By early next morning, Shi Yu had completely absorbed that drop of Life Spring water.
As vitality dispersed into her limbs and bones, the sluggish exhaustion gradually faded. Spiritual Qi began to circulate once more through her dried-up meridians. Though still weak, she could use a tiny bit of it, ensuring she wasn't left entirely without the means to protect herself.
She got out of bed and glanced at the mirror sitting on the bedside nightstand. Her complexion was no longer as pale as when she had first awoken. “At this rate, I should be mostly recovered in a few days. Even if I can't fully heal before heading to the Yanyang Spiritual Realm, it shouldn't be far off.”
Wanting to retrieve another drop of Life Spring water to consume, Shi Yu sent her spiritual sense into the Fate-Tapping Bell and approached the milky-white spiritual spring, only to discover there were no extra drops left to draw.
The stash she had accumulated earlier had been completely used up during the grand competition.
“It really doesn't last long...”
Shi Yu shook her head, thinking to herself, After reaching the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, the Life Spring produces four drops every half-month, which is quite a bit more than before, but...
Normally, she would dilute a single drop into a full pot of water and take a few sips whenever she needed to cultivate. That way, a single drop would last several days, which was more than enough, leaving extra to water the spiritual flowers and herbs in her herb field.
However, once she encountered a situation like this where her origin foundation was damaged, consuming whole drops at a time made her supply stretch thin, running out in just two or three uses.
“I can only wait a few days for new drops to form before taking more,” Shi Yu muttered, before adding with a touch of anticipation, “Once I achieve Foundation Establishment and break through a major realm, the Fate-Tapping Bell will surely undergo another change. By then, the output of Life Spring water should increase even further.”
Life Spring water offered boundless benefits and possessed countless uses; naturally, the more she had, the better.
Putting the matter out of her mind, Shi Yu didn't dwell on her lack of Life Spring water. Instead, she took out several Qi-Restoring Pills and Vitality-Restoring Pills, swallowed them, and resumed regulating her breathing.
...
Around noon, a knock came at the door. Shi Yu's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she finished a full circulation, reining in her aura.
She opened her eyes, climbed out of bed, and ran over to open the door. Standing outside were President Song and Master Ji, with the rest of the association's group gathered behind them.
Seeing Shi Yu awake, everyone was overjoyed.
“Little Yu, you're awake!”
“We've been worried sick these past few days! It wasn't until this morning when the president said you were awake that we finally breathed a sigh of relief.”
“How are you feeling right now?”
They all chimed in at once, their concern and anxiety plain to see.
When Shi Yu was in Lingtai Prefecture, she didn't visit the Alchemist Association often, spending most of her time secluded in her cave dwelling cultivating. Thus, she was only on nodding terms with most of them—familiar faces, but not particularly close.
Yet now... having traveled together from afar to attend the competition and looking out for one another along the way, a bond of camaraderie had naturally formed among them.
Shi Yu offered everyone a comforting smile. “No need to worry, I'm fine.”
President Song and Master Ji took her words as mere comfort, chuckling bitterly to themselves in disbelief.
Rousing his spirits, Master Ji smiled and said, “During the competition, you went days up on that high platform without eating or resting properly, and then you were unconscious for several days after it ended—is your stomach completely empty right now?”
The moment he spoke, Shi Yu knew what he meant. She patted her stomach, blinked, and looked toward President Song. “The president is paying!”
“You girl, always trying to squeeze an old man dry.” President Song rolled his eyes at her, feigning anger while warmth danced in his eyes. “Let's go, let's go. We came to get you precisely to bring you out for a meal.”
With that, the group set off chatting and laughing toward the restaurant opposite the inn where they had eaten before.
With the Alchemy Exchange Conference having ended only a few days ago, discussions about the competition were still raging throughout the city. More than half of the alchemists from the various prefectures had yet to depart, making alchemists clad in the uniform robes of their respective Alchemist Associations a common sight on the streets.
Even though she was severely injured, Shi Yu's spiritual sense and five senses remained sharp. The moment she stepped out onto the street, she immediately felt countless eyes land on her, filled with various emotions—probing, admiring, well-wishing, and malicious, far too many to count.
Her footsteps faltered slightly. With so many gazes fixed on her from the open and from the shadows, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
In particular, a few individuals with fanatical, enamored expressions had likely caught wind of where she was staying and camped out in wait. The moment she appeared, they rushed forward with vigor, their faces twisted with excitement. “Miss Shi! Miss Shi!”
“Miss Shi, I am from Huangliang Prefecture! My family possesses vast wealth, and I—”
“Get out of the way, beat it! Miss Shi, I am...”
Fortunately, President Song and Master Ji possessed formidable cultivation. They blocked the men a ten-foot distance away, ignoring their resentful stares while shielding Shi Yu firmly behind them.
“Our Girl Yu is still young and isn't considering a companion pact anytime soon. You fellow Daoists can forget about it.” Master Ji practically had the words “don't go preying on a young girl” written across his face.
After coaxing and shooing the crowd away, President Song glanced at Shi Yu with a laugh. “Your face has certainly become famous.”
During the competition, standing on the high platform, her face had been captured by shadow-recording stones and transmitted far and wide. Countless people had committed her appearance to memory, so now, a single public appearance was enough to cause a small stir in the city.
Shi Yu had been unconscious these past few days and was entirely unaware of the craze sweeping through the city.
Stroking his beard, Master Ji chimed in playfully, “A few teahouses and pleasure boats came looking for us. Guess what? They said that as long as you're willing to go sit down and show your face, they're willing to offer tens or even a hundred medium-grade spirit stones.”
“Even the manager of the inn where we're staying and the beast rental stall came to us directly, claiming they benefited from your presence and insisting on waiving all our fees. No matter how much we tried to talk them into accepting, they refused.”
“...” Shi Yu clicked her tongue in secret, her expression turning somewhat strange. She hadn't expected that in a foreign city, she would get a taste of what it felt like to be a celebrity. It made her skin tingle.
However...
She muttered under her breath, “Earning a hundred medium-grade spirit stones just by showing my face... that's actually a pretty good deal...”
One medium-grade spirit stone equaled one hundred low-grade spirit stones, so that amounted to ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. That was a huge sum, far easier to earn than concocting pills, refining artifacts, or running a shop.
President Song glanced at her, laughing as he shook his head. But then, as if thinking of something, his eyes darkened slightly. He thought to himself, Little Yu's current fame all stems from her performance in the competition. But once news spreads that her Dao Foundation is damaged...
This was no secret. Anyone with high cultivation had sensed it that day, and the noble families and sects were already fully aware. It likely wouldn't be long before word reached the ears of ordinary people.
When that time came, how these people would react remained to be seen.
...
When Shi Yu was concocting pills during the competition, she hadn't paid much attention to anyone aside from Pei Yanji and a few others. It was only through listening to everyone chat along the way that she learned two other alchemists from the Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association had performed admirably, placing in the top one hundred.
With one champion and two making the top one hundred, the Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association had truly stolen the spotlight this time, thoroughly washing away their past disgrace.
As for those two, neither was participating in the exchange conference for the first time, but their past results had always been disappointing. This was their first time achieving such stellar ranks, and each had earned a generous reward.
The two looked at Shi Yu, expressing sincere gratitude: “Little Yu, thanks to having you here this time, we didn't have to walk on eggshells. Without any lingering worries, we could go all out.”
“Indeed. Facing the competition with a different mindset and throwing myself into it completely finally allowed me to gain genuine insights. If you hadn't been up front taking all the pressure, we would probably still be weighed down by heavy burdens and struggling to make a breakthrough, only to be laughed at once again.”
Seeing the emotion on their faces, Shi Yu understood how hard it had been for them and felt happy for their achievement. She softly said, “You seniors simply had your long-accumulated efforts bloom at last.”
The two waved their hands repeatedly with ashamed smiles, wanting to express more thanks, but President Song interrupted with a lighthearted scolding. “Alright, alright, we're all on the same side here. Stop thanking each other back and forth.”
Though he said that, President Song himself was filled with deep emotion, feeling immensely happy for them.
Amid their laughter and conversation, the group stepped into the restaurant.
The interior was, as always, spacious, bright, clean, and elegant. The main hall was arranged with beautiful Red Spirit Wood tables and chairs. Mouthwatering delicacies and rare spiritual wines were served continuously while diners sat gathered together, some talking loudly and others sharing insights, creating a lively atmosphere.
Yet the bustling, noisy hall fell instantly silent the moment Shi Yu and her group walked in.
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