Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

Midnight has arrived, and the intelligence has appeared as promised.

[A Cleansing Meridian Spirit Tree in Xiaofeng Valley, a hundred miles east of Laoshan, will bear fruit in seven days. Only one Cleansing Meridian Fruit grows every three hundred years; consuming it cleanses the meridians and aids in breakthroughs. However, the demonic beast guarding the Cleansing Meridian Spirit Tree is a Golden-Striped Leopard with peak late-stage first-tier strength.]

After reading it, Li Shen's heart stirred.

This spiritual fruit, which ripens only once every three hundred years, has the effect of cleansing the meridians and aiding in breakthroughs.

It is not only necessary in the present moment, but also beneficial for future spiritual practice.

After a brief moment of excitement, Li Shen began to analyze the situation calmly.

The location is Xiaofeng Valley, a hundred miles east of Laoshan Mountain, which is already an area where second-tier demonic beasts roam.

Moreover, it was clear that there was a late-stage, peak-level first-tier demonic beast guarding the area, making the danger considerable.

When Li Shen followed Zhao Ying and Zhao Qian to hunt the Crimson-Striped Python, he had already witnessed the strength of a late-stage first-tier demon beast.

But times have changed.

Besides, there are still seven days to prepare, so there's no need to give up immediately.

With his Soul Slave about to break through, and his superior Concealing Breath Talisman, he can evade the divine sense probing of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even avoid late-stage first-tier peak or ordinary second-tier demonic beasts.

Therefore, as long as one acts cautiously and prepares adequately, the probability of successfully obtaining the Cleansing Spirit Fruit is not small.

With this thought in mind, Li Shen had already made up his mind.

The opportunity to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining is right in front of us; how could we not seize it?

Having roughly formulated a plan in his mind, Li Shen went to bed to rest, waiting to act according to the plan the next day.

The next day, at noon.

Li Shen woke up early in the morning and, taking advantage of the best time to draw talismans, drew several high-grade concealment talismans. After eating, he prepared to go to the Zhao residence.

Previously, when he was browsing through talisman books in the Zhao family's library, he noticed some books about Laoshan.

Moreover, there are no restrictions; it's the kind of content that any member of the Zhao family can access.

As a guest master of the Zhao family and a privileged member of the library, Li Shen could easily borrow books.

With his purpose clear, he quickly arrived at the Zhao family's library.

The disciples on duty were already quite familiar with Li Shen, and the elders of the family all treated him with utmost respect.

So before Li Shen could even speak, the other party chuckled and stepped aside:

"Master Li, this way, are you here to borrow books on talismanic arts again?"

Li Shen nodded slightly, neither denying it nor allowing the other person to lead him inside.

"It's alright, I can go by myself."

"Understood, Master Li."

The disciple on duty nodded in understanding and returned to his post.

Li Shen slowly entered the library and, following his memory, arrived at the leftmost bookcase on the first floor.

Li Shen's gaze swept over the books displayed above and he quickly spotted the third book on the right side of the second shelf—"Summary of the Investigation of Laoshan".

With a flick of his finger, the book floated into Li Shen's hand.

The book feels slightly heavy when you hold it; the ink marks are quite old, yet still clear.

The "Complete Survey of Laoshan" is a record of the Zhao family's cultivators' explorations of the area surrounding Laoshan over the generations.

Li Shen's fingertips traced the yellowed pages, his gaze quickly landing on the record concerning [Howling Wind Valley]:

"Howling Wind Valley is located about a hundred miles east of Laoshan Mountain. It is named for the strange wind that always swirls through the valley. The valley is full of strange rocks and sparse vegetation. Occasionally, low-level wind-attribute monsters inhabit it. The valley is about three miles deep, with steep cliffs on both sides. The entrance is narrow, but it gradually widens inside."

Seeing this, Li Shen felt somewhat relieved.

Since the vegetation is sparse, it seems that finding the Diling Fruit Tree will not be difficult.

Next, he searched for descriptions of the Golden Leopard:

"Golden-striped leopard, a metal-attribute demonic beast, with tough fur and pale gold stripes. It moves like the wind, and its sharp claws and fangs can penetrate low-level defensive spells. Its weaknesses are its waist and abdomen and its eyes. It is particularly vulnerable to fire-attribute attacks. It is solitary, has a strong sense of territory, and excels at ambushes when hunting..."

The book also mentions that a group of elders from the Zhao family who were in the late stage of Qi Refining once encountered the Golden-Striped Leopard. Although they escaped unscathed, they did not gain any advantage, which shows how difficult the leopard was to deal with.

"Metal element, fears fire... solitary and adept at stealth and surprise attacks."

Li Shen muttered to himself silently.

Instead of closing the book immediately, he continued to flip through it.

After all, the journey to Laoshan is a hundred miles long, and they will inevitably encounter other monsters along the way.

Half an hour later, he put the books back in their original places and left the library.

With no teaching scheduled for today, Li Shen quietly left the Zhao residence.

Not long after, Li Shen appeared inside the Treasure Pavilion.

Du Shanyan happened to be on the first floor, and upon seeing Li Shen, he greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's been a long time. Are you still preparing to upgrade your magic weapon?"

Du Shanyan tentatively asked, "Although Li Shen doesn't spend much here, the spiritual materials he brings out are all top-notch."

In his view, befriending Li Shen might just mean befriending a supplier of high-quality materials.

Li Shen shook his head and responded with a smile:

"Manager Du, I'd like to buy a magic item that increases speed."

Du Shanyan's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and smiled:

Such magical artifacts are rare, but Fellow Daoist Li's timing is perfect. Just a few days ago, the pavilion acquired a pair of [Cloud-Stepping Shoes]. Although only a mid-grade magical artifact, it has been permanently imbued with the [Lightness Technique] using a special secret technique. When fully activated, its speed is comparable to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and it consumes very little spiritual energy.

As he spoke, he led Li Shen to the second floor.

He took out a pair of bluish-gray short boots from his storage bag. The boots had cloud patterns flowing on them and contained spiritual energy.

Li Shen took it and examined it closely. He scanned it with his divine sense and confirmed that it was indeed a fine item.

He asked:

"What is the price?"

"Fellow Daoist Li is a regular customer, so let's just call it three hundred spirit stones."

Du Shanyan spoke sincerely:

"Although this item is not a weapon for offense or defense, it can save your life in critical moments."

The price of a mid-grade magic weapon is not high, especially since it has special effects.

Seeing the other party's sincerity, Li Shen did not hesitate.

He took out the spirit stone and handed it to Du Shanyan.

He then put on the Cloud-Stepping Shoes, and with a slight push, he felt as light as a feather, with a gentle breeze supporting him as he walked, which pleased him greatly.

As they parted, Du Shanyan saw them to the door and said in a low voice:

"Fellow Daoist Li, it seems you're planning a hunt in the Prison Mountain? You might want to take this with you. Although it has limited effect on demonic beasts, it can ward off many snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures, saving you a lot of trouble."

Li Shen glanced at the small wooden box that Du Shanyan handed him, but did not take the other party's hasty guess to heart.

Pushing open the wooden box, a green sachet comes into view, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

"Manager Du, I cannot accept a reward without merit. How much is this?"

Li Shen cupped his hands and asked a question.

Du Shanyan waved his hand:

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is too formal. This green pouch is a sincere gift."

Before he could finish speaking, Du Shanyan's expression turned somewhat solemn. He sighed softly and continued:

"Things have been rather unsettled lately, Fellow Daoist Li. Please be careful on your journey to Laoshan."

Li Shen's heart stirred slightly:

"Thank you for the reminder, Manager Du. I am aware of it."

Du Shanyan didn't say anything more, nodded slightly, and watched Li Shen leave.