After the hunt, Li Yuan did not linger in the Outer Belt longer than necessary. He erased the last traces of his presence, ensuring that should the Inner Sect Disciple have any friends, they won't be able to track him down.

  With that done, he returned to the sect, taking only a few detours here and there... picking up a spirit herb, digging up a lost Spatial ring, and saving a poor disciple about to get strangled by a Carnivorous Spirit Plant.

  Finally, he arrived into the Sect and made a beeline toward the Merit Hall. The place was as crowded and loud as ever. But the atmosphere shifted the moment he entered the Merit Hall. Eyes followed him as he went across the hall. Conversations faltered mid-sentence as more and more disciples saw him, their loud chatter now replaced by whispers.

  He did his best to ignore all that but with his superhuman senses, some of their gossip still reached him.

  They were talking about him crippling a Foundation Establishment cultivators during the tournament. Many of them had been in the stadium that day and had seen that fight themselves. While some others whispered about him hunting 2nd grade spirit beast in the second part of the tournament.

  It seemed that the tournament had launched his fame to an even greater height.

  He eventually arrived at the counter that handled Spirit Beast matters. As usual, the line here was shorter but it was still long enough to take him at least half an hour to get through. But as soon as he joined the line, something happened.

  The disciples in front of him shifted. They stepped aside one by one until the entire path had been cleared up ahead of him.

  "Senior brother." One of them clasped hands and spoke up in a flattering manner. "Your matter are undoubtedly more urgent than ours. So please go ahead and don't hold back on our account."

  He raised an eyebrow but then nodded as such behaviour did not surprise him anymore. From what he'd seen of these outer disciples, they were used to bullying the weak while fearing the strong. And now, he had become the strong.

  He stepped forward to the counter and placed a cloth with three green ears on the polished wooden surface, each still radiating faint vitality.

  "Three 2nd-Grade Evergreen Horned Stags," he said calmly.

  The disciple behind the counter, a bearded middle-aged man, froze for a fraction of a second before carefully examining them. His expression shifted from routine professionalism to visible discomfort.

  He cleared his throat. "Sen— ahem… senior Brother… the sect currently does not have an active bounty for Evergreen Horned Stags."

  Li Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. This was the first time he has been refused a bounty. "Why?" He asked. He doubted that an ordinary outer sect disciple would have the guts to scam him but it still made him wonder.

  "They rarely leave the Outer Belt of the Forbidden Forest," the clerk added quickly. "The bounties are usually for beasts that leave the Forbidden Forest and either threaten outer disciples or encroach toward the sect boundary. Evergreen Horned Stags… almost never do that. So… we don't have a bounty on them."

  By the end, the disciple's voice had gone down a few octaves and the guy was looking at him as if he would get angry and kill him then and there 'for this insult'.

  Knowing what kind of world this was, such a thing has probably happened sometime in the past, so he didn't blame the guy overly much for his visible fear.

  Behind him, the entire Merit Hall had gone silent as the disciples stood on their tip toes to stare at the 2nd Grade Beast ears he had placed on the counter.

  Li Yuan nodded. "I see." He was mildly disappointed by this but not all that much. Over the past few months of hunting, he had already accumulated an obscene amount of Merit Points. More than he would be able to reasonably spend anytime soon.

  He retrieved the ears without further complaint and left the hall under the gaze of all the disciples, who stayed silent till the moment he left the Merit Hall. And then, as if a switch had been flipped on, they all broke into excited chatters.

  He shook his head in amusement at the gossipy nature of these disciples and then walked over to the Alchemy Hall.

  The main reason he had hunted down those three Evergreen Horned Stag was to make the Ten-Thousand Vitality Reversion Pill. And to do that, he would need to learn Alchemy.

  He smelled the Alchemy Hall long before he saw it. The smell of pills and herbs wafting down the mountain. When the building emerged, he saw that it was rather heavily fortified with dark fire-resistant stone.

  Formation nodes were visible all around the building, and at a single glance, he could tell that the formation was powerful enough to hold back a Golden Core cultivator. Such excess defences gave real credence to the Alchemy Peak's reputation as the wealthiest of the Nine Peaks.

  From the back of the Alchemy hall, he could see large plumes of smoke rising high up in the sky. Likely Alchemy disciples at work making more pills.

  The inside of the building itself was warmer than the outside thanks to the heat radiating from the internal furnace rooms. The scent of herbs and medicine was even heavier inside to the point that someone with a better sense of smell might find this place nauseating.

  He approached the first purchasing counter and requested a basic Alchemy Cauldron, suitable for 1st and 2nd Tier pill refinement. The attendant also seemed to know of his fame and worked fast, quickly presenting him with a dark bronze furnace unscripted with a simple stabilising formation.

  Next came herbs. And he was not stingy this time, as he selected several foundational ingredients used in introductory pills. Spiritleaf Grass, Fireheart Petals, Grounding Root Bark, Dew Pearl Pods. Basic herbs whose price hovered between a few merit points to less than a hundred merit points.

  Alongside them, he also purchased a few expensive ones with the intention of planting them in his spirit garden.

  Finally, he purchased a beginner's pill recipe. Qi Harmonising Pellet. A low-level concoction used to stabilise meridian flow and refine control. Used by 1st stage Qi Condensation disciples when they first start to learn how to use their Qi.

  Finally, he requested a catalogue of the pills he could purchase from here. More out of curiosity than any sort of interest himself. The attendant was quick to oblige and soon handed him a thick bound volume listing pills available for direct purchase through the Alchemy Hall.

  Li Yuan sat down on a comfortable sofa and flipped through the catalogue slowly. Finding himself slightly impressed by the wide berth of pills available to the Alchemy Hall. And this was just the part of Alchemy Hall that served the Outer Sect Disciples. No wonder these people were swimming in money.

  He paid special attention to the pills that caught his eyes. Body Tempering Boosters. Meridian cleansing draughts. Poison antidotes. Rare detoxifying elixirs. And then… one of the pills made him pause.

  Foundation Establishment Pill. His eyes narrowed as he had not expected this pill to be available here at all.

  But further reading of its description revealed that this pill was only available to disciples who had already reached the Peak of Qi Condensation Realm. And it was limited to a single pill per disciple. No exceptions.

  He hummed, realising that this was likely done so that disciples won't buy valuable pills from this place and then send them back home to their family.

  Li Yuan closed the catalogue and returned it. By then, the herbs he had requested had all been brought over to the counter. And after paying for them with Sect Merit Points, he turned and left.

  By now, his Spirit Lake must've upgraded to mid-grade and if not, then it'll happen soon enough. And with that, the spiritual density within his Ancient Spatial Ring with increase tenfold. Allowing for a far greater number of Spirit Herbs to be planted there.

  Maybe he could see if the books he gained from the Fallen Prince's cave had any Time Acceleration Formation. Because once he has that in hand, his garden could very well become an immense source of fortune for him. Far more so than the Mid-Grade Spirit Lake alone would've been.

  With that thought, Li Yuan smiled and walked back to his house.

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  When he reached his house, he paused as he saw someone waiting outside in his courtyard.

  Rou Lin stood beneath the crooked tree, arms folded, foot tapping lightly against the ground in impatient. The moment she heard his footsteps, she turned sharply, her dark eyes narrowing in anger.

  "Where have you been!?" she demanded. "I've been waiting here for you since morning!"

  Li Yuan glanced at the sky where the sun was close to descent and then glanced back at her. "I don't appreciate the tone you're taking with me." He said calmly.

  Rou Lin's anger faltered at his words, and then she visibly shrank in on herself. "Sorry." She mumbled out.

  He stayed silent for a moment to watch her squirm and then nodded. "Apology accepted. As for what I was doing. I was hunting, in the Outer Belt." he replied calmly, stepping past her as though nothing were unusual. "There were a few things I needed from the Forbidden Forest before I leave the sect."

  "Outer Belt?" Rou Lin asked, her eyes widening in surprise before she caught something else in his words. "Wait! Leave the sect? What do you mean by that?"

  He paused and then ignored her in favour of opening his door. Once he had done so, he invited her in. "Let's talk inside."

  Rou Lin nodded, entering the house behind him. Once again, her gaze took in the room. The cracked walls, the plain wooden table, the old cot, the mud floor. As if still having a hard time accepting that he actually lived here.

  Once they had both been seated, he offered her a cup of tea before explaining. "My family has recently been elevated from 9th to 8th grade due to making some contribution to the empire. There will be formal celebrations and I've been asked to return to join in on those celebrations. Plus, there are some matters I need to handle personally."

  "Eighth grade huh… I suppose I should congratulate you then?" Rou Lin said, then paused looking faintly embarrassed. "I sorry. I don't have any suitable gift to offer."

  He waved his hand at her. "Don't worry about it."

  But it seemed that his words didn't assuage Rou Lin as she gained a rather thoughtful look on her face. He sipped on his tea, silently waiting for her to say whatever was on her mind. And she finally did.

  "I'm coming with you."

  He almost did a spit-take right on her face, such was the effect of her words. As it was, he simply choked on the tea he was drinking and then calmly wiped his mouth before glancing at her in bewilderment.

  "Excuse me?"

  "I'll accompany you back to your home and join in on the celebrations." She repeated, as though it were the most reasonable decision in the world.

  He stared at her for several seconds, genuinely puzzled. "Why would you want to come to a newly promoted Eighth Grade clan in the back end of nowhere? Besides, you might not know but my clan is a month's journey away from here. This means that at the very least, you would delay your cultivation by two whole months."

  She hesitated, then sighed before explaining. "I told my teacher about you."

  "Your teacher. As in, Elder Wu Yuechan?" He asked and Rou Lin nodded.

  "Umu. I told her about your formations, and how used them to defeat those three inner sect disciples so easily." She clarified.

  "And?" He asked, really not liking where this was going. Ice-jade beauty characters were always a troublesome bunch in Xianxia novels. Courting trouble left and right for the Main character to solve. He would rather not get into the sights of one such character.

  After all, from all the Xianxia novels he'd read, this elder Wu Yuechan definitely seems like the Ice Jade beauty who had admirers all over the place. Admirers who would no doubt cause trouble for him if they learn that she showed the slightest bit of interest in him.

  Worse, with how close she had been to Xu Chen, being his personal teacher and all, it was likely that a powerful cultivator from some other place would soon learn about her and want to take her for himself. Wanting to turn her into a Yin-cauldron or all that bullshit that seems to be the norm with Dual Cultivation sects.

  Worse, it was likely that she had some type of problem with her cultivation that would require the yang rod of the Main Character to solve. Namely Xu Chen who had unfortunately died at his hands.

  All in all, this Wu Yuechan seemed like the kind of person that he would really like to stay away from.

  Some would say that he was being too judgemental here. But he would rather trust in the stereotypes and be proven wrong, then turn a blind eye to what was right in front of him and then get caught off guard later on because of it.

  "And she was impressed." Rou Lin said, dashing his hopes of staying away from the Ice-Jade beauty for his own good. "Very impressed. In fact, she said that if you continue on your current path, you might one day become a 3rd-Tier Formation Master. Possibly 4th."

  'Well, this just went from bad to worse.' He thought, holding back the urge to groan as he silently looked up to check if his halo had gone pitch black already. It hadn't, thank god.

  Rou Lin hesitated after that but then continued. "My teacher said that Snow Peak does not ignore potential allies, and wanted me to build a proper relationship with you. And what better way to do that than to join you in your family celebration?"

  He hummed thoughtfully at her words. Having Rou Lin accompany him home would definitely give off a clear message to the neighbouring clans that the Li family was not isolated and had powerful connections within the Nine Peak Sect. For that reason alone, he decided not to refuse Rou Lin.

  "The wonders of diplomacy." He hummed as he finished his cup of tea and placed the cup on the table before he finally turned to face Rou Lin. "Very well. If that is your wish, then feel free to join me. But please ask your teacher not to show any more attention to me. It might bring me more trouble than I can bare."

  Rou Lin frowned at his words. "What do you mean by that? Isn't being acquainted by a Nascent Soul cultivator good for you?"

  'My grandmother. Why are you trying to get me killed?' He thought.

  "Just deliver my words to your teacher. Please?" He asked.

  After a moment of silence, Rou Lin nodded, making him sigh in relief.

  "In that case, go and prepare. Be quick." He said. "We'll submit a departure request at the Administration Hall and leave early tomorrow morning."

  She nodded once. "I'll inform my peak and gather what I need." With that said, she got up and headed out the door. It wasn't long before he saw her figure flying into the distance atop a flying sword.

  "So cool." He mumbled enviously. He wanted to reach Foundation Establishment quickly and get a flying sword. Or maybe learn Treasure Refinement and create that dream flying bike of his.

  'I'm too busy for my own good.' He thought as he activated the surveillance formation around his courtyard and retreated back into his Ancient Spatial Ring.

  He might as well plant the spirit herbs he just bought from the Alchemy Hall before they lose what little vitality they have left.

  —————

  The moment he stepped into the island within the Ancient spatial ring, he sensed it. The Heaven-Nurturing Lake Refinement Array had stopped working. And the spirit Lake had been successfully upgraded to a Mid-grade lake.

  The size of the lake itself had remained the same as before, but the blue glow emanating from within the lake had become far brighter. Even from this distance, he could feel that the Qi radiating from the lake had transformed entirely. Becoming ten times greater than before.

  Then, as he was busy sensing the changes in the lake, he sensed something else. Additional Qi fluctuations coming off from some distance away.

  He moved along the shoreline and followed the new currents outward. Near the eastern grove, a shallow basin had formed, no more than a pond—yet within it, low-grade spiritual water had begun to condense. To the south, another. And then two more scattered across the island's terrain.

  'Four newly born Low-Grade Spirit Lakes.' He thought as he studied them quietly in amazement.

  Individually, they were unimpressive. Each condensing only a few hundred spirit stones per year at best. Hardly worth his excitement. But collectively, they could be linked into the Grand Formation, and serve as an additional source of power for his Spirit Herb Garden.

  Or maybe, he could create another Grand Formation and see if he could Replicate the effects of that 4th Tier Formation back in that underground cave, and start producing Heavy Spirit Water of his own. He doubted he would be met with much success, but the idea was there and it doesn't really hurt to try.

  If he wanted to upgrade his Mid-grade Spirit Lake to a Top-grade Spirit Lake, then he would need over 3.3 million Spirit stones. He intended to do just that but it could wait for later. For now, a Mid-grade lake was enough. More than enough, really.

  Satisfied, he retrieved the herbs he had purchased from the Alchemy Hall and began working.

  Spiritleaf Grass required damp, shaded soil near flowing Qi, so he planted them near the main lake's western bank where mist gathered naturally.

  Fireheart Petals needed warmth and slightly drier terrain, so he positioned them along a sun-facing slope, at the outer edges of the area where he had placed the Micro-Desert climate formation.

  Dew Pearl Pods demanded morning condensation, so he adjusted the surrounding Qi circulation to encourage localized vapor formation.

  He worked methodically, adjusting soil density, carving shallow irrigation channels, embedding small stabilising stones where necessary. His 1st-Tier Spirit Herb Cultivation at Complete Perfection showing its true value for once.

  By the time he finished, the once-open garden had grown crowded with young shoots and carefully spaced rows.

  It frankly looked congested and he decided that he would need to expand the cultivated land as well as the Grand Formation in the near future, when he had some time to spare. For now though, he gave the garden one last assessing glance before withdrawing from the Spatial Ring.

  Back in his courtyard, he saw that the night had passed and the sun could be seen rising up in the horizon atop the distant mountain range. Making for a rather beautiful scenery.

  He packed what little he possessed and placed it all within his basic spirit ring. Scrolls, spare robes, a few mundane items, yada, yada. His truly valuable items remained stored within his Ancient Spatial ring that remained hidden beneath his robes.

  When he finished packing, the sky had turned sky blue and it was morning.

  He closed the door shut behind him and gave one last melancholic look to his house before he went to wait near the courtyard for Rou Lin.

  An hour passed, and just as he was starting to wonder whether Rou Lin was going to come at all, a shadow passed over his courtyard. He looked up, and blinked in disbelief.

  A flying ship was descending atop his courtyard. Though, unlike the giant Flying ship he had seen during the Sword Peak Tournament, this Flying ship was rather small. Like a small yacht capable of holding a dozen or less people inside it.

  Formation lights pulsed faintly along its underside as it lowered itself with effortless control till it landed in his courtyard.

  At its helm stood two woman. One of them was Rou Lin but the other was someone he didn't recognise. Though the pressure radiating from her as well as the pristine Elder Robes she was wearing told him all he needed to know about her.

  A Golden Core cultivator.

  Li Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he realised why a Golden Core elder has arrived. The main reason was likely to act as Rou Lin's guardian during this outing and to lower the amount of travel time required to go to and fro from the Redleaf Prefecture to the Sect.

  But her presence served another purpose. It also served as a display. After all, if he returned back home atop a Flying Ship while being escorted by a Golden Core expert, the standing of Li Clan would shift overnight.

  Any other clan who had harboured even a single thought about hampering Li Clan's ascension would think twice after this.

  And because of that, he would owe Snow Peak a huge favour.

  It seems like this Elder Wu Yuechan is truly cunning. Not that he would've rejected this show of goodwill even if he had been in any position to do so.

  He stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully toward the Snow Peak Elder.

  "Junior greets Senior." He said and the woman turned her gaze to regard him briefly.

  Her skin was pale and flawless, despite her likely being well over a century old. A thin veil obscured the lower half of her face, leaving only her calm, distant eyes visible. She did not look arrogant, but there was something about her… a sort of… detachment from the world.

  A true Ice-Jade beauty through and through. And he would have to be in her presence for however long it'd take for them to return back to his family. He could already feel the mental exhaustion from having to act 'properly' around her lest he gives offence. How annoying.

  The woman studied him for a moment longer before she looked away. As if merely gazing at him had been enough of a greeting. Which, to be fair, was exactly the case.

  In fact, it could be argued that she had given him a great amount of face by even looking in his direction. Such was the vast distance of power and status that lay between a Golden Core Elder and a Qi Condensation disciple.

  He boarded the ship without further comment.

  Rou Lin had taken a seat near the back of the Flying Ship, looking faintly pleased with herself for whatever reason.

  Well, on one hand, she had definitely help him by joining him on this, because without her presence, the Golden Core cultivator wouldn't be here either. But on the other hand, this could also serve as a declaration that he's being backed by the Snow Peak. Which would no doubt come with its own sets of problems.

  How troublesome.

  "Ready to go home?" Rou Lin asked calmly, regaining her Ice-Jade beauty persona in front of the elder.

  "Yeah." He said, and then suddenly paused. "Wait. I did not submit my departure notice to the Administrative Hall."

  After all, he had assumed that he and Lou Rin would go there together once she joins up with him. Who would've thought that she would arrive on a Flying Ship.

  Rou Lin blinked at his words, and then look up ahead at the elder who had begun to channel her Qi into the Ship's core formation, making the vessel gently lift from the ground. "Um… Senior Sister?"

  He raised and eyebrow at that form of address. Realising that the elder must be a personal disciple of Elder Wu Yuechan as well. Meaning that this woman likely also has a powerful Yin Physique.

  "Don't concern yourself with such trivialities." The woman replied in a calm and distant voice. The implication was clear. The Snow Peak had already handled it. Or will handle it in the future.

  Rou Lin gave him a proud look at that and he nodded as the ship being to accelerate smoothly, rising above the Outer Sect Mountain. The buildings shrank beneath them as the ship started moving faster and faster. And within moments, the Outer sect mountain had became a distant silhouette against the horizon.

  The ship then turned southward and started flying toward Redleaf Prefecture while he watched the scenery move underneath him in awe. Realising that at this pace, it'll only take them a day or two to fly back at his clan, rather than the month it would've taken them to make the journey had they travelled on foot.

  'I really need my flying bike.' He thought as he leaned back on his seat, his thoughts going back to his family that also wasn't his family. 'Time to face the music.'