I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Yunxia Mountain stretches for nearly a hundred miles, with countless steep peaks and valleys. Because it is surrounded by clouds and mist all year round, it is collectively called Yunxia Mountain."

This time, we mainly visited places like Huihui Cliff, Hejian Valley, and Monkey Mountain.

The mountain road was rugged, and Sun Heng led the way while explaining things to Zhou An and the others.

"Our Seven Mysteries Sect has been cultivating this land for many years. Within a radius of thirty miles, the herb gatherers are already familiar with the locations of most of the medicinal herbs in the mountains. What you need to do is protect their safety and prevent them from being attacked by wild beasts."

"Senior Brother Sun, why not cultivate a medicinal herb garden? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Qian Youde asked.

He would rather go to Huang Huayuan's place than be a guard for these herb gatherers.

After entering the mountains, Huang Huayuan was always surrounded by senior disciples from the Yunxia garrison, which made him very envious. He didn't want to miss this opportunity to get closer to them.

"Common herbs can naturally be cultivated in herb gardens, but some rare herbs require specific environments to grow."

Sun Heng said calmly.

Qian Youde's little schemes couldn't be hidden from him; that's how he got to where he is today.

You want to curry favor, I want to curry favor, everyone wants to curry favor.

At the camp, Zhou An and the others had just been brought there by Elder Huang, so everyone was restrained.

Now that we're in the mountains, everyone will rely on their own abilities, and there won't be much humility between us.

After all, everyone wants to soar to great heights.

"Zhou An, Sun Wenhao, and Wang Yi, the three of you have the highest cultivation levels, so the safety of the herb gatherers along this route will be the responsibility of the three of you."

If you notice anything amiss in the vicinity, immediately notify Zhao Sanshi, the leader of the herb gatherers along this route.

Sun Heng ignored the dissatisfaction in Qian Youde's eyes and looked at Zhou An and the other two solemnly.

"If anything happens that you can't handle, notify me immediately. If there's a major danger, you must launch a powerful attack. Understand?"

"clear."

After exchanging glances with the other two, Zhou An nodded solemnly.

They already knew the level of danger during their on-site training, so naturally they wouldn't act recklessly.

"That's good. I'll lead the way for the first two days, but after that you'll have to rely on yourselves."

As long as you don't make any mistakes, you'll naturally be credited when you go back.

But if this delays Elder Huang's important matter, even if I, your senior brother, wanted to plead for you, there would be nothing I could do."

After Sun Heng finished speaking, he walked forward.

No one dared to be negligent, and Zhou An especially memorized everything Sun Heng said.

"Brother Zhou, judging from the current situation, it seems we'll have to divide our forces later on."

Taking advantage of a brief moment, Liu Shuqing approached Zhou An, who was guarding the left side, and whispered something to him.

There were quite a few people going into the mountains this time, with five teams of herb gatherers totaling more than seventy people. Their group was considered a small unit.

"Definitely."

Zhou An nodded.

They've only been in the mountains for a short time, and they're still following the main group.

However, there are many places to collect herbs in the mountains this time, so it's impossible to do it all at once, as that would be too time-consuming.

"This is our first time in the mountains. Our main task is to familiarize ourselves with the environment. If we encounter any danger, don't be reckless."

Zhou An glanced at the enthusiastic Wang Yi and Qian Youde, and then gave Liu Shuqing some instructions.

With his current strength, he can definitely protect his friend from some minor troubles.

But if Liu Shuqing were to have a mental breakdown, he really couldn't guarantee anything.

"Don't worry, I've studied so much at home, I know how to run away if I encounter danger. After all, only by staying alive can you go further."

Liu Shuqing was touched, and her smile deepened.

Along the way, Zhou An stopped frequently, paying attention to the safety of his surroundings while also studying.

Learn how Sun Heng determined the presence of wild animals based on surrounding traces, and learn how herbalists identify where medicinal herbs are found.

What are the effects of herbs, and how should they be harvested without damaging them?

The more I saw and learned, the more I understood about this unfamiliar, misty mountain, and the fear of the unknown gradually diminished.

Poisonous insects, small animals, venomous snakes...

As the herb gatherers found herbs in the mountains and forests, the creatures hidden near the herbs also appeared one by one before Zhou An.

Wherever rare and precious materials are located, there are always ferocious beasts guarding them.

Zhou An discovered that even when faced with marked medicinal gathering locations, these herb gatherers who had been collecting herbs in the mountains for many years did not take it lightly.

In some places that Zhou An thought would be safe, unknown venomous snakes would suddenly emerge from the thick piles of grass and leaves.

Taking it by surprise, even Zhou An wasn't entirely confident he could detect it.

However, these herb gatherers often discover it first, thus easily avoiding it or even eliminating it.

"Senior Brother Sun is right. These herb gatherers may not be as skilled as me, but they need to be more vigilant when facing the mountains. I need to learn from them."

While reminding himself of this, Zhou An also felt somewhat fortunate.

He discovered that unless they encountered large, ferocious beasts, they generally didn't need to worry about them; these people could handle things on their own.

Their job was to guard the area while herb gatherers collected herbs and prevent the herbs from being hoarded.

Therefore, after each collection of herbs, Zhou An and the others needed to check them one by one before handing them over to Sun Heng to take to Huang Huayuan.

The herb collector is a procedure, they are a procedure, Sun Heng is a procedure, and each procedure is registered to prevent anyone from keeping the herbs for themselves.

After three days, the group arrived at Monkey Valley.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, fish-scale-like red clouds dotted the sky.

"We've finally found it."

Huang Huayuan stepped out from the crowd, his gaze fixed on a cliff in the valley, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Senior Brother Sun, what has Elder Huang found that makes him so happy?"

Seeing Huang Huayuan step forward, looking like he was going to do it himself, Zhou An came to Sun Heng's side and asked.

"Look, isn't there a blood-red flower on that cliff face?"

Sun Heng pointed into the distance and said.

"This flower is called Blood Ganoderma Flower and grows alongside Wind-tail Grass. There is only one plant in a place. After taking it, it has the effect of promoting blood circulation and tissue regeneration."

This is also the most crucial herb for refining the Blood-Replenishing Powder; a Blood-Gathering Ganoderma flower this size can yield at least three bowls of medicinal liquid.

At this point, Sun Heng's smile deepened considerably.

"There are quite a few wind-tail grasses on this mountain wall, and there should be quite a few blood-gathering flowers nearby."

If that's the case, perhaps you junior brothers will have the opportunity to learn from Elder Huang.

"Want to learn from you?"

Zhou An was taken aback.

"Indeed, a remarkable skill that allows one to move along mountainsides, the Snake-Tiger Wall-Walking Skill."

Compared to Qian Youde and Wang Yi, who were constantly trying to curry favor with Huang Huayuan, Sun Heng had a higher opinion of Zhou An, who had been working diligently these past few days.

Therefore, he doesn't hesitate to offer some pointers when the time is right.

"Junior brother, please watch."

Following the direction Sun Heng pointed, Zhou An saw Huang Huayuan, with his gray hair, come to the bottom of the cliff and begin to climb.

The cliff was extremely steep; although it wasn't exactly vertical, climbing it was by no means an easy task.

However, at this moment, Huang Huayuan was like a nimble snake, constantly climbing upwards along the cliff.

His posture was strange, but his speed was extremely fast, as if he were parading along a cliff.

In a very short time, they climbed to a height of more than 30 meters.

"There are many blood fungus flowers here, but it is difficult for herbalists who do not know martial arts to pick them. Elder Huang would definitely not be able to do it all by himself."

If you're confident, junior brother, you might as well give it a try.

As Huang Huayuan walked down to pick flowers, Sun Heng spoke up.

"Isn't Senior Brother going?"

Zhou An asked the question, but he was thinking about it in his mind.

"This skill involves internal energy, which I have studied but have not mastered."

Sun Heng shook his head, a look of regret in his eyes.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Sun."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An bowed in thanks and immediately walked forward.

……