Grand Yin, Jiang Wangxuan

Thirty-two mystic heavens stood side by side within Qinghuan today, all grotto-heaven cultivation grounds opened by the True Lords of Qinghuan's Dao lineages. The True Lords dwelt high in the heavens, and where their grotto-heavens met heaven and earth, blessed lands were born, bringing forth all manner of Spirit Plants and spiritual treasures.

Grotto-heavens were the foundation of Dao lineages.

Luyu University was built on a blessed land where Yuanhuai Heaven intertwined with heaven and earth. Between the blessed land and the grotto-heaven lay another domain known as the Central Palace, floating among the colorful clouds and connected to the blessed land below.

Thirty years ago, Yuanhuai Central Palace was among the first stops selected for the heaven-and-earth high-speed railway. After True Lord Chengyue personally decreed that it be named Luyu Port, modern commercial development of the blessed land proceeded in full swing.

For the vast majority of people in Qinghuan, buying a high-speed rail ticket to Luyu Station would be difficult even once in their lives. It was not because the price was exorbitant, but because they lacked the qualifications.

Only cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage were qualified to apply for a visa to Luyu Station, and each stay could last no more than seventy-two hours.

Only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm were qualified to stay here long-term, though applying for residency still required the grotto-heaven's approval.

All incoming students at Luyu University received six years of visa-free access. In the Central Palace, they could buy the spiritual resources and Law Artifacts needed for the Cultivation Methods of various Dao lineages.

Major banks and insurance companies from across Qinghuan had gathered in the Central Palace. As long as a student had a sufficient balance of Great Qian Circulating Treasures, there was nothing they could not buy here.

Whether it was the Extreme Abyss Treasure Pearl from the Southern Sea Stone Pond or the Lost Soul Heartbreak Grass from the Cangwu Mountain Ravine Grotto, these Purple Mansion spiritual treasures grew only in particular regions. Yet place an order, and they were guaranteed to arrive within a month.

In just over thirty years, Luyu Station had become the most extravagant money pit in all Jiangnan. The number of Tongbao flowing into it each day had already become a dull string of digits.

Wherever Tongbao flourished, Metal Virtue was bound to prosper. Within a dozen years, Luyu University's Metal Virtue departments had come close on the heels of long-established institutions.

Chen Suqiu, a direct descendant of the Jialing Chen Clan, had only dared to splurge in the Central Palace on the day she enrolled. Even now, the amount deducted from her bank card made her wince.

Her roommate's older brother, however, sat perfectly at ease in the Central Palace's famous Fortune and Longevity Restaurant. After promptly ordering their meal, he also asked for a pot of Longevity Spring Tea.

Outside the restaurant window, a heavenly river flowed from Yuanhuai Heaven and wound around the Central Palace like a silver ribbon before falling to the blessed land below, stirring up swathes of Weak Water true essence.

In the distance, a high-speed train roared through the clouds like a silver dragon climbing up from the earth, carrying a full load of wealth and hopes to Luyu Port.

"Junior Sister Chen, are you from Jialing?"

The young man, who resembled an immortal exiled to the mortal world, accepted the teapot from the server and tested its temperature with his fingertips. It was just right.

He did not rush to pour the tea. First he warmed the cups. Three celadon cups danced at a gesture of his fingers, while a clear spring gushed from the pot. The cups swam freely through the water, as though performing a ceremonial dance.

Chen Suqiu noticed the elegant contours and distinct joints of the young man's fingers, each segment seemingly polished with care.

Her face reddened, and she stole a glance at her roommate. Seeing that Jiang Jinyi was entirely absorbed in watching her brother make tea for her, Chen Suqiu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, Senior Brother Jiang. I never imagined the brother Jinyi spoke of would be a cultivator like you."

Chen Suqiu accepted the tea her senior brother handed her with both hands. A fresh fragrance, like rain-washed bluestone, wafted toward her, and her eyes lit up. "Although this Longevity Spring Tea is precious, I've occasionally had it with my elders at home. This tea's fragrance seems a little different?"

"I simply used the Water-Weighted Three Jade Gathering Method to adjust the Spiritual Qi in the Longevity Spring Tea and the spirit spring water. You could try it yourself sometime, Junior Sister."

"Uh!" Chen Suqiu's wrist trembled slightly as she accepted the cup. She gave a wry smile. "Senior Brother, you're asking too much of me. The Water-Weighted Three Jade Gathering Method is a purification technique used in Weak Water alchemy."

"Although it can be practiced at the Qi Refining Stage, most Weak Water cultivators don't take it up until Foundation Establishment. The technique demands tremendous control over Spiritual Qi, and it's much easier to regulate with a Foundation Establishment cultivator's immortal foundation."

Jiang Jinyi scratched her head. What on earth were those two babbling about? There was so much to drinking a cup of tea? But this tea really was good. Delicious!

The young man smiled, cupping the vessel in his palm and gently rubbing its rim with his thumb. His slender fingers made the celadon cup look especially small.

"You truly are from a great clan, Junior Sister. My silly little sister can't compare to your knowledge and cultivation. Jinyi is fortunate to have a roommate like you. If you don't mind, Junior Sister, just call me Brother Wangxuan from now on."

Chen Suqiu's expression grew solemn, and she rose to her feet. Moving her right hand first, she placed it over the back of her left. Her fingers overlapped naturally, her thumbs lightly joined, with a hollow between her palms. "Suqiu of the Jialing Chen Clan, Qian Metal, greets you, Dao Brother."

Jiang Jinyi, who had been gulping down tea beside them, found her thoughts stalling at the sight. Why had things suddenly become so formal?

Her brother, however, did not rise to return the salute. He merely took a small sip of tea before replying, "Jiang Wangxuan, Grand Yin, greets Junior Sister Chen."

A chill, clear and profound, suddenly curled through the small private room.

Hearing those few simple words, Chen Suqiu, a daughter of a great clan, nearly lost her footing. She stared in shock at the Dao Brother before her, then turned to her dear roommate, who looked adorably bewildered and had no idea what had happened.

This has to be a joke, doesn't it? Hadn't Lüyu stopped admitting Grand Yin cultivators a long time ago?

No, that's not right. Chen Suqiu immediately realized that Jiang Wangxuan could not be more than a few years older than his sister. That's it. That makes sense.

What grotto-heaven's master would pass up the chance to admit a Grand Yin cultivator who had already reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement in his early twenties? Could the vast Yuanhuai Heaven really be afraid it could not afford to support one Grand Yin cultivator?

Chen Suqiu drew a breath and composed herself within a few moments. Sitting back down, she suppressed her surging emotions and replied, "I didn't expect to meet a Grand Yin cultivator today. You truly caught me off guard, Dao Brother. Please forgive my earlier discourtesy."

Jiang Wangxuan shook his head and smiled helplessly. "Grand Yin may be precious, but it's only the Dao lineage that is exalted. I'm just a Qi Refinement cultivator, and I'm not worthy of such formality. You should still call me Brother Wangxuan, Junior Sister."

"Well..." Chen Suqiu hesitated. The more prominent the clan a disciple came from, the more importance they attached to the differences between Dao lineages. The Dao lineages of the Three Yins and Three Yangs were matters of great consequence, and no ordinary person could cultivate them.

Grand Yin and Grand Yang cultivators were the most exalted among the exalted. How could she casually call him Brother Wangxuan? If her fate happened to clash with this Grand Yin cultivator's, what would she do then? The lower one's cultivation, the more carefully one had to act.

"Suqiu, if my brother tells you to call him that, just call him that. What's there to be worried about? It's our first meal out together, so there's no need to be so distant. We have plenty of days ahead of us and lots of chances to go out and have fun."

Jiang Jinyi could hardly bear the strange atmosphere. She got up and poured another half pot of tea for her roommate, then asked her brother, "Brother, when's the food coming? I want something tasty."

Jiang Wangxuan reached out and rubbed his silly little sister's head. Really, it was good that she was like this.

Ever since he began cultivating, even at Lüyu, the moment people heard he was a Grand Yin cultivator, they would sit stiffly upright, even the teachers in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Those who knew would say it was because Grand Yin was precious; those who didn't might think he was a plague. Wherever he went, everyone fell as silent as cicadas in winter.

After experiencing this so often, Jiang Wangxuan had grown disinclined to go out and mingle with his classmates. Fortunately, he could bear the solitude. He had entered Luyu University at fourteen, and now, six years later, his cultivation had reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.

He should have come sooner to see his own younger sister, Jiang Jinyi, enroll, but his cultivation had improved a little at an inconvenient time, and he had only emerged from seclusion after half a month.

"Junior Sister Suqiu, may I call you that?" Jiang Wangxuan asked gently.

"Of course, Senior Brother Jiang." Chen Suqiu judged her boundaries well. She absolutely could not call him Brother Wangxuan; the karma involved was too heavy, and she might not be able to bear it. Senior Brother Jiang was just right.

"To put it nicely, my sister is innocent and romantic. But in this environment, she's practically illiterate and has almost no understanding of the Dao. I'm starting to regret bringing her to Lüyu, but now that she's here, Jiang Jinyi can only tough it out."

"Sometimes I spend ten days or half a month in seclusion, so naturally I can't possibly take proper care of her. Besides, Jinyi is grown up now. It wouldn't be right for me as her brother to keep supervising her. I only hope she'll see the worthy and strive to equal them."

Jiang Jinyi was displeased on the spot. What did he mean, illiterate? What did he mean, see the worthy? So she wasn't worthy? Was that something a real brother should say to her roommate?

She saw her roommate glaring furiously at Senior Brother Jiang, while his eyes were full of helplessness, his peach-blossom eyes like warm sunshine doting on his sister.

Chen Suqiu thought this Grand Yin cultivator was undoubtedly a very good brother.

"Senior Brother Jiang, you're quite right. Jinyi is an adult now, and cultivation is her own affair. No one else can cultivate in her place. But Jinyi really is wonderfully spirited and lively, without the arrogance of a great clan's disciple. She gets along very well with our classmates, too."

"Did you hear that?" Seeing Suqiu stand firmly on her side, Jiang Jinyi folded her arms and huffed. "It's not like I'm an idiot. Pick any classmate here and hand them a brick, and they could smash a whole bunch of people back home to death."

"So I've already latched onto Suqiu's thigh. Why do I need you watching over me like this? Brother, you should put more thought into your own cultivation. I'm doing fine here, so naturally you don't need to worry about me."

Jiang Wangxuan fell silent for a long moment. He understood what his sister meant and nodded. Although Jiang Jinyi had been naughty from an early age, a tomboy when she was little, she had now grown into a graceful young woman.

Apart from her somewhat poor cultivation, once she broke through to the Qi Refining Stage, there would not be much of a problem. Maybe a disciple from an Aristocratic Clan would even take a fancy to the silly girl.

No, I have to guard against that early.

Jiang Wangxuan then took out a pill, an Azure Marrow Origin-Nourishing Pill. It was blue-white in color and smelled of pine after rain, made primarily from Azure Marrow Jade Juice and Earth Vein Milk. It was a top-grade pill for Qi Refining cultivators to improve their cultivation, suitable for cultivators of all Five Virtues.

"Junior Sister Suqiu, this is our first meeting, and I'm sorry to trouble you with looking after my silly sister. Please take this Azure Marrow Origin-Nourishing Pill as a gift. I'll be counting on you to look after Jinyi from now on."

Chen Suqiu was dumbstruck. The Jiang siblings ought to have come from a commoner family, so how could this Grand Yin cultivator casually bring out an Azure Marrow Origin-Nourishing Pill?

Even in the Chen family, a pill like this was only brought out for a talented direct descendant to improve their cultivation and break through to the Late Qi Refining Stage.

Perhaps only one clan descendant in a generation could enjoy one. Moreover, the pill could slightly improve the aptitude of one's Spirit Aperture, making it worth a fortune.

"No, no, no." Chen Suqiu shook her head like a rattle drum. Even if she sold herself as she was now, she could not scrape together enough Tongbao to buy the pill.

"Senior Brother Jiang, this is too much. Jinyi is my roommate; we help and look after each other. You absolutely must not give me this pill. We of the Jialing Chen Clan do not accept rewards we haven't earned."

"Besides, since you have this pill, the proper thing would be to save it for Jinyi after she breaks through to the Qi Refining Stage."

Jiang Wangxuan saw that Chen Suqiu's face was flushed and full of alarm. He realized he had been too hasty, and that the Azure Marrow Origin-Nourishing Pill had frightened his junior sister.

He had no choice but to put the pill away and take out a Supreme White Metal-Tempering Pill instead. The pill was silver-white all over, with fine golden patterns covering its surface. A closer look revealed a cold, killing presence. It was a high-grade pill for Metal Virtue cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage.

When Jiang Wangxuan brought out this pill, Chen Suqiu's mind truly stopped working. This pill was only half a grade below the Azure Marrow Origin-Nourishing Pill, but for a Metal Virtue cultivator like her, it was no less effective.

Moreover, the Supreme White Metal-Tempering Pill could be taken in Early Qi Refining. The best time was when breaking through from the Qi Refining Third Layer to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining and entering Middle Qi Refining.

"Junior Sister Suqiu, you can't refuse this pill. A friend entrusted it to me to give to you."

"Huh?" Chen Suqiu was one enormous question mark.

Who? A name suddenly occurred to her: Xue Renya. At Luyu University, the only person who had any connection to her was that childhood playmate.