Chapter 41: A Little Tactic—The Unrivaled First Alchemy Cultivator

Since her battle with Luo Qianxue, Lian Mu felt like she was being watched whenever she walked around, especially when she went to the dining hall. The moment she sat down, she would be met with countless gazes.

Lian Mu paid no mind to this and always pretended not to notice.

She could guess what those people wanted—nothing more than to challenge her to a fight.

But she had no time for that. So, on the night after her fight with Luo Qianxue, she announced that she was “sick.” Cold Arrival Peak had a rule: one could not challenge fellow disciples who were unwell.

As a result, those eager to spar with her could only watch helplessly as the “sick” Lian Mu strutted around Cold Arrival Peak all day.

Without a doubt, Lian Mu had become the most famous new disciple on Cold Arrival Peak. First, she skipped class every day, then she made a huge splash in the entrance re-evaluation, and after that, she single-handedly scared off the sword from the Sword Pavilion. Now, she had even managed to fight Luo Qianxue to a draw.

The previous feats were already impressive, but tying with Luo Qianxue was truly beyond anyone’s expectations.

Especially those who had witnessed the match—afterward, they couldn’t stop talking about it, eager to let everyone know exactly what had happened.

Other sword cultivators, upon hearing that Lian Mu had used an unexpected and bizarre technique in her match against Luo Qianxue, grew curious and wanted to see it for themselves.

Guan Shize, of course, had also heard about it. He was the first to contact Lian Mu.

“Lian Mu, did you really fight Senior Sister Luo to a draw? I knew you wouldn’t lose!”

Guan Shize’s voice came from the Fish-and-Goose Stone, sounding more excited than Lian Mu herself.

Lian Mu was in the dining hall, eating her meal, with the Fish-and-Goose Stone placed beside her. She responded with a light hum.

“Your voice sounds different,” she remarked casually. “Got beaten up?”

There was a brief silence on Guan Shize’s end. “…You figured that out too? Lately, Elder Xuanji has been in a bad mood, and his strikes have been harsher than usual. I’m starting to miss my days in the formation squad.”

Elder Xuanji had only accepted two disciples—Guan Shize was one of them. The other was someone he wasn’t familiar with, so he had no one to talk to.

He found himself longing for the days when he and Lian Mu would get beaten up together by Elder Murong.

Judging by Lian Mu’s voice, she seemed the same as ever—clearly enjoying herself.

“If you’re bored, why not come out and take a look around?”

Guan Shize sighed. “I’d love to, but Elder Xuanji is strict. He won’t let us wander around before the Grand Immortal Sect Tournament.”

Lian Mu clicked her tongue. As expected, being an apprentice was no different from being imprisoned.

“Lian Mu, when you become the Second-Seat Sword Cultivator in the next Grand Immortal Sect Tournament, I’m joining your team,” Guan Shize declared.

Lian Mu replied, “That’s far from certain.”

Guan Shize was confident. “You fought Senior Sister Luo to a draw, and now all the disciples know about it. They’re all saying that the next Second-Seat spot is as good as yours. Our Gui Xian Sect has only accepted two Body Refining Cultivators in the past hundred years—one’s already the First-Seat, and the other isn’t competing. If no Talisman Cultivators step up, all three remaining Second-Seat positions might go to sword cultivators.”

Lian Mu said, “We’ll see when the time comes.”

She had to participate in the Grand Immortal Sect Tournament, but whether or not she became a Second-Seat Sword Cultivator wasn’t something she cared much about.

Remembering what Xu Xianxing had told her about the benefits of holding the Second-Seat title, Lian Mu began to consider its possibilities.

Just then, Guan Shize suddenly lowered his voice. “My master’s back. Gotta go.”

The connection cut off immediately.

Lian Mu was about to put away the Fish-and-Goose Stone when she saw two people storm into the dining hall.

Xu Xianxing, his face full of anger, walked straight to her side and sat down. “I heard about your match with Senior Sister Luo. Lian Mu, once you become the Second-Seat Sword Cultivator, let’s crush those bastards from Wu Nian Sect together.”

Lian Mu: “?”

She turned to Bai Li Que, whose expression was also grim, and asked, “What happened?”

Bai Li Que spoke softly, “Elder Xin was ambushed by Wu Nian Sect in the Shifang Nether Soil. She was seriously injured. Many of our sect’s disciples stationed there were also wounded.”

Lian Mu, who had been preoccupied running between the Star-Plucking Tower and the Scripture Pavilion, hadn’t paid much attention to other matters. “When did this happen?”

“A few days ago. While you were dueling Senior Sister Luo, Elder Qin contacted me to repair a spirit artifact, and that’s when I found out,” Xu Xianxing explained. “I always thought Wu Nian Sect only played dirty in the shadows. I never expected them to be so brazen this time—”

Bai Li Que gestured for him to lower his voice. “Keep it down.”

Xu Xianxing was furious, and his voice had naturally been a bit loud.

Lian Mu didn’t understand. “Aren’t we in our own sect? Why can’t we talk about this?”

Bai Li Que lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear. “The Shifang Nether Soil is a land overrun with magical beasts, wedged between four territories. It’s guarded by the disciples of four major sects, each overseeing a portion of the land. Elder Xin was supposed to take over command from Elder Qin Yuan, but upon reaching our sect’s territory, she encountered a magical beast outbreak.”

“Normally, a beast outbreak wouldn’t be a big deal—the disciples stationed there have seen plenty. But this time, the problem was that Wu Nian Sect disciples were still present in Gui Xian Sect’s territory. They had already clashed with our people before, and the matter hadn’t been settled. When Elder Xin led her team to suppress the beasts, the Wu Nian Sect disciples pretended to help but actually held them back, causing Elder Xin and the others to get trapped in a swarm of high-tier magical beasts while the Wu Nian Sect members escaped.”

With Elder Xin’s strength, dealing with a pack of high-tier magical beasts wouldn’t have been a problem. But she had a group of disciples who were new to the Shifang Nether Soil and couldn’t just abandon them. Adding to the chaos, Wu Nian Sect deliberately sabotaged them, making the situation even worse.

Bai Li Que continued, “Elder Xin led our senior disciples in a desperate battle, fighting for an entire day and night before finally breaking free. When she returned, the other three sects had already heard about it and sent people to visit her. Wu Nian Sect also sent people over—to apologize.”

Xu Xianxing said coldly, “They claim it’s a visit, but in reality, they just want to probe the foundation of our Gui Xian Sect.”

Lian Mu asked, “They’ve already arrived?”

“They got here yesterday. They’re staying at the main peak and will be around for another three days before leaving.”

Lian Mu nodded thoughtfully. “I think for the next Immortal Sect Tournament, we should target Wu Nian Sect first. Isn’t the first match happening at our place? We should take advantage of the venue.”

Xu Xianxing leaned in. “How do we do that?”

Lian Mu began discussing strategies for payback with Xu Xianxing, the two huddling together. Bai Li Que remained silent beside them, thinking, Easier said than done.

Getting revenge was easy to talk about, but hard to execute. Right now, Gui Xian Sect was the weakest among the four great sects. If they couldn’t improve, they would continue to be bullied and mocked.

But if the next Immortal Sect Tournament brought a chance for a turnaround…

Bai Li Que pondered this silently. He had calmed down and was looking at the situation with a clear mind.

If Gui Xian Sect wanted to regain its dignity, it all came down to the tournament rankings.

He could only hope that this time, luck would be on their side.

The meal ended with Xu Xianxing cursing Wu Nian Sect for the three-hundredth time. After eating, Lian Mu decided to head to the Library Pavilion.

“What are you going to the Library Pavilion for?” Bai Li Que asked.

Lian Mu replied casually, “To read. Cultivate my character.”

Bai Li Que thought he misheard. “You… cultivate your character?”

She looked more like the type to kick over a bookshelf. Besides, the Library Pavilion mostly housed texts related to alchemy and artifact refinement, which weren’t particularly useful for a sword cultivator.

“Is that a problem?” Lian Mu packed her things, glanced at the time, and found an excuse. “There’s nothing to do lately. The elders aren’t giving lectures, I’m bored out of my mind but can’t sleep, so I go read books on artifact refinement. Puts me to sleep in less than fifteen minutes.”

Bai Li Que: “…Alright then.”

Falling asleep in a place like the Library Pavilion? Truly a unique individual.

Xu Xianxing added, “I’ll go too. Never slept on the Library Pavilion floor before.”

Lian Mu asked, “You have nothing better to do?”

“No. Other sect members are still around, so it’s inconvenient. Besides, classes at Yinxiang Peak are suspended too,” Xu Xianxing said helplessly.

Lian Mu thought about it and figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring him along. She could even take the opportunity to ask about artifact refining.

Bai Li Que had originally planned to return to Suiqiu Peak, but seeing them both head for the Library Pavilion, he changed his mind and decided to go with them.

The three set off for the Library Pavilion immediately.

The Library Pavilion was situated between Yinxiang Peak and Qianling Peak. Coming from Yasui Peak, they had to pass through Yinxiang Peak.

Today, Yinxiang Peak was unusually quiet. Normally, there would be strange explosions from failed alchemy attempts, but today, not even a single person was in sight.

Xu Xianxing, opting for convenience, had Silver Kite carry them directly toward the Library Pavilion. As they passed by Yinxiang Peak, they noticed a group of alchemy cultivators gathered at the entrance of the Spiritual Herb Garden.

Lian Mu focused her gaze and saw that while the alchemy cultivators were at the entrance, inside the garden stood six unfamiliar individuals, all appearing older than them.

“They’re from the Three Great Sects,” Xu Xianxing said with a dark expression. “What are they doing in the Spiritual Herb Garden?”

Bai Li Que frowned slightly. “Should we go down and take a look?”

Lian Mu said, “Let’s observe first.”

Inside the Spiritual Herb Garden, the six outsiders examined their surroundings with various expressions.

A senior from Chixiao Sect sneered meaningfully, “A sect ranked dead last, holding onto such a treasure trove—what a waste.”

A senior from Qingxuan Sect remained expressionless. “This place is indeed exceptional. In terms of both the quantity and quality of spiritual herbs, it surpasses the other four great sects. But, unfortunately… it’s not being put to good use.”

“Heh, the Gui Xian Sect’s Spiritual Herb Garden was built by the Feng family of our Wu Nian Sect. The herbs here were also planted by the Feng family. What does it have to do with Gui Xian Sect?” sneered the senior from Wu Nian Sect.

The alchemy disciples outside grew furious. One of them stepped forward and retorted, “Master Feng was an alchemy cultivator of Gui Xian Sect! How could it have nothing to do with us?”

The Spiritual Herb Garden’s creator was none other than the legendary Feng Tianche, the one who defied fate and rebuilt his spiritual roots. He was still unrivaled as the number one alchemy cultivator. In his youth, he had been a disciple of Gui Xian Sect, and even after gaining fame, he remained there until his passing.

Every spiritual herb in the garden had been personally gathered by Feng Tianche from all over the world. He had even preserved numerous herb seeds and mixed special substances into the garden’s soil, ensuring that the plants here flourished without end and grew faster than anywhere else.

Gui Xian Sect’s Spiritual Herb Garden was a place alchemy cultivators across the realm longed for.

“Squatting on a treasure and not using it,” the Wu Nian Sect senior sneered coldly.

The gathered disciples, mostly young, were infuriated by his blunt insult, their faces turning red with anger.

The other two sects remained silent, while the Wu Nian Sect senior became even more arrogant.

“If you possess such a treasure trove and still can’t heal your sect leader’s injuries, then Gui Xian Sect should just return the Spiritual Herb Garden to the Feng family.”