Song Shu knelt on the ground, feeling so stifled that he was about to spit blood.
That precious Thousand-Year Cold Marrow!
It had been swindled away by a slip of a girl with just a few words!
And Eldest Senior Sister actually had an “I made a profit” expression on her face!
What the hell was this!
If he had known Eldest Senior Sister was this foolish, he would have coaxed her a bit, and she would have given it to him!
***
Outside Qingyun Town, in the middle of the wilderness.
Luo Qingchen ran at full speed, using every bit of strength she had.
It wasn’t until she had fled 10 miles away, estimating that she had completely left the range of a Core Formation cultivator’s Divine Sense, that her legs gave out and she collapsed under a large tree.
“Oh, my goodness…”
Luo Qingchen panted heavily, her clothes completely soaked in cold sweat.
Her legs were trembling uncontrollably.
That was far too intense.
Running a scam right in front of a Core Formation powerhouse while dealing with a group of covetous sect mates—it was like dancing on the edge of the Lord of Death’s blade, flashing a light right in his eyes.
She pulled out the jade box from her robes and opened a tiny crack.
An extremely pure wave of cold air hit her face, making her shiver.
Thousand-Year Cold Marrow.
Although she didn’t know exactly how much it could be sold for, seeing how Song Shu’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, it was definitely worth a fortune.
Right then, the Heaven-Deceiving Jade Slip within her Dantian suddenly vibrated.
A massive yet gentle wave of heat erupted from the jade slip, instantly circulating through her entire body.
Luo Qingchen felt so comfortable she nearly cried out.
Her exhaustion was swept away, and the spiritual energy in her meridians surged at a visible rate.
Peak of Late Qi Condensation!
Great Circle of Late Qi Condensation!
She was just 1 step away from entering the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Luo Qingchen reached into the pouch at her waist.
The previously shriveled pouch, which had contained only a few low-grade spirit stones, was now bulging.
She pulled something out; it was a pill the size of a longan, emitting a thick medicinal fragrance.
A Foundation Establishment Pill!
A strategic resource that couldn’t be bought on the market even if one had the money!
‘Hehe, with a treasure like this, I can probably solve the curse and reach the peak of immortality with ease!’
Luo Qingchen gave the Foundation Establishment Pill a big kiss.
Although the tasks assigned by this jade slip were life-threatening, the rewards were truly impressive.
Before she could finish her celebration, a line of text appeared on the surface of the jade slip again.
**[Jade Slip Update]**
**[Goal: Reach Foundation Establishment Stage]**
**[Reward: High-grade Xuan-rank Technique, Ghost Crying and God Howling]**
Luo Qingchen stared at those five words and fell into deep thought.
Ghost Crying and God Howling?
Why did that name sound so suspicious?
Other people’s techniques were named things like “Nine Heavens Profound Lightning Art,”
“Supreme Record of Forgotten Emotions,” or “Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor.”
Those sounded high-end, elegant, and classy.
Hers… why did it feel like a wicked technique specifically for a villain?
However, according to the memory of rank levels, techniques were divided into Huang, Xuan, Earth, Heaven, God, and Saint grades.
A high-grade Xuan-rank technique was definitely a rare treasure in the Xuanzhou Continent.
Regardless of whether it was righteous or villainous, a technique she could get for free was a good technique.
Luo Qingchen put away the Foundation Establishment Pill and patted the dust off her clothes as she stood up.
The most important thing now was to find an absolutely safe place to go into seclusion and break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Only after reaching Foundation Establishment would she have a modicum of self-preservation in this peril-filled cultivation world.
She looked around, chose a direction where few people went, and plunged into the thick forest.
30 minutes after Luo Qingchen left.
A purple figure landed silently under the tree where she had just rested.
Ling Xiyue looked down at the messy footprints on the ground, sensing the residual spiritual energy fluctuations in the air.
She raised her hand, a faint cyan light swirling around her fingertips.
The sensation from the tracking mark was very clear.
‘This little fortune teller runs quite fast.
It seems she really is putting her heart into finding that heaven-defying place to change my fate,’ Ling Xiyue murmured to herself.
She was in no hurry to chase. She stood quietly for a moment and then turned to walk in the opposite direction.
It was only 1 week.
She could afford to wait.
If, 1 week later, she was still “unlucky”…
No matter where this girl ran, to the ends of the earth or the corners of the sea, she would personally twist that clever head off to make her understand that her things weren’t so easy to take.
***
Luo Qingchen naturally didn’t dare to linger near Qingyun Town.
Those sword cultivators from Hidden Sword Mountain were not to be trifled with.
If that ice-cold Eldest Senior Sister regained her senses and brought a group of people to hunt her down, her little Peak Qi Condensation body wouldn’t be enough for them to beat.
For 3 full days.
She slept in the wild and ate whatever she could find, specifically picking desolate mountain ranges where even birds didn’t want to fly.
When she was hungry, she chewed on wild fruit; when she was thirsty, she drank spring water.
A senior corporate slave from her previous life who found it tiring to go downstairs to pick up food delivery had been forced to play a game of wilderness survival in this cultivation world.
‘This cultivation life really isn’t meant for humans.’
Luo Qingchen leaned against a large tree, took off her shoes, and hissed in pain at the sight of the blisters on her soles.
‘Other people transmigrate to luxury, riding flying swords the moment they step out. Look at me—I start with a sect of only 1 person, I have to rely on my 2 legs to walk, and I have to watch out for an Eldest Senior Sister who might realize the truth at any moment.’
She rolled up her sleeve and looked at the hideous blood-red line on her forearm.
The red line had crept up a bit further than it had 3 days ago.
This thing was a death warrant, constantly reminding her that if she didn’t find an opportunity through the jade slip within 3 years, she would have to go meet that Cheap Master of hers.
‘No, I need to raise my cultivation quickly.’
Luo Qingchen put her shoes back on and patted the storage bag at her waist.
Inside lay the Foundation Establishment Pill gifted by the jade slip.
As long as she took this pill and circulated her energy to break through the realm, she could officially enter the ranks of true cultivators.
In the Xuanzhou Continent, the Qi Condensation Stage was only considered the peak of mortal martial arts.
Only upon reaching Foundation Establishment could one be said to have truly pushed open the doors to the cultivation world.
She gritted her teeth and continued forward.
After crossing 3 great mountains and confirming that not even a fly was following her, Luo Qingchen finally stopped in front of a cliff.
Before her was a natural cave, half-hidden behind vines.
The entrance was covered in moss and pitch black, exuding a chilly and damp atmosphere.
Luo Qingchen’s eyes lit up.
‘This place is great!’
In the cultivation novels she read in her past life, didn’t the big shots always find these kinds of hidden caves for their seclusion breakthroughs?
The kind of paradise where one could tell at a glance that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered there—though she couldn’t see any of that herself.
But in this wilderness, it perfectly fit the stereotype of a breakthrough spot.
Such a proper cave was practically the heavens urging her to advance quickly!
Luo Qingchen pulled aside the vines at the entrance.
She brushed the dirt off her clothes, cleared her throat, and struck the pose of a grandmaster.
With her hands behind her back, she walked in slowly and looked up at the ceiling.
“The time, the place, and the people are all on my side!”
“If I don’t advance now, when will I ever?!”
After finishing her dramatic display, she swaggered into the cave.
Just 2 steps inside, the light dimmed.
A thick scent of blood mixed with the unique stench of a wild beast hit her face.
Luo Qingchen stopped in her tracks.
Using the faint light from the entrance, she clearly saw the scene inside.
A black bear, at least 2 meters tall, was crouching on the ground, tearing into a mangled deer.
Hearing the noise, the great black bear stopped its movements and slowly turned its head.
Those blood-red eyes stared intently at the uninvited guest.
The deer’s intestines were still hanging from its mouth, and blood dripped down.
One person and one bear.
In the dark cave, they stared at each other.
The air suddenly went still.
Luo Qingchen silently covered her eyes.
‘This plot development is wrong!’
Where was the cave dwelling?
Where was the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?
Why was this a bear’s private dining room?
“Um…”
Luo Qingchen gave a dry laugh.
While backing away, she waved at the black bear.
“It seems I’ve come at a bad time.”
“Brother Bear, you go ahead and stay busy. I won’t disturb you.”
The moment she finished speaking.
“Roar!”
The great black bear let out a deafening roar that shook the dust from the cave ceiling.
It charged straight at Luo Qingchen.