Yelin made a mental note and directly invested his remaining thirty spirit stones into the space. In the blink of an eye, the spirit stones transformed into surging spiritual qi that dispersed in all directions.
The spirit herbs, which had originally stopped growing, once again began to thrive. Their tender green leaves continuously unfolded, and their stalks grew thicker and sturdier.
Gradually, the metal-attribute spirit herb, the sword grass, took on a tinge of golden radiance. Sharp blades formed along its slender leaves, making them resemble pale golden swords one after another.
The wood-attribute spirit herb, the carrot grass, looked more and more like a large radish. In fact, it was a type of radish.
The water-attribute spirit herb, the frost grass, saw its leaves turn semi-transparent as wisps of chill radiated outward.
The fire-attribute spirit herb, the sunset grass, had leaves that resembled evening clouds, emitting wave after wave of heat.
The earth-attribute spirit herb, the sweet potato vine, grew resilient and thick vines that crawled more than ten meters away...
Yet, it grew only to this point before the spiritual qi in the air was once again exhausted, declaring all thirty of Yelin's spirit stones completely wiped out.
In truth, these spirit herbs were still far from reaching a century-old quality, and if taken to the marketplace, they would likely be unsalable. After all, when refining pills, the age of the spirit herbs directly affected the success rate of the concoction; using low-age spirit herbs as substitutes to pass them off as superior ones could cause the cauldron to explode.
However, these spirit herbs were supreme treasures to Yelin.
Yelin said, "Xiaobai, Xiaoqiang, from now on you will devour a spirit herb of a different attribute every four days to strengthen yourselves. During this period, I will figure out a way to make money..."
Once Yelin became a spirit beast peak handyman disciple, Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang would be his primary reliance; Yelin never wanted to see them get hurt in battle or, even worse, be slain by others.
Although Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang both respectfully addressed him as "Master," for Yelin, without Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang, he would not be who he was today. They were his closest friends and partners.
Yelin's ambition was to cultivate them into immortal insects—spirit insects that had attained immortality, living forever and existing for all eternity together!
"Wow... Then I won't be polite!"
Just as Yelin's voice faded, Xiaoqiang devoured a stalk of sword grass at lightning speed. Immediately afterwards, his pitch-black carapace began to shimmer with a faint golden radiance, growing increasingly tough and sharp.
Xiaobai was much more refined. She opened her wide mouth, and streaks of Geng metal qi drifted out from the sword grass before finally being sucked into her mouth.
After swallowing it, her scales shone brilliantly.
This was also the fundamental reason why spirit plants and herbs in the wild were always guarded by demonic beasts. The demonic beasts would wait until the spirit plants and herbs grew to a certain age before devouring them, thereby increasing their own strength.
After Xiaobai absorbed the Geng metal qi from the sword grass, the plant rapidly withered and turned into a handful of yellow soil.
Consequently, out of the five stalks of sword grass Yelin had just cultivated, only three remained. However, Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang wouldn't need to eat sword grass again for another twenty days. What he had to do within these twenty days was find a way to make money and cultivate new sword grass.
Next, there was nothing else for them to do. Yelin let Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang enter a state of slumber once again, striving to comprehend a few more secret techniques, while he first took out the mental cultivation manual, the *Five Elements Hunyuan Scripture*. Extending his divine sense into it, Yelin read the mental incantations within the jade slip.
"At the dawn of heaven and earth, the five elements are born: the first is water, the second is fire, the third is wood, the fourth is metal, the fifth is earth..."
Yelin chanted silently to himself, swaying his head like a child in a village school. At the same time, his mana circulated through his brain, rendering his mind exceptionally agile and his memory astonishingly sharp. He very quickly memorized the mental incantations of the *Five Elements Hunyuan Scripture* completely.
Afterward, he took out the jade slip of the *Five Elements Vajra Skill* and committed its meridian circulation method to heart.
Shortly after, the two replicated jade slips shattered one after another, and the information within them could no longer be read.
This was a measure taken by the Taixuan Sect to prevent internal cultivation methods from leaking out.
Not only that, once Yelin learned the cultivation methods of the Taixuan Sect, he was not allowed to impart them privately to others; otherwise, he would violate sect rules and face severe punishment.
Yelin did not rush to practice the mental cultivation method first. Instead, he took the sharp branches and leaves of a stalk of sword grass, wrapped them entirely with his mana, and soon wisps of Geng metal qi could be seen merging into his palms. Immediately following this, Yelin's expression shifted, his body trembled slightly, and veins popped out on his forehead.
"This hurts way too much!"
The cultivation process of the *Five Elements Vajra Skill* truly lived up to its reputation, far exceeding Yelin's expectations.
He felt that wherever the Geng metal qi reached, every inch of his flesh and every inch of his skin was torn apart, only to regenerate immediately afterward. The regenerated flesh subsequently grew even tougher, and his skin took on a faint golden tinge, resembling Xiaoqiang who had devoured the sword grass.
After the Geng metal qi circulated through Yelin's entire body for a minor cycle, he was completely drenched from head to toe, leaving a puddle of water on the ground—all of it sweat wrung out by the agonizing pain.
Yelin's complexion turned slightly pale.
His brain told him he should immediately abandon this extremely painful cultivation method, but deep inside his heart, another voice told him he had to persevere!
If he wanted to attain immortality and ascend, if he wanted to become stronger, if he wanted not to be oppressed by anyone, he had to be ruthless and endure hardship!
"It's, it's just a drizzle! A, a mere sprinkle!"
Yelin clenched his teeth tightly and once more extracted a wisp of Geng metal qi from the branches and leaves of the sword grass, merging it into his palm...
"Ah..." Yelin let out a low and painful moan, yet his cultivation did not stop at all; instead, it became increasingly proficient.
By the next morning, Yelin had finished absorbing the leaves and branches of three stalks of sword grass. Now, as long as he circulated his cultivation method, a faint golden radiance would instantly appear on his skin. If he gently scraped it with a dark iron precious sword, it would only leave a shallow scratch. In the past, such a sharp dark iron precious sword could have easily sliced open the skin of a mere Qi Condensation 1st Layer cultivator.
Regarding this, Yelin was quite satisfied, believing that last night's excruciating pain had not been suffered in vain.
"This is merely a beginning. Sooner or later, I will reach the Iron Turtle realm, where water and fire cannot invade, and flying swords and spells cannot harm!"
Yelin's train of thought was very clear: his main responsibility in battle was self-preservation, while offensive combat would be left to the spirit insects.
Chapter 33: Fairy Qingyao
The *Five Elements Vajra Skill* was divided into five tiers in total.
The sign of mastering each tier was that after inhaling the five elements qi, the physical body would no longer feel any pain, but instead felt extremely comfortable, as if inhaling spiritual qi.
The body-tempering method corresponding to each tier involved using different five elements qi to temper the physical body.
As for which one to use first and which one to use later, it had no effect whatsoever.
During his cultivation, Yelin also pleasantly discovered that the spirit herbs cultivated through the Ancient Ring Space possessed an abundance of five elements qi. The five elements qi in a single leaf and branch was even more plentiful than that of an ordinary century-old spirit herb!
This would allow Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang's strength to increase rapidly, soon far surpassing demonic beasts of the same realm, and his own cultivation of the *Five Elements Vajra Skill* and the *Five Elements Hunyuan Scripture* would proceed more smoothly than ever before.
Amidst day-and-night cultivation, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a day had passed.
The day of the Spirit Beast Peak senior handyman disciple assessment had arrived.
Before dawn, Yelin flew early on his flying sword to a plaza on the mountainside of Spirit Beast Peak.
Although it was only dawn, over a hundred male and female cultivators dressed in the Daoist robes of the Taixuan Sect were already sitting cross-legged in the plaza. Yelin suspected they had come to wait since the previous night.
Most of these people were at the Qi Condensation 1st Layer, with only a few at the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer, and not a single Qi Condensation 3rd Layer cultivator was present. Those at the Qi Condensation 3rd Layer were automatically promoted to outer disciples, enjoying much better treatment than senior handymen.
Yelin casually found a corner, sat cross-legged, and began to breathe in and out, quietly waiting for the assessment to start.
As time passed, more and more people arrived at the plaza. By the time the sun rose, there were already five or six hundred handyman disciples in the plaza.
As it approached the Si hour (9:00 AM), the people in the plaza began to whisper amongst themselves.
"I wonder which steward from Spirit Beast Peak is coming to conduct the assessment this time? If it's Steward Zhu, the assessment process might be a bit easier; if it's Manager Zhang, then we're out of luck."
"Senior Brother, you are so experienced, you must have participated in the Spirit Beast Peak assessment many times, right?"
"Alas, to my shame, not just the senior handyman assessment of Spirit Beast Peak, I've tried the assessments of every peak, but unfortunately none of them worked out. It's too difficult; the overall pass rate is less than one-tenth!"
"I wonder if I'll have the honor of seeing Fairy Qingyao this time. I heard she occasionally comes over to inspect the senior handyman assessment. If I could see her just once, my cultivation career would have no regrets."
"Senior Brother, who in the sect is Fairy Qingyao? Is she very beautiful?"
"To come to Spirit Beast Peak for the assessment and not even know who Fairy Qingyao is—you're bound to make a fool of yourself. She is the peak master of Spirit Beast Peak, a terrifying Core Formation Expert!"
"As for whether she's beautiful or not, as everyone knows, using the word 'beautiful' to describe her is simply an insult. I once had the fortune of seeing the Fairy from afar; she is ten thousand times more stunning than a beauty in a painting. Even many female cultivators are infatuated with her. One can only use the phrase 'capturing the workmanship of heaven and earth' to describe her!"
"Some romantic cultivators, disregarding cultivation levels, compiled a list of fairies for our Seeking Dragon Mountains cultivation world. This list has many controversies, but almost all cultivators unanimously recognize Fairy Qingyao as number one, with not a single person able to compare to her!"
As the assessment time was approaching, Yelin also awoke from his cultivation. Hearing everyone enthusiastically discussing the beauty of that Fairy Qingyao, even he—who had always been completely indifferent to beauties—unexpectedly felt a trace of curiosity, wanting to witness what kind of person could be beautiful to such an extent.
Just at that moment, a crane cry that shook the heavens echoed from the sky.
A massive white crane with a wingspan of fully ten zhang descended from the heavens. Standing on the crane's back was a plump and voluptuous-looking matron, accompanied by four inner sect disciples exuding powerful auras.
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly, and someone bowed and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Manager Zhang."
Yelin also respectfully followed the others and saluted simultaneously.
From the previous discussions, he learned that this Manager Zhang seemed extremely strict during the assessment process, and many people were going to be in for some bad luck.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Even though the crane was a hundred meters up in the sky, the gale generated by its flapping wings made everyone's robes flutter. Manager Zhang and the four inner sect disciples flew down from the crane's back on flying swords, and with another flap of its wings, the crane soared back into the clouds and vanished without a trace.
Yelin felt a slight shock in his heart.
This crane was at least a Qi Condensation 10th-plus Layer demonic beast, not far from Foundation Establishment. As for Manager Zhang, she was undoubtedly a Foundation Establishment expert.
Among the three righteous sects, any cultivator holding the position of manager possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Manager Zhang swept her gaze over the crowd and said indifferently, "No need for formalities!"
Everyone stood up.
An inner sect male disciple beside Manager Zhang shouted, "The Si hour has arrived; those who are not present have lost their qualification for the assessment. Next, I will announce the assessment qualifications for this Spirit Beast Peak senior handyman disciple examination."
At that very moment, an aura as vast as the sea descended!
Yelin only felt the invisible Ancient Ring Space on his finger vibrate slightly, and then he completely lost the sensation of still wearing a ring. The Ancient Ring Space vanished completely in an instant, as if it had never existed between heaven and earth.
Yelin's heart tightened. Upon discovering that he could still sense Xiaoqiang and Xiaobai within the Ancient Ring Space, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
He subconsciously looked up at the sky, and everyone else did the same.
A flawless white lotus platform was seen flying out of the clouds. Standing on the lotus platform was an exquisite woman wearing an elegant court dress, with silver-white long hair fluttering in the wind and a refined, elegant temperament.
The moment Yelin saw this woman, he felt as if the entire world no longer mattered, leaving only the graceful figure of this beautiful fairy in his eyes.
He couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Indeed, as the other cultivators said, using "pretty" or "beautiful" couldn't describe even one ten-thousandth of her. Whether it was her figure, appearance, or temperament, not a single flaw could be found; one could only use "capturing the workmanship of heaven and earth" to describe it.
She swept a gentle and calm gaze across the crowd.
Whether it was Yelin's imagination or not, he felt that this beautiful fairy, who captured the workmanship of heaven and earth, finally let her gaze linger on him. However, it didn't linger for long, and soon that feeling of being watched by a powerful entity vanished completely.
Ahem!
The first to break free from her influence was Manager Zhang. She coughed dryly twice, then bowed in salute and said, "Greetings, Peak Master!"
Everyone else snapped out of it and hurriedly lowered their heads in respectful salutes, not daring to look any further.
Everyone knew that although Fairy Qingyao appeared gentle, she had numerous battle achievements and boundless magical power. The number of demonic cultivators who had died by her hands was countless, among them more than five Core Formation demonic cultivators. If not for this, how could she have managed Spirit Beast Peak for decades?
Fairy Qingyao nodded lightly, then turned into a streak of spiritual light and disappeared into the clouds. That mountain-and-sea-like powerful aura also dissipated accordingly.
Almost simultaneously, the completely vanished Ancient Ring Space reappeared on Yelin's finger, though it remained invisible.
Yelin let out a long breath of relief. Fortunately, the Ancient Ring Space had not been discovered by her.
"Are these Golden Core Experts? It feels like with just a casual thought from her, her boundless sea-like mana could crush me into a pulp of flesh and scatter my soul. Truly terrifying!"
Chapter 34: I Need to Have a Beautiful Daoist Companion in the Future
Yelin had already seen quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, but this was his first time seeing a Core Formation cultivator. Fairy Qingyao's formidable strength and peerless grace left an indelible impression on Yelin.
"To think there is such a perfect woman in this world; no wonder no one disputes her title as the number one fairy of the Seeking Dragon Mountains cultivation world."
"If... if in the future I could marry such a beautiful fairy as a Daoist partner to live out a long life together, that would be wonderful. If that's simply not possible, someone a little less striking would do too," Yelin muttered to himself inwardly.
Yelin was now approaching fourteen years of age. Ever since coming to the Taixuan Sect, his meals had been exceptionally good and rich in nutrients. Coupled with stepping into the Qi Condensation 1st Layer, in appearance he already resembled a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth; both psychologically and physically, he had entered puberty.
In the past, he hadn't considered matters like a Daoist partner or a wife, but ever since seeing Fairy Qingyao, he was certain that if he were accompanied by such a perfect fairy, he would surely feel joyful day after day.
His cultivation career had just gained one more minor goal.
His major goal was to bring Xiaobai and Xiaoqiang to eternal life, while his minor goal was to marry a Daoist partner as beautiful as Fairy Qingyao.
However, Yelin didn't lose his soul like the others upon seeing Fairy Qingyao, completely infatuated with her peerless beauty to the extent that he would willingly climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire just to be her obsequious dog.
He had merely set a simple minor goal for himself. Not long after Fairy Qingyao left, his attention shifted back to Manager Zhang, who was in charge of the assessment.
As for the other handyman disciples, especially the male ones, their faces were still flushed red, their hearts beating as if they wanted to leap out of their chests. Their expressions were incomparably excited and unable to calm down; even with Manager Zhang present, they could not suppress the agitation in their hearts.
"I, I, I actually saw the true face of Fairy Qingyao! My cultivation career has no regrets left!"
"After seeing the Fairy, looking at anything else that I once considered beautiful feels dull and loses all appeal. I must pass this assessment; living on Spirit Beast Peak will let me get closer to the Fairy!"
...
At that moment, the frost-faced middle-aged matron, Manager Zhang, let out a cold snort: "Silence!"
"Just now, I observed all of you. Those cultivators who were still unable to snap out of it ten breaths after the Peak Master left have poor concentration, frivolous minds, and are unsuited to join my Spirit Beast Peak. From this moment on, you lose the qualification to continue the assessment!"
With this, everyone's expressions changed drastically, pulling them back from their dream-like fantasies into the real world.
Some disciples, relying on the numbers on their side, rebelliously questioned in a loud voice, "Manager Zhang, you haven't even announced the start of the assessment yet, and you declare us eliminated. This is unfair!"
"I ask Manager Zhang to show mercy and grant us another chance. As everyone knows, even many Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot help themselves when facing Fairy Qingyao; we have only just stepped into the cultivation world, how could our concentration compare to yours..."
Manager Zhang snorted coldly, and instantly a majestic aura erupted, turning the expressions of all the noisy cultivators extremely unsightly.
Manager Zhang said in a deep voice, "The assessment begins at the Si hour; it was written clearly in black and white. If anyone else causes trouble, the sect rules will deal with them!"
"Announce the list of disciples who have passed the first round of the assessment."
As she spoke, the inner sect disciple beside her began to read the list.
"Those whose names are called, please step forward and prepare for the next round of assessment: Li Yue'er, Wang Guiying, Zhang Jiaohua, Yelin..."
Sure enough, female cultivators occupied the majority of the list, while the vast majority of male disciples were eliminated. Yelin's name was prominently ranked near the front, which indicated that his detachment from Fairy Qingyao's influence was considered relatively fast.
When Yelin's name was called, Manager Zhang's gaze fell upon him, and she nodded slightly toward him, indicating her approval of his performance.
If Manager Zhang knew of Yelin's bold inner thoughts—that he wanted to have a wife like Fairy Qingyao or a beauty as gorgeous as Fairy Qingyao—she probably wouldn't know whether to praise him or not.
As for how these inner sect disciples could accurately tell who was who upon a first meeting, Yelin figured they must have obtained the assessment candidates' portraits and brief profiles provided by the Handyman Hall beforehand.
And for cultivators, a photographic memory was a basic ability.
Having passed the unexpected first round of the assessment, Yelin let out a secret sigh of relief.
This Manager Zhang truly was very strict; such an unexpected event could actually become part of the assessment content. Fortunately, he, Yelin, didn't have much interest in peerless beauties to begin with.
"If Wang Changsheng were here, he'd probably be the first to be eliminated," Yelin suddenly thought.
Shortly after, the list-reading finished.
Out of the five or six hundred handyman disciples who originally participated in the assessment, after the first round of elimination, only two hundred and odd people remained. Even many female disciples had been eliminated, which showed the peerless charm of Fairy Qingyao.
"Those eliminated disciples not on the list may leave," Manager Zhang said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, hundreds of people flew away on their swords, sighing despondently. They had completely lost the excitement and joy of having just seen Fairy Qingyao.
The plaza suddenly became spacious.
Manager Zhang spoke again: "Next is the test of endurance!"
"Spirit beasts and spirit insects eat, drink, and relieve themselves. A foul stench is something every disciple of Spirit Beast Peak must face. Those cultivators who can endure the foul farting smell of the farting bugs for twenty breaths will pass this assessment!"
Upon hearing the name of the farting bugs, the expressions of the cultivators changed once again.