Living in Yellow Maple Valley, I steadily cultivate immortality with a daily divination!

Chapter 7, Eleventh Level of Qi Refining!

When Lin Chuan opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, which lingered and shone with a faint reddish-gold hue in the morning light before slowly dissipating.

Within his dantian, spiritual energy flowed smoothly like a tide, becoming even more substantial and condensed than yesterday—only a thin barrier, as thin as a cicada's wing, remained between him and the eleventh level of Qi Refining!

And now, a new golden light arrives as promised:

Today's divination result: Minor good fortune.

[The divination text reads: While practicing magic on the back mountain of Xuankun Mountain, you unexpectedly discover a hundred-year-old Qingxin Grass that has been hidden very deeply.]

A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Chuan's lips.

"The bad omen has passed; another opportunity will arise."

He got up, pushed open the wooden door, and a fresh mountain breeze carrying the scent of morning dew rushed in. The rising sun was slowly rising from behind the distant mountains, gilding Xuankun Mountain with a golden edge.

……

In the afternoon, when Lin Chuan returned from the back mountain, the unique cool spiritual energy of the freshly picked century-old Qingxin Grass still lingered on his fingertip storage bag, but he overheard several fellow disciples discussing something by the mountain path.

"...Have you heard? Senior Brother Ren Qing was returning from the market yesterday when he..."

"Shh, keep your voice down! Apparently, they encountered a raider. Not only was their storage bag stolen, but they also didn't return. This morning, the senior brothers from the Enforcement Hall found them on the edge of the Taiyue Mountains... Sigh, it's a tragic sight."

"Isn't Senior Brother Ren at the twelfth level of Qi Refining? How come..."

"If the cultivators dared to make a move, they must have come prepared. They might be a group, or even more powerful..."

Lin Chuan paused almost imperceptibly.

The divination indicates that he and Ren Qing "returned severely injured".

It seems that without someone to share the pressure and attract attention yesterday, Ren Qing, all alone, bore the brunt of the tribulation cultivators' firepower, which ultimately led to his demise.

He sighed inwardly, but there was not much turmoil in his heart.

Yesterday's earnest persuasion was already the most righteous and benevolent thing I could do.

The path you choose is your own, and you must bear the consequences yourself.

This is the world of cultivation; one wrong step and you will die and your cultivation will be extinguished.

"Junior Brother Lin?"

A familiar fellow disciple noticed him, leaned over, and whispered, "Why didn't you go to the market auction yesterday? Senior Brother Ren invited you, didn't he?"

Lin Chuan remained calm and nodded, saying, "I had a feeling yesterday and was in seclusion trying to break through a bottleneck, so I didn't join in the fun."

Upon hearing this, the fellow disciple's face showed a mixture of relief and lingering fear: "Junior Brother Lin, your luck... is truly amazing! You escaped a calamity! Senior Brother Ren, he... sigh."

"It's all fate."

Lin Chuan replied indifferently, said nothing more, and walked towards his courtyard.

His fellow disciples watched him leave, shook their heads, and went on to sigh with those around them.

Back inside the courtyard, activate the formation.

Lin Chuan sat down cross-legged, but did not immediately begin cultivating.

Ren Qing's death was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples all around.

The path of cultivation is long and treacherous. Resources, opportunities, fellow cultivators, enemies... there is competition everywhere, and danger at every step.

Without sufficient strength, any unexpected event could become the end of the journey.

"Strength... is the foundation."

His gaze hardened, and he took out a Golden Source Pill and swallowed it. He closed his eyes again, focused his mind, and fully activated the Fire Separation Technique.

I must improve myself even faster!

……

Another day.

early morning.

As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the window, the dormant spiritual energy within Lin Chuan suddenly surged!

Within his dantian, the tough barrier, after days of being impacted by pills and polished by spiritual energy, finally emitted a faint cracking sound that only he could hear.

boom!

The immense spiritual energy, like a river bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed all obstacles, surging and flowing through the expanded meridians, and the speed of the body's circulation suddenly accelerated!

Qi Refining Level 11!

Lin Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and bright, and his aura noticeably increased.

His spiritual senses have also improved considerably, and his perception of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has become clearer and more acute.

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the total amount of magical power within his body increase by nearly 30% and its quality become more refined, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Finally... I'm one step closer to Foundation Establishment."

Overjoyed, he habitually looked at today's divination results.

Golden light appeared:

[Today’s hexagram: Zhongji]

[The divination indicates that you have achieved a breakthrough in cultivation. While relaxing in the Taiyue Mountains, you discover an injured Crimson Flame Fox in the Maple Forest. After capturing it, you sell it to the market.]

"Maple Forest, Crimson Flame Fox?"

Upon seeing this, Lin Chuan immediately showed a thoughtful expression.

The Crimson Flame Fox is one of the more intelligent of the first-level demonic beasts.

These creatures possess the innate ability to spew flames at considerable temperatures, making them valuable pets favored by alchemists and weapon refiners who use them to aid in fire control.

What puzzled Lin Chuan was that the Maple Forest was very close to the Yellow Maple Valley gate and was within the sect's daily patrol area, where wild monsters rarely appeared.

This injured Crimson Fox...

"It's highly likely that it's a spirit pet kept by a senior member of the sect that went missing!" Lin Chuan thought to himself.

If that's the case, if I rashly capture someone and sell them in the market, and the news gets back to the sect, and their owner finds out and starts investigating, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Those who can afford to raise Crimson Flame Foxes are most likely Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Offending a Foundation Establishment stage sect elder in order to sell a spirit beast is by no means a wise move.

The divination only says that "selling into the market" will bring profit, but it does not point out the potential risks.

This point did remind Lin Chuan.

The guidance of divination is not omniscient or omnipotent, and its judgment of "good or bad fortune" is sometimes based only on the most direct gains and losses on the surface.

"Perhaps... there is a better way to handle this."

He made up his mind, got up and went out, heading straight for the Hall of Law Enforcement.

On one side of the side hall of the Law Enforcement Hall, there is a task jade wall that displays various bounties and tasks from inside and outside the sect. Completing these tasks will reward you with spirit stones, contribution points, or pills and magical artifacts.

After arriving at the Hall of Enforcement, Lin Chuan's gaze swept over the densely packed task entries. Soon, a message caught his attention:

[Pet Search]: Ye Chongshan's spirit pet, the Crimson Flame Fox, went missing three days ago. A reward of 200 low-grade spirit stones will be given to anyone who provides concrete information and assists in its recovery. Posted by: Ye Chongshan of Danxia Peak.

"Deacon Ye...a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, a renowned alchemist within the sect!" Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of relief.

Sure enough!

Fortunately, I was careful.

Without further hesitation, he walked up to the disciple on duty, pointed to the quest, and said, "Senior brother, I'll take this quest. I have information about that Crimson Flame Fox."

The disciple glanced at him, confirmed his identity, took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words, and released it.

The talisman transformed into flames and headed straight for Danxia Peak.

Before long, a streak of crimson light landed in the plaza in front of the hall. The light faded, and a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a crimson alchemist's robe stepped out.

This man had a fair complexion and no beard, with a scorching aura from years of working with furnaces between his brows, and sharp eyes.

It was Ye Chongshan, the steward of Danxia Peak.