"Is this for real? A mid-grade spirit stone costs a hundred thousand points? This is nothing short of robbery!" Lin Tian couldn't hold back as he opened the exchange page in the Treasure Pavilion of the Xuanwu Sect. The price of the mid-grade spirit stone left him in shock.
"Do you even know how precious a mid-grade spirit stone is?" one of the disciples in the pavilion sneered, looking at Lin Tian with clear disdain. A mere outer sect disciple daring to exchange for a mid-grade spirit stone—it was nothing but an absurd dream.
Hearing this, Lin Tian immediately fell silent. He glanced at the three remaining bottles of spirit liquid on his waist, and a thought began to form in his mind. It seemed it was time for him to accept an outing trial mission.
After heading to the Mission Hall, Lin Tian went straight to the section with outdoor tasks. However, when he saw the details of the missions, his lips involuntarily curled in frustration.
Although the Mission Hall offered many outdoor tasks, each one required at least three disciples to participate. In other words, if he wanted to accept an outdoor mission, he would have to go with other disciples. Lin Tian's goal in leaving the sect was to exchange his spirit liquid for a mid-grade spirit stone, and if he had others with him, it would undoubtedly lead to unnecessary complications.
However, since he was within the sect, benefiting from its resources, he had no choice but to follow some rules. After browsing through the available tasks, Lin Tian eventually chose one: to go to the Maple Leaf Forest near Maple Leaf City and gather a herb called the Blood Spirit Grass.
Although most of the spirit beasts in the Maple Leaf Forest were in the Qi Refining realm, the disciples of Xuanwu Sect could typically handle such threats. But that didn't mean there were no risks at all.
After Lin Tian accepted the task, the senior disciple in the Mission Hall handed him a communication token. Not long after, a disciple in white robes walked over. This disciple was his companion for the mission, Yu Qingdi.
"So it's you," Yu Qingdi said with undisguised distaste upon seeing Lin Tian.
"Why not me?" Lin Tian asked in confusion. Did he really make such a poor impression on everyone in the Xuanwu Sect?
"No matter. Let's go." Yu Qingdi frowned, clearly displeased. Though Lin Tian had won first place in the outer sect competition, everyone knew that his victory had been largely due to external factors. When he defeated the Beast Peak disciple, it was thanks to his spirit beast. When he bested the Array Peak disciple, it was due to the spirit weapon.
While these methods were considered part of his strength in Xuanwu Sect, the fact that Lin Tian's popularity had grown so rapidly was irksome to many. He had been crowned the "Beast Tamer Genius" when he first joined the sect. Now, with the title of first in the outer sect, many had begun to spread rumors.
Some disciples speculated that Lin Tian's first-place ranking was a scheme orchestrated by the Weapon Peak to boost their reputation, as his spirit weapon showed no signs of spiritual energy fluctuation. As for the matter of recognizing the weapon's master, it was entirely unfounded. No one could prove that Lin Tian had forged the weapon himself.
Moreover, Lin Tian's spirit beast was far superior to ordinary ones—its intelligence could even rival that of humans. Such a beast would never submit to someone as weak as a mere Qi Refining Sixth Stage cultivator.
These rumors had effectively tarnished Lin Tian's reputation in Xuanwu Sect. As for Lin Tian, he had been too focused on studying formations recently to even notice the gossip.
Especially now, as he rushed from the Formation Peak, he had neither the Spirit Gun nor the Seiban by his side, which only reinforced Yu Qingdi's belief in the rumors.
"Lin Tian, let's separate," Yu Qingdi said coldly as they walked out of the sect gates.
"Separate?" Lin Tian's eyes widened in surprise. Though more confused than anything, he felt a strange sense of relief. After all, the reason he was leaving the sect was to sell his spirit liquid and exchange it for mid-grade spirit stones. With Yu Qingdi choosing to part ways, this was actually the best outcome.
"Yes, I don't want to team up with someone like you," Yu Qingdi spat, his disdain evident. To him, Lin Tian was a morally corrupt disciple who relied on deception. The mere thought of spending more time with him disgusted him.
"Fine, since you don't want to team up with me, I won't force you," Lin Tian replied nonchalantly. He was not one to cling to others. With Yu Qingdi's words, he had no hesitation and turned, heading straight toward Maple Leaf City.
Watching Lin Tian's retreating figure, Yu Qingdi's eyes filled with increasing mockery. With a sneer, he spun around and made his way toward Maple Leaf Forest.
Though Maple Leaf City was only a mid-sized hub on Xuanwu Continent, its commercial industry was thriving. Merchants from both the southern and northern regions were loudly hawking their goods throughout the city.
Upon entering the city, Lin Tian went directly to the Longcheng Chamber of Commerce.
However, when he reached the entrance of the chamber, two guards blocked his way.
"What are you doing?" Lin Tian asked, perplexed.
"The distinguished guests of our chamber are shopping and do not wish to be disturbed," one of the guards said, glancing at Lin Tian with disdain.
"I just need to sell some things and will leave soon," Lin Tian explained patiently, though he was still somewhat inconvenienced by the guards' attitude.
"Not allowed." The guards remained unmoved, blocking his path.
"Alright, since you won't let me in, at least tell me who's inside," Lin Tian said, his tone resigned. He was eager to sell his spirit liquid, exchange it for mid-grade spirit stones, and quickly head to Maple Leaf Forest to complete his mission. After all, since he had separated from Yu Qingdi, if Yu Qingdi returned to Xuanwu Sect first, they would know that they had parted ways during the mission. If Yu Qingdi reported this, the elders in the Mission Hall might even punish him.
"The people inside are our Longcheng Chamber of Commerce's gold-tier members," the guard said proudly, his chest puffed out.