President Song couldn't be blamed for being so guarded; with Liang Guan from the Refinement Association as a precedent, he was effectively traumatized. It was rare to encounter such a promising talent like Shi Yu, and he only wished for her to achieve great success on the Dao of Alchemy. How could he tolerate people coming over time and again to split her focus?
Allowing Shi Yu to join the Refinement Association was already a done deal. No matter how displeased President Song was, he could only swallow his frustration and accept it.
But what was going on with the Array Association showing up now? When poaching talent, couldn't they pick someone else instead of targeting only the Alchemist Association—targeting Shi Yu alone?
President Song gave Shi Yu a forlorn look, his eyes practically writing the words: “You just never let me rest easy.”
He was deeply baffled. Where on earth did Shi Yu get the energy to study one thing after another? She was practically on the verge of collecting all four disciplines: artifact refining, alchemy, array formations, and talismans.
Wait... she couldn't possibly know how to draw spirit talismans as well, could she?
The thought flashed by and was gone. President Song sighed in his heart. The critical issue was that if she merely dabbled in them, it would be fine, but she somehow managed to excel in every single one.
Although he didn't know what Shi Yu had demonstrated in front of President Cui, for a tight-lipped wooden block like him to come over personally and wait for so long, whatever it was had to be quite extraordinary.
Dodging President Song's increasingly resentful gaze, Shi Yu let out a dry laugh. How could she have known that an array formation she casually set up in her shop would happen to catch President Cui's attention?
President Cui fell silent for a moment, then turned to Shi Yu and said, “I heard Liang Guan mention you. Since you're already practicing artifact refining alongside alchemy, practicing one more discipline won't hurt. If you're willing, my Array Association will spare no effort to cultivate you.”
Before Shi Yu could reply, he turned his head to glance at President Song. “I examined the Spirit-Solidifying Array she set up. Her talent is truly rare—it must not be wasted.”
That line again.
President Song sneered. “Since you already know she's studying two disciplines, how can you blithely suggest taking on another?”
“Taking on another discipline? Is Girl Yu not supposed to cultivate anymore? Do you think she has three heads and six arms, or that she can split into avatars?”
President Cui was indeed a man of few words. Confronted by President Song's questioning, he was rendered speechless for a long moment before finally saying, “The Xuexiao Spirit Node... I can allow her to enter and cultivate inside it for five days every month. How about that?”
President Song instantly fell mute on the spot.
Beneath the Array Association lay a spirit node known as Xuexiao. This spirit node was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in all of Lingtai Prefecture. At its center, the concentration of spiritual energy was a full two times that of the outside world, sparking endless envy.
However, the space inside was narrow, accommodating only one person at a time to cultivate. Entering it required not only good relations with the Array Association, but also a massive fee of spirit stones.
Even President Song could only splurge occasionally to cultivate inside, and he had to book a reservation several months in advance.
President Cui proposing to let Shi Yu cultivate inside for five days every month... the efficiency of those five days of cultivation would likely equal ten-plus days of ordinary cultivation. Not only was the spiritual energy twice as dense, but its purity was higher as well, making it much easier to inhale and refine. Thus, the efficiency couldn't be calculated purely as double.
Seeing President Song's strange look, Shi Yu couldn't help asking, “President, what is the Xuexiao Spirit Node?”
Listlessly, President Song gave her a brief explanation.
Hearing this, Shi Yu's eyes lit up.
Then, both of them realized President Cui's intent: “You claimed taking on another discipline wastes time and hinders cultivation? Well, now I'm offering a spirit node for her cultivation. The cultivation level that normally takes ten days to accumulate can now be reached in just a few days in the spirit node.”
“So isn't it perfectly reasonable to use the extra time saved to study array formations?”
President Song himself was somewhat tempted, leaving him with no real ground to dissuade Shi Yu.
He said crossly, “You sure are generous.”
President Cui looked up, his unruffled eyes calm beneath messy facial hair and locks. “You praise me too much.”
And just like that, Shi Yu's schedule was set.
She thought to herself, “The spiritual energy concentration in the Xuexiao Spirit Node is double that of the outside world. If I set up another layer of Spirit-Gathering Array inside, my cultivation efficiency can be raised to an even higher level.”
Thought of this way, she actually began to look forward to it.
President Song felt a mix of emotions, yet he knew that Shi Yu's joining the Alchemist Association back then had involved a stroke of coincidence. If she had joined another association back then and he had discovered her talent, he wouldn't have been able to resist using threats and inducements to lure her over either.
Shaking his head, President Song said, “Old Cui, let's talk about this after we return from Hengze Prefecture. We're departing in two days, so don't disturb Girl Yu's focus.”
President Cui also knew about their trip to Hengze Prefecture for the Alchemy Exchange Conference. Hearing this, he nodded and stood up. “Fine. We'll talk after you return.”
Knowing President Song was displeased, President Cui didn't linger to annoy him further, but he couldn't help offering a warning: “Protect Shi Yu well.”
President Song curled his lip. “Rest assured. Even if these old bones of mine fall apart, I won't let her lose a single strand of hair.”
President Cui nodded at his words, thought for a moment, and tossed a set of array flags and an array plate to Shi Yu. “If you encounter a heavy enemy attack and can't escape in time, you can activate this array to take shelter for a while.”
Shi Yu recognized it as a set for a Tier-3 Seven Emotions Array.
The Seven Emotions Array, as the name implied, referenced joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire. Anyone stepping into the array would trigger a corresponding killing formation tailored to their individual temperament, yielding formidable power. It was especially useful and effective when facing a large group of enemies.
She respectfully accepted it. “Thank you, Senior.”
President Song glanced at the array. “You certainly don't hold back either.”
...
After leaving the Alchemist Association, Shi Yu headed straight for the noble Yun Clan mansion.
Because she had spent this recent period inside the Legacy of Subtle Wonders, returning the red silk had been delayed.
Arriving at the Yun mansion, a servant invited Shi Yu into the front hall and hurriedly left to report. On his way out, he happened to bump into someone coming in and quickly bowed. “Third Young Master.”
The person walking in happened to be Yun Feng.
Seeing Shi Yu, he froze for a moment, his thoughts drifting far away.
The woman he had glimpsed so stunningly in the Enlightenment Mirror that day surfaced in his mind once more. As he looked at Shi Yu, his gaze shifted between lost melancholy and hesitant desire to speak, ultimately settling into a long sigh.
Shi Yu: “?”
This Third Young Master Yun's expressions were a bit too dramatic, leaving her somewhat bewildered.
Although Yun Feng felt nothing for Shi Yu's plain, merely delicate appearance, seeing her reminded him of that woman whose beauty transcended the mortal realm. Using this as his sole source of solace, he walked forward and greeted her gently, “Miss Shi, we haven't met in days. How have you been?”
Shi Yu twitched the corner of her mouth and nodded. “I am doing quite well.”
She truly had nothing to say to this Third Young Master Yun, who was full of gloom, and facing those affectionate, mournful eyes made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Fortunately, before he could utter another word, Yun Ran received the servant's message and rushed over. “Miss Shi!”
Shi Yu breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward past Yun Feng, and retrieved the repaired red silk to hand to her. “Miss Yun, your red silk.”
Yun Ran took it in a daze. Looking at the red silk, which was identical to how it used to be, and sensing the familiar aura upon it, her eyes suddenly grew red.
“Thank you...”
She threw her arms around Shi Yu and actually began to sob softly.
Shi Yu was taken aback for a moment before raising a hand to gently pat her back.
“Thank you,” Yun Ran repeated through her chokes.
“It was only what I should do,” Shi Yu soothed softly.
Yun Ran shook her head, unable to stop sniffling.
She wasn't thanking her merely for repairing the Soft Red Silk, but for helping her realize that men could not be relied upon. Only by growing strong herself could she gain true respect.
She had originally belonged to a branch line of the Yun Clan. Due to a family tragedy in which both her parents died, she had no choice but to seek refuge with the main family.
At her wit's end, Yun Ran had thought to rely on her beauty to become Dao companions with Yun Feng, the future helm of the Yun Clan, ensuring her future safety.
Day in and day out, her primary focus had been fighting for favor and jealous bickering with Yun Feng's other female confidantes.
But after going through that ordeal in the secret realm alongside Shi Yu, though they hadn't spoken much, the exhilarating experience of fighting side by side in that passage made Yun Ran gradually understand what kind of life she truly wanted to live.
She no longer wished to cling to others; she wanted to walk her own path on the Dao.
Shi Yu looked at her, sensing that Yun Ran today was different from when she had first met her.
Yun Ran gazed at her and whispered, “Miss Shi, when we joined forces in the secret realm back then... I was very happy.”
“Mm, me too.” Shi Yu offered a gentle smile and waved goodbye to her.
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