The two Venerables left one after another, but the blue phantom formed by the Yaochi Sect Leader still lingered in place.
Facing this Saint who was even stronger than the Venerables, Hua Jian didn’t dare to breathe too heavily, fearing that one careless move might offend the Saint and be noted down for harsh retaliation.
“Fenghua has always wanted to take on a disciple to pass on her legacy; this time, she’s just a bit impatient,” the Saint said softly.
Hua Jian quickly expressed that it was her honor to be noticed by a Venerable.
She wasn’t opposed to becoming a disciple, but recent events had overwhelmed her, leaving her unable to make a proper choice for now.
“Your constitution is special, and it is very likely to attract the covetousness of the Magic Path. For your safety, it’s best to make a decision soon.”
Hearing this, Hua Jian was stunned. Her constitution would attract the Magic Path?
“Sect Leader, could you tell me exactly what kind of constitution I have?” Hua Jian asked cautiously.
She only knew her constitution was unique but had no clear understanding of what it was.
None of the Saint Sect senior sisters she had met before, not even Saintess Linglong, knew her constitution.
Now that Linglong’s Master had appeared and mentioned it, perhaps she could learn something here.
“I cannot be certain either, but the Wanhuagu will definitely be very interested in your constitution. If they catch you, the best outcome would be to be cast into the Dan Furnace and refined into a Human Pill; the worst would be to be made into a furnace so terrible that living is worse than dying.”
Hua Jian shuddered involuntarily. Was it really that frightening?
From what Youye had said before, she thought Wanhuagu’s image was just a group of lazy cultivators from the Magic Path.
But hearing the Yaochi Sect Leader say this made her realize that the Magic Path is always the Magic Path.
No matter how slack they seem elsewhere, when it comes to their own interests, they would never disgrace the Magic Path’s reputation.
Hua Jian now felt like a child holding gold in a bustling market—if the Magic Path targeted her, the ending would definitely be disastrous.
The Sect Leader’s implication was clear: the Magic Path would sooner or later come after Hua Jian.
If Hua Jian didn’t want to be captured and harmed, the best choice was to join the Saint Sect and receive its protection.
“It’s getting late; your friends must be anxious,” the Sect Leader reminded her, then waved her hand gently and sent Hua Jian toward the exit of the Space Passage.
……
“Senior Sister, why didn’t you just bring that child back directly?”
Just after withdrawing her Divine Sense, the Sect Leader heard the discontented voice of her junior sister beside her.
“You’re still so impatient; you’re about to take on a disciple, you should be more steady,” the Sect Leader shook her head helplessly.
Fenghua Venerable was excellent in every way except for her temper, which was hardly that of a venerable elder respected for her virtue.
Perhaps it was because she had protected her junior sister too well back then, or maybe nothing big had happened in the cultivation world in recent years.
In any case, Fenghua Venerable had the strength and longevity of a century-old cultivator but acted like a young girl in her teens or twenties.
Sometimes, even the disciples of other elders seemed more reliable than Fenghua.
“That child grew up in the marketplace, is precocious, and has many thoughts. We can’t be forceful—we have to gently guide her to lean toward our side.”
“I think just bringing her back directly, letting her see the splendor of Yaochi, would make her happily join us.”
“Naive. That child’s mind is very deep. Forcing her will only make her resent us. If you want her as a disciple, first you have to make her recognize your Master’s identity…”
The Yaochi Sect Leader straightened her face and began lecturing Fenghua on the proper approach.
The meaning between the lines was clear: forced grapes aren’t sweet; we must take our time to lure this wild genius back.
“But she refuses to come here—how can I make her recognize me then?”
“Do you have anything important to do in Yaochi right now? I remember, Fenghua, you’re just freeloading, right?” The Sect Leader gave a sidelong glance and snorted coldly.
Her junior sister had no idea what her greatest advantage over Lingcai was.
Lingcaifeng Master was the leader of one of Wanling Sect’s peaks and had several direct disciples to teach, but Fenghua was not.
To put it bluntly, Fenghua was a jobless wanderer, free to roam anywhere.
“The beginning of Linglong’s training is done; I intend to let her continue to train outside,” the Sect Leader shifted the topic to Linglong’s arrangements. “She’s cold and naive, wandering alone outside makes me uneasy.”
As she spoke, she gave Fenghua a meaningful look.
I’ve said it all now, you should understand, right?
Fenghua scratched her head. “Senior Sister, do you mean I should accompany Linglong down the mountain?”
Hearing this confused question, the Sect Leader laughed angrily.
She smacked her junior sister’s head hard and replied irritably, “In all of Yaochi, you’re the only one with free time.”
Other elders were busy with heavy duties; Fenghua was both free and interested in Hua Jian. Perfect!
“But won’t people say I’m shameless?” Fenghua instinctively covered her head after being hit, looking like a puppy that had done something wrong.
She was a Venerable now—wouldn’t others scold her for shamelessly going down the mountain to snatch a genius?
Especially Lingcaifeng, her competitor; once he heard, he would definitely scold her.
“You’re secretly protecting our Saintess Linglong. As for why Hua Jian is around her, that’s just two little girls being close. We elders don’t interfere,” the Sect Leader snorted.
Who told you you’re going after Hua Jian? You’re going to protect Linglong.
Hua Jian is just a side effect, understand?
No matter what others say, just stick to that!
……
“My goodness… Hua Jian, you’ve brought the entire Secret Realm back with you?”
Back safely in her small courtyard, Hua Jian began counting the spoils from the Secret Realm.
Su Xiaoxiao, who had hurried over upon hearing of Hua Jian’s return, happened to catch her emptying the contents of her storage pouch.
Seeing treasures and stacks of Spirit Stones spilling out, she couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Hua Jian, you’re incredible! That Secret Realm was full of geniuses and fierce competition. Yet you brought back so many trophies—it’s amazing.”
“Miss, you’re just in time. Can you help me estimate how much these spirit items can sell for in Spirit Stones?”
“Using me as a laborer again, huh…” Su Xiaoxiao wore a ‘can’t help you’ expression and joined Hua Jian in counting the items from the Secret Realm.
The lowest-value items were Lingcao worth dozens of Spirit Stones each, mixed with some ancient relics Hua Jian had dug up from ruins.
There were glazed tiles peeled off from the palace roof, ancient paper books that had been browsed in the Sacred Library Pavilion, and even a few millennia-old paper-bound ancient books.
These recorded the history of that kingdom. Other cultivators didn’t bother taking them, so Hua Jian collected them as storybooks.
“These are old and can’t fetch much. The Lingcao are of good quality; selling them for a few hundred Spirit Stones is no problem.”
After checking the lower-value items, Su Xiaoxiao’s gaze shifted to Hua Jian’s most important gains.
First was the genuine Seven-colored Lotus Hua Jian had personally obtained.
“Its spiritual essence is perfectly preserved without any loss. Placed in a Spiritual Pool, it can root and regrow within a day.”
“All the Seven-colored Lotus seeds are intact. Such quality is enough to refine an Imperial-grade Colorful Lotus Pill. Hua Jian, you’ve truly hit the jackpot this time!”
High-grade alchemy pills are no joke—their price can reach heights Hua Jian never imagined.
These pills not only require difficult-to-refine materials but also rare ingredients. For example, an Imperial-grade Colorful Lotus Pill could sell for tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
Spirit Stones are mostly used by low-level cultivators. The higher one’s cultivation, the less they rely on Spirit Stones for purchases.
Most rare treasures have no market price. At the Spirit Lord or Saint Level, trading shifts to barter or favors, as their value far exceeds Spirit Stones.
The Imperial-grade level is the highest ceiling the Spirit Stone economy can touch. Hua Jian’s Seven-colored Lotus approached this ceiling, so naturally, the price soared.
Of course, beyond raw materials, the pill’s price includes the alchemist’s labor. The raw materials Hua Jian had could sell for about ten thousand Spirit Stones.
“So much!” Hearing ten thousand, Hua Jian gasped. She’d never seen so many Spirit Stones in her life.
“But I think you’d better use it yourself,” Su Xiaoxiao advised. “For cultivators of other elements, the Colorful Lotus Pill is just a ‘meh’ pill that speeds up spiritual energy recovery. But for a wood-element cultivator like you, it can improve your constitution and boost your cultivation speed.”
Su Xiaoxiao reminded Hua Jian not to be blinded by the ten thousand Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones can always be earned again, but Seven-colored Lotus seeds are rare and precious. Such a treasure that benefits her personally was better kept.
“It’s true! I know!” Hua Jian nodded quickly. She wouldn’t foolishly sell such a precious treasure.
Bright red is for collection, got it?
“By the way, Miss, can I keep nurturing this Colorful Lotus to continuously harvest seeds?”
Hua Jian hadn’t only brought back the seeds—she had taken the entire lotus. Given the right environment, it could regrow roots and keep producing precious seeds.
“That’s very difficult. These spirit items require strict environmental conditions. Many seniors have tried to cultivate them artificially, but results have been disappointing,” Su Xiaoxiao shook her head, dousing Hua Jian’s hopes.
If cultivators could successfully nurture such spirit items, the prices of various alchemy pills wouldn’t be so high.
Currently, cultivators can only grow a few low-grade Lingcao for making simple pills for Ling Masters and Spirit Masters.
Once a cultivator reaches Lingwang Realm, the price of pills jumps significantly, and many who felt wealthy at Ling Master level complain they can’t afford pills anymore.
“Oh, these pills can be sold directly, selling for dozens of Spirit Stones each is no problem.”
Aside from the Seven-colored Lotus, Hua Jian’s biggest haul was the various pills taken from defeated cultivators.
Those who paid fifty Spirit Stones to redeem their equipment left behind their pills, which Hua Jian quietly claimed.
The geniuses didn’t complain—they had already lost face redeeming their equipment with Spirit Stones. Arguing about pills would only worsen their shame.
So Hua Jian successfully scraped off many pills from the defeated, now displayed before Su Xiaoxiao.
“These are all produced by Penglai. Hua Jian, you’ve really done something big in the Secret Realm?”
After carefully examining the pills, Su Xiaoxiao realized Hua Jian might have done something quite extraordinary.
Every type of pill from the Five Great Sacred Sects was here, and in multiple quantities. Hua Jian couldn’t have bested all the geniuses from the Five Saint Sects, right?
“Not really, just casually taking treasures while dealing with some people,” Hua Jian chuckled, insisting she was a good kid who didn’t do anything bad.
These pills were voluntarily given as thanks by careless geniuses who accidentally fell into her Array of Bewilderment and were rescued by her—not stolen.
“You’re really bold. Aren’t you afraid they’ll gang up on you?”
“At first, yes. But after some incidents in the Secret Realm and fewer people around, I’m not scared anymore,” Hua Jian paused, instinctively hiding the Magic Path details.
Her role was sensitive, better to keep it secret.
These spoils were after sharing a portion with Caidie, who had been a diligent partner in their scheming.
No merit without labor; Hua Jian couldn’t keep everything alone.
It was this sustainable ‘scorched earth’ strategy that made Hua Jian and Caidie probably the biggest winners of this Secret Realm expedition.
“Although the gains are huge, such chances probably won’t come again,” Hua Jian sighed with some helplessness after celebrating.
She had heard from Linglong that it was hard for Ling Master-level disciples of Saint Sects to get such Secret Realm exploration opportunities.
They had probably piggybacked on the Magic Path’s chaos.
This Secret Realm was a trap set by the Orthodox Sect Masters to lure Magic Path cultivators, purposely letting low-level disciples enter to explore and simultaneously test the new disciples.
There was hardly any treasure left in old Secret Realms. Even if the Right Path spread news, the Magic Path wouldn’t believe it.
This newly discovered Secret Realm was designed as bait, and the Magic Path had taken it readily.
Hua Jian suspected that the so-called Saint Beast Dragon Scale Youye had painstakingly brought out might even be fake.
But the Yaochi Sect Leader didn’t confirm this, so better not think too much.
Just after finishing her haul, the snake girl Helin from Wanling Sect arrived with news that was neither good nor bad.
“Our Peak Lord wants to meet Sister Hua Jian,” the snake girl said respectfully, then reverted to her usual sarcastic expression.
“You caused quite a stir this time; the Peak Lord can’t stop praising you.”
Really praising her? Hua Jian secretly wondered if the Peak Lord didn’t mind that she had corrupted Caidie.
Looks like he’s not a straightforward person either.
After chatting with Hua Jian, Helin looked at a sulking Su Xiaoxiao. “Little Xiaoxiao, I’m borrowing your little Hua Jian for a bit.”
The Five Poisons Peak Lord was a genuine Spirit Lord powerhouse; if he requested to see Hua Jian, she couldn’t refuse.
Su Xiaoxiao knew this well and was reluctantly resigned.
“I’ll be back soon, Miss, don’t worry!” Hua Jian sensed Su Xiaoxiao’s feelings.
She thought the Five Poisons Peak Lord just wanted to meet her, not kidnap her.
After all, a girl fond of flowers and a Peak Lord who dealt with venomous snakes and fierce beasts were utterly mismatched.
With Caidie around, the Peak Lord wouldn’t try to take her away.
After bidding Su Xiaoxiao farewell, Hua Jian left with Helin.
Along the way, Hua Jian tried to glean some information about the Five Poisons Peak Lord from Helin, but the results were poor.