Spots

The architectural layout of Dan Cliff's Upper City was actually quite simple. From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside were the residences of servants, retainers, and their families. After several hundred years of development, it had become a small town capable of self-sufficiency.

The main residence of Bai Ri Mansion was built down from the mountaintop, following the terrain. Many parts were precarious and not suitable for ordinary people to live in, but cultivators had no such problem. Yu Ci saw very clearly that this layout was not because the cultivators of Bai Ri Mansion were fond of masochistic asceticism, but rather because the builders had sealed the most valuable spiritual acupoints within the cliff face, incorporating them into the architecture to facilitate their cultivation.

Therefore, these precarious buildings became Yu Ci's favorite places to "visit." Because here, he could always find the important figures of the mansion, watch how they cultivated, and observe their various dealings, finding endless amusement in it.

But before that, he needed to ignore the ugly spot that was gradually forming in the Zhaoshen Map.

The spot appeared somewhere deep within Dan Cliff. Calling it a spot was an understatement; it was a blurry area about a li in radius. Within this area, the situation inside was not invisible, but rather distorted by some immense force, causing all light and images to be severely distorted and deformed, making it impossible to discern anything.

Seeing this scene, Yu Ci was not surprised at all, because similar emotions had been thoroughly dispelled by him two days prior. He knew very well what was hidden within this distorted light and shadow.

The old fellow was still cultivating in that blurry area, which was also the exclusive quiet room of Tu Du, the chief elder of Bai Ri Mansion.

Everyone in the mansion knew that this old monster, who was rumored to have lived for three hundred years, often went into seclusion for three to five years to extend his lifespan. Some servants in the mansion might never have seen him once in their lives, naturally listing this old monster as the most mysterious figure in the mansion. Various legends surrounding him never ceased, even spreading outside the mansion and becoming increasingly bizarre and strange.

The most powerful cultivator in Juebi City was, of course, Jin Huan, the master of Bai Ri Mansion, but the most mysterious cultivator was undoubtedly Tu Du, the chief elder of Bai Ri Mansion. This was the consensus among the residents of Juebi City.

However, for Yu Ci, the only thing required to see the mysterious chief elder was a little patience.

He waited for about a quarter of an hour, and the distorted light and shadow area began to move.

It started to ascend, its influence always confined to a radius of one li, with no intention of spreading to the surroundings. Its speed was also very fast; with a flash, it reached the ground, and with another flash, it was in the sky a hundred zhang high. At this moment, the full view of the quiet room was revealed. The furnishings inside were very simple. The only thing that caught the eye was the figure lying with closed eyes on the couch within the room.

This person was Tu Du.

No one would believe it if he said it, but the chief elder of Bai Ri Mansion was just such a withered, zombie-like old man on the verge of death. He was small in stature, and wearing a black robe made him look like he was covered by a quilt. If it weren't for the Zhaoshen Map's incredibly detailed depiction, Yu Ci might not have even seen his breathing.

After peeking for several days, Yu Ci believed that what was currently in the quiet room was merely a shell. The thing causing the distorted light and shadow should be the old monster's Yin God. This old monster was likely at the end of his lifespan, his physical body extremely weak, thus he had to constantly go into seclusion to recuperate, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances. His daily activities were simply replaced by his Yin God leaving his body.

It was through him that Yu Ci truly witnessed the appearance of a Yin God leaving its body, gaining much insight. There was nothing interesting to see in the quiet room, so Yu Ci shifted his attention to the sky. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through this layer of distorted light and shadow to see the details within.

This was the limitation of the Zhaoshen Map.

Through observation over the past few days, Yu Ci discovered that the Zhaoshen Map was subject to very strong interference when probing powerful experts like Tu Du, whose cultivation was astonishing, resulting in blurry images. This had been foreshadowed earlier. Some days ago, in Sky Rift Valley, the Zhaoshen Map's range of vision would shrink by more than 40% every night. Considering that night was the active period for terrifying raptors and fierce beasts, that was likely an even more severe situation of interference.

And this... was excellent!

This was definitely not self-consolation. Yu Ci was not afraid of such variables. On the contrary, if the Zhaoshen Map were truly unchanging, he would feel truly uneasy. Unchanging things lacked 'spirit,' and without 'spirit,' there was no possibility for further development. He now saw the Zhaoshen Map being limited, which also meant seeing the infinite possibilities contained within this limitation!

Only through change could he find the deeper secrets of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, and of course, this could also bring more stability to his inflated thoughts.

Yu Ci did not intend to waste time here. He temporarily let go of the spot in the sky, shifted his focus, and moved to another location. The Zhaoshen Map clearly showed that twenty zhang underground on the mountainside of Dan Cliff was a large alchemy room. Inside, a metal sphere about ten zhang in diameter was placed in the center of the room. The sphere was covered with intricate patterns, looking complex and beautiful, surrounded by a circle of steel brackets that fit its outer contour. The metal sphere was suspended within, slowly rotating and rolling, which was quite marvelous.

When Yu Ci came last time, he already knew this thing was called a "Water Pill Furnace," distinguishing it from ordinary pill furnaces that used fire for alchemy. Inside was the legendary 'medicinal' liquid in which Shrimp Whisker Grass was steeped.

The timing was perfect. The shop that bought Shrimp Whisker Grass had delivered today's only harvest, which was Yu Ci's more than a thousand stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass, to this place. After verification in the alchemy room, someone took the stone box, climbed the brackets, found the ingredient port of the Water Pill Furnace, and poured all the Shrimp Whisker Grass into it.

Nearby, eight 'alchemists' formed a circle, their expressions solemn. They began to form hand seals, activating the complex talisman formations on the pill furnace to stimulate the efficacy of the 'medicinal' liquid.

After days of reconnaissance, Yu Ci finally understood that Bai Ri Mansion also could not control the generation of Fish Dragon Grass. They could only use their unique 'medicinal' liquid to stimulate the vitality of the Shrimp Whisker Grass, like rolling dice and leaving it to chance, passively waiting for one or several stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass to "suddenly awaken," consuming the life force of other similar plants, and finally forming Fish Dragon Grass.

Therefore, Bai Ri Mansion needed a sufficient quantity of Shrimp Whisker Grass as a base to ensure enough possibilities for forming Fish Dragon Grass, but ultimately, it still depended on luck. It was said that last year the mansion was quite unlucky; out of nearly 300,000 stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass collected, only eight were successfully activated, falling short of the minimum standard of "ten stalks," resulting in them not obtaining the "Cold Jade Heart Cleansing Pill," which greatly displeased the mansion master, Jin Huan.

Exchange? That's right. This was the biggest gain Yu Ci had made from monitoring Bai Ri Mansion for several days. In the end, Bai Ri Mansion did not know the true purpose of Fish Dragon Grass. They produced Fish Dragon Grass only to send it somewhere to exchange with others. What they exchanged for was the 'Cold Jade Heart Cleansing Pill' that Yu Ci had heard of before.

From this perspective, the high and mighty cultivators of Bai Ri Mansion were no different from those 'herb' pickers whose lives were as insignificant as ants.

Regardless of these distinctions, just for today, Bai Ri Mansion was quite fortunate. Not long after the thousand-plus stalks of Shrimp Whisker Grass were put into the pill furnace, the 'medicinal' liquid inside suddenly began to bubble and churn. This was the reaction of a stalk of Shrimp Whisker Grass being activated and rapidly absorbing the life force of its peers. The 'alchemists' and servants outside were first surprised, then a commotion ensued. Immediately, some swift-footed servants rushed out to report the good news to the esteemed lords above.

For them, the formation of any Fish Dragon Grass was rare and precious, because luck was not in their hands; every success was a gift from heaven.

Yu Ci took a final glance at the Water Pill Furnace. The thin metal wall was as good as nonexistent in the Zhaoshen Map. Inside the Water Pill Furnace, the 'medicinal' liquid's temperature remained at its initial coolness, yet it seemed to boil and churn as if heated. Among the intertwined Shrimp Whisker Grass inside, three stalks were slowly expanding, quickly changing from hair-like thickness to the thickness of wheat stalks. Dense, fine scales were rapidly covering them, and the leaves writhed in the churning 'medicinal' liquid as if alive.

This was it!

With a slight shift of Yu Ci's thoughts, the Zhaoshen Map before his eyes once again shifted its light and shadow. Bai Ri Mansion naturally had rapid methods for transmitting news, but even so, it couldn't compare to the speed of his mental shift. Soon, he focused his attention on an independent courtyard beneath the peak of Dan Cliff's east side.

This was the residence of Lu Yang, the chief steward of Bai Ri Mansion. His position was second only to Jin Huan, the mansion master, and Tu Du, the grand elder, making him the undisputed third-in-command of the mansion. He was also responsible for all the daily affairs of the mansion, essentially the head butler of Bai Ri Mansion. Any matter would have to be reported to him first.

However, as soon as he shifted his attention, he saw Lu Yang hurrying out, giving instructions to his disciple. Yu Ci was slightly surprised. Bai Ri Mansion was indeed a dominant force; its news transmission alone was quite impressive. But soon, he realized it was a misunderstanding. The gatehouse of the small courtyard chimed, and a servant hurried over, kneeling on the ground. Judging by his mouth movements, he was clearly shouting, "Great joy, Master Lu, the Fish Dragon Grass has been formed!"

Lu Yang was short and stout, with a square face and thick lips. He looked quite imposing with his stern demeanor, but upon hearing the news, he was overjoyed. His face was no longer so serious, and he smiled at his disciple, saying, "Such good news right after the Mansion Master's return. Your matter has more hope... Don't get happy too soon. Focus on your diligent practice. I will test your progress when I return."

The disciple meekly agreed.

Jin Huan had returned? Yu Ci discerned this meaning from the mouth movements. He had known two days ago that Jin Huan had been away on business for months. In the past few days, he had met almost all the important figures in Bai Ri Mansion, except for the mansion master himself. He hadn't expected this person to return at such a opportune time.

Yu Ci had seen Core Formation cultivators before. For instance, he had served the twin immortals Zi Lei and Chi Yin closely for many years and was already accustomed to them. Upon arriving at Juebi City, he had also observed the reclusive old monster Tu Du through the Zhaoshen Map. However, the withered, dying appearance of that old man had somewhat disappointed him. So, what would this cultivator, who was said to be only one step away from the Void Stepping realm, look like?

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yu Ci raised his perspective, switching to a panoramic view of Bai Ri Mansion, searching for Jin Huan's trace.

He saw another "spot." It was similar to the situation affected by Tu Du's Yin God, but its range was nearly 50% larger. This "spot" slowly moved from the front courtyard to the central courtyard, finally stopping in the largest conference hall of the mansion. This caused the surrounding buildings to warp, forming a chaotic vortex of light and shadow that made one's eyes ache.

At this moment, Yu Ci clearly saw several stewards of Bai Ri Mansion, led by Lu Yang, converging from all directions and entering this area of distorted light and shadow.

Yu Ci thus confirmed that Jin Huan, the master of Bai Ri Mansion, must be at the center of the spot! Wasn't this the procedure for holding court after returning to the mansion?

Having understood this, Yu Ci stopped his useless efforts. He withdrew his focus from the vicinity of the conference hall, preparing to wander elsewhere. He planned to try and gather information after these Bai Ri Mansion high-ranking officials finished their meeting. However, at this moment, he saw someone emerge from the blurry light and shadow, walking hurriedly.