Chapter 3 Astonishment

Right in the midst of this suffocating silence—

Hum!

A Spiritual Pressure, deep as the sea yet restrained to the extreme, flashed for an instant like a spark, then completely subsided.

That level of control, appearing and disappearing at will, was startling.

The next second, a figure appeared out of thin air without any warning, as if he had been there all along. The newcomer wore simple and elegant Daoist robes. He had an otherworldly temperament and a handsome face, with what seemed like a faint, ethereal aura surrounding him.

All the defensive arrays and warning Restrictions set up inside and outside the Jiang residence were as good as useless before this person; they didn't even ripple.

This sudden turn of events startled everyone in the room, and Yang Peilan subconsciously shielded Shen Qi behind her.

Only Master Jiang, after a brief moment of astonishment, recognized the newcomer. His face was immediately filled with an expression of disbelief: "Your Excellency is... Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze?"

"Great Master Jiang has a Wisdom Eye; it is indeed me." Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. He walked straight forward, already holding a simple, ancient wooden box in his hand.

He opened the wooden box in front of everyone—

Immediately, an indescribably rich scent of the Medicinal Pill instantly permeated the air, refreshing the heart and lungs, as if it could cleanse one's Divine Soul.

In the center of the wooden box lay a Medicinal Pill, entirely cyan-green and appearing as if carved from the finest jade. On its surface, six clear and perfect pill patterns, as if naturally formed, radiated a soft, deep glow.

Yang Peilan, Shen Qi, and the others, who had lower cultivation, only felt refreshed, and the previous sorrow on their faces faded significantly.

"A soul-stabilizing pill... Hiss, six pill patterns! It really is a sixth-grade Spirit Pill!" Master Jiang's eyes went straight instantly, his voice carrying a hint of a tremor.

He had studied the Dao of Alchemy his entire life and naturally understood the value and rarity of this Medicinal Pill.

"The situation is urgent; it is best to let Miss Yun Qian take the medicine first." Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze was concise.

"Oh, right, right, right! Quickly! Hurry!" Master Jiang woke as if from a dream and urged them repeatedly.

Shen Qi was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; she immediately stepped forward and carefully took the Medicinal Pill.

"Just let her take it directly; there are no taboos," Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze added.

Master Jiang, however, hesitated slightly: "Wait! The medicinal power of a sixth-grade Medicinal Pill is immense. Miss Yun Qian is currently extremely weak and might not be able to bear it... To be safe, let her take half first and observe her reaction."

He quickly took out a jade knife brimming with Spiritual Qi from his Storage Pouch and, with extreme care, split the precious Medicinal Pill in two, immediately closing the box lid to prevent the medicinal power from dissipating.

Then, he gently pried open Yun Qian's jaw and carefully placed the half-pill into her mouth.

Yang Peilan handed over warm water at the right moment.

Having finished all this, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief, all eyes focused nervously and expectantly on Yun Qian's pale face.

"Alright, it will take about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea for the medicinal power to dissolve, everyone just..." Before Master Jiang finished speaking—

"Look! Qianqian! Is Qianqian waking up?!" Shen Qi was the first to cry out in excitement, her finger trembling as she pointed at Yun Qian.

Everyone immediately looked over and saw Yun Qian's long eyelashes, like butterfly wings, trembling violently. The next second, she actually slowly opened her eyes!

Although her eyes were initially still a bit chaotic and dazed, staring blankly at the ceiling, this was enough to make everyone ecstatic!

"Qianqian! Qianqian, you're awake! Wuwuwu." Shen Qi was the first to rush to the bedside, weeping with joy.

Master Jiang immediately stepped forward and carefully probed Yun Qian's Sea of Consciousness with his Divine Sense.

A moment later, a look of unbelievable, ecstatic joy erupted on his face: "It actually... it actually really healed?! This... this is simply a miracle!"

In his perception, Yun Qian's Sea of Consciousness, which had originally been shattered and ravaged by a storm, had now become calm and vast, like a sunny vacation spot, and the Spirit Soul in the center was stable and full of vitality.

"A sixth-grade soul-stabilizing pill actually has such power to seize the fortune of heaven and earth?" Master Jiang felt for the first time how insignificant his own Alchemy skills were, and the gap between him and the true giants of the Dao of Alchemy in the Holy City and the Capital.

"May I ask, Fellow Daoist Ge, which Senior Great Master created this Medicinal Pill?" Master Jiang couldn't help but ask respectfully.

Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze smiled slightly: "This pill was personally refined by the ninth-grade Alchemist Great Master of the Holy City, Senior Jiu Ye."

"Great Master Jiu Ye?! The creator of the soul-stabilizing pill formula?" Master Jiang gasped, his eyes full of awe.

"Exactly."

"So that's how it is; no wonder it has such miraculous effects," Master Jiang murmured, his heart filled with infinite reverence for that giant of the Dao of Alchemy who only existed in legends.

As a fourth-grade Alchemist, he was like a firefly before a bright moon in front of that person.

"Then, Yun Bai... he was actually able to obtain a Medicinal Pill from Great Master Jiu Ye?" Master Jiang felt as if all this were a dream.

Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze laughed: "Fourteen million Low-Grade Spirit Stone. This little Brother Yun Bai is really not simple. Perhaps, he will soon become my Junior Brother."

"What?!" Master Jiang was completely shocked, almost doubting he had heard correctly.

Fellow Daoist Ge Yueze was Great Elder Xu Antong's Personal Disciple!

What did "Junior Brother" in his mouth mean? It meant that Great Elder Xu Antong very likely wanted to personally take Yun Bai as his disciple!

A Personal Disciple of a Grand Elder of the State Religion! This was enough to shock the entire cultivation world.

One must know that the State Religion is incomparably vast, yet there are only eleven Grand Elders, each of whom is a heaven-reaching great power that has surpassed the Third Realm, a true pillar supporting the Human Race.

Yun Bai, a youth who had never stepped out of the Northwest Region, had actually found such a towering backer at the very beginning of his journey?!

A huge sense of relief instantly surged in Master Jiang's heart—the 400,000 Spirit Stone he had gritted his teeth to lend half an hour ago now seemed like the wisest and most cost-effective investment of his life!

For such a true Dragon about to soar into the sky, the opportunity to provide help in a time of need was once in a millennium.

In the future, if he wanted to add flowers to the brocade, he feared he wouldn't even be able to get in line, let alone Master Jiang.

Yun Qian woke up completely, the Chaos in her eyes quickly fading, becoming clear and lively.

She looked around blankly, seeing the teary-eyed Shen Qi, the excited-looking Yang Peilan, the relieved-looking Master Jiang, and an unfamiliar, otherworldly Daoist, her small face full of confusion.

"Sister Shen Qi... Master Jiang... I... what is this..." She struggled to sit up, but was surprised to find that the severe pain that had been torturing her every moment in her body had actually disappeared! Her Divine Sense was clear and comfortable, as if she had never been injured!

"Qianqian! How do you feel? Are you feeling a bit better?" Shen Qi looked at Yun Qian nervously.

"It seems... it doesn't hurt anymore? I even feel very comfortable. My Divine Sense? I can clearly sense my surroundings."

"Great! That's great, Qianqian, you're really better!" Shen Qi cried and laughed, hugging her tightly.

From despairing while waiting for death to sudden recovery, the huge surprise shocked Yun Qian, making her somewhat at a loss for a moment, just blankly letting Shen Qi hug her.

"It seems the medicinal power of this sixth-grade soul-stabilizing pill not only healed Miss Yun Qian's Sea of Consciousness but also enhanced her Divine Sense cultivation," Master Jiang laughed.

After a while, she finally came back to her senses completely, regaining her usual cleverness. She looked left and right, then suddenly asked: "Where is Brother? Why don't I see Brother?"

Just at this moment—

Bang!

The door was pushed open somewhat hurriedly from the outside, interrupting the joy in the room.

Elder Yin Xin was seen directing two law enforcement officers, carrying a stretcher as they walked in quickly. Lying on the stretcher was none other than Yun Bai, pale and unconscious!

"Brother!" The smile on Yun Qian's face froze instantly, and she was so scared she fell straight off the bed.

Shen Qi exclaimed and hurriedly went to help her.

"Brother Yun! Master Jiang, quickly take a look at Brother Yun! What happened to him?!" Shen Qi pleaded urgently with a crying voice. She and Yun Qian were already like frightened birds; seeing Yun Bai in this state, their hearts instantly jumped back into their throats.

Master Jiang stepped forward to carefully examine him. Just as he was about to say there was no major issue, Jiang Shuanger, who had followed behind, already spoke with confusion: "Why are you all crying? Yun Bai is just too tired; his Mental Energy was over-consumed, and he just fell asleep. He'll be fine after a sleep; there's nothing wrong!"

Yun Qian and Shen Qi instantly stopped crying, looking at each other, wide-eyed and staring.