Chapter 186: Water Restraint – Ice Jade Cold Flood Dragon

Nightfall.

Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda, Chaotic Void.

Lian Mu had just finished inspecting the growth of her spirit plants, picking the ones that had ripened early.

She was unusually quiet tonight, which made Xuan Che curious. “You really hate Vermilion Bird South that much? You’ve been sulking ever since you got back. Didn’t I tell you to handle those things first?”

“It can’t be resolved that quickly. I have to wait. At this rate, it’ll be another half month before I can visit your place.”

The key to manipulating Fengyun Yi lay there, but she couldn’t go to the Shifang Nether Soil alone. The Venerable Elders would never allow it.

For now, the pressing issue was upgrading Wealth Bringer’s grade.

Lian Mu set up her alchemy furnace, ignited the fuel with a twist of spiritual energy, and tossed in a spirit plant.

“Your Immortal Sects have way too many rules,” Xuan Che remarked.

Lian Mu finished refining a batch of pills—this batch was her assignment for Feng Tianche in Black Tortoise North. After taking care of business, she pulled up another bunch of spirit plants from the ground and packed them with her.

She hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to tell Xuan Che what she’d heard earlier: the Immortal Sects were investigating the whereabouts of the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda.

Judging by his indifferent expression, Lian Mu figured he wasn’t worried in the slightest.

But she wasn’t done using the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda yet…

“Xuan Che, if one day I hand this tower over to the Immortal Sects, you…”

Xuan Che was lying down, half-asleep. He turned over lazily. “Do whatever you want.”

As expected, he really didn’t care.

Lian Mu let out a quiet sigh of relief. She glanced over the spirit plants growing all around and pushed the thought aside.

She’d already had the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda for five years—what difference would a little longer make? She’d hand it over once everything else was settled.

With that, Lian Mu packed up the alchemy furnace. “I’m heading out for a few days. Make sure you water my spirit plants.”

“Where are you going?”

“To a competition. Gotta earn some money to upgrade my sword. I’m taking Green Bean with me too.”

“Your sword doesn’t last.”

“…”

Of course someone like him, who owned a famous sword, wouldn’t understand.

“When I come back, it’ll be different,” Lian Mu said. “Just wait and see.”

“If you mean ascending its grade, you’re still a bit short,” Xuan Che replied. “Your Spiritual Root is fire-based. Even if you fuse top-tier Flame Gold into the sword, the opposing elemental forces will still suppress it.”

“You mean… I need a water Spiritual Root?”

“Something like that,” Xuan Che said. “Flame blades have no form, but they can’t withstand water. If you want your sword to be truly fearless, you’ll need to work on overcoming elemental restraints. Famous swords don’t care about Spiritual Roots because they balance the conflicting energies themselves.”

Xuan Che, after all, was a thousand-year-old monster with deep knowledge in artifact forging.

“Water Restraint…”

Lian Mu fell into thought.

He had a point. Back in the Penglai Illusion Realm, her fire-based Spiritual Root had made it impossible to dive into the sea and slay water beasts, severely limiting her actions.

Suddenly, she remembered the Jiao Pearl she had taken from Penglai Island.

Jiao beasts could command water, and the Jiao Pearl could repel it. If she embedded the Jiao Pearl into a modified version of Wealth Bringer, wouldn’t that neutralize the Water Restraint?

Lian Mu’s eyes lit up. “I see now. Thank you.”

“You’re not too slow,” Xuan Che said. “That thing’s in the pearl. Use it well, and you won’t lose no matter who you face. If the opponent’s too strong, just let the Spirit Beast do the biting. You know how to use a Spirit Summoning Talisman. Call its name, bind it with the talisman, and it’ll obey you.”

“I don’t know its name.”

“It’s from the Ice Jade Cold Flood Dragon bloodline,” Xuan Che said.

“You seem to know a lot about it…”

“There’s no Spirit Beast under the heavens that This Venerable One doesn’t know,” Xuan Che said smugly. “I just don’t like that kind. Anyway, since you’ve been feeding This Venerable One, I’ve told you everything you need to know. The rest is up to you. Now get out—someone’s been knocking on the door forever. It’s driving me crazy.”

Lian Mu had arranged to meet Ji Mingyue tonight at Flying Sea Pavilion. She’d just finished refining her pills, and Ji Mingyue should be arriving around now.

Lian Mu nodded and, after saying goodbye, exited the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda.

Inside, the lamplight flickered gently.

Lian Mu’s consciousness returned to her body. Hearing the knocking outside, she quickly hid the tower on the table.

She went to open the door. Ji Mingyue was standing there, looking suspiciously sneaky. She’d even changed into a black outfit, so much so that only her head was visible in the dark.

Lian Mu let her in.

“I’ve been knocking forever. Were you asleep?” Ji Mingyue plopped down at the table and caught sight of the freshly refined pills. She opened one and took a sniff. “Your alchemy skills are getting scary good. No wonder you’ve got three Heavenly Spiritual Roots. These pills are almost first-grade already.”

“Alchemy’s easy. Artifact forging is hard,” Lian Mu said. “If upgrading Wealth Bringer were as simple as refining pills, life would be a lot easier.”

“You say stuff like that, and people outside would be green with envy. Pills above second grade take ordinary alchemists years just to get a feel for.”

Lian Mu thought for a moment and said, “Since you trust my alchemy skills, it’s perfect. I’ve found a method to expel demonic energy that invades the body after being wounded by the demon race. Once I refine that kind of pill, do you want to take a batch back with you?”

Ji Mingyue froze, then lowered her eyes. “So… you already know.”

“Fengyun Yi’s situation is just like yours. I saw it in the Illusion Realm,” said Lian Mu. “Once I finish the competition at Flying Sea Pavilion and head to the Shifang Nether Soil, I’ll be able to get the key medicinal catalyst. If it works, I’d like to give it to your family first.”

Ji Mingyue knew Lian Mu was always capable. With her own talent and a master like Feng Tianche, it wasn’t surprising she’d found a way to counter the Demonic Qi Invasion.

Ji Mingyue gave a bitter smile. “Lian Mu, if only I’d met you a few years earlier. But… it’s too late now. My family has suffered under the demonic qi for over a decade. Pills can’t cleanse it anymore. The only thing left is to kill the demon race bastards who did this to them.”

“I don’t need pills. If possible, once we’re in the Shifang Nether Soil, I want you to help me kill as many demon race scum as you can.”

Lian Mu was silent for a moment, then said, “…Alright.”

“Enough, let’s not waste any more time. We should go,” Ji Mingyue said. “I’ve already made arrangements. Xu Xianxing is helping cover for us, so we don’t need to worry for the next few days.”

Lian Mu pulled out the carved bamboo token Bai Su had left her. She pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto it. The blood followed the engraved patterns, forming the shape of a five-petaled flower.

“Hold on tight.”

……

……

Flying Moon Waterside Pavilion, quiet chamber.

On the ice-cold bed in the center lay a pale figure with eyes tightly shut. Ying You’s face was ashen, drained of all color.

A group of Elders stood around him. One of them, an Elder with snow-white hair, let out a sigh of relief. “Good thing the Sect Master arrived in time. If we’d waited a few more days, Xiao You’s life would’ve been left on Yinghui Island.”

Shang Liu was holding a strand of black hair he’d found in Ying You’s sleeve, frowning in confusion. “This Lian Mu… what exactly is her relationship with Xiao You?”

“We’ll have to wait until he wakes up to ask.”

The white-haired Elder looked at Ying You, whose once dark hair had turned as white as his own, and asked, “Where is the Sect Master?”

“In the side chamber,” someone replied.

When the Elders and Shang Liu entered the side chamber, they were greeted by a wall full of image-recording stones.

Hua Qiuxin stood before them, not turning her head as she asked, “How is he?”

Shang Liu glanced at the wall and saw that every image was of Lian Mu. His brows furrowed.

“He should wake up in a few days. His life is out of danger for now,” the white-haired Elder said. “But in his current condition, I’m afraid he’s not fit to continue in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition. We’ll need to appoint a new Chief Sword Cultivator.”

Another Elder added, “Xiao You has a deep bond with the rest of the Chief team. They’ve grown up together and share a tacit understanding that others can’t replicate. A sudden replacement might throw the team off.”

Hua Qiuxin said, “As long as he’s alive, that’s what matters. Whether he can continue in the competition—let him decide when he wakes up. In the meantime, keep an eye out and pick a backup candidate, just in case.”

The white-haired Elder nodded. “Understood.”

Shang Liu hesitated, then asked, “Sect Master, why are you…” watching Lian Mu’s recordings?

He trailed off.

Hua Qiuxin smiled faintly, her gaze still fixed on the image-recording stone, which had paused on a scene from the White Tiger Western Illusion Realm. “This child is called Lian Mu?”

“Yes. She’s the most troublesome disciple in the Returning Immortal Sect,” Shang Liu replied.

Hua Qiuxin said, “Setting aside Xiao You’s situation, this disciple is rather intriguing. I’ve reviewed all her earlier recordings. With her level of potential, she’s only the Second Seat in the Returning Immortal Sect?”

Shang Liu replied, “Her Spiritual Root has issues. The Returning Immortal Sect has been keeping it under wraps, refusing to make it public. She’s likely hiding more than a few secrets.”

Hua Qiuxin glanced at the barrier instrument nearby. Just earlier, it had flickered—someone had slipped out of Azure Profound Sect’s protective barrier. She already knew who it was. “This Lian Mu has guts. And skills.”

If she hadn’t been here today, no one would’ve noticed Lian Mu sneaking out.

To hide her presence that well, Lian Mu must’ve had at least a first-grade transmission talisman—something ordinary people couldn’t even dream of laying hands on.

But Hua Qiuxin had no intention of pursuing the matter. Instead, she erased all traces of the barrier’s disturbance.

She raised a finger and tapped the image of Lian Mu dissecting a flame beast’s corpse. She murmured, “A sword cultivator who carries a demonic crystal blade… now that’s not someone ordinary.”

“When did she join the Returning Immortal Sect?”

Shang Liu replied, “Reportedly, less than a year ago.”

Hua Qiuxin pondered for a moment. “Less than a year… and before that, the Pearl-Seeking Instrument didn’t detect her. What a waste.”

Shang Liu blinked. “Sect Master, you mean…”

Hua Qiuxin smiled sweetly. “After the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, I want to see her standing in the initiation hall of our Azure Profound Sect. You know what to do.”

Shang Liu understood her intent. Though he didn’t care for Lian Mu’s methods, if they could bring her into the Azure Profound Sect, it would not only help protect Ying You’s past secrets but also add a dazzling new talent to their sect.

Still, Shang Liu had some concerns. “What if she refuses to come?”

“Do your best. If she truly won’t come, then so be it. Let her stay in the Returning Immortal Sect. She poses no threat to us,” Hua Qiuxin said casually. “After all, the Returning Immortal Sect has never been able to keep their geniuses.”

The Returning Immortal Sect’s bad luck was notorious—something the other three major sects could all attest to. Any cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root who entered the sect would end up dead more often than not. Those who somehow survived, like Murong Yi, ended up with all their meridians shattered—no better than crippled.

Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators were a rare sight within the Returning Immortal Sect. Aside from this year’s Chief Team, the number of such disciples could barely fill one hand.

The nickname “Graveyard of Geniuses” was no exaggeration.

Shang Liu thought back to how he’d treated Lian Mu earlier and couldn’t help but feel it was going to be a headache. But since the Sect Master had already given the order, he had no choice. “I’ll do my best,” he said.