Alchemist's Secret Trail and Sect's Shadow

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on Chen Fan's blood-stained clothes. He and Lin Xiaohu had just entered a bamboo grove when his steps faltered. The True Energy circulating in his dantian felt sluggish, and the stab wound on his chest throbbed with a piercing pain, aggravated by the evening breeze. The surge of power from his breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm hadn't fully settled, now surging like a wild horse through his meridians.

"Brother Fan, you look terrible," Lin Xiaohu said, steadying Chen Fan's arm. His gaze swept over the battlefield littered with debris. "Why don't we find a cave to heal first?"

Just as Chen Fan was about to reply, a faint, bitter medicinal fragrance reached his nostrils. It was unlike ordinary herbs, mixed with a subtle spiritual energy that seemed to calm his agitated True Energy. He looked up sharply. Deep within the bamboo grove, on a green stone platform, a figure in plain white sat cross-legged. Before her stood a three-legged bronze cauldron, wisps of smoke rising from its opening, the source of the medicinal aroma.

She was a woman of about twenty, with a jade hairpin carved with medicinal herb patterns in her hair. Her fingertips held a silver medicine spoon, and she was intently stirring the liquid in the cauldron. Hearing their footsteps, she turned, her features as elegant and clear as a winter plum blossom under the moon. However, a hint of wariness flickered in her eyes. "Who are you? Why have you intruded upon my alchemy space?"

"This junior is Chen Fan. My brother and I were fleeing and stumbled here. We didn't mean to disturb you, but..." Chen Fan's attempt to bow pulled at his wound, and he let out a muffled groan.

The woman's gaze fell on his blood-soaked clothes and Zhou Hei Hu's corpse. Her brow furrowed slightly. She then took a porcelain bottle from her medicine basket and tossed it over. "This is a Blood Coagulating Pill. It can be used externally or internally. Judging by your appearance, you just fought with people from Black Wind Stronghold?"

"You know Black Wind Stronghold?" Chen Fan's heart stirred. He poured out the pill and applied it to his wound. The cool medicinal power instantly penetrated his skin, and the pain lessened considerably.

"My name is Ji Rushuang. I am an alchemist of the Seven Stars Sect," the woman replied, her gaze returning to the cauldron as she continued stirring. Her tone carried a hint of gravity. "Among the supplies looted by Black Wind Stronghold, many were spiritual herbs meant for the Seven Stars Sect. Our Sect Master has been investigating for half a year without any leads." Her fingertips paused, the spoon making a light clinking sound against the cauldron's wall. "You killed Zhou Hei Hu, which has been a great help to me."

Lin Xiaohu suddenly pointed at Zhou Hei Hu's corpse and exclaimed, "Brother Fan, there's something shiny on his waist!"

Chen Fan bent down and took off the black storage ring. As he infused a trace of True Energy into it, the ring's surface glowed faintly. With a thought, several items appeared on the green stone platform: over a hundred low-grade spirit stones, a few bottles of pills, and a wooden box engraved with the "Seven Stars" insignia. Upon seeing the mark, Ji Rushuang's expression changed drastically. She quickly opened the wooden box. Inside was an account book, filled with dense numbers on every page. The final entry was signed by "Ninth Elder Zhou Daoyuan."

"It really was him," Ji Rushuang's fingers trembled slightly. "The sect's monthly stipend for inner elders is barely a hundred spirit stones, yet this ledger records over two thousand in stolen goods, and many spiritual herbs were funneled to Black Wind Stronghold." She looked up at Chen Fan, her eyes earnest. "Brother Chen, this ledger is crucial to the Seven Stars Sect. Could I borrow it to take back to the sect? I can offer high-grade healing medicine and cultivation techniques in exchange."

Before Chen Fan could respond, the sound of breaking air echoed from outside the bamboo grove. Three dark figures descended from the sky. The one in the lead was an old man with white hair, a token on his waist also bearing the Seven Stars insignia, but his eyes were as sinister as a snake's. "Junior Nephew Ji, colluding with outsiders and trying to take the Elder's possessions? You have quite the nerve."

Ji Rushuang's face turned ashen. "Ninth Elder? What are you doing here?"

"I was tracking the spiritual herbs Zhou Hei Hu stole and didn't expect to witness such an interesting scene," Zhou Daoyuan sneered, his gaze falling on Chen Fan with naked killing intent. "A martial artist without spiritual roots dares to covet the possessions of an immortal cultivator? And this ledger..." He waved his hand, and a stream of black energy lunged towards the wooden box. "Since you've seen it, you all die!"

Chen Fan instinctively shielded Ji Rushuang and Lin Xiaohu behind him, unleashing all the True Energy within his body. The aura of the Grandmaster Realm erupted like an invisible tidal wave, forcing the black energy to pause for a moment. He clenched his fists, the diagram for the second move of the Sky Shattering Fist appearing in his mind. After breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, the previously blurry second move on the stone wall had become clear.

"Sky Shattering Fist? Mountain Shatter!"

Chen Fan pushed off the ground, his body shooting out like an arrow from a bow. His fists, imbued with the power to shatter mountains and break rocks, collided head-on with Zhou Daoyuan's black energy. Astonishment flashed in the old man's eyes. "A Xiantian Stage cultivator breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm? Quite a suitable vessel for possession!" He flipped his sleeve, and several poisonous needles wrapped in spiritual energy shot out. "Unfortunately, before a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, any martial path, no matter how strong, is but an ant!"

Ji Rushuang suddenly shoved the bronze cauldron forward, splashing boiling medicinal liquid towards the poisonous needles. Simultaneously, she threw three crimson pills. "These are Explosive Flame Pills! They can temporarily trap him! Brother Chen, he cultivates an evil technique, so his physical defense is weak!"

The pills exploded amidst the poisonous needles, forming a ring of crimson flames that enveloped Zhou Daoyuan. Chen Fan seized the opportunity, his foot tapping on the stone platform. Using the recoil, he leaped above the old man and slammed his fists, condensed with ten percent of his True Energy, downwards. Zhou Daoyuan hastily mobilized his spiritual energy for defense, but he never expected this punch to carry a domineering force that tore through spiritual energy. His shield instantly cracked.

"Pfft!" The old man was forced back several steps, black blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How could your fist break my spiritual energy shield?"

"Because the Martial Path is something cultivators like you, who practice evil arts, could never understand." Before Chen Fan could finish speaking, he sensed a fierce wind from behind him. The other two dark figures had bypassed him and were now behind Lin Xiaohu, their short blades aimed at his throat.

"Watch out!" Ji Rushuang flung her jade hairpin. It transformed into a white light, deflecting the blades. However, she was struck on the shoulder by the old man's opportunistic palm, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Chen Fan roared, turning like a leopard and lunging at the shadowy figures. His fists struck in rapid succession. Amidst screams, the two Foundation Establishment stage followers were instantly severely wounded. Seeing the unfavorable turn of events, Zhou Daoyuan turned to flee, but the cauldron Ji Rushuang had thrown struck his back, and his storage bag fell to the ground.

"Trying to leave?" Chen Fan stomped on the ground, his figure chasing after the old man. The second move of the Sky Shattering Fist erupted at full power, his fist smashing into Zhou Daoyuan's back like a meteor.

With a "crack," a bone-shattering sound echoed through the bamboo forest. The old man staggered and fell to the ground, his internal spiritual energy in disarray. Ji Rushuang stepped forward and pressed her hand against his meridians, saying coldly, "Ninth Elder, your crimes of embezzling sect funds and colluding with Black Wind Stronghold will now be brought to light."

Zhou Daoyuan, sprawled on the ground, his eyes flashed with madness. "Don't get cocky! The Xianyun Sect has had their eyes on this brat for a long time. When their Nascent Soul Elder arrives, not one of you will survive!"

Chen Fan's heart tightened. The pursuit from the Xianyun Sect would not end here. Ji Rushuang, however, took a communication jade slip from the storage bag. "I have already notified the Sect Master. An elder will arrive for support within half an hour. Brother Chen, you saved me and obtained the evidence. The Seven Stars Sect owes you a favor." She handed him a jade bottle. "This contains a Spirit Calming Pill, which will help you stabilize your Grandmaster Realm cultivation. And here is half of the Martial Path Elixir Scripture. It might resolve the conflict between your True Energy and spiritual energy."

Chen Fan took the jade bottle. The moment his fingertips touched the elixir scripture, he remembered his master's dying words: "The Martial Path is not isolated. Only by tempering the body with elixirs and assisting cultivation with spiritual energy can one achieve the Martial Immortal." He looked up at Ji Rushuang, determination flashing in his eyes. "Miss Ji, if the Seven Stars Sect does not mind, this junior is willing to temporarily reside in your sect, heal my injuries, and assist in investigating the remnants of Black Wind Stronghold."

A smile bloomed in Ji Rushuang's eyes. The moonlight fell on her plain, medicine-stained clothes, lending them a surprising warmth. "We would be honored. When we return to the sect, I will take you to see the Sect Master. Perhaps he can help you find a way to counter the Xianyun Sect."

Lin Xiaohu clapped his hands excitedly. "That's great, Brother Fan! We won't have to hide every day anymore!"

Chen Fan gazed at the brightening sky outside the bamboo grove, clutching the Martial Path Elixir Scripture in his hand. Zhou Daoyuan's wails, Ji Rushuang's medicinal fragrance, and the power of the Grandmaster Realm intertwined within him. He vaguely sensed that this escape was no longer a personal struggle. The pursuit by the Xianyun Sect, the internal strife of the Seven Stars Sect, and the secrets of Black Wind Stronghold were like an invisible net, drawing him into a grander vortex. And the Seven Stars Sect might just be his new starting point to break free from the "Spiritual Root Destiny."