Chapter 203: Qianyang Crystal

Qi Yuanshou had an ordinary appearance and wore a white robe. Although he was three full cultivation realms higher than Qin Sang, his aura was unassuming and understated. There was no sense of pressure when facing him; he was quite approachable.

"Qin Sang pays his respects to Senior Brother Qi."

Qin Sang and Jade Yangzi bowed to Qi Yuanshou together. After Jade Yangzi introduced Qin Sang and explained his background, he excused himself.

"Junior Brother Qin, since we are fellow disciples, you don't need to participate in the Shadow Guard test. This is the Shadow Guard token; please take it. From now on, you will be a member of the Shadow Guard. Please do your best to complete the tasks assigned by the sect and Xuanlu Pass."

Qi Yuanshou took out a token and said with a pleasant expression.

Qin Sang took the token. He saw that it was a spiritual artifact, completely different in shape from Jade Yangzi's. The black profound iron token bore only the character '影' (Shadow) and nothing else.

"Just drip a drop of your essence blood onto the token," Qi Yuanshou instructed.

Qin Sang followed the instruction. The essence blood landed on the token and automatically merged into it. Qin Sang then felt an intimate connection with the token and easily absorbed it into his body.

"Junior Brother Qin, with this token, you can come directly to see me. After entering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, most towns and markets along that path have Shadow Guard outposts. Just activate the token, and someone will contact you. They can relay messages and provide some assistance..."

After patiently listening to Qi Yuanshou explain the Shadow Guard's affairs, Qin Sang clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother Qi, for your patient guidance. Qin Sang will definitely obey your commands and follow your lead."

Qi Yuanshou smiled and shook his head, saying, "This is merely my duty... Junior Brother Qin, since you're new and have just joined the Shadow Guard, there's no rush to assign you a task. You might as well first go to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield for some practical experience. Once you're familiar with the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, just come to me within five years to receive a task, which will be enough to silence any gossip."

Qin Sang was curious. Qi Yuanshou not only handled the mundane affairs of Xuanlu Pass but also seemed to be available at any time. Did he not need to enter secluded cultivation?

Then he remembered that Qi Yuanshou was already a False Core stage master. Before successfully forming a Golden Core, even hundreds of years of secluded cultivation would not advance his cultivation in the slightest. This realization brought him clarity.

Perhaps for False Core stage masters, arduous cultivation behind closed doors was less effective than leaving their abodes, as it would be easier to find opportunities for forming a Golden Core.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Qi, for your care, but..."

Qin Sang then repeated to Qi Yuanshou what he had just told Jade Yangzi. Since they were both senior fellow disciples, there was nothing to hide.

"Oh? Is that so?" Qi Yuanshou said. "It seems the cultivation method Junior Brother Qin chose is quite unique, and your courage is commendable. Since Junior Brother Qin is determined, let me take a look..."

Although Qi Yuanshou was somewhat surprised, he didn't ask further questions. He placed his palm on a warm jade stone on the desk. After a moment, he said regretfully, "Junior Brother Qin, you've come at an unfortunate time. Several tasks in the outer regions have already been taken, and it's unlikely there will be new ones available soon... If you cannot wait, there is one rather good task, but it requires entering the deeper parts of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. However, the purpose of the task is merely to excavate a spiritual ore, so the danger is not great. A total of ten people will be traveling together, and Junior Brother Mu Yifeng has also taken on this task."

Qin Sang didn't know Mu Yifeng and wouldn't consider relying on others for his life. With the precedents of Sun De and Wu Yuesheng, he knew that when venturing out, so-called fellow disciple camaraderie might not be reliable; he could only trust himself.

"Senior Brother Qi, which region does this task require us to go to?"

"The middle regions."

Qin Sang nodded slightly upon hearing this. Xuanlu Pass and the Demonic Sect's forces were separated by Yinshan Pass and Chungang City, and this barrier still had some effectiveness in the middle regions.

If one entered the inner regions, it would become a chaotic land, completely beyond the control of the major sects. There was a high probability of encountering demonic cultivators, perhaps even remnants of the Kuiyin Sect.

Qin Sang possessed several good spiritual artifacts and had no fear of cultivators at the early Foundation Establishment stage. However, if he encountered a stronger opponent, he would only be able to try and escape.

"I'll leave it entirely to Senior Brother Qi to decide," Qin Sang said, cupping his hands.

A rapid sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Qi Yuanshou was in the middle of explaining the details of the task to Qin Sang when he suddenly stopped speaking and said loudly, "Junior Brother Mu, please come in."

Qin Sang stepped aside.

The door opened from the outside, and a burly man stepped in. He had a rugged and unkempt appearance, but his expression was steady, and his aura was no less impressive than Senior Sister Qingting's, having already reached the threshold of the middle Foundation Establishment stage.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Qi!"

Mu Yifeng glanced at Qin Sang, then clasped his hands and bowed to Qi Yuanshou. His voice was loud, shaking the roof tiles.

"Junior Brother Qin, this is Junior Brother Mu Yifeng... And this is Junior Brother Qin Sang..."

Qi Yuanshou introduced the two to each other, then said to Mu Yifeng, "Junior Brother Mu, Junior Brother Qin has also taken on this task to excavate Gan Yang Quartz. The two of you can travel together for added security."

Mu Yifeng greeted Qin Sang warmly and laughed heartily, "It couldn't be better to have Junior Brother Qin helping me! I was just worried I wouldn't be able to keep those little rascals in line! Senior Brother Qi must have told Junior Brother Qin, right? Collecting Gan Yang Quartz requires sneaking into a Cloud Beast lair, and we cannot afford the slightest carelessness. If they cause trouble and get discovered by the Cloud Beasts, not only will we fail the mission, but we might also lose our lives there."

Qin Sang responded, "I know very little about the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Please don't hesitate to enlighten me on the way, Senior Brother Mu. I will certainly follow your instructions on this trip."

At the same time, Qin Sang recalled the information Qi Yuanshou had just provided.

Gan Yang Quartz is a valuable spiritual ore containing Gan Yang energy. It is an essential material for refining spiritual artifacts infused with extreme Yang power. This type of spiritual ore is rarely seen in the Minor Cold Domain; only the Ancient Immortal Battlefield still has sporadic veins.

However, the spiritual ores in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield are all guarded by Cloud Beasts, making them not so easy to extract.

This Gan Yang Quartz vein was not only deeply buried underground but also had a massive Cloud Beast lair above it. Tens of thousands of Cloud Beasts resided within it; their numbers were vast, and their strength was formidable. Even Golden Core stage cultivators would have to steer clear, making large-scale excavation of the spiritual ore beneath the lair impossible; one could only sigh in resignation.

Unexpectedly, these Gan Yang Quartz pieces would actually 'grow' out of the ground on their own.

This situation was not uncommon in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Spiritual materials and herbs deep underground would become contaminated by Cloud Beast spirits and would slowly emerge from the ground during their transformation process.

Before the Cloud Beasts fully transformed, the spiritual materials, herbs, and Cloud Beast spirits had not yet fully merged. After capturing them, there were ways to remove the Cloud Beast spirits and restore their original appearance. As long as the damage wasn't significant, they could still be used for artifact refining and alchemy.

Later, Xuanlu Pass found a hidden path that could evade the Cloud Beasts' perception, allowing them to secretly infiltrate the mine. Every so often, Shadow Guards would be dispatched to harvest, yielding considerable gains.

The reason ten Shadow Guards were dispatched at once was because the mine not only contained Gan Yang Quartz but also potentially produced Gan Yang Crystals!

Gan Yang Crystals could be used to refine magic treasures!