Identity Jade Token

Afterward, the two association presidents thoroughly discussed Shi Yu’s future path, including attending internal association lectures every so often—without bothering to consult Shi Yu for her opinion at all.

On the top floor of the Refinement Association, there was also a Legacy of Subtle Wonders strictly guarded by sentries.

Unwilling to be outdone by each other, the two presidents each retrieved a few rare ancient texts from their respective Legacy of Subtle Wonders—books not usually brought out lightly—and lent them to her to read.

Shi Yu had originally felt a bit dissatisfied with the two presidents' domineering arbitrariness, but seeing this, she wisely shut her mouth and happily accepted the texts.

Although her knowledge in the four auxiliary Daos—artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, and talismans—was already maxed out, there were still many differences in how the two worlds had developed. Exchanging ideas with others and reading these handed-down ancient texts would yield plenty of insights.

Only by not resting on one's laurels and remaining complacent could one make continuous progress.

As for the classes the presidents arranged for her, she could simply drop by whenever she had free time; it was no big deal.

By now, the sky had turned pitch black. President Liang Guan, unable to calm his churning emotions for a long time, had no heart to continue refining artifacts. He simply instructed Shi Yu to leave a trace of her divine sense aura on the artifact vessel and said, “Once the jade token is forged in a few days, I'll have someone deliver it to you. Hurry back to your cave dwelling and rest.”

“Thank you for your trouble, President Liang,” Shi Yu agreed. Seeing that President Song and Master Ji had no intention of leaving yet, she bade farewell to the three of them one by one, turned, and departed.

As she left, she could still hear the three speaking in hushed voices, their conversation naturally revolving around her, accompanied by muted bickering.

Three people over a hundred years old, yet none would yield an inch when arguing—it was rather amusing.

Shi Yu shook her head, feeling quite apologetic about it.

The four associations had always enjoyed good relations, and such a dispute arising because of her was completely unprecedented.

Fortunately, everything had been settled, and the two presidents had reached a rough consensus, so there was no need to dwell on it further.

“I should try not to cause them so much worry in the future.”

Upon returning to her cave dwelling, Shi Yu saw Qingzhou sitting cross-legged in cultivation.

A spirit stone lamp was lit beside him, illuminating the spacious cave dwelling. Next to it, dishes of food rested on a stove, kept warm over a gentle fire.

Obviously, he had been waiting for her all this time.

Shi Yu paused in place and glanced at him. She did not know what legacy cultivation method Qingzhou was practicing, but a faint blue mist lingered around him, sending forth invisible ripples. As he breathed in and out, the moisture turned into dazzling, iridescent droplets that splashed up one after another, creating quite a stunning sight.

Sensing her presence, Qingzhou's eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes and saw Shi Yu had returned, his expression brightening with joy.

Taking a deep breath, the moisture surrounding him vanished without a trace instantly. “Sister, you're back.”

Carrying the dishes to the table, Qingzhou set out the bowls and chopsticks. “Eat quickly, Sister.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

Qingzhou nodded.

Shi Yu came over, sat down, thanked him, and took the chopsticks, saying helplessly, “Why didn't you go to your room and rest? If I don't come back all night in the future, will you just keep waiting like this?”

Qingzhou remained silent.

Whenever faced with such questions, he usually responded with silence, lowering his eyes and brows. Though his expression didn't change much, one could always sense a trace of aggrieved helplessness in him.

“...” Shi Yu lacked experience in handling such situations. She herself was still young and couldn't assume a nagging or comforting posture, so she simply dropped the subject and focused on her meal. In any case, Qingzhou's actions stemmed from his concern for her.

Qingzhou's culinary skills were improving by the day; every bite left a lingering fragrance, thoroughly stimulating her appetite.

She couldn't help but praise him, “I think your cooking isn't inferior to the grand chef at Miaoyi Tower at all.”

Hearing this, a smile finally beamed in Qingzhou's eyes. “As long as Sister likes it.”

...

Over the next few days, aside from her cultivation, Shi Yu spent her time studying the ancient texts given to her by the two presidents.

The ancient texts were sealed with restrictions, and the two presidents had instructed her on how to unseal them. In truth, even without their guidance, the restrictions were as transparent as glass before her eyes, presenting no difficulty whatsoever.

Most of the contents were things she already knew like the back of her hand, so her reading speed was remarkably fast. Fortunately, there were a few novel and rare insights she had never encountered before; after careful reflection and contemplation, she gained quite a bit from them.

Shi Yu made up her mind: “Sooner or later, I must find an opportunity to immerse myself in Legacy of Subtle Wonders and read through every single book in there.”

On this day, after finishing the refinement of the identity jade token, President Liang Guan sent someone to deliver it to her cave dwelling.

Full of anticipation, Shi Yu opened the pouch containing the jade token, retrieved the item inside, and examined it closely in her palm.

The magic artifact jade token was half the size of a palm. One side was engraved with the three-legged pill furnace emblem of the Alchemist Association; flipped over, the other side bore the anvil emblem of the Refinement Association.

A single jade token signifying dual identities.

Shi Yu smiled faintly. It wasn't hard to imagine how furious President Song must have been when he saw the finished jade token.

Sensing it with her divine sense, she found her aura imprinted inside, meaning only she could activate it. As she gently injected a strand of spiritual energy into it, the magic artifact jade token instantly emitted a soft radiance.

After testing it for a moment, Shi Yu got a clear sense of the token's power.

“This jade token truly lives up to being a Tier-3 artifact.”

President Liang had used the Heavenly Cold Flower and the Soul-Deviance Vine as supplementary materials just as she suggested, and the resulting effect was roughly what Shi Yu had anticipated.

If she channeled all her spiritual energy into activating it, trapping an ordinary cultivator of the fifth or sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm for fifteen minutes would be no problem at all, and it could even serve as a restraint against those of higher cultivation.

Moreover, with Shi Yu's current cultivation, she could not yet unleash its full power.

“It seems this artifact will be sufficient to use all the way up to the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

“Hmm... since you are an identity jade token, I shall name you 'Guanji'.”

Feeling grateful, and having finished reading the ancient texts, Shi Yu decided to take a trip down the mountain to prepare gifts for the two presidents and Master Ji as a token of thanks, while also returning the books.

All three held extraordinary statuses, so ordinary items likely wouldn't catch their eye. Since it was a return gift, she had to present something truly suitable.

After giving it some thought, Shi Yu simply extracted some spiritual materials from the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon stored inside the Fate-Tapping Bell, divided them into three portions, and packed them into jade boxes one by one.

The Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon was a spirit beast unique to the Fulong Mountain Range; while commonly seen, high-cultivation specimens were exceedingly rare. Spiritual materials of the quality Shi Yu possessed were respectable enough to present even to people of President Song's standing.

Sure enough, after she went down the mountain and brought the gifts, all three were delighted and deeply gratified, pulling her into conversation for quite some time.

Yet when Shi Yu pulled out the ancient texts to return them, the expressions on all three faces turned surprisingly unanimous as they asked in disbelief, “You've finished them all?”

Seeing Shi Yu nod, President Song couldn't resist picking out some intricate passages to test her. Shi Yu answered methodically and even elaborated further, clearly demonstrating complete mastery over the material.

The three couldn't help sighing in wonder, becoming ever more thrilled by her talent.

Just as Shi Yu stepped out of the association's main gate to leave, Wen Wen caught up with her from behind in quick strides.

“Miss Shi!”

“Sister Wen?”

Shi Yu stopped in her tracks and listened as Wen Wen said, “Now that you've received your identity jade token, you're officially a registered alchemist of the association. Would you be willing to accept some alchemy commissions?”

Saying so, she explained the details to her.

People in the main city frequently came to the association to post commissions. If an alchemist accepted one, the association would mediate and relay communications, allowing the alchemist to focus solely on fulfilling the task.

Given the high failure rate of alchemy, where not every furnace produced pills, clients would prepare at least double the required spiritual plants. After the alchemist handed over the agreed quantity of pills, any leftover spiritual plants belonged to the alchemist, on top of a generous spirit stone compensation.

After listening, Shi Yu saw no reason to decline. Since accumulating resources was never something to slack off on, she readily agreed, “No problem.”

Seeing her willingness, Wen Wen smilingly asked about the types of pills she knew how to refine, and Shi Yu listed a few.

Apart from the most common Tier-2 pills like the Vitality-Restoring Pill and the Qi-Restoring Pill, she mentioned two others: the Body-Defending Pill, which enhanced defense, and the Instant-Power Pill, which boosted strength by twenty percent for a short duration.

Hearing that she could refine these two pills, Wen Wen was overjoyed: “That's wonderful! The pill formulas for these two are semi-public and not particularly rare, but very few alchemists in the main city actually know how to refine them.”

“If anyone posts a related commission, I'll come find you.”

Shi Yu nodded: “I'm in my cave dwelling most of the time, so feel free to drop by, Sister Wen. If I happen to be out, leaving a message works as well.”

The two sealed the agreement then and there.