She had gone out happily, only to return with a bleeding head.
The Seventh Elder grabbed a bronze cauldron and rushed out. “Did that Old Sixteen abuse you?! This old man won't let him off!”
Song Yao had done plenty of instigating in her past, so she almost forgot to stop him.
Only when he had carried the cauldron all the way out the door did she suddenly snap to her senses and hurriedly chase after him to explain.
The more the Seventh Elder listened, the more disheartened he became. Setting down the cauldron, he advised her earnestly, “How about we just forget it? Good child, Master knows you want to make progress, but nothing is more important than your health. Just stay on Baicao Peak. Learn whatever you can, and if you can't, then stay on Baicao Peak for the rest of your life. Once Master pays off all his debts, I'll make sure you live a comfortable life. What do you say?”
He spoke so sincerely that Song Yao's words caught in her throat. She didn't say yes, nor did she say no.
The Seventh Elder continued on his own, “However, you must participate in the annual grand tournament.”
Song Yao asked, “Why?”
Stroking his graying beard, the Seventh Elder's expression turned uncharacteristically solemn. “I heard that the reward for first place in each age group in this year's annual grand tournament is a Heavenly Thunder Marrow-Cleansing Pill.”
He paused, his gaze falling on Song Yao's slightly pale face. “For others, this pill can purify spiritual roots and boost cultivation—a rare treasure indeed. But for your body with its damaged soul, the power of heavenly thunder can nourish your divine soul. Although it won't piece together your missing soul fragments, it still has significant benefits.”
He Yu poked his head out from the second floor of the Elixir Pavilion. “Can't you just refine one for her?”
The Seventh Elder glared at him in annoyance. “I'd love to, but the main ingredient, Thunder Spirit Grass, only sprouts and bears fruit once every ten years. It's priceless and impossible to buy. Besides, refining it requires drawing heavenly thunder into the cauldron. Right now, we lack the right time, the right place, and the right conditions. How am I supposed to refine it?”
He Yu let out an “oh.” “But Junior Sister is a pill cultivator. How is a pill cultivator supposed to compete with others?”
“There's no need to worry too much about that.”
He had heard from the Ninth Elder and the others earlier that this girl was exceptionally talented. Even without proper study, she had already surpassed many of her peers.
And...
He smiled and said, “Your junior sister is only fifteen. She only needs to compete against disciples with a bone age under sixteen. In the entire Nine Saints Hall, you are the only Golden Core Stage disciple under sixteen.”
There was an insurmountable chasm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core.
Even if she knew absolutely nothing, she could smash the others to pieces relying on her spiritual energy alone.
Song Yao: “...”
Why did she feel like she was returning to the starting village to crush noobs?
She didn't have much interest in nourishing her divine soul, but based on this description, the Heavenly Thunder Marrow-Cleansing Pill must be extremely valuable.
If she sold it, she could bypass thirty years of struggle.
...
With only half a month left until the annual festival, the atmosphere in the Nine Saints Hall grew slightly tense.
First, all disciples had to participate in the annual grand tournament to aim for the Heavenly Revelation Board, so everyone had quietly started training hard.
Second, no one knew if the Hall Master would successfully emerge from seclusion. The elders not only had to monitor the main peak but also keep an eye on external matters to prevent anyone from causing trouble.
Third, the end of the year was a busy time, and the Elixir Pavilion was no exception. Pill cultivators bustled in and out, spending all day refining medicine.
Song Yao became the most idle person in the entire Nine Saints Hall. Every day, she fell asleep holding pill manuals and medical books, occasionally getting up to refine a couple of Qi-Replenishing Pills.
But there was also an unexpected pleasant surprise: as long as she controlled the flame's temperature well, the cauldron wouldn't easily explode.
Furthermore, throwing other medicinal herbs into the mix could give the Qi-Replenishing Pills different effects.
After eating one of her refined Qi-Replenishing Pills, the Seventh Elder passed out for six hours before finally waking up. He gave her a thumbs-up and encouraged her, “I feel exceptionally energized.”
He Yu silently drifted past. “It's hard not to feel energized after sleeping for six hours. Also, your cauldron smells burnt. Do you really not need to deal with it?”
The Seventh Elder snapped, “Why didn't you say so earlier?!”
“I did, but I couldn't wake you up just now.”
“...”
Highly encouraged, Song Yao continued to experiment with the Qi-Replenishing Pills.
Unfortunately, after experiencing vomiting, poisoning, and mental breakdowns, her senior brothers and sisters in the Elixir Pavilion refused to test any more medicine for her.
Out of options, Song Yao ran to Jiyue Peak to ask Ning Zhou for help.
In just two short months, Ning Zhou's thin body had filled out significantly, and he even seemed to have grown taller.
Carrying a water-filled vat in each hand, he said with a grin, “Side effects? What side effects could a mere Qi-Replenishing Pill have? It's fine, totally fine. My body is in peak condition right now. Hand it over.”
Song Yao immediately handed the pill over and reminded him, “If you feel uncomfortable in any way, you must tell me.”
Setting down the water vats, Ning Zhou popped the pill into his mouth without hesitation. “It's just a Qi-Replenishing Pill, what could possibly be uncomf—”
Before he could finish his sentence, his vision suddenly went black, and he fell backward, crashing straight into one of the water vats.
Song Yao was suddenly splashed with water. She rushed to the edge of the vat. “Where did you go?”
“I'm fine, I'm fine.”
A dripping wet hand gripped the edge of the vat. Ning Zhou struggled to climb out, squinting at Song Yao. “W-Why are there two of you? Why are you... why are you shaking?”
“Ugh... why is my head spinning so much? I... I don't think I can stand.”
“I want to throw up. I feel nauseous...”
With great effort, Song Yao hauled him out of the water vat and took out a notebook to write down his symptoms.
Four hours later, Ning Zhou woke up, his eyes wide as saucers. “Lin Mu! I feel like I have an incredible amount of strength right now!”
Song Yao asked, “Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?!”
Eager to test it out, he rushed to the backyard and hoisted a giant boulder. “Even my Fifth Senior Sister can't lift this! I couldn't even budge it before! But I lifted it! Lin Mu, you did it!”
Song Yao chased after him, her eyes shining. “Wow, I did it.”
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, Ning Zhou felt his arms go limp. The giant boulder he had been steadily holding above his head suddenly crashed down.
Boom!
The boulder slammed down, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as stone fragments flew everywhere.
Pinned flat underneath, Ning Zhou looked up at Song Yao with a dust-covered smile. His voice carried a slightly muffled, hoarse quality from the weight. “Looks like... it doesn't last very long.”
Blinking away the dust that had unexpectedly gotten into her eyes, Song Yao snapped to her senses and started running. “Hold on, I'll find someone to save you.”
“No need, no need! I can do it myself.”
Ning Zhou took a deep breath. His muscles bulged, and the veins on his forehead popped out.
He pushed upward with all his might, and the giant boulder slowly rose a fraction.
Song Yao immediately dashed back, unsheathing her Bishui Sword and wedging it into a crack in the rock.
She grabbed his arm to pull him out, taking the opportunity to clasp his wrist and check his pulse.
His spiritual energy was fairly stable; there shouldn't be any other side effects.
She took out her notebook to jot this down, feeling a bit troubled at the same time.
The Qi-Replenishing Pill provided a powerful boost, but the prerequisite was having to go crazy for four hours first.
She wondered if anyone would actually buy this...
Standing beside her, Ning Zhou said, “Pills with this kind of boosting effect are quite rare. You're really talented. If you ever need someone to test medicine again, just come find me. I'm a body cultivator, so it's not easy for things to go wrong with me.”
Song Yao smiled at him. “Thank you.”
That being said, with the annual grand tournament just around the corner, Song Yao couldn't bring herself to torment the same person twice in a row.
She tweaked the formula and refined another batch of pills.
Just as she was worrying about having no one to test them on, Jiang Jin came looking for her on the afternoon of the day before the annual grand tournament.
Rate on N.U.
