Waking Up

Shi Yu only remembered standing on the high platform under the gaze of thousands, barely propping herself up against the pill furnace. Then, her vision had gradually blurred, and her surroundings grew hazy, as though she were stepping into a dream. As her consciousness slipped away, her body had collapsed uncontrollably, plunging her into a deep darkness.

Amid the darkness, she vaguely heard anxious calls and long, heavy sighs echoing in her ears, accompanied by medicinal pills and liquid broth periodically being poured down her throat.

She did not know how long she had been unconscious, only that waves of agonizing pain radiated from deep within her body. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy as lead, refusing to budge. She tried to cry out, but her throat was so dry she couldn't make a sound.

Deep within her dantian, faint wisps of spiritual energy fluttered. Through her hazy consciousness, Shi Yu strained to guide that slender wisp of spiritual energy, slowly circulating it through her meridians.

Carrying the remaining vitality of the Life Spring water, the spiritual energy bit by bit repaired her damaged Dao Foundation and meridians.

Right then, an extraordinarily refreshing spiritual fruit was placed into her mouth. It melted the moment it touched her tongue, turning into a sweet spiritual liquid that flowed down her throat and into her body.

Influenced by this spiritual liquid, the faint, sluggish spiritual energy in her dantian instantly expanded several times over, its flow quickening significantly. Before long, Shi Yu felt her damaged, sluggish meridians gradually clearing. The blocked blood and Qi began to flow smoothly once more, and her bodily pain eased considerably.

Familiar voices drifted into her ears, and Shi Yu vaguely recognized them as President Song and Master Ji.

“These noble families and sects of Hengze Prefecture... when Little Yu first displayed her talent, every single one of them scrambled forward to deliver visiting cards and cozy up to us. Now that they see her Dao Foundation damaged and unlikely to recover, they immediately went silent and vanished into thin air. Heh...”

“That Vice Sect Master of the Xuanyang Sect personally came over to our seats before, exchanging warm pleasantries with such burning enthusiasm. Yet when I went to request a Spirit-Heart Wisdom Fruit, he shut his doors and refused to see me no matter what.”

“Say no more. It's far from just the Xuanyang Sect—over the past two days, we've had doors slammed in our faces more times than I can count.”

“Still, the Fang Clan showed some heart. They inquired about our lodging and voluntarily sent over a Celestial Lotus seed.”

“I've already fed the seed to Little Yu, though who knows if it will do any good... Sigh...”

Shi Yu slowly pried open her heavy eyelids to find herself lying on a soft bed, covered with a thin blanket. What met her eyes was a familiar inn room with stark white walls and a faint medicinal fragrance drifting from the corner.

Turning her head with difficulty, she saw President Song and Master Ji sitting by a square table not far from the bed, both frowning deeply. They looked at each other in silence, their faces weighed down with worry.

Her throat was dry and painful. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out, leaving her only able to cough softly twice.

Hearing the faint coughing, President Song and Master Ji shuddered. Both turned toward the bed simultaneously, quickly rising and rushing over.

“Girl Yu! You're awake?” Surprise and undeniable joy laced their voices.

Striding forward, they gathered around her bedside. Looking at her open eyes, both President Song and Master Ji found it hard to believe for a moment.

Soon, overwhelming sorrow washed over President Song. His eyes welled up with tears as he leaned over, sitting down beside her. “How do you feel?”

Master Ji quickly poured a cup of tea mixed with spiritual herb juice.

President Song carefully helped her sit up, watching as Master Ji picked up a spoon and fed her with utmost caution.

After drinking some tea, her throat no longer felt as dry or stingingly painful. Shi Yu's lips moved slightly as she squeezed out raspy whispers with great difficulty.

Both men hurriedly leaned closer to listen.

Instead, they saw Shi Yu produce the Ailment-Clearing Pills she had refined during the grand competition. Speaking haltingly and with obvious effort, she said, “President... Master Ji... cough... one pill for each of you.”

“Consuming this pill can... dissolve... cough... accumulated pill toxicity, benefiting your physique and cultivation...”

The longer one cultivated and the more pills one consumed, the more pill toxicity accumulated within the body. Pill toxicity was not easily dissolved: at best, it hindered the circulation of spiritual energy and reduced cultivation efficiency; at worst, it eroded the meridians and internal organs, even corrupting one's temperament to spawn inner demons, thickening the bottlenecks and making breakthroughs nearly impossible.

Shi Yu had chosen to refine the Ailment-Clearing Pill with precisely this in mind. Since President Song and the others treated her with such absolute sincerity, she ought to repay their kindness in kind.

She offered the pills forward, blinking when she saw neither of them reached out to take them.

“...”

Never expecting that Shi Yu's first words upon waking would be about this, President Song and Master Ji felt their noses sting with emotion, rendered speechless for a long moment.

How could either of them have the heart—or the face—to accept these precious Tier-4 pills? Tears glistened in their eyes, leaving them at a loss for how to tell Shi Yu that her meridians were shattered and her Dao Foundation damaged.

After a long pause, President Song gently pressed Shi Yu's hand back down and forced a faint smile. “We can talk about this after we return. For now, focus on recovering your health.”

Regret and self-reproach filled his eyes. He resolved that even if he had to spend the rest of his life scouring the world, he would find a way to restore Shi Yu's damaged Dao Foundation.

Shi Yu did not overthink things, silently noting to herself, Fair enough. I'll give them out together once we return to Lingtai Prefecture. I also need to save one for President Liang Guan. Fortunately, I refined four pills in total, or there wouldn't have been enough to go around...

Gathering her thoughts, she recalled the snippets of conversation she had overheard while semi-conscious and asked, “President, Master Ji, what were you saying earlier about the Xuanyang Sect and Celestial Lotus?”

The two exchanged a glance, carefully weighing their words before slowly explaining, “Ever since you fell unconscious, we have been seeking spiritual herbs and fruits that can repair the Dao Foundation from various prominent families and sects in Hengze Prefecture's main city...”

Such spiritual herbs and fruits were exceedingly rare. Even President Song and Master Ji possessed very few, leaving them no choice but to search far and wide for clues.

They had inquired at every local auction house and major merchant guild, only managing to buy a few low-tier items with minimal effects that were barely better than nothing. Feeding them to Shi Yu had brought no improvement whatsoever.

Fortunately, they learned that the city's ancient, established clans and sects mostly hoarded such treasures. Thus, President Song and his group visited them one by one, hoping to purchase a few.

However, ordinary spirit stones were unworthy of these grand families and sects' attention. Furthermore, they were exceptionally snobbish, treating President Song and his companions with cold neglect.

President Song sneered coldly. “Originally, when you refined that supreme-grade pill and displayed your astonishing talent, numerous factions swarmed over to ingratiate themselves, each speaking sweeter words than the last.”

“Now that they see you injured, isn't it wonderful? They all act as if nothing ever happened, avoiding us one by one. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were dodging a plague.”

Master Ji shook his head beside him. “The Xuanyang Sect is one of the three major sects in Hengze Prefecture. They possess a Spirit-Heart Wisdom Tree, and the Spirit-Heart Wisdom Fruit it produces can repair the Dao Foundation. When we went to ask for one, we weren't even allowed through the front door. Sigh...”

Who could have imagined that earlier in the spectator stands, the Vice Sect Master of the Xuanyang Sect had personally delivered a visiting card, seeking to build goodwill and recruit Shi Yu as an honorary member of their sect?

After all, during the final round of the grand competition, Shi Yu had burned all her essence blood and damaged her Dao Foundation in full view of everyone. In the minds of all present, injuries that severe were virtually impossible to recover from.

Barring a miracle, she would remain stuck at her current realm for the rest of her life—or worse, suffer a regression in realm and watch her cultivation slowly dissipate.

Therefore, even though she had claimed first place, such a person was no longer worth their attention or effort to recruit.

Thus, despite President Song and Master Ji running around for several days, swallowing their pride at every turn, they achieved nothing.

Lowering his gaze, President Song added, “On the other hand, the Fang Clan... though we never visited them, they took the initiative to send over a Celestial Lotus seed...”

The Celestial Lotus grew within spiritual springs, and its seeds could nourish damaged Dao Foundations and meridians, making it a very precious treasure.

President Song sighed. “The Fang Clan is a fallen family in Hengze Prefecture. We had no prior dealings with them.”

During the grand competition, the spectator stands occupied by the Lingtai Prefecture Association had been lively beyond measure. Prestigious families and sects from all over Hengze Prefecture sought to curry favor, while the Fang Clan, being merely a declined family in the city, had not dared approach.

Yet now, when everyone else avoided them like the plague and watched from afar, the Fang Clan stepped forward with such a precious item. Regardless of their motives, they deserved genuine gratitude.

“I understand,” Shi Yu nodded slightly after listening to them.

She realized that the spiritual fruit she had eaten right before waking up—the one that melted in her mouth into sweet spiritual liquid—must have been this Celestial Lotus seed.

President Song and the others did not know she possessed a treasure as extraordinary as the Life Spring water.

With the Life Spring water replenishing her vitality, she would have gradually recovered over time even without those herbs and fruits to repair her Dao Foundation.

However, this Celestial Lotus seed was remarkably effective for repairing a Dao Foundation, significantly accelerating her recovery speed. Otherwise, it likely would have taken another seven or eight days for her to regain consciousness.

Shi Yu thought to herself, Once I feel a bit better, I should visit the Fang Clan to offer my thanks.

After a moment of silence, President Song and Master Ji began discussing the rewards for first place in the grand competition.