The cave was damp and cold. Last night's rain had blown inside without pause, accompanied by thunder and lightning, so none of the four slept well.
Now that dawn had broken and the rain had stopped, they didn't delay any longer, packing up their belongings and setting off directly.
The road was covered in mud. At first, they tried to avoid the mud and puddles, or covered themselves in spiritual energy to ward off the dirt so as not to soil their shoes and robes.
But seeing that the entire road was like this, they simply ignored it—Qi Refining cultivators could not yet make spiritual energy circulate around their bodies automatically, so spending spiritual energy over an extended period just to block dirt was not worth it.
Withdrawing their protective Qi, the four trudged forward, their feet sinking with every step. Before long, the hems of their robes were speckled with mud spots.
Seeing how young Shi Yu was, Zhou Yang took good care of her along the way. This made his younger sister, Zhou Yue, look displeased; she walked with her arms crossed, sulking, occasionally dropping a sarcastic remark or two.
Yet when Shi Yu accidentally stepped into a patch of sludge and lost her balance, Zhou Yue instinctively caught her. Upon seeing that Shi Yu had stabilized, she immediately withdrew her hand in disgust, pulled back her lips, and sneered, “Can't you even walk properly?”
Shi Yu blinked, deliberately teasing her, and murmured softly, “Thank you, Sister Zhou.”
Hearing that soft, gentle “Sister Zhou,” Zhou Yue's face stiffened. Holding a stern expression, she let out a dry, rigid “Mm.”
On the other hand, Zhou Shuo was likely worried about the upcoming alchemist certification assessment once they reached the main city. He was absentminded all morning and barely spoke.
Traveling together, the four finally reached their destination at noon—the main city of Lingtai Prefecture.
The sky was clear for ten thousand miles, bright and sunny.
Before their eyes stood a massive city. Its towering walls reached a height of over a hundred feet, grand and magnificent.
The city gates stood wide open. Looking inside, Shi Yu saw an overwhelming surge of people, all kinds of shops, a bustling marketplace, and in the distance, vast, magnificent estates of prominent clans—all sketching a picture of prosperity and wealth.
Compared to this city, the market town she had stayed in previously was likely less than one percent of its size in area alone.
She marveled silently in her heart, “This is only the main city of one prefecture in Changyuan Prefecture.”
East Continent had thirty-two prefectures, and one of them, Changyuan Prefecture, had seventy-nine subordinate prefectures. In other words, main cities of this scale existed in seventy-nine places within Changyuan Prefecture alone.
The Origin Realm was vast beyond measure.
Beside her, the three Zhou siblings, who were not visiting the main city for the first time, still could not help feeling insignificant when facing such a colossal city, awe stirring in their hearts.
Zhou Yang took a deep breath and said heavily, “Let's go. There are still several days before the auction. Let me find us a place to stay first.”
Seeing that his younger brother Zhou Shuo was weighed down by anxiety, he intended to let him rest up and get into good shape before heading to the Alchemist Association for the certification assessment.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Shuo, who had been listless all morning, spoke up: “Let's go to the association first.”
Facing his elder brother's and younger sister's disapproving gazes, Zhou Shuo gave a bitter laugh and said anxiously, “This matter is pressing down on me so hard I can barely breathe. It's better to get it over with early.”
“But...” Zhou Yang knit his brows tightly. Seeing Zhou Shuo's troubled face, he fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Shuo pulled his siblings forward. “Don't worry. My success rate in refining pills lately has improved a lot compared to before. I'll definitely pass the Tier-1 alchemist assessment this time!”
Unable to dissuade him, Zhou Yang turned to Shi Yu with a helpless sigh. “Little Yu, what are your plans? If you have nothing urgent or nowhere to go for now, you can come with us. Once A-Shuo finishes his assessment, we can look for an inn together. What do you think?”
Having just arrived in the main city, Shi Yu didn't know her way around, and she happened to need to take a certification assessment as well.
Going with Zhou Yang and the others saved her the trouble of asking someone else for directions.
Thus, she nodded and smiled. “Alright, then I'll trouble the three of you.”
Zhou Yue hummed softly and shot her a glance. “At least you know it's a trouble.”
“Xiao Yue!” Zhou Yang pulled her back, his expression growing stern.
Zhou Yue walked ahead reluctantly, turning to speak to Zhou Shuo in a low voice.
“Are you really confident?”
“Whether I can do it or not, I'll only know once I try,” Zhou Shuo replied absently and impatiently.
“You! What do you mean 'only know once I try'? Grandpa is counting on that Blood Cloud Ginseng! If we can't get entry qualifications for the auction—”
“Do you think I'm not anxious? You only know how to say useless things! If you're so capable, why don't you take the exam for me?”
“Do you think I wouldn't if I could? If I had the talent for alchemy, I'd wish I could sleep inside the pill furnace! How could I ever be as lazy as you?!”
...
Listening to the siblings bicker beside her, Shi Yu raised her eyes, committing the surroundings and route to memory.
The straight street was broad and paved with clean bluestone slabs. The calls of street vendors and the bustle of the crowd filled the air, with many conversations revolving around the upcoming auction.
Just walking along the street, Shi Yu heard several people discussing the Heavenly Tone Lotus. She thought to herself, “It seems the competition will be fierce.”
Through the gaps in the crowd, she could faintly sense several powerful cultivator auras around them.
“Unless I'm mistaken, those should be Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.”
The main city was indeed teeming with talent.
“I need to establish a foothold here as soon as possible as well.”
...
After walking for about half an hour, the four finally arrived at the entrance of the Alchemist Association.
Shi Yu looked up. The building before her resembled an ancient pill furnace, standing tall and imposing with immense visual impact.
Passersby who walked past couldn't help showing hints of envy upon seeing the alchemists whose figures were faintly visible inside. Artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, or talismans—mastering any one of these would grant a cultivator assistance far beyond ordinary people on the path of cultivation. How could one not envy them?
Two guards stood at the entrance. Seeing Shi Yu and the other three stop in front of the association, they sized them up and down.
Seeing that their robes were ordinary—not spirit robes—and covered with large patches of dried mud, a trace of disapproval showed in their eyes, and their demeanor grew increasingly casual and rude:
“What are you here for?”
Looking so disheveled, they clearly came from some small backwater place into the city. They didn't even bother tidying themselves up before coming.
Zhou Shuo stepped forward and said, “I'm here for the alchemist certification assessment.”
The two guards exchanged a glance and said impatiently, “Go on in.”
As the four walked into the association hall, they heard the undisguised conversation between the two guards behind them.
“Why are there so many people coming for the certification assessment lately? Any random stray dog or cat thinks they can show up.”
Hearing this, Zhou Shuo flared with anger and turned around to argue. Zhou Yang quickly pulled him back and urged in a low voice, “Business comes first.”
Zhou Shuo's chest heaved up and down, and he lowered his head resentfully. “Understood.”
Behind them, the two guards continued chatting.
“Isn't it all because of the Xie Clan's auction? Those without entry qualifications keep trying to take a roundabout route to get a certified jade token from us just to get in. I don't know what they're thinking.”
“I heard that just two days ago, some overconfident fool blew up their pill furnace right during the assessment. Hilarious!”
...
Stepping into the inner hall, the four saw that there were not many people inside—around seven or eight, all chatting in low voices.
These people were all here to take the certification assessment, and most were doing so to obtain a certified jade token to attend the auction.
Shi Yu fell into thought.
From their conversation, she picked up a few more bits of information.
Alchemists received different treatment depending on their tier. A Tier-1 alchemist qualified for entry to the auction floor, but was only assigned an elegant seat—meaning only the alchemist themselves could enter.
For a Tier-2 alchemist, the auction house provided an elegant room, equivalent to a small private booth that could hold five people. Aside from themselves, the alchemist could bring family and friends along.
For Tier-3 and above, the management of the auction house would personally receive them.
At the moment, in the hall, a woman dressed in a goose-yellow dress was in charge of reception, arranging for candidates to enter the assessment one by one.
Zhou Shuo took a deep breath and swallowed nervously. “Here I go.”
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