Chapter 197 - 196: Inner Sect

Chapter 197: Chapter 196: Inner Sect

A few acres of Spirit Fields, a bamboo house, and a nursery.

They were located at a fork in the road halfway up the mountain where the slope gentled, and Chen Qingyang’s small courtyard was nestled there.

The night was especially tranquil. The countless stars seemed frozen in the sky, their light no longer twinkling. There was no sound of wind, no sense of rustling grass or swaying trees—what a peaceful night!

Chen Qingyang slowly opened his eyes. The Qi Mechanism in his Dantian shifted from active to placid, and he exhaled a breath of Dense Qi.

The rosy glow on his face gradually faded. In that short period, the Danxia Nurturing Truth Sword Manual, in conjunction with his Cyan Nether Sword Embryo, had once again replenished the True Essence in his body.

At his current pace, he could break through to the next realm of Cultivation in another four or five years. Though he couldn’t compare to Li Qianxue, within the Tai Xu Sect, he was still considered a top-tier genius.

Compared to his past self, Chen Qingyang had been completely reborn.

"How many days have I been away?" It was difficult to tell the passage of time in the Sumeru Secret Realm, and he had to remember to deliver enough Elixirs to Fulu Workshop each month, hence his question.

Hearing his voice, Xu Baoling opened her beautiful eyes. She walked slowly down the steps barefoot, the lower half of her fair, delicate calves exposed, making her appear all the more ethereal.

She called out softly, "Senior Brother, it’s been half a month."

Chen Qingyang frowned slightly, feeling a bit anxious. ’This debt really is a heavy burden.’ "I see. It looks like I have to start my Alchemy now."

Gazing at Chen Qingyang, a trace of sympathy appeared in Xu Baoling’s eyes. "With your Cultivation progress, Senior Brother, you could just quit this Fulu Workshop errand. You’re not like the others who can only seek breakthroughs on the Alchemy Dao."

From what she had seen at Fulu Workshop, the vast majority of Pill Masters were there for a reason. Some had hit a wall in their Cultivation and hoped to acquire a better Elixir. Others couldn’t refine one themselves and so traded quantity for Spirit Stones. Still others wanted a high-quality Magical Artifact but couldn’t craft one, so they used Elixirs to accumulate the Spirit Stones needed to trade for it.

There were many other similar reasons. In Xu Baoling’s eyes, Chen Qingyang shouldn’t have such worries. Even if he owed a lot of Spirit Stones, who could say what his situation would be in twenty years?

He shook his head. "No, I can’t. To make any real progress with the Five Elements Sword, the amount of Spirit Stones required far exceeds my imagination. I’ve already started down this path, so there’s no turning back."

Xu Baoling lowered her head and mused for a moment. "Well... I’ve already prepared the ingredients for the Earth Root Biochemical Pill."

Chen Qingyang glanced over and saw the ingredients placed next to the Pill Furnace. ’So she had already thought of this.’

"You’re very thoughtful."

Chen Qingyang sat down before the Pill Furnace, preparing to refine the Tier Five Earth Root Life Transformation Pill. The amount of ingredients he was putting in at once could yield five pills.

As for why he was so confident, it was because of what Master Jing Yuan had once said: If you want an elixir to successfully form, the Fire is paramount.

After his trip to the Five Elements Cave Mansion, both his Nanming Red Emperor True Fire and the True Fire contained within the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl had grown stronger. Coupled with Chen Qingyang’s already high success rate, it was naturally not a problem.

The difficulty of Alchemy lay in the moment the medicinal ingredients entered the furnace. If one’s Power was insufficient at this point, the medicinal effects wouldn’t fully activate, and the quality of the Formed Pill would be greatly diminished.

Chen Qingyang unleashed his fire at full strength, and the various ingredients were refined and fused inside the Pill Furnace.

Although it consumed a great deal of stamina, it was still within a tolerable range. An unknown amount of time passed. He had started at night, and by the time of the "Late Fire," day had already broken.

It seemed this batch of Tier Five Elixirs was about to be completed. Chen Qingyang remained calm and steady, adjusting his Qi Mechanism while waiting for the pills to emerge from the furnace.

Upon closer inspection, every single pill possessed Tier Five medicinal effects. At this rate, he could complete his Fulu Workshop errand in just six or seven days.

For the next few days, Chen Qingyang spent his time on Alchemy and cultivation, while the others each attended to their own duties. The days passed in a busy blur.

...

"Senior Brother Chen, that Child from last time is here again. But his attitude is much better this time, very polite!" Hong’Er came to report while he was meditating today.

The Child she spoke of had to be the one who served his Master and had previously clashed with him.

"Better in what way?"

Hong’Er then imitated him, bowing respectfully and affecting his tone, "Junior Sister, is Senior Brother Chen in today? I have been sent by our Master to discuss some matters with him. I would trouble you to announce me."

Her vivid imitation made Chen Qingyang laugh. "That is amusing, but it’s understandable. Before, I wasn’t valued by our Master. Now that his attitude toward me has changed, these people naturally change along with him." ℴℴ𝘮

After speaking, he didn’t forget to lecture Hong’Er. "Here in the Tai Xu Sect, a Child’s standing isn’t determined by their Cultivation. Instead, they must always put the Master first. That’s why they have to change their tune from time to time, which goes against the original intent of Cultivation—to seek one’s true self. No matter how talented they are, their future potential will be limited. When you pursue your Cultivation in the future, you must never walk such a path."

Hong’Er was still grinning, and she replied crisply, "I know, Senior Brother Chen. I’ll remember that. So, are you going to see this Child or not? Maybe we should give him the cold shoulder for a bit, put him in his place. After all, our status is different now!"

Chen Qingyang stood up. "There’s no need for that. Just have him take a seat in the courtyard."

"You got it!"

As Hong’Er left, Chen Qingyang washed and tidied himself up. As the saying goes, ’straightening one’s robes to right the heart and clarify the mind’—this was a daily ritual he never skipped.

The Copper Mirror still reflected the same handsome face.

When he went out, the Child was drinking tea in the small courtyard. This time, upon seeing Chen Qingyang, he kept his head lowered, all of his former arrogance gone. "Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!"

’Indeed, in his eyes, the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect were worlds apart.’

Chen Qingyang didn’t return the bow, merely nodding slightly. "Please, sit."

The Child wore cyan robes and had a pointed chin. Today, not only was he not angry, he actually seemed overwhelmed by the gesture, apparently worried that Chen Qingyang would hold a grudge over their past encounter.

Hearing the words "Please, sit," the Child did not sit down. Instead, he held out the Brocade Box in his hands. "First, allow me to congratulate Senior Brother Chen on being formally accepted as an Inner Sect Disciple of our Cyan Bamboo Peak, taking another step on the path of Immortal Cultivation. You have also earned our Master’s favor, so your future is surely boundless..."

’This sentence is a test. If I accept the sentiment, it means I won’t cause trouble for him in the future. If I don’t, the matter isn’t over.’

Given Chen Qingyang’s personality, he naturally wouldn’t waste time on such tedious matters, so he simply said, "Thank you."

The Child let out another sigh of relief. "Senior Brother Chen, inside this Brocade Box are the Vermilion and Purple Attire, an Inner Sect Token, and a Talisman bestowed by our Master. According to custom, you would normally have to take a letter from our Master to the Golden Summit to handle the procedures for the attire and Token yourself. Considering you’re busy, Senior Brother, I took the liberty of handling it for you in advance to save you the trip."

He opened the Brocade Box, revealing the three items inside. The Token was especially important to Chen Qingyang. It was a symbol of status and would be extremely useful in the future, whether he was going to the Merit Tower or elsewhere.

The Child’s perceptiveness was beyond his expectations. Chen Qingyang’s attitude toward him warmed. "I don’t believe I know your name."

The Child replied, "To answer Senior Brother, my surname is Zeng. Our Master hopes for my success in Immortal Cultivation, so he bestowed upon me the name Xiancheng. From now on, Senior Brother can just call me Xiancheng."

Chen Qingyang repeated the name. "A good name. By following our Master, you will surely achieve great things. Wait here for a moment."

’Since he’s being so courteous, I can’t appear petty. Besides, this Child spends all his time with our Master; he could be useful to me in some way.’

Zeng Xiancheng didn’t understand. He watched as Chen Qingyang entered the Alchemy Room and came out a moment later. "This is a Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill. I originally refined it for my own use, but now that my Cultivation has broken through, I no longer need it. I’ll give it to you, Junior Brother. Let’s consider this the start of a good relationship."

Seeing Chen Qingyang’s sincere attitude, Zeng Xiancheng even felt a pang of regret. ’Why did I ever make things difficult for this kind Senior Brother?’ "This... Thank you, Senior Brother. Such a grand gift..."

’If he were one of Master Yun Ci’s Children, he definitely wouldn’t dare accept it. It seems my Master isn’t particularly strict in this regard.’

Chen Qingyang pushed the Elixir toward him. "We’ll both be cultivating under our Master from now on, so I’ll have to rely on Junior Brother’s care. We have a long road ahead of us..."

The gesture, combined with Chen Qingyang’s expression, made Zeng Xiancheng immediately understand the implication. A look of joy spread across his face. "In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."

Seeing him accept it, Chen Qingyang pulled another one from his sleeve. "Here, take this one too."

A Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill was extremely beneficial for a Child at his current level of Cultivation. He couldn’t refine one himself, and the Pill Masters who could wouldn’t bother with something like this, making it an extremely rare treasure for him.

This time, he was overjoyed. "Yes, yes... I will remember Senior Brother Chen’s kindness."

After some more pleasantries, seeing that Chen Qingyang only had those two Elixirs, Zeng Xiancheng reluctantly said his goodbyes, his gaze still unable to stop darting toward Chen Qingyang’s sleeves.

Not long after he left, Zeng Xiancheng’s face appeared in Chen Qingyang’s mind, with the words [Stealing Immortal] Steal Immortal Seedling 87 above his head.

’That guy sure was impatient, swallowing both Elixirs at once.’

Chen Qingyang’s Elixirs hadn’t been prepared for himself anyway. He had originally intended to save them for the Peach Blossom Assembly, but never had the chance to give them away.

’It’s only two small pills, so there shouldn’t be much of an effect after he takes them. At worst, I just won’t give him any more in the future.’

The items were all laid out on the bluestone table. Chen Qingyang first picked up the Token. It was about half the size of his palm and felt extremely comfortable to hold.

The Token was made of metal with a surface as smooth as jade and a pale cyan luster. Carved on it were the two words "Tai Xu." When he sensed it with his Divine Soul, he discovered a Qi Mechanism hidden within.

It was righteous and vast, yet illusory and ethereal. It transcended the Five Elements and seemed to exist outside of Yin and Yang. ’What kind of Dharma Gate could produce such a Qi Mechanism?’ This was far more distinguished than what he had as a mere Outer Disciple.

This item had to be carried on his person, so he tucked it into his robes. Next was the Vermilion and Purple Attire.

He had seen these clothes many times. Besides being a garment, it was also a Magical Artifact that only Inner Sect Disciples could possess.

Wearing these robes could protect one from water and fire and ward off the five poisons. It could also be put through Sacrificial Refinement daily to increase its Magical Power.

While it might not reach the level of the Jade Peach Incense Burner, the simple fact that it would never get dirty was extremely practical.

After taking out the clothes, the last item was the Talisman lying at the very bottom.