Shen Shuyun

Star-Augury Grass?

Lu Xuan's brows furrowed slightly at the words.

As its name implied, Star-Augury Grass was a spiritual herb that contained star power and excelled at divination.

It was a restricted spiritual material of the Heaven-Gazing Sect, for its true ability did not lie in divination, but in communicating with the Cosmic Stars and Moon.

The Cosmic Stars and Moon was the hardest of the Heaven-Gazing Sect's Sixfold True Qi to gather. Anyone gathering this qi invariably needed the aid of this herb to cultivate.

Though Lu Xuan had been an inner sect disciple for some time, he had never seen it. As far as he knew, only those with Cosmic Stars-and-Moon True Qi could obtain it from the sect, unless they had some other means.

Strictly speaking, this herb was even more precious than Bright-Jade Grass.

"Help her refine pills? What kind of pill is it?"

Setting the matter of the herb aside for the moment, Lu Xuan asked Zhang Xuange.

"Apparently, it is a Star-Moon Pill. It requires drawing star power into the furnace to form the pill."

"She knows our sect possesses Sixfold True Qi, hence this request."

Zhang Xuange answered.

"Draw star power into the furnace?" Lu Xuan shook his head slightly. "The Cosmic Stars and Moon True Qi is exceedingly difficult to gather. I cannot make this pill. Junior Brother, do you have any leads on Star-Augury Grass?"

Zhang Xuange shook his head as well. "This herb is extremely precious even to our sect. I have never seen it myself. Even if I had, trading it for a stalk of Bright-Jade Grass would not be worth it."

"From what Junior Sister Si meant, that Qi Refining cultivator from the Crimson Cloud Sect does not truly wish to exchange it for Star-Augury Grass. She merely raised the price, hoping to hire a Qi Refining cultivator who gathers the Cosmic Stars and Moon to assist her in pill refinement."

"I also looked into this for you, Senior Brother. Among this year's fellow disciples, there are indeed people who gather this qi, but only two, and both have gone to the Northern Dipper Office. The place where that office teaches is a wondrous hidden realm; I fear they cannot be invited out anytime soon."

"As for senior brothers from the previous class, there is also one who gathers Cosmic Cycle True Qi, but it is said that he has already reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and left for the Foundation Establishment Grand Rite."

Zhang Xuange handled matters steadily and had investigated everything in great detail, but at the same time, he had sealed off this second path.

"One stalk of Bright-Jade Grass is this hard to obtain?"

Lu Xuan's brows drew together again.

Bright-Jade Grass contained Sun Essence, could nourish demon bones, and awaken alchemical insight. It was thus a restricted spiritual material of the Crimson Cloud Sect, but at the end of the day, it was merely a second-rank spiritual herb. It should not have been so difficult to acquire.

"It is said that in the past two years, the Crimson Cloud Sect has developed a new pill called the Quiet-Qi Soul Pill. It can eliminate some of the mixed qi and stray souls produced by devouring another person's qi nature. This herb happens to be one of its important secondary ingredients, so demand has outstripped supply, and it is rarely seen outside."

Zhang Xuange relayed the information he had gathered.

"Devouring another person's qi nature..."

Lu Xuan's gaze sharpened at once.

Mountain-Lifting Prefecture was far from peaceful. The cultivation methods of many outside sects and barbarian shaman lineages were exceedingly strange and treacherous, and quite a few could devour another person's qi nature. Yet such methods were generally low or middling-grade techniques, forced and overbearing, with severe drawbacks.

He had not expected the Crimson Cloud Sect to develop such a "wonderful pill," one that could cleanse qi and rectify the soul.

No wonder this herb was so rarely seen.

"Is the Crimson Cloud Sect close to the barbarian shaman heterodox paths?"

Lu Xuan asked again.

"The Crimson Cloud Sect reveres pills and crimson clouds. So long as the pills can be sold, they generally do not care."

"Or perhaps they sell them to other sects, only for them to change hands and end up among the barbarian shaman heterodox paths. No one can say for certain."

Zhang Xuange shook his head and sighed softly.

It truly was a muddled account. Lu Xuan could not interfere with the Crimson Cloud Sect's way of conducting itself, so he turned his thoughts back to Bright-Jade Grass and asked Zhang Xuange:

"Junior Brother did not come to tell me today that there was no hope of obtaining the herb. What other method is there? Please tell me quickly."

Zhang Xuange smiled. "I have made inquiries in many places for you, Senior Brother. Star-Augury Grass and Cosmic Stars and Moon True Qi will be difficult to find, but... the leader among those Crimson Cloud Sect Qi Refining disciples is a female cultivator. I think that if Senior Brother goes in person, there may yet be a turn for the better."

A female cultivator?

Lu Xuan pondered inwardly at once.

If she was a female cultivator, his going personally might indeed give the matter a few more chances of turning around. But trying to win her over with his face alone would not be easy.

"Can I put it on credit? Owe it for now?"

Lu Xuan asked.

Lu Xuan had tried this method several times and found it quite useful.

So long as it worked, he could draw the "payment" in advance, strengthen himself, and repay the debt in the future.

"I do not know about that. Senior Brother can try for yourself."

"However, from what Junior Sister Si said, the turning point may still lie in 'pill refinement.' If Senior Brother truly wishes to obtain this herb, you may pay her a visit. I will have Junior Sister Si contact her."

Zhang Xuange said.

"Then I will have to trouble Junior Brother and Junior Sister Si."

After pondering for a moment, Lu Xuan agreed to it.

Speaking face-to-face would indeed be more appropriate.

Heaven-Gazing Sect, Alchemy Office, Honored Guest Hall.

Beside an alchemy furnace surging with earthfire, three figures stood gathered together.

"Senior Sister Shen, your Yang-Origin Pills have pure auras and perfectly rounded pill bodies. They are truly top-grade, far superior even to the products of our Alchemy Office."

Looking at the three crimson pills lying quietly in the furnace, Si Chuxian could not help praising the female cultivator in the middle.

The female cultivator wore a plain-colored robe like drifting green mist, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes in particular were exquisite—classic phoenix eyes, their corners tilted slightly upward, their lines graceful and flowing. Whenever her beautiful gaze shifted, it possessed a soul-stirring allure.

Even though Si Chuxian was also a female cultivator, her gaze kept falling upon this woman from time to time.

Not to mention the young man beside them, whose eyes had never left her.

Shen Shuyun had long grown accustomed to it. She merely smiled faintly and answered Si Chuxian's praise. "Junior Sister Si, you flatter me. I was merely fortunate enough to complete the pill. Compared with your esteemed sect's pills, mine still lack much refinement."

Si Chuxian shook her head. "Senior Sister Shen is too modest. In only three days, you have already mastered the refining method for Yang-Origin Pills. Such talent is unmatched. This junior sister is ashamed to compare."

"To put it plainly, it is still because your esteemed sect teaches so well. Only because the principles behind the pill formula were explained so thoroughly could I achieve success in mere days."

"My pill is complete. Next, it should be Junior Sister's turn. Let me observe Junior Sister's marvelous pill-refining art!"

After exchanging a few polite remarks, Shen Shuyun stepped aside and yielded her place at the furnace.

The Crimson Cloud Sect's exchange with the Heaven-Gazing Sect regarding alchemical principles was customary. Thus, they shared pill formulas with each other and allowed their disciples to exchange insights freely.

She had obtained the Heaven-Gazing Sect's formula for the Yang-Origin Pill, along with Si Chuxian's guidance, and had successfully refined the pill. Now it was time for her to guide Si Chuxian in refining the Crimson Cloud Sect's Two-Heart Pill.

Whoosh!

Just then, two streams of Cloud Qi streaked past outside the Honored Guest Hall—one icy blue, the other brilliant as sunlight.

Si Chuxian's eyes lit up. She immediately halted her pill refining and said to Shen Shuyun, "Senior Sister Shen, Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Brother Lu have arrived."

Shen Shuyun raised her head to look and was immediately taken aback.

Even with her cool disposition, her heart could not help beating a little faster, and her gaze lingered for a moment.

Within the Heavenly Light beyond the hall, a young man with an upright bearing, towering like a lone pine amid crags, slowly approached.

His brow bones stood high and sharp, his eyes like cold stars. His bearing was limpid and clear; he looked like a jade mountain walking through mist and haze.

Si Chuxian had not told her which of the two was Senior Brother Zhang and which was Senior Brother Lu.

Yet she recognized him at a glance.

For Si Chuxian had said that her Senior Brother Lu Xuan possessed Heaven-Given Bearing, with an innate splendor to his aura, like an Immortal of Mount Gushe riding the wind into the world.

She had thought it mere exaggeration. Now, it seemed the truth surpassed even the tale...