Beating the Grass to Startle the Snake

Jiang Lu blinked as well. The Liuyun Sect was going too.

“Uncle Chi, do you mean... I should follow behind them and pick up the scraps?”

Hearing the sound of a clap, Chi Miao smacked his hands together and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Exactly! Think about it. They have strength in numbers and powerful cultivation. They'll clear the obstacles ahead, and you just follow behind. With your current strength, don't even dream about getting some massive, heaven-defying opportunity. Following them will probably yield a much better harvest than trying to gain experience on your own.”

Jiang Lu thought of Liu Qingqing. At a time like this, how could the female lead of a group-pampered novel not join in on the fun?

She nodded. “I understand, Uncle Chi.”

“Hehe, as long as you understand. Your master left you plenty of good things. Go tidy them up quickly and see what you can use. If nothing else, you should at least be able to follow behind them without being discovered.”

He squinted, making his already chubby face look even rounder, and his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

Jiang Lu nodded. This wouldn't be a problem at all.

At this moment, neither of them expected that this gathering of cultivators would be the moment Jiang Lu officially entered the sights of the major factions.

“Master, what are you doing?”

Chi Li opened its eyes and saw Jiang Lu squatting amidst a massive pile of magical treasures.

Its face was filled with questions. Where did all this stuff come from?

Master wasn't nearly rich enough to possess all this.

“Chi Li, you're awake?”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Lu saw the little ball of fluff. She walked over and rubbed its head. Once she clearly perceived its strength, she couldn't help but feel surprised.

“Not bad, your strength has increased. You're a Tier Two spirit beast now.”

Chi Li nodded proudly.

“That's right, Master! If Cang Chen and I weren't so weak right now and had to split the spiritual orb's energy, I definitely could have advanced another tier.”

Given its personality, how could it ever share a treasure with someone else, let alone that smelly dragon?

But currently, they were beasts in the lower realm.

If they didn't absorb the spiritual orb, keeping it would only invite trouble.

It was better to temporarily cooperate and use it to boost their strength.

Jiang Lu nodded. So that really was a spiritual orb. Since her contracted beasts had obtained and used it themselves, she had no intention of claiming it for herself.

“Master, where did all these things come from?”

It fluttered its wings and hopped onto the table to ask.

The corners of Jiang Lu's mouth curled up, her voice brimming with uncontrollable excitement and pride. “My master gave them to me.”

Master?

“Master, when did you get a master?”

Chi Li was utterly shocked. What had happened while they were asleep?

Did her master discover their true identities?

“Yes, but Master had to leave for an important matter. He'll come back to take us once he's done. For now, we'll head to the Illusionary Forest first to gain experience. My strength is still too low, so I need to increase it as quickly as possible.”

Seeing this, Chi Li let out a sigh of relief and patted its chest. That's good, that's good. As for how to hide their identities later, they could discuss it together once Cang Chen woke up.

Heart-protecting mirror—equipped!

Swift-running boots—equipped!

And this strength-concealing bracelet—equipped! Unless a cultivator was at the Soul Formation stage or above, they wouldn't be able to see her true cultivation.

Elixirs, prepared.

Right!

These hidden weapons must also be prepared. They can deal a fatal blow at a critical moment!

As Jiang Lu sorted them out, she categorized and stored these natural treasures into her space.

Now that Chi Li was awake, she had an extra layer of security. As for Cang Chen, since Chi Li was already awake, he probably wouldn't be far behind.

Early the next morning, she placed the two spirit beasts into her pouch and set off toward the Illusionary Forest.

Although the danger in the dense forest was minimal right now, she couldn't rule out the possibility of a decently strong demon beast suddenly appearing before her. Having grown accustomed to caution, she naturally wouldn't strut around in plain sight.

Uncle Chi said the disciples of the Liuyun Sect would head to the Illusionary Forest from a different direction, so she only needed to wait within that general area.

Sure enough, within a few days, Jiang Lu spotted the figures of the Liuyun Sect disciples. Traveling with them were also disciples from the Shangyang Sect and the Shenjian Sect.

Jiang Lu carefully concealed her aura and soon spotted a familiar figure.

It was Liu Qingqing.

She stood to the side of the Liuyun Sect's ranks, looking very quiet.

However, her eyes betrayed a sense of defiance and eagerness to try.

Jiang Lu shifted her gaze to the person leading them. Dressed in a vibrant, eye-catching red robe, her hair was tied high up with a golden hairpin nestled at the ends, and two scimitars on her back emitted a dangerous gleam.

What a heroic and spirited woman; her aura was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.

The moment Jiang Lu's gaze landed on her, the woman instantly turned her head to look in Jiang Lu's direction.

Startled, Jiang Lu quickly averted her eyes.

What sharp perception.

The only red-robed woman leading the group who could make Liu Qingqing behave herself and not dare to act up so blatantly was the Eldest Senior Sister of the Liuyun Sect—Fu Yao.

Currently at the mid-stage Golden Core realm, she was the undisputed number one of this generation in the Jiangwu Domain.

Since even she had come, it seemed the news bringing everyone to the Illusionary Forest was not as simple as the rumors suggested.

Jiang Lu was secretly alarmed. Perhaps the leaked news this time was misleading, causing even Uncle Chi to fall into the trap.

But since she was already here and didn't have any ominous premonitions, she might as well see what tricks they had up their sleeves.

Fu Yao looked toward Jiang Lu's direction but detected nothing unusual. After scanning the area for a brief moment, she averted her gaze.

She had long grown accustomed to these covert glances. Since the gaze just now carried no malice, she naturally wouldn't investigate further. After all, their group was indeed quite large.

Cultivators weren't all fools either. It was only normal for them to suspect something was amiss upon seeing their arrival.

However, it all came down to personal choice.

There would always be cultivators who weren't afraid of death and wanted to try their luck.

When the elders were dispatched to investigate previously, they discovered that magical beasts existed in the middle region of the Illusionary Forest. However, the magical beasts had concealed their auras so well that the elders couldn't locate them, which led to this trial.

As for the anomalies in the inner region, they had no right to interfere.

Each domain had its own forces and respective overlords, and the Illusionary Forest was no exception. The inner region had its own overlord, rumored to have already transformed into human form. If they were to head there without permission, it would be seen as a direct provocation.

Once the news spread, people indeed formed groups to come and investigate.

What they wanted was precisely to beat the grass to startle the snake.

The more cultivators that came here to gain experience, the easier it would be to detect the presence of those magical beasts.

These low-level cultivators were acting as the vanguard. Once the aura of a magical beast leaked, the elders would immediately rush over to capture it.

Jiang Lu was completely unaware that her every move had already fallen into the eyes of the elders of the Three Great Sects.

However, the ring on her finger kept them from acting rashly.

The ring of a direct lineage disciple of the Medicine King Pavilion was something they only knew a few people to possess. Now that it appeared on a cultivator they had never seen before, they didn't think it was a coincidence or a fake.

They had never seen any cultivator bold enough to impersonate a direct disciple or a direct lineage disciple of any major faction.