I only reached the Foundation Establishment stage at eighty years old, and then the system appeared.

Although Yang Hongbo had already become a cultivator at the peak of the Mahayana stage, he had never participated in the competition for the position of deacon or holy son within the sect. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to being a core disciple.

He completes all the sect's tasks on time, mainly by using his time outside to collect rare spiritual herbs, elixirs, and demonic beasts. He believes he will soon ascend to the Immortal Realm; his main task now is to find more uncommon items to add to his minor world.

His identity as a member of the Bo Bai Immortal Sect meant that he wouldn't encounter any troubles while on missions outside, allowing him to complete his tasks quickly. The rest of the time was spent searching for rare spiritual herbs and medicines, as well as unique monsters!

That day, Yang Hongbo had just returned from a mission. He dusted himself off and said to his fellow disciples who had returned with him, "This mission went smoothly, but I've heard of a place in the Central Region called Shadow Valley. It's said to have many rare spiritual herbs and medicines, and you might even encounter strange demonic beasts there. Would you be interested in going there together?"

One of the disciples frowned and said, "Senior Brother Yang, Shadow Valley is a notoriously dangerous place in the Central Region. It's said to be full of traps and traps, and many powerful demonic beasts roam there. Wouldn't it be too dangerous for us to go there rashly?"

Yang Hongbo smiled slightly and said confidently, "Of course there are dangers, but fortune favors the bold. With our current cultivation level, as long as we act carefully, we will definitely gain something. Moreover, experiencing more dangers will also benefit our cultivation."

Another disciple's eyes lit up, and he said, "Senior Brother Yang is right. I'm willing to go with you. Maybe we can find something in Shadow Valley that will help us break through our bottlenecks."

After discussing it for a while, the group decided to head to Shadow Valley together. They flew through the air, speeding towards the valley. Along the way, Yang Hongbo looked at the scenery below, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He recalled when he first embarked on the path of cultivation, he was just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator, struggling to find cultivation resources. Now, he had become a peak Mahayana cultivator, yet he was still diligently searching for various resources in order to ascend to the Immortal Realm.

"Senior Brother Yang, look at that valley ahead, isn't that Shadow Valley?" a disciple said, pointing ahead.

Yang Hongbo looked closely and saw that the valley ahead was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, faintly exuding a mysterious aura. He nodded and said, "That's right, this is it. Everyone be careful. Once inside the valley, do not act on your own. Follow my instructions completely."

Everyone nodded, then cautiously flew towards Shadow Valley. As soon as they entered the valley, they felt a chilling aura wash over them. The valley was densely wooded, blocking out the sun and making the entire valley exceptionally eerie.

"Everyone, stay close to me and don't get separated," Yang Hongbo said softly, then led the group deeper into the valley.

They proceeded along a narrow path, cautiously observing their surroundings. Suddenly, a deep roar came from ahead, followed by a gigantic beast leaping out of the woods. This beast resembled a tiger, but possessed enormous wings and exuded a powerful aura.

"This is... a Windwing Tiger in the Mahayana stage!" a disciple exclaimed.

Yang Hongbo's expression hardened, and he said, "Everyone, don't panic. Although this Windwing Tiger is powerful, we are not without a fighting chance. You all assist me, and I will deal with it."

With that, Yang Hongbo flashed forward, charging towards the Wind-Winged Tiger. A flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a longsword, its blade gleaming with a sharp, cold light. Seeing someone charging towards it, the Wind-Winged Tiger roared angrily, then spread its wings and pounced on Yang Hongbo.

Yang Hongbo nimbly dodged the Windwing Tiger's attacks while his longsword continuously thrust at the tiger. Despite its enormous size, the Windwing Tiger was incredibly agile, constantly waving its claws, trying to grab Yang Hongbo. For a moment, the two were locked in a fierce battle.

"Senior Brother Yang, we're here to help you!" Seeing Yang Hongbo locked in a fierce battle with the Windwing Tiger, several disciples rushed forward, attacking the Windwing Tiger from different directions. Surrounded by the group, the Windwing Tiger was momentarily overwhelmed. It let out a roar, then flapped its wings violently, sending a powerful gust of air towards the group.

The gust of wind blew everyone off balance, and Yang Hongbo nearly lost his footing as well. After regaining his footing, he shouted, "Everyone be careful! The Windwing Tiger's wing attacks are extremely powerful. We need to find a way to avoid its attacks and then look for an opportunity to counterattack!"

The group nodded and charged at the Windwing Tiger again. They constantly changed positions, searching for an opening. Finally, during a brief pause in the Windwing Tiger's wing flap, Yang Hongbo seized the opportunity, flashed behind the Windwing Tiger, and plunged his longsword into its body.

The Windwing Tiger let out a miserable cry and collapsed heavily to the ground. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over. Yang Hongbo looked at the dead Windwing Tiger and said, "This Windwing Tiger had many valuable items on it. Its fur can be made into defensive magic weapons, and its demon core will greatly help our cultivation. Let's process it, and then we can continue on our way."

Everyone pitched in, retrieving the Windwing Tiger's pelt and demon core. Then, they continued deeper into the valley. Along the way, they encountered numerous attacks from other demonic beasts, but they repelled them all.

"Senior Brother Yang, look at that patch of spiritual herbs ahead!" a disciple said, pointing ahead.

Yang Hongbo looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a number of rare spiritual herbs growing in an open space ahead. These herbs emitted a faint glow, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary.

"Everyone be careful, there might be powerful monsters guarding this place," Yang Hongbo said, then cautiously walked towards the spirit herb.

Just as they were about to reach the spiritual herb, suddenly, a huge demonic beast emerged from the ground. This beast resembled a centipede, had hundreds of legs, and emitted a nauseating stench.

"This is... a Thousand-Legged Earth Dragon at the peak of the Mahayana stage!" a disciple exclaimed.

Yang Hongbo's face darkened, and he said, "Everyone be careful. This thousand-legged earth dragon is extremely troublesome. Its body is incredibly hard, and it's incredibly fast. We shouldn't engage it head-on; instead, we should find its weaknesses and attack them."

With that, Yang Hongbo flashed forward and charged toward the Thousand-Legged Earth Dragon. His longsword repeatedly stabbed at the dragon's body, but the dragon's body was extremely tough, and the sword could only leave shallow marks on it.

"Senior Brother Yang, its head seems to be its weak point!" a disciple shouted.

Yang Hongbo nodded, then flashed to the top of the centipede's head. Seizing the opportunity, he thrust his longsword down. The centipede let out a scream and struggled desperately. Yang Hongbo gripped the sword tightly, increasing the force of his thrust. Finally, the centipede stopped struggling and collapsed to the ground.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and gathered around. Yang Hongbo looked at the dead thousand-legged earth dragon and said, "This thousand-legged earth dragon also has many good things on its body. Its venom can be made into poison, and its demon core is of great help to our cultivation. Everyone, process it and then collect these spiritual herbs as well."

Everyone pitched in, extracting the venom and demon core from the thousand-legged earth dragon, and then gathering the rare spiritual herbs. Looking at their harvest, joyful smiles spread across their faces.

"Senior Brother Yang, we've really reaped a great harvest this time!" one of the disciples said.

Yang Hongbo nodded and said, "That's right, but there must be a lot of good things in this Shadow Valley. If we continue forward, we might find even more rare spiritual herbs and demonic beasts."

Everyone nodded and continued deeper into the valley. Days passed in this way, as they explored Shadow Valley, searching for rare spiritual herbs and medicines, and unusual demonic beasts. Each discovery filled them with excitement, and each battle enhanced their strength.

Finally, after a month, they had explored Shadow Valley thoroughly. They left Shadow Valley with a bountiful harvest. Upon returning to their sect, they gave part of their spoils to the sect and kept the rest for themselves.

Looking at the increasing number of rare items in his small world, Yang Hongbo was filled with anticipation. He believed that as long as he continued to search and improve his strength, one day he would surely be able to ascend to the Immortal Realm and embark on a new journey of cultivation.