Senior Brother Jiang." The two disciples guarding the entrance lowered their heads to greet him.
Jiang Hao nodded in acknowledgment and stepped inside.
The Spirit Herb Garden was vast, with countless spirit herbs scattered throughout. At its heart grew the vibrant red Nine-Leaf Flower.
Known as the emotion-severing grass, its fragrance remained subtle until the petals fell, at which point its scent filled the air with spiritual energy, trapping those who inhaled it in a realm of emotions.
This flower could be refined into three primary types of pills: the Spirit Gathering Pill, which helped in quickly absorbing spiritual energy for faster cultivation, making the pill relatively easy to craft.
The second was the Emotion Severing Pill, which suppressed inner demons. Having one during a breakthrough increased the success rate by 20%, though the pill was hard to refine.
The third, Blissful Realm, pulled those who consumed it into endless illusions. If successful, one's cultivation would soar, but failure meant death. This pill was extremely difficult to create.
After recalling the uses of the emotion-severing grass, Jiang Hao looked toward a simple pavilion at the center, his intended destination.
As a newly admitted inner disciple, guarding duties naturally fell to him.
Unlike the sentinels, his main task was to inspect the spirit herbs for any abnormalities. Night duty wasn't required, though some senior brothers and sisters would occasionally take watch.
As Jiang Hao walked past the spirit fields, he noticed some small bubbles.
Most were white bubbles, with a single green one among them, floating above the spirit herbs.
When Jiang Hao approached, these bubbles merged into his body automatically.
At this moment, the status panel would pop up with a notification.
[Strength +1]
[Endurance +1]
[Strength +1]
[Spirit +1]
[Spirit Gathering Pill +1]
Jiang Hao remained expressionless; such occurrences were not new to him.
This was why he was eager to become an inner disciple. The more places he visited, the more he could gain.
For instance, by helping plant the Spirit Herb Garden, he could continuously collect these gains.
The strength and endurance weren't visible on the status panel but could be absorbed automatically.
Compared to others in the same realm, his strength was significantly superior.
Perhaps one day, with a mere punch, he could shatter opponents at his level.
"I need a technique or divine ability to conceal my cultivation."
Without the ability to hide his true strength, Jiang Hao dared not advance too swiftly to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
The bubbles varied in color, with each color indicating the quality of its contents.
In his experience, the order largely went: white, green, blue, and purple.
The white bubbles contained ordinary attributes like strength and endurance, while the green bubbles held common pills and artifacts.
Vital Qi and cultivation were marked by blue, while Divine Abilities appeared in purple.
Beyond that...
He had not yet encountered further tiers.
Waiting by the pavilion was a fairy.
Seeing Jiang Hao approach, a smile graced her lips, naturally alluring.
The Heavenly Sound Sect had twelve main branches, among which Broken Hearts Cliff was one. The woman before him was Yun Ruo, an inner disciple of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion.
Her inherent charm, combined with her cultivation techniques, often made people feel a certain way.
The Demonic Sect was unlike the righteous sects, seldom concealing their alluring demeanor.
Whenever Jiang Hao met someone from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion, he often felt troubled.
Except...
Why didn't anything seem peculiar today? Was his mental strength improved? Jiang Hao was surprised but didn't show it, greeting with respect:
"Greetings, Senior Sister Yun Ruo."
Fairy Yun Ruo smiled coquettishly:
"I hear Junior Brother is nearing the Foundation Establishment? Achieving such a feat at twenty is quite impressive."
"Just a stroke of luck," Jiang Hao humbly replied.
However, he found it odd that standing before such a beautiful, alluring senior sister, his mind was unusually calm.
Was her allure fading, or was there something wrong with him?
Yun Ruo chuckled softly and said:
"I hear Junior Brother is upright in conduct. If you joined a renowned sect, you'd certainly receive special nurturing."
She thinks I'm a good person?
Jiang Hao was suddenly vigilant about her intentions. What was she implying? He quickly steered the topic:
"Is Senior Sister here for the spirit herbs today?"
"Indeed, but mostly to congratulate Junior Brother. I believe you will achieve Foundation Establishment in a year or two." Yun Ruo inched closer, her smile bright.
"You flatter me, Senior Sister. I'll prepare the herbs right away." After confirming the order, Jiang Hao turned away to assemble the herbs.
As he left, he couldn't help but reflect. Yun Ruo exuded allure earlier. If he hadn't been in an odd state, staying composed might have been challenging.
Moments later, he handed the herbs to Yun Ruo.
"Thank you, Junior Brother. I won't keep you any longer." Yun Ruo said with a smile.
"You're too kind, Senior Sister." Jiang Hao returned the smile but thought it would be best to avoid future interactions.
As Yun Ruo started to leave, she paused after only a couple of steps, returning to Jiang Hao's side. Her soft voice breathed next to his ear:
"Junior Brother, if you were given a chance to join a prestigious sect, would you take it?"
Jiang Hao was startled, looking at Yun Ruo in shock.
"Pfft~"
Covering her mouth, Yun Ruo giggled, then spoke softly:
"Look how scared you are, Junior Brother. Some so-called disciples of immortal sects use tactics like these on our disciples from the Demonic Sect.
They aren't truly offering such opportunities.
Be careful, Junior Brother, don't be deceived. Make sure you understand it fully."
With that, Yun Ruo floated away.
"What does she mean? Is she implying that understanding it allows joining? Or..." Suddenly, Jiang Hao felt this senior sister might be a bit dangerous.
Her words seemed light-hearted, but they might have carried the weight of truth.
"If she truly is an undercover from another sect, am I being targeted for recruitment?"
"Or maybe I'm under suspicion by my own sect, being tested."
"If it's the former, Yun Ruo, being at the initial Foundation Establishment stage, leaves me with two choices if she asks: refuse and face death or agree...
Placing myself between a rock and a hard place isn't wise.
Perhaps it's best to remain a disciple of the Demonic Sect."
"No, I must reach Foundation Establishment first."