"What do you mean?" Meiling asked in confusion.
"The Sect Master departed yesterday and won't return for quite some time," Elder Huang explained, maintaining her professional composure. "If you seek an audience, you'll need to return at a later date."
"What?"
Suddenly, she recalled the figure cutting through the sky at tremendous speed earlier. She wondered if that might have been the Sect Master.
"This matter cannot wait," she insisted, her tone growing urgent. "It concerns the safety of your sect. Surely there must be some way to contact her"
Elder Huang's expression remained carefully neutral. "I'm afraid there isn't."
Even if there were, I wouldn't tell you, she thought privately. These self-righteous members of the Orthodox Faction are always full of themselves. In my opinion, they're no better than those from the Demonic Faction.
"Do you know the specific time she will return?" Meiling pressed.
"No," Elder Huang answered curtly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Then we'll have to wait here until she returns," Meiling declared with finality.
Elder Huang's lips twitched slightly. Why are you inviting yourself to someone else's house? she thought, though she kept her irritation carefully masked.
"That's acceptable to you, right?" Meiling asked, though her tone suggested it wasn't really a question.
"No problem at all," Elder Huang replied smoothly, though inwardly she was cursing. I just don't want to make enemies with the Righteous Faction when we're already at war with the Demonic Faction.
"Come on in," she said, gesturing with one hand as she guided them forward. "You can park your flying vessel there," she added, pointing to an expansive open field.
"Sister Mei Mei!" Xiuying's voice rang out as she emerged from the flying boat, her white robes fluttering around her small frame.
Meiling turned sharply. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay inside?"
"But I don't want to," Xiuying replied stubbornly, causing Meiling to sigh in resignation.
Elder Huang glanced at the newcomer, studying her carefully. There's something strange about this girl, she thought, though she couldn't quite identify what triggered her unease. Well, at least she doesn't seem to be a threat.
"Follow me," Elder Huang commanded, turning on her heel as they fell into step behind her. She opened a passage through the defensive formation, allowing the two visitors entry into the sect grounds.
After ensuring their flying vessel was properly secured, Elder Huang led them toward the Mountain Heart Pavilion. "Our sect is quite modest, so we don't maintain dedicated guest houses," she explained.
"We'll just stay there," Meiling said, pointing toward the bamboo house at the center of the pavilion.
"That's the Grand Elder's residence," Elder Huang clarified. "I can arrange an introduction if you wish."
"Never mind," Meiling quickly backtracked. It would be incredibly rude to demand the Grand Elder's own house, she realized. We came to discuss important matters, not make enemies. Especially now, when the Azure Cloud Sect appeared so different from what they'd expected.
She had arrived carrying numerous resources, prepared to save the sect from its supposedly dire situation. But from what she'd observed, there was no crisis at all. In fact, quite the opposite—the sect seemed to be thriving.
"It's fine. We've brought our own temporary accommodations..." Meiling began to explain.
Suddenly, a new voice cut through the air. "Wife, why did you leave so suddenly..."
Elder Guo's words trailed off as he noticed the woman standing beside Elder Huang. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Mei Mei?"
At that moment, Elder Huang slowly turned to face Meiling, her eyebrows raised in question. "Mei Mei?"
Meiling stared back in shock, "Wife?"
...
After some deliberation, Xiang Yu decided to extend his qi sense to investigate further. But before he could, something unexpected happened—the system immediately displayed additional information:
[Name: Huang Fengqi]
[Realm: Body: 11th Layer; Spirit: Core Formation 6th Layer; Mind: Level 3]
[Species: Human]
[Spiritual Root: High-Grade Fire]
[Bloodline: Phoenix (Common Blood)]
[Enlightenment: Superior]
[Techniques: ...]
[Scriptures: ...]
Xiang Yu finally understood what had transpired. Elder Huang must have finally noticed the mysterious flying vessel and gone out to confront its occupants. Since no battle had erupted despite their prolonged presence, they were probably not hostile intruders.
He surmised they had been circling the sect to attract attention, but Elder Huang—who should have been on guard duty—must have been preoccupied with more... pressing matters.
He shook his head ruefully. "The pill was more effective than expected. I should probably rework that recipe." But then he quickly dismissed the thought. Why bother? I didn't want anything to do with that recipe anyway. I only made it as a joke.
Noting that it was almost dawn, Xiang Yu decided to farm some farming experience. He needed to harvest herbs for eighth-grade healing pills anyway, having depleted his supply the previous day.
He gathered the mature blooms needed for his potions. He then examined other plants that had been left to grow overlong and now bore fruit. Previously, he'd considered these useless, but with his farming profession, he felt obliged to properly utilize them.
Xiang Yu cleared a more expansive area for his personal garden and carefully planted the seeds extracted from these fruits. Having gained the Spirit Farmer profession through the system, he at least possessed fundamental knowledge about ninth-grade spirit farming.
The Spirit Farmer profession didn't differ drastically from regular farming. The main distinctions were its specialization in spiritual plants and spirit beasts, including techniques for helping herbs and animals achieve their maximum potential using spiritual energy manipulation. Currently, his methods were still basic—he couldn't accelerate herb growth to mere days yet.
Nevertheless, he applied what knowledge he possessed. He carefully injected qi into each seed before planting to ensure rapid sprouting. He even infused the soil with additional spiritual energy, despite it already being saturated from the spirit vein's presence. Doing it for the love of the game (exp).
After completing the planting, Xiang Yu reflected that he could always practice farming and medicine during these hours. As for mind cultivation, he'd delegate that to his soul infant. "Sorry, little guy," he murmured, thinking of the diligent infant tirelessly practicing in his spiritual sea.
Speaking of mind cultivation, the designated time had ended. He prepared to transition to pill refining and weapon forging.
Elder Huang, Liu Meiling, and Elder Guo sat together. Although it seemed peaceful on the outside, the tension between them was palpable. Elder Guo's gaze darted anxiously between the two women. After several moments of unbearable silence, he finally gathered his courage.
"Actually..." he began, but was immediately cut off.
"Shut up!" both women commanded in perfect unison.
Elder Guo's mouth snapped closed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He settled back into his chair, accepting his fate as a mere spectator in whatever confrontation was unfolding.
Elder Huang turned to Meiling, her lips curving into a smile. "So you're Mei Mei. I've heard so much about you."
"And you're the junior sister?" Meiling returned the artificial smile. "I've heard quite a lot about you as well."
Inwardly, Meiling couldn't hide her shock. This guy really got married? I thought he was gay, she thought, studying Elder Guo curiously.
Xiuying, who had been observing the exchange with wide, innocent eyes, suddenly piped up. "Sister Mei Mei, is this what they call a love triangle?" she asked, tilting her head with genuine curiosity.
Meiling's face flushed crimson. "Wh-what are you talking about? What triangle?" she sputtered, before quickly regaining her composure. She smoothed her robes and addressed Xiuying with forced authority. "Go and play by yourself. The adults are speaking."
"Oki," Xiuying agreed cheerfully, wandering away without further protest.
Once the girl was out of earshot, Meiling turned her attention back to Elder Guo, her expression sharpening. "Anyway, 'senior brother,'" she emphasized the title with subtle mockery, "you seem to have grown weaker since the last time we met."
Elder Guo chuckled. "Haha, I've grown old. Just letting the younger generation have a turn."
Meiling studied him with unconcealed skepticism. What did he mean by old? He was barely three hundred years old—practically in his prime for a cultivator. And what younger generation was he referring to?
"Hmph," she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd taken my offer back then." Her gaze hardened as she leaned forward. "When your Sect Master returns, you should convince her to take the Righteous Alliance's offer. Otherwise, your sect won't survive."
Elder Huang's eyes flashed dangerously. "Do you think our sect needs your help?" she retorted, her voice rising with each word. "We'd die before we accepted any help from you self-righteous cult bastards!"
"What did you say?" Meiling rose to her feet, spiritual energy rippling around her like heat waves.
Elder Huang stood to match her, undaunted. So what if Meiling was a Golden Core cultivator? Did she think she could humiliate them in their own home? Besides, the woman was well within their formation's attack range, and Elder Huang was itching to test its capabilities.
"Ladies, please calm down," Elder Guo attempted to interject, raising his hands in a placating gesture.
"Stay out of it!" both women shouted without even glancing his way.
Elder Guo sank back into his seat, resignation etched into his face. He couldn't help but reflect on how far he had fallen. How could someone like him be treated with such disrespect? He had failed his ancestors. Silently, he prayed his disciple Xiang Yu wouldn't meet a similar fate.
"Do you think my Azure Cloud Sect fears you?" Elder Huang challenged, her fists clenched at her sides.
"Hmph! What can you possibly do against a rank five sect?" Meiling countered. "Even the other rank five righteous sects can't stand against the Wuming Cult leader."
Elder Huang knew there was truth to these words. She knew that it was ambitions of them to challenge the Wuming cult. But her faith in Li Yao remained unshakable—she was certain that the Sect Master would turn the situation around.
"So what if they can't? Do you think we can't?" she replied, her voice filled with conviction.
Meiling burst into laughter, the sound sharp and dismissive. "Although your sect has now become a rank seven sect, you're still far from being able to defeat a rank five sect," she said, wiping away imaginary tears of amusement.
Elder Huang's eyes widened slightly. Had news spread that quickly already?
"You should just collaborate with us to form a trap for the Wuming Cult leader," Meiling continued. "That way, you can at least save your sect."
As expected of the Righteous Alliance, Elder Huang thought bitterly. They aren't doing this out of kindness but because they want to eliminate a competitor. In the end, it's all about their own interests.
...
After his alchemy reached the sixth grade, Xiang Yu found himself crafting eighth-grade pills with remarkable ease. His success rate had climbed to a perfect hundred percent, eliminating all wastage of precious materials. With this newfound mastery, he decided there was no longer any reason to hold back. His fingers moved with purpose as he produced three hundred eighth-grade healing pills for his daily bloodline stimulation sessions.
These pills would sustain him through the next three days. He had calculated that it would take that much time for his alchemy to advance yet again. He deliberately limited production to this amount, having noticed an intriguing pattern in his advancement.
With each breakthrough, not only did his success rate increase, but his resource efficiency improved dramatically. He now required fewer herbs to achieve the same results, a significant advantage when working with the rare eighth and seventh-grade materials.
"If this efficiency continues to improve," he mused, examining a perfectly formed pill between his fingers, "I might eventually craft higher-level pills for the sect without depleting our resources."
After completing his personal supply, Xiang Yu turned his attention to refining lower-grade pills for the sect's collective benefit. Though the sect already possessed substantial quantities, additional pills provided valuable trading currency. They could exchange these for higher-grade herbs, which he could then transform into even more powerful pills. He made a mental note to discuss this strategy with his martial aunt later.
He reasoned that she probably hadn't purchased higher-grade herbs because he had yet to mention any advancement in alchemy.
The hours passed as Xiang Yu refined thousands of pills. When he finally completed this task, he shifted his focus to weapon refining, something he'd been quite eager to explore.
His blacksmithing had broken through to the sixth stage, crossing the threshold into the mid realm. This advancement unlocked the ability to forge spiritual weapons. Though these would be low-level ones, the significance couldn't be overstated. The gap in power between magical and spiritual weapons was vast, comparable to the difference between a candle and a bonfire.
"If I can mass-produce spiritual weapons," he thought as he gathered his materials, "our sect will enter an entirely new realm of power."
With spiritual weapons in hand, perhaps they wouldn't be so easily overwhelmed. Even if they couldn't match the Wuming Cult's overall strength, they could at least defend themselves with dignity.
A sigh escaped his lips as he realized how deeply he had embraced his role as Grand Elder. He had genuinely begun to care about the sect's future and dignity.
The actual process of refining spiritual weapons proved far more challenging than he had anticipated. The materials required precise control beyond anything he had previously attempted. The spiritual energy infusion needed to be performed with absolute concentration, any wavering of attention resulting in immediate failure. By lunchtime, he had only managed to produce ten weapons.
Yet Xiang Yu remained undaunted. This was merely the first day of many. With persistent effort and advancing proficiency, he would eventually create hundreds. He decided to keep one of the weapons for himself while entrusting the others to his martial aunt for distribution among the elders.
As Xiang Yu emerged from the spirit vein, wiping sweat from his brow, he was startled to discover someone waiting outside. A young woman with delicate features stood there, her eyes widening upon seeing him appear from what had appeared to be solid rock.
"Ah, someone came out!" Xiuying exclaimed, her voice filled with childlike wonder.