Green Mist Sect.

Three months had passed.

While refining the Blood Origin Fruits and guarding the spiritual rice fields, Chen Tianyi's cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth layer of Spirit Gathering, only one step away from the fifth layer. He had not seen Brother Crow for three whole months. Strangely enough, Chen Tianyi found himself missing that crow he both loved and hated.

Unfortunately, after their last meeting, the crow had never appeared again. This left him feeling restless.

"Have you heard? In the mountain range at the foot of the sect, there's a first-grade demon beast—an unusually bold crow. It actually stole a spiritual fruit that Senior Brother Jiang discovered."

"That crow really has guts, daring to snatch something from Senior Brother Jiang. Although Jiang is only at Spirit Gathering, he's a genuine second-grade alchemist with a boundless future. Even the elders treat him with respect. Now he's offering a huge reward to find that crow. It won't live much longer."

"Exactly. Several elders have even been alerted. They want to do Jiang a favor. Once they locate the crow, it's dead for sure."

"..."

Hearing the passing disciples' discussion, Chen Tianyi froze. He naturally knew who Senior Brother Jiang was—one of the most influential figures in the Green Mist Sect and the prized disciple of the Alchemy Hall Master.

"Not good… Brother Crow is in danger!"

Chen Tianyi grew worried. If anyone else discovered the crow's whereabouts, it would surely face the entire Green Mist Sect's pursuit. He decided to leave the sect and search for Brother Crow, warning it to leave the Green Mist Sect's territory immediately.

At dusk, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. Even as a crow, his appearance was exceptionally majestic. After refining a second-grade spiritual fruit, his cultivation had finally broken through from the peak of the ninth layer of Spirit Awakening to the first layer of Spirit Gathering.

As he stretched his body, he spotted a familiar figure nearby.

"Is that the foolish kid?"

Su Chen saw Chen Tianyi not far away, seemingly searching for something.

"Brother Crow… Brother Crow…"

Su Chen found it strange. Was the "Brother Crow" Chen Tianyi looking for him?

Seeing the young man's anxious expression, Su Chen flew down.

Chen Tianyi tensed when he saw a black figure approaching. It was a large demon beast—at least second-grade. But the moment he clearly saw the figure, he recognized it as the Brother Crow he had been desperately searching for.

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As the crow landed on a nearby tree, Chen Tianyi hurriedly said, "Brother Crow, Brother Crow! Something terrible has happened!"

Su Chen: "?"

Memories buried deep in his mind stirred faintly.

Chen Tianyi continued, "Brother Crow, you've offended Senior Brother Jiang. He's an alchemist and has posted a massive bounty to find you. Even the elders of the Green Mist Sect have gotten involved!"

Seeing the crow remain unmoved, Chen Tianyi slapped his own forehead.

What was he doing, talking about the Green Mist Sect, Senior Brother Jiang, alchemists, and elders to a crow? Even if it had gained some intelligence, it probably couldn't understand him.

He tried again: "Brother Crow, you need to leave this place quickly. Go somewhere else. People are searching for you everywhere. If they find you, they'll kill you!"

Su Chen looked at Chen Tianyi. He studied this foolish young man.

Chen Tianyi came from the Green Mist Sect. From Su Chen's observations, the sect had Spirit Sea realm experts, while most elders were at the Spirit Vein realm. The Green Mist Sect was hunting him, yet Chen Tianyi had come to warn him.

Su Chen gave the young man one last glance, then flapped his wings and flew away.

Chen Tianyi watched the black figure disappear into the distance, a trace of melancholy in his heart. He knew he might never see Brother Crow again. Even with Jiang's heavy bounty, he did not regret letting the crow go.

"Still… how long has it been? Brother Crow seems to have already reached second-grade…"

Only then did the realization hit him. When he first met the crow, it had been an ordinary bird with no cultivation. Days later, it had become a first-grade demon beast. Now, it had advanced to second grade. Such rapid progress was simply terrifying. Among humans, perhaps only the heirs of great kings could compare.

"I wonder what kind of crow Brother Crow actually is. How can it cultivate so fast?"

Chen Tianyi thought to himself.

Su Chen returned to his territory. All the demon beasts in the surrounding area had already been slaughtered by him. Recalling Chen Tianyi's words, he thought back to the brocade-robed youth whose second-grade spiritual fruit he had stolen half a month ago.

That youth was most likely the Senior Brother Jiang that Chen Tianyi had mentioned—a genius of the Green Mist Sect. Now, because of a single second-grade spiritual fruit, the other party wanted revenge.

Humans die for wealth, birds die for food.

He was a bird now. How could he possibly let a second-grade spiritual fruit slip away?

"The Green Mist Sect… is becoming a nuisance," Su Chen sighed softly.

His cultivation had now broken into the Spirit Gathering realm, and he could use many of his techniques. Even with an ordinary bloodline, he could fight above his level. However, a crow's bloodline was simply too weak. No matter how many methods he employed, crossing two major realms was still impossible.

Su Chen decided to abandon this territory and head deeper into the mountain range. That area was far more dangerous, filled with stronger demon beasts, but it also offered greater opportunities and faster development.

Kill monsters, level up, seize fortunes. Simple and straightforward.

...

Three years had passed since their parting.

During these three years, Chen Tianyi had changed dramatically. He often dreamed of chasing after a certain crow. It was not because he was overly sentimental. Rather, whenever he dreamed of that crow, his cultivation speed would increase tenfold compared to normal.

After discovering this, Chen Tianyi was shocked. He resolved to stop slacking off and began cultivating diligently. In one year, he became a genius among his peers. In two years, he caught up to the elders' personal disciples. By the third year, he showed signs of competing for the title of the Green Mist Sect's number one genius.

Chen Tianyi had become a legendary figure within the sect. Today, the Green Mist Sect was joining several other major sects to organize a demon-hunting assembly.

The purpose was twofold: to temper their own disciples and to deal with the growing problem in the mountain range. For unknown reasons, more and more demon beasts had been migrating from the inner region to the outer region. The increasing numbers had begun disrupting the sects' interests and supply chains. Thus, they took this chance to clear out some of the outer threats.