Chapter 072

Chapter 72: Disaster Dissipates

Wei Zong Hao quickly cupped his hands and said, “Yun Ting Jie is right. If no one has anything else, I’d like to consolidate my cultivation.”

His meaning was clear—he wished for everyone to leave. The other Wei disciples did not object, especially since Zong Hao, with his three-spirit roots, had already reached late-stage Qi Refining. If they did not hurry, the gap would only widen further. So, after exchanging brief farewells, everyone departed.

Among the group, only Wei Yun Ying still remained at the Outer Nine Peaks. Her cultivation speed simply could not compare with the others. Currently, she lingered at Qi Refining level six and hadn’t yet qualified to move to the Outer Three Peaks.

However, though slow by Wei family standards, compared to average Outer Sect disciples, Yun Ying’s speed was still above average.

Of those who left, Wei Yun Qing’s expression was the darkest. She could hardly bear that Zong Hao, a cultivator with triple spirit roots, had surpassed her. How would this make her, the most talented of the Wei family disciples, look? What would the Inner Sect Elders think?

Returning to Alchemy Peak, Wei Yun Qing immediately sought out Senior Brother Ye to voice her grievances.

Ye Shao Tian was quite fond of this delicate junior sister. Yun Qing possessed wood and water dual-spirit roots, making her particularly skilled at tending spirit plants. Indeed, the medicinal garden she managed for him flourished impressively. Given her talent, entering the Inner Sect was just a matter of time. Ye Shao Tian saw no harm in investing in her early.

“My junior sister Yun Qing, you’re only one level behind him, and you’re both still Outer Sect disciples at Qi Refining. You must look further ahead,” Ye Shao Tian patiently consoled.

Wei Yun Qing blinked her reddened eyes and asked, “Senior Brother Ye, what do you mean?”

Ye Shao Tian gently took her hand, smiling kindly as he explained, “My silly junior sister, your current goal should be reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining as swiftly as possible. Afterward, use a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through directly into the Inner Sect rather than waiting for the sect competition five years later. With your age and talents, once you enter the Inner Sect, countless elders will fight to take you as their personal disciple.”

“When you become a personal disciple of an elder, do you think the Wei disciples would dare to slight you or show you disrespect?”

Wei Yun Qing’s eyes sparkled as she sat beside Ye Shao Tian, suddenly enlightened. Indeed, she had been too narrow-minded before, merely fixating on immediate competition with family disciples. If she reached the Inner Sect first, everyone else would be forced to look up to her instead.

Her face quickly brightened with a smile as she turned toward Ye Shao Tian, “Many thanks for your guidance, Senior Brother. Yun Qing now knows what to do. But as for the Foundation Establishment Pill…”

Ye Shao Tian quickly reassured her, “Rest assured, Yun Qing Junior Sister. We Alchemy Peak disciples, would we ever lack pills?”

Wei Yun Qing sighed in worry, “Senior Brother, it’s easy for you to comfort me. Foundation Establishment Pills are highly coveted by Outer Sect disciples; whenever they’re available, they’re instantly snatched up. Even if I had enough spirit stones, there’s no guarantee I could get one!”

Ye Shao Tian finally revealed his true intentions, “Junior Sister Yun Qing, as long as you can revive that damaged Foundation Establishment Grass, we’ll have enough herbs to refine our own pill. At that time, I’ll request an Inner Sect Senior Uncle from Alchemy Peak to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Wei Yun Qing’s eyes turned cunning as she immediately asked, “Senior Brother Ye, are you telling the truth? Don’t tease me just because I’m young.”

“My dear junior sister, you’re caring for the Foundation Establishment Grass we rely on. How could I dare deceive you?” Ye Shao Tian assured warmly.

“Very well. I’ll do my utmost to restore the Foundation Establishment Grass. Then we can both enter the Inner Sect together,” Wei Yun Qing smoothly painted a pleasant vision.

“Then I’ll count on you, junior sister Yun Qing,” Ye Shao Tian said, and the two drew even closer, sharing a common goal. Ye Shao Tian wisely portrayed their closeness as a brother-sister bond. With Yun Qing only ten, it raised no eyebrows.

Elsewhere, the Alchemy Hall disciples who had been monitoring Yun Xi soon discovered she had already left the sect. They learned she had taken on a mission to find her missing companion, a mission whose difficulty had escalated so greatly it had been transferred to the Inner Sect. Frustrated, the group gathered to discuss their next steps.

“If we’d known she was leaving, we would’ve captured her beforehand. Now we’ve lost everything,” one grumbled bitterly.

“Forget it. Given how much the difficulty has increased, it’s uncertain if she’ll even return alive.”

“Humph! Was she lucky or unlucky? If she’d been captured by us, she could have at least lived safely, refining pills.”

“She’s from the Wei family—I warned you all to be cautious. They have backing in the Inner Sect. We merely sought a shortcut into the Inner Sect; there’s no need to throw away our cultivation paths entirely.”

“Senior brother, you’re right. But I still feel dissatisfied!”

“She’s out of the sect now; maybe we should follow her. If we fail, at least we’ll give up clearly.”

“Fine. This might be our best chance.”

After making their decision, they quickly accepted a mission to leave the sect and followed Yun Xi’s trail.

Though Yun Xi was unsure whether Wei Yun Qing was behind the disciples from Alchemy Hall watching her, she knew that if she disappeared, the threat would fade away. Fortunately, she acted decisively, paying a hefty sum of spirit stones to travel swiftly via teleportation formation out of Grand Righteous City, thwarting her pursuers completely and resolving her troubles.

Now Yun Xi had just departed “Xi Zi’s Shop,” where she sold a significant amount of pills and talismans. The teleportation had nearly emptied her storage bag, so selling off these items was necessary.

Her disguise worked perfectly. The Qi Refining shop assistant received her enthusiastically and, despite the mismatch between her cultivation and the items she sold, didn’t dare question her.

After Yun Xi traded nearly half her accumulated pills and talismans, her storage bag bulged again with six thousand four hundred and eighty low-grade spirit stones.

“Respected senior, do you require anything else?”

“Not for now.”

Yun Xi swept the spirit stones into her storage bag, leaving four as a tip for the assistant. A gesture appropriate for her assumed Foundation Establishment persona.

The young assistant smiled even more sincerely, carefully escorting Yun Xi to the door, watching her depart before returning inside.

Outside, Jiao Zi waited nervously, too frightened to enter such a prestigious establishment, fearing accidental offense to powerful immortals.

Yun Xi asked as they walked, “Jiao Zi, is there a safe, inexpensive place in Treasure Blossom City suitable for cultivation and breaking through?”

She quickly remembered her recent expenses, prompting this additional clarification.

Without hesitation, Jiao Zi replied, “There’s a place in Treasure Blossom City specifically renting out cultivation caves. It’s guarded by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, ensuring no troublemakers. Perfect for cultivation and breakthroughs.”

“Then lead the way,” Yun Xi instructed. At a corner, she quietly dispelled her disguise, returning her cultivation to its true level at peak Qi Refining. Renting a cave was precisely to break through, so continuing the disguise was unnecessary.

Fortunately, Jiao Zi, being a mortal, noticed nothing—exactly why Yun Xi chose him as her guide.

Half an hour later, Yun Xi arrived at the shop marked “Cultivation Cave Rental.” Entering, she saw an old man inside dozing quietly.