The Disciple is Gone

"A big deal?"

Seeing Lin Cheng's mysterious demeanor, the several elders were immediately intrigued.

A conversation ensued.

A moment later, the elders' eyes widened, shining brightly as they nodded enthusiastically.

Standing to the side, Meng Tangtang was full of curiosity, having no idea what they had actually discussed.

"Little brother, rest assured, leave this matter to us. You can trust my work! Everything you need will be prepared for you within three days, guaranteed."

By the end, the alchemist who had initially given Lin Cheng the cold shoulder was now beaming with radiance.

Even his form of address had changed.

If the setting hadn't been so formal, he might have tried to swear a brotherhood oath with Lin Cheng on the spot.

As expected, Lin Cheng successfully obtained the token corresponding to his alchemist rank.

However, he was somewhat surprised.

"A High-Grade Alchemist?"

He had only just passed the assessment for the Low-Grade rank.

"Oh! It's only a matter of time. In a few days, I'm afraid you'll completely surpass us old fossils, so this just saves you the trouble of coming back later."

As he spoke, the elder looked genuinely regretful.

If it weren't for the fact that one had to go to the Alchemist Guild to obtain an official identity rank for a Yellow-tier Alchemist, he would have liked to hang a Yellow-tier badge on Lin Cheng right then and there.

A genius capable of refining pills with pill patterns becoming a Yellow-tier Alchemist was an absolute certainty.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Cheng didn't care about these things; if he hadn't needed them, he wouldn't have bothered coming to the Alchemy Hall at all.

As for the High-Grade Alchemist rank, it was no big deal. In terms of pure skill, he could even handle the title of a Heaven-tier Alchemist.

The issue of medicinal herbs was finally resolved.

Lin Cheng returned to the Library Pavilion, resuming his dull life of daily check-ins and increasing his strength.

Over a month passed, and during this time, Lin Cheng obtained quite a few good items from his check-ins.

He even received many high-grade pills, which delighted him.

Anything produced by the system was guaranteed to be of top quality.

The grade of the treasures obtained through check-ins generally increased along with his strength, so no matter the time, the items he received were always of the greatest use to him.

However, as time went on, Lin Cheng felt as if something had gone wrong.

"It's been a month already. Why haven't the herbs those old men promised arrived yet? They couldn't have gone back on their word, could they?"

They had promised that they could get him a large quantity of herbs within three days.

Lin Cheng hadn't expected that a whole month would pass without even a shadow of those herbs.

"Did they get lost, or do they not know I'm in the Library Pavilion? That shouldn't be; for elders of their stature, finding out such a small detail shouldn't be difficult."

Lin Cheng was utterly baffled.

Furthermore, Meng Tangtang, that little girl, hadn't been seen for a month either. Why hadn't she come to the Library Pavilion?

One had to remember that the girl was only at the Seventh-Grade realm.

Even with her innate constitution, she still had a long way to go before reaching the Eighth-Grade realm.

Usually, without Lin Cheng even having to ask, she would run to the Library Pavilion every few days to ask her master questions.

She was also able to keep Lin Cheng entertained.

But now, there hadn't been a single word from her for a month. What was going on?

Even if she were in seclusion or busy with something else, she would have at least sent word.

Having spent so much time with Meng Tangtang and having taken her as his disciple, Lin Cheng valued the girl quite highly.

For the past month, a faint cloud of worry had been hanging over his heart.

It felt as if something was about to happen.

"Something might really have gone wrong."

With that thought, Lin Cheng sprang up, and a rustic bamboo tube suddenly appeared on the table in front of him.

This was a treasure Lin Cheng had obtained from a previous check-in.

The bamboo tube was covered in the marks of time, mottled and worn, and contained bamboo slips that could be used to divine fortune.

He picked up the tube, intending to use this method to calculate Meng Tangtang's current state.

Swish!

A bamboo slip fell to the ground.

Great Ominous!

Lin Cheng started, his expression changing in an instant.

Meng Tangtang's situation was dire, which shouldn't be the case; he had left her with defensive measures, after all.

Even if she encountered a Xiantian expert, she should have been able to escape unscathed.

Could it be that she had run into a Foundation Establishment monster?

What kind of Foundation Establishment cultivator could harm Meng Tangtang right under his nose?

This was the Jingyun Sect, his territory. Usually, a casual sweep of his divine sense was enough to take in almost the entire sect.

Hm? She's not in the Jingyun Sect.

Lin Cheng's divine sense erupted, sweeping through the area. He found no sign of Meng Tangtang, and even the several Alchemist elders who had been there that day were nowhere to be found.

Lin Cheng was truly anxious now.

Stupid girl, where did you run off to without even telling me?

This was a huge problem!

Just then, a faint, barely audible voice reached Lin Cheng's ears.

"Xiao Jin, you stay here and keep watch. I'm going out for a bit!"

Meanwhile, at the main hall on the mountain peak.

The high-ranking members of the Jingyun Sect were gathered here. Everyone remained silent, making the atmosphere in the hall incredibly oppressive, as if a storm were brewing.

If an observant person looked closely, they would notice that many of the Jingyun Sect's high-ranking members were missing.

Aside from those at the front lines with the Sect Master resisting the invasion of foreign races, a large portion of the others had led many disciples down the mountain a while ago to quell the beast riots.

At this moment, the Jingyun Sect's remaining defensive strength was not even half of its prime.

"There is news."

The one presiding over the situation was none other than the chubby Elder Hao.

"The Young Sect Master has indeed gone to Beast Taming Mountain."

"And, Beast Taming Mountain... has a major problem!"

Elder Hao spoke solemnly.

The crowd below began to murmur.

"What exactly is going on? Beast Taming Mountain has some nerve, daring to detain our Young Sect Master for no reason!"

"A provocation! This is a blatant provocation! They are showing off their power to our Jingyun Sect!"

"Could Beast Taming Mountain be trying to start a war between our two sects? Are they insane? What benefit could they possibly gain from this?"

"I will take my men and slaughter our way to Beast Taming Mountain to rescue the Young Sect Master!"

"Absolutely not! This matter is not simple. Beast Taming Mountain has grand designs; acting rashly could lead to a grave mistake that we would regret forever."

"We can't do this, and we can't do that!"

"Tell me, what should we do then!?"

A few hot-tempered elders slammed their chairs down, stood up with murderous intent, and roared.

Elder Hao didn't say anything to oppose them.

Beast Taming Mountain had clearly come with ill intent, but the reason remained incomprehensible.

If they were planning to annex the Jingyun Sect...

One could only say they were severely underestimating the strength of the Jingyun Sect.

"Regardless, we must find a way to ensure the safety of the Young Sect Master and the others!" Elder Hao stated directly.

The remaining people nodded slightly, their faces equally grave.

Indeed, this time was different from the past.

Beast Taming Mountain had quietly detained the Young Sect Master and several accompanying elders without showing the slightest intention to negotiate. The nature of this act was vile.

Seeing the argument in the hall growing more intense, with some even showing signs of drawing their blades, Elder Hao quickly intervened.

"Everyone! Calm down. It is useless for us to shout until the heavens collapse."

"Just a moment ago, the Grand Elder and the others already headed to Beast Taming Mountain. I believe there will be results soon."

"She is a Xiantian expert. With her intervening, no matter how bold Beast Taming Mountain is, they wouldn't dare refuse to give her face!"

"We need only wait for the good news!"