Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Yuanwu Kingdom, Demon Flame Sect headquarters.

In the solemn atmosphere of the hall, several powerful auras remained hidden. The sinister-looking man who had fled back in a disheveled state knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

"The Reversed Five Elements Formation? I've never heard of a formation master with such skill in the Spirit Control Sect... It seems this is truly a rogue cultivator who appeared out of nowhere." Sect Master Lian tapped her fingers absently on the armrest of her chair, her eyes flashing with cold light. "To be able to transform such a powerful protective formation into a miniature magical artifact, she is no ordinary person. Investigate!"

A hoarse voice slowly rose from the shadows: "Then... what about the 'Spirit Control Sect'? Did they also leak this information? They've been demanding a share of the spoils, claiming that the 'Panlong Secret Realm was discovered by their disciple.'"

The sect leader snorted coldly: "This is the Yuanwu Kingdom! Keep this news secret for now, and investigate secretly. Also, withdraw the disciples stationed outside that ancient cultivator's cave and switch to covert surveillance. Although those two rogue cultivators won't return unless they're stupid, we might still be able to gather some unexpected clues."

However, although the Demon Flame Sect wanted to block the news, the spies planted by the Spirit Control Sect quickly sent the information back.

In an instant, a new undercurrent of people secretly searching for a formation master named "Zhang Tie" emerged in Yuanwu Kingdom and the surrounding areas.

This turmoil naturally had nothing to do with Lin Jingchu, who was far away in the Luoyun Sect of Xi Kingdom.

Time flies when you're on a spiritual journey; six years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Bamboo Valley Cave, a tiger-headed puppet was carrying a jade bottle, walking step by step towards the Heavenly Crystal Ant Queen's chamber. The next moment, its foot slipped, stepping on a thin layer of ice that had somehow solidified. It stumbled, and the jade bottle flew out of its hand.

The puppet's arm twisted rapidly at an odd angle, and its sharp claws shot out and dug deep into the rocky ground, finally regaining its balance. At the same time, its other wooden hand narrowly caught the falling jade bottle.

Three centipede heads, each about the size of a thumb, quietly peeked out from an inconspicuous crack in the stone beside the passage.

Their mouthparts opened and closed slightly, emitting extremely faint "hissing" sounds, as if mocking the puppet's clumsiness, or perhaps regretting not being able to witness the jade bottle shattering.

These three black centipedes, exuding a chilling aura, are the six-winged frost centipede larvae that were successfully hatched after years of painstaking effort.

The puppet paid no heed to the faint hiss, picked up the jade bottle again, and continued to walk forward with its rigid steps.

The three six-winged frost centipedes seemed to want to rush out and spew out frost to freeze its joints, but suddenly sensed something, turned their heads in unison, and transformed into three thin streaks of black light, which "whooshed" out and flew straight towards the main hall of the cave.

Inside the hall, Lin Jingchu opened the lid of a pill furnace in front of him, which was shrouded in cold air. Eighteen white pills, as white as jade and emitting wisps of cold air, flew out and hovered in mid-air.

This is the "Snow Condensation Pill," made primarily from fifty-year-old cold-attribute spiritual herbs. Originally a pill for Foundation Establishment stage ice-attribute cultivators to enhance their magical power, it has now been used by Lin Jingchu as food for his own spirit pet.

Three six-winged frost centipede larvae rushed forward, intending to pounce on the pill in mid-air, but they missed.

Lin Jingchu smiled slightly, rolled up his sleeve, and had already taken all the pills into his palm.

"Little Ice, Little Frost, Little Snow, line up."

Although insect-controlling spells have long been placed on them, and they are usually fed with their own blood essence to strengthen the bond, daily command training is still essential to get them used to obedience.

The three six-winged centipedes stopped abruptly, hovering in mid-air, their six pairs of small but already sharp mandibles slightly opening and closing, waiting to be fed.

In their juvenile stage, before they have grown wings, they look much like ordinary centipedes, but their sudden bursts of speed and sudden stops reveal their extraordinary ability to escape.

However, these three little guys are extremely incompatible with the Queen of the Heavenly Crystal Ants, and conflicts inevitably break out whenever they meet.

Without a colony, the Queen of the Crystal Ants is alone and vulnerable, often bullied to the point of hiding in her insect chamber and daring not to come out.

Just as Lin Jingchu flicked the pills at the three frost centipedes, a sound transmission talisman flew into the hall.

Lin Jingchu scanned the area with his divine sense and a hint of surprise appeared on his face—it was Bai Haozhi, who had gone to Tiantian City for his shift, who had returned. He threw out the remaining pills in one go and turned to leave the cave.

Luoyunzong Market, the private room on the second floor of Wangxian Tower.

When Lin Jingchu pushed open the door and entered, Bai Haozhi was already inside, pouring himself a drink.

After many years, the swordsman from the Ancient Sword Sect had a more weathered and sharp look between his brows, and a faint aura of murderous intent, tempered by blood and fire, lingered around him.

"Senior Brother Bai, how have you been?" Lin Jingchu smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and sat down at the table opposite him.

"Junior Brother Lin, it's been several years since we last met. I'm so glad I finally have the time to bother you today." Bai Haozhi looked up, a genuine smile appearing on his lips, and poured him a cup of spiritual wine.

The wine is crystal clear, exuding a refreshing aroma with a hint of floral and fruity sweetness.

"I heard from the shopkeeper that the main ingredient in this 'Golden Wind and Jade Dew' is 'Golden Wing Honey,' which seems to be related to Junior Brother Lin's business? It seems that Junior Brother's business has become increasingly prosperous over the years." Bai Haozhi raised his glass in a gesture of respect.

Lin Jingchu clinked glasses with him and laughed, "It's just a small business, enough to supplement my cultivation. My talent is limited, so I can only put more effort into unrelated paths."

After the Golden Winged Bee industry reached a certain scale, he didn't have to do anything and could earn hundreds of spirit stones every year, which also gave him a taste of "enjoying the fruits of others' labor".

The two shared a drink and chatted briefly about what had happened since they last met. Lin Jingchu put down his glass and asked curiously, "What's the situation at the border now? Have you had any direct confrontations with the Mulan people, Senior Brother?"

Bai Haozhi shook his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "How can a confrontation be avoided? The Mulan people are still full of wicked intentions and frequently send elite squads to infiltrate our Nine Kingdoms Alliance territory to harass and sabotage us."

"I was previously ordered to guard a medium-sized spirit stone mine. In three years, I repelled six ambushes by the Mulan Squad and killed no fewer than a dozen Foundation Establishment mages."

"Of course, when they cross the border to launch a sneak attack, we cultivators from Tiannan do not only defend and not attack. I have also accompanied other elite disciples to venture deep into the grasslands several times to ambush their transport teams or eliminate small tribal strongholds."

"In short, it's extremely dangerous. However, the sect's rewards are also quite generous." Bai Haozhi changed the subject and looked at Lin Jingchu, "Therefore, Junior Brother Lin, you don't need to worry that I can't afford the reward for tempering the sword."

Lin Jingchu laughed heartily: "Senior Brother Bai, what you say is true. How could I, your junior brother, be so greedy for money?"

As he spoke, he patted his storage bag, and a long, narrow wooden box flew out and landed on the table.

The case was opened, and inside lay a broad-bladed sword blank, its blade over fourteen inches long. The blade was like a mirror, its cold light concealed within, and though unsharpened, it already exuded a sharp aura that was imposing.

Bai Haozhi extended his index finger and gently stroked the cool blade. The delicate texture and faint humming sound emanating from his fingertip brought a look of satisfaction to his eyes, and he kept praising it.

After a few caresses, Bai Haozhi put away the wooden box and took out a bag of spirit stones, pushing it over: "Here are five thousand spirit stones. Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother Lin."

Lin Jingchu was slightly surprised. It seemed that although the border war was dangerous, the rewards were indeed very generous.

After the two drank and chatted for a while, Bai Haozhi got up to take his leave, as he needed to return to the Ancient Sword Sect as soon as possible to report back and hand over his duties.

After seeing Bai Haozhi off, Lin Jingchu weighed the heavy bag of spirit stones in his hand and left Wangxian Tower. Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind, and there is no room for even a moment of slackness.

However, when he returned to the Bamboo Valley Cave and stepped into the hall, he paused slightly.

Inside the cave hall, glistening ice crystals and frost flowers were everywhere, and the temperature was more than ten degrees lower than outside.

Three streaks of dark light were chasing and weaving through the air, spewing out wisps of thin but chilling white mist, having a great time.

The tiger-headed puppets were frozen in place by thick ice at their joints, unable to move, their eyes flashing rapidly as they tried to struggle in vain.

"Xiao Bing! Xiao Shuang! Xiao Xue!" Lin Jingchu's voice turned deep.

The three pursuing black lights froze upon hearing the sound, then flew to him with a "whoosh," lined up in a row, heads bowed, slender bodies twisting slightly, and tails twitching uneasily.

Lin Jingchu's lips twitched, and he waved his hand to send the three troublemakers back to their own insect chambers to "face the wall." He then shook his head and began to cast a spell to dispel the frost in the hall and rescue the poor puppet "servants."

This six-winged frost centipede, possessing the bloodline of a true dragon, is indeed incredibly talented. It had only been hatched for less than two years when its frost breath was already capable of freezing puppets at the late stage of Qi Refining.

After dealing with the "disaster site", Lin Jingchu sat down in the main seat in the hall, and with a slight thought, opened the task panel.

[Quest Reward: The Ancient Sword Sect's Secret Technique, "Tai Bai Sword Manual" (Awaiting Claim)]