「Feiyun City. The Xia Family Estate.」
Xia Heng looked at Xiaxia and said, "Xiaxia, why don’t we just have your master handle this? You’ve been studying this Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill for days now, but you still..."
Xiaxia’s face was ashen, her eyes bloodshot. She muttered to herself, ’A delicate fragrance, but the pill’s aroma won’t coalesce. If it wasn’t Night Flower I added, then what could it be?’
"It might be the Tanxiang Mushroom! Yes, I’ll try that," Xiaxia said abruptly.
The Pill Formulas Wen Qingye had given Xiaxia were all intentionally vague. She had to experint and explore on her own to successfully refine the pills. It was, in a way, Wen Qingye’s test for her.
Xiaxia continued to arrange her dicinal herbs. The Pill Furnace beside her was still scorching hot, emitting plus of milky white steam.
Xia Heng’s brow furrowed. "Xiaxia, are you listening to ? Liu Qing is competing against our Xia Family’s Pill Masters tomorrow! Your master isn’t here, and Elder Yuh is only a Third-Grade Alchemist. What are we supposed to do?"
Xia Heng’s expression was fraught with anxiety, his brow deeply furrowed.
The first thing Liu Qing did upon arriving was beco the Yue Family’s Head Alchemy Master. He then issued a challenge to the Xia Family on their behalf. The duel drew imnse attention from Feiyun City and the surrounding areas. Everyone was eager to see whose Alchemy Dao—the Xia Family’s or the Yue Family’s—was superior.
Xiaxia waved a hand in annoyance. "How many tis do I have to tell you? I’ll go."
After saying her piece, Xiaxia returned to the herbs in her hand, her brow alternately furrowing in concentration and smoothing out.
Xia Heng sighed in resignation. "Liu Qing is a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, Zhang Ya’s top disciple! What good will you do? Is this so kind of joke?"
With that, Xia Heng flicked his sleeves and departed.
Watching Xia Heng leave, a flicker of exhaustion crossed Xiaxia’s eyes. But she shook her head, took a deep breath, and murmured to herself, ’I can’t give up. Liu Qing is a Fifth-Grade Alchemist. I must succeed in refining a Fifth-Grade Pill by tomorrow. Today is my last chance.’
With that, she picked up the herbs from the table and walked over to the Pill Furnace.
.........
Wen Qingye furrowed his brow. "Are you saying that Elder Sunx, the one who distributes the resources, deliberately shorted ? And not just , but Guu Lei, Wei Qiutong, and Ren Hua too?"
Lil Ya spoke slowly. "It’s hard to say for sure, as I don’t have all the facts. But the cultivation resources for Inner Courtyard students should definitely be more than this. Our Qig Mountain Academy may only be ranked third in the Celestial Martial Country, but our resources would never be this scarce."
Wen Qingye nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he fell silent.
"Don’t worry," Lil Ya said. "I’ll see to it that this is resolved."
Wen Qingye shook his head. "There’s no need. I’d rather handle this myself."
Lil Ya paused, taken aback. He stared at Wen Qingye. "Handle it yourself? How?"
Wen Qingye smiled faintly. "You don’t need to worry about it. You must have co to see for a reason, right?"
"Very well. The main reason I’m here is to tell you the secret of our North Mountain," Lil Ya said, his expression turning serious. "You must have wondered why our mountain is occupied by Demon Beasts, why we only have a few crude thatched huts, and why, after all these years, you are the only student I have ever recruited."
Wen Qingye nodded, gesturing with his eyes for Lil Ya to continue.
"This story begins seventeen years ago," Lil Ya began, his eyes growing distant as if lost in mory. "Back then, North Mountain was just like the others, a flourishing part of the Outer Courtyard. We had nurous lecturers and instructors, and our students’ strength ranked among the top of the Four Mountains. I was just a junior lecturer at the ti. Then one day, a world-shaking battle erupted in the Hundred Break Mountains. The combatants were two peerless experts, a man and a woman, neither of whom were from our Celestial Martial Country. Their power was so imnse it was simply terrifying."
"They battled all the way from the depths of the Hundred Break Mountains to our very own North Mountain. During their fight, even the academy’s director at the ti—a master at the Refining Spirit Eighth Layer Heaven—could only stand by and watch, utterly powerless. It seed they were fighting over so object. The students of North Mountain were urgently evacuated as their battle intensified, plunging the world into chaos. They fought from day into night, and then from night back into day."
"Finally, as their conflict reached its peak, they both plumted onto North Mountain. But then... their bodies simply vanished, leaving no trace behind."
"Ever since that day, North Mountain has held an irresistible attraction for Demon Beasts for so unknown reason. Many powerful Demon Beasts sward to the mountain and made it their domain. In no ti, the peak was overrun with them. So of these beasts are exceedingly powerful, but they never venture beyond North Mountain’s borders. Many who heard this secret have co to our mountain searching for the lost treasure. Rumors say it’s a powerful weapon, a set of King-Grade Martial Arts, a miraculous natural object, or even a Treasure Map. People have co from other countries to seek it. But most who venture up the mountain never return. The few who make it back alive co back empty-handed."
"Our North Mountain has known no peace since then. Eventually, we had no choice but to disband the North Mountain division. However, the mountain still needed a guardian. At the ti, my aptitude was considered rather exceptional among the lecturers of my generation, so I was the one left behind. I’ve been silently guarding North Mountain for all these years, forbidden from letting anyone from Qig Mountain Academy set foot on it."
When Lil Ya finished, his eyes rested on Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye frowned. "What? Do you want to help you guard North Mountain?"
"That’s not it," Lil Ya said slowly. "I just felt that as the sole student of North Mountain, you deserved to know the truth. I once tried to return to the mountain’s peak to find the legendary lost treasure myself. But after searching for a long ti, I couldn’t find a single clue. Besides, the mountain is crawling with Demon Beasts, and there’s no shortage of incredibly powerful ones among them. In the end, I retreated."
Lil Ya paused. "In truth, North Mountain does need a guardian. It’s fine if you’re not willing. I know you’re curious about what lies on the peak. I can only remind you to be extrely careful. Rember that."
Wen Qingye’s eyes narrowed and he nodded, a realization dawning on him. ’Whatever could attract so many Demon Beasts must be an extraordinary treasure.’ A profound interest suddenly kindled within him.
Wen Qingye then asked, "By the way, Mountain Master, I’d like to ask about Innate Grass and Spirit Dew. Do you know where I might find them?"
Lil Ya mused for a mont. "Spirit Dew? I believe our academy’s apothecary has so. But it’s troubleso to acquire. You would need to make a significant contribution to the academy to obtain it. As for Innate Grass... I truly don’t know. Innate Grass is a King-Grade herb. It rarely ever appears in the entire Celestial Martial Country."
Wen Qingye nodded, his mind already starting to work on a plan to obtain the Spirit Dew from Qig Mountain Academy.
Lil Ya let out a knowing chuckle. "Actually, I might have a way for you to get that Spirit Dew."
"What is it?" Wen Qingye asked.
Lil Ya glanced at the cloth pouch in Wen Qingye’s hand. "You received such a small amount of cultivation resources this ti. If you were willing to raise a fuss about it... and since Vice Director Nie thinks so highly of you, perhaps if you brought up your desire for the Spirit Dew, he might just grant it to you."
Wen Qingye nodded. "Hmm, that’s actually a good idea."
"I was just spitballing," Lil Ya said, stunned. "You’re actually taking seriously?"
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