"GHRAAAAAA!"

The Metal Element Beast let out a miserable cry as a sharp, overwhelming pain surged through it. The beast froze for a moment, as though its mind was about to split apart.

In that instant, Lu Changsheng seized the opportunity for capture.

Rumble!

He unleashed his Wave Domain, and it instantly restrained the Metal Element Beast. The beast was already on the verge of collapse, with no strength left to resist. He could even sense that its mind had been torn open by the Heart Sword.

The Jade Heart Sword is this powerful?

He was taken aback.

This Jade Heart Sword was an evolution of the White Heart Sword, so a rise in power was to be expected. Still, this much of an increase was startling. A spirit beast's mental strength was indeed its weakness, but for a single strike of the Heart Sword to subjugate the spirit beast? The Jade Heart Sword was truly fearsome!

Alright, I managed to capture the Metal Element Beast. Now I have two of the five elements. One step closer to gathering them all!

Lu Changsheng was glad that the past six days had not gone to waste. The two captures would already yield 20,000 contribution points. Still, that was not enough for him.

Lu Changsheng pressed on and searched for another three days.

Hm? Three Wood Element Beasts.

His eyes widened at the sight. This was a rare opportunity.

He moved slowly, keeping his distance. Even at a hundred zhang, the three beasts showed no sign of noticing him. He stopped at that distance.

Heart Sword, go!

The Heart Sword in his Mind Space shook three times, and three Jade Heart Swords shot out. The Wood Element Beasts sensed the danger at once, but the strikes were too fast. By the time they reacted, it was already too late.

Shing!

The Heart Swords struck their targets. The three Wood Element Beasts let out shrill screams, unable to escape.

Rumble!

Lu Changsheng followed up without hesitation. He unleashed both the Wave Domain and the Storm Domain, and although they did not fuse, their combined force was enough to restrain all three beasts.

With that, his spatial bag held three more beasts.

That makes five beasts, but the set is still not complete. I'm missing the water element and the earth element. Hmm... surely I'll find a Water Element Beast somewhere near a body of water.

With that deduction, he proceeded to search for areas with water. It took him four days to find a mountain spring. It seeped from the rocks and flowed into a valley, forming a pool. Within it, he caught sight of two Water Element Beasts. They soaked at ease and, at times, even played in the water.

Naturally, he could not use the Wave Domain or Waterfall Domain against them. Those would only aid their escape. Instead, he had to rely on the Starry Sky Domain and the Storm Domain.

Wait... Is there another one?

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. There was a small mound of earth by the shore. At first, he paid it no mind, taking it for ordinary soil. But now, he saw it move.

Startled, he observed it more closely. It did not take him long to realize that it was not dirt at all, but a spirit beast—an Earth Element Beast. It had buried itself in the ground, and Lu Changsheng had nearly missed it.

Two Water Element Beasts and one Earth Element Beast. If I catch them all, I'll have the full set!

Lu Changsheng felt a flicker of joy, but he did not lower his guard. He employed the same strategy as before, approaching silently and unleashing Three Heart Swords at once. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Shiuu!

The strikes landed, and all three beasts let out sharp cries of pain. Before they could recover, the Starry Sky Domain and Storm Domain descended together and restrained them. They had no chance to resist. In mere moments, Lu Changsheng had captured and sealed them inside his spatial bag.

It's full, alright.

The spatial bag was completely packed, and no wonder; the beasts were enormous. Though he handled them with ease, each one was the size of several elephants.

Ultimately, he had managed to capture eight spirit beasts in total, making for a solid haul.

I'll head back first. If I can, I'll pick up a few more spatial bags or something with more storage space.

Lu Changsheng paused for a moment, then prepared to leave.

Whoosh...

At that moment, he noticed a figure suddenly slip out from the bushes. It happened so suddenly that it felt as though the figure had come out of thin air.

Hmm? A concealment formation?

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. He had sensed nothing before this. The figure was clearly a Qi Refinement Immortal Master. The energy flow of spirit energy gave it away, and it was far more obvious than that of a Daoist apprentice.

This was not his first encounter with an Immortal Master. He had seen one before in Zhanhai City of the Da Yu Dynasty. But this was the second layer of the Ancient Region—more exactly, the Boundary Mountain, a particularly dangerous place. As such, the sudden appearance of a stranger here immediately put him on alert.

The Immortal Master noticed Lu Changsheng putting his guard up and said, "Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I'm a disciple of the Green Lotus Sect, and my Dao Name is Xuantong. I was hiding earlier to catch the Water Element Beasts, but even after lying in wait for over a month, I couldn't catch one. I saw you grab two at once, so I was hoping you might be willing to part with one... Would you be open to a trade?"

"You've been waiting here for over a month and still couldn't catch one? Are you taking me for a fool? It's just a Water Element Beast. You're telling me an Immortal Master can't catch one?"

Elemental Beasts were not particularly strong. Even with their escape techniques, a Qi Refinement Immortal Master had countless ways to deal with them, like enchanted artifacts, formations, talismans, and spells. The idea that an Immortal Master could not capture a single was was ridiculous.

There had to be another reason for Xuantong to be lurking here. Lu Changsheng had only just arrived at Boundary Mountain, so he remained on guard.

"Sir, I don't think you truly understand. Capturing a spirit beast isn't difficult in itself. But I have a water spirit root, and my spirit power is of the water attribute. These Water Element Beasts are extremely sensitive to anything tied to water. No matter what I use, it all gives off a water aura. They detect it instantly and escape. If you'd be willing to trade me one Water Element Beast, I'd be deeply grateful."

Lu Changsheng considered it for a moment. The explanation was reasonable enough. In truth, he only needed one Water Element Beast—but parting with one beast meant parting with 10,000 contribution points. That was no small sum. It was enough to buy two Dao Comprehension Pills.

However, his eyes brightened at the thought of the pills. He remembered that Dao Comprehension Pills were refined by Immortal Masters. If this individual here had some, the matter would become much easier to handle.

Lu Changsheng paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any Dao Comprehension Pills?"

"Dao Comprehension Pills? Yeah, I've got them."

"Hmm... Five—no, ten pills for one Water Element Beast. Deal?"

Xuantong was aware of the value of pills, but he did not care. The Water Element Beast was too important to him.

"Deal!"

Lu Changsheng was pleased. After all, ten pills were five times the beast's value. The exchange was completed quickly.

He looked at the pills in his hand and fell silent. When Xuantong had taken them out earlier, there had been far more than ten. There were dozens at least, packed together.

These don't even look like his most valuable ones.

He had long known that the Immortal Masters in the Ancient Region were the wealthiest. Martial artists and demons, by comparison, were considered poor. However, it was only now that he gained a clear sense of just how wealthy Immortal Masters truly were. To him, Dao Comprehension Pills were treasures, but to Immortal Masters, they were nothing special.

Anyone skilled in alchemy could produce Dao Comprehension Pills with ease. Martial artists, on the other hand, had to gather the materials themselves. Even then, they still had to offer additional benefits just to persuade an Immortal Master to refine the pills. Under such conditions, it was no surprise that Immortal Masters were so wealthy.