Fished Out

He really deserved to die.

Bian Chunchou grew increasingly anxious. Seeing him, the others assumed he had no hope of passing the preliminary test, so he had deliberately placed himself at the very end. By the time everyone ahead had handed in their jade boxes, Bian Chunchou had already made up his mind.

The Fragrant Elixir King Grass was indeed precious, but he would never do something that went against his conscience. Even if it won him entry into Yonglu Mountain, he would not be happy about it.

"You're saying you picked a Fragrant Elixir King Grass?"

The Yonglu Mountain inner disciple collecting the jade boxes jerked so hard that he nearly failed to hold it steady. "You... wait here. I'll go summon an elder."

The elder presiding over the preliminary recruitment was surnamed Zhan. He did not look particularly young, and his features carried a touch of bitterness, but his temperament was exceptionally good. That was why he had taken on the task of recruiting new disciples. "Bring me the jade box. Let me have a look."

Elder Zhan happened to come from Pill Peak. Though the Fragrant Elixir King Grass looked no different from the Pill-Fragrance Herb, their medicinal properties were worlds apart. A small scraping was enough to verify its authenticity.

"It really is Fragrant Elixir King Grass! Who picked it? This child must enter my Pill Peak!"

Elder Zhan soon met the examinee Bian Chunchou. He struggled to arrange a somewhat stiff enthusiasm on his face, but before he could speak, the examinee named Bian Chunchou said, "Greetings, Elder. To be honest, I was not the one who found this Fragrant Elixir King Grass."

"What? You stole it? Well, as long as you didn't murder someone and seize their treasure, being able to snatch it is still your skill." The warmth on Elder Zhan's face visibly cooled.

Bian Chunchou: ...That elder's expression was rather frightening. Could he be from the Discipline Hall?

But for the sake of his new friend, he still spoke. "Not that either. This is what happened..."

Bian Chunchou had thought his words would be difficult for anyone to believe, but Elder Zhan believed him at once. He even said, "This year, someone actually wandered into the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm again."

Bian Chunchou: ...Was it because I had seen too little of the world?

"Alright, go out and wait for the results first. If there is still someone inside the secret realm, I will have someone bring him out."

After saying this, Elder Zhan waited until the Bian-surnamed examinee left reluctantly, then turned and rushed into the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm. Charge! Whether Pill Peak could recruit a new genius this year depended on him!

Fished Out

Wen Xu had not expected that the instant the Fragrant Elixir King Grass was picked, all the Pill-Fragrance Herbs on the surrounding mountainsides would wither within the span of a breath, as though their sole purpose had been to nurture the King Grass to maturity.

He could not describe what he felt, but in the next instant, everyone—including Bian Chunchou beside him—vanished from where they stood. Across the mountains and fields, only he remained.

Wen Xu lay on his back amid the withered fragments of Pill-Fragrance Herbs. The rich scent of grass and wood beneath his nose gradually faded. Would Benefactor Bian come rescue him?

Wen Xu remained very calm. After all, if one entrusted one's life and death to someone else, one had to be prepared to be chosen or abandoned. He had always understood that.

Thus, when Elder Zhan hurried anxiously to Pill-Fragrance Slope in the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm, what he saw was a young man with gray-black cloth wrapped over his eyes, seemingly already asleep.

Of course, with Elder Zhan's high-stage Golden Core cultivation, probing an ordinary mortal was as easy as turning over one's hand. Yet what startled him was that this youth had already opened his Qi Sea and stepped into Qi Refining. No wonder he had been able to find the Fragrant Elixir King Grass.

His delight only grew, so he deliberately made his footsteps heavier, allowing the brat on the ground, pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, to notice his arrival.

In the next moment, just as he expected, the brat on the ground sat up, wariness on his face. "Who is it?"

Had Bian Chunchou returned? Wen Xu felt a little happy. Just as he was about to part his eyes slightly to confirm, he heard a somewhat deep voice. This was definitely not the voice of a young man.

"Are you Wen Xu?"

Seeing the youth nod, Elder Zhan tried his best to soften his expression. "Little friend, do not be afraid. I already know all about what you have experienced. Please follow me out of the secret realm first, and then we can make further plans. How does that sound?" First bring him back; persuading him to take a master afterward would be as easy as plucking something from one's pocket.

So this was the helper Bian Chunchou had found? Someone from Yonglu Mountain, the owners of this place?

Joy appeared on Wen Xu's face as he immediately asked, "Did Brother Bian ask you to come find me?"

Elder Zhan tried to recall. Mm, that brat should indeed have had that surname. "That's right. He submitted the Fragrant Elixir King Grass and mentioned your existence. He also said that you were the one who found the King Grass, and begged me to bring you out of the Cloud-Breaking Secret Realm."

Benefactor truly had a kind heart. Wen Xu could not help rubbing his fingers together. Then he brushed the grass fragments from himself and respectfully performed a mortal's greeting. "Thank you for making the trip especially for me."

"It is nothing. Your eyes..." Only now did Elder Zhan notice this.

"It is no matter. I simply cannot see."

He had opened his Qi Sea but still could not see? Elder Zhan found it strange, but did not dwell on it. Pill Peak lacked no miraculous pills or wondrous medicines; treating a pair of eyes was naturally no difficult matter. "I see. Stand firm. I will take you out."

Wen Xu only felt dizzy for an instant. In the next moment, he sensed the soft earth beneath his feet turn into hard stone slabs. He uncomfortably stepped back, but having experienced secret-realm transportation for the first time, his sense of balance was not as good as he had imagined. If someone had not steadied him, he would have fallen to the ground in a sorry heap.

"Thank you. I can stand steadily now."

Elder Zhan took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring and handed it over. "You have only just opened your Qi Sea and do not yet know how to circulate your qi through the heavenly cycle. These Qi-Replenishing Pills can help regulate the Qi Sea within your body."

Qi-Replenishing Pills—another completely unfamiliar term.

Wen Xu did not put on airs. Though he did not enjoy dealing with people, he had his own way of conducting himself. This elder clearly thought rather highly of him. Though he did not know where that favor came from, a clever junior should not refuse an elder's goodwill. "May I accept them?"

"Of course. Once you have spent longer in the cultivation world, you will learn that these Qi-Replenishing Pills are not worth more than a few spirit stones. Take them."

Wen Xu happily accepted the pills. After all, he was penniless right now. If someone was willing to give them to him, there was no reason for him to refuse.