Source Crystal's Change

Yang Yi naturally had no idea that he had inadvertently offended Shen Qian. When Tie Shan delivered the one hundred and sixty bottles of Hundred Treasures Dew, Yang Yi had just completed one circulation of his cultivation.

He opened the hidden compartment, took out the bundle, closed the compartment, leaped onto the stone platform, and began recovering himself.

He had not even looked to see who had delivered the Hundred Treasures Dew. Mainly, he had never expected it to be Tie Shan; otherwise, he would at least have offered his thanks.

There were only ten days to cultivate in the Yin-Yang Pool. Right now, he was racing against every second—how could he bear to waste any time?

Xiude Hall.

When Tie Shan returned, he happened to see Shen Qian walking out with a face as dark as iron. When their eyes met, Shen Qian merely gave a slight cupped-fist salute, too lazy even to speak.

"Was it delivered?" Inside the hall, Qiao Yaoyao rubbed her forehead.

"It was," Tie Shan replied.

"Did he say what he needed so much Hundred Treasures Dew for?" Qiao Yaoyao asked.

"I didn't have time to ask..." Tie Shan said awkwardly. He truly had not had the chance. He could have asked after Yang Yi closed the hidden compartment, but Yang Yi was cultivating—how could he disturb him?

"Forget about him." Qiao Yaoyao was not that curious. In the end, that Hundred Treasures Dew belonged to Yang Yi himself. How he used it was his own business, so long as it did not harm the Qiao family's interests. "What do you think about Qingfeng City's situation?"

Tie Shan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Twenty years ago, Qingfeng City could still be considered under the Qiao family's rule. It was the old mistress's homeland. The old master must want very much to take it back. I heard that the old master and old mistress lived in Qingfeng City for several years."

"Yes, Grandfather definitely wants to take Qingfeng City back." Qiao Yaoyao nodded. "Which is why my Second Uncle has given me a difficult problem."

Qingfeng City had undergone upheaval before. Several great families had fought it out, and the Shen family had suffered a crushing defeat. That was also why Shen Qian, as the head of a family, had come to the Qiao Household to serve as an Attendant.

He wanted to borrow the Qiao family's strength to fight his way back. In this world, only the Qiao family could lend him such power.

Because he had such a need, Qiao Yaoyao's Second Uncle had been able to recruit him so easily. Otherwise, how could a man like Shen Qian so readily bow beneath another? He was, after all, a Lanblood Realm expert, and the Shen family had deep foundations. Aside from him, there had originally been another Lanblood Realm expert in the clan.

The Qiao family had originally had no way to interfere in Qingfeng City. Forcing their hand into it would only stir up enormous trouble. But now that Shen Qian had joined the Qiao Household, the Qiao family had a legitimate reason to act.

As long as the Qiao family was willing to intervene, avenging Shen Qian would be no difficult matter. As for whether they could reclaim Qingfeng City, that would depend on the specific plan.

That was the crux of it.

Shen Qian had been recruited by Qiao Yaoyao's Second Uncle. If this succeeded, most of the credit would go to her Second Uncle. But if it failed, Qiao Yaoyao, as acting head of the family, would be unable to escape responsibility.

This was an open scheme.

Since they were targeting Qingfeng City, Shen Qian naturally had to take action. Moreover, he was crucial to this matter—one could say he was indispensable. That was precisely why, after offering up a great sum of silver, he had obtained a chance to enter the Yin-Yang Pool.

He had hoped to use that time to raise his strength a little in the Yin-Yang Pool beforehand.

This matter was led by Qiao Yaoyao's Second Uncle. From his standpoint, he naturally hoped to reclaim Qingfeng City, so he had given Shen Qian tremendous support.

"Qingfeng City must be taken. The key lies in manpower." Qiao Yaoyao's eyes flickered. The Qiao family was indeed vast and powerful, with many Attendants in the clan, but precisely because it was so large, their people were spread far and wide. There were not many whom they could mobilize right now.

"Tie Shan, how about you take action personally?" Qiao Yaoyao looked at Tie Shan.

Tie Shan, who had always obeyed Qiao Yaoyao's every command, refused decisively. "The old master instructed that I cannot leave your side." A brief departure like earlier was one thing, but going to Qingfeng City was absolutely out of the question.

"Then we can only call Lü'e back." Qiao Yaoyao sighed softly.

Lü'e was another of her guards. Unlike Tie Shan, who never left her side, Lü'e often handled matters outside.

When they had gone to Yang Family Hollow to gather information last time, it had been Lü'e who acted.

But she had been sent away on business these past few days.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Within the Yin-Yang Pool, Yang Yi was so delighted that he forgot to go home.

He had gone several days without sleep or rest, yet his spirits were extraordinarily high. He felt no fatigue at all.

With every round of cultivation, he could clearly feel his qi and blood growing stronger. This growth was visible to the naked eye.

On the stone platform, he was urging the golden light to mend his body while also using the Source Crystal to draw upon the power of creation and restore his spirit.

"Crack..." The sudden sound made Yang Yi freeze.

He immediately realized that the sound had not come from outside, but from within his own mind.

He hurriedly inspected the golden light.

The golden light was still the same golden light, and the Source Crystal was still the same Source Crystal. Nothing had changed.

What had that sound been?

Wait... Yang Yi suddenly scrutinized the Source Crystal carefully and counted the cracks along its surface.

A moment later, Yang Yi understood where the sound had come from.

There was... an extra crack on the Source Crystal!

Ever since Yuejian had left, the golden light had repaired two cracks on the Source Crystal. The third was still being mended, yet today, another crack had appeared.

What was going on?

Whether the Source Crystal could be restored intact concerned his true cultivation in the future. The golden light had originally been repairing it steadily. Though the speed was slow, there was always hope ahead.

Why had it cracked again now?

For a moment, Yang Yi felt that what had shattered was not the Source Crystal, but his longing and hope for the future.

The golden light certainly possessed the power to repair it—the previous changes in the Source Crystal were clear proof.

But the Source Crystal had been fine for so many days. Why had another crack appeared, causing the repair progress to retreat instead of advance?

After only a little deduction, Yang Yi came up with a possibility—using the Source Crystal to draw upon the power of creation placed a certain burden on the Source Crystal itself!

The Source Crystal was already covered in cracks. If not for the golden light wrapping around it, it would have shattered long ago. Thus, even if the burden was slight, after accumulating over several days, it had finally manifested outwardly.

If that was truly the case, it would not affect him too greatly. At most, it would delay the time needed for the Source Crystal to become whole. So long as the thing did not shatter completely, it was fine.

With that thought, Yang Yi settled his mind.

He had cultivated here for so long, yet the Source Crystal had only gained one additional crack. Even counting everything, by the time he left the Yin-Yang Pool, there would only be one more.

That was equivalent to the Source Crystal receiving no repairs these past few days.

Compared to the benefits he could gain from the Yin-Yang Pool, such a price was not unacceptable.

Indeed, if one day he could open that cloth pouch, he could devote himself fully to unleashing the golden light's power to repair the Source Crystal. When that time came, the efficiency would surely rise greatly.

He had formed this repair plan when he realized the golden light's function. But right now, his first priority was to strengthen his qi and blood. Otherwise, even if he only repaired the Source Crystal, it would be meaningless if he still could not open the cloth pouch.

Having basically determined where the problem lay, Yang Yi kept a close watch on the Source Crystal's changes throughout his subsequent cultivation.

Whenever he did not need to rely on the Source Crystal, he avoided doing so as much as possible. Even when he did use it, he was exceedingly cautious.