Situation and Solution

The next morning Lloyd and Bell came to Daniels's home as agreed upon the previous day.

"It seems someone has good news to share!" Bell hinted at Lloyd who is beaming with happiness.

"Ha Ha Ha! You know it! Yesterday I managed to sense the Qi successfully" Lloyd shared the good news with a laugh.

"Congratulations! Now you don't have to feel uncomfortable being around us! Daniel, what do you think?" Bell wished Lloyd his success and turned to Daniel who is just standing there with a serious face.

Daniel turned towards them and said in a serious tone, "Don't celebrate too early!"

"What happened?" Both Lloyd and Bell asked at the same time when they sensed something wrong.

Daniel did not say anything but simple took out the book from his robes and threw it toward them

Both read the book carefully word by word.

By the end of the book, the smiles on their faces were long gone and fear became apparent.

"Is this true?" Lloyd and Bell asked for confirmation.

"Yes! It must be! There is no need for Johnny to lie to us, especially when the truth can be verified with some effort." Daniel gently nodded his head to express his opinion.

"Based on this. For successfully breaking through to the 'Early Stage of Refining Realm' we must secure an elixir or a tonic with high 'Qi' elements or we will surely fail. Is that correct?" Bell asked Daniel again to avoid any misinterpretation.

"Yes! According to it, anyone who wants to breakthrough successfully must cultivate with the help of 'Spirit Stones' or 'Qi Dan' during the critical period."Daniel also felt the crux of the entire book is that point.

All three became silent for a few minutes after knowing the problem they are about to face.

"This is a terrible situation! Where can we find the elixir that is rich in 'Qi' before the critical juncture? Even if we start gathering resources now, it will definitely take no less than a year to get them all." Lloyd couldn't see any easy way out of this.

Bell also knows purchasing those things from seniors will cost them a lot. That too only if they are willing to sell them.

"Lloyd! Why don't you ask the leader of your team for help?" Bell asked Lloyd about his connections.

Lloyd immediately put an angry face, "whose fault do you think that is?! I haven't returned the favor I owe him because of you two. Ever since that day, the relationship between us turned cold."

Bell looked away in a jiffy to avoid accountability.

Lloyd gave some angry stares to Bell then turned to Daniel, "Daniel why don't you say anything? You must have a way right?"

To the question, Daniel answer calmly, "Haven't you noticed! Johnny gave us a solution even before pointing us towards the problem"

Lloyd and Bell looked at each other for a second before a thought came to their minds.

"Are you talking about the hunt?"Bell is the first to grasp the solution.

Daniel put on a simple smile and said, "Yes! That is correct! The manual mentions the need for high 'Qi' during the breakthrough but it doesn't necessarily have to be spirit stones or treasures. We can supplement our 'Qi' requirements with monster meat instead."

After hearing Daniel's words the spirits of both of them became active.

"Yes! We can join the hunting team and score many Feathered Birds for their meat." Bell felt his thoughts are running faster after finding a solution.

"That is the best option we have right in front of us. If we utilize it properly then we can be among the first group of people who step into Refining Realm." Lloyd became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. He is the most insecure among the three because of his talent.

"Now that you mention it, how do you think others will deal with this? More importantly, will those Second Grade talents ever know what is in front of them?" Now that his troubles are cleared, Bell also started thinking about others.

"Although the information is kept among the few people now. It will eventually be known to everyone one way or another. I am guessing within five months everyone will know about this. At that time the people competing for hunting area will not be small." Daniel felt a sense of urgency after looking into the future.

Bell also thought Daniel makes a lot of sense, "Yes! You are right! I also think people will know about this in the future! More importantly, I don't think, the sect will spend so much effect to gather us all here just to abandon us completely"

"The sect will likely leave many hints for juniors after some time." Lloyd also thinks that their advantage is only short-lived.

"So, we only have a month or two to cash in on this advantage and we must not miss it. Johnny invited us for the hunt next week which marks the end of spring. We must secure enough monster meat in that hunting trip and plan for a successful breakthrough." Daniel made a clear plan for the next two months.

After a brief discussion three had lunch at the dining hall and returned to their own houses.

Under the evening sunlight, Daniel is having a break in the backyard while drinking tea.

'From my calculations, it will take another month for me to reach the bottleneck. If I can make a successful breakthrough then I can meet the deadline set by senior Rosina.' Daniel knows he wasted nearly all these two months because of a lack of connections. So he wanted to keep his options open just in case.

'But what about others, will they reach Refining Realm before me?' Daniel decided to inquire about the general situation of peak talents during the hunting time.

...

At the same time, inside the villa of an Inner sect Disciple, two people are having a conversation.

One of them is wearing Green robes while the other is wearing Orange robes. Striking thing is that they kind of look similar in many different angles.

"Luther! Why are you here at this late hour?" Orange robe went straight o the topic after pleasant greetings.

"Big Brother! I came here to give you good news." Luther put down the teacup and said this with a smile.

"Don't tell me! Did you reach the Crucial Juncture already!?" The orange robe is also a little surprised by his little brother's progress.

"Big brother eyes are like torches! I still can't hide anything from you even now!" Luther first gave a compliment and went on to say, "Yes! I finally managed to reach this step. Big Brother you promised to help me with the breakthrough before. It's time to keep your word."

"Good! Good! With Fourth Grade talent reaching this step shows how much hard work you put into the cultivation. Don't worry! I will give you three spirit stones and two 'Qi condensing pills' they are enough for you to achieve a smooth breakthrough." Orange rode nodded his head after seeing his little brother progress.

"Thank you! Big Brother! I will not disappoint you!" Luther became even happier after listening to all the good things his brother saved for him.

"I know you won't! At this rate, you will definitely be among the first group to reach the Refining realm after Fifth Grade Talents." Orange robes man is also looking forward to his little brother playing a bigger role in the outer sect.

Hearing about the Fifth Grade talents the smile on the Luther's face immediately became a little dim.

Luther turned to his brother and asked in expectation, "Brother Lucky! Do you know about the Jasmines situation?"

Lucky knows he made a blunder by mentioning higher talents but it was a slip of tongue.

Lucky looked at Luther and said in a serious tone, "Luther! I told you many times! that girl Jasmine has Fifth Grade talent. At this time she is not within your reach. Just focus on your cultivation, if you reach 'Foundation Realm' before her then there might still be a chance."

Luther became a little sad at first but after a few moments, his expression turned stubborn.

"Tell me! I want to know where her cultivation stands at present." Luther asked in a serious tone.

Lucky sighed and said, "Two days ago she successfully managed to step into 'Early Stage of Refining realm'. But you should not be discouraged because she is under the guidance of elders from the get-go. She skipped all the detours and started practicing 'Ascension Mantra' from the first day."

Lucky did not want his brother to lose courage completely. So he explained the true situation of Jasmine in detail.

Luther also understands his brother's goodwill towards him.

So Luther promised to assure his brother, "Don't worry Bother! I know the advantage she has now will be of no use if she can't keep the same cultivation speed. And I am confident to outpace her with my hard work."

'It is not that easy!' Although Lucky has this thought in his mind he still encouraged his little brother, "I know you will achieve that!"

"Thank you, brother!" Luther thanked Lucky.

Then Both enjoyed the tea until late evening before Luther said goodbye to his brother and went back to the Outer Sect.

"Jasmine! Jasmine! You will be mine. No other person can have you!" While returning to his residence Luther kept ranting these words loudly.

Lucky for him barely anyone comes through that path. So no one heard those words.

…..

At this time, a blue-haired girl who is practicing martial arts suddenly stopped because of a chill.

Jasmine looked at the sky and smiled, "Well! Well! It seems I am disturbing the hearts of a few people. I am getting a few chills every day. Good! More slaves for me! "

Haha haha…..