Chapter 96 - The Source of the Spiritual Herb
The kitten seemed to sense the presence of another consciousness and meowed at Gu Yao.
Gu Yao was surprised and asked, “Senior, can’t you tell where this kitten comes from?”
Xu Chen observed carefully again, shook his head, and said, “I don’t know, but it seems that there is a strong force sealed within this kitten. Once this force is fully absorbed, it will probably be quite extraordinary.”
Gu Yao was pleased by this. Since even Senior Xu Chen couldn’t discern much, there was no need for him to worry about taking the kitten out. The less attention others paid to it, the better.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Yao mentioned the matter of going to the Shi family’s ancestral land. He didn’t bring up the Black Yan Beast but only mentioned the Black Ming Flame Essence and the Pure Heaven Mysterious Herb. Xu Chen immediately guessed the kitten’s possible identity, and couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Gu Yao’s good luck. “You’re really lucky. A creature like this could end up in your hands. Once it grows, you’ll realize how beneficial it is.”
Gu Yao smiled and replied, “It’s not my luck, it’s Brother Ye’s. But he gave it to me.” Even though Chi Changye had already sensed the kitten’s extraordinary nature, he still chose to give it to him, which was something Gu Yao truly appreciated.
Xu Chen:…
He felt exhausted and didn’t want to speak anymore.
Having used up most of the materials, Gu Yao had to conclude this phase of his research. With a large amount of materials for experimentation and the guidance of a highly knowledgeable alchemist like Xu Chen, Gu Yao’s progress was rapid, often making Xu Chen feel mentally drained and unwilling to talk.
After leaving the alchemy chamber, Gu Yao naturally became aware of the situation at the academy. Holding the kitten’s soft little ears, he said, “What? The Pill Peak wants me to report there?” He couldn’t understand why he would go to Pill Peak to be humiliated. It was clear that the alchemists there would have no good feelings toward him; their demeanor made it obvious that they weren’t broad-minded.
Of course, he chose to ignore it. The shop continued to operate as usual. Even if no one bought the pills or spiritual symbols, the wages for the two sisters would still be paid as usual. After all, he now had another source of income, and the cooperation with the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce meant that, for the time being, he wouldn’t lack spirit stones.
“Second Brother Tian, are you saying that the spiritual herbs on the list haven’t been fully collected?” Gu Yao couldn’t help but scratch his ear, suspecting he had misheard. How could there be spirit stones and yet still herbs that couldn’t be bought? Moreover, the herbs he listed weren’t particularly rare, so… “Is this also the doing of Pill Peak?”
Chi Changye’s expression also turned cold. Was Pill Peak trying to completely shut Gu Yao down? He hadn’t expected them to be so short-sighted and narrow-minded.
Tian Feirong felt very guilty. He and the little fatty had even failed to collect the herbs for Gu Yao properly. Without the herbs, Gu Yao couldn’t refine pills, nor could he carry out the various research experiments he enjoyed. It was all their fault for not handling the matter well. He quickly tried to remedy the situation, saying, “The little fatty and I will think of another way. We’ll definitely find a solution. Can Pill Peak really control everything and block all the paths? Even if the paths within the academy are blocked, what about outside the academy?”
Gu Yao thought the same. Just as they were discussing ways to deal with it, someone knocked on the door. The little fatty went to open it, and it was Zhou Li who walked in.
As soon as he entered, he handed over a storage bag. “We already know about the matter with Junior Brother Tian and Junior Brother Wei. The Xingyue Chamber of Commerce has some connections, and we have ways to obtain spiritual herbs. You can use these first, Junior Brother Gu. If you need more, just let us know. Senior Brother Jiang said he will definitely make sure your needs are met.”
This was the advantage of being part of a large organization—you weren’t bound by the internal forces of the academy. If one path didn’t work, you could always find another. This was why the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce held a more transcendent position within the academy.
Tian Feirong and the little fatty were immediately overwhelmed with gratitude, nearly on the verge of tears. “Senior Brother Zhou, you arrived just in time. Those scoundrels at Pill Peak, they’re good for nothing. They don’t dare to compete with Gu Yao openly in alchemy, so they take underhanded measures to sabotage him. Now I can see through them.”
They also saw through those fence-sitters who, when Pill Peak took action, immediately sided with them.
Zhou Li smiled and patted Tian Feirong on the shoulder. “Don’t forget, Junior Brother Gu is also our treasure at the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce. He’s helped us earn a lot of spirit stones. How could we just stand by and do nothing? Alright, I’ll leave now. If anything comes up, just let us know at the Chamber. Don’t shoulder everything by yourself.”
Tian Feirong and the little fatty sent Zhou Li off gratefully. Gu Yao looked at the storage bag full of spiritual herbs and shook his head inwardly. In the end, this was all due to Pill Peak’s monopoly. They had become too dominant, not allowing anyone else to threaten their position.
In fact, Gu Yao didn’t know how much impact the high-quality pills sold at the Gu Chi shop had on the reputation and status of Pill Peak. If this wasn’t curbed, perhaps in the future, new students would only know about the Gu Chi shop and Gu Yao the Alchemist.
Pill Peak was increasingly questioned by students, forcing them to be cautious and find ways to regain control.
Maybe they had been too highly praised in the past, and now, with every move they made, they were only digging themselves deeper.
After Zhou Li delivered the herbs, he returned to the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce. The voices within the Chamber weren’t entirely unified. Some were protesting to Jiang Yan, arguing that the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce’s transcendent position wasn’t worth going up against Pill Peak just for a pill master whose future was uncertain. Offending Pill Peak and Elder Lin would cause trouble. If it weren’t for Elder Lin’s tacit approval, how could Pill Peak act so recklessly? This showed that Elder Lin didn’t look highly upon Gu Yao.
Who told Gu Yao he was a Four Spirit Root cultivator?
Zhou Li became angry upon hearing this: “So, whatever Pill Peak says, the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce has to follow? In the end, whose Chamber of Commerce is this? Is it a subsidiary or puppet of Pill Peak, subject to their control?”
“Zhou Li, you’re being unreasonable. Besides, do you really think Gu Yao, one person, can take on all of Pill Peak? Or do you think he alone can meet the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce’s needs for spiritual pills? If he dares to say so, I’ll stand with him without hesitation.” It wasn’t that he looked down on Gu Yao, but no matter how capable Gu Yao was, he was just one person. To challenge Pill Peak with only his individual strength was like using an egg to strike a rock.
“Exactly. If Gu Yao gets defeated, then the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce will have to beg Pill Peak, won’t we?” Zhou Li sneered.
The arguments below became louder and louder. In contrast, Jiang Yan, sitting in his seat, calmly played with his folding fan. It seemed that no matter how much others argued, it didn’t affect his leisurely demeanor. The more he acted this way, the quieter the arguments became, and eventually, all noise stopped.
At this point, Jiang Yan finally smiled and looked at them: “Are you done? If you’re done, then let me say a few words. The Xingyue Chamber of Commerce is in business. Both Pill Peak and Gu Yao are our customers. It’s completely reasonable for him to purchase spiritual herbs from us. Does Pill Peak want us to stop selling herbs to Gu Yao? Does that align with the principles of our Chamber of Commerce?”
“Does it align? Of course not! Isn’t this about choosing between standing with Pill Peak or Gu Yao?”
Seeing they had nothing to say, Jiang Yan smiled even more pleasantly: “If someone from Pill Peak comes over again, just tell them we’re in business. We’ll sell to whoever offers the best price. Who would refuse spirit stones? Tell the people outside to gather more herbs. We might even make a good profit.”
“Yes, Senior Brother!” Zhou Li replied loudly.
The others also began to understand the situation. On the surface, it sounded very righteous, but in reality, they were still siding with Gu Yao. If the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce stopped providing spiritual herbs to Gu Yao now, he would really be left without a path. However, they were unwilling to completely side with Pill Peak either. Otherwise, once this matter passed, Pill Peak would return to its old ways.
With the herbs gathered, Gu Yao lost his interest in entering the alchemy room. Indeed, no matter where one went, there were always conflicts over interests. Even the lofty cultivators were no exception; in essence, there wasn’t much difference between mortals and immortals.
Chi Changye stood next to Gu Yao and ruffled his hair, which had been messed up by the kitten earlier and was now messy again.
The kitten, feeling unjust, jumped onto Gu Yao’s shoulder and meowed at Chi Changye. This was its territory, and Chi Changye couldn’t invade it.
Chi Changye coldly glanced at the kitten, grabbed it by the back of its neck, and pulled it down.
He said, “Why don’t I go to the Sword Peak? Xiao Yao, you should come with me to the Sword Peak. Its status in the Academy is different from what people think.”
He had already removed the seal from the ancient jade slip, and inside was a vision of a person casually swinging a sword, cutting through mountains, rivers, and even fracturing space. It was just one strike, but it left Chi Changye deeply shocked. He realized that the swordsmanship he had practiced in the past was nothing in comparison; it instantly turned to dust. This also made him realize the extraordinary nature of the Sword Pavilion.
This vision deeply imprinted itself in his sea of consciousness, and the jade slip shattered.
Since then, Chi Changye has been constantly trying to comprehend the swordsmanship and sword intent from the vision. Every day, he would set aside time to practice swordsmanship. Compared to his previous practice, it seemed chaotic, but Chi Changye felt that following this path would lead him to true mastery of the way of the sword.
The person in the vision was the true sword cultivator he aspired to be.
The Sword Peak that guards the Sword Pavilion was naturally extraordinary.
Once Gu Yao joined him at the Sword Peak, would Pill Peak still dare to openly suppress Gu Yao? That would no longer be about suppressing Gu Yao alone; it would be a direct challenge to the entire Sword Peak.
Gu Yao, resting his chin on his hand, thought that what Chi Changye said wasn’t without merit, but he couldn’t help but feel a little unwilling: “In the end, it still comes down to relying on other forces to contend with Pill Peak. It’s frustrating. Ultimately, we’re still too weak.”
Chi Changye chuckled in disbelief: “That’s how the world works. It’s precisely because we are weak that we must keep climbing toward greater heights. Otherwise, wouldn’t that take the fun out of it? This is the same as how you, Xiao Yao, find joy in pursuing higher-level alchemy. This process should be endless.”
Gu Yao scratched his head and laughed foolishly. Yes, he had been too presumptuous. After hearing Chi Changye’s words, he didn’t feel so gloomy anymore, because those words really struck a chord with him.
He stood up, stretching lazily. The kitten that had been lying on him rolled off with a soft thud. Though it didn’t fall badly, it still angrily meowed at Gu Yao.
Gu Yao picked up the kitten and said, “How about we go to the Qiuqu Mountain Range again? I think the herbal resources there are quite abundant. My recent research has hit a bottleneck, and I need to gather some new plants. Perhaps they’ll provide some fresh inspiration.”
Recently, he had been contemplating the problem of eliminating pill toxins. He had made some progress, but not to the level he desired.
Although the cultivation world wasn’t lacking in such pills, the rare ingredients needed were extremely scarce. Gu Yao wanted to develop a more accessible medicine or pill for the general public.