Since they knew each other, Meng Bai naturally had to go and help.
Meng Bai summoned his flying sword and sped through the air on it. Within five breaths, he reached Qin Pianran and grabbed her by the arm.
Qin Pianran was startled at first, but upon realizing that the person holding her was Meng Bai, she relaxed.
"Senior Brother Meng," Qin Pianran said weakly.
Meng Bai placed her behind him and said, "Talk less and recover your spiritual power as quickly as possible."
Although Meng Bai's sword flight was fast, the peak spirits were not slow either, and the normally rare peak spirits were gathering in increasing numbers.
Meng Bai immediately channeled the spiritual power within his body, transforming it into a raging inferno.
Fire-attribute spell: Dancing Fire Snakes.
When used by an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, Dancing Fire Snakes only had a range of ten meters, but in Meng Bai's hands, it spanned a hundred meters. Wherever the blazing fire passed, peak spirits plummeted.
As an immortal cultivator, Meng Bai naturally knew a few spells, but he rarely used them in daily life because they were never as useful in combat as the sword in his hand.
However, using spells was better suited for the current situation.
With a single execution of Dancing Fire Snakes, Meng Bai cleared the peak spirits within a hundred meters behind him, but the peak spirits seemed endless, and within a short moment, they gathered together once more.
Meng Bai cursed under his breath, "These damned peak spirits are truly relentless."
He finally understood why Senior Brother Liu had warned him that even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator should avoid triggering a martial hunt order from the peak spirits.
Normally, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would indeed easily perish amidst this sky-filling swarm of peaks.
However, Meng Bai possessed profound spiritual power. Whenever the swarm of spirits came close, he used Dancing Fire Snakes to beat them back. As long as he kept flying on his sword, making it out of the range of Plum Blossom Peak wouldn't be too big of an issue.
After an hour of pursuit, Meng Bai finally flew out of the territory of Plum Blossom Peak, and the peak spirits stopped chasing.
Meng Bai landed in Plum Blossom Town.
"Pianran, why did you come to this place?"
Qin Pianran replied, "Senior Brother Meng, I heard that Plum Blossom Peak is abundant in Hundred Flower Dew, so I wanted to gather some to take back."
Meng Bai frowned slightly and said, "How reckless. Coming to Plum Blossom Peak without reaching Foundation Establishment is extremely dangerous. If I hadn't happened to run into you this time, you would have perished here."
"Senior Brother is right to chide me."
After settling Qin Pianran down and contacting Qin Yu via voice transmission, Meng Bai left Plum Blossom Town ahead of time.
......
Five bottles of Hundred Flower Dew were sold to a disciple who recycled them. Due to the price difference, they ultimately fetched 225 spirit stones.
Meng Bai exchanged 100 spirit stones for 100 contribution points and successfully obtained the Profound Origin Pill.
Returning to his small cabin, Meng Bai examined it closely for a moment before swallowing the Profound Origin Pill.
As soon as the medicinal pill was ingested, its potency flowed into his limbs and hundreds of skeletons.
Meng Bai sat cross-legged to absorb the medicinal power of the Profound Origin Pill.
A day later, Meng Bai awoke from his cultivation.
Level 3 Foundation Establishment.
Crossing a minor realm by a full level overnight—the Profound Origin Pill was truly miraculous.
Meng Bai sighed in admiration, "This Profound Origin Pill is indeed as recommended; the earlier it is taken, the better. If one were already at Mid Foundation Establishment, perhaps it wouldn't allow a breakthrough."
Now that his cultivation had reached Level 3 Foundation Establishment, Meng Bai's next goal was Level 4 Foundation Establishment.
Although it was only a difference of one level, it also represented the boundary between Early Foundation Establishment and Mid Foundation Establishment.
Entering Mid Foundation Establishment from Early Foundation Establishment was a major hurdle, and a cultivator's strength would experience a substantial leap forward.
Once Meng Bai entered Mid Foundation Establishment, encountering an Early Spirit Nourishing cultivator would be much steadier.
After all, having never truly fought a cultivator in the Spirit Nourishing Realm, Meng Bai did not know whether he could currently defeat a Spirit Nourishing 1st Layer cultivator.
In the days that followed, Meng Bai holed up in his cabin to cultivate.
In the blink of an eye, three years passed. In this year, Meng Bai was 26 years old, and his cultivation was still at Level 3 Foundation Establishment.
Meng Bai estimated that it would still take him another seven years to have a chance at a breakthrough.
On this day, Qin Yu visited Meng Bai's residence.
By now, Qin Yu had reached Level 5 Foundation Establishment, only a step away from Level 6 Foundation Establishment.
"Little Yu, how is it you have time to come to my place today?"
In recent years, in order to improve her cultivation, Qin Yu had been working herself to the bone, either on her way to complete tasks or cultivating inside her own room.
"Meng Bai, I've joined the Law Enforcement Hall."
Meng Bai smiled faintly. "The Law Enforcement Hall is good. I heard that the treatment in the Law Enforcement Hall is almost three times that of ordinary outer sect disciples."
Qin Yu spoke up, "How about we gather at Drunken Immortal Restaurant tonight? Tomorrow, I'm being assigned to the branch hall in Mingyun City."
Law Enforcement Hall disciples dispatched externally spent long years away and constantly faced risks. High risk meant high reward, and with this departure, it was hard to tell when they would meet again.
Meng Bai was slightly startled, then said, "Alright!"
Qin Yu smiled lightly, "Then I'll call Pianran along as well."
Meng Bai nodded.
.......
After Qin Yu left, Meng Bai also headed out.
He went to the sect's free trading grounds, the Void Market.
Here, sect disciples could set up stalls at any time and anywhere without having to pay a stall fee.
Over the past three years, aside from cultivating and comprehending sword dao, Meng Bai had also picked up a hundred arts of immortality: talisman drawing.
Most of the talismans Meng Bai drew were sword talismans, which possessed extremely strong offensive capabilities and enjoyed a healthy market.
Naturally, they were only ordinary sword talismans without the Mountains and Seas Sword Intent fused into them, but even so, his sword talismans sold like hotcakes among low-level cultivators.
A Grade 1 superior sword talisman cost one spirit stone, while a Grade 2 inferior sword talisman cost five spirit stones.
Though the prices were low, their advantage lay in a steady, continuous stream of sales. By now, Meng Bai had saved up over 1,400 spirit stones.
At the Foundation Establishment stage, this could be considered wealthy. He was preparing these spirit stones to use later when he entered the Sword Tomb.
Moreover, while drawing talismans, Meng Bai occasionally gained minor insights into the sword dao.
Arriving at the street stalls, Meng Bai laid out fifteen Grade 1 superior sword talismans and three Grade 2 inferior sword talismans, then began to wait.
"Meng Bai, haven't seen you in seven days," the female stall owner beside him greeted him.
Meng Bai smiled slightly, "Senior Sister Zhang."
This Senior Sister Zhang was also an outer sect disciple, but she had already reached Level 9 Foundation Establishment.
Her stall sold some healing medicinal pills, and she had a good relationship with Meng Bai.
Sometimes Meng Bai would also buy some pills from Senior Sister Zhang for emergencies.
An afternoon passed, and all the sword talismans were sold out. Subtracting the cost of materials, he made a net profit of 28 spirit stones.
With the stall-selling concluded, Meng Bai packed up his stall and prepared to head to Drunken Immortal Restaurant.
Flying on his sword, it took him less than half an incense stick of time to arrive at Drunken Immortal Restaurant.
Qin Yu and Qin Pianran also arrived shortly after.
Meng Bai opened a private room.
Inside, Qin Yu kept drinking spirit wine and said, "Who knows how long it will take before I can return to the sect this time? Meng Bai, I leave Pianran in your care."
Qin Pianran protested, "Sister, I can take care of myself now. Look, I've reached Level 3 Foundation Establishment too."
Qin Pianran's talent was very high. In just three years, she had gone from Level 9 Qi Condensation to Level 3 Foundation Establishment, breaking through almost once a year.
With a slight trace of intoxication, Qin Yu said, "You, oh... I know you. You never do things reliably; you always need someone to keep an eye on you."
That night, Qin Yu talked about many things. She talked about the things from when she and Meng Bai were children, her life in the sect, the joy of cultivation breakthroughs, the friendship among fellow apprentices, the setbacks she encountered in cultivation, and so on. As she talked and talked, Qin Yu became drunk.
Meng Bai smiled and said, "Pianran, take good care of your sister."
Pianran smiled faintly, "Rest assured, Big Brother Meng."
Meng Bai watched the figure of Pianran supporting Qin Yu as they left, letting out a desolate sigh.
With this parting, who knew when they would meet again.