9. Wealth Stirs the Heart

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The portly old man was obsessed with alchemy and had suffered countless setbacks in his attempts to refine the Tongxuan Pill. Now, upon seeing the celestial jade, he seemed to glimpse the hope of success, nearly unable to restrain himself from snatching it.

The Guo brothers’ eyes also betrayed a peculiar gleam—they too coveted the celestial jade. Nevertheless, being scions of a renowned sect and accustomed to grandeur, such a small piece of jade was not enough to make them lose composure.

Li Miao smiled wryly in his heart. According to Guo Yunzhi, cosmic crystals were exceedingly precious, and the value of this tiny fragment in his hand surely far exceeded that of two mid-grade magical treasures—he was taking a terrible loss in this deal.

Yet what troubled him most was not this, but rather the pile of cosmic crystals still hidden within his microcosmic ring.

If this piece in his hand were to be counted as "1," then those within his microcosm would number in the tens of thousands—a staggering quantity!

In his original world, cosmic crystals were a high-end consumable. However, for all their rarity, they were quite common among the expeditionary forces; the entire fleet consumed vast amounts of them daily to power weapons and offset travel losses.

But in this world, cosmic crystals had become a luxury, their effects astonishing yet their acquisition almost impossible.

Under such circumstances, if he were ever seen using a cosmic crystal to recharge a miniature flying device, he might well draw lethal trouble upon himself!

Wealth moves the human heart—how much more so when it is a peerless treasure!

After hesitating for a moment with the small piece of cosmic crystal in hand, he ultimately handed it over to Xu Yong.

“A promise once given cannot be taken back. I owe you nothing now,” he said aloud. At the same time, he resolved inwardly never to produce such an item so lightly again.

Xu Yong, beside himself with joy, accepted the crystal as if it were a priceless treasure, his pudgy face devoid of any lofty demeanor—he laughed gleefully, “Good, good, good! You owe me nothing—it is I who owe you the Tongxuan Pills! Daoist Li, I shall return to my alchemy now. Xue’er, see to our distinguished guest!”

With that, his short, stout figure lifted off the ground, turning into a grayish shadow as he flew toward the precipitous peak.

At that moment, the aura Xu Yong revealed was truly formidable, having reached the initial stage of Return to Origin—an entire major realm above the Guo brothers!

As they watched Xu Yong depart, Yan Chengxue’s lovely face was full of helplessness. She shook her head, pouting, “The old fool is still an old fool—even after a century, he’s prone to bouts of madness. Hmph! And now I have to entertain this wretched thief.”

“Ahem…” Guo Yunzhi cleared his throat, admonishing, “Such disrespect! Where are your manners?”

Yan Chengxue stuck out her tongue playfully, “Well, it’s true. Hmph! As for you, stinking thief, since you’ve bribed my master, I’ll overlook your transgressions. You may leave now. Ow! Senior brother Yunyi, why did you hit me?”

Guo Yunyi had rapped her lightly on the head, scolding, “Uncle Xu said Brother Li is now an honored guest of the Hundred Herbs Sect. You have no manners at all—aren’t you afraid of making our sect a laughingstock?”

Rubbing her sore forehead, Yan Chengxue retorted, “He’s just a lecherous rogue—why should I be polite?”

Guo Yunyi simply shook his head, helpless in the face of her unruly nature. Turning to Li Miao, he said, “Brother Li, my uncle is deeply devoted to alchemy and has already returned to his furnace. As he promised you two Tongxuan Pills, if you are not pressed for time, why not come up the mountain to rest?”

“What is the use of Tongxuan Pills?” Li Miao inquired.

His understanding of cultivators was still woefully inadequate; he lacked knowledge in every respect.

Yan Chengxue seized the chance to mock, “Hmph! You don’t even know what Tongxuan Pills are—hillfolk in the wilderness have more sense than you!”

Guo Yunyi rapped her on the head again, then explained to Li Miao, “The Tongxuan Pill is an eighth-grade elixir, extremely difficult to refine—almost no one in Pangshan Prefecture can guarantee success. The effects are extraordinary: after ingestion, the body becomes pure as that of a tribulation-escaping immortal. Though the effect only lasts seven days, during that time, one’s cultivation in seclusion is equivalent to a whole year’s worth of effort.”

“Seven days for a year’s worth—that’s quite something!” Li Miao exclaimed sincerely.

In that case, exchanging a small cosmic crystal for two Tongxuan Pills, effectively accelerating his cultivation by two years, didn’t seem such a bad deal.

Only, he couldn’t be certain whether an elixir refined by cultivators would have the same effect on a primal energy warrior like himself.

Seeing his interest, Guo Yunzhi said, “Brother Li, this is not the place to talk. Let’s head up the mountain. My uncle’s alchemy will take some time, so we must wait.”

Li Miao nodded, “Very well. I was just wondering where to go—having you two as company is an excellent chance to gather information.”

His understanding of this world was far too limited, both in cultivation and the mundane, and he needed to catch up.

“After you, Brother Li.”

“Please, both of you.”

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Li Miao, carrying Guo’er, followed the Guo brothers along the winding mountain path up the slope. Yan Chengxue trailed behind, occasionally making faces and shaking her fist, her grievance not yet extinguished.

As they walked, the twin brothers began to speak of the Hundred Herbs Sect.

The sect had been established for over a thousand years, its history no shorter than that of the Red Sky Sword Sect. Yet, being primarily devoted to alchemy over cultivation, they had long been lax in martial training and had never produced a truly renowned powerhouse in Pangshan Prefecture.

The sect was small, never exceeding a hundred members even at its zenith. Now, counting a few secular disciples who tended the herb fields, there were but thirty or forty souls.

Yet the sect’s reputation was considerable, for every generation’s sect master was a famed alchemy master. Many powerful cultivators would present lavish gifts to obtain a single furnace of pills, incurring considerable obligations in the process.

Thus, though the Hundred Herbs Sect was small, in some respects its status in Pangshan Prefecture was notable.

The precipitous peak was called Qihuang Peak, the sect’s base. Most disciples lived atop the mountain, while the surrounding lesser hills were medicinal fields managed by secular disciples.

Qihuang Peak was extremely steep, with few buildings, most clinging to the mountainside—some at the mouth of a ravine, some perched on cliffs, others beneath ancient pines. The architectural style was simple and natural, with an air of transcendence when viewed from afar.

As they went, they occasionally encountered disciples of the Hundred Herbs Sect, who would greet the Guo brothers respectfully as “senior brothers.”

Yan Chengxue’s treatment was far less cordial—if someone was in a good mood, she might be called “little junior sister”; otherwise, she was simply ignored.

“Are the Red Sky Sword Sect and the Hundred Herbs Sect very close?” Li Miao asked.

If they were unrelated, the disciples wouldn’t address each other as brothers and sisters.

Guo Yunzhi explained, “There’s not much interaction between the sects, but because our late father and Uncle Xu once risked their lives together, the Hundred Herbs disciples treat us kindly. After our father’s death, it was thanks to Uncle Xu’s care that we had enough elixirs to continue cultivating. Otherwise, no matter our talent, with our sect’s scarce resources, we’d never have made it this far.”

Li Miao nodded thoughtfully.

It seemed that internal competition within the prestigious Red Sky Sword Sect was fierce. The Guo brothers’ closeness with the small Hundred Herbs Sect was partly due to their fathers’ friendship, and partly for mutual benefit.

By afternoon, they reached the sect’s main hall halfway up the mountain.

A middle-aged cultivator received them, and upon learning of Li Miao’s status as honored guest, immediately arranged for two rooms to be prepared for Li Miao and Guo’er.

The middle-aged cultivator, Huo Zhong, was the sect’s steward in charge of various affairs. Knowing none had eaten lunch, he personally ordered disciples to bring out an array of exquisite dishes.

Cultivators, especially those above the Condensing True Realm, required little food—one meal a day sufficed. But Guo’er had no cultivation, just a frail little girl, and Yan Chengxue, only at the seventh stage of Qi Refining, could not yet subsist without food.

Guo’er had grown up with Xuan Zhenzi on Endless Cloud Mountain, her diet consisting mostly of grain and vegetables. Xuan Zhenzi, old and unsuccessful in cultivation, could barely catch a rabbit, so the child had never tasted meat.

So, when Huo Zhong’s disciples brought steaming astragalus squab soup, fragrant braised pig’s trotters with peanuts, and thick stewed tofu with rehmannia, the little girl’s mouth watered uncontrollably, her bright eyes shining with longing. Even her grief for her master’s passing was momentarily forgotten.

“Eat,” Li Miao urged, serving her a bowl of soup and two pieces of meat. The girl glanced timidly at the others, then lowered her head and began to eat in small, careful bites.

Despite her hunger, she remembered her master’s teachings: she must maintain decorum and never eat like a glutton lest others look down on her.

During the meal, Huo Zhong inquired about Li Miao’s origins.

He replied with half-truths, recounting the matter of Endless Cloud Mountain and Guo’er honestly, but concealing the matter of the Reincarnation Lotus Sutra.

As for himself, he claimed only that as a youth he’d discovered a mysterious cave where he’d found a cultivation method, a war blade, and a piece of celestial jade, and had muddled through for years before recently emerging into the world, hence his unfamiliarity with the cultivation realm.

The others were skeptical but tactful enough not to interrogate further.

After the meal, they continued toward the rear mountain.

The path grew steeper, the rocks more jagged, and even the ancient pines grew sparse.

After winding through the rugged terrain, they came upon a great hall built entirely of stone. Above the door was a plaque inscribed “Hall of the Elder Lord,” with a statue of an ancient immortal at the entrance.

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At this moment, the hall’s door was ajar, and waves of heat rolled out, palpable even from thirty or forty meters away.

Huo Zhong explained, “That is where the sect master refines pills. There is a spiritual gathering array within, set by the founder, which enhances the condensation of alchemical energy. The sect master is currently in seclusion refining pills, so we’d best not disturb him. We can visit another day.”

“Is pill refinement very complicated?” Li Miao asked curiously.

He knew next to nothing of alchemy, magical implements, or arrays and needed someone to enlighten him.

Huo Zhong, himself a skilled alchemist, smiled and replied, “Some methods are complex, others simple. For example, the Tongxuan Pill the sect master is refining requires over a hundred different herbs and dozens of steps, and must be refined for seven days and nights without pause—quite a complicated process. But for something like the blood-activating powder for external injuries, it’s easy; just grind five herbs into powder and mix them.”

“It sounds like a profound discipline.”

“Indeed. The path of alchemy is endless. Many spend a lifetime barely scratching the surface. Even our sect’s successive masters often sigh at its profundity, second only to the immortal path itself.”

As they spoke, they circled around the Hall of the Elder Lord to reach the secluded cultivation area on the rear mountain.

Several wooden cottages stood scattered according to the terrain. This was already the upper slope of the peak, where faint mists drifted by and the temperature was noticeably cooler than before.

Huo Zhong pointed to a refined bamboo house near the cliff and said, “Fellow Daoist Li, what do you think of that cottage?”

Li Miao looked in the indicated direction.

The bamboo house sat at the edge of the cliff, with no other houses within a hundred meters—only a winding path leading toward the Hall of the Elder Lord. Behind the house was a smooth rock face; before it, a small open space, and beyond that, a vine-covered precipice.

Mountain mists drifted, clouds caressed the scene—truly a celestial abode.

“It’s a fine place,” Li Miao said with satisfaction.

For the next few days, that bamboo house would be home to him and Guo’er.

Soon, dusk began to fall.

That afternoon, Li Miao had sought advice from Huo Zhong and Guo Yunzhi on matters of cultivation, learning more of this world. Not until twilight did he part from the others and head alone to the bamboo house by the cliff.

The cottage had a name: Tideview Residence. It was said that in the right weather, one could see the unique spectacle of clouds surging like waves below.

“Guo’er, did you have enough to eat at supper?”

“Yes,” Guo’er replied with a nod.

She had scarcely spoken all day. The loss of Xuan Zhenzi weighed heavily upon her; though she no longer wept, she remained withdrawn, her tiny brow furrowed from time to time.

Li Miao sat with her at the edge of the cliff.

Looking out over the fields and villages below, he sighed, “I once misunderstood this world. Only now do I realize how vast the realm of cultivators truly is.”

Over the course of the afternoon, he had learned much from Huo Zhong and Guo Yunzhi: the abilities of powerful cultivators, the highest magical implements and elixirs, secret arts, and more.

All of this gave him a new understanding of cultivators.

Perhaps the people of this world could not, like his own expeditionary army, open up star systems and traverse billions of light years at will. Yet in their mastery of individual power and the diversity of their abilities, they far surpassed primal energy warriors.

Take, for example, himself—a Mountain and River-grade primal energy warrior—compared to the Guo brothers at the initial stage of Condensing True Realm.

Their cultivations were roughly equal, but the Guo brothers had mastered a dozen sword techniques, could set many different arrays, refine simple elixirs, fly on their swords, and even practice blood refinement, storing magical treasures within their bodies.