Inside the private box, the four of them, finding nothing else that caught their interest, leaned against the railing to observe the Yuanwu Gate disciples below. After several rounds of bidding, Xia Changxun seemed to spot a pattern: “They are bidding primarily on medicinal pills, herbs, or spiritual grasses. Someone is injured.”
Wen Qixue nodded slightly. “The day I left with Xuanlin, I exchanged two blows with Elder Yu of Yuanwu Gate; his injuries should be quite severe.”
Su Xuanlin added, “In fact, their First Senior Brother was also struck by lightning that day. He shouldn’t be in a good state either.”
Rong Mingmo was curious. “How did he get struck by lightning? Was he undergoing a Golden Core tribulation?”
Su Xuanlin shook his head and looked at Wen Qixue. “No, that bolt of lightning was originally meant for Xue-ge.”
Wen Qixue, who had forgotten about that particular disciple, remembered upon being reminded: “Oh, that was the lightning strike right after I awakened.”
Rong Mingmo, whose expertise lay in alchemy, was less knowledgeable about such phenomena and turned to Xia Changxun. But Xia Changxun was equally perplexed and could only offer a speculative explanation: “A wandering soul possessing a body can, indeed, sometimes attract a lightning tribulation.”
Wen Qixue looked at the dejected Yuanwu Gate disciples below and turned to Su Xuanlin. “They currently lack any high-level cultivators escorting them. If you wish to seek trouble with them, now is your chance.”
Su Xuanlin stared intently at the figures below for a long time before letting out a long sigh. “Let’s not.”
“If it were one of their elders or that First Senior Brother here today, I might look for a reason to stir up trouble, but these are just ordinary disciples. They wouldn’t know anything anyway, so let it be.”
He looked at Wen Qixue, his lips curling slightly. “Xue-ge, even if we cannot pinpoint my exact spiritual roots, the Origin Heart Sutra is enough to accelerate my cultivation. Once I have achieved success, I will surely return to settle the score with them myself.”
Hearing this, Wen Qixue nodded with satisfaction. “It is good that you see it that way. Rest assured, you possess exceptional talent; as long as you strive, success will be yours.”
Su Xuanlin said nothing more, but it was clear that he was quite pleased. Rong Mingmo glanced between Wen Qixue and Su Xuanlin, tilting her head. She always felt as though there was some strange, inexplicable current flowing between them, though perhaps her cultivation wasn’t high enough to fully grasp it. Is it Wen Qixue’s sword cultivator inheritance? she wondered.
The auction proceeded smoothly. Although no one in their box found anything particularly desirable, Xia Changxun and Rong Mingmo still purchased quite a few items—largely because the prices were astoundingly low. Compared to cities outside of Danxia Valley, let alone at auctions, even standard market prices wouldn’t be this cheap. It felt as though every purchase was a bargain.
Xia Changxun and Rong Mingmo stepped forward to settle the exchange with Manager Ning. Perhaps because the auction had been unexpectedly successful, boosting Fengqin City’s reputation, Manager Ning was in high spirits and even waived a portion of their service fees.
After the handover, the group prepared to return to the tea estate, where their belongings and beast-drawn carriage remained. Xia Changxun handed the spiritual stones from the Wind-Fire Dark Sand sale to Wen Qixue: “Fellow Daoist Wen, these are yours.”
Wen Qixue thanked him and casually passed the stones to Su Xuanlin.
Su Xuanlin held the storage bag, hesitant. “Xue-ge, should you hold onto these…”
Wen Qixue waved him off. “Keep them. Cultivation is no simple matter; resources are indispensable.”
Su Xuanlin persisted. “I still have the three thousand medium-grade spiritual stones from before; that is enough for my recent practice. Once you have reshaped your body, you will need to cultivate as well. This amount should…”
Wen Qixue glanced at him. “Me? I do not lack three or four thousand spiritual stones.”
Xia Changxun looked at Wen Qixue but refrained from comment. Logically, after dying in the lightning tribulation, it would be remarkable enough for Wen Qixue to have retained his consciousness and the Mystic Water Pure Lotus nurtured within it; retaining external assets like spiritual stones seemed impossible. Yet, he recalled that no one had ever truly found Wen Qixue’s legacy.
In his lifetime, Wen Qixue was a peak Golden Core cultivator and a frequent visitor to various secret realms; he would not have lacked resources. But while Xia Changxun remained silent, Rong Mingmo couldn’t contain herself.
“No wonder those factions haven’t been able to find your legacy these past few years,” she blurted out.
Wen Qixue chuckled. “They were quite anxious. Even the Heavenly Thunder Formation I set up could not stop them.”
Rong Mingmo realized she had spoken out of turn and coughed in embarrassment. “Well… actually, one cannot blame those factions entirely. The people from the Heavenly Sword Sect were the first to start searching.”
Wen Qixue nodded in understanding. “No wonder I awoke in Xuanlin’s puppet body.” It seemed Old Man Su had seized that opportunity to enter the Heavenly Thunder Formation and successfully retrieve the heavenly materials Wen Qixue had prepared.
Su Xuanlin looked at Wen Qixue. “Xue-ge, were you once of the Heavenly Sword Sect?”
Wen Qixue nodded. “Why do you ask?”
Su Xuanlin hesitated, then asked: “Then, after you reshape your body, will you return?”
Wen Qixue was baffled by the question. “Return? Where? The Heavenly Sword Sect? Why would I go there?”
Su Xuanlin’s face lit up. “So, you aren’t going back?”
Wen Qixue answered naturally, as if discussing someone else entirely: “I will not return. Since I have already perished within the Heavenly Sword Sect, my connection with them has ended.”
Rong Mingmo echoed, “Exactly! That crumbling little sect is not worth returning to!”
Even Xia Changxun chimed in: “Indeed. In recent years, the Heavenly Sword Sect has become increasingly arrogant due to their so-called ‘heaven-favored’ protégé, inciting much controversy. If you were to return, you would only be inviting trouble.”
Prior to this, Wen Qixue had never mentioned the Heavenly Sword Sect to Su Xuanlin. Su Xuanlin resided in the Eastern Continent while the sect was in the Western Continent, and being young and sheltered, he had heard nothing of them. But the Danxia Valley pair were different. As a renowned alchemical force spanning the Guangling Continent, they heard everything.
Wen Qixue asked them: “Is the Heavenly Sword Sect so arrogant because that protégé has made a breakthrough?”
Xia Changxun and Rong Mingmo exchanged looks. “Wait, has someone ascended in rank? They act so boisterously, yet they even lost a Wen Qixue!”
“I don’t think so,” Xia Changxun mused. “Gu Ninglu is still at the Foundation Establishment stage; there has been no news of anyone in the sect surviving a lightning tribulation.”
Rong Mingmo pouted. “Surely even a ‘heaven-favored’ protégé cannot bypass the tribulation?”
Xia Changxun laughed. “It is said that the tribulation for a true heaven-favored soul is more severe than for ordinary people. Nine is the extreme number; a heaven-favored Golden Core tribulation involves nine bolts of lightning, and every subsequent advancement involves ninety-nine.”
Rong Mingmo gasped. “When I faced my Golden Core tribulation, I believe there were only seven.”
Xia Changxun sighed. “I also had only seven.” He comforted himself: “Six to eight bolts of lightning is indicative of excellent talent; we are quite formidable as well.”
Su Xuanlin listened, filled with longing. “I wonder how many bolts I will face in the future?”
Rong Mingmo laughed heartily and ruffled his hair. “Junior Brother Xuanlin has exceptional talent; it will surely be more than six. Don’t worry!”
Xia Changxun moved closer to Wen Qixue and asked in a low voice: “Fellow Daoist Wen, might I ask—what is the current state of that Mystic Water Pure Lotus?”
Wen Qixue could not help but laugh softly: “I thought you would be able to contain your curiosity until we reached Danxia Valley!”
“It survived the lightning tribulation alongside me. Though its state is poor, it is alive.”
Xia Changxun breathed a long sigh of relief. “That is wonderful! The First Senior Sister is saved!”
Wen Qixue looked at him with amusement. “Is it that simple?”
Xia Changxun boasted proudly: “Danxia Valley may lack many things, but our experience in cultivating spirit herbs is vast! Our entire back mountain is filled with them. Besides, we have endless wealth in spiritual stones; as long as it isn’t dead, we will grow it back to life! Though the Mystic Water Pure Lotus was nurtured within your consciousness, growing it should be no different than other spirit herbs… presumably.”
Though he spoke with pride, his confidence wavered slightly at the end. Rong Mingmo mocked him without mercy: “How could the Mystic Water Pure Lotus be the same as common spirit herbs? If it were, we wouldn’t have needed to find Wen Daoist to save the Senior Sister!”
However, the mention of the Lotus worried her. “Wen Daoist, does the Mystic Water Pure Lotus have branches?”
Wen Qixue gave her an affirmative nod. “It branches every fifty years and produces lotus seeds. The most recent fifty-year branch was a bit wilted, but the previous one is of high quality and has remained unused. I still have it.”
Rong Mingmo let out a long sigh of relief. “That is excellent!”
By the time the conversation finished, they had returned to the tea estate. Xia Changxun looked at Wen Qixue and Su Xuanlin. “Fellow Daoist Wen, Junior Brother Xuanlin, why don’t we set off for Danxia Valley today?”
Wen Qixue and Su Xuanlin looked at one another.
“I am ready whenever,” Su Xuanlin said. His priority now was cultivation, and if Danxia Valley could provide an ideal environment, he was content.
Wen Qixue agreed: “We shall follow your lead, Fellow Daoist Xia.”
With the decision made, Xia Changxun skipped returning to his room and instructed Rong Mingmo: “Ming Mo, go and pack. Delay may invite trouble; we shall leave Fengqin City today and return to Danxia Valley.”
Rong Mingmo cheered: “Understood!”
“I will notify the Great Elder as well tell them to prepare the Valley!”