Top-grade elixir

Behind every rare Spirit Medicine lies a story—either a life-and-death Secret Realm exploration, a bankrupting auction struggle, or a painstaking cultivation and protection.

Eight hundred years of Alchemy career, eight hundred years of accumulation.

And now, it was all gone.

A moment later.

Lin Qianxue stood up, retracting her shovel.

The thousand-acre herb field was completely empty.

The once lush and radiant landscape now only consisted of pits of varying depths. At the bottom of the pits was a layer of greyish-white hardened soil—the barren subsoil exposed after the fertile topsoil had been scraped away.

A gust of wind blew, kicking up dust that filled the sky.

Desolate, deathly silent.

"Senior Brother! I found it!"

Just then, Lin Waner's excited shout came from behind the grand hall.

Her small face was flushed red as she ran from the direction of the Alchemy room, cradling an exquisite Mutton-fat Jade Bottle in her arms.

Even more eye-catching was her waist—where a small Storage Pouch had originally hung, it was now bulging like a watermelon, hanging heavily and swaying as she ran.

"Top-grade Youth-Retaining Pills! Nine in total! Every single one has Pill Veins!"

Lin Waner handed the jade bottle to Su Ye like presenting a treasure, then patted the Storage Pouch at her waist, her big eyes curving into crescents:

"And many other 'jellybeans'! There are golden ones, silver ones, and multicolored ones!"

"I've packed them all up!"

When she said "packed them all up," she naturally used Elder Yaochen's Storage Pouch—which she had conveniently taken while "inspecting" the Alchemy room just now.

Su Ye took the jade bottle and uncorked it.

"Buzz—"

Nine streaks of seven-colored radiance soared into the sky!

The air was instantly filled with a refreshing, soul-stirring fragrance. One whiff made the spirit feel invigorated, and even the skin felt a slight tightening sensation.

Inside the jade bottle, nine longan-sized Medicinal Pills lay quietly. Each one was translucent as jade, with mysterious patterns naturally formed on the surface, and a seven-colored halo shimmering over them.

"Not bad."

Su Ye examined them closely for a moment and nodded with satisfaction:

"The quality is acceptable, the Pill Veins formed naturally, and the medicinal power is condensed to about seventy percent."

He paused, then frowned slightly:

"It's just that the heat control was a bit off; there's a faint burnt smell—Senior Martial Uncle, did you let the Earth Fire temperature get half a degree too high during the final collection?"

Elder Yaochen opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Because everything Su Ye said was absolutely correct!

He had indeed been a bit impatient at the final moment, failing to control the Earth Fire temperature perfectly, which resulted in the pill quality being five percent lower than expected.

But such a minute flaw might not even be noticed by a fellow Saint-rank Alchemist!

This kid... how on earth did he see it?!

"But no matter."

Su Ye recorked the bottle and casually tucked it into his sleeve, smiling:

"Although there's a slight flaw, it's enough for Revered Master to use."

"She's been complaining about fine lines at the corners of her eyes lately; these nine revolutions youth-preserving pills will come in handy."

"I'm sure Revered Master won't mind."

Having said that, Su Ye finally released his hand from Elder Yaochen's shoulder.

He walked over to the slumped Elder Yaochen, who sat on the ground with vacant eyes, and squatted down with a gentle smile on his face.

"Senior Martial Uncle, I am not someone who doesn't understand etiquette."

"This is a 'transaction'—a fair trade, honest with both the young and old."

As he spoke, Su Ye fumbled in his robes for a while and finally pulled out a dark, lumpish stone.

The stone was the size of a palm, its surface pitted and stained with fresh mud; one could even see the trails of earthworms that had crawled over it—it was clearly just a pebble picked up from the roadside!

Su Ye stuffed the stone into Elder Yaochen's hand with great ceremony, his tone serious:

"This item was obtained by me from the depths of an ancient ruin three years ago while traveling through the Eastern Wastelands."

"At that time, the ruin collapsed, and ten thousand streaks of radiance soared into the sky. Only this stone rolled out from the debris, untainted by dust."

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"I suspect this stone might be the legendary 'Immortal Realm Stubborn Stone'—seemingly ordinary, but actually containing the supreme principles of the Dao."

"Although it looks unremarkable now, as long as Senior Martial Uncle perceives it with your heart and contemplates it day and night, you might be able to realize the Supreme Alchemy Dao from it and Breakthrough to the Saint-rank in one go!"

Su Ye patted the back of Elder Yaochen's hand and said sincerely:

"Let this stone be the trade for these herbs and Medicinal Pills."

"Rest assured, Senior Martial Uncle, I always do business fairly and never take advantage of others."

"Keep the change."

Elder Yaochen stared blankly at the mud-stained pebble in his hand.

It felt cold and rough.

He could even smell the fresh scent of earth on the stone—this was fucking dug up from the ground just this morning!

"Pfft—"

Elder Yaochen felt a sweetness in his throat, and a mouthful of old blood finally couldn't be held back, spraying out.

The blood stained the bluestone floor and also the "Immortal Realm Stubborn Stone" in his hand.

This is too much.

This is simply too much!

You stole my eight hundred years of accumulation, scraped the soil off my thousand-acre herb field, and finally dismissed me with a piece of junk stone from the roadside?

"Immortal Realm Stubborn Stone"?

"Realize the Supreme Alchemy Dao"?

Do you take me for a fool?!

"Oh, right."

Su Ye suddenly seemed to remember something.

He stood up and scanned Elder Yaochen's body.

Finally, his gaze rested on the three-hundred-year-old long beard that Elder Yaochen was so proud of.

The beard was extremely well-maintained, snowy white like silver and reaching down to his chest. Normally, Elder Yaochen would always comb it meticulously and soak it in medicinal liquids to keep it smooth, bright, and sage-like.

Su Ye stared at the beard for three breaths, then suddenly frowned:

"Senior Martial Uncle, I suddenly remembered something."

"In the Dao of Alchemy, the most taboo thing is falling hair."

"When the Pill Furnace is opened, the air pressure inside changes. Any tiny object falling in could cause a furnace explosion."

He spoke with concern:

"Your beard is beautiful, but it's a bit too long. If one day while refining pills, you accidentally drop a strand..."

Su Ye shook his head with an expression that said "the consequences would be unthinkable":

"At best, the furnace explodes and ruins the herbs; at worst, the Pill Poison backfires and damages your Dao Foundation!"

Alarm bells rang in Elder Yaochen's heart!

He wanted to cover his beard, but having just spat blood and damaged his Origin Qi, his movements were a step too slow.

"Don't panic, Senior Martial Uncle, I'll help you."

Su Ye smiled and raised his hand.

Without using any Magic Treasure, he simply pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air.

"Swish!"

An invisible wind blade swept past.

Elder Yaochen felt a chill on his chin.

He instinctively looked down.

And then he saw—

Strands of snowy white beard fluttering down like willow catkins.

They landed on the blood-stained bluestone floor, beside that mud-stained pebble.

Elder Yaochen reached out with a trembling hand to touch his chin.

It was bare.

It was smooth.

Not a single hair was left.

The three-hundred-year beard was cut off at the root.

"Mm, this is much more refreshing."

Su Ye examined Elder Yaochen's bare chin and nodded with satisfaction:

"A short beard looks capable and better fits the vigorous temperament of a Great Master of Alchemy."

"I'm sure Senior Martial Uncle will be even more efficient when refining pills in the future."

He stepped back two paces and cupped his hands toward Elder Yaochen:

"Take care of your health, Senior Martial Uncle. I shall take my leave."

"Waner, Light Snow, the wind is tight, let's bolt!"

"Coming!"

Lin Waner shouldered the sack, which had bulged even more—it was filled with "jellybeans" scavenged from the Alchemy room.

Lin Qianxue waved her sleeve to put away the jade shovel. The jade box in her arms had been replaced by a new one—it was filled with samples of ten thousand year breathing soil scraped from the herb field.

The three figures turned into streaks of light and soared into the sky.

They came with an aggressive Aura.

They left with a full harvest.

Leaving behind only the Hundred Herbs Peak.

The empty pits of the herb field.

The broken remnants of the Formation's light.

The blood-stained bluestone floor.

And Elder Yaochen, who sat slumped on the ground, one hand clutching a pebble and the other touching his bare chin, his eyes vacant and on the verge of tears.

The wind blew, swirling a few strands of the severed snowy white beard.

"Su... Ye..."

Elder Yaochen's lips trembled as he squeezed out two words from between his teeth.

The next moment.

"Su Ye—!!!"

A roar of extreme shrillness echoed throughout the entire Hundred Herbs Peak!

The voice was filled with despair, anger, resentment, and malice... startling countless birds in the mountains.

"I will not live under the same sky as you!!!"

"In this life and the next, we are mortal enemies!!!"

...Taichu Holy Land, Central Plaza.

A giant water mirror floated in the air, clearly presenting everything that happened on Hundred Herbs Peak to everyone's eyes.

Deathly silence.

Three hundred Elders and several thousand True Disciples all held their breath at this moment.

Someone instinctively covered their Storage Ring.

Someone unconsciously touched their beard—regardless of whether they had one or not.

Even more people's legs went weak, almost unable to stand.

Ruthless.

Too ruthless.

If robbing Ye Yan and slapping Li Changfeng before were just "small scuffles."

That incident at Hundred Herbs Peak was truly a complete wipeout!

Stealing Medicinal Pills, scraping the ground bare, cutting off someone's beard, and finally fooling people with a broken stone.

How is this the First Senior Brother of the Taichu Holy Land?

This is clearly a giant of the Demonic Path! A world-shaking Devil King! The Reincarnation of a living Yama!

"Ahem..."

After a long while, a soft cough came from the seat of honor.

Holy Master sat upright on her jade throne, her slender hand lifting a teacup to take a gentle sip.

Not much expression could be seen on her exquisite face, but if one looked closely, they would find the corners of her lips curved upward at an almost imperceptible angle.

Even in the depths of those phoenix eyes, a trace of hard-to-conceal amusement flashed.

"That... Junior Sister Yun."

Holy Master put down her teacup and turned her gaze toward the restless Yun Yuzhen, her voice calm:

"This Disciple of yours is indeed... well, quite unique."

"This style of doing things, this bandit logic, is quite reminiscent of your style back then."

As her voice fell, the corners of many Elders' mouths twitched.

They remembered.

Three hundred years ago, when Yun Yuzhen first entered the Taichu Holy Land, she also seemed to be a lawless character... like teacher, like Disciple!

"Humph!"

Elder Juejian let out a cold snort from the side—although he had been slapped into the wall, at least his beard was still there, and so was his storage ring.

Seeing that Elder Yaochen was in an even worse state than himself, he felt much more balanced instantly, and even felt a bit of schadenfreude:

"Old Ghost Yao deserves it! Back then, when I asked him for a 'Sword Heart Pill', that old miser demanded three thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines from me! Now retribution has come, hasn't it?"

Hearing this, everyone looked over.

But more Elders felt a sense of shared apprehension.

Today he robs Yaochen, will he rob me tomorrow?

Everyone's gaze focused on Yun Yuzhen once again.

This time.

Even Yun Yuzhen's stunningly beautiful face couldn't keep its composure.

Two spots of blush appeared on her fair cheeks, reaching all the way to her ears. Her autumn-water eyes darted around, and her slender fingers nervously twisted the corner of her clothes, completely losing her usual cold and ethereal Fairy-like appearance.

"This... this..."

Yun Yuzhen opened her mouth, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"Yeer... he did it for Brother Yao's own good."

She braced herself and began to force an explanation:

"Think about it, Brother Yao has been obsessed with Alchemy and has neglected defenses for eight hundred years; the mountain-protecting Formation of Hundred Herbs Peak is almost rusted over."

"This time it was Yeer, but what if real demonic evildoers came one day? Wouldn't they be wiped out in one go?"

The more Yun Yuzhen spoke, the smoother it became, and her voice grew louder:

"Yeer is helping Hundred Herbs Peak check for gaps and test for Formation loopholes! It's a combat drill!"

"As for those Spirit Medicines..."

She paused, took a deep breath, and said righteously:

"Those Spirit Medicines have grown accustomed to a pampered life at Hundred Herbs Peak, soaking in spiritual liquid every day without experiencing any wind or rain; they indeed lack wildness!"

"By transplanting them to Purple Bamboo Peak, changing the environment, and letting them experience some wind and rain, perhaps their latent medicinal properties can be stimulated, leading to beneficial mutations?"

"This is called... it's called the 'Adversity Cultivation Method'!"

"Right! It's recorded in ancient texts! That's exactly it!"

By the end, even Yun Yuzhen almost believed it herself.

The surrounding Elders rolled their eyes one by one, their mouths twitching.

"Believe you? Like hell!"

"And 'Adversity Cultivation Method'? Which word in the ancient texts says you should dig up someone else's plants along with the soil?"

"From top to bottom, your Purple Bamboo Peak is full of bandit logic!"

"And..."

Yun Yuzhen's voice suddenly dropped again. She lowered her head, her fingers twisting even tighter, her voice carrying a hint of shyness:

"That nine revolutions youth-preserving pill... I really do need it."

"Lately, it seems there really are some fine lines at the corners of my eyes..."

"Yeer has such filial piety. As his Revered Master, I can't exactly discourage his enthusiasm, can I?"

She looked up, wearing an "I'm also quite helpless" expression:

"Don't you agree?"

As her voice fell.

"Pfft—"

Several Elders couldn't hold it in and spat out their tea.

So you two, Revered Master and Disciple, are partners in crime!

One robs in the front, and the other fences the stolen goods in the back!

One plays the bad cop, and the other plays the good cop!

Can the Taichu Holy Land ever have peaceful days again?!

"Holy Master!"

The Peak Revered Master of Many Treasures Peak, Elder Golden Abacus, suddenly stood up.

This old man, who managed more than half of the Holy Land's wealth, was now as pale as paper, his voice trembling:

"You must stand up for us!"

"If this continues, the Taichu Holy Land will be emptied by that kid!"

"Today he robs Hundred Herbs Peak, will he rob our Many Treasures Peak tomorrow?!"

The more he spoke, the more frightened he became. He turned to the Disciples behind him and shouted hoarsely:

"Quick! Send a message back immediately!"

"Activate all defensive Formations! Seal all warehouses! Use the thickest Profound Iron doors! Pour in molten iron!"

"Bury all Spiritual Artifacts, Magic Treasures, and mineral deposits in the back mountain Forbidden Ground! Bury them deep! Ten zhang! No, a hundred zhang!"

"Tell all Disciples in the peak that anyone who dares to go out wearing good clothes will be expelled from the Sect immediately! Everyone change into the raggediest beggar clothes! Smear some ash on your faces!"

"Hurry! It'll be too late if we delay!!!"

Elder Golden Abacus's roar was like lighting a fuse.

The entire Central Plaza instantly erupted into chaos!

"Quick! We must send messages back too!"

"All classics in the Scripture Pavilion, make copies immediately and seal away all the originals!"

"All Spirit Beasts on Spirit Beast Peak, drive them all into the deep mountains! Don't leave a single one!"

"Extinguish all Earth Fires on Artifact Refining Peak! Say the furnaces exploded and can't be repaired!"

"Spirit Plant Peak... Spirit Plant Peak is finished! We can't run away!"

Chaos and turmoil ensued.

The usually dignified and solemn Elders were now as panicked as ants on a hot griddle. Where was there any sign of a transcendent Revered Master?

Watching this absurd scene, Holy Master finally couldn't help it, a clear smile curling at the corners of her lips.

But she quickly restrained herself, her jade hand lifting slightly:

"Silence."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a spring breeze turning into rain, instantly calming the agitation in the square.

Everyone quieted down and looked at the Holy Master.

Holy Master's phoenix eyes swept over the crowd and finally landed on the water mirror.

In the image, Su Ye and the other two did not return to Purple Bamboo Peak.

Instead, they changed direction and flew toward the south.

There, Spiritual Qi soared into the sky, and treasure light was faintly visible.

A mountain more magnificent and luxurious than Hundred Herbs Peak stood amidst the clouds.

The palaces on the peak were magnificent, with countless bell-shaped Magic Treasures hanging from the eaves, ringing softly in the wind and playing melodious Dao sounds.

Above the mountain, seven-colored rainbows hung year-round, formed by the condensation of extremely dense treasure Qi.

Many Treasures Peak!

The wealthiest place in the Taichu Holy Land, managing over eighty percent of the Sect's Spiritual Artifacts, Magic Treasures, mineral veins, and Spirit Stone reserves!

"He... he's really coming?!"

Elder Golden Abacus's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.

He stared intently at the water mirror, his voice already carrying a sob:

"Holy Master! Help! That's eight thousand years of the Sect's accumulation!"

"If that kid empties it out, how will we face our ancestors?!"

Holy Master did not respond.

She just quietly watched the white-clothed figure in the water mirror, looking at that young and flamboyant face, and those eyes as deep as a sea of stars.

After a long while.

Holy Master's red lips parted slightly as she whispered to herself:

"Interesting."

"Supreme Bone, Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, God-Breaking Eyes..."

"Su Ye, just how many more surprises are you hiding?"

Her gaze gradually deepened:

"However..."

"If this continues, I'm afraid those old fogies in the back mountain Forbidden Ground won't be able to sit still either, right?"

Holy Master waved her jade hand lightly.

An invisible barrier quietly unfolded, enveloping the entire Central Plaza.

Isolating the inside from the outside, not even sound could escape.

Then, her cold voice rang in the ears of all the Elders:

"Hear my command."

"No one is to speak of today's events to outsiders."

"Those who violate this..."

Holy Master paused, a cold, piercing light flashing in her phoenix eyes:

"Shall be treated as traitors to the Sect and executed."

As her voice fell, she leaned back onto her jade throne, an expectant smile appearing on her beautiful face.

Since he is a catfish.

Since he wants to stir up this pool of stagnant water.

Then let you stir up a complete upheaval.

I would like to see.

If this Taichu Holy Land, which has been silent for three thousand years.

Can be completely overturned by you!