Yun and Fu: The Ultimate Grind

Even if an ordinary cultivator did not possess a fire or wood spiritual root, they could still rely on external aid if they wished to refine pills.

However, a lightning spiritual root was different. It was inherently overbearing and the natural bane of spiritual plants. Even if a lightning spiritual root cultivator used the gentlest methods to handle a spiritual plant, the plant would still wither and lose its vitality.

This natural incompatibility made it absolutely impossible for a cultivator with a lightning spiritual root to become an alchemist.

Otherwise, the original novel's female protagonist, Wen Jingshu, wouldn't have been unable to refine even the most basic Rejuvenation Pill.

Wen Jingshu paid no attention to the two of them. After drawing talismans for two shichen, she set up an isolating barrier around herself and began practicing her sword strikes with meticulous precision.

She only sat in meditation to rest for a short while when dawn began to break.

Fu Sinian and Yun Xiange had been observing her in secret. When they saw that she hadn't rested the entire night, they were utterly dumbfounded.

Yun Xiange said to her with deep admiration, “Fellow Daoist Shu, you are a true tryhard.”

To become an inner sect disciple of the Pill Sect, her aptitude had to be high-grade at the very least. With her talent, even if she didn't work so hard, forming her core within a hundred years would be an easy feat.

Yun Xiange had originally thought her daily routine was tough. But after seeing Wen Jingshu, she instantly felt like she was wasting her time every single day.

Hearing Yun Xiange's praise, Wen Jingshu smiled and said, “Good talent only means a higher starting point. If one becomes slack because of it, their future achievements might not even match those of a three-element spiritual root cultivator.”

The cultivation world had never lacked geniuses, and great clans lacked monsters even less. While the young Wen Jingshu's starting point was high, she did not believe it was the absolute highest.

There would always be children from great clans whose starting points were even higher than hers.

For example, back when she was the talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu, she had thought the Holy Maiden with the legendary light spiritual root was already the pinnacle of creation.

Yet, upon arriving in the Eastern Azure Continent, she opened her eyes to find herself with a perfect-grade heavenly lightning spiritual root and a perfect-grade mutated wood spiritual root...

Not to mention her elder sister's perfect ten-tenths chaos spiritual root...

Geniuses appeared wave after wave. If she didn't join the grind, how could she keep up?

After a night of rest, Fu Sinian and Yun Xiange had restored themselves to peak condition.

The two changed into clean Daoist robes and cast a Cleansing Spell. Their elegant, immortal-like appearance made them look like entirely different people from their disheveled selves the day before.

Fu Sinian pondered for a moment before saying to Wen Jingshu:

“I wonder if Fellow Daoist Shu has any spare talismans and pills? To tell you the truth, we have been in Jiangyuan Valley for several months, and the pills and talismans in our hands are nearly depleted.”

Wen Jingshu replied, “I have some. What do you need?”

“Rejuvenation Pills, Qi-Recovery Pills, Recovery Pills, Hemostatic Pills, Water-Avoiding Pills, and Exploding Talismans. I will buy as many as Fellow Daoist Shu can spare.”

Hearing Fu Sinian's words, Wen Jingshu fell into a rare silence.

Seeing Wen Jingshu's slightly odd expression, Fu Sinian could not help but feel a bit embarrassed.

And this was just him asking for the basics. In reality, he wanted far more than this.

Looking at the two of them, whose attitude in front of her was the exact opposite of how they acted before others, Wen Jingshu felt even more curious. With a wave of her hand, the items he requested appeared on the empty ground before them.

Thirty bottles of each pill, and two hundred Exploding Talismans.

These pills were all low-grade first-rank. Wen Jingshu had refined a mountain of them for practice, so she essentially had as many as they wanted.

The Exploding Talismans were also low-grade first-rank, and she still had over a thousand of them in stock.

Considering her background as a Pill Sect disciple with a side profession in talismans, Wen Jingshu gave them a slightly generous amount. Any more would likely arouse suspicion.

Fu Sinian did not take advantage of her either, handing over spirit stones to Wen Jingshu according to market prices.

With the transaction complete, the three officially set off.

The male cultivator Wen Jingshu had disguised herself as had a gentle countenance, and his every gesture exuded a scholarly air. Only a shichen later, Yun Xiange began to hover around Wen Jingshu, asking all sorts of questions.

“Fellow Daoist Shu, how many other cultivators are there in your Pill Sect? How come I've never seen them before?”

“Fellow Daoist Shu, your aptitude is so good. Why didn't you join the Qingyun Sect? My master also has a lightning spiritual root. Joining our lineage would have been the perfect fit for you.”

“Fellow Daoist Shu, what grade of talisman master are you right now? Is drawing talismans fun? I still haven't decided which auxiliary art to choose as my side profession.”

Faced with Yun Xiange's barrage of questions, Wen Jingshu replied good-naturedly:

“Around three thousand two hundred people. The Pill Sect is wealthy. And I am high-grade first-rank.”

As the talisman cultivator Wen Jingshu, she had been a mid-grade third-rank talisman master. Unfortunately, her current cultivation could only support her in drawing high-grade first-rank talismans.

If she popped pills while drawing, she could manage to produce mid-grade third-rank talismans.

However, there was really no need for her to do that right now. If she wanted high-grade talismans, she could just buy some.

She had the script of a second-generation cultivator in this life; did she really lack this small amount of spirit stones?

Hearing Wen Jingshu's words, Yun Xiange sighed with admiration once again:

“Fellow Daoist Shu, you are truly a genius. It's a real pity you didn't join the Qingyun Sect.”

Wen Jingshu frowned slightly at this, her face turning cold.

She had already declared her sect, and once a disciple entered a sect, they could not change it unless under exceptional circumstances. Yun Xiange's words repeatedly put down the Pill Sect while exalting her own. Even if Wen Jingshu weren't actually an inner sect disciple of the Pill Sect, the Pill Sect was her 'home' in this life, and Yun Xiange's words displeased her greatly.

Fu Sinian noticed Wen Jingshu's displeasure and hastily tried to smooth things over.

“Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Shu. My junior sister is just blunt and outspoken. She absolutely didn't mean to disparage the Pill Sect. It's just that when people mention the Pill Sect, they subconsciously assume everyone inside is an alchemist.”

Yun Xiange also realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly explained, “It's just that this is my first time seeing a sword cultivator and talisman master from the Pill Sect. I was curious, so I rambled a bit too much. I apologize to you.”

Wen Jingshu sneered and said in a stern voice, “Fellow Daoist Yun, seeing that you are still young, I will not hold it against you this time. But if there is a next time, do not blame me for turning hostile!”

Seeing that she was truly angry, the two of them repeatedly agreed with her to appease her. Yun Xiange also became much more subdued because of this, traveling in silence.

After walking for a day, Fu Sinian pulled out his map jade slip to confirm their distance once more. “At our current speed, we should reach the entrance of the legacy site by this time tomorrow.”

Wen Jingshu did not have much of a reaction to this. Her only reason for agreeing to team up with them was to observe Yun Xiange up close.

As for the legacy of some Golden Core Stage cultivator...

With a heaven-chosen master like Beili around, she had absolutely no worries about lacking top-tier sword techniques to learn.

Worst case, she could exchange for them in the Qingyun Sect's Library, or buy them at the Fusheng Auction. She could obtain a sword manual she liked one way or another.

At nightfall, the three found a safe place to rest as before. This time, Fu Sinian and Yun Xiange felt too embarrassed to sleep heavily. Watching Wen Jingshu draw talismans, the two of them honestly sat in meditation to cultivate.

They didn't want a disciple of the Pill Sect to laugh at them for knowing nothing but leisure.