Maybe it was his imagination, but Wang Meng felt as though the Life Grass was begging for mercy. 'Oh well, this thing is a Grass King. It might come in handy someday.'
Wang Meng casually tossed it into his Qiankun Bag.
Zhao Lingxuan dropped the nut she was eating. '…That works too?'
She rubbed her eyes. "Little Spirit, is this for real?"
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh's eyes widened as well. This was as shocking as a Sparrow Demon suddenly transforming into a Fire Simurgh.
…Luck…
"Isn't his luck a bit too heaven-defying?" Zhao Lingxuan murmured. Even so, it shouldn't have been possible to do it that quickly.
"Wow, Brother Meng, the ground has gotten soft too! I think we can get this done in ten days!" Zhang Xiaopang swung his hoe, plunging it straight into the earth.
"What ten days? We'll get it done in three, and then you can go do your mission."
"Long live Brother Meng! I knew there was no mistake in following you!"
Zhang Xiaopang's Flattery Skill was on full display.
The two of them got to work immediately. One pulled weeds while the other tilled the soil, and they launched into a fervent battle against the Spirit Field.
The excitement was over. Zhao Lingxuan stomped her foot and pouted. "This isn't fun anymore. Little Spirit, let's go home!"
The Fire Simurgh followed behind her master. As a Spirit Beast, she couldn't figure it out either. 'Does this person have some kind of hidden talent? How did he pick me out from among so many Sparrow Demons back then?'
「Three days later.」
Wang Meng was true to his word. Zhang Xiaopang took care of the weeding while Wang Meng handled the tilling. Without the Life Grass, the other weeds put up a bit of a fight, but their resistance was negligible. After all, Zhang Xiaopang was at the Fourth Layer of Life Mark and could be quite fierce when he got worked up. With the weeds no longer holding them back, the Spiritual Soil wasn't so stubborn anymore.
Meanwhile, Qiuqiu was in charge of transport and even helped level the ground, proving to be a huge help. This reminded Wang Meng of the irresponsible Eight Discount, but Wang Meng had a gut feeling that he would run into Eight Discount again sooner or later.
Early on the morning of the fourth day, Zhang Xiaopang was already prepared. With a great effort, he pulled a Great Sword out of his Qiankun Bag. "Brother Meng, this sword is pretty good. It's for you."
Wang Meng accepted the Great Sword but didn't say anything. He figured it was something Zhang Xiaopang had traded for with those Third Generation Disciples. Even if it wasn't a good deal, there was nothing to be done about it; their situation left them with little choice.
A weapon was a must for going outside. Within the Holy Hall's territory, there was generally no danger. Whether they were demons, beasts, or Demon Cultivators, none would dare to provoke the Holy Hall. But once you left the Holy Hall's domain, all bets were off.
Wang Meng swung the Great Sword. "It's not bad, just a little light."
Zhang Xiaopang's jaw dropped. "For real? This sword is super heavy."
"Is it? I don't feel it. Maybe I got stronger from all the farm work these past two days." Wang Meng clenched his fists. He honestly didn't feel anything.
"Brother Meng, I bought two Life-Saving Talismans, a Guiding Talisman, oh, and Divine Movement Talismans. Also, bait for the Tiger Eagle, our food, and two Life-Extending Pills. I bet everything my old man gave me on this one venture. I've burned my bridges—it's do or die."
Zhang Xiaopang said pitifully. His standards were low; he just wanted to pass the test.
"Look at you, having so little ambition. We'll definitely succeed. How are things with Hu Jing? Have you seen her?"
"No. The place where Miss Hu is staying is for Elders and Advanced Disciples. We're considered miscellaneous personnel, so we can't get in."
The fatty was a little envious. Hu Jing's talent and family background meant her destiny was fundamentally different from theirs. It had been that way from the very beginning; it was just that Hu Jing's personality and their friendship had somehow made them forget that.
"Let's head out!"
Wang Meng glanced at his Spirit Field and, surprisingly, felt a bit of an attachment to it. The fatty activated a Guiding Talisman, which transformed into a ball of fiery light and floated in front of them.
Each of them used a Divine Movement Talisman. These were Low-Level Talismans made especially for cultivation newbies like them, but they were certainly practical.
The two immediately experienced the feeling of a frantic sprint. The fatty had just started to speak when he got a mouthful of wind, which scared him into quickly shutting his mouth.
The distance from Thunderlight Peak to Thunder Peak was several hundred miles. For a Cultivator at the Elder level, this was nothing, but for newbies like them, it would take several days even with the help of Divine Movement Talismans.
The scenery of the Small Thousand World held a great attraction for the two young men, and they soon cast all thoughts of danger to the back of their minds.
"Zhang Xiaopang, are we on the right path? My legs are about to break. Where is this Thunder Peak? Their names both start with 'Thunder,' for crying out loud. We've been running for three days already."
Zhang Xiaopang wiped the sweat from his forehead. This kind of long-distance trek was really not for him. "This is the way the Travel Permit is pointing. It's not wrong."
"Could that senior brother have given us the wrong Travel Permit?"
Wang Meng looked at the dense forest surrounding them, thoroughly frustrated. To save time, they had traveled day and night. Logically, they should have arrived by now.
"No way. He said this is a common mission for Bow Cultivators, but…" Zhang Xiaopang also looked around. Why did he have such an eerie feeling about this place?
"Does this look like Thunder Peak to you? The Travel Permit is still pointing us forward. Something's not right. Let's stop!"
Even if they hadn't reached Thunder Peak by now, they should at least be able to see it. Instead, it felt like they had entered some unknown, dense forest. The strange atmosphere made him a little uneasy.
As if in response to their suspicions, a low roar like rolling thunder echoed from deep within the forest, and the ground began to tremble.
The two stared at each other. The sky was gradually darkening. Before, there had at least been a path, but now there wasn't even that. If they kept following this Travel Permit, who the hell knew where they would end up?
"Zhang Xiaopang, how did you trade for all this stuff?"
Wang Meng asked. By now, the fatty also sensed something was wrong. "With the money and some nice things my old man gave me. But they said it wasn't enough and insisted on having my Spirit Stone…"
"You gave it to them?"
"Of course not, I'm not that stupid. The guy who sold me the stuff is named Zhou Qian. He's a Third Generation Disciple who specializes in peddling small props. But I really needed these things, so I asked Senior Zhao Guang to act as a witness. If we complete the mission, we'll give him the Spirit Stone. If we fail, the deal is off."
"And the Spirit Stone?"
"…It's with Zhao Guang. Fuck, don't tell me they teamed up to screw us over? Damn it! We're from the same sect, do they really have to be so vicious???"
The fatty's face was a mask of misery as he looked at Wang Meng with tear-filled eyes.
"They're not screwing us over, they're screwing you over. But that's good. Very good. This is a valuable lesson!"
"Brother Meng, from the looks of it, they want to make sure we never come back. How is that good?"
Zhang Xiaopang stared at the gloomy surroundings and felt an even deeper chill.
Wang Meng licked his lips. "Fatty, remember this. These are the rules of the Cultivation World—it's even more shameless than the outside world. A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. Besides, we're not done for yet!"
Cultivation itself is a struggle to seize Celestial Power to extend one's life and increase one's strength. Resources are limited, so competition is bound to be fierce. Saint Cultivators may not be as ruthless as Demon Cultivators, but this is no child's play.
Getting scammed only proves your own foolishness. Newcomers always have to pay a price.
For the two of them, however, this price was a bit too steep.
"Brother Meng, what do we do? Should we turn back now?" Zhang Xiaopang couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him.