Kaiyang Peak, Cangyan Terrace the back mountain.
Cangyan Terrace is located below the cliff on the back mountain, covering an area of over a hundred zhang, and is like a platform carved out of a huge rock.
There is a cave near the cliff on the platform, with some stone benches, stone tables and stone beds inside.
There are no passageways leading up or down the mountain; the only way to get in and out is by leaping and flying along the near-vertical mountain walls.
Cangyan Terrace is the place where the Kaiyang Lineage cultivates in asceticism, and in recent years it has been occupied by the True Disciple Candidate, the Shui Wushang.
The entire Kaiyang Lineage praised Shui Wushang's Shui Wushang practices, believing that his ability to remain at Cangyan Terrace for years on end demonstrated his exceptional perseverance and determination, and that he was destined for great achievements.
Shui Wushang didn't care about these compliments. She genuinely loved Cangyan Terrace, where the view was expansive, offering views of the stars above and the mountains below.
Living in the cave was very uncomfortable, but it isolated her from all worldly affairs, allowing her to concentrate on practicing martial arts.
In the afternoon, as the sun began to set in the west, some sunlight could be seen at Cangyan Terrace.
Shui Wushang would sunbathe at this time, which was also the most relaxing time for her.
"Senior Sister Shui, I'm here." Shui Wushang was enjoying the warm sunshine with her eyes closed when she suddenly heard someone calling her from above.
The voice was soft and sweet; it belonged to her best friend Su Wuyi.
Without Shui Wushang sound from Shui Wushang, Su Wuyi jumped down from above. Just before landing on the stone platform, she flicked her sleeve, channeling her True Qi to neutralize the force of her fall. She floated down to Shui Wushang's side as easily as a feather.
Shui Wushang remained seated with his eyes closed, saying nothing.
Su Wuyi was very used to this. She took out a small bamboo chair from the Five Spirit Pouch without any hesitation and sat down next to Shui Wushang.
She glanced at the setting sun and exclaimed, "This sun is so warm!"
Seeing that Shui Wushang still didn't speak, Su Wuyi glanced at her good friend, who was still wearing the same black Daoist robe, a crescent crown on her head, and a sword at her waist.
The black Daoist robe had many gray stains, indicating it hadn't been changed for some time.
" Medicine Master, please say hello to Senior Sister Shui." Su Wuyi took out a small yellow-haired monkey from her sleeve and handed it to Shui Wuyou.
The yellow-haired monkey was very intelligent; it squeaked twice and bowed and clasped its hands in a gesture of respect, just like a human.
Shui Wuyou opened her eyes and glanced at the little monkey. Although she was deep and cold, she still liked this little monkey.
She reached out and gently patted the little monkey's head, a rare smile appearing on her usually serene face. " The Medicine Master's injuries have healed; no wonder you're so happy."
Su Wuyi stared at Shui Wushang's grayish-white pupils, and said with some concern, "The changes in your eyes are becoming more and more severe."
Generally speaking, a person's pupils only turn grayish-white when they lose their sight. Although Shui Wushang has not lost his sight, and his grayish-white eyes even look rather strange, it is ultimately inappropriate.
" The Big Dipper Heavenly Mandate Method is like this: the stronger one's cultivation, the more obvious the extraordinary phenomena manifested in the body."
Shui Wushang said calmly, "Once I complete the Greater Celestial Circuit of Qi through my Jade Pillow, even if I go blind, it won't matter at all."
"Your Kaiyang Lineage's method of destiny is too strange, it looks rather odd—" Su Wuyi wanted to say "it's not the right path," but ultimately it was not appropriate to say this in front of Shui Wushang.
Shui Wushang pursued the Dao through martial arts and didn't care about these things at all. She also didn't want to discuss these matters with Su Wuyi.
"Who cured the Medicine Master's poison?" Shui Wushang changed the subject.
"Have you ever heard of Zhou Wuji, Sister Shui?" Su Wuyi asked, her face showing obvious excitement.
"I heard someone say before the New Year that his Swordsmanship was superb, he even saved a princess, and he received the title of Third Rank True Person."
Shui Wushang didn't care about the title; what she remembered was the rumor that Zhou Wuji's sword had broken through a thousand barbarian troops.
In her previous years, while traveling the martial world, she encountered a group of rebel soldiers. Hundreds of them swarmed at her, and even after killing a few, she could only avoid their attack.
She found it hard to believe that Zhou Wuji, a Fourth Rank cultivator and not even a sword cultivator, could possibly carve a bloody path through a massive army with just a sword.
"Did Zhou Wuji revive the Medicine Master?" Shui Wushang asked in surprise.
"Exactly!"
Su Wuyi said excitedly, "He has mastered the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique to the Transformation Realm. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe that anyone could perform the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique like that."
"In my opinion, when it comes to the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique alone, no one in this academy can compare to him—"
As a skilled physician, Su Wuyi knew Zhou Wuji's methods were so advanced that he truly had the ability to bring the dead back to life!
She couldn't easily talk about this with outsiders, so she could only confide in her best friend Shui Wushang.
She also emphasized that Senior Brother Zhou was handsome and refined, like an immortal, and said that when she saw the Medicine Master being rescued, she immediately took out ten thousand taels of gold as a reward.
Upon hearing this, Shui Wushang frowned. The Medicine Master was supernatural, possessing an extraordinary sensitivity to medicines and able to find precious medicinal herbs in the mountains.
Saving the Medicine Master's life would be worth even 100,000 taels of gold. Not to mention, Su Wuyi and the Medicine Master have a deep bond, and as Fourth Rank Alchemist, she is also very wealthy.
However, directly offering ten thousand taels of gold as a reward is still somewhat inappropriate.
"He accepted it?" Shui Wushang asked.
"Senior Brother Zhou said it was a small matter and refused to accept money. Naturally, I refused even more."
Su Wuyi said, "Such a huge favor is better given directly in cash."
Shui Wushang nodded in agreement.
The way a sect selects its formal True Disciple is to choose one or two of the most outstanding candidates from among the True Disciple Candidate.
This has led to exceptionally fierce competition among the True Disciple Candidate.
Although Su Wuyi was Alchemist, she had almost no chance of winning in the competition for the True Disciple, and she also owed Zhou Wuji a huge favor, which was very troublesome.
Because the competition is not just about Su Wuyi, but also involves her teachers, relatives, and friends, and the entire Tianxuan Lineage.
As for her being able to become friends with Su Wuyi, it's because they've had a good relationship since they were very young.
That's why Su Wuyi always came secretly, never daring to let anyone from her lineage know.
"In the end, Senior Brother Zhou didn't take the money; he only said he wanted to learn how to refine high-level Grain Avoidance Pill from me."
Su Wuyi laughed as she spoke, "Senior Brother Zhou even has a bronze alchemy cauldron, I don't know where it came from, it looks quite old. What's really strange is that Senior Brother Zhou actually knows a lot about alchemy—"
She was truly puzzled by this. He was involved in alchemy, magic cultivation, swordsmanship, and even possessed a mastery of Rejuvenation Spirit Technique. Just who was Senior Brother Zhou?
How did you train?
Is he truly a genius, able to learn and master everything in no time?
"I saw that Senior Brother Zhou was truly skilled in alchemy, so I gave him the ' Gold and Jade Pill Scripture.' This book records the formulas for the Golden Nectar Pill and Jade Liquid Pill Formula, which I obtained from outside. Passing it on to Senior Brother isn't breaking any rules—"
Su Wuyi paused for a moment, then looked at Shui Wushang earnestly and said, "Next time we go to the Thousand Spirits Mountain Secret Realm, perhaps we can bring Senior Brother Zhou along."
"With another expert, we should be able to slay that snake demon."
Shui Wushang stared directly at Su Wuyi, his greyish-white eyes devoid of any emotion. "You've only met him once, and you already trust him so much?!"
Su Wuyi felt a little guilty under Shui Wushang, but she still nodded seriously, "I also know a little about physiognomy. Senior Brother Zhou looks like he's destined for great things."
"Most importantly, his Rejuvenation Spirit Technique is powerful. If we were poisoned by snake venom, we could all survive with him by our side."
Shui Wushang said calmly, "You discovered that place yourself, so it's fine as long as you're willing."
"Then it's settled. We'll travel together next time the Thousand Spirits Mountain Secret Realm opens."
Su Wuyi took Shui Wushang as a sign of agreement.
Inside Fallen Blossoms Studio, Zhou Wuji sat under the eaves reading the " Gold and Jade Pill Scripture," a handwritten book with two hundred thousand characters, written in tiny regular script.
The Gold and Jade Pill Scripture details the Pill Formula for the Golden Nectar Pill and the Jade Liquid Pill, as well as various alchemy techniques.
It also contained many specialized terms from alchemy, but fortunately, they weren't difficult for him.
The alchemical texts also discuss many basic alchemical techniques and methods for extracting the medicinal properties of herbs, all of which are quite sophisticated.
The Golden Nectar Pill is of a very high level and requires a huge amount of energy; his current alchemy skills are not up to par.
Refining the Three-Transformation Jade Liquid Pill should still be a barely worthwhile attempt.
The Jade Liquid Pill is actually a high-level Grain Avoidance Pill, and it also has the wonderful effect of nourishing the physical body and the Divine Sense.
Just like the legendary Jade Liquid of immortals, hence the name.
After flipping through it, Zhou Wuji felt that this alchemical text was more valuable than ten thousand taels of gold, and that this deal was very worthwhile.
Zhou Wuji didn't return to his room until the sun had set and it was completely dark.
After completing his routine tasks, he took a Sunlight Pearl, covered it with a lampshade, and then picked up the " Gold and Jade Pill Scripture " to read through it.
By the next morning, Zhou Wuji had already read through the Gold and Jade Pill Scripture twice and felt he had memorized every word before tidying up and descending the mountain alone.
To refine the Jade Liquid Pill, various medicinal herbs are needed.
He should be able to buy it at the Heavenly Pivot Hall, but that would attract unnecessary attention. It would be easier for him to go down the mountain and buy it himself.
The area south of a mountain and north of a river is called "yang".
Jingyang was like this, and so was Chuyang.
Such large cities must be built near water, firstly to meet water demand, and secondly to meet water transport needs.
The difference is that Chuyang is larger and more prosperous and bustling.
When Zhou Wuji entered the city, soldiers checked his identity. Not wanting to attract attention, he took Yang Tie Ying's Heavenly Pivot Token and easily entered the city.
The weather was already quite hot, and the pedestrians were all dressed in light clothing. Many people, like Zhou Wuji, were wearing straw hats to shield themselves from the sun.
Walking along the bustling street, Zhou Wuji inquired along the way and found a pharmacy located in the south of the city.
Before Zhou Wuji even entered the pharmacy, he saw Yan Baoying come out to greet him. She was dressed in a men's style blue robe, holding a folding fan, her hair was casually tied up, and a patch of snow-white skin was revealed at the collar of her blue robe. She walked with an elegant and graceful demeanor.
Despite being dressed as a man, Yan Baoying exudes a captivating charm, creating a striking contrast that makes her unforgettable.
"I've been waiting for the True Person, please come in quickly----"
Taking advantage of being dressed as a man, Yan Baoying went over and grabbed Zhou Wuji's hand, displaying a bold and enthusiastic demeanor.
Zhou Wuji smiled and let Yan Baoying do as she pleased.
The two walked through the pharmacy to the main room in the backyard, where fruit platters, candied fruits, and herbal tea were already prepared on the table.
It's clear that Yan Baoying is indeed waiting for him.
The two took their seats as host and guest, Yan Baoying first offered Zhou Wuji a sip of tea and inquired about his recent situation before changing the subject, " True Person, evil spirits are wreaking havoc in White Forest Bay, killing and injuring many people. We beg you, Master, to subdue the True Person and relieve us of our predicament—"
As Yan Baoying spoke, she stood up and gracefully curtsied, her posture sincere yet carrying a hint of pitiful fragility.
As she bowed her head and bent over, the collar of her blue dress opened a little wider, revealing a royal blue embroidered bodice underneath.
Zhou Wuji glanced at it and then looked away. It was beautiful, but looking at it too much wouldn't be good.
He stood up and helped Yan Baoying to her feet, saying solemnly, "It is the responsibility of cultivators to slay demons and eliminate evil. I will do my utmost to subdue demons and eliminate evil."
Yan Baoying's watery, Peach Blossom eyes sparkled with a captivating, enchanting springtime charm that stirred Zhou Wuji's heart.
Yan Baoying naturally pulled Zhou Wuji 'Zhou Wuji hand close to hers, and whispered softly in his ear, " Your True Person is so virtuous and benevolent, I don't know how to repay you—"