Heading to the Yanyang Spiritual Realm

Upon Patriarch Fang’s explanation, the trio gradually came to understand that the Calamity Physique was an exceedingly rare constitution—a tragic mark bestowed by heaven and earth.

Those born with the Calamity Physique inherently carried endless misfortune. From the moment they were in their mother's womb, they suffered all manner of tribulations. Even if they were fortunate enough to be born, they often had short lifespans and struggled to cultivate.

If that were all, it might still be manageable, but those with this constitution would even affect the flow of worldly spiritual Qi wherever they were, causing natural and man-made disasters. Even the friends and family around them would suffer misfortune because of them.

President Song and Master Ji could not help but glance once more at the residence shrouded in an aura of ruin and decay, a thought dawning in their minds: Could the Fang Clan's sudden decline be precisely due to the influence of the Calamity Physique?

Sensing their thoughts, Patriarch Fang gently stroked Fang Sheng’s sparse, withered yellow hair before letting his hand fall with a bitter laugh. “My Fang Clan’s decline indeed began when Sheng’er’s mother was pregnant with her.”

He left his words at that. When he mentioned Sheng’er’s mother, a flicker of emotion stirred in his eyes, but he said no more, merely carrying a tinge of grief. It seemed his Dao companion had likely already passed away.

“...” Shi Yu looked at Fang Sheng.

The child was truly far too thin and frail; her cheeks were sunken, making her eyes appear exceptionally large. Yet those eyes were also hollow. Even when Patriarch Fang mentioned her mother just now, she showed no additional reaction, merely staring timidly and blankly at Shi Yu with those big eyes.

Shi Yu’s heart softened. She took two steps forward, wanting to pat the girl’s head.

However, just as she touched a single strand of her hair, Patriarch Fang’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly pulled Fang Sheng back several steps.

Shi Yu’s hand froze in midair. She looked up to see Patriarch Fang’s extremely tense expression, as if facing a formidable enemy. “Patriarch Fang...?”

Patriarch Fang forced a smile and explained, “Sheng’er’s physique is special. Should anyone touch her, I fear it may bring disaster upon them.”

“I see. Forgive my rudeness,” Shi Yu nodded and apologized.

Yet... if touching her brought disaster, why had Patriarch Fang been holding Fang Sheng’s hand so tightly all this time?

Shi Yu looked at Patriarch Fang thoughtfully, her gaze lingering briefly on his graying temples and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. She had heard President Song and Master Ji mention earlier that this patriarch’s cultivation had reached the late stage of the Golden Core Realm. A cultivator of such level should have long maintained a youthful appearance, yet he now showed subtle signs of aging—likely due to overwhelming worry and grief.

Holding onto his daughter tightly despite the disaster it brings must be out of deep parental affection. Realizing she might have overthought it, Shi Yu’s brow smoothed as she offered Fang Sheng a soft smile.

Looking at Shi Yu’s smiling face, something inexplicable suddenly stirred within the girl’s big, hollow eyes.

Suddenly, she spoke in a low, dry, and raspy voice, “Sister, you’re so pretty.”

Shi Yu was taken aback for a moment.

Hearing this, Master Ji chuckled nearby and could not help but laugh. “Indeed, she’s very pretty.”

He doted on Shi Yu immensely, so naturally, he found her lovely no matter how he looked at her. In reality, however, Shi Yu’s current appearance—disguised by the Scarlet Glass Flower—could at best be called delicate and pleasant, far from extraordinary beauty.

Looking into Fang Sheng’s empty eyes, Shi Yu felt a stir in her heart. She seems... to have seen through the disguise of my Scarlet Glass Flower.

Shaking her head slightly, Shi Yu returned to the main topic and looked toward Patriarch Fang, asking, “The ‘Mengtian Pill’ Patriarch mentioned earlier is...?”

Patriarch Fang pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, “The Calamity Physique is targeted by the Heavenly Dao, bringing down all manner of misfortune. However, if a Mengtian Pill is refined using a Heavenly Fire imbued with the power of laws, Sheng’er will be able to conceal her presence from the Heavenly Dao’s perception after consuming it.”

“After that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sheng’er will be able to live like a normal person.”

Shi Yu nodded slightly. “I see.”

President Song and Master Ji clicked their tongues in secret, astonished that such a miraculous pill existed. Their eyes filled with curiosity.

Shi Yu asked again, “Then what is the pill recipe and tier of this pill...?”

Hearing her question, Patriarch Fang knew Shi Yu had accepted the matter. Overjoyed, he hurriedly produced a jade scroll. “This is the recipe. The pill is Tier-4.”

Shi Yu took the recipe scroll and stated plainly, “Patriarch Fang, you should know that refining Tier-4 pills is very taxing for me right now, and my injuries have not yet fully healed. I fear I will be unable to refine it in the short term—at the very least, it must wait until I return from the Yanyang Spiritual Realm.”

To refine a Tier-4 pill, she needed the aid of the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill first.

With her injuries unhealed, using the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill once more would truly be tempting fate.

With less than half a month until the Yanyang Spiritual Realm opened, she needed to adjust her state and focus on healing her injuries to prepare for any unknown dangers within the realm. She certainly would not rashly attempt to refine a Tier-4 pill at this time.

Patriarch Fang cupped his hands in greeting. “Miss Shi, your willingness to agree to this matter alone fills me with joy. There is no rush; you may attempt to refine it whenever you have the spare energy.”

His solemn face held a tinge of excitement. “All required spiritual plants will be provided by my Fang Clan. Should the pill be successfully refined, a generous gift will surely be presented.”

Finally, as he saw the three out of the Fang Clan residence, Patriarch Fang hesitated before saying, “Everyone, regarding Sheng’er’s Calamity Physique today...”

The group gave their promise: “Rest assured, we will not speak of this to outsiders.”

Only then did Patriarch Fang relax.

...

On the road back.

President Song could not help but sigh. “The higher a cultivator’s cultivation, the harder it is to leave behind offspring, which makes them cherish their children all the more. That little girl possesses such a physique and attracts constant misfortune around her, yet Patriarch Fang still protects her so carefully. It is truly rare and commendable.”

Master Ji, however, frowned, feeling something was amiss. “The Fang Clan declined to this extent because of Fang Sheng. Could it be that the other clan members never raised any objections?”

President Song speculated, “He needed girl Yu’s help, after all. Perhaps Patriarch Fang only told us the truth today, while keeping Fang Sheng’s Calamity Physique hidden from the rest of his clan.”

“Perhaps so.” Master Ji stroked his beard. “However... if he were merely an ordinary father, one could admire his deep paternal love. But as the patriarch of a clan, acting like this is...”

Pausing for a moment, Master Ji said diplomatically, “...a bit unwise.”

Caring only for his own daughter's life while disregarding the entire clan was indeed difficult to justify.

Listening to their chatter, Shi Yu offered no opinion. However, recalling the look in young Fang Sheng’s eyes, she felt as though it lingered in her mind, unshakeable.

Shaking her head, Shi Yu heard Master Ji change the subject, saying with immense melancholy, “Speaking of which, girl Yu is truly not what she used to be. She can even accept requests for Tier-4 pills directly now.”

“I’m old, truly old!”

At nearly two hundred years old, he remained stuck as a Tier-3 alchemist. Compared to Shi Yu, who was already taking on Tier-4 pill refinements, he felt quite ashamed.

Shi Yu could not help but tease, “Master Ji, why talk about getting old? From where I stand, you have the potential to reach the Golden Core Realm! Your future lifespan will be vast, and your Dao path boundless!”

Master Ji burst into laughter, sweeping away his gloom. “From your lips to heaven's ears! This old man will indulge in dreaming about what achieving the Golden Core Realm feels like, hahaha!”

Beside them, President Song laughed heartily as well. Finally, he could not resist asking Shi Yu, “Since you dared to take this on, you must have some confidence. Is your injury...?”

Shi Yu pressed her lips together and smiled gently. “Rest assured, President. This injury will not affect my Dao path.”

Hearing this, the heart that President Song had been holding in suspense finally settled back into place. He let out a long breath and muttered, “That’s good... that’s good...”

...

Over the next half month, Shi Yu did not step outside her door, remaining tucked away in her inn room to meditate and recover.

During these fifteen days, four more drops of Life Spring water were produced. After she consumed, refined, and absorbed them one by one, her damaged Dao Foundation and meridians gradually recovered completely, becoming faintly even more stable and robust than before.

Shi Yu felt light all over and revitalized with spirit.

Inspecting her dantian internally, the Yellow Sprout Dao Foundation at the center was translucent and jade-like, glowing with a soft, hazy radiance. Surrounding it gathered dozens of red Qi cyclones, slowly spinning, continuously inhaling and exhaling. They did not collide with one another, each following its own distinct path. Around the cyclones swirled large clouds of mist-like red spiritual Qi, drifting lazily to and fro like evening clouds in the sky, breathtakingly gorgeous.

Shi Yu exhaled softly. Before long, she would be able to advance to the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

Once her ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm reached great perfection, Foundation Establishment would finally be within her reach.

The path of cultivation was filled with thousands of hardships and immense difficulty, but one could only hold their head high and press forward continuously.

After nearly half a month of recuperation, the day for the opening of the Yanyang Spiritual Realm finally arrived.

Early that morning, accompanied by President Song and the others, Shi Yu went to the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association to claim her Yanyang Token for entering the spiritual realm.

Upon arriving, almost all the faces in view were familiar: President Yin Shixiu, City Lord Qin Yu, as well as Pei Yanji, Yin Wenzhou, Qin Qingmu, and others.

Shi Yu’s injuries were now mostly healed, her pale face carrying a natural flush.

All of them froze upon seeing her complexion, especially Yin Shixiu and Qin Yu. Both possessed Golden Core Realm cultivations, so the juniors could hide nothing from their eyes. Naturally, they discerned Shi Yu’s current condition in a single glance.

Her previously damaged Dao Foundation... had completely recovered!

The two looked at each other in disbelief.

Yin Shixiu’s brow twitched slightly, a cold gleam passing through his eyes. The look of surprise vanished in an instant as he produced a red token and handed it to Shi Yu. “With this token, you may remain in the spiritual realm for one month.”

Shi Yu accepted it and voiced her thanks.

Lowering her gaze to the Yanyang Token in her hand, she saw the characters “Champion, One Month” engraved on it, alongside many intricate restriction runes that even she needed to examine closely for a while to distinguish one by one.

While she examined the restrictions, the eyes of Pei Yanji and the others swept over her, each with unreadable expressions.

Pei Yanji’s eyes darkened, a faint surge of murderous intent lurking deep within. To recover from such a severe injury is truly astonishing.

Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu had complex feelings. Seeing Shi Yu recovered, they were unsure whether to feel disappointed or something else, merely sighing in their hearts: We thought we had lost a powerful rival. Sigh...

Regardless of what everyone was thinking, Yin Shixiu flicked his sleeve. “Let us depart.”