“The golden-sprout spirit rice porridge is the most balanced and neutral, suitable for any constitution. Junior Brother Chen, your spiritual energy follows a slow and steady path, but you have been restless lately, and the vital energy in your dantian is unstable. Eating this will stabilize your core, making you less prone to mishaps during cultivation.”
Chen Zian's fingers resting on his lap twitched slightly before returning to normal. He had indeed felt his mind wandering during meditation over the past few days, with the spiritual energy in his dantian gathering and dispersing unpredictably.
“Zian thanks Senior Sister!”
“As for Junior Sister Gu! That bowl of perilla and green olive stewed snow pear is for you. The cultivation techniques of the Cangwu Gu family lean toward the wood element, and the spiritual energy in your clan's territory is damp. Your meridians have adapted to that kind of environment.”
“The spiritual energy of the First Peak leans toward sharp metal. Switching environments so suddenly causes the walls of the meridians along your lung meridian to contract. The perilla can ease these meridian spasms, while the green olive nourishes the lung meridian. Having this for a few days will smooth it out.”
Gu Qingyi froze, her teacup suspended in midair.
“How did Senior Sister know there was something wrong with my lung meridian?”
“When you took your seat at the Dharma Academy earlier, your right hand unconsciously pressed a spot three inches below your collarbone, drifting half an inch to the left.”
“That is where the primary acupoint of the lung meridian runs. When the meridians contract, there is a dull pain. You might not have noticed it yourself, but anyone watching closely would be able to tell.”
The private room fell silent for a moment.
Yin Ruozhuo was the first to break the silence, feigning astonishment. “Senior Sister! Where did you develop such sharp discernment? Even the veteran managers in my family's merchant alliance, who are experts at sizing people up, can't compare to you.”
“My family taught me,” Shen Qingci replied. “The great families of the Northern Region place great importance on these details. First, to guard against underhanded plots, and second, to take proper care of the foundation of those around them.”
Zhao Yu rested his folding fan on his lap. “Senior Sister's attention to detail is something even the people I've met in the imperial palace cannot match, I must admit.”
Xiao Yan spoke his first complete sentence since entering the room, his voice deep. “Senior Sister Shen is very thoughtful.”
“Senior Sister's treat was well worth it,” Gu Qingyi said with a smile, tracing a half-circle along the rim of her cup. “For the price of six high-grade spirit stones, you've figured out all five of our secrets.”
“Once we spread the word that Senior Sister Shen of Wanjian Peak is both meticulous and generous, what you gain will be worth far more than those six spirit stones.”
Shen Qingci understood her meaning.
【She really is a clever one.】
Showing nothing on her face, she merely raised her hand to pour more tea for Gu Qingyi. “Junior Sister Gu is very perceptive.”
Footsteps sounded outside the private room, and the miscellaneous disciple lifted the curtain, carrying a tray. The Jade-Marrow Meridian-Nourishing Soup, simmered with silver-thread spirit fish gelatin, was translucent and jade-white, its surface shimmering with a thin layer of spiritual light.
The tuckahoe and honeyed date stewed spirit pigeon soup was clear and light. The snow ginseng simmered with yellow essence was sliced thick and arranged on a celadon plate. The golden-sprout spirit rice porridge was smooth, with the rice grains partially broken down.
The perilla and green olive stewed snow pear was served in a separate small stewing cup and placed directly in front of Gu Qingyi.
As they picked up their chopsticks, Yin Ruozhuo took his first sip of the jade-marrow soup. His brow relaxed. “Mmm~ The food cultivators in the dining hall don't usually have this level of skill. Just a few pointers from Senior Sister, and the heat control is completely different.”
Zhao Yu scooped up a spoonful of the pigeon soup and tasted it. “It is indeed more than a level above the dining hall's usual daily dishes.”
After eating for a while, Yin Ruozhuo swallowed the snow ginseng in his mouth and suddenly remembered something. “Senior Sister, why didn't your Enshrined Guardian come with you?”
“She is eating in her own cave dwelling,” Shen Qingci replied.
“Then how does Senior Sister usually arrange her meals? If it's inconvenient, we can take turns going to the dining hall to bring back your daily portions.”
“There is no need to trouble yourselves. Qinghe goes to the dining hall every day to collect the daily portions for personal disciples, so I won't go hungry.” Shen Qingci picked up a slice of snow ginseng and chewed it slowly. “However, if you ever want to join me for a meal, just let me know in advance.”
Yin Ruozhuo grinned and pressed no further.
Though Shen Qingci appeared perfectly composed on the outside, her divine sense had already sunk into her sea of consciousness. On the way from the Dharma Academy to the dining hall, she had taken a moment to check the system panel. Her Belief Value balance had jumped to seven hundred and eighty-six points.
An entire morning of classes, along with the gazes, discussions, and speculations of those new disciples, had all translated into solid numbers on her account.
Seven hundred and eighty-six points was enough for seven draws!!!
She had been unable to resist and casually did a single draw.
The phantom of a roulette wheel unfolded, the pointer spinning rapidly before a light blue glow lit up. It wasn't gray, meaning she had at least gotten something decent.
【Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Novice Alchemist Experience (Integrated).】
The description text lit up line by line: Upon integration, the host will master all introductory knowledge of alchemy, including pharmacology, identification of spiritual materials, principles of pill formula compatibility, and the basics of spiritual energy fire control... No additional study required.
At the time, Shen Qingci's face had remained completely expressionless, but her mind had been racing.
The Novice Alchemist experience package provided a complete theoretical framework and practical understanding.
This included the properties, tastes, and meridian tropisms of spiritual materials, the flow of spiritual energy through the meridians, and the differences in how various spiritual roots and constitutions absorbed medicinal effects.
With this, she could see through the root causes of everyone's conditions at a single glance.
These were all the core skills of an introductory alchemist.
But she did not know how to perform alchemy—at least not yet. The experience package had given her the theory, but not the spiritual flame or an alchemy cauldron.
But that did not matter. What mattered was that she could use these theories to put on a good show.
She withdrew her divine sense, her face still wearing the calm and unruffled expression of a young lady from a hidden family.
Yin Ruozhuo finished the last mouthful of porridge in his bowl and set it down. “Senior Sister, after this meal, I am truly convinced. From now on in the Azure Cloud Sect, feel free to command me if you need anything. I might not be good at other things, but running errands, delivering messages, and gathering information is well within my capabilities.”
Zhao Yu followed suit. “I am familiar with many people. I know almost all the descendants of the great families in the Southern Region. If there is anyone Senior Sister wants to know about, I can look into them for you.”
Xiao Yan was concise. “Call me for fights.”
Chen Zian set down his bowl unhurriedly. “If Senior Sister requires assistance with correspondence or navigating social relations, I can lend a hand.”
Gu Qingyi was the last to speak. “And I will hold down the fort for Senior Sister!”
Shen Qingci sipped her tea, her divine sense sweeping across the faces of the five one by one.
Yin Ruozhuo was well-informed, Zhao Yu had a wide network, Xiao Yan was a strong fighter, Chen Zian was steady, and Gu Qingyi's ability to read people was on par with her own.
Put together, they formed a startup team with a clear division of labor.
“In that case, we shall look out for one another in the future.”
“That goes without saying,” Yin Ruozhuo replied instantly, turning to shout out the door. “Junior Brother, add two more plates of spiritual fruit!”
Zhao Yu glanced at him. “Tsk, you certainly don't hold back.”
Yin Ruozhuo chuckled. “Senior Sister said she's treating, so I'm just making sure we do it in style.”
Shen Qingci did not stop him. She simply watched the disciples walking past in groups of twos and threes outside the window. After this meal, the news had probably already grown wings and flown across the sect.
Senior Sister Shen of Wanjian Peak had spent six high-grade spirit stones on a single meal, ordering spiritual dishes that perfectly targeted each person's needs and completely saw through the state of the new disciples' meridians.
“Let's go, we still have class this afternoon. Deacon Jiang said that if we are late at the Wei hour sharp, our monthly allowance will be docked.”
Yin Ruozhuo was the first to stand. “Let's go, let's go, no time to waste.”
Laughing and joking, the group left the private room and headed downstairs.
As they reached the entrance of the dining hall, Shen Qingci caught sight of a moon-white figure flying past on a sword along the distant mountain path out of the corner of her eye. The figure was moving extremely fast, tracing a frosty white arc in the sunlight.
【It's Chi Yuan~】
Rate on N.U.
