“This aura…”
Shen Mu looked at the item in the box, his eyes brimming with uncontainable joy.
A crystal-clear, radiant crimson fruit, imbued with pure spiritual charm and shaped like an infant, lay quietly on the golden velvet cloth.
It was of exceptional quality, untainted by dust, and had lost little of its spiritual essence despite the passage of time.
A Fire Infant Fruit… what an unexpected treasure!
Shen Mu’s face lit up with an irrepressible smile, his heart filled with delight.
“This thing looks like something extraordinary,” Chi Ying remarked, eyeing the oddly shaped, high-quality item, unaware it was a Fire Infant Fruit.
“It’s definitely extraordinary.”
Shen Mu quietly closed the black wooden box, then eagerly picked up the other boxes to “open” them.
Soon after.
Shen Mu opened all the boxes, finding either spiritual pills or high-quality spiritual herbs, his grin never fading.
Happier than pulling six rainbows in a ten-draw.
Amazing. These must be the preserved relics of an alchemist…
Then these books should be alchemy texts.
Shen Mu picked up a copy of The Compendium of Hundred Spirits and Ten Thousand Herbs and flipped through it briefly.
“…” An ancient herb compendium…
Some of these herbs are probably extinct by now.
Still, it’s valuable for reference. I should memorize it.
Shen Mu closed the compendium, turning his gaze to the pile of books before him.
I need to find time to read all these to expand my knowledge of alchemy. It’ll help me learn the specialized skill of pill refining later.
“Sister Chi Ying, can I take these books?”
“Take them if you want. I get a headache just looking at all those dense words,” Chi Ying said, uninterested in the tedious task of studying books. She wouldn’t care even if he took them all.
“But you’ve got to leave me a few of those boxes.”
“No problem.”
In the end, Shen Mu took three black wooden boxes with gold patterns, including, unsurprisingly, the one with the Fire Infant Fruit.
About half an hour later.
Lin Yuhe finished her practice, the crimson glow around her fading, the faint True Phoenix silhouette behind her vanishing. Her face was pale with exhaustion.
“Ugh…”
“Damn… this side effect is a bit much…”
Clutching her racing heart, she collapsed backward, feeling as if her strength had been drained.
“The power of true intent is inherently profound and mysterious. Using it beyond your realm naturally puts a heavy burden on your soul and body,” Ye Ling exhaled a turbid breath, opening her phoenix eyes to explain calmly.
The wounds on her body had slightly faded, and the chaotic aura within her was calmer than in Divine Flame City.
“You’d better take some body-refining and soul-nourishing herbs to recover, or you might develop hidden weaknesses.”
“Got it…”
Lin Yuhe let out a soft breath, then asked, “How many more treatments like this will it take?”
Ye Ling thought briefly, estimating, “Probably a dozen or so—around forty to fifty days.”
“Ha…”
“Alright…”
Trading forty to fifty days for a secret method to wield True Phoenix intent beyond her realm wasn’t a bad deal.
In fact, it was a steal.
After a long rest.
Lin Yuhe’s heartbeat steadied, and she sprang up with a carp-like flip, wobbling to the table…
She poured herself a cup of spiritual tea to soothe her dry throat.
“Senior Sister, you’re back already?”
A light, melodic voice came from outside the cave abode, making her eyes shift.
Hm? Why’s she here?
Lin Yuhe opened the door with slight confusion, seeing a petite, adorable girl with flowing pink hair approaching briskly.
“Yueyao, what’s up?”
Tang Yueyao’s fair face showed a hint of worry. “Master plans to have us join the sect’s selection tournament in half a month, but I’m only at the late Qi Refining stage. I can’t compete with those Foundation Establishment and Golden Core disciples.”
“So, I came to ask you, Senior Sister, if there’s any way to quickly boost my strength.”
“Sect selection?”
Lin Yuhe’s confusion deepened at the words. “What sect selection?”
“I heard from other disciples it’s for… selecting spots for the Four Great Sects’ Sword Trial Conference.”
“Wasn’t that conference supposed to be half a year from now? Why are they holding selections already?” Lin Yuhe’s face was full of puzzlement, her eyes thoughtful.
“I’m not sure.”
“So, Senior Sister, do you have any ideas?”
“You’re asking me instead of Master?” Lin Yuhe’s tone carried a hint of exasperation.
She was clueless about cultivation herself, barely understanding it and needing guidance from experienced seniors. How could she solve Tang Yueyao’s problem?
“Master told me to focus on diligent cultivation and avoid crooked shortcuts,” Tang Yueyao said, visibly frustrated.
She’d practically sacrificed her rest time for cultivation.
But her progress remained slow, her cultivation growth sluggish.
It felt like something was holding her back, making every step in cultivation feel like trudging with a heavy load.
“…”
Lin Yuhe rubbed her chin, her eyes darting as a sudden idea struck her.
Got it!
A sly smile curved her lips as she grabbed Tang Yueyao’s wrist. “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere to broaden your horizons.”
“Huh?”
Xuanyong City.
“Young Miss.”
In the Moon Shadow Chamber, a glamorous woman in a slit purple qipao personally greeted them.
Lin Yuhe leaned close to the woman’s ear, whispering, “Prepare a private room and bring all the secret texts on dual cultivation from the Acacia Book Pavilion.”
“Both the public and restricted versions?”
“Yes, all of them.”
The woman gave a knowing, charming smile and nodded. “Understood.”
She beckoned to a short-haired, elegant girl in a sky-blue qipao. “Xiaoyu, come here. Take these two guests to the VIP reception room.”
“Alright.”
The girl approached with graceful steps, extending a hand politely with a smile. “Please follow me.”
Tang Yueyao glanced around at the unfamiliar, lavish decor, a trace of concern in her eyes as she tugged at Lin Yuhe’s robe.
“Senior Sister… is there really a way to quickly boost my strength here?”
“Don’t worry, I guarantee there is,” Lin Yuhe said confidently, exuding assurance.
Tang Yueyao, naive and pure, her eyes clear and trusting, chose to believe her without much hesitation.
Following her lead, she stepped onto the “growth” ladder toward new knowledge.