"Si-Sixty stalks of Frigid Ice Grass?"

"There's actually sixty!"

"So Lu Changsheng, on his own, found more than all five of us combined..."

Disbelief flickered across their faces. Lu Changsheng's combat strength was one thing, but beating all of them in gathering Frigid Ice Grass, despite their long experience in the Ancient Region, was far harder to accept.

Liu Yan cleared his throat. "A-Alright, pool everything so we can tally it up."

They gathered all the Frigid Ice Grass, including the ten stalks taken from the Five Peaks Squad, and counted the total.

"One hundred and forty-one stalks in total," Liu Yuan declared. "According to the rules, each person keeps the contribution points for what they personally found. As for the ten stalks from the Five Peaks Squad, I propose we give them all to Lu Changsheng. Without him, we would not have had the chance to search Maple Leaf Valley safely. His contribution outweighs ours."

Everyone nodded in agreement, so Liu Yuan gathered a portion from the pile and handed it over. "Lu Changsheng, seventy stalks. These are yours."

Lu Changsheng took them without hesitation. He had earned them, and at the moment he needed contribution points badly to exchange for Dao Comprehension Pills. Seventy stalks at 1,000 contribution points each came to 70,000 contribution points total. The only drawback was that his status as a true inheritor scion no longer granted him double contribution points here in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. Still, 70,000 was more than enough.

Beyond the Frigid Ice Grass, he had also obtained a Teleportation Talisman and an additional Dao Comprehension Pill. For his first operation in the Ancient Region, the returns had exceeded expectations.

After settling everything, Liu Yan said, "We've gained quite a lot from this trip. Time to head back."

So the Heavenly Lin Squad set off, their spirits noticeably lighter as they returned to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.

Back at the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, Lu Changsheng went straight to exchange for Dao Comprehension Pills. Here, a single pill cost 5,000 contribution points. He spent 60,000 to take twelve, and with the one pill seized from the Five Peaks Squad, he now held thirteen Dao Comprehension Pills.

A hint of excitement flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Thirteen pills. How far will these push my Domains?

At present, he had yet to push the Sense Domain, Wave Domain, Storm Domain, and Waterfall Domain to Perfection. Among those, the Sense Domain had already surpassed forty percent, so naturally, it would yield the greatest immediate returns if he focused his efforts on it.

However, Sense Domain was something he used and refined every day, steadily improving even without the aid of pills. With his level of Perception, getting it to Perfection was only a matter of time. As such, using Dao Comprehension Pills on it would be a waste.

The other three Domains were a different matter. All three required learning from nature: storms, waterfalls, waves. Even with pills in hand, he would need the right terrain to facilitate his contemplation.

With that in mind, Lu Changsheng sought out Liu Yuan.

"Captain, is there anywhere nearby with storms, waterfalls, or waves? All three of my remaining Domains involve learning from nature. I need the right places to gain insights."

"Hmm... Waves would be a little difficult." Liu Yuan stroked his chin. "The Ancient Region has an ocean, but that place is somewhat special. Storms and waterfalls, though, aren't hard to find. Are you planning to take the path of contemplating heaven and earth to elevate your heart?"

"Yes. I spent most of my contribution points on Dao Comprehension Pills. Using them to contemplate my Domains is the same as contemplating heaven and earth, two birds with one stone. And in the Ancient Region, contemplating heaven and earth is considerably easier."

Liu Yuan nodded, then paused, turning something over in his mind. "You're still new to the Ancient Region. You're strong, alright, but if you run into someone at the Divine Treasury Realm or an Immortal Master, you'll be in grave danger. Why don't I go with you? Whether you want to cultivate through storms or waterfalls, it makes no difference to me."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Then I'll be counting on you, Captain."

Liu Yuan had always been a kind-hearted person. Once someone became part of his team, he would go out of his way to look after them. It was precisely why the others held him in such high regard, even though his raw strength was not vastly superior to theirs. Even Lu Changsheng, whose abilities surpassed his, accepted his leadership without the slightest resistance.

"Hold on," Liu Yuan added, as though he had just remembered something. "We can't leave the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect just yet. We'll need to wait a while first, to be safe." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What do you mean?"

"Lu Changsheng, you wiped out the entire Five Peaks Squad," Liu Yuan said with a lopsided grin. "Did you think that would come without consequences? The Five Peaks Squad wasn't just any team. They are one of the supreme Divine Fortification squads in the Ancient Region Yellow Heavenly Sect, and many of them have deep ties to the upper ranks. Xu Haoran, in particular, had strong connections.

"To put it plainly, as an organization, the Yellow Heavenly Sect may not be able to act against us for eliminating the Five Peaks Squad. But certain individuals within it, Divine Treasury Realm experts who had people they cared about in Five Peaks Squad, will see it very differently. Think about what they might do."

Lu Changsheng nodded. Take a life, and sooner or later, someone stronger would come seeking revenge. He had grown intimately familiar with that pattern in the jianghu of the Da Yu Dynasty.

At the end of the day, it was only human nature. If someone close to Lu Changsheng were killed, he would chase the culprit to the ends of the earth. Back on the Northern Region Battlefield, when his teammates fell, he had endured a full year in silence before finally taking Tian Xin's head in vengeance.

The current situation was the same. Xu Haoran and the Five Peaks Squad had been well connected. It would not be surprising if Divine Treasury Realm martial artists came after Lu Changsheng and the Heavenly Lin Squad.

"Then how long are we supposed to wait?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Not long. Ten to fifteen days should be enough. I'll let you know when it's safe to move."

"Understood."

In the meantime, Lu Changsheng would focus on contemplating his Sense Domain and put some effort into practicing his martial techniques as well. His Perception had been rising at a slower rate as of late, and that was worth addressing.

***

While Lu Changsheng kept a low profile and waited for the aftermath of the battle to settle, news of the Five Peaks Squad's elimination spread rapidly throughout the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. It set the entire sect buzzing.

"Unbelievable! The Heavenly Lin Squad wiped out the Five Peaks Squad? Even Xu Haoran is dead?! Since when did they get this strong?"

"Exactly. Last time, the Five Peaks Squad nearly wiped the Heavenly Lin Squad out entirely. How did things turn around so completely?"

"Xu Haoran has five layers of divine fortification, with an eightyfold physical enhancement, and possibly an Immortal Dao secret treasure on top of that. Who could have killed someone like that?"

"I heard it was a new member of the Heavenly Lin Squad named Lu Changsheng. He's a true inheritor scion from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect who had just arrived at the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. Apparently, he killed Xu Haoran himself and took out the whole squad single-handedly."

"Lu... Changsheng? Never heard of him. But if he really is a true inheritor scion from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, I suppose this whole story is plausible."

"The Northern Region Heavenly Sect hasn't sent a true inheritor scion in years, but every one of them has been exceptionally gifted. Most eventually advanced to the Divine Treasury Realm."

In no time, the whole sect was talking about the Heavenly Lin Squad and Lu Changsheng. Some claimed they had seen him in person, while others had only heard his name in passing. Whatever rumours were circulating, most people only knew fragments of who he truly was.

Regardless, his identity as a true inheritor scion from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect spread quickly, carried along by the simple fact of what he had done. Slaying Xu Haoran marked him as one of the most supreme Divine Fortification martial artists in the Ancient Region, a future Divine Treasury expert, someone most disciples could only look up to from a distance.

He had been at the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect for less than a month, and he was already known throughout the entire sect. The news rippled outward from there, spreading beyond the sect's walls and into the wider Ancient Region. With it, the Heavenly Lin Squad's reputation rose as well, placing them among the strongest teams operating on the outer fringes of the Ancient Region.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed by in a hurry. Lu Changsheng pulled up his status panel to review his condition.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 4300 (Praised by All)

[Skills]

Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting, 12 years, 8 months

Heart Sword True Mantra: Progress 40% (Heart Sword)

Wave Domain: Progress 1%

Storm Domain: Progress 12%

Sense Domain: Progress 44%

Starry Sky Domain: Perfection (Not Transformed)

Waterfall Domain: Progress 5%

His Perception sat at just over four thousand. It crept upward every month, but ten thousand still felt far out of reach. Unfortunately, there was no rushing it. On the bright side, however, he still had plenty of martial techniques left to practice, and beyond those, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect held even more.

At his current level, though, sheer training would no longer bring meaningful results. Half a month, several months, even a year of grinding would move the needle very little, and his combat strength had barely shifted at all.

As for cultivation, that hinged on heart force. Without even testing it, Lu Changsheng knew his heart scale reading was almost certainly still forty-eight.

In this regard, Lu Changsheng was facing the same struggle as many other Divine Fortification martial artists. For many of them at this level, relying on sheer training alone would only raise their heart force by one or two points over an entire year.

That being said, he was not simply training hard. He was waiting—waiting to use the thirteen Dao Comprehension Pills in his possession.

"Lu Changsheng!" Liu Yuan arrived just then, greeting him with a smile. "It's been half a month. I bet you got tired of waiting."

Lu Changsheng met Liu Yuan's gaze, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "I take it we can head out now?"

Liu Yuan nodded. "Yup, should be safe enough. It's been half a month and the Yellow Heavenly Sect hasn't really made any moves. We're heading to Jade Pool Mountain this time. There's a large Jade Pool Waterfall there, ideal for contemplating your Waterfall Domain."

"Alright. Let's go."

Liu Yuan added, "We're not going as the Heavenly Lin Squad, though. It'll just be the two of us. This is a private undertaking, not an official squad mission."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Roger that."

And just like that, the two of them left the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and headed toward Jade Pool Mountain.