After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Upon hearing his agreement, Luo Yiyan's eyes immediately lit up: "That's great! This mission is quite dangerous, but don't worry, I will definitely protect you."

Lin Zhixu smiled and nodded as he looked at his confident expression.

Luo Yiyan's task was to pick a rare spiritual plant called Moonflower Vine. This plant only grows on the highest cliffs in the far east, where the environment is harsh and high-level demonic beasts often appear.

Moonflower vines are extremely difficult to preserve after harvesting, and are often in high demand but not readily available, so the rewards for completing the task are quite substantial.

Elder Xuanqing directly offered one-third of the Spirit Gathering Pills he had refined as payment.

Luo Yiyan's cultivation level was just at a bottleneck, so taking on this mission would allow him to gain experience and obtain Spirit Gathering Pills at the same time, which was a win-win situation for him.

Actually, this task was already considered to be taken on a level above his own. If it weren't for the fact that his master was Yan Lingcang, the steward of Wanbaoge would never have let him touch it.

Not long after Luo Yiyan left, Yu Linzhou strolled in from outside the courtyard gate.

He was no longer wary of Luo Yiyan, and was simply curious: "Why is he still so persistent in coming here? What's the matter this time?"

Lin Zhixu said calmly, "He took on a mission that required two people to team up, so he approached me."

Yu Linzhou nodded, unusually refraining from asking what the mission was, how dangerous it was, or how many days it would last.

He has recently been trying to change his habit of prying into everything related to Lin Zhixu, hoping to change Lin Zhixu's opinion of him as soon as possible.

Although she was itching to go, she put on a nonchalant front.

Seeing this, Lin Zhixu couldn't help but want to laugh.

……

The two set off early the next morning.

The further east you go, the lower the temperature gets, and the lush vegetation gradually turns sparse, until only bare rocks and snow that never melts remain.

Upon reaching the Far East, the cold wind felt like a knife scraping against exposed skin.

Even though both of them had cultivation to protect them, they were still freezing cold, and each of them swallowed a protective pill to feel a little better.

The two continued on their way and finally came into view the highest mountain in the Far East.

The two looked up and swallowed hard.

The entire mountain looked as if it had been forcibly pulled out of the depths of the earth, soaring straight into the sky, its summit hidden in the rolling clouds and mist, with no end in sight.

Luo Yiyan turned around and suggested, "Let's just fly up on our swords; that will save a lot of time."

Lin Zhixu nodded.

The two of them took off on their swords, but just as they reached the halfway point of the mountain, a violent gale suddenly rushed in from the side of the mountain.

The wind, carrying shards of ice and sand, lashed my face like blades.

The flying sword shook violently in the airflow, its blade emitting a series of piercing buzzing sounds.

The sword beneath Lin Zhixu's feet suddenly sank downwards, and he was pushed by the gale to crash into the cliff wall.

He reacted extremely quickly, forcefully twisting his body to dissipate the force. When he landed, he still staggered two steps and almost crashed into the ice rock behind him.

Luo Yiyan quickly sheathed her flying sword and landed beside him, reaching out to support his shoulder, her voice filled with urgency: "Are you alright?"

"It's alright," Lin Zhixu steadied himself, glanced up at the still howling wind above, and calmly analyzed, "The airflow gets more chaotic the higher you go. It's probably a layer of gale-force winds formed by the clash between the perennial snow and the underground spiritual veins. We can't fly up on a sword; we'll have to walk."

Luo Yiyan nodded, her expression becoming more serious.

The two got ready and began their hike uphill.

The only good news is that the mountain has a slight slope, which naturally forms a walkable path.

The higher you go, the thinner the air becomes, and the ice under your feet makes a crunching sound as your boots crush it.

Occasionally, pebbles would tumble down the cliff and fall below, leaving no echo.

Lin Zhixu is now somewhat helpless.

The path beneath his feet was narrow and slippery; a moment's carelessness could send him tumbling down the cliff. He had to concentrate while also dealing with the incessant urging from the system in his mind.

System: [Great opportunity! Push him! Push him!]

Lin Zhixu: [...Is it really that direct?]

System: [This is a golden opportunity, don't miss it!]

Lin Zhixu watched Luo Yiyan's figure ahead, constantly reminding him to be careful. He paused for a moment, then thought to himself, "Forget it. I'll think of another way."

The system panicked: [You're delaying again. Once you return to the sect, you won't have such a good opportunity! Luo Yiyan isn't what he used to be; he's quite popular in the Tianheng Sect now. Unless you take action yourself, you won't find anyone to help you.]

Lin Zhixu pursed his lips, hesitated for a long time, but still didn't make a move.

The system gave up and abandoned the struggle.

Lin Zhixu suddenly felt a little guilty. The system was working so hard to follow the plot, but he was dragging it down.

Don't worry, I just don't want to do it now. I'll definitely finish the storyline when I have another chance.

The system sighed: "Alright. You absolutely must keep your word and not be soft-hearted again. You've already delayed for too long; the plot can't drag on any longer. Luo Yiyan's character won't mature without experiencing your betrayal."

Lin Zhixu hummed in agreement.

He never understood why the protagonist had to experience betrayal in order to grow up.

Is it only through experiencing betrayal that one can truly understand human nature?

Lin Zhixu: "..."

That's not seeing through human nature, that's turning to the dark side!

But thinking about it carefully, it does seem to be true.

People don't learn their lesson without experiencing pain.

Therefore, the essence of a person is actually a masochist.

……

The two walked for an unknown amount of time, until they passed through the last swirling cloud layer, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

The mountaintop was a vast snow-covered forest, with silvery-white tree trunks piercing straight into the sky, and branches covered with glistening icicles that refracted tiny sparkles in the thin sunlight.

Lin Zhixu reached out and touched the nearest branch; it was icy cold to the touch, but it was definitely alive.

A faint, almost imperceptible flow of spiritual energy could be sensed beneath the tree bark.

These trees are truly resilient to survive in such an extremely harsh environment.

Perhaps it is also a variant.

The two had no intention of lingering and searched along the edge of the snow-covered forest for a while before finally finding their target on a steep cliff.

The vines were ordinary vines, but a translucent, silvery-white fruit had grown on them, and that was the fruit they wanted.

However, good news and bad news always go hand in hand.

Less than three zhang below the Moonflower Vine, a huge monster was lying in a recess in the cliff wall, pretending to sleep.

Luo Yiyan lowered his body, his eyes fixed on the snake-beast coiled on the cliff. There was no fear in his eyes, but rather a hint of eagerness: "There is actually a guardian beast. It seems that the quality of this Moonflower Vine is even higher than expected. This trip was worthwhile."

Lin Zhixu followed his gaze to the enormous creature.

The monsters that can become guardian beasts of the Moonflower Vine are definitely not weak. Surviving in such an extreme environment, their strength will only become stronger.

"How do you plan to pick it?" Lin Zhixu turned his gaze to Luo Yiyan. "A demon beast that can become a guardian beast must be very strong. We are definitely no match for it."