...

"I don't even recognize what type of spiritual medicine it is! Medicinal plant ingredients..." After analyzing the scent, he was sure the medicine contained dozens of ingredients, yet he could only identify half of them.

However, he could assess their effects, and was certain that it was just as the man in the white robe had said; these three medicine bottles were enough to cultivate from the early to middle level of the Mortal-Dao Foundation. Of course, they were of no use to Yan Xiaobao at all. After all, he was already in the Heavenly Dao Foundation stage.

Although the medicinal pills could help him to some extent, what he needed more was the Heavenspan River water. Nevertheless, these pills would certainly aid him in his modulation.

Yan Xiaobao spent the entire night contemplating. At dawn the next morning, he yawned and temporarily set aside his thoughts of the Mysterious Sect. Emerging from his Immortal Cave, he turned back to look for a while, then flew at top speed towards Middle Peak.

Upon arrival, he gazed at the upper half of Middle Peak, stretching upward into the sky. Thinking of it as a giant's finger, he sighed inwardly.

Almost as soon as he reached Middle Peak, he encountered flashing lights. Once they sensed the jade pendant he raised, they dissipated, allowing him to enter Middle Peak.

Without that jade pendant, he would have faced severe punishment for attempting to ascend the mountain. The ranking system of the Blood Flow Sect was strictly enforced, and only cultivators with established Foundations were allowed into the four peaks.

As he continued forward, he could sense how majestic the mountain was. All the plants and vegetation were deep red, and even blood-colored rivers and streams were visible. His Immortal Eternal Life Skill was thrilled, and as he gazed at a distant blood-red waterfall, the feeling of being summoned by it grew stronger.

The summons stirred his Immortal Eternal Life Skill, calling to him, making him feel as if he were becoming a giant. "Holy Land!" Yan Xiaobao didn't even realize what he was doing as he walked to the edge of the blood waterfall he had just discovered, immediately sensing the powerful Blood Qi. For him, Blood Qi was very important for replenishing his life energy.

Taking a deep breath, he felt invigorated, and just as he was about to start absorbing the Blood Qi, a feeling of imminent danger flooded him. He instantly recoiled, causing a surge of heat to echo from where he had been standing.

A beam of scarlet light, almost like Sword Qi, had slashed at that spot. Surrounding plants and vegetation wobbled from the explosion, carving out a massive gouge in the ground.

"Eee?" someone said. Then, a young man emerged from the blood waterfall. His whole body was red, and as he stared at Yan Xiaobao, there was a cold arrogance to him. "Leave me be. You are not allowed to enter this area!"

Yan Xiaobao immediately recognized the young man. It was Song Que. After issuing the command, he swiftly turned and walked back to the blood waterfall, where he sat cross-legged.

"So, this fool is here," Yan Xiaobao thought. "Hmph. What makes you think you're so special? Back in the Fallen Sword World, you cried to your mom and dad when I defeated you. Just wait until I make a name for myself in the Blood Stream Sect, I'll teach you a thing or two. Hmph!" he thought, sure that he would find an opportunity to call Song Junwan 'big sister' in front of Song Que, which would surely be humiliating![1. In this passage, the word Yan Xiaobao uses to insult Song Que is a common term for "lack of wisdom," which also contains the same character as in his name "Que," creating some clever wordplay.

His eyes glowed coldly. He went to examine areas he noticed with particularly intense Blood Qi, but whenever he approached, someone would attack him and drive him away.

None of them were polite, and three even attacked him with auras full of killing intent. If he hadn't escaped quickly enough, it seemed likely he would have been killed.

Yan Xiaobao loudly complained about these people's domineering attitudes. All he wanted to do was breathe in some Blood Qi, not make a claim on their territory.

Finally, he arrived at the Middle Peak Pavilion, where new Dharma Protectors were supposed to check in. Waiting for him there was an elder in the late stage of Foundation establishment. Yan Xiaobao ascended, realizing the elder was established in the Fanda Dao Foundation, who wore a look of superiority as he took the jade pendant from Yan Xiaobao's hand. Then he handed him a new identity badge, along with a deep red piece of jade.

"That jade contains the secret magic of Middle Peak, the Blood Annihilation World. If you don't understand the methods of cultivation, you can attend one of the monthly training sessions managed by the principal elders. Asking questions about the Dao requires spending some merits, but if you have no merits, you can always request a personal audience with an elder.

"As for your Immortal Cave, we currently have 37 vacant Dharma Protectors. Choose whichever one you like. If you don't like what you see, and you believe you are strong enough, you can simply take an Immortal Cave from someone else. Well, that's it, you can go now." Waving his hand, he closed his eyes in meditation.

For Yan Xiaobao, who took the two pieces of jade, everything seemed all too simple. After transmitting some divine feeling into the badge, he saw a map of Middle Peak, as well as symbols for all the Immortal Caves.

Considering the morning, he decided to simply wander around, sightseeing. By evening, he had the opportunity to inspect all the Immortal Caves within the Dharma protector areas. Those left unclaimed were actually quite decent, but compared to other occupied caves, they were quite lacking in Blood Qi.