Rong Ye beside her let out a soft, derisive laugh.
Su Tangxing heard it and glanced sideways at him. “What are you laughing at? Is it funny?”
“…”
Under her gaze, Rong Ye slowly suppressed his smile.
Su Tangxing: “Is my tool ready?”
“Of course.”
Confidently, Rong Ye produced the set of tools she had requested.
A five-piece set consisting of a backpack, shovel, hoe, axe, and fishing rod—essential items for any beginner.
The grade she had asked for wasn’t high, but over the past few days, Rong Ye had spent every waking hour refining and polishing them. Using only the most ordinary materials, he had managed to craft a Yellow-grade set, making it gleam with gold and silver inlays, exceptionally ornate.
He handed them to Su Tangxing, waiting for her to show a look of surprise.
Unexpectedly, she simply took them, thanked him, and stored them away in her Storage Ring.
Rong Ye: “Did you see them clearly?”
“I saw them clearly.”
Su Tangxing began eating.
The head chef of the dining hall was hired at a high salary, and disciples from Elixir Peak regularly came to instruct on how to use spirit herbs for cooking and seasoning. The ingredients were clean and fresh, with different dishes served each meal. Su Tangxing loved everything she ate.
“I didn’t use the materials you gave me. I used only ordinary ores and wood.”
Su Tangxing lifted her eyelids. “Oh. You’re amazing. Then keep working.”
Rong Ye, holding back his anger, snorted coldly and stood up to leave.
Only after he had gone far away did Su Tangxing ask, “How did he make a Yellow-grade Magical Artifact from ordinary materials?”
Lin Xiangqing added half a bowl of soup for her. Seeing she liked the mushrooms in it, he ladled in a bit more.
His fair fingers rested on the rim of the blue porcelain bowl, appearing even more like fine mutton-fat jade. With a slight exertion, a faint pink hue showed through his fingertips.
The sickly, handsome man was truly flawless in his beauty.
Su Tangxing accepted it with thanks and used her spoon to scoop up mushrooms to eat.
Only then did he smile and say, “Fellow Daoist Rong Ye nurtures a wisp of True Fire within him. Anything refined by True Fire is no ordinary item. The Patriarch sealed his Gold Spiritual Root but did not seal his Fire Spiritual Root. That is precisely the reason.”
Su Tangxing slowly chewed the mushrooms.
This mushroom soup was incredibly flavorful.
So delicious.
She finished the small bowl, and Lin Xiangqing asked, “Would you like more?”
Seeing him about to ladle more, Su Tangxing quickly stopped him. “I can’t drink any more.”
Lin Xiangqing looked slightly regretful and put down her bowl.
As they left the dining hall, Su Tangxing asked, “What is True Fire? Are there other types of fire?”
“There are,” Lin Xiangqing pondered. “The Patriarch didn’t explain this either… Then come with me to the Two You Pavilion.”
The Two You Pavilion was, in the traditional sense, a library.
Built on the third peak, nestled in the fox’s waist, it rose layer upon layer, soaring into the clouds. Many disciples came and went here, greeting them as they passed.
“Senior Brother.”
“Great-Grandmaster.”
Su Tangxing nodded in response to each greeting. Seeing them frequently entering and exiting a large hall, she looked up.
In the distance, a massive plaque bore three large characters: “Administration Hall.”
The place in the game where missions were assigned.
She was no stranger to this place.
Lin Xiangqing explained, “All disciples are required to complete a set number of missions each month. If they fail, their monthly Spirit Stones will be deducted proportionally. Everyone is accustomed to taking on suitable missions at the beginning of the month, completing them promptly, and then being free to go out or cultivate without interruption.”
“When do I start taking missions?”
In the game, players needed to undertake various missions from the very beginning, mostly involving errands and delivering letters.
Su Tangxing recalled the time she rode her Heavenly Horse mount back and forth, running errands to deliver a love letter for a certain elder of the sect.
Lin Xiangqing said, “Other disciples start taking tasks to gather spiritual herbs for the dining hall after just half a month. But—”
But Su Tangxing had entered as the Great-Grandmaster, firmly placed above everyone’s heads.
So no one had actually brought up the idea of having her take on tasks.
Su Tangxing understood his hesitation. “I’ll come take a look in a bit.”
“Alright.” Lin Xiangqing nodded.
The Eryou Tower had twelve floors, with winding staircases that seemed endless. Su Tangxing entered this ocean of knowledge and felt so overwhelmed she grew dizzy, steadying herself against a table corner.
Oh no.
It felt like being back in her student days, entering a library to study.
She was already getting sleepy.
Lowering her voice, she asked, “Where’s the book we need? Let’s grab it and get out of here.”
The Eryou Tower was extremely quiet, with disciples coming and going in silence.
Perhaps knowledge had the power to make people unconsciously quiet.
Lin Xiangqing gave her a puzzled look, then quickly retrieved a jade slip from the shelves. He spoke a few words to the disciple on duty, and the “librarian” glanced over and nodded.
Once they left with the jade slip, Lin Xiangqing said, “I borrowed it from a junior brother for three days—plenty of time for the Great-Grandmaster to finish reading.”
In the Cultivation World, jade slips were different from books. They were more convenient and easier to store, so they were more commonly used now.
By channeling divine sense into it, one could naturally absorb its contents.
Su Tangxing pressed the jade slip to her forehead.
It felt cool to the touch.
Leaving the Eryou Tower, she instantly felt alert again.
After scanning the contents briefly, she tucked the jade slip into her storage ring. “Let’s go check out the Mission Hall.”
The Mission Hall had no threshold, with twelve doors wide open. Inside the main hall, wooden plaques hung everywhere, suspended mid-air like a menu, each one unique.
The tasks near the entrance were the simplest, growing more difficult further in, with higher requirements for cultivation base.
As Su Tangxing entered, several disciples ahead selecting tasks noticed her and quickly made way, addressing her as Great-Grandmaster.
The title drew more attention, with people turning to watch.
They watched as the Great-Grandmaster, only thirteen years old and still wearing her hair in a child’s style, walked past with their senior brother.
The Sect Leader had already announced the Patriarch’s acceptance of a disciple.
On Tongjue’s Sect Station, countless disciples were shocked and envious, with messages flying across the screen.
The Sect Station was each sect’s internal discussion area, officially named “Leisurely Immortal Abode Sect Station.” Disciples using the title “Xianju [Peak Name]” could freely communicate there.
As Su Tangxing walked past, the “Leisurely Immortal Abode Sect Station” lit up with another wave of messages.
Xianju Main Peak, Disciple xx under Guan Shan Yuanjun: I remember the Great-Grandmaster is only thirteen, right? She’s already taller than me…
Xianju Main Peak, Disciple xx under Guanlan Yuanjun: No offense, junior brother, but you really are too petite. Why not go to Elixir Peak and ask for some height-increasing medicinal pills?
Xianju Elixir Peak…: We’ve said it before—there’s no such pill.
Xianju Elixir Peak…: I heard the Great-Grandmaster triggered celestial phenomena when she entered the mountain? True or false? I happened to be in seclusion that day and missed it.
Xianju…: Didn’t someone post an image recording earlier?
: Saw it. Truly unbelievable. I’ve been in the sect for 180 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a grand spectacle.
“I’ve been here for 380 years and never seen this. No wonder it attracted the Patriarchs. The two Patriarchs have been in seclusion for about 60 years now, haven’t they? It’s been a long time since we last saw them.”
“It’s been 67 years already.”
“Long time no see, Eldest Senior Brother! You look well today! Following behind Great-Grandmaster, it’s clear you’re good at taking care of children. So virtuous!”
“Fellow Daoist in front, don’t go crazy—Eldest Senior Brother can see you too. But why is Great-Grandmaster here? Is he also here to take on a mission?”
“Ah, he really is taking on a mission… and it’s one posted by the Dining Hall!”