Chapter 176 - 171: Dumbfounded

Chapter 176: Chapter 171: Dumbfounded

The next day, morning light spilled from the eastern sky, painting the green tiles of the courtyard wall a faint shade of gold.

Lin Quan stood at the courtyard gate, holding a bowl of freshly made medicinal porridge. She insisted that Chen Yue drink it before he left.

Shi Zhen Shu stood behind Lin Quan, her complexion much ruddier than yesterday, though she was still a bit weak. She gave Chen Yue a slight bow as a thank you, and Chen Yue nodded in return.

Chen Yue took the medicinal porridge, finished it in a few gulps, handed the bowl back to Lin Quan, and then turned and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Shen Dujiang followed behind him, walking him all the way to the end of the lane. The two stood at the lane’s entrance for a moment. Shen Dujiang opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just gave Chen Yue’s shoulder a heavy pat.

The streets of Celestial State Prefecture were already bustling. Breakfast vendors pushed their carts, filling the street corners. The white steam rising when bun steamers were opened, and the vendors’ shouts rising and falling, wove together a vivid tapestry of worldly life.

Chen Yue weaved through the crowd, his steps unwavering, and went straight to Jishi Hall in the city.

Jishi Hall had just opened. The steps at the entrance were still wet with water an apprentice had just splashed, glistening in the morning light.

There weren’t many customers inside yet. A few apprentices were wiping the counters and organizing the medicine cabinets, and the air was filled with the fresh aroma of medicinal herbs.

Chen Yue stepped over the threshold. As soon as he entered the shop, the Shopkeeper came forward to greet him.

He was still holding that purple clay teapot, with wisps of hot steam rising from its spout.

"Honored customer, you’re here!" The Shopkeeper cupped his hands and approached enthusiastically. "What can I get for you today?"

Chen Yue nodded and stated his order directly: "Bone-Strengthening Pills, Clear Heart Pills, and Qi Absorption Pills. Thirty of each."

The Shopkeeper’s smile froze on his face for an instant, then bloomed wide.

Thirty of each totaled two thousand eight hundred fifty silver taels. Even for Jishi Hall, the largest apothecary in Celestial State Prefecture City, this was a considerable purchase.

A new note of reverence, reserved for esteemed guests, entered the Shopkeeper’s voice. "Honored customer, please have a seat. I’ll have an apprentice prepare your order right away. The quantity you require is not small, so we’ll need to fetch it from the storeroom. It may take a moment."

Chen Yue nodded and sat down in an armchair by the counter.

A sharp apprentice immediately served a cup of hot tea. Its fragrance was clear and crisp—it was high-quality tea.

A moment later, the Shopkeeper himself walked over with a tray. On it were nine medicine bottles, neatly arranged in three groups of three, tied together with red silk ribbons.

He placed the tray on the counter, untied the silk ribbons, and opened each medicine bottle for Chen Yue to inspect.

Chen Yue picked up a bottle of Bone-Strengthening Pills and poured one into his palm. The Elixir was round and smooth, its color uniform, and its medicinal aroma rich, matching the quality of the one from yesterday.

He then inspected the Clear Heart Pills and Qi Absorption Pills. There were no issues.

Chen Yue placed the medicine bottles back on the tray one by one, then looked up at the Shopkeeper and began to haggle.

When buying in bulk, a discount was expected. It was standard practice.

The Shopkeeper initially tried to hold firm on the original price, but Chen Yue didn’t say much, simply watching him calmly.

After a few rounds of back-and-forth, the Shopkeeper finally relented. The final price was set at two thousand seven hundred taels.

The smile remained plastered on the Shopkeeper’s face. Although his profit margin was much thinner than expected, he had still made a decent sum.

Chen Yue took out silver taels and gold leaves from his Storage Ring and paid in full on the spot.

The Shopkeeper counted the payment and confirmed it was correct. He then personally placed the nine medicine bottles into an exquisite wooden box and handed it to Chen Yue with both hands.

He escorted Chen Yue all the way to the apothecary’s main entrance and stood on the steps, watching until Chen Yue’s figure disappeared around a corner before turning to go back inside.

After leaving Celestial State Prefecture City, Chen Yue quickened his pace.

Outside the city gates was a wide, official road flanked by rolling farmlands and sparse villages. In the distance, layers of mountains formed a blue-gray silhouette in the morning light.

There were few pedestrians on the road. Occasionally, a few ox-carts would pass by slowly, laden with fruits and vegetables. The old farmers driving them held long-stemmed pipes in their mouths, dozing with their eyes half-closed.

Qi Blood surged within Chen Yue. He activated his Body Technique, and his pace suddenly accelerated.

His figure was like a wisp of green smoke. The trees and fields by the roadside flew backward, and the wind howled in his ears, making his robes snap and flutter.

In just a moment, Chen Yue was far from the walls of Celestial State Prefecture, entering the rolling hills outside the city.

Just then, Chen Yue’s steps suddenly faltered.

His ears caught sounds from up ahead—the fierce clash of weapons and furious shouts.

The sounds of a fight.

Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. His foot paused mid-air for an instant before landing steadily on the ground.

His gaze passed over a small grove of trees ahead. He could faintly make out two figures flashing about on the other side, the glint of a saber and a sword flashing with cold light in the morning sun.

Chen Yue’s figure flickered. Instead of continuing forward, he began to circle around in another direction.

"Friend up ahead! I am a disciple of the Liuyun Sword Sect! This man is a bandit who has been marauding across the lands! I ask for your assistance in taking him down!"

A voice carried through the trees and the morning breeze, reaching Chen Yue’s ears clearly.

The voice was clear and urgent, filled with a sense of righteous dignity.

Chen Yue tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the source of the voice.

Through the gaps in the leaves, he saw a young man in a green robe brandishing a longsword. His Swordsmanship was sharp and exquisite, the sword light moving through the air like a bolt of white silk, each strike accompanied by a piercing whistle as it cut through the air.

His opponent was a middle-aged man with a full, bushy beard, wielding a broad-bladed saber. His Saber Technique was steady and powerful.

Although it wasn’t as refined as the young man’s Swordsmanship, each of his strikes carried a fierce and valiant aura, and for the moment, he wasn’t at a disadvantage.

Chen Yue’s gaze only lingered on the clearing for an instant before he looked away. He didn’t stop, continuing to race toward the Panshi Sect.

"Bullshit! I refuse to sell you a hundred-year-old ginseng, and suddenly I’m a bandit? Is this how you people from the Liuyun Sword Sect reason with others?"

Chen Yue’s brow twitched, but his steps did not falter.

Within a few breaths, Chen Yue’s figure had already crested the low hill ahead and vanished into the rolling mountain forests.

Guan Duzhou of the Liuyun Sword Sect watched Chen Yue’s disappearing back, his eyes narrowing with displeasure and irritation.

He recognized Chen Yue’s attire. The gray-green Changshan was the standard uniform for Inner Sect Disciples of the Panshi Sect.

It took Chen Yue about a quarter of an hour to see the sect’s main gate.

Two massive stone pillars supported a crossbeam, upon which the name "Panshi Sect" was carved. It glowed with a faint golden light in the morning sun.

Chen Yue passed through the main gate, walked up the green stone steps, bypassed several buildings, and went straight to the Affairs Hall.

The Affairs Hall was still quiet in the early morning. Only three or four disciples were inside conducting business, their voices low, making the hall feel somewhat empty.

Chen Yue entered the hall. The On-Duty Disciple was a handsome young man in his early twenties. He was looking down, leafing through a thick register, but looked up at the sound of footsteps. He glanced at Chen Yue and gave a slight nod.

"Has Senior Brother Meng Guihong of the Cyan Cloud Ranking returned?"

According to the rules, today was exactly the tenth day since he had submitted his challenge application.

If Meng Guihong had not yet returned, Chen Yue could directly choose another disciple to challenge from among those ranked ninetieth to ninety-ninth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking.

Hearing this, the On-Duty Disciple tapped the Jade in front of him twice. Rows of fine text appeared on the Jade’s surface.

He scanned it quickly, then looked up and shook his head.

"Senior Brother Meng has not yet returned."

Chen Yue nodded at this response.

"Then can I choose a new senior brother from the Cyan Cloud Ranking to continue my challenge?"

"According to the regulations, that is indeed possible."

As he spoke, the On-Duty Disciple turned the Jade toward Chen Yue so he could also see the information on it.

"You may choose a senior brother ranked between ninetieth and ninety-ninth who is not currently on a mission to challenge."

Chen Yue’s eyes swept quickly over the list. He was unfamiliar with these people and had never seen any of them fight in person.

But he knew that every name on the Cyan Cloud Ranking represented the pinnacle of combat strength among the Panshi Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples.

No one who made the ranking could be underestimated.

His gaze stopped on the name in the ninety-ninth spot: Ji Wanting.

’For my first challenge, it’s best to be cautious. I’ll fight one match first to get a feel for the true combat level of the Cyan Cloud Ranking, then decide my next move.’

"Is the senior brother in ninety-ninth place currently in the sect?"

The On-Duty Disciple checked the Jade for a moment, then nodded. "Senior Brother Ji Wanting has no record of being away on a mission. He should be in the sect and is available to be challenged."

Chen Yue nodded. "Then I will challenge Senior Brother Ji."

The On-Duty Disciple said nothing more. He took the Waist Token from Chen Yue’s hand and pressed it onto the Jade.

A faint halo of light washed over the Jade’s surface. The information from the Waist Token merged and locked with the challenge application data within the Jade.

A moment later, the halo disappeared.

The On-Duty Disciple removed the Waist Token from the Jade and handed it back to Chen Yue with both hands.

"It is done. Senior Brother Ji has ten days to accept the challenge. If he refuses to fight within these ten days without a valid reason, the Sect will consider it a forfeit, and you will automatically take his rank."

Chen Yue took the Waist Token, tied it back to his waist, cupped his hands toward the On-Duty Disciple, and turned to leave the Affairs Hall.

The On-Duty Disciple at the Affairs Hall watched Chen Yue’s back disappear through the main entrance, his expression growing complicated.

He didn’t think Chen Yue was overestimating himself by challenging the Cyan Cloud Ranking.

After all, Chen Yue had already proven he possessed the combat strength of the Refining Organ Realm by defeating Cheng Fengjun.

And who was Cheng Fengjun? A monster who could defeat someone in the Refining Organ Realm while still in the Marrow Refining Realm. And Chen Yue had defeated him head-on in Panshi Lane—a decisive, undeniable victory.

It was just that, over so many years, very few disciples in the Marrow Refining Realm had ever made it onto the Cyan Cloud Ranking.

Of course, nothing was ever absolute.

Every one of the sect’s current Innate True Disciples had a history of reaching the Cyan Cloud Ranking while in the Marrow Refining Realm, and they had all achieved very high ranks.

Those individuals had already demonstrated Talent and combat strength far exceeding their peers back when they were in the Marrow Refining Realm.

So-called prodigies could not be judged by common sense.

The gap between an ordinary Marrow Refining Realm cultivator and a prodigy in the Marrow Refining Realm was even greater than the gap between the Marrow Refining Realm and the Refining Organ Realm.

It was precisely because of this that they were able to break through the Innate barrier, achieve the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm, and earn the status of True Disciple.

The On-Duty Disciple retracted his gaze and lowered his head, continuing to handle the tasks before him.

He wondered, ’Could Chen Yue be one of those people too?’

’Will he, like those True Disciples, use his Marrow Refining Realm Cultivation to achieve a stunning result on the Cyan Cloud Ranking? Will he then break through and grow, step by step, until he finally reaches the heights of the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm?’

He didn’t know.