Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

With Jue Ru as a means of transportation, traveling becomes much easier.

Having learned from the previous night's experience, Xu Lingguang didn't rush straight to the forest. Instead, he explored the wilderness. After discovering many medicinal herbs by the stream yesterday, he carefully observed his surroundings and found a small river connecting the wilderness and the forest.

The stream was obscured by tall weeds, and its channel was neither wide nor deep, making it appear much more fertile than the previously dry and shallow creek that looked like it might dry up at any moment.

Xu Lingguang instructed Jue Ru to walk along the river, and sure enough, they discovered many more medicinal herbs.

Xu Lingguang had never seen most of these medicinal herbs before, but fortunately, he was familiar with Yuan Jiu's notes and, after comparing their characteristics, discovered that these unfamiliar medicinal herbs had appeared in Yuan Jiu's notes.

Xu Lingguang happily picked the medicinal herbs and put them into his basket.

Unfortunately, Xu Lingguang didn't have a pill-refining furnace on hand, otherwise he could have refined many more pills for self-defense and future use. For now, he could only store the materials and refine them into medicinal liquids when needed.

They traveled and stopped like this, and several days and nights passed.

The sun rises and sets much faster here, but Xu Lingguang has gotten used to it. He doesn't dare sleep at night in this unfamiliar environment, so he simply meditates and cultivates.

The good news is that he found the cultivation here to be very effective, with a feeling of achieving twice the result with half the effort. In just a few days, he felt that the spiritual energy he could draw upon had increased significantly.

When he first met Jue Ru here, he struggled to fly, but after a few days, he could fly effortlessly.

However, there is also bad news.

Xu Lingguang had been riding Jue Ru towards the forest for several days, but no matter how hard he tried, he could never reach the forest that seemed so close.

Either you've gone the wrong way, or there's a barrier formation, which is why you can't get through.

There was only one direction in which he could see forests and mountains; all other directions were endless wilderness. He figured he was on the right track and guessed it was probably a magic array barrier. He had to find the array and meet certain conditions before he could get through.

However, he knew almost nothing about formations. Based on his limited understanding of formations, he roughly knew that he needed to find the key point of the formation to break it.

But finding the key point of the formation was a bit of a mystery.

Xu Lingguang thought for a moment and decided to use the most basic method: to explore and eliminate possibilities piece by piece.

After observing for the past few days, although this place is completely different from the Hundred Refinement Tower that Huaiqing described, it should also be located within some kind of magical artifact or formation.

Although it looks big, it should actually have boundaries.

So Xu Lingguang started using the process of elimination to solve the problem.

He walked along the obscure river, stopping and starting, picking medicinal herbs and catching spirit beasts along the way. Although he hadn't found the array's core yet, his harvest was considerable.

The two straw baskets were filled to the brim.

That noon, Xu Lingguang thought that the grass basket was already full and he needed to sort things out. He would feed the more ordinary grass to Jue Ru to make room, and keep the better quality grass for later use.

Based on the timeline here, Jue Ru has been following him for over half a month.

It behaved itself and didn't cause any trouble, and Xu Lingguang didn't treat it badly.

Not only did they treat its eye injury, but they also fed Jue Ru all the unused spiritual medicines and the endless supply of spiritual beasts.

Jue Ru visibly gained weight compared to when she first started.

Xu Lingguang squatted by the river, and Jue Ru, who had gained a lot of weight, lay opposite him.

He took a handful of herbs out of the basket, sniffed them, and tossed them to Jue Ru: "These are useless."

Jue Ru deftly used its two human-like forepaws to grab the herbs, stuff them into its mouth, chew them, and swallow them.

After repeating this process several times, Xu Lingguang painstakingly cleared half a basket of grass. Just as he was about to tell Jue Ru to get up, carry the basket on her back, and continue forward, he saw Jue Ru suddenly scramble up, tilt her head back, and let out a long howl.

The sound was very penetrating, and Xu Lingguang felt a sharp pain in his ears.

Before they could even cover their ears, the creature in front of them suddenly twisted, its bent body straightened up, and its fur turned into clothing, making it appear as if it had transformed into a living person.

The living person turned Xu Lingguang over and over, as if looking at some strange object, and then spoke in human language: "It has been many years since anyone has found me."

Xu Lingguang stared back in astonishment, mouth agape, and stammered, "You...you are Jue Ru?"

The living person glared at him, seemingly a little dissatisfied: "How do I resemble that ugly thing?"

Xu Lingguang: "..."

No, you've transformed into a living person right in front of me, and now you're asking me where I look like you?

Xu Lingguang was angry, but he dared not say it.

Being unfamiliar with the place and the people, and not yet understanding the situation, he stammered, "It doesn't seem like it. What about Jue Ru?"

The living person snorted and mercifully explained, "It's one of the tests. Once you've gained approval, the test is passed, and it naturally disappears."

After finishing speaking, he straightened his clothes, raised his chin, and said, "Only those who pass Jue Ru's test can see me. I am Bi Feng, the spirit of the artifact forged through mountains and seas. You have already passed the test to enter the tower, so come with me."

Xu Lingguang: ...?

Is this even human language? He seems unable to understand it.

What trials, what tempering through mountains and seas?

How did he end up in the Mountain and Sea Hundred Refinements instead of the Hundred Refinements Tower?

Xu Lingguang had a whole host of questions. Seeing that Bifeng was about to leave, he quickly chased after him, carrying a grass basket in one hand: "What does 'Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas' mean? I clearly went to challenge the Hundred Refinements Tower. Wasn't it said that 'Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas' has been closed for a long time?"

Pi Feng, with his head in his hands, glanced back at him and said, "You're asking me? How would I know? I didn't bring you in here. I'm just a spirit."

Xu Lingguang: "...Alright then."

He changed the subject: "Aren't I already in the Mountain and Sea Hundred Refinements? Why are you still talking about taking me into the tower?"

Bifeng looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a country bumpkin: "The Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas is not so easy to pass. This is just the wilderness outside the Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas. If you can't get past Jue Ru, you won't even be qualified to enter the tower."

He pointed ahead: "That is the true essence of the Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas."

Xu Lingguang followed his finger and saw a towering pagoda standing in front of him. Its style was similar to those he had seen before, but its imposing presence was even more magnificent. The giant pagoda, piercing the clouds, gave people a sense of looking down from a high place.

Xu Lingguang couldn't help but sigh.

Bi Feng turned his head: "Are all alchemists these days as ignorant as you?"

Xu Lingguang ignored his sarcasm and spoke the truth: "The Hundred Refinements of Mountains and Seas has not been open for many years. Others who come here should feel the same way I do."

Pi Feng was taken aback by his words, and after a moment he said, "It really is getting worse every year."

Xu Lingguang: "I know, I know, I'm the worst class you've ever taught."

"..."

Pi Feng was about to speak when his words were interrupted, and his face puffed up with anger: "Why do you talk so much!"

Xu Lingguang: "..."

He obediently made a zipping motion on his mouth, looking at Bifeng with an innocent expression.

Bifeng stomped his foot, flicked his sleeve, and pulled him into the tower.