Volume One, Chapter Thirteen: Chapter Twelve – Venturing Out for Experience (Part Three)

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They were currently holding the Gale Rabbits captive, preventing them from returning to their burrows until Gu Sijun and Gu Silin finished harvesting the Gale Grass.

Just as Gu Mingxi and the others had worn down the Gale Rabbits and were growing impatient, wanting to return to the burrows, Gu Sijun and Gu Silin finally appeared.

Gu Sijun signaled to Gu Mingxi and the others that the harvesting was complete.

On this side, Gu Mingxi and the others exchanged glances, sharing information as they prepared to act.

Gu Mingxi immediately took out a level-three confinement array plate, trapping all the Gale Rabbits within the formation.

Gu Mingyue wiped the sweat from her forehead and said to Gu Mingxi, “This array plate is really handy. I should check if I have any talent for formations later.”

Gu Mingxi smiled and replied, “Among the four arts of cultivation, only formations remain to be learned by me. I haven’t studied them yet, but once this mission is over, I’ll definitely learn. Formations are absolutely essential for traveling.”

Amid their lighthearted conversation, they had already finished off the Gale Rabbits.

When they examined their spoils, they found they had harvested a total of four hundred Gale Grass plants but only sixty-five Gale Rabbits, far below the quota required to submit the mission. So, they needed to continue searching for beasts within the vast Ten Thousand Mountains.

Since Gu Mingxi had the highest cultivation level among the ten of them, he was naturally regarded as their squad leader. The surplus Gale Grass was entrusted to him for distribution among the group.

Gu Mingxi said, “We have one hundred extra Gale Grass plants. Dividing them evenly among the ten of us means each person gets ten.”

After distributing the extra Gale Grass, they wasted no time and resumed their search for beasts.

Over the next three days, they managed to find several beasts. However, because there were so many of them, hunting the beasts proved too easy and failed to provide the challenge they needed for real experience.

After some thought, Gu Mingxi spoke up, “There are too many of us together, and the beasts we're hunting are too low-level. It’s too easy and doesn’t fulfill our purpose of gaining experience. I suggest we split into pairs. What do you all think?”

The others had noticed this as well but hadn’t voiced it yet. Hearing Gu Mingxi’s suggestion, they readily agreed. So, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue paired up for the next part of their journey.

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Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue casually chose a direction and hadn’t gone far before encountering a beast: a level-one peak Fire Phoenix.

Gu Mingxi said to Gu Mingyue, “This level-one peak Fire Phoenix is equivalent to our human peak Qi Refining stage. If we work together, plus some minor aids, we should be able to handle it. Shall we engage?”

Gu Mingyue responded enthusiastically, “We’ve both studied swordsmanship in the family for so long; it’s about time we put it into practice. There’s no real danger, so let’s just do it.”

Gu Mingxi smiled and said, “Just what I was thinking!”

They exchanged a glance and moved simultaneously, flanking the Fire Phoenix from left and right, catching it completely off guard.

Although the Fire Phoenix was attacked unexpectedly, it quickly recovered and began to fight back.

As a fire-attribute beast, the Fire Phoenix had an elemental advantage. According to the principle of mutual restraint among the Five Elements, fire beasts are best countered by water or ice attributes. Unfortunately, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue were respectively fire and lightning attribute cultivators, so neither held an advantage. They had to rely on brute force.

The Fire Phoenix counterattacked, knocking both Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue back to their original positions. Gu Mingxi signaled to Gu Mingyue to target the beast’s eyes. Gu Mingyue quickly understood and nodded.

They struck simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, blinding the Fire Phoenix by piercing its eyes.

As a level-one beast, it had not yet developed spiritual awareness, so losing its sight meant it could only rely on scent to locate them.

Taking advantage of the Fire Phoenix’s confusion, they delivered a final blow, killing it instantly.

Though it was their first time fighting side by side, they demonstrated remarkable coordination.

After the battle, Gu Mingyue said to Gu Mingxi, “This Cloud Spirit Sword Technique is really effective. I even felt my mastery deepen during the fight.”

Gu Mingxi nodded, “Indeed!”

In the days that followed, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue consciously practiced employing the Cloud Spirit Sword Technique during combat.

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They paid little attention to whether they had hunted enough beasts, treating the mission purely as a training experience until both Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue had fully mastered the three forms of the Cloud Spirit Sword Technique.

Only after integrating all three forms did they truly appreciate the technique’s charm.

No wonder the Cloud Spirit Sword Technique had remained the Gu family’s foundational sword art for generations—it was truly exquisite.

Gu Mingxi now understood why Elder Seven called it the family’s foundational sword technique: it contained no additional elemental attributes or special functions, just pure, fundamental sword moves.

Gu Mingxi had once considered pursuing dual cultivation of swordsmanship and elemental arts, and this Cloud Spirit Sword Technique would give her a solid foundation in swordsmanship early on.

In a previous life, Gu Mingxi had heard the saying, “The greatest truths are the simplest.” This sword technique embodied that philosophy. Perhaps she could rely on it to reach the entry level of sword mastery.

During this period of training, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue became very proficient at handling beasts.

Skinning and deboning became routine; after all, beasts were treasure troves. Many parts could be utilized—bones for forging implements, blood for drawing talismans, meat for consumption and crafting into spiritual cuisine.

Just recently, Gu Mingxi and Gu Mingyue had taken down a porcupine, which was especially prized by spiritual chefs for its tender meat that became delicious with minimal cooking.

They cooperated seamlessly: Gu Mingxi prepared the porcupine meat while Gu Mingyue prepared the marinade.

They had both roasted meat over these days, but Gu Mingyue’s cooking yielded tastier results, so she took on the role of chief roaster going forward.

While Gu Mingxi worked on the beast, Gu Mingyue also prepared a pot of mushroom soup.

The aroma of the soup made Gu Mingxi swallow hard and quicken her pace, soon slicing the porcupine meat into thin, even pieces.