Chapter 46: A Journey to Southern Dipper Mountain

Time passed quickly, and three years passed in the blink of an eye. Many new disciples had joined the sect, disciples whose eyes were filled with hopes and dreams.

The sect's grand competition had produced many rising stars. One dark horse after another proudly overshadowed their peers.

However, there was one disciple who had become the nightmare of countless others. He wore a straw hat and held the reins of a black ox spirit beast. He was considered the most cancerous participant in the grand competition of the sect!

If one weren't able to hold him down at the very start and finish the match in a single blow, the match would spiral into an hour long battle of attrition.

Even the spectators were haunted by nightmares in their sleep after watching his matches. They would wake up—drenched in sweat—and find their beds full of straw hats!

The opponents in battle suffered the most. Even a ninth stage Qi Refinement senior brother directly admitted defeat. The ferocity of the strawhat was very clear. But due to the prolonged duration of his battles, which led him to accumulate physical and mental exhaustion, he fell out of the top five rankings every year. A pity for many.

But still, these were just some anecdotes among the lower-level disciples. The most popular topic every year was the top one hundred rankings in the sect's competition, which ignited the hearts of countless disciples to strive for better. Every year's grand competition allowed many disciples to break through in battle.

This was also the true purpose of the Five Elements Sect. They wanted to use the inner disciples to stimulate these dark horses. As for the rewards for the top spot, it remained unknown; after all, outer disciples couldn't obtain them.

Only the continuous influx of fresh blood could ensure the sect's long term existence.

In the Yu Zhu Mountain Range, a person and an ox were flying sneakily at low altitude towards the sect's grand hall, not too fast and not too slow.

"Three thousand points, old ox!" Chen Xun licked his lips and whispered.

"Moo!"

The black ox's body stiffened. Then it started visibly trembling out of excitement. It couldn't begin to imagine the things they could exchange for with these amount of points!

But then it started feeling a little melancholic because these contribution points were earned through Chen Xun's injuries.

"What are you thinking of, Old Ox? Let's hurry and exchange the points for the recipe of the Foundation Building Pill!" Chen Xun said.

"Moo~"

The Immortal Sword soared in the sky, albeit closer to the ground. They dared not fly too high and end up colliding with some elder or powerful cultivator. Chen Xun had long since calculated the safe flying distance.

They arrived into the contribution hall, and inside was a platform that seemed almost deserted. That platform was where the recipe for the Foundation Building Pill was kept.

"Reporting to Senior Uncle, I'm here to exchange for the recipe of the Foundation Building Pill." Chen Xun bowed and handed the Eight Trigrams Token to the thin and pale-faced man on the platform, who looked like a walking skeleton with protruding bones.

He had a frosty pair of eyes and gazed deeply at Chen Xun, an eight stage Qi Refinement disciple who did indeed have three thousand contribution points.

"This pill recipe is for the Foundation Building stage cultivators. What use do you have for it? " the thin man questioned, his eyes piercing. "You cannot refine it with your cultivation base. You'd better give me a reason."

The recipe for the Foundation Building Pill was casually placed here for the Qi Refinement stage disciples to feel a glimmer of hope, but without the necessary materials, it was an impossible task.

"I use it to give myself comfort. I intend to go on a trip to the Southern Dipper Mountains," Chen Xun replied with a quivering voice, bowing lower as he spoke. The tattered straw hat on his head seemed to symbolize the unfairness of fate.

"But..." The thin man nodded and added, "Think it over carefully. The Southern Dipper Mountains journey in half a year won't be easy."

Chen Xun was surprised by the compassion of this seemingly zombie-like Senior Uncle. He replied firmly, "I will never regret it."

The thin man gave Chen Xun a deep look and handed over a pill recipe, clearing all the contribution points from the Eight Trigrams Token.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle." Chen Xun received the token with both hands and turned, leading the black ox away.

They flew on their swords and quickly returned to the Medicine Valley. The black ox even set up traps in several places in case intruders came.

"Moo~" The big black ox called out, but no one seemed to be around.

"Let's go!" Chen Xun's eyes were filled with joy as he rushed into the cave mansion and took out the Foundation Building Pill recipe.

"Heavenly Rainbow Fruit, Moon Order Fruit, Tin Staff Flower, Ice Mandarin Duck Grass, Cold Spirit Grass..." Chen Xun muttered silently, his eyes widening with every ingredient. He hadn't heard of most of these herbs.

The Foundation Building Pill required twenty-seven auxiliary herbs and three main herbs: Earth Essence Vine, Yang Ginseng Lotus, and Nanmu Leaves.

"Moo?" The big black ox also stretched its neck to take a look, but none of the herbs listed were found in their Medicine Valley.

"The Foundation Building Stage. Liquefying the dantian; birthing divine consciousness and endless wonders," Chen Xun sighed, feeling envious. He wanted to experience what divine consciousness was like. He had heard it was even more powerful than the five senses.

"Moo?"

"If we really spend a hundred years building the foundation, there won't be a place for us in the Five Elements Sect," Chen Xun said, word by word while looking at the big black ox with determination. "In half a year, we're going to the Southern Dipper Mountain secret realm!"

"Moo!"

The black ox rose up with a resounding roar, its eyes filled with determination. The entire Qian Nation's cultivation sects would send disciples there; it was a real battlefield.

"Check for information every day when we go out. We need to start preparing." They knew nothing about the Southern Dipper Mountain, not even its location.

Outside the cave mansion, the two of them gazed out slowly, their eyes revealing a hint of killing intent. It seemed they were truly going to take it seriously.

...

Half a year later, the sound of bells echoed continuously throughout the Five Elements Sect. Several figures flew on their swords from various peaks, their expressions cold, with an unstoppable momentum as they headed toward the Sect Master's peak.

The Southern Dipper Mountain secret realm, which occurred every twenty years in Qian Nation, was finally about to open.

The sect's elders and disciples were full of hope. If they could reap rich rewards, it would undoubtedly elevate the sect to a higher level. Many small sects had risen because of their participation in the Southern Dipper Mountain journey.

This year, there were a considerable number of applicants, nearly thousands of them. However, they could only be prioritized based on their rankings in the sect's grand competition, and generally, the top two thousand had a chance.

Many older cultivators appeared disheartened, as they saw little hope.

They packed their belongings and slowly descended the mountain. Outside the mountain gate, there were many markets established by the Five Elements Sect, serving as places for cultivators to trade and interact.

Many expected to perish on this journey, for them to become corpses that could only wait for the soil to gobble them up and become one with the earth, perhaps without anyone remembering their names.

There was an unwritten rule concerning the inner disciple: none of them were allowed to participate in the Southern Dipper Mountain exhibition. They would have a Foundation Building Pill delivered right to them anyway.

Inside a cave mansion in a certain Medicine Valley of the Five Elements Sect, the surrounding walls were covered with cracks, and on the ground was a pit filled with sizzling red charcoal. On top of it was a black cauldron emitting smoke and a strong medicinal aroma.

Today, the sky was clear, with no clouds in sight, distant mountains shrouded in mist, and a gentle breeze carried warmth.

Chen Xun and the big black ox walked out of the Medicine Valley with blank expressions, ready to fly on their swords towards the Sect Master's peak.