In years past, the Puppet Gate had been a Nascent Soul-level power, and its master, Yan Sikong, was the only Nascent Soul ancestor in the entire sect.
Yan Sikong had taken five disciples, and Xing Wenyu was the most talented of them all. Later, when Xing Wenyu broke through to Golden Core, he lived up to everyone’s expectations and formed the highest-grade Purple-Gold Core.
Xia Yunzhao asked in confusion, “Purple-Gold Core?”
Shang Shuangze explained, “Golden Cores are divided into five grades: Inferior Core, Ordinary Core, Hollow-Spirit Core, True-Spirit Core, and Purple-Gold Core. Someone who forms an Inferior Core has no hope of reaching Nascent Soul. They cannot even advance to mid-Golden Core and will remain at early Golden Core forever. Someone with an Ordinary Core can reach mid-Golden Core and has some chance of reaching late Golden Core, but cannot cultivate to Great Completion of Golden Core.”
“A Hollow-Spirit Core is not very different from an Ordinary Core. Even if the cultivator reaches Great Completion of Golden Core, it is hollow in name and cannot display the corresponding strength. A True-Spirit Core can reach Great Completion of Golden Core, but the chance of breaking through to Nascent Soul is only thirty percent. Forming a Purple-Gold Core, on the other hand, is essentially a direct road to Nascent Soul, with no barrier in the way.”
Elio’s Notes: The raw writes 三层 here, literally “three layers,” in a sentence describing a breakthrough probability. In context it is clearly the common 三成, or thirty percent, so I’ve rendered the intended probability rather than preserving the typo.
Shang Shuangze rarely spoke such a long stretch at once. He had practically taken the entire Golden Core system apart and explained it piece by piece for Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao nodded repeatedly as he listened. He had not expected the elimination rate to remain so brutal even after reaching Golden Core. It really was the textbook image of thousands of troops trying to cross a single-log bridge.
He asked quietly, “Yours must be a Purple-Gold Core.”
Shang Shuangze smiled softly at him, which counted as confirmation.
Xia Yunzhao was extremely pleased. His Dao companion was simply the best!
Xu Ziyu curled his lip and continued the story of Xing Wenyu. “Back then, Yan Sikong only formed a True-Spirit Core. They say he had to expend an enormous amount of effort and hunt down countless spirit medicines and pills before he finally managed to shatter his core and form a Nascent Soul. Even then, he was left with hidden injuries. So when he saw his own disciple form a Purple-Gold Core, he decided he wanted to steal it.”
“He ambushed Xing Wenyu while Xing Wenyu was in secluded cultivation. He wanted to dig out Xing Wenyu’s meridians and Golden Core and transplant them into himself…”
Bang!
Furious, Xia Yunzhao punched a tree hard enough to snap it. “I knew that old bastard was no good! Did he die later? With Brother Xing’s temper, there’s no way he’d just let him go, right?!”
Xu Ziyu’s mouth twitched. “…He was at Nascent Soul. Xing Wenyu had only just broken through to Golden Core. How was he supposed to turn around and kill a Nascent Soul cultivator? Still, Yan Sikong didn’t exactly get away clean. Xing Wenyu had already been restrained and couldn’t escape. When he realized Yan Sikong meant to dig out his meridians, he shattered every meridian in his body first and disguised puppet threads as the real thing. When Yan Sikong transplanted those ‘meridians’ into himself, Xing Wenyu controlled the puppet threads and shredded his Nascent Soul from the inside. Then Xing Wenyu detonated his own Golden Core.”
“After that, the Puppet Gate fell into chaos. Yan Sikong’s Nascent Soul was destroyed and his cultivation dropped to Golden Core. The disciples split into two factions. One stayed in the sect, hoping Yan Sikong would hurry up and return to Nascent Soul so they could go back to throwing their weight around. The other faction left the Puppet Gate and hoped to follow Xing Wenyu. But he disappeared after that, and no one could find him. Some people said he was already dead. I never expected him to still be alive.”
When Xu Ziyu finished, he looked at Xia Yunzhao. “You wander around grinning like an idiot every day. Xing Wenyu is ruthless and cold-blooded, and he’s been through betrayal on top of that. Of course he likes spending time with an idiot like you.”
Xia Yunzhao glared at him. “How am I stupid? I’m very good at judging people, okay!”
Xu Ziyu heard the meaning beneath his words and snorted. “Forget it. Just consider me nosy.” With that, he turned to leave.
Xia Yunzhao called after him, “We brought a lot of spirit medicine back from the north. If you want anything, come to my cave residence and pick some out!”
Xu Ziyu waved a hand to show he had heard.
Xia Yunzhao watched him walk away and sighed with feeling. “I never knew Brother Xing had such a terrible past.”
Shang Shuangze comforted him. “Fellow Daoist Xing does not seem like someone trapped by the past.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded. That was true. Brother Xing was formidable. As for the Puppet Gate and Yan Sikong… Xia Yunzhao filed them away in his heart. If he ever got the chance, he would help Brother Xing take revenge.
Then he suddenly looked up. Under Shang Shuangze’s puzzled gaze, Xia Yunzhao gave him a playful grin, grabbed his hand, and dragged him into the little grove beside the road.
The trees here grew densely but not very tall. Their overlapping crowns shut out the sunlight and cast the ground into dim shadow.
Xia Yunzhao deliberately pressed Shang Shuangze against a tree trunk, rose onto his toes, and tilted his face up. “Did you miss me while we were apart? Hurry up and answer. If you don’t, I’m going to bully you!”
A trace of crimson spread behind Shang Shuangze’s ears. He looked down at Xia Yunzhao and pleaded, “Can we talk about this after we get home?”
Xia Yunzhao thought, If we go home, won’t that be your territory? “No. Right here.”
Shang Shuangze looked around and sighed. With a movement of his fingers, a huge ball of spiritual power enveloped them. He lifted one hand to the back of Xia Yunzhao’s head, his broad white sleeves closing off the space on both sides. Then he turned, pressed Xia Yunzhao against the tree, and lowered his head.
An hour later, the two emerged from the grove.
Shang Shuangze’s robes were perfectly neat. Their fingers were tightly interlaced, his grip carrying an unquestionable firmness as he walked ahead and opened the way for Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao followed obediently behind him, his lips flushed red and his eyes still seeming to hold a faint sheen of moisture…
No way. Xiao Xia was deeply suspicious. This guy used to go blank for ages after one kiss. How did he evolve this quickly?
If this keeps going… He hurriedly shook his head and flung the inappropriate images out of his mind.
The two returned to the valley.
The moment they entered, they saw Xianchan chasing Xiao Qing all over the valley. As they passed the pool, Xianchan suddenly slapped the water. Ripples spread, red light flashed, and the Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish leaped from the surface and sprayed out a mouthful of water.
Xiao Qing dodged quickly. Xianchan, like the little fool it was, had no idea it should move and got soaked through.
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
He had thought they would only be gone for a day, so he had not brought the two little ones along. He had not expected them to become this familiar already…
Yun Yi walked over, picked up the drenched cat, formed a water-element spell, and drew the water from its fur. Its movements were so practiced it was almost painful to watch.
Xianchan shook out its fur and immediately resumed tearing around the valley.
Xia Yunzhao tugged Shang Shuangze forward. “Forget them. Come on, let’s go inside and look at the treasures!”
Yes. Xia Yunzhao had picked up the storage pouches belonging to the Yunjiangguan cultivators.
The Kunyuan Xutu Seal had disappeared after shrinking, but that was fine. It was a Level-Four magical treasure with a treasure spirit of its own. Even if he had gotten his hands on it, he might not have been able to control it.
Storage pouches were different. If a storage pouch was lying on the ground and you did not pick it up, then what had you cultivated immortality for?!
Opening storage pouches always made him as excited as opening blind boxes. He dragged Shang Shuangze into the room. “I have a feeling there’s definitely something good in this one!”
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators had been killed by Zhong Yundu, so naturally that storage pouch went to Zhong Yundu. Xia Yunzhao only had two.
That was perfectly fine.
After all, one of those storage pouches had belonged to a Golden Core cultivator, and a Golden Core cultivator from Yunjiangguan at that! Judging by how casually those people had thrown around spirit pearls at the pill auction, they had to be carrying plenty of resources.
Xia Yunzhao simply pulled Shang Shuangze down to sit cross-legged with him, opened the Golden Core cultivator’s storage pouch, and tipped it out. Clatter! A mountain of resources spilled onto the floor.
As expected of Yunjiangguan. There were more than a million spirit pearls here alone!
There was also a heap of sparkling crystals glowing with greenish light… Xia Yunzhao pointed at them, his finger trembling. “Th-this is…?”
Shang Shuangze examined them carefully, then said, “Low-grade spirit stones.”
Xia Yunzhao sucked in a breath. “Low-grade spirit stones? Th-this many?!”
This was no longer the Xiao Xia who had only just transmigrated. He already understood how precious spirit stones were. To use a somewhat imperfect comparison, spirit stones were like pigeon-egg diamonds, while spirit pearls were like diamond chips.
Spirit stones and spirit pearls had an exchange rate. A low-grade spirit stone, for example, was worth one thousand spirit pearls. But while one low-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for one thousand spirit pearls, if you tried to exchange one thousand spirit pearls for a low-grade spirit stone… sorry, very few people were willing to make such a losing trade.
And now there were well over a thousand low-grade spirit stones sitting in front of him. Converted into spirit pearls, that was another million-plus!
Seeing that Xia Yunzhao looked a little overwhelmed, Shang Shuangze patted his back gently. “Resources used at Golden Core and above are mostly priced in low-grade spirit stones, so Golden Core cultivators tend to accumulate spirit stones.”
This cultivator had only been at early Golden Core and had probably broken through not long ago. He had not yet finished converting all his resources.
Of course Xia Yunzhao was not actually frightened by having too much money. If anything, it was pure delight!
He carefully counted the pile of spirit pearls and spirit stones: 1.3 million spirit pearls and exactly 1,548 low-grade spirit stones.
Not one missing, down to the last piece!
He thought, If Xiao Qing saw this, we’d be in trouble. Good thing Xiao Qing is outside playing with Xianchan…
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a tiny black whirlwind blew in from outside. Xianchan charged into the room like a stampeding beast, headbutted the pile of spirit stones hard enough to scatter it, and knocked itself over in the process.
Xiao Qing hopped in behind it with a pat-pat-pat and stopped beside Xia Yunzhao. Reserved. Well behaved. Waiting to be fed.
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
The noise had been loud enough that Shang Shuangze hurriedly picked Xianchan up to make sure the child had not knocked itself stupid.
Xianchan stuck out all four little pink paws and mewled pitifully in his hands. It had only cried three times before Xia Yunzhao’s heart softened. “All right, all right. It just wants to play with a spirit stone. Give it one. It’s not like it can break it.”
Shang Shuangze: .
With the clack-clack of Xianchan kicking a spirit stone around like a ball in the background, Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze continued sorting the resources.
Xiao Qing waited obediently to one side. It knew whatever the others finished picking through would all belong to it.
There were all kinds of resources in the storage pouch: magical treasures, spirit herbs, ores, pills. The two of them sorted everything into categories as usual… “Huh?” Xia Yunzhao suddenly exclaimed. “Shang Shuangze, look! There’s something really good in here!”
He held up something shaped like a walnut and brought it closer. “Look!”
The walnut radiated the pressure of a Level-Three magical treasure. Clear wood grain covered its surface, along with fluctuations from spatial magic.
Xia Yunzhao simply dripped blood onto it and acknowledged it as his. Information about the treasure instantly poured into his mind. Level-Three magical treasure: Wandering-Cloud Retreat!
He tossed it outside. The walnut flew beyond the cave residence, landed on an open patch of ground, and transformed into a two-story building the moment it touched down.
The little building was made entirely of wood. Its style was elegant, airy, and peaceful, with tables and chairs already furnished inside. It even came with its own defensive formation and Spirit-Gathering Formation. It was an excellent place to live.
Xia Yunzhao sighed. “If we’d had this building earlier, we wouldn’t have needed to live in the carriage all the way north.”
Shang Shuangze smiled. “It isn’t too late now.”
“True.” Xia Yunzhao cheered up and put the building away again. Next time they traveled, other people could pitch tents while they pitched an entire house. Just thinking about it felt fantastic!
They kept rummaging. The resources in this storage pouch had clearly been carefully selected by the Golden Core cultivator, because almost everything was useful. Before long they found a Level-Three defensive formation disk, a cleaning formation, two very practical Level-Three magical treasures, and a bottle of medicine.
The medicine was called Soul-Stabilizing Incense. Once taken, it stabilized the soul and helped the user enter meditation, with especially strong effects when a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator was breaking through to late Foundation Establishment.
Xia Yunzhao did not know why a Golden Core cultivator had kept Soul-Stabilizing Incense around, but for him it was obviously perfect.
He happily put it away… and a hand appeared beside him, two fingers holding a fiery-red lotus through a layer of spiritual power.
Xia Yunzhao focused on it. “Is this an Earthheart Fire Lotus?”
The lotus was crimson from stem to petal. Though shaped like a flower, its petals were crystalline, and the whole thing was about the size of a palm, radiating scorching heat.
It was indeed an Earthheart Fire Lotus. Though technically a spirit medicine, it looked almost like a mineral and was a rare spirit treasure for anyone cultivating fire-attributed techniques.
“Am I really Heaven’s own favorite son?” Xia Yunzhao beamed, his eyes curving until they seemed to hold two slivers of moonlight. “This is perfect for cultivating the Earthfire Art.”
Shang Shuangze had brought the Earthheart Fire Lotus over precisely because he wanted to see Xia Yunzhao smile. His wish fulfilled, he was momentarily dazzled by that smile and leaned closer without thinking…
Xia Yunzhao noticed him approaching and asked in confusion, “What…?”
Warmth touched his lips.
The cave residence fell silent.
Xiao Qing: serene.
Mingyun: serene.
Xianchan, who had been kicking its ball around, looked up in confusion. One ear stood guard while the other kept watch, forming an upside-down V on top of its head. Why did it suddenly get dark just now? What happened? Are they hiding something from the kitten?
It looked left and right, then saw Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze staring at each other with their lips lightly pressed together. Xianchan immediately abandoned the spirit stone, rushed over, grabbed Xia Yunzhao’s clothes, and started climbing. What are you secretly eating? Let the kitten have a taste too!
Xia Yunzhao’s cheeks were bright red. He put a hand on the fluffy little head and turned it away. “Go play!”
When he looked up, Shang Shuangze appeared calm, but the skin behind his ears was just as red. Xia Yunzhao burst out laughing.
Still perfectly composed, Shang Shuangze gently tidied his hair. “I am no gentleman. I had wanted to take such liberties with you before.”
Xia Yunzhao laughed. “How long ago is ‘before’? Don’t tell me it was love at first sight?”
Shang Shuangze thought about it. “Probably when we watched the sunset.” The white horse and the sunset that day had both been beautiful.
Xia Yunzhao thought for ages and still could not tell which time Shang Shuangze meant. They had watched the sunset together far too often, practically every day.
He went back to sorting the resources. Once everything had been neatly categorized, Xiao Qing’s share was separated out as well, forming its usual little mountain.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Yunzhao removed his damaged Hundred-Compartment Pouch. It held some little bits of spiritual-energy junk he had accumulated too.
A hole had torn in the pouch, and Xia Yunzhao had originally planned to refine a new one later and replace it.
But the moment he moved it, something dropped through the hole. He caught it instinctively, then froze. “Th-this is…”
A small yellow-jade seal lay in his hand. Its knob was carved in the shape of a Black Tortoise, and the four characters “Kunyuan Xutu” were engraved on the base…
It was the Level-Four magical treasure, the Kunyuan Xutu Seal!
Earlier he had wondered where the magical treasure had disappeared to. So it had secretly crawled into his storage pouch!
Hadn’t they said the magical treasure spirit had awakened? Why had it burrowed into his storage pouch?
Xia Yunzhao had the nagging feeling something was wrong… and in the next instant, the little yellow-jade seal flew into the air!
He dodged backward instinctively. Clang! Mingyun left its sheath and instantly appeared in front of him.
Shang Shuangze gripped the sword hilt. All the tenderness from moments ago vanished, leaving only razor-sharp sword qi. “Come out!”
The little seal trembled, as though it still remembered the sword that had beaten it into submission by force. The curled Black Tortoise carving shuddered, stretched open, and a little white ball popped out.
Biu! Two round eyes opened on the white ball. “Waaah… d-don’t hit me. It h-hurts…”
The tearful pleading sounded strangely familiar to Xia Yunzhao. He frowned. “You’re the magical treasure spirit? Why did you crawl into my storage pouch?”
Two fat tears welled in the treasure spirit’s eyes. It whimpered, “You’re my master. If I don’t follow you, who am I supposed to follow?”
Xia Yunzhao looked it up and down. “Aren’t you Yunjiangguan’s magical treasure? Yunjiangguan is your master.”
The treasure spirit looked bewildered. “What’s Yunjiangguan? The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was you, so you’re my master…”
Xia Yunzhao thought, Nonsense. The first thing you did after opening your eyes was hover over my head and try to crush me to death!
Still…
Getting a Level-Four magical treasure for free was definitely a good thing! And stealing it straight out of Yunjiangguan’s hands made a good thing even better. Double good fortune had come knocking!
Besides, this treasure spirit looked young and muddleheaded, almost newborn. If it followed the wrong master, who knew what sort of thing it would be taught to become?
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment. “If you want to follow me, will you behave? Can you work?”
The treasure spirit sniffled. “I-I’ll behave. I can work!”
Xia Yunzhao smiled. “All right. From now on, you can stay with me.”
The treasure spirit continued sniffling, still looking a little aggrieved. Even now, it believed Xia Yunzhao was its master and that its master simply did not recognize it anymore.
It took a huge detour around Shang Shuangze and floated over beside Xia Yunzhao, making its meaning perfectly clear through action: Scared.
Xia Yunzhao shook his head. That was another reason he was willing to keep the treasure. With Shang Shuangze around, even if it did harbor bad intentions, it would not be able to stir up much trouble.
Shang Shuangze flicked a finger. A thread of sword qi struck the treasure spirit. “From now on, you are forbidden to harm any person or thing in this valley. Otherwise, you will be severely punished.”
The treasure spirit shuddered and nodded frantically.
Seeing that it was about to cry again, Xia Yunzhao hurriedly soothed it with a few words. And just like that, the matter was settled.
There was one more little creature in the household now, but the treasure spirit needed neither food nor drink and was actually less trouble to raise than Xianchan. So in practice, very little had changed.
Xia Yunzhao was about to continue sorting through the Hundred-Compartment Pouch when Xiao Qing, which had been sitting quietly all this time, suddenly shuddered, hopped over, and began desperately trying to squeeze into the pouch.
Xiao Qing was extremely greedy for food. In the past, whenever it encountered spirit stones or spirit items with especially high spiritual-energy content, it would become excited.
But after spending so long with Xia Yunzhao, it knew he would never let it go hungry. The bronze jar had become considerably more reserved.
But now…
Xia Yunzhao looked at its three bronze legs planted on his thigh. It was bouncing so hard that his leg had begun to ache slightly. He frowned. Xiao Qing had never acted like this before…
He looked down, and his pupils contracted. What Xiao Qing was desperately reaching for was a fragment!
It was the very fragment they had taken out of Sun Ergou’s body!
Xia Yunzhao immediately put the fragment away, then picked up Xiao Qing. “Xiao Qing, wake up!”
Xiao Qing struggled and shook. Its bronze lid snapped open and shut again and again, producing harsh clanging sounds almost like a human scream… But Xia Yunzhao kept holding on. The warmth of his palms gradually heated the bronze body. At last Xiao Qing came back to itself and slowly stopped moving.
Then its bronze lid tilted to one side, and it rubbed against the back of his hand with a slightly guilty air.
Shang Shuangze caught the tilting lid with one hand and took Xiao Qing from Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao rubbed his aching wrist and reassured it. “It’s fine. You didn’t hurt me. What happened just now? Did that fragment bewitch you?”
Xiao Qing hesitated, then rubbed its lid back and forth.
So that was not it.
Xia Yunzhao continued thinking, his expression turning still. Suddenly, something occurred to him.
“Shang Shuangze, do you remember that Blood-Infant Demon Ginseng? Do you remember what happened to it in the end?”
“Of course.” Shang Shuangze answered without hesitation. “When the icefield small secret realm collapsed, the Blood-Infant Demon Ginseng was destroyed along with it.”
Xia Yunzhao murmured, “Right. From the time we found the Blood-Infant Demon Ginseng in the earth veins until the battle with the Xuanshuang City Lord, I kept that demonic plant in my hands the whole time. In the end I simply tossed it aside and left it in the secret realm. Not once did I put it into my Hundred-Compartment Pouch…”
With a turn of his hand, he took the fragment out of the pouch. “But this fragment, I put into the pouch the instant I dug it out. It isn’t only attracting Xiao Qing. It’s attracting me too…”
The moment the fragment appeared, Xiao Qing stared at it hungrily, but this time it managed to restrain itself.
Xia Yunzhao looked at it. “You want to swallow this fragment? Will it affect your mind?”
Xiao Qing hesitated. The fragment’s pull was incredibly strong. Even the pile of spirit stones from earlier had not been one-tenth as attractive… Yet it did not feel that the fragment would affect its mind.
It was simply a power that felt profoundly familiar, almost as though it came from the same root and source.
Xia Yunzhao looked at it seriously. “Xiao Qing, are you sure?”
This time Xiao Qing did not hesitate. It bounced hard twice. I, the round-bellied bronze pig, declare this fragment good food!
Xia Yunzhao laughed. “All right. Then I’ll give it to you.”
Delighted, Xiao Qing opened its lid wide, and Xia Yunzhao placed the fragment inside.
A faint yet extraordinarily brilliant and holy five-colored light shone out, only to be quickly hidden again as the lid closed.
For an instant, some indescribable feeling flashed through Xia Yunzhao. He instinctively looked upward. They were inside the cave residence, of course, so he could not see the sky.
Yet for some reason, Xia Yunzhao sensed that high above the Nine Heavens, some vast existence had glanced toward this place.
His heart tightened. In the next instant, that existence seemed to find nothing and moved its hair-raising gaze away.
The tension in Xia Yunzhao’s mind finally eased.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with him, Shang Shuangze gently took his hand.
Xia Yunzhao immediately squeezed his hand back and turned to smile at him.
After swallowing the fragment, Xiao Qing stopped moving. Gradually, however, the five-colored light seemed to shine outward from within, spreading across the surface of the bronze pill furnace and nourishing it again and again, inside and out.
The rust on its surface was slowly worn away, revealing inscriptions beneath. Xia Yunzhao was just about to examine them when pain stabbed through his divine sense, as if a great hammer had smashed down on it.
Shang Shuangze immediately covered his eyes. “Don’t look! These inscriptions are too high-level, beyond what either of us can withstand. Forcing yourself to examine them will damage your divine sense.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded and pressed a hand over Shang Shuangze’s, using the warmth of his palm as a compress over his eyes while the pain in his divine sense slowly faded.
He had thought they would need to wait at least several days, but Xiao Qing digested the fragment surprisingly quickly this time. In less than two hours, its lid moved.
Xia Yunzhao had just opened his mouth when Xiao Qing, apparently starving, hopped over to the pile of spirit items that belonged to it. Its belly sucked inward, and the entire pile of spirit items was actually drawn straight inside!
…Xia Yunzhao had no idea what other effects eating the fragment had produced, but apparently Xiao Qing could now feed itself.
Once it had finished the whole pile of spirit items, Xiao Qing expertly bounced upward. Whoosh! Sheets of paper sprayed into the air!
Xia Yunzhao scrambled to catch them. He had only grabbed a few before he froze: Complete Collection of Level-One Pill Recipes, Complete Collection of Level-Two Pill Recipes, Complete Collection of Level-Three Pill Recipes, Essentials of Pill-Art Cultivation, Miscellaneous Talks on Artifact Refining, Brief Notes on Talisman Principles…
There were eleven sets of pages in all, and every single one was the kind of treasure people would fight themselves bloody to obtain!
Xia Yunzhao slowly raised his head and looked at Xiao Qing, which was proudly sticking out its round belly. One sentence slowly surfaced in his mind: Hurry up and cultivate. The gacha pool has updated!