“Brian Carter greets Senior Brother William Grant!” Brian Carter spoke respectfully, hurriedly bowing deeply. Although Senior Brother William Grant ranked fourth among the inner sect disciples, he was the most accomplished cultivator of his generation. Cold by nature and obsessed with cultivation, his talent was exceptional. He was the only second-generation disciple to have mastered the sect’s [Empty Sword], and was widely recognized as the disciple most likely, in nearly two hundred years, to master the sect’s ultimate technique, [Voidless Sword].

Just as famous as his talent and strength was his unpredictable temper. He was in charge of overseeing one of the sect’s mines, and it was said that if any of the mining slave cultivators showed the slightest disobedience, he would kill them with a single sword strike.

William Grant couldn’t be bothered to say more. He suddenly appeared behind Brian Carter, grabbed him by the collar, and soared into the air.

Although Brian Carter claimed to be the best among the outer sect disciples when it came to riding mounts, this was his first time experiencing such high-speed flight. He felt the world spinning, the wind whipping painfully against his face, making it impossible to open his eyes.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Brian Carter nearly collapsed.

“As expected, a zombie face.”

The first words Brian Carter heard after recovering from his dizziness instantly made him dislike the speaker.

A young girl in green robes was eyeing him with interest. She had a sharp, slender chin, slightly prominent cheekbones, a smile on her face, but not a trace of warmth in her eyes.

Her gaze made Brian Carter very uncomfortable, but he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. He respectfully saluted, “Greetings, Senior Sister Brooks!”

Senior Sister Emily Brooks and Senior Brother William Grant were both disciples of Uncle Master Yan Le. It was rumored that Senior Brother William Grant was infatuated with her, and it seemed the rumors were not unfounded.

“I heard your [Little Cloud and Rain Art] has reached the third level?” Emily Brooks stared at Brian Carter and asked.

“Yes!”

“Very good,” Emily Brooks said with satisfaction. “I’ll be away for a while. During this time, you’ll be in charge of tending the medicine field.”

Not giving Brian Carter a chance to object, she tossed him a jade pendant and said coolly, “This is your pass to enter the medicine field. Make it rain once a day. From today until I return, you’ll be responsible for the medicine field.”

Her tone suddenly turned harsh: “I have a bad temper, so let me warn you now—if anything goes wrong with the medicine field, I won’t let you off when I get back!”

With that, she didn’t spare Brian Carter another glance, turned to William Grant, took his arm, her smile blooming like a flower, her voice gentle as water: “Senior Brother, let’s go.”

A trace of gentleness appeared on William Grant’s face. He glanced at Brian Carter unintentionally, snorted coldly, and the two of them soared away.

Brian Carter stood there dumbfounded, clutching the jade pendant, watching the two disappear into the sky.

When you’re unlucky, even drinking cold water will get something stuck in your teeth. He never imagined his luck could be this bad.

The outer sect disciples all disliked Senior Sister Emily Brooks. She was cold and unkind, and those she ordered around never got any benefit. Her temper was just as bad as Senior Brother William Grant’s—unpredictable, and if anything displeased her, she would scold or beat you.

From start to finish, the two of them never even asked his opinion.

Brian Carter could only inwardly bemoan his fate.

Ever since he opened his eyes, he had always dealt with spirit valleys, never once tending a medicine field. Worse yet, with his cultivation, he could only perform the third level of [Little Cloud and Rain Art] once per day.

Thinking of the rain agreements he’d made with the other senior brothers, he tasted bitterness in his mouth.

There were three medicine fields in the Voidless Sword Sect. The one Senior Sister Emily Brooks was in charge of was in Cold Mist Valley. Clutching the jade pendant, Brian Carter nervously headed in the direction of Cold Mist Valley.

Cold Mist Valley lay between two peaks, shrouded in mist all year round, its temperature much lower than the rest of Voidless Mountain—hence the name. As a vital area of the sect, outer sect disciples had no right to enter. If not for Brian Carter’s [Little Cloud and Rain Art] reaching the third level, Emily Brooks would never have chosen him.

Ancient trees lined the path, lush grass covered the ground, and a faint fragrance filled the air, brimming with vitality. Occasionally, rabbits and squirrels could be seen frolicking and leaping about. But Brian Carter was in no mood to appreciate any of it. He was terrified, clutching the jade pendant, trembling as he walked with shaking legs.

Along the way, there were restrictions everywhere, some obvious, some hidden. The terrifying pressure occasionally released by some of the stronger restrictions nearly suffocated him. With his seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation, if he accidentally triggered any of these restrictions, not even his ashes would remain.

If not for his naturally zombie-like face, his complexion would surely be deathly pale by now, without a trace of blood.

Section Five: Cold Mist Valley

With the jade pendant in hand, Brian Carter safely reached the entrance of Cold Mist Valley.

The entrance was shrouded in mist, a vast expanse of white.

Brian Carter hesitated for a long time, but found no other path, so he braced himself and walked into the white mist.

As soon as he entered, the thick mist seemed to recognize him, parting automatically to reveal a small path. His spirits lifted, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a surge of envy at the sect’s methods. If one day he could wield such powers, that would be truly wonderful.

He couldn’t help but daydream.

Following the path through the mist for about half a li, the view suddenly opened up.

At the bottom of the valley, about five mu in size, all kinds of spirit herbs were planted. They came in all colors and shapes, so that from a distance, it looked as if a multicolored carpet had been laid across the valley floor. Dozens of brilliantly colored swallowtail butterflies fluttered among them, and swarms of yellow-bodied, black-striped bees busily darted back and forth.