As the fragrance grew so intense that it almost felt “tangible” to Shi Qian, his fur stood on end. He was certain—his instincts screamed that if he stayed any longer, he would die!

Previously, when he smelled the scent, he couldn’t quite make sense of it, being lured by its allure. But now, as he approached his limit, his supernatural instincts kicked in.

Shi Qian mustered all his spiritual energy and burst out with full force, breaking free from the demon cultivator and fleeing frantically down the path he had come.

The demon cultivator, lost in euphoria, was surprised. In front of him was the opportunity of a lifetime, one that would drive any cultivator mad—a chance to enter a secret inheritance realm.

The thick spiritual energy spilling out was merely a fraction of what was inside. Who knew how many treasures were hidden within? Moreover, this secret realm was unheard of, isolated for who knew how long.

Could it have been hundreds of years? Or perhaps even a thousand or more? If it had existed for that long, the spiritual herbs growing inside alone would be enough to make anyone drool, let alone the other treasures.

The demon cultivator’s eyes gleamed with a reddish glow, losing all sense of caution.

The timid treasure-hunting rat ran away? Surely, it just wanted to escape, right?

“Well, it knows when to run.” At this moment, the demon cultivator was entirely unwilling to leave the secret realm. Even though he had sealed the spiritual energy leaking from it, it was far from secure. What if someone else came along?

In contrast, if he entered the realm first and found a way to control it, he could become its master. Stories like these were common in the world of cultivation, where secret realms were often created to train disciples or provide resources.

In short, the earlier one discovered it, the sooner they’d become rich.

The demon cultivator glanced back at the dimly lit path behind him. It was bleak and empty, but ahead lay a golden opportunity, bathed in ethereal light that seemed to wash over him like divine radiance.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he took a cautious step forward, before impatiently plunging into the secret realm’s entrance.

Not long after, a thunderous roar echoed through the sky, as the entire mountain shook violently.

As Shi Qian fled, it felt like the mountain was about to collapse. In such a short time, the demon cultivator couldn’t have done much. He had been hiding carefully, so there was no way he would intentionally create such a commotion.

This noise likely meant that the demon cultivator had also been swept away by the very treasure he sought.

Shi Qian didn’t have time to think further; his only focus was escaping with his life.

Just as he reached the stone cave and was about to dash through the waterfall, he was struck by a heavy object in a gust of wind.

Thankfully, his quick thinking saved him. At the last moment, he clawed into the ground, burrowing underground just in time to avoid being crushed.

The ground continued to quake as Shi Qian tunneled his way to safety using his earth-escape technique.

Just as he was about to resume his escape, he noticed the object that had hit him—it was none other than the lifeless body of the demon cultivator.

The man lay on his back, his face and body mangled beyond recognition. His remaining hand clutched a token tightly, while poisonous beasts crawled out of his corpse.

With one paw, Shi Qian snatched the token, and with the other, he grabbed the demon cultivator’s storage pouch. He stuffed them both into his storage necklace, then leaped out of the cave, diving into the waterfall just as half of the collapsing mountain crashed down behind him.

Shi Qian was engulfed by the torrent of water.

His thoughts on the waterfall: “Wow, the water’s really strong!”

Using his water-escape technique, Shi Qian dove deep into the lake beneath the waterfall, his head still buzzing from the earlier events.

As he hid within the lake, concealing his presence, waves of powerful Golden Core-level cultivators began to appear.

With the mountain half-collapsed and the brilliant light of the secret realm exposed, it was inevitable that people would notice.

While others busied themselves seeking treasure at the secret realm, Shi Qian, now acknowledging that his “treasure-hunting rat” persona was a sham, bit onto a turtle’s tail and escaped downstream along the river connected to the lake.

Even when the turtle let out a fart midway, Shi Qian endured it—after all, he was the one who bit the tail first.

“Ugh!” Shi Qian released the turtle’s tail and climbed out of the water, spitting out the lake water in disgust.

His entire body ached, reminiscent of the day he first crossed into this world. The pain was a result of his desperate escape, but it was worth it.

Though… it still hurt.

Shi Qian scanned the area and found a tree with a hollow. Claiming it as his temporary refuge, he flopped down inside to rest.

Despite the discomfort from his injuries, Shi Qian didn’t feel drowsy at all. On the contrary, he was quite alert, his mind replaying the series of perilous events that had unfolded today.

He had managed to outwit two powerful demon cultivators, both of whom far exceeded his own level of cultivation. And witnessing the collapse of half a mountain? It had left a lasting impression on his modern soul.

The world of cultivation… was truly a dangerous place.

As he reflected on this, the once round and fluffy Shi Qian, now lying in a heap, suddenly remembered his mission target—Long Aotian.

In his current state, he was practically useless. How could he find his destined “poop-scooping servant” in such a harsh cultivation world? And it wasn’t just any servant—he needed a high-quality one right by Long Aotian’s side.

Without a servant, how could he complete his task and live a leisurely life?

“Squeak…”

Life is tough…

Shi Qian sighed softly, just as he heard faint voices nearby.

This time, instead of using his usual method to sense their presence, he smartly sniffed the air.

Great! No strange fragrances.

He wouldn’t die.

Shi Qian remained where he was, preparing to pull up the location map to check how far the demon cultivator’s chase had taken him from his mission target.

No matter how difficult it was, he still had to complete his mission. At the very least, he needed to meet Aotian and do his part for the ill-fated world. After all, he was a ten-lifetime good samaritan.

At that moment, a group of simply dressed young men approached the tree where Shi Qian was hiding.

They chatted as they walked, occasionally glancing towards the waterfall.

“I saw a burst of dazzling light shoot up from Jiutian Peak! Several elders flew over from the city right away!”

“I saw it too! I wanted to go check it out, but I was stopped. Even if there’s treasure, it’ll be snatched up by the elders.”

“The river flows from the waterfall, right? Maybe we could get there through the river.”

“Are you crazy? With the ground shaking that badly, we’d be dead for sure. We’re only at the Qi Refining stage. Going there would be a death sentence.”

These boys, around sixteen or seventeen years old, carried herb baskets on their backs, clearly from humble backgrounds, out gathering medicinal herbs.

Among them was a tall, slender boy trailing behind the group, quietly observing.

Though he hadn’t spoken, he occasionally glanced toward Jiutian Peak, the desire in his heart was no less than that of the young men who were chatting enthusiastically

But Long Ye was rational.

Having lost his mother when he was young and his father three years ago, he was born with poor aptitude for cultivation. With a life full of hardships, he had matured much faster than others his age.

So, while he wished there might be some treasure at Jiutian Peak that could improve his cultivation, he made no move toward it.

As Long Ye frequently glanced back, he began to lag behind the group.

As the group passed beneath the tree where Shi Qian was hiding, the little ball of fluff peeked out, his mind buzzing as his location on the map overlapped with his target, Long Aotian.

Was his journey of at least five days already over?

Did the demon cultivator speed up his travels?

Could Aotian really be this close?

Shi Qian checked his map again, then poked his adorable, round face and furry ears out of the tree hollow.

Perfect. He instantly recognized which one was the protagonist.

It was the black-haired, slender boy, trailing behind the chatty group.

Everyone knew that in addition to showing off and slapping faces, Long Aotian had another key trait—he was blessed with immense luck.

Just as elementary schoolers always seem to get into trouble wherever they go, Long Aotian always found treasure wherever he went.

Shi Qian’s clever mind sparked a dangerous idea.

Why not hitch a ride with Aotian?

Without further hesitation, Shi Qian cast a wood-escape technique, perfectly concealing himself within the tree as he crouched low among the branches.

When Aotian passed by, he leap down, claw open his robe, and sneak inside.

And yes, he was very skilled at this. Blame the demon cultivator.

Once inside, he curled up obediently.

Feeling Long Aotian pat him through the robe, Shi Qian stayed still and silent, proud that his plan had succeeded halfway.

“Brother, your good fortune is now mine!”