Chapter 30 This Junior Brother is Overly Cautious (Please Invest, Please Follow)

After an incense stick had burned down, Hong Yuan understood the inside story behind the soaring prices of the Qingmu Deer demon beasts. He walked out of the lavish Lida Business Firm with an expressionless face.

Hong Yuan had overlooked one thing. In a large sect like the Phoenix Creek Sect, if he, Hong Yuan, could obtain the Qinglu Taoist Temple's "Qinglu Mountain Moving Skill" from his own Senior Brother, then other disciples could naturally acquire this precious cultivation technique through different channels. The reason for this surge in Qingmu Deer prices was due to the mass purchases made by Li Jianxiang, the son of an Elder!!!

It seems I still need to head to the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven. And I will very likely encounter competitors hunting Qingmu Deer there—those geniuses who can't afford to buy Qingmu Deer demon beasts but possess the 'Qinglu Mountain Moving Skill'.

Hong Yuan had a realization and couldn't help falling into deep thought.

He didn't know how strict the Phoenix Creek Sect's control over the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven was. If it was strict, that meant those geniuses wouldn't dare to fight him to the death in violation of sect rules, and he could enter with a bit more peace of mind. If it wasn't, then he would have no choice but to give up on entering the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven. Hong Yuan's martial art was the Longevity Martial Arts; what he needed was to survive by being cautious. This path of achieving sublimation through life-and-death battles was absolutely not for him.

Hong Yuan spent nearly two days gathering information from various sources about how strict the sect's control over the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven was. Fortunately, all went smoothly. The Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven was one of the sect's public Cave Heavens, and the Phoenix Creek Sect's control over it was indeed strict enough. Disciples could engage in conflict within it, but they had to maintain a state of contention without shattering the peace. With this assurance, Hong Yuan finally decided to go to the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven.

In the courtyard, Hong Yuan was taking stock of his equipment.

Nine Sting Bee Worms... One White Bull Bow and fifty arrows... One rank-one Tang Sword... Three bags of lime powder, two bags of chili powder, two packs of laxatives... One rank-one close-fitting soft armor... Three hundred thirty-one Energy Stones...

Looking at his ample equipment, Hong Yuan still felt as if something was missing, but he couldn't quite recall what it was. It wasn't until he saw the three hundred thirty-one Energy Stones that he had an epiphany.

I haven't yet converted resources like Energy Stones into actual strength. I should consume these Energy Stones first. Going to the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven only requires a fee of fifty Energy Stones, so I need to convert at least two hundred and fifty of them into strength. Those two hundred Energy Stones from Lin Yiru... forget it. I'll use them first. What could be more important than my personal safety?

Thus, Hong Yuan suppressed his urge to depart. He spent nearly three days absorbing two hundred fifty Energy Stones, converting them into True Essence within his Sea of Qi. The purity of his Sea of Qi had now reached seventy-nine percent! His current strength was infinitely close to the mid-second-rank. If not for a stone membrane obstructing his path, Hong Yuan would definitely have pushed his strength straight to the mid-second-rank this time.

CHING!

Hong Yuan formed a sword-finger gesture, and a faint silver True Essence flowed from its tip.

However, all these preparations, back and forth, had taken him five days. Left with no other choice, Hong Yuan once again requested a week's leave from his Senior Brother, Zhu Wushang. Zhu Wushang agreed to Hong Yuan's request, but he looked at him with a somewhat bemused expression.

This Junior Brother is overly cautious! What danger could there possibly be in the sect's Cave Heaven Blessed Lands? Just go boldly and explore!

The Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven was inhabited by countless demon beasts captured from various places by the Phoenix Creek Sect. Rumor even had it that this Cave Heaven still harbored a legendary sixth-rank Desolate Beast! Its preciousness was self-evident. For an ordinary faction, the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven could be considered a legacy treasure, but in the Phoenix Creek Sect, it was merely a public Cave Heaven of considerable value.

Hong Yuan's current status was that of a Cultivation Disciple. According to his privileges, he could only operate within the Firefly Forest or Spirit Kong Lake in the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven.

The Flying Immortal Hall was the grand hall for teleportation to different Cave Heaven Blessed Lands. Here, blue-robed Cultivation Disciples bustled alongside purple-robed True Disciples.

Just as Hong Yuan was about to head to the Transmission Array for the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven, he accidentally collided with a blue-robed Cultivation Disciple named Zhang Tianyuan. Exchanging a glance, Hong Yuan sensed a familiar aura—the feeling of a rival, a competitor for the same objective!

Sure enough, when Hong Yuan lined up in the queue for the Transmission Array to the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven, Zhang Tianyuan also stepped into line, right behind him. The queue predominantly consisted of purple-robed True Disciples, making Hong Yuan and Zhang Tianyuan, both blue-robed Cultivation Disciples, seem somewhat out of place.

After a while, Zhang Tianyuan, seemingly unable to contain his curiosity, asked Hong Yuan, "Senior Brother, are you also cultivating the 'Qinglu Mountain Moving Skill' and heading to the Firefly Forest?"

Competition has indeed arrived, Hong Yuan thought. It seems that no matter which world one is in, to advance, one always has to push someone else out of their spot.

"Senior Brother, could you please leave a few Qingmu Deer for me? The other Senior Brothers have already hunted most of the herd," Zhang Tianyuan pleaded, looking quite pitiful.

"You overestimate me. I'd need *you* to leave a few Qingmu Deer for *me*," Hong Yuan said calmly.

He certainly didn't believe this person before him was so weak. How many of those who became Cultivation Disciples were easy to deal with? Especially a genius from a humble background who managed to obtain the 'Qinglu Mountain Moving Skill'!

Zhang Tianyuan's smile turned bitter upon hearing this, but under the cover of his wide robe, he tightly clutched a small storage bag. Inside it was a map—a map of the Qingmu Deer Herd's distribution within the Firefly Forest, gifted to him by his Eldest Senior Sister.

Zhang Tianyuan inwardly mused, These competitors are truly difficult to handle. The tricks I used on my Senior Brothers and Sisters in the past are completely ineffective now. However, with this Qingmu Deer distribution map, I should have an edge over this fellow!

If the Qingmu Deer Herd hadn't already been hunted to near depletion, Zhang Tianyuan wouldn't have bothered feigning pitifulness. Unfortunately, even with the map, he wasn't confident he could hunt a sufficient number of Qingmu Deer under these circumstances.

Just then, the purple-robed Senior True Disciples ahead finished teleporting. Soon, it was Hong Yuan's turn. He quickly stepped forward to the Transmission Array.

"Junior Brother, take good care of the Beast Token. If you encounter any danger, crush it, and the guiding light will take you away," an Inner Sect Deacon instructed Hong Yuan.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother," Hong Yuan nodded.

At the Inner Sect Deacon's signal, Hong Yuan, clutching the Beast Token, stepped into the Transmission Array. After a flash of white light, his figure vanished from the grand hall.

By the time Hong Yuan regained his senses, he had arrived in the Firefly Forest. Back in the Flying Immortal Hall, the sun had been high in the sky, but here in the Firefly Forest within the Ten Thousand Beast Cave Heaven, it was the time of a clear, bright Mingyue. It was as if day and night were reversed!

Night in the Firefly Forest was extremely quiet, with only the chirping of insects and the occasional calls of unseen birds breaking the silence. These faint sounds, however, stirred a chill deep within one's heart. Fortunately, though the trees were dense, moonlight still managed to filter through the thick leaves, casting patches of light on the ground. Otherwise, Hong Yuan would have been as good as blind, forced to turn back immediately after arriving.

BUZZ.

With a thought, nine Sting Bee Worms flew out one by one from Hong Yuan's Aperture, serving as his eyes and ears. Aided by these nine Sting Bee Worms, he found an abandoned cave suitable for rest.

After dealing with potential threats like poisonous snakes and centipedes, and under the guard of the nine Sting Bee Worms, Hong Yuan entered a shallow meditative state. He planned to wait until the sun was high the next day before hunting Qingmu Deer.

He was in no rush. If he returned empty-handed this time, then so be it. Trying his best was enough! As someone who could walk the path of Longevity Martial Arts, he absolutely could not risk his life for the sake of temporary prestige or ranking.