The Black Mountain Range

"Enough..."

"This matter ends here."

"This is the Sixth Mountain Range, and it's under my jurisdiction. I don't want anyone causing chaos in my territory."

"As one of the chief disciples of the Blood Sword Sect's outer sect, I have the right to execute anyone who violates the sect's rules in this area!" The blonde girl with the animal skin mask said coldly.

Everyone present knew that there were only ten chief disciples in the outer sect, and these ten were the top talents out of a thousand disciples.

In the Blood Sword Sect's outer sect, every 100 days there was a ranking competition. The top ten disciples would have the opportunity to challenge the inner sect disciples. If they defeated an inner sect disciple, they would be promoted to the inner sect, while the defeated inner sect disciple would be demoted to an elder, far from the sect leader's seat.

If they failed the challenge, they would remain in the outer sect. Furthermore, each of the top ten outer sect disciples would assist the outer sect elders in managing a part of the Blood Sword Sect's mountain ranges.

The blonde girl with the animal skin mask left a cold and mysterious impression on Ye Qiang and all the outer sect disciples of the Blood Sword Sect. It seemed as if she had a grudge with the world, and there was no doubt she was a woman with a story.

"No... Senior Sister Jin... My intuition tells me you won't do that! I know you like my elder brother. If you kill me, my elder brother will never forgive you. And then you two will never be together. Am I right?" Li Zhi said.

"Shut up..."

"Don't ever mention him in front of me!"

"I, Jin Wenwen, never want to see him again for the rest of my life!"

"And as for you, get lost now. Leave before I change my mind," the blonde girl, Jin Wenwen, said angrily, still wearing her half-animal-skin mask.

Li Zhi shot a venomous look at Mo Xian and then glanced at Jin Wenwen. With a reluctant expression, he left with his disciples.

Before leaving, Li Zhi locked eyes with Mo Xian as if warning him with his gaze, telling him to be careful. "I'll settle this score with you later," he seemed to say.

Once Li Zhi and his followers had left, the remaining disciples of the outer sect of the Blood Sword Sect, most of whom were preparing to enter the Black Mountain Range for a mission, scattered. They had gathered to witness the drama outside Mo Xian's cave, expecting to see the young bully Li Zhi and his gang beat him up. However, with the appearance of Senior Sister Jin and her interruption, they ended up hearing her personal story instead. While they didn't see the fight they expected, the gossip was still worth it.

After Li Zhi left, the onlookers dispersed, leaving only Ye Qiang and the blonde girl, Jin Wenwen, in front of Mo Xian's cave.

Seeing Jin Wenwen standing there, seemingly lost in thought, Ye Qiang had the sudden urge to walk over and comfort her, to talk about life, dreams, and... everything.

But he didn't act on it. He understood that at this moment, what she needed was quiet. Their relationship wasn't close enough for him to make such a move, and if he did, it might only cause her to dislike him.

So, he stayed quietly by the side, watching.

At the same time, Ye Qiang felt a deep sense of self-reproach and inferiority. For a brief moment, he wondered if this was how his life would be in this world—just an ordinary person living a carefree life, perhaps finding a beautiful wife one day.

Yet, deep inside, he still longed to achieve greatness, to become powerful and carefree, doing whatever he wanted. He wanted to have beauties around him, maybe even a harem of thousands.

Looking at Jin Wenwen's trembling form, standing there silently, Ye Qiang could see her eyes welling up with tears as she gathered herself to leave.

"Senior Sister, life is full of ups and downs. You must live strong," Ye Qiang said before she left.

But Jin Wenwen didn't look back. She kept the same cold expression and turned away, walking off without a word.

What the hell... I'm Ye Qiang, a handsome guy, after all. It's just that I don't have money, and my strength is a bit lacking...

Everything fell back into silence.

Oh, right. The sheepskin scroll I have still has a ten-star mission on it. If I complete it, I'll get a mid-grade Earth-tier sword and a Spirit Crystal.

Weapons in this world are divided into four tiers:

Human-tier weapons, which are used by ordinary people in the mortal realm.Earth-tier weapons, which are used by most cultivators, as they contain spiritual energy that normal people can't use.Heaven-tier weapons, which are used by cultivators who have unlocked their divine consciousness at the Diamond Stage. These weapons are said to have world-destroying powers.God-tier weapons, which are extremely rare, appearing only in ancient times, capable of god-killing and world-creating.

A Spirit Crystal is a small, coin-sized gem that contains vast amounts of pure spiritual energy. It is said to be used as currency by higher-level cultivators.

After carefully reading the details of the ten-star mission, Ye Qiang couldn't help but feel frustrated.

The mission required him to venture into the heart of the Black Mountain Range, slay the Savage Wolf King, and obtain its Beast Heart.

The Black Mountain Range lies between the Blood Sword Sect and the Wuji Sword Sect.

Also, it's common to encounter disciples from the Wujian Sword Sect in the heart of the Black Mountain Range. The disciples from the two sects occasionally clash over their respective missions.

After some thought, Ye Qiang decided to take on the dangerous journey into the center of the Black Mountain Range. Who knows, he might even find some valuable herbs for his cultivation. If he's unlucky and encounters Wujian Sword Sect disciples, he'll get a chance to test their strength. Yeah, it's settled then.

Ye Qiang packed his things in his cave and grabbed an ordinary long sword. With that, he set off toward the Black Mountain Range, a place filled with dark green trees.

Upon entering the Black Mountain Range, Ye Qiang immediately felt like he was in a primordial forest.

The ground was covered in flowers, grass, and stones of all sizes, while small insects buzzed through the air, and birds chirped in the trees. All of this brought life to the otherwise oppressive and dark Black Mountain Range.

But this was also an extremely dangerous area, one that ordinary people would not dare approach.