“ yú xiōng céng ǒu rán tīng shuō le yī èr 。” mǎ tiān xióng diǎn diǎn tóu ， suí jí liǎn shàng lù chū qí guài zhī sè ：“ yè shī dì sì hū duì jí pǐn dān hěn gǎn xìng qù ， àn shuō yǐ nǐ de zī zhì ， zhǐ yào nǔ lì ， jiù suàn yǐ xià pǐn dān ， yě zú yǐ zhù jī 。”
“愚兄曾偶然听说了一二。”马天雄点点头，随即脸上露出奇怪之色：“叶师弟似乎对极品丹很感兴趣，按说以你的资质，只要努力，就算以下品丹，也足以筑基。”
"Brother, I heard about it by chance," Mast Elder Ma nodded and then a strange expression appeared on his face. "Disciple Ye seems to be quite interested in top-grade pills. According to your talent, even if you take lower-grade pills, they should suffice for foundation establishment."
“ hē hē 。” lín xuān liǎn dài xiào róng ， xīn zhōng què shì yī lǐn ， zì jǐ gāng cái yǒu xiē shī tài le ， tā lián máng bù zài yì de dào ：“ ràng shī xiōng xiào huà le ， xiǎo dì zhǐ shì hào qí ， tiān xìng duì gè zhǒng qí wén gǎn xìng qù 。”
“呵呵。”林轩脸带笑容，心中却是一凛，自己刚才有些失态了，他连忙不在意的道：“让师兄笑话了，小弟只是好奇，天性对各种奇闻感兴趣。”
"Haha." Lin Xuan smiled as he spoke, but his heart was suddenly on edge. He had acted a bit out of character just now. Quickly, he said indifferently, "I'm the one who's making fun of me, younger brother. I was merely curious and naturally interested in all sorts of anecdotes."
“ ń 。” mǎ tiān xióng dào yě méi yǒu huái yí ， lín xuān de tiān mó nǐ róng shù qí miào wú bǐ ， yǐ tā xiàn zài de xiū wèi shī zhǎn chū lái ， chú fēi shì níng dān qī de gāo shǒu ， fǒu zé shuí yě rèn bù chū tā de zhēn miàn mù ， mǎ tiān xióng jiē zhe dào ：“ yú xiōng céng ǒu rán zài yī běn gǔ jí shàng jiàn guò guān yú jí pǐn xǐ suǐ dān de jiè shào ……”
“嗯。”马天雄倒也没有怀疑，林轩的天魔拟容术奇妙无比，以他现在的修为施展出来，除非是凝丹期的高手，否则谁也认不出他的真面目，马天雄接着道：“愚兄曾偶然在一本古籍上见过关于极品洗髓丹的介绍……”
"Mm." Mast Elder Ma did not doubt him. Lin Xuan's Demonic Phantom Mimicry Technique was incredibly mysterious; with his current cultivation, unless faced by a condensation core stage expert, no one could recognize his true form. Mast Elder Ma continued, "Brother heard about the introduction to top-grade Essence Cleansing Pills in an ancient book..."
cǐ jūn bù yí yǒu tā ， fǎn zhèng zhè yě bù suàn shì shén me yǒu jià zhí de mì mì ， biàn dāng zuò shì xián liáo ， yī yī xiàng lín xuān jiǎng shù 。
此君不疑有他，反正这也不算是什么有价值的秘密，便当作是闲聊，一一像林轩讲述。
Since this person did not suspect him of anything, and considering it wasn't really valuable information, Mast Elder Ma treated it as idle chatter and told Lin Xuan everything.
yuán lái xiū zhēn jiè liú chuán de dān yào fēn jí yǒu wù 。
原来修真界流传的丹药分级有误。
In fact, there was a mistake in the grading of pills in the cultivation world. Lower-grade, middle-grade, and upper-grade were indeed classified based on impurity content, but legendary top-grade pills were not just that.
xià pǐn ， zhōng pǐn ， shàng pǐn què shí shì gēn jù zá zhì hán liàng lái huà fēn děng jí ， rán ér chuán shuō zhōng de jí pǐn dān ， què bìng fēi jǐn jǐn rú cǐ 。
下品，中品，上品确实是根据杂质含量来划分等级，然而传说中的极品丹，却并非仅仅如此。
So-called top-grade pills had extraordinary effects; apart from having an exceptionally high proportion of essence and minimal impurities, they also required a secondary refining process.
suǒ wèi de jí pǐn dān ， shí zài shì jù yǒu nì tiān de gōng xiào ， chú le lǐ miàn jīng huá hán liàng bǐ lì qí gāo ， zá zhì jí shǎo ， hái xū yào jīng guò èr cì cuì liàn 。
所谓的极品丹，实在是具有逆天的功效，除了里面精华含量比例奇高，杂质极少，还需要经过二次淬炼。
What was this secondary refining?
shén me shì èr cì cuì liàn ne ？
什么是二次淬炼呢？
It was well known that various heavenly treasures and earthly treasures could be placed in alchemy furnaces by experienced cultivators to produce finished pills.
zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī ， jiāng gè zhǒng tiān cái dì bǎo fàng zài dǐng lú lǐ ， yóu jīng yàn fēng fù de xiū zhēn zhě liàn zhì ， jiù kě yǐ dé dào chéng pǐn dān yào 。
众所周知，将各种天材地宝放在鼎炉里，由经验丰富的修真者炼制，就可以得到成品丹药。
This was the first refinement. To obtain top-grade pills, one would first prepare already refined upper-grade pills, then add several other spirit herbs, and refine them again, which is what people called refining a pill with another pill.
zhè shì yī cì cuì liàn 。
这是一次淬炼。
Because it involved two rounds of refinement, it was also known as secondary refining.
ér yào de dào jí pǐn dān ， jiù yào shǒu xiān zhǔn bèi hǎo yǐ jīng liàn zhì chéng gōng de shàng pǐn dān ， zài fǔ yǐ lìng wài jǐ zhǒng líng yào ， zài liàn yī biàn ， yě jiù shì suǒ wèi de yǐ dān liàn dān 。
而要得到极品丹，就要首先准备好已经炼制成功的上品丹，再辅以另外几种灵药，再炼一遍，也就是所谓的以丹炼丹。
Just from the process, one could imagine its difficulty. Even in famous sects with abundant resources and powerful alchemists, they couldn't produce upper-grade pills. The sect's limited inventory had been passed down through generations, supposedly "accidentally" created under extremely lucky circumstances.
yīn wèi qián hòu yī gòng liàn zhì le liǎng biàn ， suǒ yǐ yòu bèi chēng wéi èr cì cuì liàn 。
因为前后一共炼制了两遍，所以又被称为二次淬炼。
To make top-grade pills required upper-grade pills as the main ingredient. If it failed, the upper-grade pill would be wasted. Who would dare to risk it and not bleed dry?
guāng cóng guò chéng ， jiù kě yǐ xiǎng xiàng tā de nán dù ， yào zhī dào ， jiù suàn shì míng mén dà pài ， yōng yǒu fēng hòu shēn jiā ， tóng shí yòu yǒu lì hài liàn dān shī de qíng kuàng xià ， yě wú fǎ liàn zhì shàng pǐn dān ， mén pài lǐ jǐn yǒu de yì diǎn cún huò ， yě shì dài dài xiāng chuán ， jù shuō shì zài yùn qì jí hǎo de qíng kuàng xià ，“ yì wài ” liàn zhì chū lái 。
光从过程，就可以想象它的难度，要知道，就算是名门大派，拥有丰厚身家，同时又有厉害炼丹师的情况下，也无法炼制上品丹，门派里仅有的一点存货，也是代代相传，据说是在运气极好的情况下，“意外”炼制出来。
However, for Lin Xuan, this wasn't a problem. With his current cultivation, while the success rate of refining an upper-grade pill was low, he could manage with some extra time, which wasn't much of a challenge.
liàn zhì jí pǐn dān yào yǐ shàng pǐn dān wèi yuán liào ， yí dàn shī bài ， shàng pǐn dān yě jiù bào fèi le ， shuí kěn shě de ， hái bù ròu tòng dé tù xiě ？
炼制极品丹要以上品丹为原料，一旦失败，上品丹也就报废了，谁肯舍得，还不肉痛得吐血？
But what Mast Elder Ma said next truly posed a problem to him.
rán ér duì yú lín xuān lái shuō ， zhè bù suàn shén me ， yǐ tā xiàn zài de xiū wèi ， tí chún shàng pǐn dān suī rán chéng gōng lǜ hěn dī ， dàn yě miǎn qiǎng kě yǐ ， zuì duō duō hào fèi yī xiē shí jiān ， bù suàn shén me nán tí 。
然而对于林轩来说，这不算什么，以他现在的修为，提纯上品丹虽然成功率很低，但也勉强可以，最多多耗费一些时间，不算什么难题。
"What? Besides needing upper-grade pills as the main ingredient, during secondary refining, one also needs to add several types of heavenly herbs?"
kě jiē xià lái mǎ tiān xióng suǒ shuō de yán yǔ ， què ràng tā zhēn zhèng yù shàng le nán tí 。
可接下来马天雄所说的言语，却让他真正遇上了难题。
"Yes," Mast Elder Ma nodded. "According to ancient records, top-grade pills require Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Jade Grass as auxiliary ingredients."
“ shén me ， chú le xū yào shàng pǐn dān zuò wéi zhǔ liào ， èr cì cuì liàn de shí hòu ， hái yào jiā rù jǐ wèi tiān dì líng cǎo ？”
“什么，除了需要上品丹做为主料，二次淬炼的时候，还要加入几味天地灵草？”
The composition of top-grade pills was slightly different from that of lower- and upper-grade pills, which was why Lin Xuan had failed despite his attempts at refining through purification.
“ shì de 。” mǎ tiān xióng diǎn le diǎn tóu ：“ jù gǔ jí jì zǎi ， liàn zhì jí pǐn dān ， xū yào yín yuè huā ， liú yíng cǎo liǎng wèi fǔ liào 。”
“是的。”马天雄点了点头：“据古籍记载，炼制极品丹，需要银月花，流莹草两味辅料。”
Having learned about the secret of top-grade pills from Mast Elder Ma, Lin Xuan felt no relief. While it was easy to obtain an upper-grade pill, obtaining those two heavenly herbs...
jí pǐn dān de chéng fèn yǔ qián miàn jǐ gè pǐn cì de dān yào lüè yǒu bù tóng ， zhè yě shì wèi shén me lín xuān tōng guò tí chún nóng suō jīng huá de fāng fǎ yì zhí bù néng gòu chéng gōng 。
极品丹的成分与前面几个品次的丹药略有不同，这也是为什么林轩通过提纯浓缩精华的方法一直不能够成功。
Lin Xuan had read about Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Jade Grass in *A Hundred Herbs Record*. Unlike ginseng or lingzhi, these were true heavenly treasures, far rarer than a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng.
cóng mǎ tiān xióng de kǒu zhōng dé dào le guān yú jí pǐn dān de yǐn mì ， rán ér lín xuān de xīn lǐ què sī háo yě bú jiàn qīng sōng ， shàng pǐn dān hǎo bàn ， kě zhè zuò wèi fǔ zhù de liǎng wèi líng cǎo ……
从马天雄的口中得到了关于极品丹的隐秘，然而林轩的心里却丝毫也不见轻松，上品丹好办，可这做为辅助的两味灵草……
Where could he find them?
lín xuān céng cóng 《 bǎi cǎo lù 》 shàng kàn guò guān yú tā men de jiè shào ， yǔ rén shēn ， líng zhī zhè lèi yào cái bù tóng ， yín yuè huā ， liú yíng cǎo cái shì zhēn zhèng de tiān dì líng bǎo ， qí shù liàng bǐ wàn nián rén shēn hái yào xī shǎo 。
林轩曾从《百草录》上看过关于它们的介绍，与人参，灵芝这类药材不同，银月花，流莹草才是真正的天地灵宝，其数量比万年人参还要稀少。
"In fact, there are places where these heavenly herbs grow."
zhè ràng zì jǐ dào nǎ ér qù zhǎo ？
这让自己到哪儿去找？
"Brother knows?" Lin Xuan was both surprised and delighted. He never expected Mast Elder Ma's thick build to conceal such extensive knowledge; he seemed like a jack-of-all-trades.
“ qí shí zhè tiān dì líng cǎo yě bìng fēi méi yǒu chǎn dì 。”
“其实这天地灵草也并非没有产地。”
"They grow in Stream Leap Gorge."
“ shī xiōng zhī dào ？” lín xuān yòu jīng yòu xǐ ， méi xiǎng dào mǎ tiān xióng zhǎng dé wǔ dà sān cū ， zhī shí què rú cǐ fēng fù ， jiǎn zhí kě yǐ chēng zhī wèi wàn shì tōng 。
“师兄知道？”林轩又惊又喜，没想到马天雄长得五大三粗，知识却如此丰富，简直可以称之为万事通。
"Stream Leap Gorge!" Hearing this, Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but felt bitter inside. The reason was simple: Stream Leap Gorge was notorious for being a place where evil beasts thrived and was extremely dangerous.
“ zài xī yuè jiàn jiù shēng zhǎng dé yǒu 。”
“在溪跃涧就生长得有。”
If it were just a den of beasts, Lin Xuan might not have hesitated to enter, as the saying went, "Man for money, bird for food." To obtain heavenly herbs, taking some risks was normal. Moreover, although there were many beasts in Stream Leap Gorge, most were only level one and could be handled with his current cultivation.
“ xī yuè jiàn a ！” lín xuān tīng le ， liǎn shàng bù dòng shēng sè ， biǎo qíng què yǒu xiē fā kǔ ， yuán yīn wú tā ， zhè xī yuè jiàn kě shì è míng zhāo zhù de yāo shòu shēng zhǎng zhī dì ， wēi xiǎn wú bǐ 。
“溪跃涧啊！”林轩听了，脸上不动声色，表情却有些发苦，原因无他，这溪跃涧可是恶名昭著的妖兽生长之地，危险无比。
However, things had changed now. Stream Leap Gorge was located north of Yanzhou Region, just a dozen miles from Flame Spirit Sect. It fell within their territory, and the two cultivation alliances were currently engaged in a消耗战. Lin Xuan found himself on the opposing side. Going to Stream Leap Gorge for herbs would be like walking into a trap, becoming prey?
jiǎ rú jǐn jǐn shì yāo shòu cháo xué de huà ， lín xuān wèi bì hái bù gǎn yī chuǎng ， sú huà shuō dé hǎo ， rén wéi cái sǐ ， niǎo wèi shí wáng ， xiǎng yào huò dé tiān dì líng cǎo ， mào yī xiē fēng xiǎn yě shí shǔ zhèng cháng ， hé kuàng nà ér de yāo shòu suī duō ， dàn dà duō què jǐn shì yī jí ， yǐ zì jǐ xiàn zài de xiū wèi ， miǎn qiǎng yě néng gòu yìng fù 。
假如仅仅是妖兽巢穴的话，林轩未必还不敢一闯，俗话说得好，人为财死，鸟为食亡，想要获得天地灵草，冒一些风险也实属正常，何况那儿的妖兽虽多，但大多却仅是一级，以自己现在的修为，勉强也能够应付。
Staying in his sect might have been comfortable, but with how things stood, he was unlikely to succeed in foundation establishment.
kě mù qián qíng kuàng què yǒu xiē bù tóng ， zhè xī yuè jiàn dì chǔ yǎn zhōu yǐ běi ， jù lí huǒ líng mén bù guò shù shí lǐ ， suàn shì tā men de shì lì fàn wéi ， ér xiàn zài liǎng gè xiū zhēn lián méng zhèng jìn xíng xiāo hào zhàn ， zì jǐ zhèng chǔ yú yǔ tā men dí duì de zhèn yíng ， qù xī yuè jiàn cǎi yào bú shì zì tóu luó wǎng ， chéng wéi bèi liè shā de duì xiàng ？
可目前情况却有些不同，这溪跃涧地处兖州以北，距离火灵门不过数十里，算是他们的势力范围，而现在两个修真联盟正进行消耗战，自己正处于与他们敌对的阵营，去溪跃涧采药不是自投罗网，成为被猎杀的对象？
Lin Xuan was caught between two choices. Originally, he had one way out: using Demonic Phantom Mimicry Technique, he could take off the clothes from Drifting Cloud Valley and disguise himself as a wandering cultivator to sneak away. Although this conflict in Yanzhou Region had affected even independent cultivators, causing many casualties among those without sects or affiliations, they were still safer than sect disciples.
dài zài mén pài lǐ dǎo shì xiāo yáo ， kě kàn zhe qíng xíng ， wú lùn rú hé yě bù kě néng zhù jī chéng gōng 。
待在门派里倒是逍遥，可看着情形，无论如何也不可能筑基成功。
But soon, Lin Xuan's plan was foiled.
lín xuān xiàn rù liǎng nán ， yuán běn tā hái yǒu yī tiáo chū lù ， yǐ * tiān mó nǐ róng shù ， tuō diào piāo yún gǔ de yī fú ， huà zhuāng chéng sàn xiū tōu tōu qián wǎng ， suī rán zhè yī cháng yǎn zhōu xiū zhēn jiè de dà chōng tū ， ràng nà xiē méi yǒu mén pài bù shǔ yú rèn hé shì lì de sàn xiū yě cǎn shòu chí yú zhī yāng ， bèi wù shāng wù shā le bù shǎo ， dàn bì jìng bǐ zōng pài de dì zǐ ān quán bù shǎo 。
林轩陷入两难，原本他还有一条出路，倚*天魔拟容术，脱掉飘云谷的衣服，化妆成散修偷偷前往，虽然这一场兖州修真界的大冲突，让那些没有门派不属于任何势力的散修也惨受池鱼之殃，被误伤误杀了不少，但毕竟比宗派的弟子安全不少。
Although it was a消耗战, neither side would engage in large-scale brawls or attacks on each other's main halls. However, all other means were employed to the utmost extent. One must not underestimate these cultivators pursuing immortality; they might look like sages and virtuous men, but when it came to using cunning tactics, they could be extremely dishonorable and ruthless, more so than ordinary people.
kě hěn kuài ， lín xuān de zhè ge rú yì suàn pán yě pào tāng le 。
可很快，林轩的这个如意算盘也泡汤了。
In addition to hunting down lone disciples from the opposing side, they also dispatched assassins who infiltrated sects to kill high-ranking cultivators. This was a root extraction strategy; although most of these assassins did not return, their effects were significant.
suī rán shì xiāo hào zhàn ， shuāng fāng bú huì fā shēng dà guī mó xiè dòu yǐ jí gōng jī duì fāng de zǒng tán ， dàn qí tā shǒu duàn ， què shì wú suǒ bù yòng qí jí ， qiān wàn bú yào xiǎo kàn le zhè xiē zhuī qiú xiān dào de xiū shì ， píng shí kàn qǐ lái yí gè gè xiān fēng dào gǔ ， dào mào àng rán ， kě zhēn zhèng shǐ qǐ yīn xiǎn de zhāo shù lái ， què bēi bǐ wú chǐ ， bǐ shì sú hái yào xuè xīng cán kù 。
虽然是消耗战，双方不会发生大规模械斗以及攻击对方的总坛，但其他手段，却是无所不用其极，千万不要小看了这些追求仙道的修士，平时看起来一个个仙风道骨，道貌盎然，可真正使起阴险的招数来，却卑鄙无耻，比世俗还要血腥残酷。
The strength of a sect lay in its high-ranking cultivators; the low-grade disciples were merely cannon fodder. No matter how many died, it wouldn't harm the core. But for senior cultivators, if too many were killed by assassins, that sect would suffer severe losses.
chú le xiāng hù liè shā duì fāng luò dān de dì zǐ ， hái pài qiǎn sǐ shì ， hùn rù mén pài ， cì shā gāo jiē xiū shì ， cǐ nǎi fǔ dǐ chōu xīn zhī jì ， suī rán bèi pài qù de sǐ shì duō bàn yī qù bù fù hái ， dàn xiào guǒ què fēi cháng míng xiǎn 。
除了相互猎杀对方落单的弟子，还派遣死士，混入门派，刺杀高阶修士，此乃釜底抽薪之计，虽然被派去的死士多半一去不复还，但效果却非常明显。
Once the balance between opposing sides was broken, what followed would no longer be a消耗战 but an all-out slaughter.
yào zhī dào yí gè mén pài de qiáng dà yǔ fǒu ， guān jiàn hái zài gāo jiē xiū shì ， líng dòng qī de dì zǐ zhǐ bù guò shì pào huī ér yǐ ， sǐ dé zài duō ， yě shāng jí bù liǎo gēn běn ， kě gāo jí xiū shì jiù bù yí yàng le ， rú guǒ sǐ yú cì kè zhī shǒu de rén tài duō ， jiù huì ràng nà ge mén pài shí lì dà sǔn 。
要知道一个门派的强大与否，关键还在高阶修士，灵动期的弟子只不过是炮灰而已，死得再多，也伤及不了根本，可高级修士就不一样了，如果死于刺客之手的人太多，就会让那个门派实力大损。
Both sides did not wish their own sects to fall; to guard against the assassins sent by the other side, both alliances had developed identification spells.
yí dàn dí duì shuāng fāng de jūn shì bèi dǎ pò ， nà me jiē xià lái ， jiù bù zài shì xiāo hào zhàn le ， bì jiāng yǎn biàn chéng yī cháng bù sǐ bù xiū de tú shā 。
一旦敌对双方的均势被打破，那么接下来，就不再是消耗战了，必将演变成一场不死不休的屠杀。
By embedding these identification spells into one's body, it became clear whether someone was an ally or a spy. This made it easy to recognize them and prevented the enemy from infiltrating.
"Brother, I heard about it by chance," Mast Elder Ma nodded and then a strange expression appeared on his face. "Disciple Ye seems to be quite interested in top-grade pills. According to your talent, even if you take lower-grade pills, they should suffice for foundation establishment."
"Haha." Lin Xuan smiled as he spoke, but his heart was suddenly on edge. He had acted a bit out of character just now. Quickly, he said indifferently, "I'm the one who's making fun of me, younger brother. I was merely curious and naturally interested in all sorts of anecdotes."
"Mm." Mast Elder Ma did not doubt him. Lin Xuan's Demonic Phantom Mimicry Technique was incredibly mysterious; with his current cultivation, unless faced by a condensation core stage expert, no one could recognize his true form. Mast Elder Ma continued, "Brother heard about the introduction to top-grade Essence Cleansing Pills in an ancient book..."
Since this person did not suspect him of anything, and considering it wasn't really valuable information, Mast Elder Ma treated it as idle chatter and told Lin Xuan everything.
In fact, there was a mistake in the grading of pills in the cultivation world. Lower-grade, middle-grade, and upper-grade were indeed classified based on impurity content, but legendary top-grade pills were not just that.
So-called top-grade pills had extraordinary effects; apart from having an exceptionally high proportion of essence and minimal impurities, they also required a secondary refining process.
What was this secondary refining?
It was well known that various heavenly treasures and earthly treasures could be placed in alchemy furnaces by experienced cultivators to produce finished pills.
This was the first refinement. To obtain top-grade pills, one would first prepare already refined upper-grade pills, then add several other spirit herbs, and refine them again, which is what people called refining a pill with another pill.
Because it involved two rounds of refinement, it was also known as secondary refining.
Just from the process, one could imagine its difficulty. Even in famous sects with abundant resources and powerful alchemists, they couldn't produce upper-grade pills. The sect's limited inventory had been passed down through generations, supposedly "accidentally" created under extremely lucky circumstances.
To make top-grade pills required upper-grade pills as the main ingredient. If it failed, the upper-grade pill would be wasted. Who would dare to risk it and not bleed dry?
However, for Lin Xuan, this wasn't a problem. With his current cultivation, while the success rate of refining an upper-grade pill was low, he could manage with some extra time, which wasn't much of a challenge.
But what Mast Elder Ma said next truly posed a problem to him.
"What? Besides needing upper-grade pills as the main ingredient, during secondary refining, one also needs to add several types of heavenly herbs?"
"Yes," Mast Elder Ma nodded. "According to ancient records, top-grade pills require Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Jade Grass as auxiliary ingredients."
The composition of top-grade pills was slightly different from that of lower- and upper-grade pills, which was why Lin Xuan had failed despite his attempts at refining through purification.
Having learned about the secret of top-grade pills from Mast Elder Ma, Lin Xuan felt no relief. While it was easy to obtain an upper-grade pill, obtaining those two heavenly herbs...
Lin Xuan had read about Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Jade Grass in *A Hundred Herbs Record*. Unlike ginseng or lingzhi, these were true heavenly treasures, far rarer than a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng.
Where could he find them?
"In fact, there are places where these heavenly herbs grow."
"Brother knows?" Lin Xuan was both surprised and delighted. He never expected Mast Elder Ma's thick build to conceal such extensive knowledge; he seemed like a jack-of-all-trades.
"They grow in Stream Leap Gorge."
"Stream Leap Gorge!" Hearing this, Lin Xuan remained calm on the surface but felt bitter inside. The reason was simple: Stream Leap Gorge was notorious for being a place where evil beasts thrived and was extremely dangerous.
If it were just a den of beasts, Lin Xuan might not have hesitated to enter, as the saying went, "Man for money, bird for food." To obtain heavenly herbs, taking some risks was normal. Moreover, although there were many beasts in Stream Leap Gorge, most were only level one and could be handled with his current cultivation.
However, things had changed now. Stream Leap Gorge was located north of Yanzhou Region, just a dozen miles from Flame Spirit Sect. It fell within their territory, and the two cultivation alliances were currently engaged in a消耗战. Lin Xuan found himself on the opposing side. Going to Stream Leap Gorge for herbs would be like walking into a trap, becoming prey?
Staying in his sect might have been comfortable, but with how things stood, he was unlikely to succeed in foundation establishment.
Lin Xuan was caught between two choices. Originally, he had one way out: using Demonic Phantom Mimicry Technique, he could take off the clothes from Drifting Cloud Valley and disguise himself as a wandering cultivator to sneak away. Although this conflict in Yanzhou Region had affected even independent cultivators, causing many casualties among those without sects or affiliations, they were still safer than sect disciples.
But soon, Lin Xuan's plan was foiled.
Although it was a消耗战, neither side would engage in large-scale brawls or attacks on each other's main halls. However, all other means were employed to the utmost extent. One must not underestimate these cultivators pursuing immortality; they might look like sages and virtuous men, but when it came to using cunning tactics, they could be extremely dishonorable and ruthless, more so than ordinary people.
In addition to hunting down lone disciples from the opposing side, they also dispatched assassins who infiltrated sects to kill high-ranking cultivators. This was a root extraction strategy; although most of these assassins did not return, their effects were significant.
The strength of a sect lay in its high-ranking cultivators; the low-grade disciples were merely cannon fodder. No matter how many died, it wouldn't harm the core. But for senior cultivators, if too many were killed by assassins, that sect would suffer severe losses.
Once the balance between opposing sides was broken, what followed would no longer be a消耗战 but an all-out slaughter.
Both sides did not wish their own sects to fall; to guard against the assassins sent by the other side, both alliances had developed identification spells.
By embedding these identification spells into one's body, it became clear whether someone was an ally or a spy. This made it easy to recognize them and prevented the enemy from infiltrating.