"Senior Brother Jiang."

The two disciples on guard lowered their heads and greeted.

With a nod, Jiang Hao stepped forward and entered.

The spiritual herb garden was vast, with many types of herbs growing around. At the very core of the garden, there was a bed of bright red Nine-Leaf Flowers.

This flower, called "Broken Heart Grass," normally had no scent. Its fragrance only became apparent when the petals fell. The aroma, rich with spiritual energy, could induce hallucinations and trap one in a state of emotional obsession.

It could be used to refine three types of pills. The first was the Spirit Gathering Pill, which, when consumed, rapidly absorbed surrounding spiritual energy, accelerating cultivation, making it easier to form a core.

The second was the Heartbreak Pill, which, when inhaled, suppressed inner demons. Placing one during a breakthrough could increase the success rate by twenty percent, but it was difficult to form the core.

The third was the Blissful World Pill, which, when consumed, pulled a person into an infinite illusion. If they succeeded in exiting, their cultivation would greatly increase. If they failed, they would die. It was extremely difficult to refine.

After reviewing the effects of the Broken Heart Grass, Jiang Hao turned his attention to the simple pavilion at the center. That was his destination.

As a newly promoted inner sect disciple, the responsibility of guarding was naturally his.

Unlike the guards, his main task was to inspect whether the herbs were healthy. He didn’t need to stay here at night, as some senior brothers and sisters would occasionally come by to keep watch.

As he passed through the herb fields, Jiang Hao noticed small bubbles floating above some of the herbs.

Most of the bubbles were white, except for one green bubble. They hovered above the spiritual plants.

In the past, these bubbles would automatically merge with Jiang Hao’s body.

At that moment, a prompt would appear on his interface:

[Strength +1]

[Endurance +1]

[Strength +1]

[Spirit +1]

[Spirit Gathering Pill +1]

Jiang Hao remained expressionless. This had happened countless times before.

This was also why he was eager to become an inner sect disciple. The more places he went, the more benefits he could receive.

For example, in this spiritual herb garden, as long as he helped plant the herbs, he could keep acquiring such rewards.

Strength and endurance weren’t shown on the interface; they were automatically absorbed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Among disciples of the same rank, his strength far surpassed others.

Perhaps one day, a casual punch from him could shatter opponents of the same rank.

“I need a technique or divine power that can conceal my cultivation level.”

Without the ability to hide his cultivation, he was afraid of advancing too quickly—it would make him a target.

The bubbles came in different colors, and each color represented something of varying quality.

After careful analysis, he categorized them into four colors: white, green, blue, and purple.

White was the most ordinary. It represented things like strength and endurance that could be directly absorbed. Green represented ordinary pills or magical tools.

Blue represented vitality and cultivation, while purple represented divine powers.

As for anything higher...

So far, he hadn’t encountered anything beyond that.

At the foot of the pavilion, a fairy was waiting.

When Jiang Hao approached, she smiled sweetly, her natural charm evident.

The Tianyin Sect had twelve main branches, and Broken Heart Cliff was one of them. The woman before him was Yun Ruoxian, an inner sect disciple of the Tianhuan Pavilion.

Born with an alluring appearance and complemented by her cultivation technique, she always had an uncanny effect on people.

Unlike righteous sects, those from demonic factions rarely concealed their allure.

Every time Jiang Hao encountered someone from the Tianhuan Pavilion, he couldn’t help but feel troubled.

But today...

Why do I feel so calm? Has my mind become stronger? Jiang Hao was inwardly surprised but didn’t show it. Instead, he respectfully said:

"Greetings, Senior Sister Yun Ruoxian."

Yun Ruoxian smiled and replied, "I heard you’re about to break through to foundation-building? To build your foundation at twenty years old, that’s truly impressive."

"A bit of luck," Jiang Hao didn’t dare to take credit.

However, seeing the beautiful and seductive Senior Sister, he felt oddly calm. This made him uneasy.

Is it that her charm isn’t strong enough? Or is there something wrong with me?

Yun Ruoxian smiled and softly said, "I heard you’re a man of integrity. If you had joined another prestigious sect, you would have been given special attention and care."

She thinks I’m a good person?

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao became wary. He didn’t understand why she said this and quickly responded, "Senior Sister, are you here for the spiritual herbs?"

"That’s true, but mainly I’m here to congratulate you. I think you’ll be able to advance to foundation-building within a year or two," Yun Ruoxian moved closer to Jiang Hao, her smile full of warmth.

"Senior Sister flatters me. I’ll go arrange the herbs right away." Taking the list from her, Jiang Hao confirmed there were no issues before turning to leave.

Just now, Senior Sister exuded a seductive aura. If I weren’t feeling a little off today, it’s hard to say if I could have remained this clear-headed.

A moment later, he handed the herbs to her.

"Thank you, Junior Brother. I won’t disturb you any longer today," Yun Ruoxian said with a smile.

"Senior Sister is too kind." Jiang Hao smiled back, though he thought to himself that it would be best if she didn’t disturb him again in the future.

At that moment, Yun Ruoxian turned and walked away. After taking two steps, she returned to Jiang Hao’s side and softly whispered in his ear:

"Junior Brother, if I gave you a chance to join a prestigious immortal sect, would you take it?"

Jiang Hao was stunned. He looked at her in shock.

Pfft~

Yun Ruoxian covered her mouth, laughing softly before saying, "Look at how frightened you are. This is just one of the tactics used by so-called immortal sect disciples. They often use us from the demonic path like this."

"They would never really offer you such an opportunity."

"Junior Brother, be careful. Don’t fall for their tricks. Make sure you stay clear-headed."

With that, Yun Ruoxian lightly walked away.

"What does she mean? Does it mean I can join if I figure it out? Or is it..." Suddenly, Jiang Hao felt that this Senior Sister was a bit dangerous.

It seemed like a joke, but it could also be a way of revealing the truth.

"If she really is an undercover agent from another sect, then have I been targeted? Does she want to pull me in?"

"No, it’s also possible that the sect is suspicious of me and is testing me."

"If it’s the former, Yun Ruoxian is in the early stage of foundation-building. If she speaks, I have two choices: refuse and get killed to keep my secret, or agree..."

"Wouldn’t that put me in a dangerous position?"

"Better to just continue being a disciple of the demonic path."

"No, I must first build my foundation."