"Master, you should assign someone to keep a close eye on that fool Wei Yunqing and the Shadowscale Serpent. If they do anything suspicious within the sect, it could be disastrous."
Yunxi still felt uneasy, so she voiced her concern.
"I'm already aware," Yu Ling replied calmly. "Hao Yan Zūnzhě is personally monitoring them. The Shadowscale Serpent will not dare act recklessly. A puppet controlled by a sliver of soul is not its true body. Retaining even half of its strength is already impressive. If it intends to plot something, it will not expose itself so easily."
Hearing this, Yunxi finally relaxed. After all, Hao Yan Zūnzhě's cultivation surpassed even her master's. There was no way Wei Yunqing could cause trouble under Hao Yan Zūnzhě's watchful eyes.
"Master, Ye Yirui from Medicine King Valley truly did send a request through me."
Yunxi then relayed the message Ye Yirui had entrusted to Tianlin.
Yu Ling frowned slightly after listening.
"Only Ancestor Hao Yi and I know about your damaged dantian," Yu Ling said softly. "No one else is aware of the extent of your injuries. So it's not surprising that others aren't questioning how you were able to recover and leave seclusion so quickly.
I haven't asked you how you repaired your dantian, but tell me: is your method usable for others?"
Yunxi instantly understood what Yu Ling was worried about. She shook her head and transmitted her reply through spiritual voice: her recovery was only possible because she used the only Seven-Colored Lotus in all of Yixian Gate. To ripen it quickly, she had sacrificed an entire top-grade spiritual vein obtained from a secret realm. There was no way anyone else could replicate such a method.
Even finding another Seven-Colored Lotus in the Weiyu Realm would be a miracle. Cultivating one to maturity would take tens of thousands of years, unless one buried it under an unimaginable wealth of spirit stones.
The lotus in Yixian Gate's plantation had been cultivated for countless years. Even when the entire sect sealed itself underground for a thousand years, the spiritual vein beneath the plantation had been nourishing the spiritual plants. That was why the lotus could be used to heal Yunxi's dantian at such a critical time. Ye Yirui would never have such fortune.
Yu Ling nodded slightly at the explanation and replied via sound transmission, "Aside from me, do not tell anyone about this."
"Rest assured, Master. If you hadn't asked me today, I never would have mentioned it."
Yu Ling's lips twitched slightly at her disciple's blunt honesty.
"You went to the Gongfa Pavilion today to exchange for secret art?"
"Yes!"
"Did you find anything suitable? If your contribution points aren't enough, I'll transfer some to you."
Yunxi's eyes sparkled with excitement. She grinned and replied, "Thank you, Master! I exchanged for three secret arts, though they cost me quite a lot of points, hehe!"
Yu Ling took out his identity jade token and immediately transferred half of his contribution points to her. Seeing the numbers on her own jade token rise, Yunxi beamed with delight and accepted it without hesitation.
To show her gratitude, she even spent half a day in the Hive, helping her master sift through information jade slips. Only then did she happily return to Lingxue Peak.
The next day, the sect's internal selection concluded. Yunxi began counting the days until departure. Before that, she logged into the spatial chat group, mainly to check if "Star Trek" had delivered the Hong Energy Shield. It had been a long time since their last exchange.
Although "Star Trek" wasn't online this time, he had already transmitted the shield to her, along with its matching Hong Energy Blocks.
Yunxi accepted the delivery with a click, following the instructions he'd sent. She activated the football-sized Hong Energy Shield, which immediately enveloped her in a soft blue light.
To test its strength, she struck it with several spells. When she confirmed it was flawless, she stored the shield in her bracelet.
"Star Trek" had also left her a message, saying that since he hadn't seen her online for a while, he'd sent a list of rare plants from the interstellar era that had no substitutes in his world. He hoped to trade with her for some spiritual plant seedlings to cultivate himself.
Yunxi glanced at the list, then picked a batch of seedlings from her plantation using her divine sense and sent them through the chat group. She told him she'd exchange them for more Hong Energy Blocks.
After all, such energy blocks couldn't be synthesized in the Weiyu Realm, nor were there substitutes. Even if there were, they likely wouldn't work with the Hong Energy Shield.
Each Hong Energy Block was a cube the size of an adult's fist, filled with a flowing deep-purple liquid that powered the shield.
After finishing her tasks, Yunxi withdrew her spirit from the chat space. The following days were filled with talisman drawing, pill refining, medicine preparation, and cultivation, all while waiting for the day the sect would depart.
On a clear, cloudless morning, Sect Master Yu Geng gave a brief departure speech, then watched as all the chosen disciples boarded Haoran Sect's massive flying boat, which slowly lifted into the sky and left the sect grounds.
After the flying boat ascended, the Yuányīng Zhēnjūn who had signed up for the grand competition dispersed. Some gathered to chat, others returned to their rooms to meditate. Only Wei Yunqing remained on deck, striking poses, though no one paid her any attention.
Yunxi, meanwhile, was sitting in the top deck's lounge, chatting with Hao Qing Zūnzhě and Hao Yan Zūnzhě.
Reclining lazily in a chair, Hao Yan Zūnzhě raised her phoenix-like eyes slightly and asked, "Ran Xi, are you certain Wei Yunqing is your sister?"
Not understanding her intent, Yunxi replied, "Yes, but we're half-sisters. Neither of us resembles our father. We each inherited our mother's looks."
"Tsk, tsk. I honestly wonder how she even reached the Nascent Soul stage. A brain is a fine thing, but she seems determined not to use hers."
Yunxi couldn't help it; a laugh slipped out, and she quickly pressed her lips together. "Hao Yan Zūnzhě, Wei Yunqing isn't that stupid. She's just selfish, envious, and self-serving. She considers only herself in everything she does. But she does have some luck on her side."
"That much is obvious. Without that luck, she wouldn't have progressed so quickly."
Hao Yan Zūnzhě's disdain was clear in her tone.
Yunxi chuckled softly and changed the topic. "Zūnzhě, has the Shadowscale Serpent shown any unusual behavior?"
Hao Yan Zūnzhě's phoenix eyes narrowed at the mention. She straightened in her chair.
"That serpent is definitely suspicious. It's probably noticed someone is watching it, so it hasn't made any suspicious moves. It's just quietly recuperating, cultivating under moonlight at night. It hasn't left Wei Yunqing's cave residence."
Hao Qing added, "If that's the case, then it really is preparing to act as an insider. It probably won't make a big move until we reach the Central Region."
Hao Yan Zūnzhě let out a cold snort. "It had better be that way."
With that, Hao Qing's figure flickered and vanished from the lounge.
"Go follow him," Hao Yan Zūnzhě instructed Yunxi. "I'll remain here to guard the ship."
"Yes, Zūnzhě."
Yunxi's figure flashed as she left the cabin.
Above the Haoran Sect's flying boat, two figures appeared. The disciples below remained unaware, but the Shadowscale Serpent coiled around Wei Yunqing's wrist opened its vertical pupils.