Not long after Xu Mingxian taught Xu Chuan the techniques to activate and deactivate the Four Symbols Heaven Force Array, he departed.
With his cultivation approaching the late stage of the eighth layer of Qi Refining, a superior-grade flying sword magical artifact, a middle-grade defensive magical artifact, and considerable array Dao accomplishments.
He was also fairly clever.
Therefore, Xu Chuan was relatively at ease with Xu Mingxian venturing out.
Of course, he would also occasionally divine Xu Mingxian's fortune and misfortune.
At night, during rest.
Bai Jing suddenly asked, "Why has Yunnu gone out again?"
Xu Chuan removed his outer robe, revealing the close-fitting inner garment, and got into bed, saying indifferently, "Having him go out to handle some matters. Don't be so easily startled."
"This concubine understands, but will still worry in her heart."
"Husband speaks truly." Bai Jing sighed deeply.
"Alright, sleep."
"Husband, don't stay up too late. Rest early."
The next day, the Xu family team entered the mountains again.
This time Xu Mingxuan and Xu Mingshu served as the lead commanders.
Their group moved swiftly through the mountain forest.
Xu Mingshu sat cross-legged on the back of the nearly ten-foot-tall red-gold pupiled white tiger, wearing a crimson gauze narrow-sleeved robe embroidered with gold thread in intertwining branch patterns. Her dark hair was bound high in a ponytail, secured only with red Wu silk that fluttered dashingly with the tiger's steps.
At her waist, a jade belt hung with a three-foot blade, its scabbard red-gold in color, the sword tassel adorned with seven-jewel bells.
Her bearing was peerless, her radiance blazing.
Compared to her, Xu Mingxuan appeared slightly more low-key, wearing green robes and a carved gold crown. Under the crown, his dark hair was secured with a mutton-fat jade hairpin from which hung inch-long apricot-yellow tassels.
At his waist he wore a black belt with a three-foot Dragon Abyss sword hanging at his side—its scabbard dark as ancient sandalwood.
Xu Mingxuan held his hands behind his back. With just a light tap of his cloud-patterned boots woven with gold thread, his entire person was like a green crane skimming waves, already three zhang away in an instant.
He had gained an air of calm detachment.
The group of eighteen people were all at minimum peak Postnatal martial artists.
Above their heads circled two azure giant eagles nearly six feet tall, with faint blue flames burning atop their heads.
One more remained at Jade Cold Pool. If Xu Chuan had urgent matters to find them, it could deliver messages.
"Zhao'er, didn't we tell you not to follow? What you should be doing now is cultivating diligently, catching up to us as quickly as possible so you can contribute better in the future."
Xu Mingshu glanced at Xu Dezhao following beside her. He was now also innate realm, so naturally couldn't be shaken off at this speed.
"Aunt, I'm already innate realm. I should have been allowed to join the herb-gathering team long ago to train alongside you all."
"Xueji, since Zhao'er has already followed, let it be."
"Fine then." Xu Mingshu sighed lightly and looked at the others, "If we encounter danger, remember to protect the Young Master."
"Yes, Miss Mingshu." The others cupped their fists in unison.
Even while conversing, they didn't stop.
Over the past two years, they had already explored quite a bit of Broken Fang Mountain Range. However, due to limited knowledge, they might have missed many rare medicinal materials or even spirit medicines, so they were re-investigating.
At the same time, over ten li away.
A similar team appeared, though with only seven people.
Six of them wore black robes with dark blue belts bound at their waists. Their auras varied in strength—the strong should be late-stage peak innate martial artists, while the weak also had early innate martial artist strength.
The remaining person wore brocade robes. His aura was completely different from theirs, lacking surging blood qi but having more of a carefree, transcendent quality.
The black-robed middle-aged man in the lead said, "Young Master Dingzhen, in such a spiritually depleted area, do we need to keep going?"
The brocade-robed youth Su Dingzhen turned to look at him, "Although spiritual qi is sparse and high-order spirit medicines indeed struggle to survive, that doesn't mean there are no low-order spirit medicines. Moreover, if no one has visited for hundreds of years, century-old spirit medicines are not uncommon. In any case, finish exploring this mountain range area first, then return. If we truly make discoveries, you all can also receive martial Dao pills as family rewards. Otherwise, just relying on current ordinary spirit medicines will make it difficult to surpass other teams."
At the mention of martial Dao pills, all six guards' eyes burst with brilliant light, especially the mid and late-stage martial artists who had received rewards several times.
These were much more effective than the so-called innate medicinal diets of ordinary grandmaster families.
Even Qi Refining families, if they didn't have a somewhat accomplished pill refiner in the clan, couldn't research such pills.
"You also don't want to be inferior to people from other teams, do you?"
The six looked at each other, then cupped their fists and bowed in unison, "We obey Young Master Dingzhen's instructions."
Su Dingzhen waved his hand, a slight smile on his lips, "Continue investigating."
"Yes!"
Su Dingzhen was a disciple of the Su family, one of Yuehu Commandery's two great Foundation Establishment families and the commandery's overlord.
Twenty-nine years old, with miscellaneous spiritual root aptitude.
He began cultivating at age six, spending several months before stepping into the immortal Dao. After over six years of cultivation, he reached the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining, then encountered the middle-stage bottleneck, spending nearly two years to break through.
After breaking through to middle stage, he felt his cultivation speed had slowed considerably.
Now four years had passed, and he had only reached the peak of the fourth layer of Qi Refining, stuck at the bottleneck for over a year already.
Although the Su family recruited pill refining wandering cultivators and also cultivated their own pill refiners, their pill Dao talent was limited, completely incomparable to the Zhou family's Zhou Sen.
For family disciples with miscellaneous spiritual root aptitude like Su Dingzhen, they received at least four or five magical power advancement pills monthly, and could even obtain spirit stones for cultivation.
But those with pseudo spiritual roots could get one pill per month at best. Spirit stones were out of the question, they almost entirely relied on themselves.
Incomparable to the Zhou family, much less the Xu family.
The Xu family had Xu Chuan. Family disciples were destined never to lack pills, and each person received medium to superior-grade pills.
Of course, they had the Innate Five Elements Creation Art. Anyone who walked the immortal Dao had true spiritual root aptitude at minimum, even Golden Core families fell far short of this.
He had actively taken on this task of going out to search for spirit medicines, hoping to find century-old spirit medicines and thereby receive family rewards.
If he could get one Breakthrough Pill, it would be enough to let him directly step into the fifth layer of Qi Refining without needing to remain stuck at the fifth layer bottleneck.
Every immortal cultivation family's resources tilted toward geniuses.
For example, those with true spiritual root aptitude.
Another type was like him, as long as they could break through faster than other peers, they could also be favored by the family.
Over an hour later, a peak Postnatal martial artist in the Xu family team suddenly discovered a deep blue small flower growing in a pile of scattered rocks not far to his left.
"Third Master, Miss Mingshu, there's a Blue Heart Flower ahead."
As he spoke, he leaped forward wanting to pick it. Xu Mingxuan, Xu Mingshu, and the others all turned to look. However, just as he approached, a black shadow shot out and suddenly struck his chest with a palm.
Pfft~
The person immediately spat blood and flew backward seven or eight meters.
"Wang Yan." A mountain patrol team member familiar with him changed expression slightly and immediately shouted.
"Go bring Wang Yan back and check his injuries. The rest, stay alert." Xu Mingxuan's face also darkened.
An innate martial artist checked him and said, "Fortunately, his heart meridians aren't damaged. Only his internal organs are somewhat injured. Come, Wang Yan, take this pill."
Wang Yan immediately swallowed it and instantly felt much better.
Seeing that the peak Postnatal martial artist had taken a pill, the black-robed man opposite immediately had his eyes move, seemingly bursting with brilliant light but seeing Xu Mingxuan and Xu Mingshu as well as the white tiger they rode, his heart was slightly shocked.
Hearing the commotion here, Su Dingzhen and the others also walked over.
Seeing the opposite side, he was slightly stunned, then said, "What happened?"
Xu Mingshu glared coldly and spoke directly, "Your person severely injured my guard without reason. How will this matter be resolved?"
The black-robed man immediately cupped his fists, "Young Master Dingzhen, this subordinate discovered that Blue Heart Flower of several dozen years first."
"You say you discovered it first, so it's yours? But why didn't I see you rush out first to pick it? Instead, when my family's guard wanted to pick it, you ambushed and injured him."
Xu Dezhao was also indignant, anger brewing in his brow.
"I'm innate realm—do I need to ambush? I was also going to pick it, but he happened to dash out. In mountain forests, one should naturally be careful, so I struck."
Hearing this, Su Dingzhen smiled faintly, "It seems to be a misunderstanding. I see your family's guard is fine. Why not let this pass?"
Xu Mingxuan didn't want to cause trouble and nodded slightly.
Su Dingzhen swept over with divine sense and discovered that Xu Mingshu's team also had six innate realm members. Among them, the woman on tiger-back and the green-robed man had surging blood qi even superior to the strongest martial artist on his side.
They should be innate perfection realm martial artists.
"Not exceeding the age of thirty, yet able to reach innate perfection, and two people appearing consecutively. And there's one more..."
His gaze fell on Xu Dezhao.
"Still youthful, under sixteen yet stepped into innate middle stage? Which family's disciple is this?"
To cultivate such people, either all three were martial Dao geniuses with transcendent talent, or the family had abundant resources for cultivation, definitely not the ordinary innate medicinal diets of common martial Dao families.
"Are you Zhou family disciples?"
Su Dingzhen thought of how the Zhou family had a pill Dao master named Zhou Sen. The clan should have abundant martial Dao pill resources to cultivate martial Dao experts.
"What's it to you?" Xu Mingshu raised an eyebrow.
"Such a response, then presumably not, after all, I've never heard of any Zhou family core members being such young innate middle-stage cultivators." Su Dingzhen pondered.
Although immortal cultivators looked down on martial Dao experts, they also had to admit that at least their combat power wasn't weak, and they could assist in hunting demon beasts.
Therefore, many Qi Refining families would also cultivate important clan members without immortal cultivation aptitude to walk the martial Dao path.
He cupped his fists, "This humble one is Su Dingzhen of Yuehu Commandery's Su family. May I ask the young lady's name?"
Xu Mingshu didn't respond.
Hearing this, Xu Mingxuan's brow furrowed, "The Su family, the Foundation Establishment family equally famous as the Zhou family?"
"Precisely."
Xu Mingxuan cupped his fists, "So it's the Su family. We've long admired your reputation. Since you discovered this Blue Heart Flower first, naturally it belongs to you. We'll look elsewhere. Farewell."
Hearing "Foundation Establishment family," both Xu Mingshu and Xu Dezhao's expressions changed.
Both knew that given their family's current situation, still building momentum, it wasn't appropriate to enter such immortal cultivation families' eyes.
Even if they didn't fear them, at this time they both endured.
Xu Mingxuan led the others to turn and head in another direction.
The previous black-robed guard looked at them, then said to Su Dingzhen, "Young Master Dingzhen, they should have quite a few pills on them."
"Just now I saw that Postnatal martial artist severely injured by me. They immediately gave him a healing pill to take, and it seemed quite high quality. In the blink of an eye, that Postnatal martial artist's injuries improved considerably."
"Oh? They're even willing to let a Postnatal martial artist take such healing pills?"
Su Dingzhen was quite surprised. If it were an innate martial artist, that would be normal. After all, those with innate true qi were already comparable to first or second layer immortal cultivators.
As for Postnatal martial artists, immortal cultivation families basically didn't value them much.
Unless their martial Dao talent was outstanding and they were peak Postnatal under twenty years old.
"However, it's also possible they value these peak Postnatal martial artists highly." Su Dingzhen proposed another possibility.
"Could they be a martial Dao family?" another black-robed guard said.
Su Dingzhen shook his head, "Have you ever seen a martial Dao family that can tame demon beasts?"
"Hiss~"
The others all gasped, their faces revealing shock.
The black-robed leader said, "Young Master Dingzhen, that white tiger truly is a demon beast? No wonder it gave me such a strong sense of oppression."
"Indeed, and it's a third layer Qi Refining demon beast."
After several years, although the red-gold pupiled white tiger's aptitude was inferior, it had finally stepped into the third layer of Qi Refining.
As for the three Azure Fire Eagle brothers, their growth speed wasn't slow. Now all were at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining, only needing a bit more accumulation to step into the fourth layer.
But presumably it would slow down afterward.
"Young Master, this subordinate has never heard of any family in Yuehu Commandery that can domesticate spirit beasts. Could they be from another commandery city?"
After pondering briefly, Su Dingzhen shook his head, "Not so."
"Perhaps they're some low-key Qi Refining family in our Yuehu Commandery, deeply hidden, which is why they came to such a spiritually sparse area to collect spirit herbs and hunt demon beasts."
"Young Master's analysis is reasonable. How could those from other commanderies come here?" After pausing, the black-robed leader showed fierce light in his eyes and continued, "Young Master, should we..."
Su Dingzhen looked at his throat-slitting gesture and pondered.
"Young Master, in all of Yuehu Commandery, aside from the Zhou family, why should our Su family put other families in our eyes? Moreover, none of them are immortal cultivators, definitely not the core disciples of the family. Even if they find out afterward, would we fear they'd come to our Su family to demand justice?"
The black-robed leader's words were well-founded.
However, Su Dingzhen still shook his head, "You all think that because you're each innate realm, you're confident you can kill them all? That red-robed woman riding the white tiger demon beast and the green-robed man are both innate perfection. That youngest one is also innate middle stage. In their entire team, not counting the white tiger, there are also six innate realm members. Even with my spell assistance, they also have the white tiger demon beast presiding. Victory or defeat is hard to predict."
"Two innate perfection cultivators? I observe those two shouldn't be past thirty, right?"
Su Dingzhen glanced contemptuously, "Otherwise, why do you think I was so polite to them?"
Martial artists had no divine sense. If they didn't fight, it was very difficult for each side to gauge the other's strength accurately.
Su Dingzhen was worthy of being a core disciple of a great clan, yet also cautious.
If they truly attacked, there were still two peak third layer Qi Refining Azure Fire Eagles waiting in the sky. Just the three demon beasts acting together could cause them severe casualties, or even all perish here.
"Let's go. We'll take another look over there."
Having said this, Su Dingzhen led the Su family guards in the opposite direction from Xu Mingxuan's group.
After the time of a cup of tea, Xu Mingxuan looked at Xu Mingshu, "Xueji, ask the Azure Fire Eagles if they followed us and which direction they went."
"Ah Da."
With a light shout from Xu Mingshu, an azure figure dove down from the sky, arriving not far from Xu Mingshu. With a flap of its wings, flying sand and rocks immediately scattered.
"Go see what those people from before are doing."
The Azure Fire Eagle Ah Da's eagle pupils turned, then nodded and immediately soared into the sky, disappearing in a flash.
"Having them here is indeed very convenient." Xu Mingxuan sighed.
"Yes. With Ah Da and Ah Er here, we could completely slaughter them all. Whether it's the Su family or other families, as long as we don't let one escape, there won't be problems." Xu Mingshu still felt unwilling.
Xu Mingxuan shook his head with a laugh and looked at Xu Dezhao, "Zhao'er, what do you think?"
"Zhao'er believes..."
After pondering for a moment, Xu Dezhao's eyes suddenly lit up as if having an epiphany.
"Grandfather said never to underestimate any immortal cultivator. Even if we can kill all of them, the Su family is a Foundation Establishment family with deep foundations. How do we know they don't have secret techniques placed on that Su Dingzhen? If we rashly killed them and then returned home like this, perhaps within half a day, Su clan immortal cultivators would come knocking. Even if we could kill him too, how would we know the next one wouldn't be the Su family's Foundation Establishment ancestor?"