Zhen Yuyan?

Upon seeing the newcomer, Qi Yuan’s gaze sharpened slightly, his heart reaching a state of utmost vigilance, yet he spoke calmly:

“Reporting to Senior Sister Zhen, the growth of the Jade Leaf Grass hasn’t been ideal these past two days. I thought to water it a few extra times to avoid affecting the future harvest.”

“Oh, I see.”

Zhen Yuyan nodded noncommittally, a smile appearing on her face. “As expected of someone valued by the Eldest Senior Sister, so meticulous and thorough in your work.”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and gestured with the now-empty bucket in his hand, saying impassively:

“Senior Sister Zhen flatters me; I truly feel unworthy of such praise. I have already finished watering the spirit fields and was just about to return to cultivate.”

“So I’ve disturbed you, Junior Brother.”

Zhen Yuyan gave a faint smile, then her eyes grew slightly unfocused as she spoke softly and gently, “Did you hear any strange sounds just now?”

Her voice seemed to contain a kind of magical allure, fluid like water and melodious like a song, soothing to the heart. A purple light swirled within her gaze, carrying an indescribable, bewitching charm.

Qi Yuan seemed to be enchanted, standing dumbly in place as his expression gradually grew dazed and muddled. He murmured:

“What… what sound? I… I didn’t hear… any sound just now…”

“Oh, perhaps I misheard.”

Zhen Yuyan frowned slightly and waved her hand at him. “Go back and rest early. After you wake up, you will completely forget about meeting me tonight.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Qi Yuan nodded with a wooden expression, then turned and left without looking back, though his walking pace remained somewhat stiff.

Only after he had distanced himself far from the herb garden did he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief, his eyes instantly regaining their clarity without a trace of bewilderment.

Even now, his heart was still pounding fiercely, and a faint layer of cold sweat had seeped out at his temples.

“What formidable soul-captivation magic. If not for my Life-Bound Treasure protecting my soul, I would have almost fallen for her trick.”

Qi Yuan thought with lingering fear, his expression growing even more grave.

Demonic Sect!

As the Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, Qi Yuan naturally had some understanding of the many enemies the Sanctuary faced. Among them, the Nether Fiend Sect, notorious for its rampant demonic influence, was of paramount importance.

The Nether Fiend Sect led the evil factions and was renowned for its strict rules and cruel ruthlessness. Its demonic cultivators were proficient in all sorts of bizarre and sinister demonic secret arts, making them hard to guard against. Their combat power generally surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.

To obtain intelligence on the Nether Fiend Sect’s techniques, the seven great Sanctuaries had secretly lost countless undercover agents.

Thus, Qi Yuan immediately recognized the technique Zhen Yuyan had just used: it was none other than the Nether Fiend Sect’s foundational scripture, the Myriad Phantoms Art.

Within the Nether Fiend Sect, only disciples at least at the core Legacy Disciple level were qualified to study this inheritance.

Before this, Qi Yuan had never imagined that Falling Cloud Valley, which seemed mediocre on the surface, actually harbored a Nascent Soul-level Legacy Disciple from a Demonic Sect.

The situation just now had been extremely dangerous. If not for his convincing acting skills, things might have taken a dire turn.

If he had exposed his identity as a member of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary before a Demonic Sect Legacy Disciple… the consequences were unthinkable.

Although Qi Yuan was confident he could escape from her grasp, taking action would undoubtedly alert other cultivators within Falling Cloud Valley. This would mean subsequent system tasks would fail completely—something he absolutely could not accept!

“From the looks of it now, this female cultivator from the Nether Fiend Sect obviously isn’t targeting me. She has concealed her identity within Falling Cloud Valley and painstakingly secured the duty of guarding the herb garden. Her target is likely that ten-thousand-year spirit herb.”

Qi Yuan took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart. “Now that I know who is monitoring the spirit fields, as long as I remain cautious, I needn’t worry about her suddenly making a move…”

With this thought in mind, he set aside distracting thoughts and continued toward his residence.

Upon returning to his quarters, just as Qi Yuan was about to enter meditation for cultivation, the task system interface appeared before his eyes once again:

[Host has met hidden conditions; new side quest activated.]

[Within Falling Cloud Valley’s herb garden, a Phantom Star Herb on the verge of becoming a ten-thousand-year spirit herb is trapped by an array. Please locate where the Phantom Star Herb is imprisoned and break its seal within three months to rescue it.]

[This quest is a side quest and can be abandoned.]

[Quest Difficulty: Five Stars (Extremely Difficult)]

[Quest Reward: After completing this quest, you may choose one of two paths:]

[One: Ruthlessly turn against it. Crush the ten-thousand-year Phantom Star Herb into medicinal paste and consume it. The host will receive one opportunity for Spiritual Energy Infusion into the body, greatly advancing cultivation.]

[Two: Actively release it. Upon completion, gain gratitude and recognition from the ten-thousand-year Phantom Star Herb while obtaining one wisp of Heavenly Dao Aura. With this Heavenly Dao Aura, there is a chance for the host to achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Building.]

[Note: Undertaking this quest will offend Nascent Soul realm cultivator Ji Chan’er. Once discovered by her, death is certain. It is recommended that the host abandon this quest.]

Seeing this, Qi Yuan’s spirits immediately soared as understanding dawned upon him.

So it was that ten-thousand-year Phantom Star Herb that had cried for help earlier! The reason it risked contacting him was likely due to his [Spirit Affinity] talent taking effect.

He had been watering within those spirit fields every day recently. Combined with his talent for increasing favorability with non-human beings over time… it naturally led to feelings of closeness developing in the Phantom Star Herb.

As for the first path—he had absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.

The Supreme Mystery Sanctuary possessed plenty of heavenly treasures capable of greatly advancing one’s cultivation base anyway! While consuming it would indeed yield an increase in cultivation level… the consequence would be impure spiritual energy within one’s body! Unless further purification was undertaken afterward—progressing further down one’s cultivation path would become incredibly difficult later on!

Given his aptitude—using the time spent purifying spiritual energy on actual cultivation might yield even greater progress…

What truly stirred Qi Yuan’s heart was that wisp of Heavenly Dao Aura mentioned in option two!

He once heard from his master, Hengzhen Daoren, about different qualities among Nascent Souls—and remembered clearly the legends surrounding Heavenly Dao Nascent Souls!

And what the system referred to as “Heavenly Dao Foundation Building”—sharing the naming convention containing “Heavenly Dao” with Heavenly Dao Nascent Souls—clearly indicated some connection between them!

Although he had already undergone Foundation Building long ago—if relying upon one wisp of Heavenly Dao Aura could achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Building—wouldn’t there also be a possibility of relying upon the same wisp of Heavenly Dao Aura to achieve a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul later?

Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul—just hearing the name sounded incredibly high-end, domineering, and classy—perfectly suited his temperament!

With such an opportunity laid before him—how could there be a reason to abandon it?!

Although that Demonic Sect Legacy Disciple using the alias Zhen Yuyan posed a somewhat tricky problem—judging from the level of technique she displayed earlier—she was most likely at the early-stage Nascent Soul realm! With his Life-Bound Treasure protecting him plus the element of surprise—it wasn’t necessarily impossible to contend against her!

As for the system suggestion, it was even more ridiculous! From the system’s perspective, he was currently merely a Qi Refining realm rookie, after all! Against Nascent Soul realm Ji Chan’er, it was certainly ten deaths and no survival!

Thinking here—with imminent Nascent Soul formation approaching—Qi Yuan immediately resolved his determination and, without hesitation, chose to accept the quest!

But before doing so, he still needed to go complete the main quest, the Outer Sect Grand Competition, first to avoid unexpected complications arising at a critical moment…