Several months later, a strange stirring occurred within his elixir field. Spiritual energy surged like a gushing spring. Delight spread across Leo's face. Unexpectedly, the life-and-death struggles and constant encounters of danger during his adventure in the Moonwatch Mountain Range had accelerated his cultivation, making it slightly faster than usual. He had actually broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, several months earlier than anticipated.

  An unexpected joy. This mountain expedition had been immensely fruitful. The various spiritual items and artifacts accumulated within the boundary space alone were worth several thousand spirit stones. And he had also mastered several secret arts. He estimated other cultivators had also made considerable gains—assuming, of course, they had survived these months of adventure.

  A slight frown creased his brow. He was still short of four types of spiritual herbs required by Verdant Pill Palace, and three types required by the Palace of the Heavenly Apex. He hadn't been able to collect a complete set for either. With only a few days left until the sects began recruiting disciples, lingering in the mountains served little purpose. Other cultivators likely faced the same problem. Encountering spiritual items in the mountains was completely random; there was no guarantee of finding exactly what one needed. By now, many people in Moonwatch Immortal City were probably trading for the items they lacked. If he arrived too late, there might be nothing left.

  With this thought, Leo immediately rose and headed towards Moonwatch Immortal City. His Wind Riding Technique was far more mature than when he had first entered the mountains, and his speed was considerably faster.

  Along the way, he frequently encountered teams of cultivators returning. Most were eager to get back. However, some, having made meager gains, had set their sights on those heading to the city. After months of adventure, most loose cultivators returning now were carrying considerable wealth.

  Leo witnessed several such clashes along the route. In most cases, both sides suffered significant casualties. After all, anyone who had survived months of adventure was no pushover.

  "Hmm?" Leo detoured around a few skirmishing teams and traveled a few more miles. Up ahead, he saw several people surrounded by a larger team. The surrounded group, only four in number, were unmistakably the Sasha siblings, along with Soren and Pax. Sasha's left chest was soaked with blood, though his injuries didn't seem too severe. Their current predicament, however, looked grim.

  "What do you want? Most people are heading back to the city now. Are you sure you want a bloody fight with us right now?" Sasha's voice was deep.

  "That wasn't our original intention. But after months in these mountains, we've not only found nothing, we've consumed a lot of spirit stones. A net loss. You four have survived this long, so you must have made some gains. Share some with us, and we'd rather not play the villain." The leader of the opposing group, a middle-aged man with a large black mole on his left cheek, spoke as if negotiating. His meaning, however, was unmistakable.

  "This is outrageous! You only have a slight numbers advantage, and a few of yours are only at the early stage. You really think we're afraid of you?" Pax drew his weapon, his face flushed with anger.

  "Damn right! We've been dodging and hiding this whole time, barely scraping through, and now we have to put up with extortion from scum like you? Fight them!" Soren, having once been a great general, had retained some of his military bearing and had an exceptionally fiery temper.

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  "Well then, don't blame us." The mole-faced man's expression shifted. They couldn't handle powerful demon beasts, but they had finally found a slightly weaker team. Letting them go was just too hard to swallow.

  "Hand over your storage pouches, and we'll spare your lives!" A clear, cold voice rang out from a distance.

  The mole-faced man's face changed. He had thought Sasha's team only had these four. Now another had appeared, and with such an arrogant tone. He must have some skill. Although their team had seven people, aside from himself at the sixth layer, there were only two at the fourth and fifth layers. The remaining four were early-stage and virtually useless.

  "Brother Leo!"

  "Brother Leo, you're alive! Haha, wonderful!"

  Morana, Soren, and the others were overjoyed. They hadn't expected to encounter such a reliable and powerful ally here. In the treacherous, deceit-filled Moonwatch Mountain Range, a trustworthy teammate was paramount. And in their eyes, Leo was exactly that kind of person.

  "Brother Leo, where did you go? After we got separated, we looked for you for a while but couldn't find you. We were afraid of running into Big Forehead Freak's gang again. Wait, that's not right—how did you get Big Forehead Freak's black gourd?" Pax's initial joy was replaced by shock and disbelief.

  "Eh, Brother Leo, you've reached the sixth layer?" Sasha was also stunned. Even for an alchemist, this was an incredibly fast advancement.

  "Big Forehead Freak chased me for a while. I trapped him with my formation array and killed him. The gourd naturally came into my possession." Leo smiled calmly.

  "Brother Leo, you're amazing! It's all that bastard Kai's fault. If he hadn't fled first, with your skills, Brother Leo, our team never would have been broken apart." After their initial shock, Morana spoke indignantly.

  "Let's not dwell on that. Now, are you handing over your storage pouches, or do we have to take them by force?" Leo stepped forward.

  "Haha! Look who's talking! I despise people like you—can't kill demon beasts or find spiritual items yourselves, so you prey on other cultivators." Soren, Sasha, and the others spread out, spirit sabers in hand, cutting off the enemy's escape routes.

  "We're both mid-stage Qi Refining experts, but my team still outnumbers yours. A fight would only cripple us both. How about we call this whole thing off?" The mole-faced man's expression was grim.

  "Cripple us both? You overestimate yourself. Since you refuse my offer, you leave me no choice." Leo lightly tapped the black gourd. Its mouth opened, and dozens of Shadow Ants poured out, buzzing like a small, dark cloud. They swarmed towards the mole-faced man. These ants hadn't been raised on his own blood, so he couldn't command them as smoothly as Big Forehead Freak had. Big Forehead Freak could simultaneously control seven squads in coordinated attacks; Leo could barely manage six. But even so, they were more than enough to trouble a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

  Seeing Leo act, Sasha and the others didn't hesitate, joining the attack.

  "Damn! An insect cultivator!" The mole-faced man's face paled. Gritting his teeth, he slapped an Earth Escape Talisman onto himself and disappeared into the ground. He re-emerged dozens of meters away—and like Kai before him, abandoned his teammates and fled.

  Leo frowned. Their cultivations were similar; he wasn't much faster. Chasing him would be troublesome, so he let it go.

  Another cultivator also tried to flee with an Earth Escape Talisman, but his cultivation was too low. He hadn't gotten far before Sasha intercepted him.

  "Stop! We surrender!" One of the early-stage cultivators, nearly sliced in two by Soren, hastily threw down his spirit artifact and raised his hands, his face a mask of misery. Losing a storage pouch was better than losing their lives. The other trapped cultivators, seeing no escape, also made the wise choice.

  "Smart move!" Pax kicked one of them after they had disarmed.

  "They're not very strong, but they're carrying a decent amount. Too bad one got away. Brother Leo, you saved my life. You choose first." Soren, ever blunt, emptied the contents of the six storage pouches and presented them to Leo.

  The six pouches together were worth about two hundred spirit stones. None of the herbs caught Leo's eye. He unceremoniously took his share. After dividing the spoils, the few loose cultivators fled in panic, afraid Leo and the others might change their minds.

  "Brother Leo, it's so good you're back. I thought we'd never see you again. After we got separated, the four of us got lucky and found each other again. We looked for you for almost two weeks but found no trace. Afraid of being ambushed by another team, we moved to a different area and stayed extremely cautious. Thankfully, we avoided major trouble. But we never expected to be cornered on our way back. If you hadn't shown up when you did, Brother Leo, we'd have been in serious danger again."

  On the road back to Moonwatch Immortal City, Pax spoke with deep emotion.

  Reuniting with the four, Leo felt somewhat relieved. Alone, he couldn't handle many situations. From their conversation, he learned that after the team fractured, the four had struggled but were unwilling to return to the city empty-handed. So they had continued, cautiously moving from place to place, gathering some spiritual items and killing a few demon beasts. It wasn't until today, on their way back, that they had run into trouble. Fortunately, they encountered him, and with little effort, each had gained over forty spirit stones—their most profitable day yet.