Jian Lin concentrated, adjusted her spiritual energy, and clashed with the barrier. After an unknown amount of time, sweat beaded on her forehead, her core felt empty, and she tasted blood in her mouth.
She knew this was a warning that her spiritual power was reaching its limit, but she refused to give up. Giving up now would mean all her efforts were in vain.
Gritting her teeth, she persisted. Her vision blurred, and the void of reaching her limit washed over her. Before she collapsed, she decided to deliver a final, desperate blow to the barrier.
Not sparing even the last vestiges of her spiritual power, Jian Lin let out a roar, slapped her left hand onto her right, and pushed forward with all her might. The obstruction in front of her vanished.
Honestly, Jian Lin's first reaction was to wonder if she had broken through the barrier or simply collapsed from exhaustion.
Her feet suddenly lost purchase, and she plummeted downwards. Simultaneously, the sound of collapsing mountains and clashing swords echoed from ahead. Jian Lin snapped awake and quickly assessed her surroundings.
The lush dense forest was gone. She had arrived in a valley of strange, jagged rocks. As she was about to collide with a peculiar stone, she swiftly adjusted her body, executing several leaps and bounds to avoid all the sharp rock spires, landing safely on solid ground.
At the same time, the fierce battle ahead had not ceased. Jian Lin first hid behind a massive boulder. Once she confirmed her safety, she slowly moved closer to the center of the conflict.
Flying debris, swirling dust, roars, and cries of pain were incessant. As Jian Lin drew nearer, she saw that the battle was extremely chaotic.
In the open space ahead lay a large serpent, having shed a considerable amount of blood. It was already lifeless.
Around the serpent, a free-for-all was underway. Jian Lin roughly counted four or five factions engaged in a heated fight. A golden, ganoderma-like object was being passed from hand to hand.
Jian Lin's eyes lit up. That ganoderma must be the spiritual herb the serpent had been guarding. After a moment's thought, she drew her sword and charged into the fray.
No matter what, participation was key, and it was a good opportunity to practice her sword techniques.
Jian Lin rushed in, indifferent to friend or foe, striking anyone she encountered and further intensifying the chaos of the battle.
A disciple fell beneath her sword, asking with confusion, "Who are you? Which sect do you belong to?"
"Why so much nonsense?" Jian Lin replied excitedly, "Loser, goodbye."
With that, she snatched the disciple's token and crushed it. A red light flashed, and with a groan, the disciple was ejected from the battle.
After fighting about ten people consecutively, Jian Lin silently tallied her victories and losses in her mind: eleven wins, three losses. Not bad, she was still quite formidable.
As she was enjoying the fight, the ganoderma, as if divinely assisted, landed in her hand. Jian Lin froze for a moment after grasping it. Seeing the murderous gazes of everyone around her, she immediately turned and fled.
If something was given to her voluntarily, why wouldn't she take it? Hurry and run!
It started as practice for her sword techniques, but now it was a test of endurance. Fortunately, the terrain was rugged with many hiding places, making it inconvenient for flying swords, which gave Jian Lin many opportunities.
She ran and hid, eventually unable to bear it any longer. She exchanged points with the system for an invisibility talisman, using this cheat to evade her pursuers.
This ganoderma was evidently extremely precious. Those people lingered in the vicinity for a long time before gradually disappearing as night fell.
After a whole day of various battles, Jian Lin was exhausted. She took out the ganoderma and, without a second thought, took a bite. The bitter taste shot straight to her head.
But remembering it was a rare treasure, Jian Lin didn't want to waste it. She craned her neck, forcing herself to swallow, and let out a long sigh before tucking the remaining ganoderma away.
She decided to figure out a way to cook this ganoderma before eating it another time; it was too unpalatable to swallow.
That night, Jian Lin didn't want to waste any time. She released her little bee and continued to follow it, searching for the Demon Lord.
Although she didn't know which barrier the Demon Lord had been randomly placed into, the "Scent-Guiding Charm" was something she had exchanged from the system. She believed the system would overcome any limitations and find the Demon Lord.
The rocky terrain barrier was clearly more advanced than the dense forest. It had more monsters, higher-grade ones, and more cultivating disciples.
In one night, Jian Lin encountered several battlefields. She observed for a while and found the skill level to be subpar, so she didn't participate, focusing solely on finding the Demon Lord.
As she walked, she suddenly felt a warmth in her dantian, and spiritual energy continuously overflowed. Her steps became lighter, and the fatigue of the day vanished.
It must be the effect of that ganoderma. It was truly magical, living up to its reputation as a good item from the secret realm.
To be honest, when she was outside, both the Demon Lord and Xie Jin had given her plenty of pills. She had taken some occasionally, and they did provide a temporary boost, but it quickly disappeared.
However, the continuous flow of spiritual energy brought by the ganoderma was something she was experiencing for the first time.
Lost in thought, she took out the ganoderma from her Qiankun bag and took another bite, forcing herself to swallow it, and continued to press forward.
That night, Jian Lin ate as she walked. She emerged from the valley of strange rocks and climbed a mountain peak, where she saw the ruins of a massive palace opposite her.
Holding the last bite of ganoderma, she nibbled on it while silently observing. This palace looked like a prime spot for acquiring powerful equipment; it was not to be missed.
Her little bee was also flying ahead. Jian Lin stuffed the rest of the ganoderma into her mouth, clapped her hands, jumped off the peak, and followed the bee onward.
Descending the mountain and passing through a forest, Jian Lin entered through a collapsed wall. She cautiously walked around the perimeter and discovered a serious problem.
Why did this palace have no doors? Her little bee kept circling in front of her. Fearing it would get tired, Jian Lin recalled it into her Qiankun bag, planning to find the door first.
There must be a door. Illusions, formations, mechanisms – anything was possible, as long as she could find a way to break through.
This time, she felt along the bricks of the building. She didn't know what she touched, but suddenly the ground beneath her gave way, and she plummeted into darkness.
Without any light, Jian Lin couldn't find a place to land or time her descent properly. She fell onto the hard ground in the most awkward posture imaginable, letting out a pained groan.
If she were an ordinary person, she would have died long ago.
Of course, she wasn't faring well either. Before she could recover, she felt a sword intent strike her. She quickly drew her He Yi Sword to block. With a clang, the He Yi Sword repelled the attacker.
"Who goes there? State your name," Jian Lin said loudly, enduring the pain as she stood up. "We are all cultivators. We came to this secret realm for cultivation. Why engage in such despicable acts? If you wish to compete, let us do so openly and decide the victor."
If she were in the demon realm, Jian Lin would never have said these words because they would not listen.
Now, in the immortal sect, she believed the other party had at least some basic conscience. Her moral blackmail would surely work.
As expected, the lights flickered on, and a young man appeared opposite her. Judging by the daoist robe he wore, he was likely a disciple of the Carefree Sect.
"Well said. Then let us decide the victor," the disciple said, pointing to the door on the opposite wall. "The stone door can only be opened with a token. Whichever of us loses, hand over the token honestly. One continues cultivating, and the other returns home obediently."
Jian Lin gripped the He Yi Sword, pointing it at the disciple, and said firmly, "No problem. Come on."
The disciple was at the Golden Core stage. Jian Lin prepared herself for the possibility of defeat and had already laid out contingency plans. Unexpectedly, as they fought, the warmth in her dantian grew more intense, and she fought with increasing vigor. Coupled with her exquisite Bright Moon Sword technique, she seized the opportunity and struck the disciple's wrist. With a clang, his sword fell, and he was defeated.
Jian Lin stopped at the right moment, sheathed the He Yi Sword, and cupped her fists in a bow. "I have won. Hand over the token."
The disciple looked incredulous. "I don't believe you haven't reached the Golden Core stage yet. You didn't even draw your sword, and you managed to defeat me? I don't believe it!"
What was there not to believe? She didn't have a Golden Core, but she had the ganoderma. And her sword, not having been drawn, was a peerless divine sword worth 200,000 points. Defeating an ordinary disciple was more than enough.
"I am a rogue cultivator, not a disciple of a proper sect," Jian Lin explained with a smile. "Our cultivation methods are unconventional. We spend years accumulating experience through external practice. I defeated you, and there's nothing unbelievable about it."
Jian Lin's explanation did not convince the disciple. Rogue cultivators were always inferior to sect disciples; she must have used some trick.
The disciple angrily threw the token at her, deciding to report her to his master, claiming a female rogue cultivator used sorcery.
Jian Lin took it without further comment. She placed the token on the stone door. A red light flashed, the disciple vanished, and the stone door slowly opened.
The sunlight and damp air from outside blew in. Jian Lin blinked in surprise, realizing this door was another barrier.
As she stepped out, the door slammed shut behind her with a bang, disappearing without giving her any chance to regret it.
Standing still, Jian Lin looked up and her mouth fell open in astonishment.
This place resembled a tropical rainforest. The ground was covered in thick moss, making squelching sounds with every step, and the plants were even more exaggerated. Flower vines, tens of meters high, were topped with huge, vibrant flowers that exuded a dangerous aura.
No need to ask, it was obvious they were carnivorous.
Jian Lin, resigned, continued to walk forward cautiously. Guessing something, she made a "crunch" sound. She warily looked up and discovered that the man-eating flowers seemed to have hearing; the giant flowers shifted towards the source of the sound.
This was too creepy!
Jian Lin dared not be careless. This time, she took out a staff to probe the path ahead. After safely traversing a distance, she gradually realized something was amiss.
It wasn't the man-eating flowers that were strange, but herself.
The warmth in her dantian had turned into a burning sensation, and her entire body gradually grew hot, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
Jian Lin slumped to the ground, quickly forming a guess: had she eaten too much ganoderma?
If that were true, would she explode?
Was the best solution now to kill some man-eating flowers to consume some spiritual power?
Before Jian Lin could fully process this, the burning sensation attacked her brain. Her vision went white, and she collapsed onto the ground, losing consciousness.
Fortunately, the moist moss stimulated her, and she soon woke up. She struggled to get up, opening her mouth to let out a painful groan.
This was going to kill her! She was going to die! She felt like she was being cooked!
Just as she was about to despair, she suddenly heard squelching footsteps approaching from ahead. Jian Lin's first reaction was that the man-eating flowers had grown legs. With internal and external threats, she was doomed!
To her surprise, however, she saw the familiar coarse linen daoist robe. The Demon Lord looked down at her from above, asking in shock, "What happened to you?"
Jian Lin was so moved she could cry. She reached out and grabbed the hem of his daoist robe, saying with a tearful face, "Save... save me, I'm going into qi deviation..."
The Demon Lord squatted down, reached out, and took her wrist, asking in disbelief, "We haven't seen each other for this long, what have you been practicing?"
"Practiced ganoderma..." Jian Lin began to ramble.
The Demon Lord's expression darkened. He pulled Jian Lin up and said solemnly, "Be clear, you're not going into qi deviation, you're about to break through!"