"It’s been a week since I arrived at this place, but I could’ve arrived two weeks earlier. I’m surprised it took you this long to become a cultivator, considering you already memorized the cultivation technique," Yuan said. Ji Ran scratched his head in an embarrassed manner and admitted, "Honestly, I was taken aback by life in the Bamboo Garden and needed some time to adjust. I also failed my first quotas, which slowed me down a little. Although I was the Sect Leader, I have never actually stepped foot inside the Bamboo Garden until recently." Ji Ran was a genius who entered the Immortal Monastery through the entrance examination, so he didn’t know what life was like for those who had to enter the sect through the Bamboo Forest. Although he’d heard of them before, he never paid any attention to them. After all, those who entered the sect through the Bamboo Forest were considered trash and not worth his attention. However, after experiencing the Bamboo Forest himself, Ji Ran had come to acknowledge—even respect those who had to endure such a life for many years just to become a disciple of the Immortal Monastery. "What are your plans now?" Yuan asked Ji Ran a moment later. "I am going to focus on my cultivation for now. We only have ten years to become an Inner Court disciple," he replied. "While it’s shorter than the 30 years we’re supposed to get, we get more cultivation resources here, so it kind of balances out." "What about you, Young Master?" "I will focus my cultivation for a little before I turn my focus to acquiring points," said Yuan. "Points, huh? Now that you mention it, it might be better to focus on points since it has so many uses, and I can even speed up my cultivation with it," Ji Ran muttered. "However, it’s not easy earning points, and I don’t even know where to begin." "You can earn points by selling magical beast materials, especially their cores," Yuan revealed. "Wait… there’s only one place with magical beasts accessible by Outer Court disciples. Have you already gone to the Hunting Grounds?" Ji Ran looked at Yuan with wide eyes. Yuan nodded in acknowledgment. "How strong are the magical beasts?" Ji Ran then asked. "The weakest magical beast you’ll find is at the fifth level of Spirit Apprentice." "Fifth level?! But you’ve only just become a cultivator recently! Did you somehow retain your original body and talents?" Ji Ran exclaimed with a shocked face. "No, but I did purchase a Golden Spirit Pill with my points." "How many points did that cost you?" "7,500." "That’s too expensive… I only have a little over a thousand," Ji Ran sighed. After chatting for a little longer, Ji Ran left to visit the point store while Yuan returned home to continue his cultivation. Two weeks later, Yuan finally finished absorbing all of the spiritual energy from the monster core. However, he was only able to breakthrough a single level, reaching the third level Spirit Apprentice, and he was barely able to do so. Although he still had five spirit stones, Yuan decided to save them just in case. Since he had the capability to hunt magical beasts and monster cores, he wasn’t desperate for cultivation resources. After taking a shower and filling his stomach, Yuan headed back to the Hunting Grounds for another hunting session. As he approached the entrance, his eyes fell on someone exiting the area. It was Ji Ran, and his appearance was nothing short of pitiful. His clothes were tattered and roughed up, and his body was smeared with blood, giving the impression that he had been through a brutal ordeal. "Y-Young Master…" Ji Ran almost instinctively hid his face after encountering Yuan. "You don’t look so good," Yuan teased with a smile. He sighed, "I thought I would be able to hunt magical beasts since you were able to do it. However, even with my experience, there’s no point if my body doesn’t listen to me. I will need to temper my body before I can even think about returning to this place." "Good luck, Young Master." Not wanting to linger with his appearance, Ji Ran hastily left the scene. Yuan entered the Hunting Grounds shortly after. The sect elder watching the entrance noticed him but didn’t say anything. Once inside the Hunting Grounds, Yuan wasted no time looking for magical beasts. However, even though he was confident in his abilities, there were certain magical beasts that he actively avoided, especially the agile ones. "Oh? To find a monster core this quickly, how lucky," Yuan muttered to himself after getting a monster core on his first kill. After gathering the materials, Yuan continued his hunt. This time, he was prepared to stay inside the Hunting Grounds until his spatial ring could no longer store any more materials. A week later, after averaging 10 to 15 kills a day, Yuan finally filled his spatial ring to capacity with magical beast materials. Just as he was preparing to head back to the sect, he sensed a presence approaching him. The individual made no attempt to conceal their presence, which kept Yuan from feeling overly alarmed. However, his cautious nature kept him on alert, ready to react if necessary. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" a feminine voice rang out. Yuan turned around to face the source of the voice and saw a beautiful young woman approaching him. When he saw her face, his eyes widened with surprise. Stay updated through freewebnovel 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Meanwhile, the young woman frowned deeply upon seeing Yuan. "I knew it," she said, her tone sharp but laced with confusion. "I thought I was seeing things, but it really is you. What are you doing wearing the Outer Court’s uniform? And why are you still in the sect? I thought you had already left to prepare for your Core Disciple examination long ago. Hm? Disciple Tian Yang?" "Elder Sun…?" Yuan muttered her name subconsciously, his voice filled with disbelief. This young woman wasn’t just any sect member—she was Elder Sun, a sect elder and someone Tian Yang was deeply familiar with, as she had saved his life on multiple occasions in the past.