Zhao and Di stopped on a flat boulder at the top of the western peak of Xianglu Peak, in front of them was a colorful garden full of flowers and birdsong, occasionally with a few wisps of cloud drifting through the garden, making the scenery appear and disappear.

  "This is an illusion array set up by that old man Ma. If you walk in directly like this, you will be trapped by the array."

  "Hmm, lets just transmit sound then." Zhao nodded in agreement, he also saw that the scenery of this garden wasnt real.

  Jian Xiner took out a transmission talisman, whispered a few words to it, and then threw it into the garden. The transmission talisman drew a red light, and after entering the garden, it disappeared without a trace.

  After a moment, the garden was filled with a flash of spiritual light, and the scenery changed greatly. The fresh flowers, insects, and birds were gone, replaced by a gigantic stone gate over ten zhang tall in front of the two people. On top of the gate, three large characters read "Zhi Shi Guan". The two figures flashed and entered through the gate.

  Zhao Di and the other person arrived at a grand hall, where aside from the usual wooden furniture, there was also a magnificent stone screen over 7-8 meters high with intricate patterns. There was no one in sight. After carefully observing their surroundings, Zhao Di discovered that the entire Know-it-all Pavilion was built inside the mountain peak, like an enormous cave hollowed out of the mountain, over 20 zhang high. Although sunlight couldnt penetrate into the cave, its top was embedded with seven or eight fist-sized moonstones, illuminating the entire pavilion brightly.

  Moonstone is a type of stone that monks use specifically for lighting, and it can emit light for a long time with just a small amount of spiritual energy infused into it. Zhao Di also had a few moonstones, but they were all the size of soybeans; he had never seen one as large as this before, and it must be very valuable.

  Apart from the moonstone, Zhao Di also noticed a faint fragrance wafting up from his nose, and after smelling it several times, he suddenly felt refreshed and invigorated. This scent seemed to be not ordinary sandalwood.

  Jian Xiner noticed Zhao Dis actions and explained: "This is a special incense called Mind Refreshing Incense that Master Ma brought back from a neighboring country. Its said to have a beneficial effect on the mental acuity of cultivators, and frequent use can enhance their mental clarity."

  She had already entered the Zhishi Pavilion and naturally didnt dare address him as "Old Ma" anymore.

  "Heh heh, Young Master said it well. This fragrance is only available in this one shop within the Tai Xuan Gate, theres no other branch. Would you two young masters like to buy some and try it?" A clear male voice came from behind the screen, as a bald old man in his fifties or sixties walked out, with a half-black and half-white beard that was over three inches long, but his triangular eyes were very spirited, giving people an impression of being refined and aged to perfection.

  Zhao Di looked at the fluctuations of his opponents spiritual energy, which was extremely strong, making it impossible for him to see through the specific cultivation level, and he could only judge that it must be above the early stage of foundation building. Zhao Di knew that this was the result of a huge difference in their cultivation levels.

  No need to guess, this person should be Ma Lao from Jian Xiners mouth.

  "Junior Zhao Di pays respects to Master Ma."

  Xīnér has met Master Ma before.

  When the two saw the old mans face, they all paid their respects.

  The old man waved his hand, indicating that the two of them didnt need to be too polite. Then he faced Zhao Di and said loudly: "Shan Shis nephew just sent a message saying that you are a new disciple who wants to take on an assignment, right?"

  "Yes, and I hope Master Shi can give me some guidance." Zhao Di hastily said.

  The old mans eyebrows furrowed, his face sank, and he said sternly: "The tasks for outer door disciples are assigned by the sect based on each persons talent and specialty. You only need to wait quietly for a month, and you will be given a task. There is no need to come here specially. If everyone comes to take advantage of the situation, wouldnt it be chaotic?"

  Zhaodi was taken aback by the words, looked at Jianer and saw that she had given him a signal, so he took out a piece of emerald green Ling stone from his pocket and placed it on the wooden table. Then, he bowed and said: "What Master said is absolutely right, but Im afraid that as a junior disciple with poor talent, I might not be able to handle the tasks assigned by the sect, and would instead make mistakes. So, Id like to ask Master to give me some guidance, so that I can get a task that suits my abilities."

  The old man and Jian Xiner were both stunned when Zhao Er actually took out a mid-grade spirit stone.

  Jian Xiner thought: "This fifth brother is too generous, just giving a dozen or so low-grade spirit stones would be enough, yet hes using mid-grade spirit stones."

  The old man was overjoyed, not only did his face color become more gentle, but his voice also rose several degrees: "What the young master said is reasonable too, this task assignment must also conform to each persons characteristics, in order to do the sects affairs as well as possible. I wonder what task the young master is interested in?"

  Zhao Di had already thought of this and was waiting for the old mans words. He quickly said: "The disciple wants a job that doesnt require too much time, but also has a quiet room for solo cultivation. The disciples talent is poor and can only rely on hard work and bitter practice to barely improve his cultivation. In the disciples opinion, it would be best to enter the alchemy room, assist in alchemy, and learn about alchemy. I dont know if the sect has such a job?"

  "Enter the Dan refining room? Hehe, this is a bit difficult for me. You should know that in the entire Tai Xu Gate, there is only one specialized Dan refining room, mainly used by several elders of the gate. The people there are all trusted subordinates of the elders, and theres no suitable task for a disciple like you.

  The old man thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head and replied. He glanced at the Ling stone on the table and said: "However, since you need an independent cultivation room, there is one task that meets this condition. I dont know if you have studied the way of refining equipment?"

  "Refine equipment?" Zhao Di was taken aback.

  "Not bad, we are short of a few disciples to refine instruments inside the gate. If you become one of them, not only will you have the opportunity to be guided by a dedicated instrument-refining cultivator in the foundation-building period, but each person will also be assigned an independent instrument-refining room. As long as the disciples complete their refining tasks on time, they can spend the rest of their time meditating and cultivating in the instrument-refining room." The old man felt that Zhao Di seemed to have taken an interest, so he explained it in detail one by one.

  "Refining room? Can it come with a restrictive spell array? My junior apprentices temperament is unstable, and he fears being disturbed during cultivation." Zhao Di asked. What he was most concerned about was this point, as he often used high-grade spirit stones during his cultivation. If the restrictive spell array were to be as simple as the one in the Newbie Valley Stone House, its possible that a passing high-grade cultivator would discover the massive spiritual energy of the high-grade spirit stone within the stone house, and at that time, his fate would be sealed with an interrogation.

  "Heh heh, you dont need to worry about this, young one. The restrictive spell array in the Refining Chamber is specially set up by our sect. Refining equipment and refining elixirs both require a relatively long period of time, and during this process, accidents can happen. Therefore, once the door of the Refining Chamber is closed, its as if all contact with the outside world has been severed. Only when several Nascent Soul stage elders join forces can they forcibly break in from the outside." The old man stroked his beard and smiled.

  Zhao Di heard that the ban on the alchemy room was so severe that even a cultivator in the Dan stage could be refused entry, and his heart was greatly moved. He immediately had an idea and said to the old man: "Since this is the case, I would like to take on a task as a disciple of the alchemy room, can you arrange it for me?"

  "This is easy to say, after the young master returns, he will study some classics about refining equipment, and within a month, he will get a definite arrangement." The old man saw that it was easy to satisfy the other partys request, and also earned a mid-grade wooden spirit stone, his mood was extremely good.

  "Thank you, Master Shi. Well take our leave now." Sun Shi let Xianger bid farewell to Master Shi on her behalf. Xianger saw that things were settled and prepared to leave the place. The fragrance here was indeed refreshing at first, but after a while, it made her feel drowsy instead. She didnt want to stay for long.

  "Hmph, how would that old Sun know to greet me? It must be your own idea!" The elder merely continued to fondle the emerald green spirit stone in his hand, not even lifting his head as he replied.

  Jian Xiner smiled slightly and, after exchanging a courtesy with Zhao Di, left the Zhi Shi Guan side by side.

  Jian Xiner said: "Wu Gen, in the south-facing White Deer Peak, is the location of our sects White Deer Pavilion where we store classic books. Wu Gen can go there to borrow some classics, just need to show the black token issued by the sect to enter. I have to go back and help Sun Shibo take care of the medicine garden, if that White guy reports us, we will be punished by Sun Shibo."

  "Hmm, Xianger, do you know where in the Tai Xu Gate theres a place that sells elixirs? Ive accumulated some spirit stones and want to exchange them for elixirs that are beneficial to my cultivation. Do you know where I can find such a place?" Zhao Di asked, his current stock of elixirs was almost depleted.

  "It turns out that Wu Gen Ge is really wealthy, haha. Every half year, the disciples in the sect will choose a place to hold a small-scale goods exchange meeting. The last time such a gathering just passed not long ago, Wu Gen Ge waited patiently, and when the time comes, Ill take you with me." Jian Xianger said with a smile.

  (Third update! Seeking collection and recommendation votes! Thank you for your support!)