Source Crystal's Change

Yang Yi naturally had no idea he had inadvertently offended Shen Qian. When Tie Shan delivered the one hundred and sixty bottles of Myriad-Treasure Dew, he had just completed a circulation cycle.

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

He did not even look to see who had delivered the Myriad-Treasure Dew. Mainly, he had never expected it to be Tie Shan; otherwise, he would have thanked him no matter what.

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 black as iron. When they met face-to-face, 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 Myriad-Treasure Dew for?" Qiao Yaoyao asked.

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

"Forget about him." Qiao Yaoyao was not that curious. In the end, the Myriad-Treasure Dew all belonged to Yang Yi anyway. How he used it was his own business, so long as he did not harm the Qiao Household's interests. "What do you think about Clearwind City?"

Tie Shan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Twenty years ago, Clearwind City could still be considered under the Qiao Household's rule. It was the old matriarch's homeland. The old master probably dearly wished to reclaim it. I heard that the old master and old matriarch lived in Clearwind City for several years."

"Yes, Grandfather definitely wants to take back Clearwind City." Qiao Yaoyao nodded. "That is why my Second Uncle Qiao has handed me such a difficult problem."

Clearwind City had previously undergone upheaval, and several great lineages had fought fiercely. The Shen Lineage suffered a crushing defeat. That was also why Shen Qian, as the head of a lineage, had come to the Qiao Household to serve as an Attendant.

He wanted to borrow the Qiao Household's strength to strike back. In this world, only the Qiao Household could lend him such power.

Precisely because he had such a need, Second Uncle Qiao could recruit him so easily. Otherwise, why would a man like Shen Qian willingly place himself beneath another? He was, after all, a Mistblood Realm cultivator, and the Shen Lineage possessed considerable foundations. Aside from him, there had originally been another Mistblood Realm expert in the lineage.

The Qiao Household had originally had no way to interfere in Clearwind City. Forcing the issue would only stir up enormous trouble. But now that Shen Qian had joined the Qiao Household, the Qiao Household had a just cause to act.

So long as the Qiao Household was willing to make a move, avenging Shen Qian would be no difficult matter. As for whether they could reclaim Clearwind City, that depended on the specific plan.

That was the crux of it.

Shen Qian had been recruited by Second Uncle Qiao. If this matter succeeded, most of the credit would go to Second Uncle Qiao. But if it failed, Qiao Yaoyao, as acting head of the household, would find it hard to escape blame.

This was an open stratagem.

Since they were going after Clearwind City, Shen Qian naturally had to act, and he was extremely important to the matter—one could say he was indispensable. That was why, after offering a large sum of silver, he had obtained a chance to enter the Yin-Yang Pool.

He intended to raise his strength a little in the Yin-Yang Pool before then.

Second Uncle Qiao was leading this matter. From his standpoint, he naturally hoped to reclaim Clearwind City, so he had given Shen Qian great support.

"Clearwind City must be taken. The key lies in manpower." Qiao Yaoyao's eyes flickered. The Qiao Household was indeed vast and powerful, with many Attendants in the lineage. But precisely because it was so vast, their people were spread out everywhere. There were not many who could be mobilized right now.

"Tie Shan, why don't you personally make a move?" Qiao Yaoyao looked at Tie Shan.

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

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

Lü E was another guard at her side. Unlike Tie Shan, who never left her even for a step, Lü E often handled outside affairs.

When they had gone to Yang Family Hollow to gather information last time, it had been Lü E who went.

But she had been dispatched elsewhere these past few days on some matter.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

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

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

With every cultivation session, he could clearly feel his qi and blood improving. This sort of growth was visible to the naked eye.

On the stone platform, he was urging Golden Light to repair himself while also borrowing the Source Crystal to mobilize the power of creation and restore his spirit.

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

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

He hurriedly inspected Golden Light.

Golden Light was still Golden Light, and the Source Crystal was still the Source Crystal. Nothing had changed.

What had that sound been?

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

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

There was... one more crack on the Source Crystal!

From the time Yue Jian had left until now, Golden Light had already repaired two cracks in the Source Crystal, while the third was still being repaired. 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. Golden Light had originally been repairing it well. Though the speed was slow, there had always been hope ahead.

Why had it cracked again now?

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

Golden Light definitely possessed the ability to repair it; the previous changes in the Source Crystal were proof enough.

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 brief deduction, Yang Yi had a suspicion—the Source Crystal bore a certain burden whenever he used it to mobilize the power of creation!

The Source Crystal was already riddled with cracks. If Golden Light had not wrapped around it, it would have shattered long ago. Thus, even if the burden was slight, after accumulating over several days, it had produced a tangible outward effect.

If that was truly the case, then it would not affect him too greatly. At most, it would delay the time before the Source Crystal was fully restored. So long as this thing did not shatter completely, it would be fine.

With that thought, Yang Yi steadied his mind.

He had cultivated here for so long, and the Source Crystal had only gained one additional crack. By the time he left the Yin-Yang Pool, at most it would gain only one more.

It 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 bag, he could devote himself entirely to unleashing Golden Light's power to repair the Source Crystal. By then, the efficiency would surely rise greatly.

He had formed this repair plan the moment he realized Golden Light's function. But for now, he first had to improve his qi and blood. Otherwise, even if he repaired only the Source Crystal, if he still could not open the cloth bag, it would be utterly meaningless.

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 borrow the Source Crystal's power, he avoided doing so as much as possible. Even when he did use it, he was exceptionally careful.