104 - Dungeon Growth Log

The generated intent mixed with spiritual energy, infiltrated the alchemy furnace, and merged with two fist-sized clusters of elixir liquid, transforming the medicinal power within. With a flash of white light and a waft of herbal fragrance, the elixir finally coalesced into two round, pearl-white pellets the size of marbles. At the moment the elixir formed, a sudden quiet blanketed the world, and an intense fragrance permeated the air. Xia Ge raised her eyes, her dark pupils seemingly reflecting the fiery hues of the furnace. With an impassive expression, she gazed at the gaggle of Sword Peak disciples staring at her. Those caught in her gaze instinctively took a step back, and by the time they realized why they had retreated, Xia Ge had already looked away. "He's..." Chang Lan's hand, resting on the hilt of his sword, slightly relaxed, but his eyes remained fixed on the two snow-white elixirs within the furnace, his whole body trembling ever so slightly. Wei Yu, still unconvinced, protested, "Senior Brother, don’t let her deceive you. Those must be laced with poison..." Before he could finish, he was shoved aside. Fu Zi had evidently hurried over, his goatee twitching excitedly, barely able to contain his joy. "Did you refine Hundred Souls Pills?!" This statement brought silence to everyone, and the next moment, all eyes turned to the spinning, snow-white elixirs in the furnace, like wolves who hadn't eaten in days suddenly seeing a delicious feast, eyes gleaming green with desire. [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for refining Twin Hundred Souls Pills of Mysterious Grade, Mid-level, reward: 100 points!] [Ding! Congratulations to the Host for upgrading to a formal Mysterious Grade Alchemist! Reward: 50 points!] [Keep it up, Host!] Xia Ge bowed to Fu Zi. "Thank you, Fu Zi, for your guidance. I did not disappoint." Fu Zi, unable to conceal his excitement, stepped forward and grasped Xia Ge's hand. "Our Alchemy Peak... has finally produced a second Mysterious Grade Alchemist!!" Chang Lan moved his lips, looking at the young man in the plain robe before him, yet found himself unable to speak. The person they believed to be a spy had ended up refining the Hundred Souls Pills they desperately needed and had even advanced to a Mysterious Grade Alchemist on the spot. Everything about their actions now seemed like a farce. After thanking Fu Zi for his enthusiasm, Xia Ge slightly waved her hand. The two elixirs in the furnace, wrapped in rich spiritual energy and herbal fragrance, swiftly flew out and were carefully caught by Fu Zi, who placed them in a box to prevent the loss of their medicinal properties. Fu Zi handed the box to Xia Ge, saying solemnly, "These are yours." Xia Ge accepted the box and glanced towards the door. Everyone instinctively made way for her, clearing a path. She took a step forward, and as she passed Chang Lan, her voice held a faint, mocking tone. "A Sword Master's true purpose is to slay demons and monsters. So, doesn't an Alchemist's true purpose lie in saving the world?" Wei Yu seemed like he wanted to rush forward and say something, but after clenching his fists, he held back, glaring at Xia Ge yet unable to utter a single word. Chang Lan remained silent for a moment and then said, "No one asked you to save the world." Xia Ge chuckled softly. "I thought so too, considering I'm supposed to be a demonic sect spy." "Really, it must have been hard on Senior Brother to rush here with people in the middle of the night." With that, she left the Alchemy Room, leaving the others to stare at each other in bewilderment. Chang Lan: "..." System: "What were you thinking about while refining the elixir?" The System, reconsidering its approach, asked in a more serious tone, "Have you found the true essence of an Alchemist?" "I have." With Mao Qing still resting, Xia Ge, glancing at the doorway, lowered her voice, "It's saving the world." System: "..." Feeling a prickle on the back of her neck, Xia Ge glanced at the people emerging from the Alchemy Room behind her, their complicated gazes fixed on her, and resolutely entered the guestroom, shutting the door behind her. Soft moonlight streamed in from the window. "Actually, I don't think there's any true essence to being an Alchemist." System: "Hm?" "Because at that time, I wasn't thinking of anything." Watching the moonlight cascade like flowing silver, Xia Ge took out the token and, fiddling with the maple leaf on it, murmured softly, "If I had to say..." "Before refining, I just thought, if I let her down..." "It wouldn't be good." Given that Senior Sister entrusted the command token to her, she had to have some ability deserving of it. Otherwise, such a valuable command token would be ridiculed in her hands. In a low voice, Xia Ge whispered, "It would be too much, I would get angry." = = Chu Yi had come down from the mountain-protection array and was recording the injured in the dormitory—both the poisoned and the unpoisoned. Once finished, she planned to deliver the records to Chang Lan. "Is Senior Brother Chang at Sword Peak?" Chu Yi casually asked someone. Shaking his head, the person replied, "Not at Sword Peak... Seems he went to the Alchemy Peak school to catch a spy?" Chu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then I’ll head to Alchemy Peak." Carrying the records, she ascended Alchemy Peak, the stone steps blending seamlessly. Snow-white flowers lay fallen everywhere. Passing by a familiar spot amidst dense phoenix trees and lush grass outside a small house, Chu Yi glanced over. It was Xia Wuyin's dormitory. The dormitory of today's spy-catching lead role. She withdrew her gaze and was about to leave when the bell in her arms suddenly rang again! Simultaneously, a violent wave of spiritual energy surged from the direction of the school! Chu Yi instinctively pulled out the twitching Inquiry Immortal Bell, looking towards where the violent fluctuation originated. ...Coincidence?! Or else... A surge of emotion bubbled within Chu Yi. At the same moment, an elderly man with a goatee hurried past her, exclaiming excitedly, "Xia Wuyin did it! Truly, our Alchemy Peak finally has a second Mysterious Grade Alchemist..." Chu Yi recognized him as Fu Zi of Alchemy Peak. Did he say... Xia Wuyin? So this fluctuation was from Xia Wuyin? The bell abruptly stopped, but the spiritual energy turbulence persisted. Chu Yi's brows furrowed, feeling a subtle sense of loss. Chang Nian had asked her to find his sister, but Xia Wuyin was a young man, while the person she needed to find was a girl. Standing there under the clear moon and gentle breeze, Chu Yi organized her thoughts, just as she was about to deliver the records to Chang Lan and check on the school's condition, a peculiar rustling sound suddenly reached her ears. Fu Zi, having moved quickly, had already disappeared without noticing her. Though the surroundings seemed empty, that relentless rustling persisted. Chu Yi looked up, following the sound. It originated from beneath the dormitory’s window. The window and door were tightly shut, the breeze light, moonlight cold. Grass blades swayed gently, and Chu Yi, squinting, flicked her sleeve, sending several silver butterflies toward the grass. In a moment! A barely discernible piece of fabric, no bigger than a fingernail, shot skyward, growing in the wind until it became a five-foot-long blood-stained white cloth, shredding several silver butterflies into fragments! Just as Chu Yi prepared to draw her sword, the blood-stained white cloth suddenly unfurled, and the only silver butterfly not shredded, marked with dark blood stains, slowly flew toward Chu Yi. Simultaneously, a low voice emanated from the blood-stained silver butterfly, "…Chu…" Accustomed to using silver butterflies for communication or eavesdropping, Chu Yi never anticipated one day they would become tools for other Yimei. Calmly retreating a step, her gaze icy, she asked, "What are you?" The silver butterfly fluttered, its voice slow, "I might be…something that can fulfill your wish." Chu Yi smiled, though her sword was already out, its blade gleaming like frost. "That sounds appealing." "I want to return to someone's side…" "We can… exchange." The butterfly's voice, faint and distant, carried a hint of hope. Chu Yi remained expressionless, coldly calculating the time needed to sever this Yimei, but at the butterfly's next words, her hand, poised to strike, stalled. "I can tell you who the true owner of that silver bell is." Slightly stiffening, Chu Yi's face remained impassive. "But I'm not interested in knowing who she is." "No… you want to know…" The dark-stained white cloth slowly approached, the blood-dyed butterfly inching closer as well. "I can hear the dark desires in everyone's heart, and the fallen cravings within…" "I just now heard your disappointment at not finding the answer." The silver butterfly edged nearer, and Chu Yi stepped back. "Exchange with me… let me return to that person's side." Chu Yi asked, "Whose side do you wish to return to?" The butterfly suddenly froze, and the white cloth stiffened in place, seemingly in thought. In an instant, Chu Yi’s sword flashed with a cold light, slicing through the blood-stained white cloth and the silver butterfly in a single stroke! The blue-clad girl had a smile on her lips, her eyes cold, "Who it is doesn't really matter." "Although I often use ruthless methods." "I don't like being coerced." The shredded white cloth drifted lightly to the ground, and the fragments of the silver butterfly, trembling under the moonlight, slowly began to reassemble. A low, confused voice emerged again. "I want to return… to the person you're seeking." The person she was seeking? Was this… Chang Nian’s sister’s Yimei?! "I heard the answer in your heart..." "Then... deal." Chu Yi's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. She turned back to look at it, only to see a small vortex beginning to form on the white cloth, gradually expanding. As the words fell, a violent wind surged, carrying intense ghostly energy. In the next moment, the blood-stained white cloth, the silver butterfly, and Chu Yi all vanished without a trace. The expanding black vortex that had begun to engulf everything rapidly shrank until it became a tiny point and then disappeared without a trace. The records Chu Yi had been carrying dropped to the ground, and a gentle breeze blew over, lifting a fingernail-sized blood-stained piece of cloth back to its original place. Beyond that, there was nothing else left behind.