Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Outside the gate of the Ancient Sword Sect, a small, cyan feather boat quietly landed.

Lin Jingchu raised his hand and presented a crimson jade tablet with dragon patterns, saying loudly, "Lin Jingchu of Luoyun Sect, at the invitation of Senior Fire Dragon, has come to pay my respects."

At the mountain gate, a Foundation Establishment disciple on duty took the jade token, scanned it with his divine sense, and immediately showed a respectful expression: "Ancestor Fire Dragon should be at 'Flame Sword Peak' at the moment. Senior Brother Lin, please follow me."

Thank you for your trouble.

The two, one after the other, mounted their flying magical artifacts and flew towards the depths of the Ancient Sword Sect.

Along the way, one can see many sword cultivators practicing their breathing exercises on the cliff edge or practicing their sword techniques on the open ground. The sound of sword energy cutting through the air can be heard from time to time, and the atmosphere of the sect is solemn.

The disciple led Lin Jingchu to an extremely precipitous peak, landing him on a small, protruding platform halfway up the mountain. Ahead, clouds and mist swirled, and a corner of a flying eaves could be faintly seen.

"This is where Master Huolong meditates. The master does not like outsiders to disturb him, so I sent him here." After saying this, the disciple of the Ancient Sword Sect bowed and withdrew.

Lin Jingchu summoned the jade tablet and activated it slightly. An invisible ripple emanated from the tablet, and then a voice, both mature and childlike, rang in his ear: "Come in!"

The clouds and mist surged before them, and the restrictive magic array silently opened a portal.

Lin Jingchu stepped inside, passed through the misty passage, and came to a quiet and secluded residence. The little fire dragon boy was standing in the courtyard waiting for him.

Lin Jingchu stepped forward and bowed in a disciple's salute: "Junior Lin Jingchu greets Senior Fire Dragon."

The Fire Dragon Child sized him up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that with your spiritual root aptitude, you would reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment so quickly."

Lin Jingchu: "When I was traveling before, I had some good fortune in Qianjing Valley."

"Opportunity is also part of ability." Upon hearing this, Fire Dragon Boy couldn't help but recall the past. When he was young, wasn't it also due to a chance encounter that he accidentally ate a strange herb and thus gained such good fortune?

He didn't ask any more questions, but instead began to examine the magical power within Lin Jingchu's body.

This probing made him let out a soft "Eh," and his surprise deepened: "You kid, you clearly don't have a metal spiritual root, yet your lung metal energy is so strong... It seems this opportunity is truly remarkable."

Just as the Fire Dragon Child was investigating, a system notification quietly appeared in Lin Jingchu's mind.

[Quest Completed: The Dragon's Pact]

[Quest Reward: One Molten Crystal]

【Fire Crystal: Fire Dragon Child painstakingly searched for months deep within the earth's veins and obtained one. Under extremely high pressure, it condensed a large amount of pure and scorching fire spirit essence, making it an excellent material for refining fire-attribute magic weapons】

The Fire Dragon Boy continued, "Your magical power is pure and profound; it seems you can try what I need. However, the time is not yet right; we must wait until the full moon before we set off. You may stay here with me for a few days."

He suddenly changed the subject, asking with a hint of anticipation, "Do you know how to play Go?"

Lin Jingchu honestly replied, "I have some knowledge of chess, but my skills are shallow and I'm afraid I won't meet the standards of a senior like you."

The Fire Dragon Boy immediately became interested and led Lin Jingchu to a stone table in the courtyard, where a jade chessboard and two boxes of chess pieces were laid out. "Come, come, play a game with this old man to relieve your boredom."

A moment later...

Fire Dragon Boy stared at the chaotic chessboard, a look of indescribable expression on his face. "You kid's chess style... you really do have a 'slight understanding' of it."

Lin Jingchu smiled awkwardly. He was quite good at playing Gomoku, but he really only knew the basics of Go.

Fire Dragon Boy stood up with a look of disgust: "I'm not playing anymore, it's so boring. You can rest in that quiet room on the east side for the next few days." As he spoke, he took the jade token from Lin Jingchu's hand and casually infused it with two spells. "With this token, you can freely enter and exit the outer perimeter of my cave, and you can also freely walk around and look around inside the gate."

"Thank you, senior." Lin Jingchu put away the jade pendant and bid farewell to the Fire Dragon Boy.

Lin Jingchu found a disciple of the Ancient Sword Sect and asked about the location of Bai Haozhi's cave. The disciple told him that Bai Haozhi was out on a sect mission with several fellow disciples and had not yet returned.

He had no other acquaintances in the Ancient Sword Sect. After a brief tour and experiencing the unique atmosphere of sword cultivators, which differed from that of the Falling Cloud Sect, he returned to the quiet room where he was temporarily staying on Flame Sword Peak.

Several days later, a crimson beam of light shot into the sky from Yanjian Peak, piercing the heavens and leaving the territory of the Ancient Sword Sect.

This was my second experience with a Nascent Soul cultivator using flight, and the feeling was different from when I was with Master Cheng. If Master Cheng's escape light was neutral and peaceful, then the Fire Dragon Child's was like a blazing meteor.

But both were moving at an astonishing speed, blurring the scenery outside the escape light into indistinct lines.

About an hour later, the crimson light suddenly vanished. Lin Jingchu looked closely and saw black smoke billowing all around, lava flowing, and waves of heat hitting him.

Fire Dragon Boy explained, "This is a volcano within the territory of Minzhou. I discovered a 'Crimson Glass Tree' here many years ago. I originally intended to move it back to my cave to plant it, but the tree's roots are already deeply connected with the underground fire spirit veins. Forcibly moving it might damage its foundation."

As he spoke, he made a hand seal, and the light and shadow in the lava river in front of them distorted, revealing a black reef about five zhang square, like an isolated island in flames.

On the rocky platform grew a small tree, less than two feet tall, its entire body resembling a sculpture of crimson glass. Strangely, within the glass-like trunk, a faint, silvery-white radiance could be seen, flowing slowly as if alive.

"Although the Crimson Glass Tree grows in this extremely yang place, its core contains a wisp of extremely yin energy. I then thought of a way to sever its connection with the earth's fire spirit by reversing its yin and yang."

"The moonlight you condense through the 'Moon Gazing Technique' is yin and cold yet gentle, which is perfect for this purpose. On the night of the full moon, you will circulate your technique to draw the moonlight into this tree, helping its inner yin spirit to grow stronger. I will then cast a spell from the side to suppress the earth fire and find an opening to sever the connection."

[Task Discovered]

【Task Name: Transplanting Moonlight】

[Posted by: Fire Dragon Boy (Affection Level: Trust)]

[Task Description: Assist the Fire Dragon Child in activating the "Moon Gazing Technique" on the night of the full moon, drawing the power of the moonlight to infuse the "Crimson Glass Tree," helping it reverse yin and yang for transplantation.]

[Quest Reward: One Fire Dragon Child Spirit Material]

Lin Jingchu had long anticipated that the Fire Dragon Child would need his Moon Essence, so he was not surprised to hear this and simply awaited instructions.

It was still evening. The two waited quietly in this scorching place until the sky turned completely dark and a bright, full moon rose high in the sky.

Despite the billowing black smoke from the volcano obscuring the sunlight, as soon as Lin Jingchu activated the "Moon Gazing Technique," wisps of cool, soft silver moonlight pierced through the smoke and fell from the heavens, gathering around him.

He did not draw the moonlight into his body for cultivation, but instead extended his finger and pointed it into the air, and the cool and gentle silver light slowly poured into the crimson glass tree in front of him.

Fire Dragon Boy's eyes narrowed, and he attacked simultaneously. He pointed his fingers like a sword, and countless fine, hair-like crimson threads instantly disappeared into the rock strata beneath the tree.

This is the technique of turning sword energy into silk, which only top-tier sword cultivators can master.

"No rush, take your time, stay calm!" Fire Dragon Boy reminded in a deep voice, concentrating on controlling the fine threads of sword energy, sensing and suppressing the surging fire evil deep within the earth veins, and peeling away the invisible, close connection between it and the treasure tree thread by thread.

This was a delicate and mentally taxing process. Lin Jingchu kept his mind focused and continued to guide the infusion of moonlight.

As time went by, the silvery light in the tree core grew stronger, and the reddish-white trunk gradually revealed a warm, silvery-white hue.

As dawn breaks and the moon begins to set, the entire tree takes on a strange appearance, half red and half silver.

"That's all for today. We'll continue when the moon rises tonight," said the Fire Dragon Boy.

For several days in a row, whenever the moon rose in the night sky, Lin Jingchu would draw upon the moonlight to infuse the earth, while the Fire Dragon Boy would do his utmost to suppress the earth fire. On the last night, Lin Jingchu became even more cautious, guiding the moonlight like a gentle stream, not daring to be in any hurry.

When the Crimson Glass Yin Soul Tree completely transformed into a precious tree shimmering with silver light, only in the deepest part of its core could a faint red light be seen pulsating like a heartbeat—

Fire Dragon Boy's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the countless crimson sword threads that had sunk into the ground suddenly twisted!

Without a sound, some invisible bond was suddenly severed. The silver tree trembled slightly, its surface shimmered, and its leaves drooped slightly.

At the same time, the Fire Dragon Boy patted his storage bag, and a piece of millennia-old ice flew out. A chilling aura filled the air, and the temperature of the surrounding scorching air plummeted.

Fire Dragon Boy swiftly transplanted the Crimson Glass Tree onto the ice. After completing this, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

[Task Completed: Moonlight Transplant]

[Quest Reward: One Molten Crystal]

【Fire Crystal: Fire Dragon Child painstakingly searched for months deep within the earth's veins and obtained one. Under extremely high pressure, it condensed a large amount of pure and scorching fire spirit essence, making it an excellent material for refining fire-attribute magic weapons】

Lin Jingchu looked at the identical reward notification and couldn't help but wonder, could this be the same one?

On second thought, it's quite possible. After all, it's common knowledge that a certain Nascent Soul sword cultivator who loves betting on chess always only has a pittance in his pocket.

Lin Jingchu mentally grumbled as he finished his practice. He let out a long sigh, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead; it was indeed extremely hot here, and it really wasn't intentional on his part.

The Fire Dragon Boy put away the precious tree along with the piece of ancient ice. Then he glanced at Lin Jingchu, who looked "quite tired," and took out a jade box.

"You've worked hard this time. These lotus seeds are from the Crimson Fire Lotus that I have carefully cultivated. They contain pure fire spirit and a trace of sword intent, which are beneficial for cultivating fire-attribute techniques and honing one's sword heart. There are seven seeds in the box, worth no less than five thousand spirit stones. Please keep them safe."

As he spoke, the Fire Dragon Child seemed a little embarrassed, "Ahem, I didn't expect you to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage so quickly, and I didn't prepare anything more suitable for your current cultivation level..."

I originally wanted to trade some water-related treasures or spiritual materials with Jin Laogui and the others, but none of them knew their value. They said that the Lotus Sword Intent was useless and that I would have to spend time grinding it away. Is that even human language?

As for spirit stones, even the Fire Dragon Child himself is short of them.

Lin Jingchu accepted the jade box with both hands and said sincerely, "I am deeply grateful for your generous gift, senior. It is also an opportunity for me to be able to do my part for you."

Fire Dragon Boy nodded, said no more, and with a flick of his sleeve, he once again conjured a crimson escape light that enveloped Lin Jingchu.

"Now that this matter is settled, let's go back."

The light flashed, instantly passing through billowing black smoke and scorching lava, and sped towards the Ancient Sword Sect.