Chapter 83
Translator: T_Fan
Mingyun looked puzzled.
“If it is only a matter of temporarily gathering the surrounding spiritual qi, a Qi-Gathering Formation can do that as well. But making the spirit vein itself produce higher-grade spiritual qi is truly difficult to believe… I have read quite a few books on earth veins while studying formations, yet I have never heard of such a method. How did the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance obtain such an unfathomable inheritance?”
“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes either.”
Lin Jinghua set down his wine cup.
“Whatever the case, it is true that the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance once pushed north and greatly expanded its influence… so the rumor does not sound entirely groundless. Perhaps they thought they could simply seize better lands before the spirit veins were exhausted. That is more or less how demonic cultivators behave. They would hardly care what happened to the cultivators who came after them.”
Lu Hongyan frowned.
“Could it have been some sort of blood sacrifice? They say demonic cultivators treat mortals like livestock.”
“Methods like that certainly exist.”
Yin Cailing replied.
“But gathering mortal essence blood and strengthening a spirit vein enough for Foundation Establishment cultivators and above to use are two different matters. If something like that were common, surely we would have heard more concrete accounts from merchants who trade with Nanming.”
Zhang Taishan nodded.
“Exactly. There are dark arts that use mortal essence blood or souls, but that does not mean such things are useful cultivation resources for every demonic cultivator. A mortal soul, for example, is different from the primordial spirit of a cultivator formed after being tempered by spiritual qi. Even if mortal souls are used as material for a soul banner, far more of them would be needed to achieve the same power. If the process strains one’s Dao heart, piles up karma, and even brings enforcement cultivators down on one’s trail, it would hardly be worth the trouble for most cultivators.”
A Qingxiao Palace cultivator spoke up.
“Besides, children with spiritual roots are born among mortals, and those children later become disciples of the sects, do they not? Even setting aside matters of Dao heart and karma, demonic sects also need a steady supply of new disciples to serve them, just as we do. Qi Refining demonic cultivators are valuable manpower. If they want a steady supply of that manpower, it is actually better for the mundane world to prosper.”
Lee Hyun recalled the mortal county seats he had passed through in Kun Kingdom.
Even after they had fallen within the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance’s sphere of influence, people still tilled their fields, conducted business, and returned home at sunset. Lands ruled by demonic cultivators were not necessarily littered with corpses everywhere.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
“When fellow Daoists call the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance part of the demonic path, which do you weigh more heavily, their cultivation arts or their conduct?”
Lin Jinghua looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Even demonic sects must have people who grow spirit plants and make pills. Conversely, being a disciple of an orthodox sect does not mean one never covets another person’s possessions. I was simply wondering whether the label comes from the cultivation art one practices or from what one actually does.”
Lin Jinghua scratched his chin.
Yuanjing smiled faintly.
“The term is indeed used in several different senses.”
“How do you see it, Senior Brother?”
“Some call inheritances that manipulate devilish qi part of the demonic path, while others use the term for cultivators who commit wicked deeds.”
He cupped his teacup in both hands.
“For one thing, devilish qi itself truly exists. I have even heard of inheritances that transform heaven-and-earth spiritual qi into devilish qi. Of course, even in such cases, demonic sects do not all use the same kind of energy. I hear their inheritances differ from sect to sect.”
“Then should those who handle yin qi, corpse qi, toxic qi, and the like also be considered demonic cultivators?”
“It is not that simple. Even if they take in the same kind of energy, what ultimately accumulates within their bodies differs depending on the cultivation art used to refine it.”
Yuanjing paused before adding,
“There are also stories that those who cultivate devilish qi and ascend become connected to the Devil Realm rather than the immortal realm. I do not know how much truth there is to that, but if those stories are accurate, then devilish qi cannot merely be some sinister and evil energy. It may instead have a fundamental nature of its own, existing across multiple planes.”
Lin Jinghua spoke.
“That may be so if one classifies them by the energy they use. But when people call the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance part of the demonic path, they do not usually consider matters that deeply. Frankly, I do not particularly care whether they truly use devilish qi or some other kind of true qi. We simply classify them as demonic cultivators…”
Yin Cailing turned her teacup with the hand wearing a silver thimble.
“Indeed. Perhaps the standards by which we divide the orthodox path from the demonic path are not all that fair. In truth, it is difficult to judge a person solely by the cultivation art they practice. Nor can everyone from an orthodox sect be trusted.”
Lee Hyun drank his spirit tea.
He himself could produce Profound Yin White Bone True Qi. From his perspective, it was simply a kind of true qi well suited to manipulating bones, with no apparent distinction between good and evil.
‘I wonder if Profound Yin White Bone True Qi counts as the devilish qi Senior Brother Yuanjing described. The Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance must have plenty of other inheritances as well….’
Then he remembered that the Two Heavens Society secretly drew spiritual qi from other people’s spirit veins, and Lee Hyun felt slightly sheepish.
‘Hmm… At least the Two Heavens Society doesn’t damage the spirit veins themselves….’
…
As the drinking gathering stretched on, people began chatting among themselves in smaller groups.
They discussed which family in Jing Kingdom had the best spirit wine, which exceptional supreme-grade magic tools might be offered as prizes, and even which sect had owned the largest flying boat they had seen on the journey here.
Mingyun and Yin Cailing began drawing formation inscriptions with spiritual power across the table as they discussed where artifact refining and formations intersected. Zhang Taishan got into an argument with a Jinding Sect disciple over whether they should arm-wrestle, while someone nearby egged them on to place bets.
Some conversed through voice transmission.
A sudden question occurred to Lee Hyun, and he sent Lu Hongyan a voice transmission.
[Senior Sister Lu. Do you happen to know anything about dual cultivation arts practiced together by Dao companions?]
[Planning to try one with Shulin?]
[…I thought it might help with cultivation.]
Lu Hongyan laughed.
[You’re looking for a Dharma teaching that helps both people cultivate, rather than one that just drains one person’s vital essence, right?]
[Yes.]
[I have heard that such Dharma teachings exist. But they need to be compatible with the cultivation arts practiced by both people, so finding one probably won’t be easy. I wonder if Baoguang Temple has an inheritance like that… Since we’re already attending the Yunzhou Dao Symposium, it might not be a bad idea to look around the places that trade inheritances.]
She picked up the teapot and refilled Lee Hyun’s cup.
[Shulin takes her own cultivation seriously too, so give it some serious thought together.]
***
The next afternoon.
Lee Hyun told Mingyun where he was going, then left the detached residence alone.
He first stopped by a bookstore on the main street, where a travelogue about the Liutian Plateau caught his eye. It contained illustrations of several floating mountains, along with observations recorded by a cultivator who had accompanied merchant caravans traveling through the region.
After flipping through a few pages, he paid for the book.
‘Mountains floating through the sky… If I dug a tunnel into one, I suppose the tunnel would be flying too.’
Lee Hyun also asked the Qi Refining cultivator who owned the bookstore about dual cultivation arts.
The owner handed him a jade slip containing summaries of various Dharma teachings. It only briefly described their effects and cultivation requirements, but for Lee Hyun, who did not yet know what he should be looking for, that was actually ideal.
Lee Hyun bought the jade slip as well and left the bookstore.
After walking along the main street for some time, the scents mingling in the air gradually changed.
The bitter fragrance of dried medicinal herbs, the acrid smoke of charcoal heating pill furnaces, and a sweet medicinal fragrance drifting from somewhere, as though a pill furnace had just been opened.
Before long, a plaza came into view.
‘This place…’
Alchemy platforms stood at regular intervals across the spacious plaza, which had been opened for cultivators to exchange their skills. Tables displaying pills and medicinal ingredients surrounded them, while alchemists inspected one another’s wares and conversed.
Wooden plaques at the entrance listed the demonstrations and times for each spot.
Lee Hyun slowed his steps.
Flame threads were moving atop one of the alchemy platforms.
His gaze froze when a flame thread with almost no visible light crossed beside another that burned brightly.
‘Is that…?’
A male cultivator at the mid Foundation Establishment stage sat before the pill furnace. The emblem of the Taixuan Sect was embroidered on his sleeve.
As the man moved his fingers, the flames circling the edge of the pill furnace folded inward. Two strands wrapped around the medicinal liquid while the remaining flame threads supported it from below.
‘The Flame-Threading Art?’
Lee Hyun moved closer to the alchemy platform.
The order in which the flames were withdrawn and the way the flame threads were gathered and rotated were not exactly the same, but the foundation was unmistakably the technique he knew!
A short while later, the male cultivator finished Refining, and the clear medicinal liquid was transferred onto a jade dish. When a middle-aged cultivator standing nearby placed it beside another medicinal liquid that had been Refined earlier, the onlookers moved closer to compare the two.
Lee Hyun waited until the others had finished asking their questions before speaking.
“Your method of controlling the flames is impressive. Is it an inheritance of the Taixuan Sect?”
“It is. It is the fire-control art of our sect’s Yanxia lineage.”
The Yanxia lineage!
Lee Hyun repeated the words silently.
An ancient pine tree came to mind, along with the flat stone beneath it.
Tan Yunsheng had sat there with medicinal stains on his fingers.
Tao Wenqian had poured tea for the Junior Brother who had just arrived.
His fellow disciples had shared their thoughts over a pill split apart on the stone table.
Seeing that Lee Hyun could not take his eyes off the alchemy platform, the middle-aged cultivator pointed to a wooden plaque beside it.
“If you are interested in fire control, you should apply for our lineage’s lecture. On the third day of the symposium, True Lord Xiaoying will personally offer instruction.”
Lee Hyun turned his head.
“…True Lord Xiaoying?”
“Yes. It will be held at the Alchemy Court in the eastern district. Applications to attend are not accepted here, so you will need to visit the symposium administration office.”
The guide jade slip he handed over contained the lecture’s location, time, and the procedures required to attend.
「Lecture on the alchemy and fire control of the Tier-3 True Essence Pill.」
The True Essence Pill was a cultivation pill widely used by Golden Core cultivators to build magical power.
Lee Hyun read the lecturer’s name.
「Taixuan Sect, Yanxia lineage, True Lord Chen Xiaoying.」
‘…!’
Even after lowering the jade slip, he could not speak for some time.
When the Danxiao Sect had scattered, Chen Xiaoying had followed Tan Yunsheng to the Taixuan Sect.
And now that same Chen Xiaoying had become a Nascent Soul great cultivator revered throughout the Nine Kingdoms of Yunzhou!
The days when they had taken the Special Selection for Skilled Practitioners together felt like the distant past.
“Fellow Daoist, are you surprised?”
The middle-aged cultivator smiled as though he were accustomed to that reaction.
“Everyone makes that face. It is rare for the True Lord to give a public lecture.”
“…Thank you. I will be sure to attend.”
Lee Hyun saluted him and stepped away from the alchemy platform.
After leaving the plaza, he read the guide jade slip once more.
For a moment, he wondered if it could be someone else with the same name, but considering the mention of the Taixuan Sect’s Yanxia lineage, it had to be the person he knew.
‘Incredible! She reached the Nascent Soul realm…’
Chen Xiaoying had distinguished herself from a young age as a dual spiritual root cultivator.
Yet even that did not guarantee reaching the Nascent Soul realm. There were plenty of single spiritual root geniuses who ended their lives without ever reaching Nascent Soul, or even the Golden Core realm.
A cultivator’s life was that unpredictable, yet Senior Sister Chen, who had lost her sect and departed for a foreign land, had ultimately made it through that narrow path.
‘I’m glad she’s doing well, but… I can’t exactly go visit her.’
Lee Hyun put away the guide jade slip.
…
There was a line of cultivators at the administration office waiting to apply for lectures.
When Lee Hyun’s turn came, he presented his Baoguang Temple identity token.
“I would like to attend True Lord Xiaoying’s alchemy lecture.”
A short while later, the steward handed him a small attendance token engraved with a seat number.
“Bring this with you on the day of the lecture. Entry will be restricted once the lecture begins. During the alchemy demonstration, do not carelessly extend your divine sense into the pill furnace. If a Nascent Soul True Lord becomes angry, we cannot take responsibility, so please be careful.”
“Understood.”
…
Over the remaining few days, Lee Hyun continued practicing with his newly purchased magic tools to familiarize himself with them and completed registration for the sparring matches alongside his fellow disciples.
***
The day the Yunzhou Dao Symposium opened.
The central training ground of Huiyun Immortal City.
Perhaps because it had been built with cultivators’ sparring matches in mind, its scale was enormous.
Dozens of tiers of seating rose like steps around a vast circular arena constructed from white stone. Platforms bearing the flags of various sects had been placed among the stands.
Baoguang Temple’s section was on the eastern side.
Beneath a banner embroidered with a lion treading upon clouds, Lee Hyun sat among his fellow disciples and looked around.
He could not see a single empty seat.
There were disciples participating in the sparring matches and the Elders leading them, cultivators who had come for lectures, members of merchant caravans, and rogue cultivators who had traveled from all across Jing Kingdom simply to watch.
The lower stands were already packed with people, yet even that was not enough. Others watched from the rooftops of pavilions outside the training ground or from flight magic tools suspended in the air.
Mingyun exclaimed in admiration.
“That arena itself is a single formation plate.”
Lee Hyun had already sensed it as well.
Thousands of formation inscriptions intertwined beneath the surface of the white stone. Eight pillars standing around the arena were connected to those inscriptions, binding the entire arena within one enormous restriction.
‘No matter how wildly Foundation Establishment cultivators fight, the aftermath won’t reach the stands.’
When noon arrived, the commotion in the stands gradually died down.
People appeared on the highest platform to the north of the training ground.
At the front stood Golden Core Elders of the Taiyue Sect and Qingxiao Palace. Several separate seats of honor had been prepared behind them.
The moment the occupants of those seats appeared, the air seemed to grow heavy.
None of them had released their aura or displayed their might. They had merely taken their seats, yet even the faint whispers remaining in the stands ebbed away like a receding tide.
Nascent Soul.
They were the great cultivators who upheld the great sects of the Nine Kingdoms of Yunzhou.
Lee Hyun steadied his breathing and examined the seats of honor one by one.
An old man with long white hair, a middle-aged Daoist sitting with his eyes closed, a sword cultivator with a sword at his waist.
There were only a few of them, yet that alone was enough to overwhelm the surroundings.
And at the end of the row sat a female cultivator in a pale blue enchanted robe. A clear aura flowed faintly through the patterns along its hem, making the garment look extraordinarily expensive.
A jade hairpin adorned her neatly tied-up hair.
Her face looked to be around thirty. Even without elaborate makeup, she naturally drew the eye.
Lee Hyun recognized her at once.
It really was Chen Xiaoying!
He quickly looked away. Staring at a Nascent Soul cultivator for too long would be discourteous.
A Nascent Soul cultivator from the Taiyue Sect rose from his seat.
“Fellow Daoists of the Nine Kingdoms of Yunzhou.”
His calm voice rang clearly through every corner of the vast training ground, as though he were speaking right beside each listener. Faced with such an astonishing method, the crowd fell silent.
The opening address was not long.
He welcomed the cultivators of the Nine Kingdoms of Yunzhou who had gathered again after sixty years and expressed his hope that they would exchange insights into the Dao and learn from one another. He also urged them to compete in the sparring matches without leaving grudges behind.
“With this, I declare the Yunzhou Dao Symposium open.”
At those words, the eight pillars surrounding the arena shone simultaneously.
Wooooom―
A vast screen of light spread through the air above the arena, and in its center appeared enormous images of three magic tools.
The stands erupted into murmurs.
They were exceptional supreme-grade magic tools listed in the Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal. Beneath each magic tool, its name and ranking appeared in golden characters, and exclamations and assessments burst out from all around.
The first thing to catch the eye was an iron awl a little over one chi (about 33 cm) long.
Its body was dark gold, and three spiral grooves converged toward its sharp tip. Each time it slowly rotated, a small point of light gathered at the tip and flashed sharply.
「Aura-Piercing Awl. Ranked 37th in the Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal.」
The voice of the Golden Core Elder introducing the magic tool rang out.
“This magic tool concentrates spiritual power at a single point on the tip, making it exceptionally effective at piercing body-protecting spirit light and defensive restrictions. After a fully charged strike, it must accumulate spiritual power again, but the force of that initial attack is so tremendous that it scarcely seems possible for a mere magic tool. For that reason, it is highly regarded in the Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal.”
Lu Hongyan uncrossed her arms.
“I heard that thing once pierced a low-grade defensive magic treasure.”
The second item looked like a piece of folded silk.
However, when the object in the image unfolded, it revealed itself to be a net woven from fine silver threads. Tiny ice crystals glimmered whenever the mesh spread open, and blue beads hung around its edges.
「Profound Ice Net. Ranked 68th in the Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal.」
“When fully deployed, it can cover more than ten zhang (over 33 m). If it wraps around a body or magic tool, a deep chill seeps in and slows its movements.”
Mingyun nodded.
“That would be useful for capturing demon beasts.”
Several disciples of the Life-Release Court leaned forward as well.
The final item was a pair of shoes made from dark blue leather.
Wing-shaped designs were embroidered on either side of the ankles, while patterns of flowing wind along the soles repeatedly brightened faintly and faded.
「Whirlwind Shoes. Ranked 112th in the Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal.」
“When wearing this magic tool, one can burst across a short distance at great speed, whether on the ground or in the air, and can easily change direction even while moving rapidly.”
Lee Hyun’s gaze lingered on the final magic tool.
‘A magic tool that boosts speed… I do want that one a little.’
The Aura-Piercing Awl, which held the highest ranking, drew the most exclamations, but quite a few cultivators were unable to take their eyes off the other two magic tools as well.
The Golden Core Elder continued.
“One will be awarded to each of the final top three. The champion will choose first, the runner-up will choose next, and the third-place finisher will receive the remaining magic tool.”
The murmuring in the stands grew louder.
Lu Hongyan leaned toward Lee Hyun.
“Which one are you going to choose, Junior Brother Li?”
“Do I really need to think about it when I probably won’t win one?”
“That’s too much. No sense of romance at all… You’re giving me such a halfhearted answer because I’m not Shulin, aren’t you? You could at least think about it in advance. Wait, are you trying to tell me something? Are you saying Junior Brother Li might win a prize, but I definitely won’t, so I shouldn’t bother thinking about it?”
“…….”
As soon as the opening ceremony ended, the drawing for the sparring-match groups began.
A Golden Core Elder of Qingxiao Palace flew above the arena and suspended a large formation plate in the air.
“All participants in the sparring matches, take out your jade tokens.”
Hundreds of jade tokens rose above palms throughout the stands.
Lee Hyun also took out the jade token he had received at the detached residence.
As the formation plate began to rotate, hundreds of fine beams of light shot outward and flew toward the jade tokens scattered throughout the stands. One beam descended onto the token in Lee Hyun’s palm as well.
Characters appeared on its surface.
「Group 47.
First sparring match: Hour of the Horse (approximately 11 a.m.–1 p.m.) on the fifth day of the symposium.」
‘Fortunately, it doesn’t overlap with Chen Xiaoying’s lecture.’
The Elder’s voice rang out again.
“Five hundred and forty-three participants completed final registration. They have been assigned to sixty-four groups of eight or nine. Each participant will face every other opponent in their group once, and the top two from each group will advance to the main tournament. A total of one hundred and twenty-eight competitors will qualify.”
Cultivators all around could be seen studying their jade tokens.
“The preliminary round will run from the fourth through the twelfth day of the symposium. Check your jade token for the names of the others in your group, the time of each sparring match, and the rules for determining rankings in the event of a tie.”
…
The morning of the third day of the symposium.
Cultivators had been streaming toward the Alchemy Court in the eastern part of the immortal city since early morning.
Attendance tokens were checked at the entrance, while disciples of the Taixuan Sect guided people to their seats in the inner corridor.
Lee Hyun followed the corridor inside and looked ahead.
A circular stone platform rose from the center of a broad courtyard.
A large bronze pill furnace sat atop it, and formation inscriptions on the ground extended from beneath the furnace to four pillars surrounding the platform.
The seating rose in tiers around the stone platform, designed so that the person in front would not block the view no matter where one sat.
There was no roof above the platform.
As Lee Hyun took his seat, he examined the restriction running between the pillars. It was a formation meant to prevent heat and the aftermath of medicinal strength from reaching the audience. Its sides appeared sealed while the top had been left open.
‘Does an alchemy demonstration really need a formation this elaborate?’
The Golden Core cultivators in the front row all sat upright with formidable bearings, their gazes fixed on the stone platform.
They were Elders who had brought disciples from various sects. Among them was an Elder of the Lotus Court whom Lee Hyun recognized from Baoguang Temple.
Foundation Establishment alchemists filled the seats farther back. Even those who had been exchanging greetings moments earlier fell silent when a bell rang.
A short while later, the door behind the stone platform opened.
Two Golden Core cultivators of the Taixuan Sect emerged first and stepped aside to the left and right. A female cultivator walked out between them.
It was Chen Xiaoying.
Seeing her from much closer than during the opening ceremony made it even clearer. The focused look in her eyes as she examined the pill furnace and medicinal ingredients one by one overlapped with the image Lee Hyun remembered from the old Yanxia Peak.
When the Golden Core Elders rose from their seats, all the cultivators behind them stood as well.
“We greet True Lord Xiaoying!”
Hundreds of powerful voices filled the courtyard.
Chen Xiaoying lightly returned the greeting.
“You have all come a long way. Please, sit.”
She stood before the pill furnace.
She displayed no oppressive aura and stirred no magical power. Even so, the courtyard was so quiet that scarcely even the rustle of clothing could be heard.
Alchemists from many different kingdoms waited for her to speak.
When Chen Xiaoying raised a hand, several jade trays beside her slowly floated into the air.
“Today, I will demonstrate the fire control and Pill Condensation of the True Essence Pill. Most of the medicinal ingredients have already been Refined, so we will begin by completing the remaining Refining and proceed from there into Harmonizing.”
The trays held medicinal liquids wrapped in preservation restrictions, along with several medicinal ingredients that had not yet been prepared.
“The True Essence Pill is one I have made regularly since my early Golden Core days, when I used it for my own cultivation.”
Chen Xiaoying opened the lid of the pill furnace.
“The more familiar an alchemist becomes with a pill recipe, the easier it is to fall into routine, neglect further study, and rely only on a sequence already ingrained in one’s hands. Today, I hope this will be an opportunity to consider how far we alchemists can go when we break free of that inertia and continue forward.”
A tiny spark appeared at her fingertip.
Whoosh.
The spark split apart, and slender flames spread over the pill furnace, tracing circular paths at different heights.
‘The Flame-Threading Art!’
Lee Hyun opened his eyes wide, determined not to miss a single movement.
…
For a while, he was able to follow the flow.
He could tell which flame loosened the medicinal ingredients and which caught the medicinal potency as it began to disperse. The patterns woven by the flame threads were complicated, but the underlying principles were ones Lee Hyun himself had honed over many years.
Chen Xiaoying brought two Refined medicinal liquids closer together.
One was pale yellow, while the other was clear blue.
When the edges of the two liquids touched, a tiny bubble formed within the blue liquid.
A single flame thread pierced into the blue medicinal liquid. As the bubble swelled, the flames wrapped around the outside weakened until scarcely any light remained visible.
Pop.
The bubble burst.
The medicinal strength that seemed ready to scatter with the force of the rupture was caught within the flames. The yellow medicinal liquid then seeped into that spot in a thin stream, and the two colors blended smoothly.
An elderly Golden Core cultivator in the front row leaned forward slightly in surprise.
As more medicinal liquid was added, the flow of the flames grew increasingly complex.
At some point, Lee Hyun could no longer anticipate the next manipulation. Despite his extraordinary mastery of the Flame-Threading Art, he could not understand why the medicinal liquid was divided or why the fire control changed at particular moments.
More and more people in the front row began leaning forward.
Around the time one shichen (about two hours) had passed.
The medicinal strength mingling above the pill furnace divided into six portions.
The flames surrounding each portion rotated in circles, and the once-fluid medicinal liquids gradually began to take shape.
The cultivators in the courtyard held their breaths.
A short while later, five pills that had taken shape first descended toward the lower part of the pill furnace.
Only one remained above.
The flame threads surrounding it grew thinner.
Thinner still.
Even with Lee Hyun’s eyes, despite having cultivated the Flame-Threading Art to Perfection, it became difficult to distinguish the boundary between the firelight and the medicinal strength.
Then a breeze swept through the courtyard.
‘A breeze? No, this is…’
Goosebumps rose along Lee Hyun’s arms.
Every tassel hanging in the corridor tilted in the same direction.
Toward the pill furnace.
The surrounding spiritual qi was moving.
As though responding to the tiny pill atop the stone platform, the scattered spiritual qi was gathering of its own accord.
A very quiet voice escaped from somewhere in the front row.
“Surely….”
Lee Hyun raised his head as well.
A single black speck had appeared in the clear sky.
It spread rapidly.
Water qi in the air gathered together as spiritual qi coiled around it, forming a mass of dark clouds several zhang wide above the pill furnace.
It was not large enough to cover the entire courtyard, yet the shadow beneath it was unnaturally dark.
Sunlight formed a golden rim around the edges of the clouds, while slender streaks of violet light silently flickered through their pitch-black depths.
At that moment, several cultivators in the front rows jolted in shock and began murmuring.
“Impossible…”
“It’s a pill tribulation!”
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