156 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 156: Indifference (Part Four) After reporting matters concerning Yu Ziming, Xiang Shiyan left the decision-making to the two elders of the Tianji Sect. Carrier pigeons and paper cranes flocked back and forth like migratory birds. Once she sent out several letters destined for far-off places, Xiang Shiyan temporarily handed everything over to the sect leader, her senior brother. In truth, she had come out of seclusion early because of the rumored auction of the Restorative Elixir. The Gorge of Resentful Souls was a burial site from an ancient battlefield. The edges of the Azure Streak Forest still retained some dilapidated structures, guarded by spiritual power, which had long been overtaken by overgrowing foliage. These ruins bore faint traces of destruction from intense battles. No one knew why this ancient battlefield, shrouded in malaise, was encircled by a thriving forest. The existence of the Azure Streak Forest remained a mystery to current practitioners, with differing explanations of its origin among human and demon tribes. Humans claimed that a practitioner from Tianji Sect ascended here, and the chasm sealing off vengeful spirits was cleaved by his sword; demons narrated the story of an ancient beast whose corpse became this vast forest. Regardless, this land, hard to scrutinize, preserved relics from the primordial era, making it one of the few unearthed remnants. The formula for the Restorative Elixir was long lost. Xiang Shiyan could only hope that some desperadoes had dared to find the elixir within the beast-encircled forest. If she missed this chance, she might have to wait decades. She didn't have decades to spare. Within ten years, Xuanjiu would seize the throne of the demon emperor; within fifty years, the largest war between the two races would erupt; as for a hundred years... Xiang Shiyan couldn't predict what would happen in such a distant future. She's not even sure if things are still following the book's trajectory now. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, she’d hear news of the dragon king ascending to the throne from afar—it wasn't impossible... "Master, what's wrong?" He He looked curiously at Xiang Shiyan, who had suddenly shivered beside her. Could an ice-rooted practitioner truly feel cold? Startled by her own imagination while in a daze, Xiang Shiyan was momentarily taken aback. While straying from the plot was advantageous, losing control to the male lead and her wasn't something to celebrate. Feeling somewhat fatigued, she rubbed her brow and assured her disciple with a shake of her head. "Host, were you listening to what I was saying just now?" "Continue." "...The energy wave scans of the Gorge of Resentful Souls show that there is a stable source of pulses inside the chasm you call the Great Rift. The information package downloaded has no matching entries for this. Stay cautious, Host." An unidentified energy source? Could it be a formation core set by an ancient immortal to seal the battlefield's souls? The Gorge has seals preventing spirits from escaping, barring mortals as well. No one knew what's deep inside, but Xiang Shiyan had a bad premonition. She glanced at her young disciple, whose eyes seemed to gleam with interest. He He's gaze was like it pierced through the bamboo curtain, fixated on the finely dressed auctioneer introducing a dagger below. Reaching up, Xiang Shiyan pulled on a thin cord hanging down from the private room's ceiling. Attached to it was a jade plaque. With her grasp, "Five thousand spirit stones" appeared on it. As she let the plaque snap back with the cord, a moment later, the man below holding the roughly hewn meteorite dagger paused and announced loudly, "Bamboo Pavilion, offers five thousand spirit stones!" The man on the stage was eagerly seeking higher bids, while He He looked at her master in surprise. "Master, this is..." "If something catches your eye, buy it. Increase the bid if needed." The girl showed mingled delight and anxiety. "Master, what if there's something you want and there aren't enough spirit stones?" Who would like this crudely made dagger! If she'd known Xiang Shiyan would misunderstand, she wouldn't have yawned! Indeed, a meteorite blade was one of the few weapons that could cut through the softest reverse scales on her neck. The dagger her enemies used in the past was also meteorite. But this one was merely roughly polished, merely passable in appearance, hardly worth desire. He He planned to slip away post-auction and take care of the fool who dared to buy it, destroy the meteorite blade. But now looking at the fool seated next to her, He He felt a twinge of frustration. Songhe Hall, as a new enterprise and force, brought Xiang Shiyan, its behind-the-scenes owner, plenty of valuable information and considerable profits. To her, spirit stones were just numbers to be squandered at will. However, Xiang Shiyan's wealth notwithstanding, the invaluable and untradeable Restorative Elixir would inevitably be hotly contested. Squandering spirit stones on these trivial items was unwise. "No need to worry. With the sects garrisoned at the border, the black market is reining in risky trades, business is slow. I suspect there won't be many competing bidders," Xiang Shiyan said. "This dagger is a decent base. Once on the mountain, I'll have the sect leader help you forge a short sword out of it." Indeed: besides those with connections like Xiang Shiyan, few dare loiter here amidst border tensions. Moreover, the Elixir was not publicly announced for sale, meaning few were aware. Xiang Shiyan thought herself considerate, albeit He He seemed inexplicably irate. But seeing how the girl embraced the box delivered by a servant, she didn't appear to dislike it. Xiang Shiyan refrained from probing the girl's mind further. As uninspiring item after item passed by in the uninspired auction, Xiang Shiyan remembered something. "System, can you scan He He's body?" The system had mentioned its unstable link to this world. Sustain connectivity like today was rare fortune, prompting Xiang Shiyan to explore a long-standing concern. "If you just want to check if He He has undergone differentiation, it requires only checking pheromone levels. Scans waste energy," said the system as it began capturing information factors floating in the air. The system didn't belong in this world; barriers impenetrable to its inhabitants were nothing to it, enabling it to find secrets otherwise unreachable—even Xiang Shiyan's own. Masking spells, mimicries, and seals of this world couldn't deceive it. It could sense energy waves even from the chasm's depths, so recording the respiration of every cell in the girl before her wasn't difficult—albeit unnecessary. Might a mere girl picked up by Xiang Shiyan conceal within her 身体 a monster ready to burst forth like something from sci-fi horror? "Pheromone values are indeed unusual... It seems this girl originally meant as background was affected by being near you, identified automatically as a potential target by the JJ sequence aura—or possibly my plugins... Let’s not assume the worst now." "Her factors configure towards the Alpha type; standards not met, but the trend started. She likely can't control her pheromones without guidance or knowledge at her age—she hasn't differentiated yet. Host, when did He He first show anomalies?" Xiang Shiyan glanced at He He: "Nearly five years ago." "At twelve? That's early. Neither the main character nor other female leads reacted at that age," mused the system. "Have you verified her body’s changes?" When Xiang Shiyan first noticed her own anomalies linked to He He, she took opportunities to examine the girl's body—back then a scrawny girl seeming ordinary. Now... Xiang Shiyan looked on with slight worry and embarrassment. Her rounded eyes still seemed innocent. Only they remained at the auction; accompanying them were also Huai Ye, Xu Youqing, and Qin Miao. Huai Ye, bored with the event, took Xu Youqing to wander outside. Qin Miao, unwilling to be with He He, tagged along too. Feeling something indescribable, Qin Miao found it strange. He absentmindedly touched the nape while subtly surveying Huai Ye walking beside Xu Youqing. Traveling outside the Yu Cang mountain for four years granted him some gains. Although missing many opportunities, his Dragonbone Blade filtering spirit power nudged him just a step away from forming his core. Qin Miao noticed changes in himself, a peculiar something had grown at his nape around half a year ago. Yet, his worldview remained unchanged until he returned. Even concealed, there was an air he vaguely perceived reserved for others. As poised as ever, Xiang Shiyan felt even more distant this time. It seemed as if Xiang Shiyan was deliberately avoiding him. This unexpected revelation didn't disappoint Qin Miao. In a sense, it signified that his master no longer saw him as the child who needed her protection, but rather as a man who warranted respect and boundaries. When he once again approached the figure in his heart as clear and elegant as moonlight after four years, Qin Miao felt not only a stirring of his soul but also caught a whiff of a cool cedar scent. Initially, he thought it was a mere illusion. However, as Huai Ye pulled Xiang Shiyan away from him, Qin Miao noticed another scent mingling. One he found unpleasant. An aroma of herbs and wood incense lingered subtly around Huai Ye, even staining Xiang Shiyan a bit. The realization prompted Qin Miao's instincts to act faster than his thoughts. Up to that moment, he couldn't believe that he instinctively regarded Huai Ye as someone to be wary of. When Huai Ye's hand rested on Xiang Shiyan's shoulder, the girl beside Xiang seemed to transform into a hidden competitor, like she could truly take Xiang Shiyan away from him. What are you thinking? They're both women. As if anything would happen between them. Qin Miao gave a bitter smile, trying to convince himself, yet a heaviness remained in his heart. No matter how he tried to reason it out, Qin Miao could no longer piece together the docile and affectionate image of Huai Ye from his past life. The cold and assertive demeanor of the girl seemed increasingly vivid, presenting an unmistakably unsettling aura of an aggressor. Huai Ye was another threat to be recognized. Outside the council hall, Qin Miao finally realized this—the recognition released a long-accumulated aura he had sensed but never understood or controlled. Then the once restrained herbaceous fragrance rushed forth like a startled lion. The two stood like gate guardians by the council hall that day. Facing Huai Ye's provocation, Qin Miao found himself unable to muster any resistance. The absolute domination left him terrified—a primal submission to a leader. Noticing Qin Miao's gaze, Huai Ye turned to glance at him. Like a young dog yet to learn control over its territory-marking scent, the unaquainted Alpha radiated his irksome wintergreen pheromone flagrantly. Some people never learn obedience without a teachable moment. Over the past few days in the camp, Huai Ye had mastered using pheromones to suppress others, akin to an invisible hand smoothing down unruly peers. At least... Xiang Shiyan was different. Qin Miao clenched his fist secretly. With this reunion, he increasingly sensed his master's extraordinary nature. Even as she remained distant, he felt a profound connection with her, as though she was the missing half of himself. He didn't understand why such changes suddenly occurred within him, but Xiang Shiyan and Huai Ye surely knew the truth. Xiang Shiyan hadn't anticipated that the Restorative Elixir auctioned on the black market was a rare premium grade, yet despite entanglements with other bidders, she ultimately secured the priceless elixir that could help mend her Golden Core with minimal ordeal. The two lesser-grade Elixirs she sold for Xuanjiu previously had caused a stir; now, this earth-grade, long-lost Elixir naturally attracted bounteous competition. The auctioneer below emphasized how the pill’s alchemical marks and spiritual energy attested to its creation by a grand alchemist a millennium ago, but Xiang Shiyan felt a tinge of unease, the sensation of being manipulated resurfacing in her heart. Was this Elixir truly a fortuitous find from the ruins? That night, tremors rocked both the distant black market and the Azure Streak Forest. Trying to avoid Huai Ye, Qin Miao discreetly knocked on Xiang Shiyan's door in the dead of night, though the woman had already awoken miles away within the camp, solemnly observing the strange phenomenon over the Great Rift.