Wei Zhengrong approached Jian Dan's team with steady steps. He wore the pale moon-white robes of a personal disciple. His round face still carried a hint of baby fat, and his large round eyes sparkled with pride. As he reached the group, he instinctively touched the storage ring on his hand.
"Show-off," Jin Liuli scoffed with disdain.
Wei Zhengrong was about to retort when the glowing orbs in the hands of the five cultivators floated together. The orbs shimmered and merged into a single jade slip. Just as Wei Zhengrong reached out to grab it, the jade slip flew into Jian Dan's hand. She swept her spiritual sense across it and absorbed all the mission details at once.
Wei Zhengrong's outstretched hand froze awkwardly in midair. Cao Chenfeng's expression remained unchanged. Jin Liuli pressed her lips together, holding back a laugh. Zhang Xuefeng, the lowest-ranked among them, dared not react, but even he lowered his head to hide the smirk on his lips.
"Let's go," Jian Dan said, already striding toward the mountain path. She casually passed the jade slip to Cao Chenfeng. "Pass it around. We have three days to complete the mission."
Wei Zhengrong received the jade slip last. His heart fumed. He was a personal disciple, after all. Even if his cultivation wasn't the highest, shouldn't these people be eager to flatter him?
Jian Dan had already analyzed the contents of the jade slip. The mission required them to harvest a type of spiritual fruit called "Yan Fruit" from the mountain within three days.
As the name implied, Yan Fruit was prized for its beauty-enhancing properties. It was somewhat similar to the ginseng fruit found in the lower realm and was a key ingredient in refining Beauty Pills.
This mountain had originally been claimed by the sect's founding ancestor during the early days of Tianjian Sect. It was rich in rare spiritual herbs and was named Medicine Peak. But after tens of thousands of years of use, many of the valuable resources had been depleted. Coupled with the fact that few cultivators in the sect were particularly talented at alchemy, a lot of the mountain's resources had been wasted.
The current Sect Master, Jian Chun Zūnzhě, had finally made a decision. He sealed the mountain and declared it off-limits, allowing it to reopen once every thousand years for disciples to harvest its spiritual herbs.
But a thousand years had brought many changes to the mountain. Each harvesting expedition ended with injuries, sometimes deaths. Eventually, the mountain was declared a restricted zone, only accessible to cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. This year marked the reopening, and since the Enforcement Hall was also recruiting, Jian Chun Zūnzhě and Jian Jun Zūnzhǔ saw an opportunity to combine both purposes: harvest the medicine and assess disciples—two goals in one move.
To minimize casualties, all cultivators below Nascent Soul were required to form teams. This also tested their coordination and teamwork.
After Jian Dan and her group entered the mountain, they paused briefly while she gave instructions.
"Tell me your specialties. I'll assign roles accordingly."
"Shan Zhēnrén, my clan has refined pills for generations. We've long been allied with Tianjian Sect, specializing in alchemy. Personally, I'm more skilled with poisons, and I have no trouble identifying herbs," Jin Liuli said bluntly.
"Combat," Cao Chenfeng replied, as concise as ever.
"Ahem." Wei Zhengrong cleared his throat, preparing to explain his skills in detail. Jian Dan cut him off immediately.
"You're rich in spirit stones. Got it. Next."
Wei Zhengrong was completely stunned, unable to respond.
Zhang Xuefeng glanced at him, then bowed respectfully to Jian Dan."I come from the mundane world. My family has hunted for generations. I'm good at tracking."
"Good. Everyone has their strengths. I have the highest cultivation and the strongest spiritual sense. I'll handle scouting the path and maintaining vigilance."
"Liuli, identify all valuable spiritual herbs along the way. Don't limit yourself to just Yan Fruit. Anything useful, we'll collect."
"Yes, Zhēnrén."
"Zhang Xuefeng, watch for signs of nearby spirit beasts. If there are targets suitable for our team, let us know in advance."
"Understood, Zhēnrén."
"Cao Chenfeng, focus on combat. Don't overextend."
"Yes, Zhēnrén."
"You," she said, turning to Wei Zhengrong, "will provide support in the rear."
Jian Dan didn't bother being polite when assigning him his role.
"If there are no objections, then let's move. Our team entered later than the others, so we need to make up for lost time. I don't think this trial is just about harvesting herbs, so be prepared for anything unexpected."
"Understood."
Her words immediately shifted the group's mood. This was the final trial—everyone was ready to give it their all.
Jin Liuli, true to her heritage from an alchemy family, was swift and efficient. Even though they moved quickly through the route toward the Yan Fruit's habitat, she still managed to collect herbs along the way. After coordinating with Jian Dan, she focused on herbs over a thousand years old—rare materials like Purpleleaf Phoenix Flower, Silvermoon Orchid, Minghua Grass, and Dewflesh Leaves, all prime ingredients for high-grade pills.
When Jin Liuli carefully placed a clump of two-thousand-year-old Red Velvet Branch into a sealed jade box, Zhang Xuefeng came rushing back to the group's defensive circle. Bowing to Jian Dan, he reported excitedly,
"Shan Zhēnrén, there's a group of horned bulls drinking at the stream ahead. About ten in total. The strongest among them is at late stage Tier Three. We may be able to attempt a hunt."
As he spoke, Jian Dan's spiritual sense had already swept over the area. Among the herd, the largest horned bull raised its head sharply, as if sensing her probing. It stared directly in their direction, alert.
"Moo!"
===
"Venerable" (尊者, Zūnzhě) is more likely title for Divine Soul Cultivator. In this novel, Divine Soul is 2 stage above Nascent Soul.