Nascent Soul Ancestors.

Therefore, although the price of the Yun Shen Stone is astronomical compared to that of the century-old stalactite, the two are not even in the same league, differing by more than ten or a hundred times.

In the last training mission, the exchange price between the Hundred-Year Stone Stalactite and the Spirit-Nourishing Stone differed by only 500 battle merits. However, that was a special case. All the Qi Refining Disciples of the Holy Land participated in the training mission and offered Spirit-Nourishing Stones as rewards. It was just a formality to distribute them to the top geniuses of the Holy Land.

Things are a bit different now. Although the people who come to the branch can be considered geniuses, they only make up a portion of the Holy Land, and most of them are not in the first tier. In addition, the exchange channel for the Battle Merit Ranking has been open for a long time, so it is normal for the threshold to be a bit high.

For Lu Qian, what he values ​​most right now is improving his cultivation level. If he had a choice, he would still prefer to exchange for the 100-year-old stalactite, which would allow him to quickly improve his cultivation level.

Unfortunately, we can only dream about it for now. A hundred-year-old stalactite requires a thousand battle merits, which is equivalent to taking down ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators or one hundred mid-stage High-level Qi Refining cultivators.

Even though there was no shortage of targets around the Black Abyss Forest, it was still extremely difficult for Lu Qian, with his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation, to accumulate 1,000 battle merits unless he could quickly improve his cultivation level, which would require him to obtain 1,000 battle merits to exchange for a century-old stalactite...

In short, Lu Qian had a headache from the very first step he took here; the Western Continent was indeed not an easy place to live.

Mu Xue then walked over and said softly, "Brother Lu, how do you plan to arrange the mission? I just checked the jade slips that were issued, and I feel that the Chaotic Burial Mountains are more suitable for us."

"There are many reanimated corpses in the Burial Mountain Range. Most of them are slow-moving. Fortunately, we all know the Turbid Wave Bone-Eroding Curse. As long as we freeze them, it should be easy to deal with them."

Hearing Mu Xue's words, Lu Qian shook his head and said, "My cultivation is too low; I can't hold you back. You should team up with Brother Mu!"

If it's a training mission with a short time limit, Lu Qian could team up with Mu Xue, which would be an advantage for him.

However, the battle merit list is a long-term system. If he continues to team up with Mu Xue, it will be equivalent to drag Mu Xue down.

The difference in their cultivation levels was still too great.

If Mu Xue chooses a target at the late stage of Qi Refining, she will need to take care of Lu Qian; if she chooses a target at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, Mu Xue's rate of gaining battle merits will slow down.

Furthermore, how are battle merits calculated when we actually do missions together?

If he gives too little, Lu Qian will definitely be unhappy; if he gives too much, he will feel embarrassed, which would not be good.

Mu Dong had been watching this side the whole time, but didn't speak immediately. Only after Lu Qian rejected Mu Xue did he say, "How about the three of us team up? Although Brother Lu's cultivation is low, we can still get along for a while. After we get through this unfamiliar period, we can discuss what to do next."

Mu Xue blinked, then immediately nodded, "That's right, brother is right! We're all new to this place, so it's better to team up. If we really encounter situations where we're not compatible, we can always separate later!"

Lu Qian knew that the two wanted to give him a hand, since his cultivation level was low and it would be very dangerous for him to go out. Following these two would at least allow him to familiarize himself with the surrounding area.

As for what happens in the future, if Lu Qian can demonstrate sufficient effectiveness, they can continue to form a team. If not, they can separate, which won't cause any problems.

Seeing that Lu Qian was still hesitating, Mu Xue stepped closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Brother Lu, do you remember our last training mission? I think you're a very reliable person. Even though your cultivation level is a bit lower, you're far more trustworthy than others!"

Mu Dong laughed at this moment, patting Lu Qian on the shoulder as well, "Since Xue'er has said so, Brother Lu, stop being so hesitant and let's go together!"

For Mu Dong, his intention was simply to help Lu Qian. He also noticed Mu Xue's unusual attitude towards Lu Qian, so he extended another invitation.

Having said all that, Lu Qian had no reason to refuse, so he nodded, "Alright then! I'll shamelessly go with you!"

A disdainful sneer suddenly came from the side. Lin Guihai looked Mu Dong, Mu Xue, and Lu Qian up and down with the gaze one would give someone an idiot. "Birds of a feather flock together! One is mediocre, one is a burden, and the other is an idiot!"

Last time, Luo Wei embarrassed Lin Guihai, but Luo Wei was not someone Lin Guihai could afford to offend, so he blamed Lu Qian for the grudge.

However, Lu Qian's cultivation level was too low, so Lin Guihai didn't want to deliberately cause trouble for fear that others would say he was bullying the weak.

Seeing that Mu Dong and Mu Xue were willing to take Lu Qian on missions, Lin Guihai couldn't stand it anymore. He felt that Mu Dong and Mu Xue were degenerate and willing to take on a burden, and he also thought that Lu Qian was shameless for clinging to two powerful figures.

However, before Mu Dong could speak, Mu Xue immediately retorted, "You're quite a clever person, yet you're hated by everyone! Why don't you think about why, with your top-notch talent and cultivation, you can't find a single helper?"

"you……"

Lin Guihai's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a faint chill emanated from his body.

Lei Yunxing had mocked him countless times before, but Lin Guihai never cared.

Because Lei Yunxing was indeed powerful, and Lin Guihai believed that he would definitely be able to crush Lei Yunxing under his feet in the future, he naturally felt at ease.

Mu Xue had only just advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining, and her words struck a nerve with Lin Guihai, making him instantly furious.

Imagine Lin Guihai's feelings when someone who is inferior to him in every way happens to touch on the very point he least wants to face; he was so angry that his fingers were trembling!

However, Lin Guihai's behavior failed to frighten anyone.

Not only did Mu Xue not care, but Mu Dong also had a faint smile on his face. Lei Yunxing, who was not far away, also looked over, waiting for Lin Guihai to say something harsh. However, Lin Guihai just snorted and left without looking back.

"This is no holy place. It seems he's scared after all."

Lei Yunxing stared at Lin Guihai's back for a long time before looking away. "So what if he has a Heavenly Spiritual Root? A dead genius is no longer a genius. He knows that very well."

This is not a sacred place.

In the holy land, gentlemen always use words, not fists. As long as the other party is unwilling to fight, the other party will never dare to make the first move.

The Black Abyss Forest is different; it's surrounded by demonic beasts and evil cultivators. Once they've made their move, it's very difficult to trace their actions.

Lin Guihai is too arrogant and has come to the Black Abyss Forest. He is all alone and vulnerable. No matter how good his talent is, what use is it if he can't realize his potential?

Upon hearing Lei Yunxing's words, Mu Dong simply commented, "Don't underestimate him. Lin Guihai's ranking as the third among the Ten Talents of Canglan is definitely not solely due to his Heavenly Spiritual Root."

"I didn't intend to do anything, it was just a verbal argument, it's not going to come to a life-or-death situation."

Lei Yunxing said nonchalantly, "Besides, even if he's hiding some of his strength, I'm not afraid of anyone at the same cultivation level!"

He cultivates thunder magic, specifically the Nine Heavens Thunder Punishment of the Xuan Tian Palace. In terms of combat power, he fears no one, except for monsters like Luo Wei, of course.

Luo Wei is someone who has passed the second level of the Myriad Laws Battle Tower and can exert the combat power of the peak Qi Refining stage with the cultivation of the mid-stage Qi Refining stage.

In reality, Luo Wei was at the peak of Qi Refining, and most early Foundation Establishment cultivators would probably have a hard time lasting more than a few rounds against her.

During the mission to wipe out the three sects of Biyue, it is said that Luo Wei dealt with more than one Foundation Establishment cultivator. Unfortunately, she acted too quickly and not many people saw it, but her achievements were not fake.

Then, Lei Yunxing glanced at Mu Dong and said, "Want to team up?"

Mu Dong smiled and shook his head, "I've already made arrangements with Brother Lu and Xue'er."

Lei Yunxing sighed regretfully, glanced at Lu Qian again, and laughed, "You two really have a great relationship!"

"Xiong Kaishan, let's go!"

After giving a greeting, Xiong Kaishan immediately followed behind Lei Yunxing, and the two left together.

Watching their retreating figures, Mu Xue asked with some surprise, "They're leaving now without even figuring out what's going on around them?"

Mu Dong nodded and said without any inflection, "Xiong Kaishan is good at defense, and Lei Yunxing's lightning magic can clear the field quickly. If they act now, they can quickly clear out the easily dealt with evil things before others, and gain a lot of battle merits."

Mu Xue suddenly had a bright idea, "Then could we also..."

Mu Dong shook his head, "No need! I've already thought of a way to quickly gain battle merits. It's best to rest for now! Let's gather together again the day after tomorrow!"

Lu Qian naturally agreed completely. His body was still a little sore and he really needed to rest.

After finding his cave dwelling, Lu Qian felt somewhat uncomfortable because it was indeed too small. Apart from the area used for cultivation, the central area was just big enough to fit a pill furnace, leaving no extra space.

However, the spiritual energy in the cave was indeed quite abundant, which should be the effect of the spirit-gathering array.

There are no spiritual veins here. Most of the spiritual veins in the Western Continent are owned lands with all sorts of dangers. It's difficult to find a suitable place for a holy land in the short term. So we can only use a spirit-gathering array, otherwise we can't meet the cultivation needs of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

However, the Spirit Gathering Array also consumes spirit stones. Even if the daily consumption is not much, the accumulated consumption over time will probably amount to a considerable amount of spirit stones.

Maintaining such a frontline territory is probably not a small burden for the Holy Land.

The fact that the Holy Land is still willing to maintain this place despite such heavy losses can only mean that it has gained more than it has lost. Otherwise, there would be no need to invest resources and manpower to occupy this place.