At first, the task of collecting Heavenly Dew seemed quite simple. Mo Tiange even wondered why they didn't just assign it to the menial disciples. But when she went to do it herself, she discovered it wasn't simple at all. Many plants and trees possessed Spiritual Qi, but true spirit herbs were rare. Moreover, only the dew condensed on spirit herbs could be called Heavenly Dew. These spirit herbs often grew on sheer cliffs and precipices, forcing her to fly up and down to collect it.
After two busy hours, she had only managed to gather a small half-bottle. Watching the sun already rising, Mo Tiange shook her head helplessly. She first delivered the jade bottle containing the Heavenly Dew to Wang Qianyi. Seeing the bottle she brought, Wang Qianyi seemed fairly satisfied. Mo Tiange breathed a sigh of relief, left the Zhengyang Hall, and returned to South Peak.
This task wasn't difficult, and the reward—over a dozen Spirit Stones a month—could be exchanged for five or six Qi Nourishing Pills. But for Mo Tiange, these pills were still a drop in the bucket. So, after consulting Xu Jingzhi, she went to the Deacon Hall again to ask if there were other tasks she could do simultaneously.
Just thinking about money now gave Mo Tiange a headache. In the past, her Second Uncle had always shouldered the burden, so she never had to worry about it. Later, after her Second Uncle was injured and she stopped taking pills, she could still barely scrape by. But now, aiming to break through to Qi Refining Level 10, money had become her biggest problem. She wasn't alone; her housemates were in a similar situation. Apart from Xu Jingzhi, who had earned quite a few Spirit Stones recently, the others had also started busying themselves with this matter. Liu Yidao, like her, left early and returned late every day. Although Jiang Shanghang had said it was best not to go out, without pills for cultivation, he couldn't afford to care about anything else. Qin Xi was doing quite well; because he knew a bit about alchemy, he was taken on by an Uncle-Master on North Peak.
Mo Tiange took on three tasks in total, so busy that she didn't even respond when Senior Sister Murong came looking for her to play.
After several months of such busyness, Mo Tiange stopped her money-making efforts because, at this time, the Yunwu Sect announced some news.
All Qi Refining disciples gathered in the square, thousands of them falling silent.
Soon, a figure walked out of the Zhenbao Hall—it was Sect Leader Fang Dingyue, followed by several Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Disciples, I have gathered you all here today to inform you of a matter. To test our disciples, the Golden Saber Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect have issued a challenge to our Yunwu Sect, and I have accepted. All disciples at Qi Refining Level 7 and above must participate. One month from now, you will enter the Mist Valley for three days. The victors will receive generous rewards. Specific details will be explained to you in detail by the managing disciples. Disciples, for the reputation of our Yunwu Sect, I hope you will give it your all."
In the square, the disciples whispered among themselves. Experienced disciples who had been through such events before shook their heads and explained to the newer disciples. On Mo Tiange's side, apart from Senior Brother Zhou, none had been in the sect for more than a year. Only a few who had heard about it spoke to them.
It turned out that near the Yunwu Sect were two other sects of similar strength: the Golden Saber Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect. The three sects stood in a tripartite balance here, sharing all resources and spiritual veins. As the three sects rose and fell, whichever one grew stronger would want a larger share of the resources. But fearing intense conflict that would leave all three weakened, they eventually devised a method to compete without losing strength. This was the origin of the Mist Valley challenge.
The so-called Mist Valley was a valley located between the mountain gates of the three sects, perpetually shrouded in mist, making it inaccessible to ordinary people. The seniors of the three sects had set up restriction arrays there, allowing their disciples to enter and fight amongst themselves. Those who lasted to the end would be the victors.
Sect Leader's voice rang out again: "Disciples, those who last until the end in this competition will each receive a top-grade spiritual artifact, two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, and a hundred Spirit Stones. Additionally, based on the number of opponents defeated, there will be additional Spirit Stone rewards. Even those who fail midway will receive Spirit Stone rewards. Alright, the managing disciples will take their assigned disciples back and explain in detail. The challenge will begin in half a month."
Mo Tiange, her mind full of questions, followed the crowd back to their residence.
Senior Brother Zhou gathered everyone in the courtyard and explained the Mist Valley matter again.
It turned out that for this competition, the seniors of the three sects would place restrictions on each disciple's identity token. Wearing the token would ensure no life-threatening danger, because once a crisis was encountered, the token would fall off. The moment the token left the body, the person would be instantly teleported out, and anyone teleported out would be considered to have failed.
The Mist Valley was vast. Upon entering, there was also the danger of encountering spirit beasts. However, this was considered an additional reward; any spirit beasts or spirit herbs obtained by the competing disciples would belong to them.
Mo Tiange carefully calculated and couldn't help but feel great interest in this Mist Valley competition. Lasting until the end meant two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills! One bottle contained ten pills. She already had one bottle, so that would be thirty Qi Gathering Pills in total—enough for her to advance to Qi Refining Level 9, and with good luck, perhaps even to Level 10, plus the Spirit Stones and other rewards. Even if she didn't last until the end, there were still Spirit Stone rewards, and there was no life danger. It was completely worth giving it a try. Right now, her eyes practically glowed at the sight of Spirit Stones and pills; she absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity.
With such generous rewards, the others naturally felt the same way.
Seeing their excitement, Senior Brother Zhou snorted, dousing their enthusiasm: "Do you junior brothers think these rewards are so easy to obtain? The teleportation array into the mist randomly sends people to a location within the valley. If you happen to be teleported right in front of some spirit beast's mouth, you'll be waiting to be teleported right back out! Furthermore, the terrain in the valley is complex and fraught with danger. You might be walking along and suddenly find yourself in the midst of enemies. So, once you enter the Mist Valley, your first priority is to find a safe place and regroup with your fellow sect members. Relying on the strength of a single person, you won't last long at all."
This dose of cold water cooled their excitement somewhat. Someone asked, "Senior Brother Zhou, you'll be going too, right?"
Senior Brother Zhou nodded: "Of course. I'm also a Qi Refining disciple, so naturally I'll be going. Everyone here is at Qi Refining Level 7 or above, so everyone must go. To be honest with you, the last competition was over a decade ago. I had already advanced to Level 10 back then, but I didn't even last a day before being surrounded and forced out. So you absolutely must not take this lightly."
They all had some understanding of Senior Brother Zhou's strength. He was usually responsible for explaining difficulties they encountered in cultivation; one could say his realm was far superior to theirs. Now, even Senior Brother Zhou said this, so everyone couldn't help but rein in their excitement and consider the opportunities and difficulties involved.
Senior Brother Zhou, however, laughed again: "You don't need to worry so much. Even if you're forced out quickly, you won't lose anything. Just do your best. Buy some talismans for protection, or form a small team with others—the teleportation array can send a maximum of five people together. It's best if you can gather all five. Alright, go and prepare on your own."
Senior Brother Zhou waved his hand and left. The others returned to their rooms, discussing among themselves. Once back in the room, Liu Yidao asked, "Junior brothers, what are your plans?"
Xu Jingzhi said, "Of course we stick together. Senior Brother Liu, the teleportation array can take up to five people at once, which is exactly the number in our house." As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Shanghang. Unexpectedly, Jiang Shanghang hadn't walked away and didn't express any objection. It seemed he also knew going alone this time wouldn't work.
Liu Yidao nodded: "That's what I was thinking too. What do you junior brothers think?"
Mo Tiange said, "I have no objections. Of course it's safer to be with you senior brothers."
Qin Xi also nodded.
Everyone looked at Jiang Shanghang. Jiang Shanghang's face remained stiff, but he finally nodded.
"Good." Liu Yidao was quite pleased; this was the first time everyone was united and working together. "Since that's the case, let's discuss how to handle this, junior brothers..."