Chapter 182
Chapter 182: Rong Shu’s Disguise Nearly Got Exposed
At Xiao Yao City’s teleportation array entrance, four figures stepped out.
The only woman clung to one man’s arm, eyes sparkling. “Third Senior Brother, it’s so lively here. Should we stroll around first?”
She turned to the other two. “Second Senior Brother, Jin Yu Senior Brother—what do you think?”
The group was Yu Ruan Ruan, Huo Yi Han, Qin Yuan, and Yun Wu Ya.
“Of course we’ll follow Ruanruan Junior Sister,” Yun Wu Ya said, smiling gently. His gaze on her looked like it held endless tenderness.
Qin Yuan, cut off before he could answer, flashed a trace of displeasure. “Ruanruan, I already asked around before we came. There are a few places in Xiao Yao City that visiting cultivators always go.”
“Really?” Yu Ruan Ruan beamed. “Then we have to go!”
“It’s a pity First Senior Brother has a mission and can’t come…”
Yu Ruan Ruan walked between Huo Yi Han and Qin Yuan, basking in their attention.
Behind them, Yun Wu Ya’s eyes flickered with cold light at the mention.
Feng Lin.
That man lived up to his reputation—wanted on bounty lists across major sects. Like a hunting dog, he watched sect disciples and spies with merciless persistence.
When Yun Wu Ya first moved into Wu Ji Peak, Feng Lin had made things difficult for him more than once. Thankfully, he hadn’t exposed anything.
This time, Feng Lin wasn’t here.
Yun Wu Ya felt relief—and at the same time, a darker thought rose.
Should he find a way to kill all three of Jun Xiu Ran’s disciples in Xiao Yao City?
“Ruanruan,” Qin Yuan said, quickly steering her mood, “I heard Xiao Yao City has an Ice Lake. The ice qi there is dense. You have an ice-attribute Heavenly Spirit Root—this could help your cultivation.”
Yu Ruan Ruan’s excitement flared. “Okay! Then we’ll go!”
…
Elsewhere, inside an inn room, Wu Hua sat in silence for a long time before finally deciding.
He would use the fate chart again.
The moment he activated it, the fate chart shot out the window.
Wu Hua’s heart lurched. He snapped a hand up, spiritual energy surging, and dragged it back.
Little Junior Sister was next door.
And the fate chart had reacted to something outside.
Wu Hua’s face tightened.
Yu Ruan Ruan… was she here?
He couldn’t think of another possibility.
Little Junior Sister liked hiding her strength. Even around Yu Ruan Ruan, she played harmless and ordinary.
If she showed her true self at the Alchemy Tournament, Yu Ruan Ruan would notice.
And if Little Junior Sister wanted to play the pig to eat the tiger, Wu Hua wasn’t about to ruin it.
He tucked the fate chart away and turned to go warn Rong Shu.
Before he reached the door, a knock came.
“Senior Brother.”
Wu Hua opened it. Rong Shu stood outside, the Little Hamster perched on her shoulder like a tiny ornament.
“I already qualified for the Alchemy Tournament,” Rong Shu said. “Now we just wait for it to begin. Senior Brother, should we go stroll around the city?”
“Gugu!” the Little Hamster chimed in.
Wu Hua let them in. “Strolling is fine. I’m here to accompany you. You decide.”
He paused, then reminded her, “But Xiao Yao City is crowded. You’re investigating your spirit roots—showing your true face isn’t suitable.”
Rong Shu nodded. “I thought the same.”
“When I registered, I didn’t use my Tian Yan Sect identity as Rong Shu,” she said. “I used a random independent cultivator identity.”
Wu Hua’s shoulders eased. “Good.”
Rong Shu’s gaze flicked over him. “But Senior Brother… shouldn’t you disguise yourself too?”
Wu Hua sighed lightly. “Fine.”
A formation pattern flared beneath his feet.
He lifted a hand and brushed his face.
The “mask” vanished.
Rong Shu froze.
The man before her was strikingly handsome—cold, refined, and noble, like someone born above dust and smoke. His presence was calm, but it pressed on the air like a hidden blade.
Rong Shu had imagined his true appearance, but seeing it still stole her breath.
Among everyone she’d ever seen, no one compared to him in this moment.
And this person… would be her Senior Brother at the Academy.
Her anticipation for the Central Continent spiked.
“Senior Brother,” she asked carefully, “was that the disguise… or your real face?”
Wu Hua lifted the Little Hamster off her shoulder with two fingers, holding him like a small, trembling bun. “This is my real face.”
“You’ll be my Little Junior Sister sooner or later,” he added, glancing at her. “Consider this our official introduction.”
The Little Hamster tucked his paws close and squeaked a tiny, obedient “gugu.”
Rong Shu scratched her cheek, suddenly shy. “Senior Brother, you have that much faith in me? You think I’ll definitely get into the Academy?”
“Of course.” Wu Hua stepped toward the door. “There’s still a month. How do you plan to spend it?”
“Refining pills,” Rong Shu answered without hesitation. “And getting familiar with Xiao Yao City.”
“I only became a rank-four alchemist recently,” she admitted. “Compared to those who’ve been rank-four for years, I’m far behind in experience. I want to use the month to get comfortable with rank-four refining.”
Rank-four refining was different from rank-three in one key way: it required an exotic flame.
Before, she only needed to control the furnace, the herbs, and the furnace fire.
Now there was an external flame—something wild. If she couldn’t fully control it, it wouldn’t help. It would drag her down.
“You have a plan,” Wu Hua said. “Good.”
Privately, he decided he needed a backup Pureclear Six-Spirit Flower in advance. If she couldn’t win it, she still needed a path.
As they headed downstairs, Wu Hua added, “Yu Ruan Ruan may have come to Xiao Yao City.”
Rong Shu’s steps stuttered.
Ever since the suspicion took root—that Yu Ruan Ruan might have dug out Rong Shu’s spirit roots—Rong Shu’s view of her had dropped through the floor.
Looking back, she could see it clearly: Yu Ruan Ruan didn’t truly like her.
Yet Yu Ruan Ruan still smiled and acted close. Which meant there was always something underneath.
Rong Shu steadied herself. “Huo Yi Han is an alchemist. If he’s here for the tournament, Yu Ruan Ruan might have followed him.”
“Huo Yi Han,” Wu Hua repeated. “Jun Xiu Ran’s second disciple?”
“Mm.”
Wu Hua smiled faintly. “He’s rank-four too. If he competes, he’ll be your opponent.”
Rong Shu shrugged. “That’s fine. It’s not like he’ll be my only opponent.”
Still, if Yu Ruan Ruan ended up on the other side, Huo Yi Han would likely stand with her.
If someone was an enemy, you learned them first.
This tournament might be a chance to test Huo Yi Han’s skill.
…
They stepped into the city streets, swept along by a river of people.
“Senior Brother,” Rong Shu said brightly, “the black market intel mentioned an Ice Lake that never melts. The ice qi there is denser than most places. Should we go take a look?”
Her ice cultivation progressed painfully slowly. She’d always wondered if an ice-rich place—or an ice-attribute treasure—could improve it, the way Nectar Ambrosia had improved her water spirit root.
“Then we’ll go,” Wu Hua said, letting her lead.
As they walked, Wu Hua asked, “What rank is the exotic flame you obtained? If it’s ordinary, it won’t help much.”
“I already fused and refined it,” Rong Shu said. “It feels compatible with me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made rank-four.”
Not to mention the flame’s play-it-safe nature—it fit her absurdly well.
And under Huo Ling’s “discipline,” even the most unruly exotic flame learned to behave.
As they passed the Alchemist Guild branch, Wu Hua asked, “Have you tested for your alchemist certificate yet?”
Rong Shu froze. “Ah… I guess not. Too much happened. I forgot.”
Wu Hua nodded toward the Little Hamster, now perched on his shoulder and staring around with wide-eyed curiosity. “Once you have a rank-four certificate, the guild opens privileges. You can read certain rank-four formulas and pill-refining books for free.”
Rong Shu nodded quickly. “Then I’ll do it. Month-end is soon. I’ll test for rank-three first, then next month rank-four.”
She exhaled, relieved. “Good thing the tournament has its own assessment instead of relying only on certificates. Otherwise I might not even qualify.”
“You’ll qualify,” Wu Hua said, faint amusement in his eyes.
Rong Shu squinted at him. “Because you have contacts in the guild? You can pull strings?”
Wu Hua only smiled.
That made her even more curious. “Senior Brother—don’t be mysterious. Tell me!”
“Gugu!” the Little Hamster leaned forward too, clearly invested.
Wu Hua finally said, “When you reach the Central Continent, you’ll know.”
He didn’t say more. He didn’t need to.
The Alchemist Guild was Zi An’s family business. If Little Junior Sister walked in, that brat would definitely try to show off.
And it wasn’t like she lacked ability.
Wu Hua’s smile faded. “One more thing. When you control the exotic flame, do you feel any discomfort?”
“No,” Rong Shu said, puzzled. “Why?”
“Even for support professions like alchemists, you can’t neglect your realm,” Wu Hua said, tone firm. “Spiritual power matters, but your cultivation still needs to keep up.”
“Mm. I will.”
Rong Shu sighed inwardly.
Rank-four alchemist… yet only Qi Refining, fourth layer. It sounded ridiculous.
She should find a good time and “break through” to Qi Refining, fifth layer.
Ice breakthroughs were hard. If only the other elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—already at Foundation Establishment Stage, could display as Qi Refining fifth…
As if responding to her thought, the spiritual energies inside her shifted.
In an instant, the cultivation she’d been suppressing “dropped” to Qi Refining, fifth layer—pressing down over the ice aura she’d been showing at fourth.
Wu Hua’s gaze snapped to her. “Junior Sister, you…”
Rong Shu’s mind went blank for half a heartbeat.
Then she blinked innocently, face pure as snow. “Um… just like you see, Senior Brother. I think… under your urging, I broke through to Qi Refining, fifth layer.”
Wu Hua stared at her.
He’d said one sentence, and she broke through?
And yet… the aura was real.
After a long pause, he let it go.
“A breakthrough is a good thing,” he said at last. “Congratulations, Junior Sister.”
Rong Shu exhaled quietly, then scolded Feng Ling and Huo Ling in her heart until they were surely trembling somewhere inside her.
They had saved her effort.
They had also nearly made her expose herself in front of Wu Hua.
Ahead, the crowd thickened.
“We’re close,” Wu Hua said. “Stay near me.”
He took the Little Hamster from his shoulder and handed him back to Rong Shu. Then he lifted one hand and formed a seal.
A transparent spiritual barrier spread around them, silent and invisible.
The crowded people drifted aside unconsciously, as if avoiding them without realizing it.
Rong Shu hugged the Little Hamster and followed closely, her thoughts tangled.
Should she find a chance to tell him her secrets?
Wu Hua treated her well. They might become true fellow disciples one day.
Hiding everything felt… wrong.