The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The life of an inner disciple is much more comfortable than that of a servant. They don't have to chop wood or start fires, they don't have to be bossed around, and they can do whatever they want. But as comfortable as it is, they can't be idle.

The most important thing right now is to take those ten Qi Gathering Pills.

There were still twenty days until the fifth day of next month, and he absolutely could not hand over the ten Qi Gathering Pills he had refined using the Myriad Things Cauldron. Qin Wan's matter had served as a wake-up call; these pills were ridiculously effective, and handing them over would be tantamount to suicide.

You have to refine it yourself.

Shen Yifei sat up, put on his clothes, and went out.

He had spent three years doing manual labor, chopping wood and tending fires, and had learned a little bit about alchemy. But even with that basic knowledge, he still felt uncertain when it came to actually practicing.

The Qi Gathering Pill is a second-grade pill, considered entry-level in the Joyful Union Sect. Any inner disciple with even a little talent for alchemy can refine it to a considerable degree.

But he couldn't; he couldn't even recognize all the medicinal herbs.

Shen Yifei inquired along the way and arrived at the library.

The library is located deep within the inner courtyard of the Hehuan Sect, and it looks inconspicuous.

An old man with white hair and beard sat at the door, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"Uncle-Master, I would like to take a look inside the library." Shen Yifei stepped forward and bowed.

The old man didn't even lift his eyelids: "Which floor?"

"I wonder which level one needs to go to to learn alchemy?"

"Alchemy?" The old man looked you up and down. "For ordinary pills, go to level two; for intermediate pills, level three; for high-level pills, level four. What kind of pills do you want to refine?"

"This disciple wishes to refine the Qi Gathering Pill."

"Qi Gathering Pill? You don't even know how to refine a Qi Gathering Pill? Are you a new inner disciple?"

"Yes, this disciple has just entered the inner sect."

"Hmm, no wonder. Go to the second floor, you'll find the alchemy manuals you need."

Just as Shen Yifei was about to express his gratitude, the old man stretched out his hand, "Twenty contribution points!"

Shen Yifei was taken aback: "What contribution points?"

"You didn't know that it takes twenty contribution points to enter the second floor?"

Shen Yifei genuinely had no idea. He'd been busy practicing his skills and dealing with people who came to inquire since entering the inner sect; who had mentioned contribution points to him?

"Uncle-Master, how do I get contribution points?"

The old man sighed, giving him a look as if he were looking at a fool: "Do tasks. There are tasks in the Task Hall every day, and you get contribution points for completing them. Take on as many as you want."

Shen Yifei thanked the old man and turned to run towards the mission hall.

Senior Sister Li saw him and exclaimed, "Oh my, isn't this the guy who built his foundation by taking medicine dregs? Here to pick up another mission?"

"Senior sister, I'd like to claim some contribution points for a mission."

"Contribution points?" Senior Sister Li flipped through the ledger. "You just joined the inner sect; your contribution points for this month haven't been distributed yet, right?"

"Yes, that's why I wanted to do tasks to exchange for points."

Senior Sister Li nodded, stood up, walked to the wooden shelf by the wall, and pointed to the row of jade slips: "Choose one yourself. First-grade missions are worth five contribution points, second-grade ten, and third-grade twenty. Come back and turn in the mission after you've completed it, and you'll be paid on the spot."

Shen Yifei walked over and saw that there were only a few left.

"Cleaning the alchemy room, 5 contribution points!"

"Organize the medicinal herb warehouse, 5 contribution points."

"Help Senior Sister Li refine a batch of Qi Gathering Pills, 10 contribution points."

"Three dual cultivation sessions with Wang Shuang, 20 contribution points."

Shen Yifei took a look and thought it was good, and was about to take it.

Senior Sister Li said slowly, "Young man, are you tired of living? That Wang Shuang is infamous for her 'Dragon Sucking Water' technique. She's only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm; even disciples at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm don't dare touch her!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yifei quickly put down the jade slip.

"Dragon Sucking Water!" The name sounds domineering; my own bowl of water is too shallow!

He then flipped to the next jade slip, which read, "Hunting a second-tier demon beast yields one demon core and twenty contribution points."

A second-tier demonic beast is equivalent to a human at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Shen Yifei is currently at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, so their cultivation levels are equal.

The demonic beasts are tough and thick-skinned, and human cultivators of the same level generally cannot defeat them. However, the contribution points given for this mission are also high, a full twenty points, which can be used to enter the second level.

Shen Yifei reached out and took the jade slip down.

Senior Sister Li glanced at it: "A second-tier demon core? Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"You're only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, right? Second-tier demonic beasts are not easy to defeat."

Shen Yifei smiled and said, "Give it a try. If you can't beat them, just run away."

Senior Sister Li smiled, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "Alright, you've got guts. But this task has a time limit; it must be completed within seven days. Failure to complete it will result in a deduction of five contribution points."

"What the hell? They're going to deduct money if I don't finish?"

"Of course, once you accept a task, you have to do it; otherwise, you'll lose contribution points. Otherwise, if everyone just accepts tasks randomly, wouldn't the Task Hall be in chaos?"

"I didn't contribute any points, so why should I lose points for not completing the task?"

"Low-grade spirit stones, ten spirit stones equal one contribution point."

Shen Yifei was startled. Twenty contribution points required two hundred spirit stones, which could make him penniless overnight.

"I'll take it." Shen Yifei gritted his teeth and handed the jade slip to Senior Sister Li.

Senior Sister Li took the jade slip, pressed it onto a jade plate, and handed it back to him: "Seven days, starting tomorrow. If you don't hand over the demon core before sunset on the seventh day, two hundred spirit stones will be deducted."

On the way back to the house, Shen Yifei kept thinking about how to complete the mission.

To hunt monsters, you need weapons and magic. Weapons are easy to find; an ordinary longsword will do. Magic… he doesn’t know a single one.

He has the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment, but apart from the Yin-Yang Absorption Technique, he hasn't had time to learn any other cultivation methods.

First, get a sword; you need a weapon for self-defense.

Shen Yifei headed towards the west side of the inner courtyard. There was a market there, specifically for disciples to trade. He hadn't been there yet since he entered the inner sect.

The market wasn't large; it was a single street with a dozen or so stalls scattered along both sides. Some sold pills, some sold talismans, some sold magical artifacts, and some even sold baby spirit beasts.

After going around in circles, I spent twenty spirit stones to buy a longsword.

I bought a book called "Introduction to Basic Spells" from another stall for five spirit stones.

When I got back to the courtyard, it was already completely dark.

Shen Yifei lit the oil lamp and opened the book "Introduction to Basic Spells".

The book is not thick, only thirty or forty pages, and it covers several basic spells: Fireball, Water Arrow, Earth Shield, and Lightness Spell.

He turned to the page about the fireball spell and began practicing according to the instructions.

"Guide the Qi into the body, gather it in the Dantian, and let it travel along the meridians to the palm, where it condenses into fire..."

Shen Yifei sat cross-legged on the ground, trying to circulate his spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy emerged from the dantian and traveled upwards along the meridians. However, it dissipated halfway up and never reached the palm of the hand.

After struggling for an hour, Shen Yifei was covered in sweat, and not a single spark appeared in his palm.

"Damn it, why is this thing so difficult?"

Inner disciples usually have a master to teach them. Shen Yifei was recommended to enter the inner sect by Elder Gu, but he was not told who to learn from, so he had to figure it out on his own.

That night was quite exhausting for him. By dawn, he had finally managed to condense a fireball the size of an egg in his palm, which could be launched two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) away.

Shen Yifei thought he was a cultivation genius, self-taught! If this fireball hit a demon beast, wouldn't it burn its skin and flesh to shreds?

They also studied the art of lightness, which was easier to learn; it basically just meant running faster.

After preparing some food and drinks, Shen Yifei was ready to set off. Before leaving, he considered asking Qin Wan for help, but then he thought, how could a dignified man like himself ask a woman for help? So he gave up the idea.

Three hundred miles north of the Hehuan Sect lies a mountain range called Hengduan Mountain, home to many demonic beasts. Most inner disciples go there for training.

Shen Yifei used his lightness technique to run north for three hundred miles, and arrived at the foot of the Hengduan Mountains two days later.