As the group walked out of the association, the two pretentious guards at the entrance first bowed and scraped before Wen Wen. “Miss Wen.”
When they shifted their gaze to the others, however, they froze.
These people whom Wen Wen was personally seeing out were none other than the very folks they had looked down on and mocked earlier.
Back then, seeing that their clothes were plain, devoid of spirit robes, and splattered with large patches of dried mud, the two had instantly judged them to be destitute hicks from some backwater place.
Yet right now... Wen Wen trailed half a step behind the youngest girl, constantly leaning in attentively to listen to her words and chatting with her in a warm, pleasant manner.
Wen Wen had worked at the association since childhood. Sharp and quick-witted, she was deeply favored and valued by the elders. Thus, although she was not an alchemist, she still held a certain status within the association, and guards like them often took orders from her.
Though Miss Wen usually wore a smile, she normally carried a subtle air of proud detachment.
Yet now she was being so respectful and warm...
Anyone looking at this could tell that this young, delicate girl was undoubtedly held in extremely high regard by the association.
The two guards exchanged a glance, instantly recalling the conversations of the cultivators who had poured out after the assessment ended.
Phrases like “a whole cauldron of high-grade pills,” “astonishing talent,” and “even Master Ji was stunned” had been spilling non-stop from their mouths.
Could it be that those words were about this young girl right before them?
With that realization, panic surged in the two guards' hearts.
Riding on the coattails of the Alchemist Association, even as mere doorkeepers, they often used the association's authority to bully others.
Terrified that Shi Yu might bring up the earlier unpleasantness, the two plastered flattering smiles on their faces and bowed repeatedly. “Safe travels, everyone.”
Zhou Shuo, being young and hot-headed, couldn't suppress his anger after all and said sarcastically, “Please, don’t. We’re just useless nobodies, we can’t bear your grand gestures.”
The two guards' expressions turned pale, their smiles freezing on their faces.
Zhou Yang pulled Zhou Shuo back, gesturing for him to hold his tongue rather than indulge in a fleeting moment of petty satisfaction.
Wen Wen was sharp-minded. With just a quick glance between them and the guards' stiffened, nervous expressions, she instantly understood what had transpired.
Shi Yu was now the Alchemist Association's prized treasure. Even if Shi Yu didn't care, Wen Wen had to make the association's stance clear.
She turned to the two and said coldly, “Starting tomorrow, others will replace you on guard duty.”
Their faces turned ash-gray with bitter regret, yet neither dared to plead for mercy. They could only hang their heads and reply dolefully, “Yes.”
...
The Chilie Cave Dwelling was situated atop a lofty mountain north of the city. As they approached, verdant peaks connected in rolling, layered ranges shrouded in swirling mist. A winding mountain path led upward to the edge of a cliff, where a flight of stone steps extended straight to the cave dwelling.
Leading the group past a sheer cliff face, Wen Wen brought them to a scene filled with singing birds and fragrant flowers—a picturesque paradise isolated from the world.
Lush trees towered above while dense bamboo stood like clouds. A small trail branched through the bamboo grove, flanked on both sides by various vibrant flowers and exotic herbs that exhaled a gentle fragrance, seemingly shutting out all worldly noise.
The entrance to the cave dwelling sat right behind the bamboo grove. At the end of the trail stood a tall stone door engraved with protective array formations and fitted with door knockers crafted from red gold that gleamed with precious radiance.
“We have arrived,” Wen Wen said.
She retrieved a token from her storage bag and respectfully presented it to Shi Yu with both hands. “This is the access token. Once you imprint a strand of your spiritual sense inside, you will be able to enter and exit the cave dwelling at will.”
“If anyone without a token visits, knocking on the door rings on the stone door will send a message inside to notify the master of the dwelling.”
Shi Yu nodded, voiced her thanks, and accepted the token.
She imprinted her spiritual sense into it, and light flashed across the token before fading away.
With a shift of her thought, the protective array on the stone door deactivated, and the heavy door slowly swung open.
“Miss Shi, after you. Everyone, please,” Wen Wen said, ushering them inside.
The moment they stepped inside, the difference became apparent; the air felt remarkably fresh.
Sensing the environment, Shi Yu remarked, “The spiritual Qi inside is indeed much denser than outside.”
However... possessing a Fire-attribute Spiritual Meridian, she naturally didn't miss the subtle manic and violent energy embedded within the spiritual Qi.
Beside her, Zhou Yue was less sensitive to it. She only felt the rich spiritual Qi and couldn't help but say enviably, “Cultivating here long-term would surely bring immense benefits.”
“At the center of the spirit node, the spiritual Qi is even denser,” Wen Wen said, glancing at Shi Yu with a trace of concern. “However, as I mentioned earlier, the earth fire inside the Chilie Cave Dwelling is unruly, so the spiritual Qi carries a degree of manic fire poison.”
“If one cultivates here long-term without special means of protection, it will instead damage one's meridians or even trigger qi deviation.”
Zhou Yue clicked her tongue and closed her eyes to focus. Sure enough, she detected a trace of fire poison mixed within the spiritual Qi.
Seeing Wen Wen repeatedly warn her about the dangers of the earth fire, Shi Yu simply said, “Sister Wen, rest assured. I have my own ways to handle this fire poison.”
The person standing before her was someone capable of refining an entire batch of high-grade pills, so she certainly couldn't be compared to ordinary people. Hearing Shi Yu say this, Wen Wen finally put her mind at ease.
Setting aside the subtly restless aura of the earth fire, the overall atmosphere of the cave dwelling was refreshing and pleasant, as if stepping into a picturesque, peaceful residence.
Pleased with what she saw, Shi Yu took in the surrounding view as a massive cavern came into sight.
To the left stood a simple and ancient pavilion surrounded by a lush green lawn dotted with exotic flowers and plants. Inside the pavilion were an elegant stone table and several stone chairs, set with the Four Treasures of the Study, a Go board, and a guqin.
To the right was a spring, gushing water continuously to form a clear pool whose rippling surface reflected the sunlight. Beside the clear spring sat a neatly arranged medicinal field, roughly ten feet square.
Noticing Shi Yu looking toward the spring and medicinal field, Wen Wen spoke up at the right moment. “This spring and medicinal field have been nurtured by the spirit node for a long time, so they carry a fair amount of spiritual Qi. Although they aren't true spiritual springs or spiritual fields, they are more than adequate for planting common low-grade spiritual herbs.”
Shi Yu smiled faintly. “Planting spiritual herbs in the medicinal field and having water right beside it makes things quite convenient.”
Internally, she thought, “If I plant spiritual grain here and supplement it with Life Spring water, it will surely grow exceptionally well.”
She intended to find spiritual grains superior to White Jade Rice to plant for her own consumption.
Such spiritual grains were rare and expensive on the market, and if she nourished them with Life Spring water, they would possess even greater spirituality, providing far more benefits to her body when eaten.
Now that she had arrived at the main city, she would eventually run into seeds for higher-grade spiritual grains, so she just needed to acquire them as soon as possible.
Continuing her inspection, she looked further inside.
In the center was a corridor paved with neat stone slabs, with smaller chambers branching off to both sides, each serving different functions. At the moment, the doors to these smaller chambers were wide open, allowing sunlight to stream in and fill them with bright light.
As Wen Wen guided Shi Yu inside, she gave a brief overview of the layout.
Among the small chambers along the corridor, the innermost one was the main chamber, furnished with a stone bed and a meditation cushion for the master to rest and cultivate.
Inside the main chamber was where the spirit node resided. A aperture in the ground continuously gushed spiritual Qi, making the surrounding spiritual Qi density several times higher than the outside world.
The other chambers were designed for receiving guests, storage, alchemy, and more—making it exceptionally complete. It was leagues better than the small courtyard Shi Yu had rented in the market town at the foot of the Yuxu Sect.
The last place they visited was the alchemy room.
The stone door of the alchemy room was tightly closed. Wen Wen hesitated outside with a wry smile. “Miss Shi, inside the alchemy room is where the earth fire resides, I...”
Seeing the fear on her face, Shi Yu smiled and said, “Sister Wen, step back a bit.”
With that, she stepped forward on her own.
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