Light Cloud

Early in the morning, the Zhou siblings packed up their things, neatly dressed and gathered in the main hall of the cave dwelling.

Over the past few days, Zhou Yang and Zhou Yue had each stayed in their respective guest rooms, taking full advantage of the spirit node to cultivate day and night without coming out once.

Although the spiritual Qi density in the guest rooms was not as rich as in Shi Yu's main chamber, it was still over twenty percent higher than in the outside world. Cultivation in the Qi Refining Realm was a slow, painstaking process that required steady, incremental effort, so they naturally seized every moment without daring to slack off.

Zhou Shuo, on the other hand, had holed himself up in the alchemy room, dealing with the earth fire for days on end. When he finally emerged, his face was covered in soot, and he looked quite exhausted. Yet his eyes shone with terrifying brightness, brimming with joy—he had clearly made some gains in alchemy.

Exchanging glances, the three felt deeply moved, their hearts filled with immense gratitude toward Shi Yu.

Whether mature and steady or proud and reserved, all three siblings understood the importance of repaying kindness. They resolved in their hearts that whenever Shi Yu needed them, they would step up and assist her with everything they had.

Thinking of the Blood Cloud Ginseng they would inevitably have to bid on at the auction, Zhou Yue grew a bit nervous and asked in a low voice, “Big Brother, check again. Is the count of spirit stones correct?”

Zhou Yang nodded. “Don't worry, all five thousand are here.”

Zhou Yue let out a sigh of relief, yet she could not help but stay anxious. “What if it isn't enough...”

After chatting for a bit, the three looked toward the main chamber. “Why hasn't Little Yu come out yet?”

...

Shi Yu was carrying out her routine morning practice of the 《Soul Tempering Art》.

In the Soul Tempering Art, the Qi of the Five Elements was used to temper the soul in a continuous cycle, rotating month by month.

Having completed the cycle of Earth-element Qi, it was now time for Metal.

Metal governed sharpness and piercing force. During cultivation, it felt as though countless steel needles were plunging into every part of her body, threading through her meridians and internal organs. The pain was far more excruciating than the heavy crushing sensation of Earth-element Qi, causing her immense suffering.

She gritted her teeth while sweat poured down like rain. Her body trembled incessantly, every pore seeming to contort under the excruciating agony.

Amidst the pain, Shi Yu felt her body being reshaped once more, her divine sense becoming even clearer and more refined.

Finally, when her divine sense was nearly exhausted, she slowly opened her eyes and concluded her cultivation.

Changing into a fresh set of clothes, Shi Yu stood up and pushed open the stone door. She stepped outside just in time to see Zhou Yang and his siblings talking in low voices.

Seeing Shi Yu emerge, the three hurried forward to greet her.

However, upon laying eyes on her, they froze in surprise.

The young girl before them looked exceptionally pale, her slender frame appearing frail as if a gust of wind might blow her over.

“Little Yu... what happened to you?”

Shi Yu let out a soft smile, which made her pallor recede quite a bit. “It's nothing. I just stood up too fast.”

It was a rather clumsy excuse, but seeing her complexion gradually recover, the three remained somewhat worried.

Noticing that broad daylight had bathed the outside, Shi Yu said, “It's getting late. Let's head to the Alchemist Association first.”

“Alright.”

The four executed their respective movement techniques and swept down the mountain.

Once at the foot of the mountain, the bustling, energetic atmosphere of the city hit them immediately.

The streets and alleys were extraordinarily lively, with massive crowds pouring in from all directions. Sects and influential clans from all over Changyuan Prefecture had arrived one after another to compete for the auction treasures.

Dressed in fine garments and shimmering spirit robes that glowed with magical light, they exuded an aura of wealth and prominence, drawing many envious eyes.

People from all walks of life gathered as cultivators continually rushed through the city gates. The entire main city seemed to be boiling with excitement.

The four looked at each other and took a deep breath.

Zhou Yang could not help but remark, “This auction has brought together formidable experts and prominent figures from all over. It looks like it's bound to cause quite a sensation in the city.”

“Indeed. I heard the auction house has many rare treasures, spiritual herbs, miraculous pills, and divine weapons this time,” Zhou Shuo said with a look of envy. “Feasting our eyes will be enough for us.”

As they talked, the four walked quickly to the Alchemist Association and saw Wen Wen already waiting at the entrance.

Spotting Shi Yu from afar, she hurried over to greet them with a smile. “You're here.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Sister Wen.”

“Nonsense,” Wen Wen said as she led them inside. “Come in and sit for a while. The auction won't start until noon, so there's no rush.”

After pouring tea for everyone, she smiled and said, “I'll go inform Master Ji.”

“Thank you, Sister Wen.”

Wen Wen offered a soft smile, and after leaving for a short moment, she returned alongside Master Ji.

Master Ji strode over and cut straight to the point. Following their prior agreement, he gestured to them and said, “Little ones, follow me.”

The group followed closely behind Master Ji. Wen Wen walked beside them so she could answer any questions Shi Yu might have along the way.

Upon stepping outside the association, Master Ji generously retrieved a palm-sized cloud boat directly from his storage bag.

Expanding as it met the wind, the cloud boat quickly grew to a length of ten feet.

The cloud boat was silver overall, its hull adorned with intricate cloud patterns and engraved with several intersecting restrictions. Flashes of colorful light flickered across it from time to time—it was a Tier-3 cloud boat of remarkably high quality.

Stroking his beard, he smirked proudly at Shi Yu. “Little Yu's the treasure of our association, so we need to make an impression.”

Wen Wen chimed in from the side, “This cloud boat is named 'Light Cloud.' Master Ji obtained it by chance in a secret realm. He treasures it dearly and rarely takes it out.”

Master Ji nodded with mock solemnity.

Shi Yu studied the cloud boat for a few moments, then nodded in understanding. “It makes sense to treasure it. The restrictions look like they're about to break.”

Master Ji's hand stiffened mid-stroke against his beard. His eyes widened as he stared at Shi Yu as if seeing her in a whole new light. After sizing her up several times, he finally squeezed out a sentence: “Little girl, you've got quite an eye.”

Refining a cloud boat consumed a vast amount of materials and heavily tested an artifact refiner's skill, making it one of the most difficult types of magical artifacts to forge. A Tier-3 cloud boat was considered exceedingly rare.

Light Cloud was indeed of exceptional quality, but unfortunately, it was already heavily damaged when Master Ji acquired it. Although he later sought help from the Refinement Association to meticulously repair it, whether in smelting the hull or restoring the restrictions, they could only restore fifty to sixty percent of its original state.

The restrictions in particular had flaws where the new and old restrictions connected. If the cloud boat was used for extended periods, it showed signs of falling apart. That was why, despite owning a Tier-3 cloud boat, Master Ji rarely used it, keeping it mostly for show.

The true state of Light Cloud was unknown to average people.

He had never expected Shi Yu to spot it at a single glance. That was truly... He simply assumed she possessed keen eyesight, without connecting it to her identity as an artifact refiner.

Unable to put on a smug face any longer, Master Ji cleared his throat twice and put on the dignity of a senior. “Everyone, get on.”

Shi Yu stepped onto the cloud boat, lowering her eyes to carefully inspect the restrictions engraved on the hull.

She mused internally, With my current cultivation, I'm far from capable of refining a Tier-3 artifact, but if it's merely restoring restrictions...

The several restrictions engraved on this cloud boat were not inherently complex; she was already capable of drawing most of them.

It was just that the technique for interlocking them required some skill, and she did not have absolute confidence in restoring them entirely to their original state.

The Xie Clan Auction House was located in the most prosperous sector of the main city center. Boarding the cloud boat, the group took only a brief moment to fly over to the vast plaza in front of the auction house.