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He Xin fell completely silent. She really couldn't refute Qin Shu's words.

A second-rank demonic beast had thick skin and tough flesh. Without a spiritual weapon and with insufficient spiritual power, even though the demon rat was already dead, she still couldn't break through its defenses.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, He Xin leaned back on her hands, looked up at the sky, and sighed, "I'm really useless!"

Qin Shu, however, said seriously, "That's not true. With you by my side, I'm not afraid. Don't be discouraged. Once I finish dealing with this demon rat, we can split the spirit stones it hid."

Injecting spiritual energy into her white jade sword, Qin Shu slashed at the spot she had marked earlier.

She had helped the orphanage director slaughter chickens before, so this level of gore was still within her tolerance.

She stripped off the Frostflame Hide Rat's fur and flesh, keeping its tendons and bones as well, since they were valuable medicinal materials. Since they were heading into the city soon, she planned to sell them if possible.

When she opened the Frostflame Hide Rat's pouch, it was bulging with spirit stones.

Inside, there were around eighty top-grade spirit stones, three hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and eleven supreme-grade spirit stones.

Apart from these, there were also two yellow crystalline stones, which neither Qin Shu nor He Xin recognized.

Qin Shu split the spirit stones evenly and handed half to He Xin.

However, He Xin refused no matter what. "I didn't do anything. You killed this demon rat by yourself. How could I take so much? If I accepted them, it would damage my Dao heart!"

She spoke with determination. Qin Shu thought for a moment before saying, "You helped distract it and also stood guard for me. You did contribute, so you should get a share."

"This little bit of effort doesn't count. If you really feel bad about it, just give me the smallest ones."

After some negotiation, Qin Shu finally counted out ten mid-grade spirit stones and handed them to He Xin.

He Xin was thrilled. "This is more than enough for me for a long time!"

Qin Shu cast a cleansing spell to remove any bloodstains and dust from their surroundings and from their bodies. She then tidied up her high ponytail before saying, "Let's go. Time to head into the city."

After about two quarters of an hour, they arrived outside the city gates.

Large cities like this had anti-flight formations, so everyone had to dismount and walk in.

"Tailai City?" Qin Shu glanced up at the entrance.

Beside her, He Xin got excited. "I know this one! Tailai City is one of the five main cities in East Continent!"

When it came to gossip, Qin Shu really couldn't compare to He Xin.

Even though they had been in the cultivation world for half a year, Qin Shu still hadn't figured out how many continents there were.

"Where is Tailai City in relation to our Xuantian Sect?" Qin Shu asked.

"It's west of us!" He Xin said enthusiastically. "Now that we've figured out the direction, if we just head east, we can go straight home! And we'll save the five lower-grade spirit stones needed for the entry fee!"

Qin Shu, however, shook her head. "Sis, did you forget about the beast tide?"

He Xin's smile instantly froze. Grabbing Qin Shu's hand, she pulled her toward Tailai City, muttering as they walked, "Nothing is more important than staying alive. No point making money if we don't live to spend it."

After entering the city, Qin Shu first went to a trading house to sell the Frostflame Hide Rat's hide, then visited other shops to sell the core and tendons separately.

No one wanted the rat meat, so Qin Shu planned to roast it once they returned to their sect.

He Xin didn't quite understand why Qin Shu went to such lengths, visiting multiple shops to sell different parts.

Qin Shu patted her shoulder and said with a mock-wise tone, "Young lady, one must always be vigilant."

He Xin's smile stiffened. She forced a grin and said, "You may look young, but your mind is sharper than most."

Qin Shu chuckled. She knew she had strong defensive instincts due to her lack of a sense of security.

In this unfamiliar world, being cautious indeed helped avoid unnecessary trouble.

After much searching, the two finally found the Xuantian Sect's office in Tailai City. Seeing the large sign reading "Xuantian Sect Office", Qin Shu and He Xin felt as if they had found their long-lost relatives, nearly moved to tears.

A senior brother at the office warmly received them and was about to arrange their return to the sect when suddenly, the city's protective formation lit up.

A deep voice echoed through the city, reaching every ear:

"The beast tide is coming! Foundation Establishment and higher cultivators, please report to the city walls for defense! The city lord will reward you accordingly afterward!"

Qin Shu and He Xin exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked at the senior brother.

"Senior Brother Shu He, why is there a sudden beast tide?" Qin Shu asked.

Shu He sighed. "I've heard some rumors over the past few days. It seems that a great demon has awakened... But that's not something you need to worry about. Just stay here for the next few days and don't wander around. I'll arrange for your return to the sect as soon as possible."

After saying this, he prepared to leave.

He Xin quickly asked, "Senior Brother, are you also going to fight the beast tide?"

Shu He nodded. "Even demonic beasts know to band together. If humans don't unite, and the city falls, most people in Tailai City won't survive."

Qin Shu thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pills from her storage bag and handed it to him.

"Senior Brother, my cultivation isn't high enough to help defend the city. All I have is this bottle of pills. Hopefully, it can be of use to you."

Shu He originally thought a junior disciple wouldn't have anything valuable and was about to tell her to keep it for herself. But the moment Qin Shu uncorked the bottle, he immediately swallowed his words.

He had underestimated her—there were no poor disciples in the alchemy sect.

There might be other things he didn't need, but at this moment, a supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pill was like rain in a drought.

He cupped his fists and said, "Junior Sister, thank you. Once the beast tide is over, I will return this to you in full!"

Tailai City was still some distance from the Wangxu Valley. Though the beast tide was dangerous, the flow of beasts would disperse along the way, so only a portion would reach Tailai City.

Qin Shu and He Xin crouched at the entrance of the Xuantian Sect's office, looking up at the sky. The water-blue barrier almost blended seamlessly with the heavens.

In the air, a few powerful figures stood, likely the city lord and other leaders.

Looking around, the city's common folk continued their daily routines as if nothing had happened.

But upon thinking about it, this made sense—there was nothing they could do to help anyway.

Qin Shu rested her chin in her hands, bored, when her brows suddenly furrowed. She pulled out her communication jade slip and saw a message written in bold, flowing script.

【Little Daoist! Where are you?!】

She didn't even need to check the sender's name to know who it was.

【Second Senior Brother, I'm in the Xuantian Sect office in Tailai City.】

Wen Chi and Cheng Yan had just finished resealing the great demon with several other senior brothers. Finally finding a moment to check their jade slips, Wen Chi asked, "Where is she?"