Of course Jiang Hanchuan knew how to make Spirit-Testing Stones. He had studied them inside and out to disguise his constitution and aptitude.
His cultivation had not yet recovered, however, so there was no need to squeeze work out of him immediately.
Xia Yunzhao left him a bottle of Minor Return-to-Heaven Pills and told him to rest until his cultivation recovered.
When he stepped outside, the courtyard was much quieter. The medical cultivators had gone. Only Shang Shuangze, Zhong Yundu, and Du Yan remained, and Xiang Moyue had joined them.
The moment Xia Yunzhao spotted him, he said, “Perfect timing! There’s something I wanted to ask you to help with. You…”
“What a coincidence,” Xiang Moyue replied with a smile. “I also have something to ask the City Lord.”
Xia Yunzhao raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He headed toward the pavilion. “Come on, let’s sit down and talk.”
Only Du Yan was in the pavilion. A teapot and a single cup stood on the table, although he did not appear to be drinking. Xia Yunzhao felt the teapot, discovered that the tea inside was still warm, picked it up, and took several noisy gulps straight from the spout.
Du Yan gave him a helpless look. Xia Yunzhao looked utterly innocent. “Brother Du, you don’t even like tea. Don’t you prefer wine?”
Du Yan took out fresh spirit tea, brewed another pot, and poured cups for everyone who sat down.
Xiang Moyue lifted his cup and smiled. “Perfect. I can use tea in place of wine to bid all of you farewell.”
Everyone froze. Even Zhong Yundu asked in surprise, “You’re leaving?”
Xiang Moyue had not spent long in Qingxi City. At first, everyone had been somewhat wary of him, but that had changed. Mostly because he had not managed to take the slightest advantage of anyone and had done nothing but work for free.
Xia Yunzhao asked, “Are you returning to the Xiangli clan?”
Xiang Moyue’s smile brightened. “So you already know.” Then he said quietly, “The Xiangli clan’s altar is about to open, and I have business to attend to. Qingxi City is running smoothly now, and no nearby power is capable of shaking your position. I wouldn’t be of much use if I stayed. So I’ll take my leave.”
Xia Yunzhao looked at him earnestly. “I promised to help you fulfill one wish. That promise will always stand.”
Xiang Moyue froze. The smile that always sat on his face like a mask slowly faded. Once, if anyone had said something like that to him, he would have scoffed. Now he knew Xia Yunzhao meant it.
When they first met, Xia Yunzhao had genuinely disliked him. Now he genuinely wanted to help.
That afternoon, Xiang Moyue said his farewells and left. He had arrived alone, and he walked away alone too. The only difference was the Voice-Transmission Conch now hanging at his waist.
The information shop on East Street remained open, though its shopkeeper had been replaced. The new one was a Foundation Establishment cultivator with such a thoroughly ordinary face that he would disappear in any crowd.
Less than five days after Xiang Moyue departed, Jiang Hanchuan declared that his cultivation had recovered and volunteered to make Spirit-Testing Stones for the City Lord.
Perhaps his unsettled childhood had left him with an unusually strong sense of boundaries. A few days of eating and lodging without paying seemed to distress him as much as a death sentence.
Xia Yunzhao did not restrict him. He simply left him at the City Lord’s residence to sink or swim… No, he meant he let Jiang Hanchuan occupy himself however he pleased.
Unexpectedly, only a few days later, a Guard member came to report that the Spirit-Testing Stone was finished!
“He really knows how to make one? I never would’ve guessed! Where did he learn? I’ve gone through Yunjiangguan’s things several times over, and I couldn’t find a single method for making Spirit-Testing Stones. Where on earth did he learn it?”
Shang Shuangze watched Xia Yunzhao dash toward the City Lord’s residence, muttering without pause. It was impossible to tell whether Xia Yunzhao was in a hurry or not.
With Qingxi City expanding, the City Lord’s residence had naturally expanded as well. Built originally on the Fang family’s old estate, it had since gained another two times its former area.
The Hall of Heroic Spirits, originally built beside the residence, was now part of its grounds, though it had a separate entrance so the townspeople could pay their respects. Incense burned there constantly, and people came to make offerings every day.
The rear courtyard had been divided into specialized areas for cultivation, pill refining, artifact refining, and similar work. The Guard had recruited many cultivators with particular skills, including medical cultivators, artifact refiners, and pill cultivators. They were housed and supported here.
That arrangement was quite common. Plenty of major powers did much the same.
The difference was that Qingxi City’s City Lord was himself highly skilled in pill cultivation, knew something about artifact refining, and had also dabbled in formations and talismans. As a result, the specialists supported by Qingxi City were all down-to-earth people, with no arrogant prima donnas among them. Each day they conscientiously refined pills and artifacts, handed over their work in exchange for pay, and lived peaceful, settled lives, almost as though they had secured lifelong salaried jobs.
That very stability made them tell their friends about the place. And so an ever-growing assortment of talented people came to work in the residence’s rear courtyard…
Because Jiang Hanchuan wanted to make Spirit-Testing Stones, he had been put to work here as well.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze reached the rear courtyard and saw a crowd of people clustered together, exclaiming over something. Even Wei Xuening and the others were there.
Xia Yunzhao tapped someone on the shoulder. “What’s everyone looking at?”
The cultivator turned and hurriedly bowed. “City Lord! We’re watching the Spirit-Testing Stone! Senior Jiang made an enormous one. Everyone’s testing their spirit roots and constitutions!”
“Whoa!” Xia Yunzhao rolled up his sleeves and began squeezing into the crowd. “Let me see!”
The cultivator fought back a laugh and called out for him. “The City Lord’s here! Make way, everyone!”
The people at the front turned around, recognized their City Lord, and smilingly moved aside. None of them was in the slightest surprised that he had come to join the excitement.
In the center stood a truly enormous Spirit-Testing Stone, seemingly about the same size as Qianyuan Sect’s. Wei Xuening stood before it with several familiar Guard members while Jiang Hanchuan helped test their spirit roots and constitutions.
Xia Yunzhao pushed his way right to the front through sheer determination, dragging Shang Shuangze along with him, and greeted them. “Busy, everyone?”
“City Lord,” Wei Xuening replied. “Fellow Daoist Jiang says the Spirit-Testing Stone still needs adjusting. He asked us to help.”
Jiang Hanchuan had just finished testing the last Guard member’s aptitude and constitution. “There. Finished.”
“That’s it?” Xia Yunzhao asked. “It works now?”
Jiang Hanchuan nodded. “Yes. Unless something unexpected happens, a Spirit-Testing Stone will never stop working.”
Xia Yunzhao grew excited. “Can I test myself, then? I still don’t even know what spirit roots I have!” It was rather heartbreaking when he thought about it. He was the City Lord of Qingxi City and a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he still had no idea what his spirit roots were.
Jiang Hanchuan nodded again. “Of course. Place your hand here and wait a moment.”
Curious, Xia Yunzhao set his hand against the stone. It felt smooth and pleasantly warm, rather like jade. He could sense that it contained spiritual power too. As he approached, the power inside the stone seemed to draw near him affectionately, gently brushing his fingertips.
The stone began to glow, several times brighter than it had during the Guards’ tests.
Wei Xuening smiled. “As expected of our City Lord. Your aptitude is extraordinary.”
Xia Yunzhao chuckled. “I had a feeling my aptitude couldn’t be bad. I just don’t know its grade.”
The Spirit-Testing Stone continued glowing, growing brighter and brighter until it looked like an enormous luminous pearl… Then things began taking a strange turn.
The light intensified until it was dazzling. Suddenly the stone shuddered with a thunderous boom. Xia Yunzhao jerked his hand away in fright, and a towering column of light shot skyward. It was as though the blazing sun had fallen to earth. The entire City Lord’s residence… no, the whole of Qingxi City was swallowed by that terrifying radiance!
Phoenix cries and dragon roars seemed to ring out. Two vast, indistinct golden figures spiraled upward along the light column and soared into the highest heavens. Golden lotuses burst from the ground, and stars coursed across the sky. Whether these were illusions or real phenomena, the spectacle unfurled before every person in Qingxi City…
The miraculous signs continued for half a shichen before gradually fading. The pillar of light went out, and the Spirit-Testing Stone returned to normal.
The rear courtyard fell utterly silent.
Xia Yunzhao’s mouth hung wide open. For once, he looked guilty and uncertain as he edged toward Shang Shuangze and whispered, “Did I cause trouble again?”
Shang Shuangze was silent too. The word again suggested a welcome degree of self-awareness, though the words did I rather undermined it.
He sighed. “It’s my fault.”
When Xia Yunzhao had asked to test his roots, Shang Shuangze had instinctively sensed there might be a problem. But Xia Yunzhao had been so eager and excited that he could not bear to stop him. Who would have guessed it would turn into this?
Xia Yunzhao said, “How can it be your fault…?”
A commotion erupted outside. Xing Wenyu rushed in with a crowd behind him, using movement techniques to leap forward. “What happened?! Where’s the City Lord? Is he all right?”
Xia Yunzhao quickly called out, “Brother Xing, I’m here! I’m fine!”
Xing Wenyu jumped over the crowd and landed in front of him. He looked him up and down, having nearly been frightened out of his wits. He wanted to give him a lecture, but what came out was, “Who dragged the City Lord into fooling around this time?”
Xia Yunzhao cleared his throat. “No one was fooling around. The Spirit-Testing Stone was ready, and I just tried testing my constitution. Who could have known…?”
Who could have known it would do that?!
He turned toward the completely still Spirit-Testing Stone. Was the thing broken?
Jiang Hanchuan finally recovered from his shock and chimed in. “It was my fault. The Spirit-Testing Stone must have some… some problem…” Yet he knew perfectly well that Spirit-Testing Stones did not simply malfunction like that. Just as someone with healthy eyes instinctively knew whether it was day or night, a Spirit-Testing Stone simply showed a person’s constitution and aptitude. There could be no mistake.
Even if someone falsified a result the way Jiang Hanchuan once had, it could never be falsified to this extent!
Xing Wenyu’s eyes flickered. He said calmly, “If the Spirit-Testing Stone is faulty, then repair it before using it again. No one is to speak of what happened today.” As he spoke, he signaled to Wei Xuening and Jing Ruyun, who had followed him.
They both nodded slightly.
Xing Wenyu looked at Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze again. “All right. You’ve finished causing chaos. Come on. You can have a meal in my courtyard.”
Xia Yunzhao smiled sheepishly, somewhat embarrassed. Jing Ruyun laughed. “Hurry along, City Lord. Things will be easier if you aren’t here.”
Xia Yunzhao paused, then suddenly understood. He nodded. “I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Behind him, Wei Xuening, Ying Yanyu, and the others were already busy. The incident had been so sudden that they would have to ask everyone present to swear a Dao-heart oath to keep the day’s events secret. Naturally, generous compensation would also be necessary. The smiling cultivators who left clutching their rewards were proof enough of that.
For the next few days, everyone kept Xia Yunzhao firmly at home and refused to let him go out. He behaved much better himself, too.
The Spirit-Testing Stone’s extraordinary display proved one thing: Xia Yunzhao’s constitution was definitely not merely a Myriad-Spirit Body.
The Myriad-Spirit Body was rare, but not unique in all the world. Rumor had it that a current disciple of Lingxiao Palace had one. That person was not yet two hundred years old by bone age but had already reached Soul Transformation. Lingxiao Palace protected them fiercely; they had never even shown their face at the Qianyuan Grand Competition.
Even a heaven-favored genius like that had never caused such phenomena during a Spirit-Testing Stone test.
The only possible conclusion was that Xia Yunzhao’s constitution ranked even higher than the Myriad-Spirit Body.
Qianyuan Sect was currently hunting people with special constitutions, so no one dared let him wander around carelessly. Qingxi City was no longer a small power, but Li Jingyuan was a Mahayana cultivator. If he abandoned all dignity and came in person to seize Xia Yunzhao, even Yue Shanfeng might be unable to protect them.
Fortunately, Qingxi City’s citizens and the City Lord’s residence stood united. When the residence announced that no one should discuss the strange phenomena, the townspeople really did hold their tongues and stop gossiping about it.
Several more days passed. The commotion died down completely, and not a word leaked outside. The whole matter was quietly buried.
Xia Yunzhao regained his freedom, though he did not make a fuss. He began secretly preparing to establish cultivation schools.
His attempt to recruit Jiang Hanchuan into the plan that day had partly been because he recognized the man’s lingering wish to die and wanted to give him something to do. But the plan itself was real. He had thought of it long ago and had discussed it with Shang Shuangze on more than one occasion.
Learning that Jiang Hanchuan could make Spirit-Testing Stones was simply an unexpected bonus.
For all that Xia Yunzhao laughed and joked every day and seemed to take nothing seriously, he was in fact enormously ambitious. The drive he had possessed as a young man had never been extinguished, not in the slightest.
Years earlier, he had gone to Qingxi City with Geng Jingwu to sell fish. He had seen a cultivator beat a mortal to death merely for blocking the road. Geng Jingwu had told him that this was normal, that mortals and cultivators alike were accustomed to it.
Xia Yunzhao had answered, “No matter what, I still think it’s wrong. Even if I’m the only person who thinks so.”
That was still his answer today.
Years had passed. Now, no cultivator dared beat a mortal to death in Qingxi City’s streets. But Xia Yunzhao wanted to do more.
Luckily, he was no longer the only one who thought that way.
For the first time, the little valley opened its gates to visitors, all of them trusted companions.
Xianchan leaped onto the table without the slightest reserve, plunged its head forward, and noisily drank the water from Xing Wenyu’s cup.
Xing Wenyu stroked the kitten’s sleek, silky fur. “This has to remain secret. At least until it’s ready, outsiders must know nothing.”
Zhong Yundu waved a strip of dried meat. The gluttonous kitten immediately came over to him. Satisfied, Zhong Yundu nodded and said, “As for that school… choosing a site is a major problem. Unless it’s somewhere in the Liancui Mountains, sooner or later someone will find out.”
Wei Ling said at once, “Even if we choose the Liancui Mountains, there’s no absolute guarantee.”
Du Yan said, “Keeping the location secret is secondary. The more important issue is how to stop outsiders from getting in.”
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze exchanged a look and smiled. “We’ve already decided where the school will go.”
Everyone froze. Xia Yunzhao flicked a finger, and the Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm appeared before him.
Realization dawned on the group. Of course… No, that was exactly right! How had they forgotten about such a treasure?
The Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm was entirely under their City Lord’s control. Inside, he was practically a god. Who could enter and who could not would be decided with a single word. And the secret realm was vast and rich in resources. It could not only house a school but also provide materials and practical experience for beginners!
No location could be more suitable than the Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm.
Everyone exchanged glances and began discussing the details.
While Qingxi City advanced steadily, strange changes were multiplying in the world beyond.
Soon after Qianyuan Sect announced the closure of its mountain gates, Wentian Sect ordered every disciple away from the sect to return. It did not formally close its gates, but disciples were forbidden to descend the mountain whenever they pleased.
Meanwhile, the Pill Cultivators’ Alliance, Evernight River, the Su clan, the Pei clan, and several other major forces each began pulling inward. They stopped accepting new affiliated forces outside their own cities. Their actions were so synchronized that one might have thought they had planned them together.
As the great powers withdrew, outbreaks of demonic qi became more frequent everywhere. Countless mortals and low-level cultivators were tainted every day, and countless others died. Demonic cultivators began appearing in many cities. They were like slaughter beasts that had taken human form, devoid of reason and interested only in killing and devouring. Wherever they went, corpses littered the ground and blood ran in rivers.
Among the ten great powers, only Yunmeng Marsh and Shuixi Pavilion showed compassion and offered even limited protection.
The Liuli Pure Land Sect, one of the few Buddhist cultivation sects, remained unmoved. As always, it kept itself apart from the mortal world. Low-level cultivators seeking its protection found it difficult even to locate its mountain gates.
Amid the chaos, Lingxiao Palace devoured other forces’ resources on a grand scale. Taking advantage of the other major powers’ withdrawal, it expanded recklessly and swiftly grew in strength… A storm was gathering over the cultivation world.