Endless stretches of towering, perilous mountains rose one after another, and endless swathes of verdant primeval forest spread as far as the eye could see.
A gentle breeze swept through, stirring ripples across this sea of emerald forest.
Amid the mountains stood magnificent buildings hidden within a faint mist, hazy and indistinct, like a secluded earthly paradise from legend.
A faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air, and the spiritual energy was far denser than elsewhere.
This was Medicine Valley, the holy land in the hearts of countless alchemists on the Tianlan Continent.
Under normal circumstances, many cultivators seeking pills would have been visiting Medicine Valley.
But today was different. Guards stood at Medicine Valley's entrance, turning away every cultivator who arrived.
"What's going on? Why won't you let us in? I already made an appointment with Senior Zhang." A travel-worn man argued with the people guarding the entrance.
"Medicine Valley is closed today. Please return tomorrow or wait here." The guard's expression remained blank.
The man tried saying a few more things, but nothing changed.
The guard was very powerful, at the early stage of the Dao Inquiry Realm—far beyond anyone he could afford to provoke.
In the end, the man could only give up.
"Did you just get here?" As the disgruntled man prepared to leave, someone called out to him.
"Yeah." The man nodded and glanced around. Quite a few people nearby were in the same predicament. He frowned in confusion. "Were these people turned away too?"
"That's right. We're all in the same boat." The person nodded.
"As far as I know, Medicine Valley doesn't normally bar ordinary cultivators from entering. What's happening today?" the man asked, puzzled.
"You don't know?" Another person joined the conversation. "I heard today is the assessment day for Medicine Valley's