319: Chapter 319 Buddhist Cultivation Cooperation

Inside the shop was a middle-aged man with a long beard wearing robes; he looked up and glanced at Ye Jing.

He said perfunctorily, "A Cultivator? Show your spiritual power and register your Rank here."

Ye Jing looked up and directly displayed his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Then he said, "Loose Cultivator, Hu Da."

Seeing that he was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the shop owner's eyes immediately lit up, and he hurriedly said respectfully, "So it is a Foundation Establishment Immortal Master who has graced us with his presence. My apologies for the lack of hospitality!"

Since the person was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the shop owner didn't find it strange; he simply registered it on paper and then brought out a gilded Command Token, upon which the fake name Ye Jing had given automatically appeared.

Ye Jing handed five Low-Grade Spirit Stones to the shopkeeper, who then handed the Command Token to Ye Jing, not forgetting to give a reminder.

"Senior! Holding this Jade Token, you can freely enter and exit Jinshan City for three days. You must not fight within the city, and you must not trespass into the Buddhist Cultivator Forbidden Grounds. Violators will have their passage tokens revoked and be handed over to the Golden Light Courtyard for disposal."

Ye Jing took the Command Token and casually tucked it into his robes. Then, his gaze fell upon several small wooden plaques hanging behind the shopkeeper. One of them read, "Seeking one Mid-stage Foundation Establishment individual to accompany a team to Ruan Mountain to hunt a Three-Tailed Dark Fox and obtain spirit soul lingzhi."

spirit soul lingzhi? Ye Jing was stunned; he seemed to remember that spirit soul lingzhi was one of the spiritual materials for refining the golden core breaking pill.

The surrounding wooden plaques were all tasks for cooperating to obtain Rank 2 spirit mines and the like, with the requirement being nothing more than Foundation Establishment strength.

Seeing Ye Jing looking at the wooden plaques behind him, the shop owner smiled and said, "This is the task board set up by the Buddhist Cultivator of the Buddha Realm. It allows Loose Cultivators to take on tasks, and the rewards are quite substantial!"

Ye Jing's fingertips paused slightly. His face remained as indifferent as a Loose Cultivator's, but a glint of light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

The golden core breaking pill was the key Medicinal Pill for breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core. If he wanted to Breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, the golden core breaking pill was indispensable.

"What is the reward for this task of hunting the Three-Tailed Dark Fox?"

Ye Jing intentionally lowered his voice, acting like a greedy Loose Cultivator. His gaze swept over the wooden plaque repeatedly, not missing a line of extremely faint Buddhist runes in the corner of the plaque.

Those were the unique marks of the Buddha Realm Cultivators; it seemed this task was indeed issued by Buddhist Cultivator.

The shop owner hurriedly leaned in, his face piled with a fawning smile. "Immortal Master has good eyes! This task was commissioned by the Buddhist Cultivator of the Golden Light Courtyard. The reward is ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, plus three Nerving-Calming Pills.

If you can also bring back the Three-Tailed Dark Fox's inner core, you can get an extra defensive Talisman drawn by a Buddhist Cultivator. That's a good item that can withstand a single blow from the Early Stage Golden Core!"

As he spoke, he lowered his voice even further and added, "I heard that Ruan Mountain is just a hundred li outside Jinshan City. Although the Three-Tailed Dark Fox is a Peak Rank 2 Yao Beast and is good at hiding and ambushing, you are a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Senior. With the cooperation of the Buddhist Cultivator, you will surely be able to take it down!"

"Is this task a cooperation with Buddhist Cultivator?" Ye Jing was taken aback.

Moreover, with a reward of ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones—Ye Jing knew that one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was worth a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones—and the effects of the Nerving-Calming Pill being helpful for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's cultivation, it was an excellent reward.

This reward was comparable to a year's worth of income for the Qingyun Sect.

The shop owner hurriedly said, "Yes, the one who issued the task is a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Grand Mage. The rest are a few Mages, and that Buddhist Cultivator is even at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage!"

Ye Jing thought to himself, a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Buddhist Cultivator leading the team?

However, he truly did not want to miss out on this spirit soul lingzhi, so he thought about accepting the task first and then playing it by ear.

"I'll take this task."

The shop owner's eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly took out a yellowed piece of paper from under the counter. On it was a simple contract pattern drawn with cinnabar, along with several lines of writing—it was the task details.

"Immortal Master, please wait a moment while I register you. The Buddhist Cultivator from the Golden Light Courtyard are gathering at the ancient temple in the west of the city, and they have agreed to set out tomorrow morning. You take this Contract Talisman there, and they will recognize you."

Ye Jing took the Contract Talisman and put it into his Storage Pouch.

After Ye Jing left, the shop owner's fawning smile vanished, and he only sighed, "You can't blame me."

One should know that among the Loose Cultivators who took on tasks arranged by these Buddhist Cultivator, only a very small number could return alive. And it just so happened that the one who set this task was the tyrannical Wu Yuan.

"Good luck to you," the shop owner sighed.

The next day.

Ye Jing followed the agreement and arrived at the meeting place mentioned by the shop owner.

The ancient temple in the west of the city was built against a mountain. The incense was sparse, and the temple gates were tightly shut. Two Buddhist Cultivator holding Monster-Subduing Pestles stood at the entrance, their expressions solemn.

Ye Jing stepped forward and showed the Contract Talisman. The two Buddhist Cultivator glanced at it and stepped aside expressionlessly. "Mage Wu Yuan is waiting in the hall. Go in quickly."

Inside was a thin, middle-aged Buddhist Cultivator. His hands were pressed together, and his face carried a hint of warmth, truly giving off the sense of compassion associated with a monk in Ye Jing's memory.

The spiritual power around him carried a slight sense of pressure and looked like it should not be underestimated.

In a corner of the hall stood two other Loose Cultivators, a man and a woman, both at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

"Amitabha, this must be Immortal Master Hu Da, correct?"

He pressed his hands together, his voice gentle yet carrying the spiritual pressure unique to a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

"This poor monk is Wu Yuan. I thank you, Immortal Master, for being willing to lend your assistance this time."

Ye Jing nodded slightly, still maintaining the indifferent appearance of a Loose Cultivator. He intentionally hunched his back and spoke in a coarse voice, "You are too polite, Mage."

His gaze inconspicuously swept over the other two Loose Cultivators in the hall—the man was dressed in grey cloth martial attire with a long sword hanging at his waist. The thick callouses on his palms from years of holding a blade were clearly visible, and his eyes were alert as he sized up everyone present.

The woman wore a light green dress with a jade hairpin in her hair. She looked fragile, but faint spiritual power fluctuations swirled around her fingertips. She occasionally glanced at Wu Yuan with a hint of undetectable wariness in her expression.

An undetectable cold sneer flashed through the depths of Wu Yuan's eyes, but his face became even more gentle.

He didn't forget to introduce them: "This is He Yu, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator. This is Lin Dan, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Spell Cultivator.

For this trip to Ruan Mountain to hunt the Three-Tailed Dark Fox, the four of us must work together with one heart."

Ye Jing nodded and gave his fake name, considering it an introduction.

"Since everyone is here, let us set out immediately. Ruan Mountain is a hundred li from here; we need to arrive before noon. At that time, the Three-Tailed Dark Fox is usually resting in its cave, which is the best time for hunting."

While giving instructions, Wu Yuan put away his Buddhist beads and was the first to fly into the air riding a Green Lion.

Seeing that the Green Lion was only a First-Order Mid-Stage Spirit Beast and had an extremely docile appearance, Ye Jing couldn't help but wonder if this monk was a beast tamer.

The four left the ancient temple, with Wu Yuan leading the way at a very high speed.

Zhao Hu and Lin Yue followed closely behind, while Ye Jing deliberately lagged at the back, controlling a very Low Grade spirit sword while secretly observing his surroundings.

Before long, the four arrived at the foot of Ruan Mountain. Wu Yuan flipped off the Green Lion and raised his hand to sacrifice a string of pitch-black Buddhist beads. The beads floated in the air, emitting a faint golden light.

"Amitabha. The Three-Tailed Dark Fox is good at hiding. This poor monk's 'demon locking bead' can detect its aura. Everyone, follow me."

As he spoke, the Buddhist beads slowly flew forward, guiding the way.

He Yu was the first to follow, his sword unsheathed by half an inch, its cold light flashing. "Mage, since this Three-Tailed Dark Fox is a Peak Rank 2 Yao Beast and is good at ambushing, shouldn't we set up a Formation?"

Lin Dan also agreed, "Yes! Mage Wu Yuan, I am skilled in Talismans and can set up a Demon-Trapping Talisman Formation to trap its movements. That way, the hunt will be more secure."

The corners of Wu Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. "There is no need. Although the Three-Tailed Dark Fox is strong, with this poor monk here, plus the help of you three Immortal Masters, it will be enough to take it down.

The spirit soul lingzhi needs to be kept intact. Setting up a Formation would be too violent and might damage the spiritual material."