Eldest Senior Brother, Lin Yunan

Sword cultivators pursued Sword Intent, and pill cultivators naturally pursued Pill Intent as well.

Compared to Sword Intent, Pill Intent was even harder to come by.

Pills refined by an alchemist who possessed Pill Intent would have additional attribute bonuses.

For an alchemist whose Pill Intent was based on life, the pills they refined would have stronger medicinal properties and purer power.

For an alchemist whose Pill Intent was based on fire, the refined pills would be smaller in size, and those crafted to temporarily boost cultivation would have far superior effects.

Wen Shuyi also had her own Pill Intent. Her Pill Intent merged with her Dao, carefree and unrestrained. Wen Shuyi called her Pill Intent: Carefree.

Upon consuming a pill refined with her Pill Intent, a cultivator would experience a faint, ethereal rhythm, as if they had become a wisp of wind drifting between heaven and earth.

While her Pill Intent did not seem to offer any direct stat boosts, it actually greatly increased the chances of comprehending the Dao.

The further a cultivator progressed, the more their comprehension was put to the test. No high-level cultivator could refuse Wen Shuyi's Pill Intent pills.

However, refining pills with Pill Intent was extremely taxing on the mind and spirit. Generally, after refining a single batch of Pill Intent pills, an alchemist would need to rest for half a year to a year to fully recover their mental energy.

Pill Intent pills were something that could only be encountered by luck, not sought after.

Compared to Wen Shuyi, she was merely a novice alchemy apprentice who had just learned how to refine pills.

Whether it was Sword Intent or Pill Intent, these were things she could not force at her current stage. Wen Jingshu cast aside her stray thoughts and began to refine pills step-by-step.

She only stopped when a series of soft, whimpering sounds echoed from her Yunling Bracelet.

In her busy state, she had completely forgotten about her three contracted beasts.

She had named all three spirit beasts: the phantom fox was Congbai, the black snake was Xuanzhi, and the white tiger was Suyao.

“This is our home in the Qingyun Sect. You can move freely around Little Spirit Peak, but you are not allowed to leave it.”

These were sixth-grade spirit beast cubs. If she wanted to keep a low profile, she couldn't easily expose them.

Sixth-grade spirit beasts possessed high intelligence, and they all nodded to show they understood.

Thus, in addition to tending to the spiritual plants, Xu Zhizhi had another task: looking after the spirit beasts.

Since Wen Jingshu had decided to let the three spirit beasts roam free, the protective mountain array of Little Spirit Peak also needed to be rearranged.

Rummaging through her Yunling Bracelet, she found two eighth-grade formation plates—one focused on defensive illusions, and the other on killing.

The Dao of Formations, much like pills, talismans, and artifact refining, was also divided into nine grades and three qualities.

An excellent formation master not only knew how to set up, dismantle, and break formations, but also how to carve formation plates and engrave formations.

When a cultivator possessed a formation plate, it was equivalent to carrying a portable formation with them.

As for engraving formations, it meant carving a formation onto a magical weapon or treasure to grant it additional protective formation effects.

The most common examples were the levitation, propulsion, and wind-shielding formations engraved on flying vessels...

Therefore, most artifact refiners were also formation masters.

Of course, if one wanted to forge top-tier magical treasures, it required the collaboration of a formation master and an artifact refiner.

Once these two formation plates were deployed, even if a cultivator at the Tribulation Passage Stage came, they would have to grind away for a day or two to break through.

Hovering in the air, Wen Jingshu looked down at Little Spirit Peak and felt something was still missing. After a moment of thought, she added a Spirit-Gathering Formation.

Xu Zhizhi, who was currently watering the spiritual plants, suddenly felt that the spiritual energy within the peak had increased significantly.

Sensing the changes from Hidden Star Peak, Beili merely glanced toward Little Spirit Peak before withdrawing his gaze.

Strengthening the barrier of Little Spirit Peak was a good thing. After all, Wen Jingshu's identity was special, and because she had established her foundation too early, she still looked like a five-year-old. The fewer people who interacted with her, the better.

Wen Jingshu shared this concern. After adjusting her schedule, she barely went out anymore. Even when she visited the Library, she only went when there were few people around.

Wen Shuyi had already commissioned a master artifact refiner to craft a spiritual artifact that could alter her appearance. Once that spiritual artifact was in her hands, she would show herself to the public again.

This seclusion of hers lasted for over half a year.

Fu Sinian originally had many grievances against her, but every time he wanted to lecture her in his capacity as a senior brother, he could never find her.

In the end, unable to wait any longer, he took Yun Xiange down the mountain for experiential learning.

After Beili gave Wen Jingshu another round of guidance, he said to her:

“I heard that you have a very good relationship with Zhou Yuanshen of Talisman Peak. It just so happens that they have taken a mission to go outside. You have been in seclusion for so long; it is time for you to go out and walk around.”

Beili had heard Wen Shuyi mention that when Wen Jingshu was at the Pill Sect, she would often enter seclusion and barely ever went outside.

Now that she had come to the Qingyun Sect and was still such a shut-in, even if Wen Jingshu wasn't in a hurry, he felt a bit anxious on her behalf.

Wen Jingshu also had plans to travel around, but due to her current appearance, going out for experiential learning had to be put on hold.

From their interactions during this period, Wen Jingshu felt that she got along well with Zhou Yuanshen. After a brief thought, she agreed:

“Alright, Master. I will contact Senior Brother Zhou.”

Before Wen Jingshu even contacted Zhou Yuanshen, Beili had already informed him. Zhou Yuanshen was not at all surprised to receive Wen Jingshu's voice transmission, and readily told her the time and meeting location.

Before she left, Tang Shaorong presented the talisman brush Wen Jingshu had requested, along with some cinnabar, spirit beast blood, and five thousand sheets of talisman paper.

Apart from the talisman brush, she had not asked Tang Shaorong to prepare the other items, yet he had thoughtfully provided them on his own initiative.

Wen Jingshu really liked such attentive people, so she gave him an extra fifty mid-grade spirit stones.

Spirit beast cubs slept a lot. Seeing that Congbai was sleeping so soundly that he had lost all track of time, Wen Jingshu only brought Xuanzhi and Suyao along.

Xuanzhi, tiny as he was, wrapped himself around her wrist, while Suyao, a small ball of fur, perched on her shoulder. Coupled with their tiny master, they looked completely harmless.

Once Wen Jingshu was ready and had just stepped out of Little Spirit Peak, she saw a young man standing on a flying sword.

The young man wore a robe of mixed green and white. He was gentle and handsome, with a slightly slender build that made his robes appear even more loose and casual.

His hair was held up by nothing but a single white jade hairpin. Just by standing there, he looked like a freehand portrait painting.

At her first glance of Lin Yunan, Wen Jingshu instantly thought of a tall, straight green bamboo.

Similarly, Lin Yunan also saw Wen Jingshu.

Wen Jingshu sat perfectly straight on a tiny, pink lotus-shaped flying artifact. Her hair was styled in double buns, which were tied with defensive bell-and-ribbon artifacts.

Her fair, tender little face wore a serious expression, and a small white kitten was perched on her shoulder.

Lin Yunan felt as if a beautiful lotus child was floating toward him.

When Wen Jingshu entered the sect, Lin Yunan had not been present. He had only returned two days ago, and before he could even finish dealing with his miscellaneous chores, his master had already arranged this task for him.

Although he had been away from the sect, he was already extremely “familiar” with Wen Jingshu, as Fu Sinian and Yun Xiange had constantly spoken ill of her in his ear.

He admitted that he had been somewhat influenced by their subjective descriptions, but the moment he saw Wen Jingshu in person, he was certain those two were just talking nonsense.

There was indeed a hint of arrogance between the young girl's brows, typical of those raised in great clans, but her overall aura was steady and clear, without any sense of being spoiled.

“Junior Sister, I am your Eldest Senior Brother, Lin Yunan.”

Lin Yunan's voice matched his appearance—warm and amiable, carrying a strong “big brother” vibe.

Looking at him, Wen Jingshu suddenly felt as if she were seeing Wen Shuyi.

Lin Yunan said, “I didn't know what you would like, so I prepared a little bit of everything. I hope there is something you like.”

No matter how Fu Sinian and Yun Xiange slandered Wen Jingshu behind her back, as the Eldest Senior Brother, Lin Yunan would still prepare a greeting gift for her.