Two guards stood before the stone chamber. Seeing them, Shi Yu felt a sudden jolt of surprise.
“Their auras are frightening... They must be at least at the mid stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.”
Wen Wen cautiously handed over the jade token Master Ji had given her earlier. “Deacons, by order of Master Ji, I’m bringing this young lady here to have a look...”
One of them inspected the token carefully, cast a glance at Shi Yu, and nodded. “Follow me.”
Shi Yu exchanged a glance with Wen Wen and stepped forward to follow him.
Stepping into the stone chamber, she felt the difference instantly. Though the chamber was small—barely ten feet square—layer upon layer of protective array formations were set up inside.
When she caught sight of what lay inside, she raised an eyebrow. Standing within were only two rows of cabinets. Though they appeared plain at first glance, they exuded an ancient, solid aura, faintly glowing all over. Their stone textures were crisp, and every detail was crafted with exquisite precision.
She recognized the material of the cabinets with a single glance. “Yaoguang Stone.”
This spiritual material was extraordinarily rare and precious. Containers crafted from it could preserve items while preventing almost any loss of spirituality, making them immensely useful for storage.
The deacon who had led her inside gave her a surprised look. “Good eye.”
Yaoguang Stone yields were extremely low, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to ever see it, yet this young lady had recognized it in an instant.
Shi Yu offered a faint smile, her gaze remaining fixed on the cabinets. “I merely happened to read about it in an ancient text.”
To make two whole rows of cabinets out of Yaoguang Stone... What grand lavishness.
Carved above the ancient cabinets were four prominent characters: “Legacy of Subtle Wonders.”
She took a few steps forward, but the protective array kept her from getting too close to the ancient cabinets. She could only see numerous ancient texts and jade slips arranged inside.
The deacon remarked casually, “They’re all things like pill recipes.”
Shi Yu nodded, having already guessed as much. “Fascinating,” she murmured.
Although she possessed numerous pill recipes, the Origin Realm and Xian Yuan were, after all, two distinct worlds with many differences.
The Origin Realm had its own history and development, so there were naturally many things she had yet to learn.
If she could read these pill recipes, it would naturally be for the best. Given the chance, she would love to study them properly.
However, with her current standing, she could only steal a glance like this. Gaining actual access to these pill recipes and ancient texts wouldn't be easy.
After all, the Alchemist Association was no charity; she couldn't just read whatever she pleased.
Knowing she wouldn't be able to see the true contents of these pill recipes in the short term, Shi Yu didn't linger. She raised her head and said to the deacon, “Thank you for your trouble, Deacon.”
Her words implied she was ready to leave.
The deacon paid it no mind, glancing at her. “You won't look a bit longer?”
“Gazing at plums doesn't quench one's thirst,” Shi Yu replied, her eyes curving slightly. “When I return next time, I'll take a proper look.”
The deacon couldn't help but laugh. “You're quite an interesting girl.”
She didn't overstep her bounds, yet she exuded composure and confidence. Since Master Ji valued her so highly, she clearly possessed extraordinary qualities.
“Let’s go then. Hopefully, that next time won't be too far off.”
“From your lips to heaven's ears.”
After leaving the stone chamber, Wen Wen came forward, retrieved Master Ji’s jade token, and asked, “Out so soon? How was it, Miss Shi?”
Shi Yu’s bright eyes glinted as she raised an eyebrow. “Master Ji certainly knows how to set a bait.”
Wen Wen covered her mouth with a light chuckle. “Please don't blame him, Miss Shi. Anyone can see how much Master Ji values your potential. Naturally, he had to set out some bait to keep 'Little Yu' from slipping away.”
Master Ji had left the token and specifically instructed Wen Wen to bring her to this stone chamber filled with pill recipes she could only admire from afar. His goal was precisely to dangle a carrot and keep her hooked.
No alchemist could resist such temptation, and Shi Yu was certainly no exception.
“Miss Shi needn't worry either,” Wen Wen said, pausing after her laugh. “As I mentioned before, the association imposes very few restrictions on alchemists. You can put your mind at ease.”
“It’s just that the association isn't doing too well these days. In recent years, outstanding alchemists in Lingtai Prefecture have been few and far between... At times, we might need you to represent us. But if you truly refuse, the association won't force you.”
Shi Yu nodded gently. “Since I benefit from the association's conveniences, it's only right that I lend a hand when needed.”
“However... Sister Wen.” Shi Yu shifted the topic.
“Hm?”
With a face full of pure curiosity, Shi Yu asked, “Do the other associations... say, the Array Association or Talisman Master Association, also have places like this 'Legacy of Subtle Wonders' that store ancient texts?”
Wen Wen froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden leap in Shi Yu’s question.
Why is she suddenly asking about other associations...? Wen Wen muttered mentally, but answered truthfully, “I'm not entirely sure about that, but... I imagine they do.”
Shi Yu nodded in understanding, a beautiful smile dawning on her face.
Wen Wen felt the smile on the girl's face grow increasingly sincere, making it... entirely impossible to fathom what was going through her head.
Shi Yu, of course, was thinking that if possible, it would be great to visit the other associations and learn a thing or two from them as well.
It was a splendid opportunity to fill in the gaps in her knowledge.
Descending to the floor below, they reunited with the three Zhou siblings. Wen Wen said, “Now that the tour is complete, Miss Shi, please follow me to choose a cave dwelling.”
She led them into a pavilion to sit down. With a flip of her palm, she retrieved several scrolls from her storage bag.
Unrolling them one by one, she injected a strand of spiritual Qi into each. Above the scrolls, panoramic projections of several cave dwellings materialized.
Wen Wen tapped her slender fingers against the projected images as she introduced them. “These are the cave dwellings currently available.”
“Their internal layouts differ slightly, so you may choose according to your needs, Miss Shi.”
Shi Yu examined each one before asking, “Which cave dwelling's spirit node offers the highest spiritual Qi boost?”
Wen Wen pointed to the one in the middle. “The 'Xuanqing' Cave Dwelling provides the highest boost.”
Hearing the name "Xuanqing," Shi Yu's brow twitched as a wave of nausea surged in her chest.
The name of this cave dwelling shared the exact same pronunciation as her former master's name.
Suppressing her disgust, Shi Yu asked nonchalantly, “Is there none comparable to it?”
“Well...” Wen Wen hesitated briefly. “There is another.”
She pointed to the scroll lying in the corner. “The 'Chilie' Cave Dwelling. Its spirit node's spiritual Qi boost is actually even higher than the Xuanqing Cave Dwelling's, but...”
“Feel free to speak, Sister Wen.”
Wen Wen sighed helplessly. “It’s just that the earth fire inside this cave dwelling is far too fierce and difficult to tame. If a cultivator stays there for long, they are easily affected by it and run the risk of suffering qi deviation.”
The spirit node inside the Chilie Cave Dwelling was undoubtedly top-tier among all the cave dwellings in the Alchemist Association. However, the earth fire within was far too manic. Let alone using it for alchemy, staying inside for even a short while was unbearable for most people.
Because of this, the cave dwelling had remained vacant.
Hearing this, Shi Yu felt no concern at all and said, “I'll take that one then.”
With the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame in her possession, what trouble could an unruly earth fire possibly make in front of such a Heavenly Fire?
Besides, the cave dwelling was quite large and included a sizable spiritual field, which was perfect for her to plant spiritual grain.
Wen Wen intended to advise her further, but seeing Shi Yu's firm resolve, she could only smile wryly. “If you find it uncomfortable to live there, Miss Shi, you can always come to me in the future to change it.”
“This cave dwelling isn't expensive—three hundred low-grade spirit stones per month.”
The three Zhou siblings had been sitting quietly to the side without interrupting. Upon hearing three hundred low-grade spirit stones per month described as “not expensive,” they gasped in unison.
Shi Yu pulled out nine hundred spirit stones to pay three months' rent in advance. “Thank you, Sister Wen.”
Wen Wen accepted the spirit stones with a bright smile. “Come, I'll lead you to your cave dwelling.”
Shi Yu nodded, then turned to the Zhou siblings. “Let’s go together. There are several guest rooms in the cave dwelling. The auction is in just a few days, so this saves you from looking for an inn.”
Rate on N.U.
