With his apparent cultivation at the 1st Layer of Foundation Establishment, Zar was just barely able to make the cut as an Outer Disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect. This came as a slight surprise to him, for he believed such a cultivation base would at least make him an Inner Disciple. But from rumors circulated among other disciples, even the Later Layers of Core Formation were often not enough to qualify one as an Inner Disciple.
Zar also learned that those in the Nascent Soul Realm could at most be Outer Sect Elders or strong Inner Disciples, which likely meant that Ray Lionheart was one of the two.
On a side note, while traveling the world, Zar's eyes were opened. He encountered many people, saw many things, and obtained a good layout of where exactly he was.
The Fire Kingdom was one of four kingdoms that made up the Four Elemental Kingdoms. It was the kingdom most well-known for its brutality and was often the one starting conflicts with the Water, Earth, and Air Nations.
In fact, the only reason they were still around today after causing so much trouble in the Immortal Cultivation World was because of their… immense Martial Might!
This was both good and bad for Zar.
It meant his starting point was pretty good; the resources were abundant, and conflicts were everywhere, meaning greater opportunity for lifespan acquisition.
However, all of that came at the cost of constant danger to his life…
Even with his growing Shadow Army and his own strength, in the face of the genuine powerhouses of the Immortal Cultivation World, they could all be erased with just a thought. And it was because of this fact, as well as Zar's personal reasons, that he found refuge in the Blazing Sun Sect as an Outer Disciple.
He hoped to broaden his horizons from within the belly of the beast, all while staying low-key and farming lifespan.
As of late, most of his lifespan acquisition came from his full-time position as a Disciple to Azure Medicine Valley's Valley Master.
Living atop a mostly flat mountaintop tens of thousands of meters above ground level, Zar spent his days planting and picking spiritual plants. Meanwhile, his Shadow Beasts snuck out of the outer area of the Sect and exterminated any demon beasts terrorizing the nearest mortal dynasty of Quixan.
For mortals, reaching the Blazing Sun Sect was an impossible dream, but for the disciples of the Sect, the mortal world was no more than a hop and a skip away. Often, the Sect posted missions for the disciples to take, rewarding them with Sect Contributions upon completion.
Spying on the Sect Quest Boards scattered around the Outer Sect, Zar noted and memorized any interesting ones. And without moving a single muscle, he had his Shadow Beast Army spread out and complete the Sect Quests without anyone knowing any better.
Although no Sect Contributions came from doing it this way, the lifespan flow was only getting better and better, with dozens to hundreds of years coming in every single day. It also allowed Zar to remain low-key as he furthered his knowledge of this new world of Immortal Cultivation.
So far, he figured out that the Soul Transformation Realm was above the Nascent Soul Realm. Above that was the Deity Transformation Realm. A level higher was the Void Crossing Realm. And above that…
Well, Zar had no idea what lay beyond such a far-off realm. However, he was 100% certain that the Grand Elders, Supreme Elders, and Sect Leader of the Blazing Sun Sect were above the Void Crossing Realm.
Which meant that he had a very, very long way to go before he could guarantee his safety in the Fire Kingdom…
"Junior Brother Zar, have you already finished plucking the Ruby Grass for the Master?"
A mildly amazed voice took Zar out of his thoughts. It belonged to a Gazelle Therian who looked more human than gazelle. The higher one's cultivation, the less and less they appeared like the demon beasts they were descended from, so everyone in the Outer Sect had roughly the same level of animal characteristics as Zar.
Unconsciously glancing at the System Interface of the one who called him Junior Brother, Zar saw:
[Meng (Foundation Establishment 4th Layer): 24/270/510]
At first glance, Meng looked to be a genius. At only 24 years old, he had achieved the 4th Layer of Foundation Establishment. But just like Zar, who had an outward cultivation of Foundation Establishment 2nd Layer at 20 years of age, he was average.
Both of them were just ordinary Outer Disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect, both serving the same master—the Valley Master of Azure Medicine Valley.
"The Ruby Grass?" Zar repeated while taking out a stalk of blood-colored grass leaking trace amounts of Innate Energy. "Yes, I've already plucked this one and around 500 more similar such stalks."
[Ruby Grass (3rd Rank): 3/25/25] - (Lifespan extracted)
Whenever Zar extracted the lifespan of a spiritual plant by plucking it, no visible discrepancies could be discerned in the plant itself. However, over time, if no one used the spiritual plant, it would start to shrivel up far sooner than expected.
The typical lifespan of a Rank 3 spiritual plant was approximately 200 years. But after extracting most of its lifespan upon being plucked, that number was reduced to a tenth of what it was.
Fortunately for Zar's lifespan heist, most spiritual plants and herbs were used within months of being plucked. And in the off-chance someone didn't use the Spiritual Herb within a few years, by the time anyone discovered the truth, the thing would have been in circulation for too long. After moving from one place to another for dozens of years, it would be impossible to trace its origins back to him.
"Good, good," Meng nodded approvingly. "You're as efficient as always, Junior Brother Zar. Go ahead and bring all you have to the Master."
"En, Senior Brother," Zar replied respectfully before descending a spiraling mountain path that would eventually spike back up and reach a different part of the mountaintop.
"Wait, Junior Brother Zar!" Meng called out. "I forgot to tell you, but Senior Sister Hua has requested your presence again!"
Zar momentarily paused, his lips curving up crookedly. Without turning around to face his Senior Brother, he exasperatedly said, "I'll make my way over whenever I'm done speaking with Master."
"Alright, I'll tell her what you've told me!" Meng remarked with a cheeky smile, deriving joy from Zar's troubles.
Sighing, Zar continued down the winding path. Pebbles and larger rocks rolled off the steep, dangerous trail as he briskly skimmed beside the inclined cliff edges.