Summons Order

Liu Yuanchen left the Earthfire Chamber. After mooching a meal at the Elixir Hall, he departed Azure Pill Peak and returned to his cave abode.

He had faintly guessed the situation at the front lines. The sect had ordered all Alchemy Masters to refine pills at high intensity; clearly, it was already preparing for war.

The next day, Zheng Qian's request for credit from the hall master was approved.

The reward was quite valuable: a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill.

The Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill was a first-rank high-grade medicinal pill. Its primary use was to help Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators make breakthroughs.

On the market, one Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill was worth around two hundred Spirit Stones.

Before breaking through to the Sea of Qi Realm, the greatest hurdle was reaching the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer.

Many cultivators with poor talent fell at this hurdle.

Liu Yuanchen's Immortal Seed had only tested as C-grade mid-grade. His cultivation talent was considered somewhat below average.

Without an excellent cultivation method, breaking through to the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer was no simple matter.

Liu Yuanchen was delighted. On the surface, he had a great need for a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill.

For the hall master to reward him with one, he must have investigated him beforehand. It showed that he had begun to value him highly.

As long as the Azure Elixir Sect had not reached the end of the road with mountains exhausted and rivers spent, receiving the attention of the sect's upper ranks meant he would not risk becoming cannon fodder.

However, with the help of his cultivation method and Blessed Land, Liu Yuanchen had no difficulty breaking through to the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer.

With his current accumulation, he could make a breakthrough at any time. He had no need for a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill at all.

Yet selling the hall master's reward would not be appropriate either.

"This Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill should be saved for Father. His talent is poor, and he is already getting on in years.

"Breaking through to the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer will not be easy for him.

"With this Barrier-Breaking Pill, reaching the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer should not be a problem."

On the third day, Liu Yuanchen had just finished his alchemy assignment and returned to his cave abode when he found Liu Qingyuan waiting outside.

Liu Yuanchen quickly shut down the formation and invited him inside.

The two sat down in the cave abode. Liu Yuanchen asked, "Eighth Uncle, have you come to give me some instructions?"

Liu Qingyuan smiled. "What instructions could there be? I merely came by to take a look.

"By the way, how is your alchemy progressing?"

Liu Yuanchen smiled. "Not bad. I have been taking alchemy assignments these past two days. My success rate with Spirit-Awakening Pills is already close to sixty percent, and every batch produces one or two fine-grade pills."

Delight appeared on Liu Qingyuan's face. "In just over a year, your Alchemy Art has already surpassed every Alchemy Master in the Lineage.

"I heard that Steward Zheng's assessment of you was that you have the potential to become a Third-Rank Alchemy Master in the future.

"Moreover, Hall Master Zhang personally rewarded you with a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill.

"With you and Yuan Si in this generation of the Liu Family, our Lineage has truly reached the time to soar into the skies."

Liu Yuanchen thought to himself, So this was why an elder like you had nothing better to do than visit a junior.

It turns out you heard about Steward Zheng's evaluation and Hall Master Zhang's Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill, so you came to curry favor.

Just as well, I need information on Golden Ao Mountain. Now I can even save myself the time of asking around.

"Eighth Uncle flatters me. My talent is insufficient, and the chance of breaking through to the Condensed Origin Realm is exceedingly slim. The Lineage's rise will still depend on Second Brother.

"By the way, you are well informed. Do you know what the situation is like at Golden Ao Mountain?

"The alchemy assignments in the Elixir Hall are not light. An older steward said that before the sect went to war with the Demoncloud Sect more than a hundred years ago, the circumstances were similar to those now."

Worry showed on Liu Qingyuan's face. "It is about time for war. Our Liu Family has several elders in the sect with whom we are on good terms.

"These past few days, I have been using them to gather information about Golden Ao Mountain and the intentions of the upper ranks."

"You can already guess the upper ranks' intentions. They have begun preparing for war, so a battle is inevitable."

"The situation at the front lines has also grown increasingly dire. Sect intelligence shows that the Demoncloud Sect has begun recruiting unorthodox Rogue Cultivators.

"They are also building a city by Gray Goose Lake."

Gray Goose Lake lay in the buffer zone between the two sects, formed by several small streams converging.

The water volume was not great, and the lake only covered around ten square miles.

There was only one first-rank high-grade Spirit Vein nearby, and it was merely a small Spirit Vein, insufficient to support many cultivators.

There was a small market for Rogue Cultivators beside Gray Goose Lake. Though it was called a market, hardly anyone managed it, and there were no proper shops.

The Rogue Cultivators doing business there simply set up street stalls.

Gray Goose Lake could only sustain cultivators' basic survival. It had no notable products and offered no rich veins to squeeze for profit.

Moreover, Gray Goose Lake was close to Blackcloud Ridge, and demonic beasts from the mountains often ran over to wreak havoc.

Therefore, the Azure Elixir Sect had never intended to incorporate Gray Goose Lake into its sphere of influence.

But now that a Spirit Stone Vein had been discovered at Golden Ao Mountain, Gray Goose Lake had become far more important.

Gray Goose Lake lay southeast of Golden Ao Mountain, and the two places were only a little over a hundred miles apart.

The Demoncloud Sect was building a city there with an intention as obvious as daylight: it meant to use Gray Goose Lake as a forward base for attacking Golden Ao Mountain.

Though the Spirit Vein conditions around Gray Goose Lake were extremely poor, it was still a qualified source of water.

Most of the Red Wasteland was barren gravel desert. When the two sects went to war, they would need to consider more than Spirit Veins; food and drink had to be considered as well.

Food was easier to handle. The rear could refine huge quantities of Grain-Banishing Pills and transport them to the front.

A single Grain-Banishing Pill weighed only one qian. Even the worst storage bag could casually hold tens of thousands of them.

Water, however, was much harder to manage. Every person required several jin of water each day.

Transporting water across thousands of miles from the distant rear sounded unreliable no matter how one thought about it.

Rain-summoning spells could replenish water, of course, but they would also increase the expenditure of spiritual power.

The wilderness already lacked spiritual energy, and one needed Spirit Stones and medicinal pills to replenish spiritual power.

If the Demoncloud Sect occupied Gray Goose Lake, it would at least have no need to worry about water, greatly reducing its losses.

"The Demoncloud Sect's preparations before the war are nearly complete. It seems this battle cannot be avoided.

"Gray Goose Lake is so close. Has the upper echelon never considered destroying it completely before the Demoncloud Sect finishes building the city, then occupying Gray Goose Lake themselves?"

Liu Qingyuan sighed. "The Demoncloud Sect came prepared. Quite a few experts are stationed at Gray Goose Lake, and they have set up numerous temporary formations.

"The sect has sent people to launch forceful assaults many times, but the Demoncloud Sect has been throwing Spirit Stones around by the handful to maintain those formations.

"Not only did we fail to gain any advantage, we even suffered losses in both men and resources.

"They also dug many water cellars for storage. Even poisoning the water had no effect."

"The Demoncloud Sect is thoroughly prepared. It will be impossible to drive them back anytime soon.

"What follows will certainly be a protracted war. The sect's upper ranks are already discussing a summons order.

"As an affiliated force of the Azure Elixir Sect, our Liu Family will inevitably have to provide people.

"This time, the sect is defending Golden Ao Mountain, which will be shrouded in Black Mist at night.

"If Eerie Creatures make a move, the people participating in the war may suffer devastating losses.

"Once the war begins, many more clansmen will die."

At the mention of clansmen, Liu Yuanchen took the opportunity to probe indirectly.

"I am worried about Father as well. He is upright by nature. Once he takes to the battlefield, he may not be able to escape the danger of death."

Liu Qingyuan immediately understood what he meant. "Third Brother is currently responsible for opening up South Mountain and expanding the Spirit Fields. That concerns the foundation of the Lineage.

"At a time like this, how could they transfer Third Brother away?"

Hearing this, Liu Yuanchen was relieved.

This Eighth Uncle was also a member of the main branch and the Liu Family's spokesman within the Azure Elixir Sect.

What he said essentially represented the intentions of the family head and the grand elder.

"If that is the case, then I can rest easy.

"By the way, who falls within the scope of this summons?

"Second Brother and Ninth Brother are both in the Guard Hall. They will not be within the summons range, will they?"

Liu Qingyuan sighed. "There is no helping it. When there is no major war, the Guard Hall is the easiest place to be.

"Once war comes, however, the Guard Hall is also the most dangerous.

"Still, Yuan Si is a talented disciple and is valued by an elder, so he should not be summoned.

"But Yuan Qi is another matter. He is only an ordinary inner disciple of the Guard Hall, so he will certainly be included in the summons."

The two analyzed the current situation for a while. Then Liu Qingyuan left behind a Communication Jade Talisman and took his leave.

Liu Yuanchen continued refining pills and cultivating each day in an orderly manner, no longer worrying about the war.

Five days later, the sect officially issued the summons order.

The scope of the summons was not especially broad. It primarily targeted Guard Hall disciples, with the minimum requirement being Late Qi-Nourishing Stage cultivation.

Quite a few Sea of Qi Realm cultivators were mobilized as well. More than thirty percent of the elders in idle positions were reassigned.

It was clear that this war would rely primarily on elites rather than human-wave tactics.

The other halls responsible for the various immortal arts merely had their assignments increased, producing as many medicinal pills, magical artifacts, talismans, and the like as possible.

At the same time, rewards were announced to encourage the disciples to establish merit and careers.

The three Qi-Nourishing Realm disciples with the highest merits could each receive one set of auxiliary medicinal pills needed to break through to the Sea of Qi Realm.

Once the rewards were announced, the eyes of disciples from humble backgrounds turned red.

Many disciples who were not within the summons range also volunteered for battle.

Seeing the disciples' morale soaring, the upper ranks were naturally pleased.

As long as a disciple wished to join the war, they were all permitted to do so.

The Elixir Hall also increased its assignments. Seven batches of pills had to be refined each day.

The Early and middle Qi-Nourishing Stage Alchemy Masters were filled with bitter complaints.

Even Liu Yuanchen no longer dared to complete all his alchemy assignments in one burst as he had before.

He had to rest midway through and restore himself to his best condition.

As a result, his alchemy improved at a tremendous pace, and his success rate reached sixty percent.

Inside Chen Changshan's cave abode on Songyun Peak, Chen Changshan and Chen Zongming plotted in secret.

Chen Changshan's expression was dark. "The summons order has been issued, yet Liu Yuan Si's name is not on it.

"And that little loach, Liu Yuanchen, has become quite famous in the Elixir Hall.

"Almost every batch he refines produces one or two fine-grade pills.

"Hall Master Zhang has already noticed him and even personally rewarded him with a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill.

"Zongming, I have entrusted the matter of dealing with those two entirely to you. Has there been any progress?"

Chen Zongming looked as though victory was already in his grasp. "Rest assured, Third Uncle. I have already made all the necessary arrangements."

"I used my connections in the Guard Hall to provoke Liu Yuan Si a little.

"He has already been tempted and keeps shouting that he wants to go to Golden Ao Mountain. Even Liu Yuan Qi cannot stop him.

"Only after Liu Qingyuan personally made a trip over was he temporarily settled down.

"As long as we add another log to the fire, even Liu Qingyuan will not be able to restrain him.

"I have already figured out how to set that fire. Liu Yuan Si will not get away."

"As for Liu Yuanchen, that boy is too cautious, like an old turtle hiding in its shell.

"When he worked on Songyun Peak before, several clansmen watched him closely, yet they could only catch tiny mistakes and fine him a few Spirit Stones.

"No matter how they provoked him, he never made a move.

"Forcing him to go to Golden Ao Mountain is simply impossible."

"Now he is a disciple of the Elixir Hall and has already gained Hall Master Zhang's attention. We cannot use hard measures.

"There is no room to employ methods of borrowing strength to strike strength.

"Those elders who are friendly with us will not offend Hall Master Zhang on our behalf."

"Liu Yuanchen has no weakness to seize. Ordinary schemes will not have much effect.

"To deal with him, we must take a dangerous gamble.

"I already have a plan, but the risk is too great.

"Even if it succeeds, at least one clansman's prospects within the sect must be sacrificed.

"If it fails, the Chen Household may suffer enormous losses.

"I had intended to slowly seek an opportunity to deal with him, but he received a Lesser Barrier-Breaking Pill.

"Once he breaks through to the Seventh Qi-Nourishing Layer, his alchemy will improve somewhat, and his standing in Hall Master Zhang's eyes will rise with it.

"If we do not move against him now, I fear we will never have another opportunity."

Chen Changshan pondered for a moment. "Liu Yuanchen is no small threat. For the Chen Household's future, sacrificing one clansman is worthwhile.

"As long as it does not shake the Chen Household's foundation within the sect, it is not a problem."

The Chen Household's foundation within the sect referred to Chen Changshan himself and Chen Zongming.

As long as the two of them were unharmed, everyone else could be sacrificed.

Chen Zongming gave a cold laugh. "Since Third Uncle intends to stake everything on one throw, then I can guarantee that Liu Yuan Si will die without a doubt, while Liu Yuanchen will either die or be crippled."

On the third day after the summons order was issued, the summoned disciples were to head to Golden Ao Mountain for garrison duty.

At noon the following day, Liu Yuanchen received a message from Liu Qingyuan saying that Spring Breeze Tower would host a send-off feast for the clansmen joining the war.

This was also customary. Whenever a clansman set out for battle, cultivators of the same clan would hold a farewell feast.

The Liu Family had two outer disciples within the Azure Elixir Sect who had long since been stationed at Golden Ao Mountain.

The only main figure at this send-off was Liu Yuan Qi.

Liu Yuanchen did not delay and soon arrived before Spring Breeze Tower in Pill Creek Market.

Spring Breeze Tower was especially lively today. There were many disciples from prominent families within the Azure Elixir Sect.

When it came time to head to the battlefield, farewell wine was naturally indispensable.

When Liu Yuanchen entered the private room, Liu Qingyuan and Liu Yuan Qi had already arrived.

After greeting Liu Qingyuan respectfully, he patted Liu Yuan Qi on the shoulder. "Ninth Brother, be careful in all things on the battlefield."

Just then, a burst of clamor came from outside the door.

A somewhat grating voice rang out. "Isn't this that useless Liu Family brat who relies entirely on his Lineage for cultivation? I heard you want to go to the battlefield too?"

Someone else mocked, "What a joke. He's the Liu Family's precious darling—he can't afford so much as a bump.

If he so much as scrapes his skin, he'll run back to Dongyang Lake and cry."

Before the words had even faded, the room erupted in laughter.

Then a roar thundered out. "Shut your mouths! Chen Zongming, you spineless bastard—if you've got the guts, fight me!"

That grating voice sounded again. "I wouldn't dare. I still have to go back and tend the Spirit Fields to earn resources.

Unlike you, Young Master Liu, whose every need is paid for by the Lineage.

As a Guard Hall disciple, you don't even have to go to the battlefield."

The other man spoke again. "I heard Elder Mo stepped in and protected him.

Young Master Liu truly has a blessed life! He was a precious darling in the Lineage from childhood, and the moment he left it, he started living off others. A miserable fellow like me can't compare."

That roaring voice rang out again. "I'll go to Golden Ao Mountain and kill enemies! Once I earn the pill to break through to the Sea of Qi Realm, I'll make you kneel before me and admit your mistakes!"

Chen Zongming sneered. "If you truly have that ability, forget kneeling—I'd give you three kneels and nine kowtows. But can you do it?"

Hearing the argument outside the private room, Liu Yuanchen knew Liu Yuansi was being mocked.

That fellow was rash by nature and proud as a peacock; he could not stand being provoked.

Hearing Chen Zongming's words, Liu Yuansi's eyes turned bloodshot.

He drew his longsword and raised his hand, about to slash at Chen Zongming.