Suppressing his reluctance, Leo placed the jade slips back one by one, ultimately selecting only two types of pills for the Qi Refining stage and the Foundation Establishment Pill. Everything else could wait until he successfully formed his Foundation. Once he achieved Foundation Establishment, he would have the strength to protect himself.

  Even though Mist's cultivation exceeded his, within the Palace of the Heavenly Apex, there was little he could do to Leo.

  If he failed to form his Foundation, no amount of pill recipes would be of use—they would only add to his frustration.

  When he handed the recipes to the hunched old man, a flicker of surprise crossed the old man's face, followed by an amused smile. "The Foundation Establishment Pill, eh, boy? Ambitious. Not bad, not bad."

  With eccentric Foundation Establishment seniors like this, saying too much only increased the chance of mistakes. Leo, bewildered, could only offer a few polite words in response.

  After paying the spirit stones, the old man copied the recipes onto blank jade slips and tossed them to Leo, then returned to studying those peculiar scales with renewed focus.

  Mindful of the Void Spirit Root matter, Leo visited the Scripture Depository Hall again and sifted through numerous ancient records. As Mist had said, references to the Void Spirit Root were extremely scarce, merely mentioning that those burdened with it had no affinity with the great path of immortality. Leo was naturally disappointed.

  "Regardless," he thought fiercely, "if it supposedly severs one from the path of immortality, how did I, with such poor aptitude, still manage to reach the middle stage of Qi Refining?" Having endured so many hardships to enter the immortal sect, he would not easily give up! Leo also studied various cultivation techniques, sampling those of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, and even the wind, thunder, and ice elements. But none flowed as smoothly as the Primordial Chaos Scripture he was already cultivating. It seemed he would have to stick with the Primordial Chaos Scripture.

  After leaving the Scripture Depository Hall and seeing the extensive list of spiritual herbs required for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Leo made a trip to the Palace's marketplace.

  The Palace of the Heavenly Apex was situated between the Supreme Clarity Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion, so cultivators from those two sects often came to trade for the spiritual items they desired. Consequently, the marketplace here was even larger than Moonwatch Immortal City's and offered a much greater variety of goods. However, after spending several days scouring the market, Leo managed to purchase seeds for only a portion of the required herbs. Items like Purple Ginseng and three-hundred-year-old Windblown Grass proved impossible to find. Only then did he understand the meaning behind that old man's amused smile.

  "Never mind. Finding these things requires fate as well. Forcing it won't help. It's been nearly two months since I entered the Palace, and my cultivation speed is quite slow. I should head to the Black Water Stockade Mine first."

  "What? Leo went to the Black Water Stockade Mine?" Mist's face registered surprise upon hearing Fin's report.

  "Indeed, Master. This junior has confirmed it. Over the past few days, Leo visited the Scripture Depository Hall, then went to the marketplace and bought quite a few spiritual herb seeds, an unknown number of spirit talismans, and a high-grade spirit sword. Nothing else suspicious." Fin replied cautiously.

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  "His behavior over the past month was unremarkable, but now he suddenly wants to go to the mine. That precisely indicates he has something to hide. How about you go to the Black Water Stockade Mine for me?"

  "B-but, Master Mist, the mine has terrible conditions, and there are vicious convicts everywhere, not to mention frequent demon beast attacks. This junior's death would be nothing, but delaying your important business would be an unforgivable sin."

  Fin complained bitterly in his heart even as he spoke. He had been pleased to gain Master Mist's favor, but now things had taken a turn for the worse. Leo had actually gone to the Black Water Stockade Mine. Having been in the Palace for six or seven years, Fin knew all about mining duty. He had spent a few days mining spirit stones himself and had been there during that fourth-grade demon scorpion incident. The death toll had been horrific, with blood flowing like rivers. If he hadn't been at the rear and quick to flee, he would have perished.

  "Don't worry. I'll lend you a magic artifact—the Black Flood Dragon Shears. I'll also give you some pills, so your cultivation won't suffer in the mine. As for your monthly spirit stones, you can collect them from the Chores Hall when you leave the mine."

  Mist raised his hand, and a small pair of black shears flew from his sleeve, radiating an imposing spiritual aura.

  "B-but..." Fin stammered, staring at the magic artifact.

  "Hmm? Are you unwilling to carry out my orders?" Mist's expression turned cold.

  "N-no, Master. This junior will go to the Black Water Stockade Mine." A cold sweat broke out on Fin's back. He knew that refusing now would be seen as ungrateful. He shouldn't have taken this assignment in the first place, but now that he had, quitting halfway would make him a liability. If Mist thought he might gossip about a Foundation Establishment senior scheming against a Qi Refining disciple, there was no telling what Mist might do to him later.

  Despite the pressure, Fin couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the mention of the magic artifact. Too bad it was only on loan. If he could actually own a magic artifact, he would undoubtedly be among the elite of the Palace's tens of thousands of disciples.

  The power of a magic artifact was incomparable to that of a spirit artifact. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could forge them. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't own many, as they required years of nurturing with their spiritual power—the longer the nurturing, the greater the power.

  Because nurturing a magic artifact also consumes the cultivator's own energy, not every child or direct disciple of a Foundation Establishment master could possess one.

  With the Black Flood Dragon Shears, he wouldn't have to worry about safety in the mine. Encountering a fourth-grade demon beast was highly unlikely. With this artifact, he could almost dominate any Qi Refining disciple in the Palace, let alone handle himself in the mines.

  "I'm not unreasonable. I'll give you two years. If within that time you discover anything amiss with Leo, bring him directly to me for judgment. You will be richly rewarded. If two years pass with no findings, you may leave the mine, return the Black Flood Dragon Shears, and your obligation ends."

  Mindful that he would be traveling abroad in two years and the Black Flood Dragon Shears would affect his combat strength, Mist considered for a moment before speaking.

  "Yes, Master. This junior will handle the matter well and keep Leo under close surveillance." Fin replied with utmost deference.

  The spirit crane sped through the air, its wings beating rapidly. Leo sat atop it, rarely enjoying the view as the mountain ranges unfolded beneath him. Occasionally, he spotted Palace disciples practicing spells or honing combat techniques.

  Some cultivators were casting Rain Technique to water the herbs in their gardens. Rain Technique consumed considerable spiritual power, manageable only by late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Even Leo, at his current level, couldn't manage it. Apart from that, he occasionally glimpsed young couples pairing off. The thought suddenly crossed his mind—when might he find a suitable partner? But he quickly dismissed it. Among the batch of disciples who had entered the Palace with him, his aptitude was the worst. Even Kael, whom others looked down upon, had earth-attributed spiritual root value of thirty-one points—far higher than his. The slow bird needed to fly early. He had to devote all his energy to cultivation for even a glimmer of hope of a breakthrough. There was no time for distractions.

  The spirit crane rested several times along the way. After flying continuously for a full day and night, they finally reached Black Water Stockade, several thousand miles to the north.

  At Black Water Stockade, over a hundred late-stage and Great Perfection Qi Refining disciples of the Palace were stationed. In case of emergency, they could send a signal and request reinforcements from the Palace. Foundation Establishment cultivators, flying on their swords, could arrive quickly. Leo had ridden Mist's magic gourd and knew it was far faster than a first-grade spirit crane. As for the legendary Golden Core masters, they could reach the scene in the time it takes an incense stick to burn.