Early the next morning, the sky was just tinged with white.

Creak!

Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming simultaneously opened the doors to their rooms.

Fully prepared, the two of them said nothing, exchanged glances, and left Xiaopei Mountain one after the other.

They had just left not long ago.

Xie Miaobo and Fu Xueping’s door also opened, and they watched them leave without saying a word.

The commotion at Shoushan Tower yesterday was so great that they naturally knew what had happened and understood what Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming were up to.

But the task this time was fixed at a specific realm; only cultivators above the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer could sign up, so even if they wanted to follow, they couldn’t.

"Cultivate well; don’t let Mr. Liou and Qiu Ming leave us too far behind," Fu Xueping murmured softly to Xie Miaobo, closing the door.

Xie Miaobo gave a bitter smile and nodded heavily.

They were disciples of the Four-Star Star Acupoint, quite talented, yet comparing themselves to Liou Yuan, they increasingly felt powerless.

"Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming are sure to be the first to leave Xiaopei Mountain."

"By then, who knows if we’ll still be close?" came the lamenting voice of a youth from Xie Miaobo’s room.

The sky hadn’t fully brightened yet; it was just past dawn.

Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming had already arrived at Shoushan Tower.

In front of the tower were seventy to eighty outer sect disciples of the Fifth Peak, and the number was steadily increasing.

These were seasoned disciples, the highest cultivation being Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

As for the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer and Ninth Layer, Liou Yuan did not see them.

Liou Yuan speculated that disciples at those levels might no longer be interested in tasks worth ten merit points.

At Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming were quite ordinary among this group.

They might stand out among new disciples, but compared to these seasoned disciples, they were at the bottom.

Liou Yuan intentionally kept a low profile, standing in a corner of Shoushan Tower.

Even Qiu Ming discreetly pursed his lips and stood together with Liou Yuan, muttering, "It’s rare to see so many at Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer on a regular day."

Liou Yuan glanced at the four disciples at Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer present and replied, "They also need merit points to exchange for cultivation resources."

The two chatted sporadically.

After another incense stick’s worth of time, everyone was present; exactly one hundred people.

The three disciples responsible for registration at Shoushan Tower came out and began counting.

The dawn light scattered gently with its warm orange hue on the mountain of the Fifth Peak.

It also illuminated the building of Shoushan Tower.

Waiting in the corner, Liou Yuan’s ears suddenly twitched. He looked up, squinting towards the direction of the rising dawn.

There, silhouetted against the sun’s outline, were two black dots swiftly approaching from afar.

When Liou Yuan noticed the black dots, it was a mere breath or two before.

An elderly man in a purple robe, accompanied by a young girl, landed in the open space in front of Shoushan Tower.

The older man’s face was gaunt, with sharp, chiseled features.

In his deep-set eye sockets lay a pair of piercing eyes, akin to a hawk.

The moment he appeared, the previously whispering disciples in front of Shoushan Tower suddenly fell silent.

No need to guess, this elder must be the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator leading the team.

Though he did not exude an imposing aura, those eyes were something no one dared to meet.

"Zhao Zhuoran, Mr. Zhao, so it’s the Zhao-named Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator Miss Wei mentioned." Just then, Liou Yuan heard Qiu Ming’s deliberately lowered voice.

He was bending down, speaking in a hushed tone into Liou Yuan’s ear, sharing information about this Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"This Mr. Zhao is from the Zhao Family, especially skilled in arrays and Fire Dao skills. Outsiders call him Daoist Jinghuo."

"See the young girl next to him? That’s Zhao Feiyue."

"She’s the Five-Star Thunder Acupoint Zhao Feiyue." Only then did Liou Yuan lift his previously lowered eyelids to glance at the girl beside the elder.

She wore an agile black outfit, embroidered with pale gold cloud patterns on the corners.

The waistband was perfectly snug, accentuating her slender yet powerful figure, full of spirit and vigor.

Her brows, drawn like ink, carried an innate stubbornness and determination.

"I wonder who is stronger between Zhao Feiyue and Liou Tao," Liou Yuan quietly compared this girl to Liou Tao.

As Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming secretly assessed the girl who might be the first among this batch of disciples to break through to Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer,

it seemed she too sensed something. Her bright, sharp eyes swept in the direction where Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming stood.

Being fellow Five-Star Star Acupoint disciples from this cohort, she naturally knew Qiu Ming.

But with a family elder present, she couldn’t look for long. She glanced briefly, then quickly looked away.

Simultaneously, the elderly Zhao Zhuoran’s indifferent, age-weathered voice rang out: "Is everyone present?"

He was asking the three disciples responsible for Shoushan Tower-related matters, led by Wei Miaomeng.

"Honored Mr. Zhao, the number of people assigned by the sect for this task totals one hundred, all present," Wei Miaomeng’s respectful voice echoed in front of the building.

Zhao Zhuoran wasted no words, unhooking the flask slung from his waist.

As he waved his large sleeve, resonating with the True Essence, the flask expanded in the wind, enlarging to a massive size equal to Shoushan Tower.

It slowly settled in front of Shoushan Tower, causing the ground to tremble lightly.

"That’s quite something; it must be a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact." Liou Yuan felt the tremor beneath his feet, secretly astounded.

Without giving him a chance to scrutinize the flask’s details, Mr. Zhao had already ordered, "Move out!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The disciples in front of Shoushan Tower, numbering over a hundred, scrambled to leap onto the flask.

Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming naturally followed the flow and boarded the flask.

During this process, Liou Yuan’s peripheral vision caught the agile silhouette in black attire.

Zhao Feiyue, surprisingly, joined the multitude of disciples in boarding the flask.

Liou Yuan had just found a spot to squat on the wine pot when he heard Qiu Ming’s teasing voice: "Hehe, the Zhao Family is really generous, not afraid of their precious daughter meeting danger outside."

"It should be training."

"No matter how high the talent, they still need to see blood," Liou Yuan whispered back, understanding clearly.

Just like Liou Zhen, his big brother didn’t resist him going on adventures, quite the opposite, he seemed to indulge him.

"Moreover, this time it’s the Zhao Family leading the team, how dangerous can it be for Zhao Feiyue."

After speaking, Liou Yuan glanced at Zhao Feiyue, activating the Evil Eyes.

He could see the spiritual power within the young woman’s body was roiling vigorously, like a raging torrent.

Much stronger than him, much stronger than Qiu Ming.

"Really close to Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer," seeing this, Liou Yuan couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

Everyone had boarded; Zhao Zhuoran didn’t waste a second, he cast a spell, and under his control, the wine pot rose into the air, shooting towards Five Extremes Mountain.

Compared to Liou Zhen’s magical vessel, its speed wasn’t inferior at all.

Liou Yuan stood steady on this wine pot, feeling no sense of bumpiness.

"It has to be a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact," Liou Yuan sighed in appreciation, then added: "The price is touching too."

Back then, Liou Zhen emptied the family fortune to refine that Cold Moon.

Luckily, Liou Yuan was far from reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm and didn’t have to worry about it for now.

The wine pot shuttled through the sky, with the earth retreating rapidly.

The veteran disciples of Five Extremes Mountain seemed accustomed to the methods of Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, and they sat cross-legged on the wine pot, beginning to meditate.

Nourishing themselves for the upcoming battle.

Liou Yuan and Qiu Ming followed suit, choosing an unobtrusive spot, and sat down low-key.

Originally, he thought no trouble would occur before reaching the city needing support.

Unexpectedly, not even a thousand miles out of the Five Extremes Mountain range.

The area ahead in the sky suddenly turned dark.

At this moment, it was just after dawn, the bright daytime hour.

Other areas were clear and sunny, except for that region which was dark as night.

Seeing this, Liou Yuan’s heart tightened and he silently thought, "Big brother said the road wouldn’t be peaceful, indeed it’s not peaceful!"

"Luckily, this time it’s Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator Zhao Zhuoran leading the team."

Liou Yuan looked towards the front of the wine pot; Mr. Zhao sat there, with his old figure, though not tall, his back gave Liou Yuan endless security.

Under Zhao Zhuoran’s control, the wine pot showed no sign of avoidance as it directly charged into that pitch-black region.

It was then that Liou Yuan saw the source of this darkness.

It was a cluster of bats larger than wild chickens.

Gathering together, blocking out the sun, emitting sharp shrieks.

The sounds were strange, the numerous bats’ sounds fused together, making Liou Yuan’s head feel dizzy.

The other outer sect disciples on the wine pot with higher cultivation than Liou Yuan were also affected by the bat’s shrieks.

Suddenly.

"Hm!" Liou Yuan heard a cold snort echoing in the sky.

The voice directly dispelled the influence exerted on the disciples.

Awakening Liou Yuan.

He saw the wine pot’s spout open, under Zhao Ruoran’s control, it sprayed scarlet flames in all directions.

Boom!

The black sky was filled with fiery light.

Except for the area on the wine pot, Liou Yuan’s vision was all turned into a sea of flames.

In just three breaths, the bats were reduced to ashes under the sea of fire.

This part of the sky returned to clarity.

From entering the bat swarm to the fire lighting up the sky and burning these demons into ashes, it was just a snap of fingers.

After all this, Mr. Zhao returned to sitting on the wine pot as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, silence reigned over the wine pot.

Liou Yuan was fine, it wasn’t his first time seeing a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator take action; in Yanhe City, he had seen his big brother Liou Zhen fighting against the Alien Star Evil.

That battle scene was more intimidating than this fiery sky.

Nonetheless, Mr. Zhao’s ability still gave him a small shock, and he thought: "Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators are no easy opponents."

"This Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact is called Yuyang, produced by Fifth Peak’s Artifact Refining Pavilion."

Qiu Ming also watched with eyes gleaming, quietly explaining the history of the wine pot artifact to Liou Yuan.

"I heard from Can that the Deputy Pavilion Master and several masters of the Artifact Refining Pavilion jointly crafted it."

"When I establish my Foundation, I need to get one too."

Liou Yuan mercilessly shattered Qiu Ming’s wishful thinking.

"With your spending habits, even if you reach Foundation Establishment, you won’t be able to afford to craft a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact."

Liou Zhen’s effort for a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact was considerable.

Other Foundation Establishments surely would face similar difficulties. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Yet Qiu Ming already had plans, he laughed triumphantly: "No worries, my father has only me."

"If I ever reach Foundation Establishment, my dad will sell all the family possessions to make sure I get a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact."

Liou Yuan remembered that Qiu Ming was also from a family background.

The Qiu Family may not be a top-tier family, but compared to others, it’s middle-tier.

By pulling together the family’s forces, they could still grit their teeth and obtain a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact.

"You spoiled brats are really detestable," Liou Yuan spoke through gritted teeth, slightly sour.