The Lingzhi mushroom was growing right under the large tree, and Qin Yi was somewhat surprised that the Kongtong Sect hadn't discovered it yet.
However, he quickly recovered.
The Kongtong Sect members didn't possess his keen senses. Tianshan was vast, and it was impossible for them to find all the treasures on it!
Finding a Lingzhi mushroom didn't bring him any excitement. Although a fifty-year-old Lingzhi had excellent medicinal value, he had come up the mountain to find array materials, not other things!
Therefore, Qin Yi put away the Lingzhi, his emotions unperturbed, and continued to walk upwards.
After walking another thousand meters, the ground began to be covered with snow, and the surrounding temperature dropped by ten to twenty degrees compared to the foot of the mountain.
Qin Yi was lightly dressed, but fortunately, as a cultivator, he circulated his True Qi to cover his body surface, directly blocking out the cold and preventing it from entering his body.
Along the way, Qin Yi discovered more precious herbs similar to Lingzhi, but he didn't pick any of them.
His sole focus now was on finding materials for the formation's core.
Half an hour later, Qin Yi had reached the summit of Tianshan. The cold wind howled around him, but it did not affect his senses.
Qin Yi's perception swept across every inch of the Tianshan summit, every corner!
Suddenly, he detected something. He quickly walked to a large rock covered in snow and dug away a pile of snow from beneath it with his hand.
A rusty, fist-sized lump of iron was exposed.
Qin Yi picked up the iron lump, examined it carefully, and a joyful smile appeared on his face.
Immediately after, holding the iron lump, he squeezed it with a little force.
With a *crack*, the rust on the iron lump began to peel off.
As the rust fell away, a light shone from within the iron lump, revealing a crystal-clear small bead hidden inside.
Qin Yi took out the small bead and examined it, becoming more and more excited.
This small bead was likely originally just an ordinary ornament, accidentally dropped on Tianshan. Over time, it had been continuously nourished by the spiritual energy of Tianshan, accumulating a large amount of energy and becoming a material suitable for array formations!
Furthermore, Qin Yi could feel that with the energy accumulated in this bead, if he used it as the core for a spirit gathering array, it would last for a considerable time.
Previously, the Bagua disk he obtained from the Wu family had only lasted four days when used to set up a spirit gathering array. Qin Yi estimated that using this bead as the core for a spirit gathering array would allow him to cultivate for at least half a month!
In fact, most array formation materials originally began as ordinary items. They evolved into usable materials by existing for too long or in specific places, undergoing the tempering and purification of time.
Both the previous Bagua disk and the current bead had evolved from ordinary objects.
Of course, the conditions for an ordinary item to evolve into an array formation material were extremely harsh, and the probability was very low.
This bead had likely existed on Tianshan for an unknown period, constantly bathed and nourished by the spiritual energy of the mountain, before it finally became an array formation material!
This was precisely why array formation materials were so rare!
Having found this bead, Qin Yi felt that his trip to Tianshan was worthwhile; he hadn't come in vain!
Just as Qin Yi was about to put the bead away, several figures emerged from the western area.
Upon seeing the bead in Qin Yi's hand, their eyes lit up simultaneously, and they quickened their pace towards him.
At this moment, Qin Yi also noticed them. He stood his ground and watched them approach.
The group consisted of individuals in their thirties and forties, each holding a long sword. The leader was a middle-aged man, appearing to be the oldest, with his arms bared.
At the frigid temperature on the Tianshan summit, to be dressed so thinly without any apparent discomfort clearly indicated that the man was powerful.
When they reached Qin Yi, the group stopped. The middle-aged man pointed at the bead in Qin Yi's hand and said in a commanding tone, "Hand it over!"
"???"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yi's face gained several dark lines, and he wore a completely speechless expression.
He completely ignored the man and pocketed the bead.
The middle-aged man's expression immediately darkened.
A person behind him stepped forward, pointing his sword at Qin Yi and shouting, "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear our senior brother speaking to you?"
"Kid, you're from the Kongtong Sect, aren't you!" the middle-aged man asked, glancing around. "Are you alone?"
Qin Yi didn't answer and turned to leave.
From their appearance, they were clearly not disciples of the Kongtong Sect, but likely warriors from the逍遥派 (Xiaoyao Sect) or 风王谷 (Fengwang Valley).
However, Qin Yi had come here to find array materials and didn't want to get involved in the disputes of other factions, so he had no intention of engaging in pointless conversation and wasting time.
Even though the middle-aged man's arrogant demeanor had already slightly displeased him.
*Whoosh...*
As Qin Yi took a step, a whistling sound pierced the air. Qin Yi tilted his head, and a white light flashed past his face.
The white light landed a few meters in front of him on the snow-covered ground, embedded there—it was a sword!
Qin Yi's eyes sharpened. He turned and looked back at the group.
The person who had just called Qin Yi deaf now only held a sword scabbard in his hand.
Undoubtedly, the previous attack had come from him.
Seeing that Qin Yi had dodged his attack, the man's face showed a hint of surprise. He then walked towards Qin Yi, holding his sword scabbard, and said, "Are you really deaf? Didn't you hear us talking to you, you bastard?"
"You can leave, but leave the bead in your pocket. Otherwise, you won't be leaving today..."
As he approached Qin Yi, Qin Yi suddenly thrust out a palm.
Qin Yi's speed was so fast that the man had no time to react before being struck in the chest. His words were cut short by a scream as he was sent flying back over ten meters.
He landed on the snow and, due to inertia, continued to roll downwards.
"Sixth Junior Brother!!!"
A companion, seeing this, quickly rushed forward to block his body, preventing him from rolling further down the mountain.
The middle-aged man and the others looked at Qin Yi with eyes now filled with murderous intent. The swords in their hands were all drawn in an instant.
"Kid, you're seeking death!"
The next moment, without hesitation, the men drew their swords and charged at Qin Yi.
Their speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, they were upon Qin Yi, and several sword lights thrust towards him from multiple directions.
However, Qin Yi paid them no mind. Instead, a disdainful smile spread across his lips.
Just as their attacks were about to land on him, his figure flickered and vanished from his original spot.