In the end, both were successful. Yi Wei was able escape from the explosion radius, and Luo Xiuying finally broke through into a four-star talisman maker after many years of struggle.

Just in case the man decided to explode something again in celebration, she got out of his sight and spiritual will detection range as quickly as she was able to, using the power of metal-type energy to forcefully increase the power of her Storm’s Edge Dash, switching to wood-type to maintain it.

She could only stop once she was certain that the explosive talisman manufacturer wasn’t chasing her, and she did so in front of a large fenced-off field. It was made from a strange sort of wood that actively pulsed with life, small vines growing and writhing on the wall of wooden stakes seemingly cut straight from small wooden trees.

Before she was able to make any particular decision, Yi Wei felt the sensation of spiritual will sweeping past her. A small passageway opened up within fence, and a voice seemed to sound within her head.

“Child who hath such pure wood energy, enter into my domain if thee would be properly taught within this land of ignorance,” the voice sounded like it belonged to a young woman, although it had an ethereal quality to it, as if it belonged to a divine being rather than a simple cultivator, “Even if thou hath no interest in my teachings, my domain shalt be a sanctuary for thee and the rest of this world’s righteous practitioners of the natural arts.”

Her voice calmed her instantly, soothing any panic she had over Luo Xiuying’s explosive tendencies.

‘If that had been a mental attack, it would have been incredibly powerful… and yet, it was simply her voice. To speak in my head like that, she can’t be any weaker than the fourth realm,’ Yi Wei understood, breathing slowly several times to regain her senses, ‘It can’t hurt to have a look. Though, the way my heart is beating… must be the influence of the damn Thunder Lord again…’

She stepped into the open maw of the wooden fence. It closed behind her, leaving her with no path other than forward, through a grove of trees and flowers that formed a small tunnel, just large enough for her to traverse comfortably.

A pleasant smell entered her nose, a mixture of the fragrant flowers and fresh leaves falling into her short hair.

The narrow tunnel opened up after a few minutes of walking, revealing a small clearing that was only a few metres from one edge to another. On the far side stood the most beautiful woman Yi Wei had ever seen, with a balanced body and curvaceous figure, large, motherly breasts and wide hips hidden only by two strips of thin green cloth wrapped around her chest and waist. Brown hair grew down to her thighs, wreathed in green leaves and flowers.

This sight caused her to freeze in place both in mind and body, unable to do anything but take in the sight. For once, her normal self and the part of her mind affected by the Seventh of Meng’s memories agreed that the person before them was, without a shadow of a doubt, a masterpiece of physical form.

“Do not worry about staring,” the woman’s lips moved softly, “I hath intentionally moulded my shape to represent the peak of yin, so it would be foolish of me to object to observation.”

Her voice broke Yi Wei’s trance, although she was still unable to take her eyes off the woman, only move between her eyes, chest, hips and legs. She felt blood rushing to her cheeks, which she was unable to suppress even with her control over the body. “That’s not something I usually do, regardless of the woman I’m in front of. You called me in because of my energy?”

“That is correct. Thou hath great mastery of wood energy, and I saw thee appear with great haste due to some great technique. Despite thee being a child of the Yi, thou art not a fool by most appearances. I, Chu Ling, would take thee into my apprenticeship to ensure thine talents are not misused,” the woman said, every idle movement of her hands causing the forest around her to shift and rustle.

It was her last sentence that finally shook Yi Wei’s mind, ‘Right, that. I was missing a teacher for pill refining and wood cultivation. Thank you, future Master Chu, for saying that, or else I’d never be able to look away.’

“What sort of things would I learn from you?” she asked, shifting her gaze to a branch near the woman’s head.

“Child, I would teach thee my Dao, the way of nature and the world. I would also grant thee my knowledge of herbs and plants, and how to refine them,” Chu Ling raised her hands, causing a number of herbs to pluck themselves from the ground and fly into the space above them, “In other terms, I would train thee in the great art of pill refining.”

‘Since I have already decided to get all five, I have no reason to refuse…’ Yi Wei decided, so she bowed before the woman, “Then I’ll accept your offer, Master Chu Ling.”

“Thou doth not need to be so formal, child of Yi. What is thine name?”

“I’m Yi Wei, a ser-”

“I hath no need for thine status. Here, thou art akin to the trees, equal in thine station and standing. Just as I teach the grove what I know, I shall teach thee as well,” the verdant woman interrupted her, letting the various grasses and herbs that she brought out of the ground return to their original places, “However, I would inquire in regards to thine technique that hath achieved such purity. How have thee done this?”

“Um…” Yi Wei considered the best words to use, “I have been practising metal techniques for a few years, but I found that I was not particularly successful, so I switched to wood-type skills out of desperation. To my pleasant surprise, I progressed quickly after I began to apply my comprehension of metal’s opposition to wood, and breakthroughs have been coming one after another.”

“That… is a valid method of progression, child. In fact, it hath even been mentioned within my technique,” she got out a thin, aged manual that opened in mid-air. It turned to face Yi Wei and flipped to a certain page, which described the importance of study.

It was only in the air for a few seconds, but it was enough for her to read every word.

“Isn’t that… Miss Chu Ling, isn’t that a forbidden art?” she couldn’t help but ask, having recognised a few sentences.

“Oh? Thine knowledge doth surprise me, child,” her reply was simple, and her expression remained unchanged, “Indeed, thine master practises the Codex of Nature, but I assume that thou doth not desire the fate that such a skill would grant thee, so I shalt not teach thee this skill, but only the section of cultivation within it.”

‘So that’s how things are. No wonder she looks so… unique? Like she is one with nature? Seriously, this person is really harmful to my mind. If I stay here too long, I’ll inevitably do something stupid,’ Yi Wei nodded to show her understanding of the matter, ‘I guess this is what some boys experience…’

“I shalt prepare an area for thee to learn, so you may relax here for now. If any of thine family approach, I shalt tell them that thou art under my guard while thou art within the Timeless Grove.”

Chu Ling did not give her the opportunity to speak, stepping back into the woods and vanishing into the shadows of the trees. It was as if she turned into wood herself and simply flowed into the trunks of the green giants around her.

As the source of distraction had finally left, Yi Wei let out a very audible sigh of relief and sat down on the grass. A soft wind blew through the grove, causing the blades of grass to brush against her legs. Chirping of various birds occasionally broke the calm silence of the secluded area, but it only added to the soothing atmosphere. After half a month of hurrying to progress, such a moment of relaxation was far more helpful than she ever expected it to be.

An uncertain period of time later, the forest ahead of her opened up, trunks twisting and roots shifting away to clear a narrow pathway into a secondary clearing, full of various items and implements that must have been of some use in pill refining or wood cultivation.

“Come hither, child. I shall teach thee what thine eager mind wishes to learn,” the voice spoke within her head, the branches along the path waving in an inviting manner.

‘Are all of those made of wood? Did she make all of these just in this minute? If they’re good enough to create one-star pills, then that is a very impressive ability,’ she thought. Although most cauldrons, anvils and formation plates required for making one-star items could be made from random pieces of metal and be hammered into the right shape by sheer accident, to create such things from wood in a few minutes was still impressive for someone who did not seem to specialise in blacksmithing.

She stood up and passed through the opening. The trees did not close behind her, though she could feel their desire to do so, and the way it was suppressed by Chu Ling’s idle thought. Every living thing surrounding her was full of energy that was in no way inferior to the sort used by a fourth realm cultivator, including even the smallest blades of grass.

‘These all look like ordinary plants, so… has she somehow shared her cultivation with them? It is probably a part of the Codex of Nature,’ Yi Wei guessed, as she did not see a mention of this in the pages she was allowed to read.

“Child of Yi, since thou art skilled at cultivation, perhaps more so than I, the first thing we shalt focus on shalt be the art of refining. Have thou experienced this before?”

“I have seen the process of pill refining, and have learned a few simple recipes, though I can only fetch their ingredients, not process them,” she admitted, as the woman could easily learn about that sort of history if she just inquired with Yi Zehao or any other senior member of the Yi family. There was nothing strange about a servant knowing these things, either.

“Even that experience shalt greatly benefit thine progress in the future. Let me impart unto thee the Cherry Revolving Blossom Art, a method specifically designed for the refining of pills at a high quality. It is almost three times superior to the common ways of thine family, so it shall benefit thee greatly. As thou ought to be aware, speak not of this art to others, lest thine fortune catches the ears of unsavoury individuals,” Chu Ling warned, clicking her fingers.

A young cherry tree suddenly blossomed from the ground, rapidly growing from seedling to a ten-year-old tree, pink leaves sprouting from the branches. One branch in particular, thicker and sturdier than the rest, began to sag as a rectangular object grew from its end.

It was a manual with the insignia of a cherry blossom on the front and back, which slowly rotated in place despite being drawn on the leather cover.

“Do not attempt to remove this manual from the grove, for it is bound to it. Once thine mind is full of its knowledge, place it back onto the tree and allow it to be stored,” she explained, plucking the book from the branch and giving it to Yi Wei, “I shalt also grant thee the manual for the Codex of Nature before thine exit, in a similar manner.”

As the woman had nothing more to say, Yi Wei flipped onto the first page. The word density was not particularly high, and they were not too complex in nature, and yet she felt her mind being strained with just a few sentences.

‘Oh. I know what this means. The more difficult a text is to read and comprehend, the closer it is said to be aligned with a Dao, though which one it follows is uncertain. To think that I have encountered something like this when even the Thunder Lord’s legendary techniques had no such effect,’ she gasped, noticing a smile appearing on the woman’s lips, ‘She must be testing me to see how much of this I am able to take in. Well, since she is unlikely to tell the Yi family if she finds a diamond in the rough, I might as well test myself at the same time.’

She shut her eyes for a few seconds, clearing her head of unnecessary thoughts and focusing onto the matter at hand with a mote of cosmic energy. Even without channelling it, she felt the weight on her mind lessening, as if the energy dissolved the mystery and complexity of the Dao itself.

Her eyes opened and returned to the page. She read the first paragraph, the second, third, fourth… The entire page was finished in a minute. It stressed her mind despite being a simple introduction, but after another minute dedicated purely to letting her head relax with the influence of the cosmic energy, she was able to do the same on the second page.

Like that, slowly and somewhat painfully, she completed the first chapter, which contained the basic instructions for general pill refining. It would not apply to the truly valuable medicines, all of which needed to be processed in very specific ways.

However, she could not push onward. The words, no matter how simple and obvious they were, overwhelmed her mind far too much.

‘A second thing that I can’t force using the advantage of my planar energy- hold up. If this technique contains the words of the Dao, then what about my mysterious characters? I don’t want to divulge too much of it, just in case, but I should try yelling it at someone in a fight. Since even hearing the words of the Dao can put a certain pressure on the mind, I should be able to overwhelm those with weaker minds just with a phrase,’ she considered, shutting the book with a heavy sigh.

“Have thou finished thine reading, child?” Chu Ling said, her eyes glistening with curiosity.

“I think I have. This is one of the hardest manuals I have ever read.”

“I can tell that thou art not surprised by this, so I assume that thou hath discovered that in thine hands lies a manual of great value and significance,” she smiled, “Still, thou hath read through much of the book, more than I had expected thine mind to be able to comprehend.”

“If I may ask, how many sentences were you able to read the first time you came across this technique?”

Chu Ling bit her lip, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her stoic face, “Three words. I was not in the best state of mind, neither was my comprehension of wood and cultivation in general. Since then, I hath been able to read through one and a half pages in one go, and since I hath already learned the technique, it is improving with every day.”

‘That means that even without cosmic energy, I have a better comprehension of things than this woman had,’ Yi Wei remarked mentally with some pride, “I see. Then, are we going to move onto the practical side of things?”

“It is time to do so, yes. Since thou hath read the first chapter, thine knowledge shalt be sufficient for the assistance in processing one-star medicines. Please, follow me to the pill furnace.”

The wooden pill furnace was covered in small decorations, decorative symbols and aesthetic endless lines, some sticking outward and others indented into the brown surface. It was a little amazing how Chu Ling had been able to add such a great degree of detail over such a brief timeframe, as the decorations themselves made the furnace worth a dozen golden coins, and since it was also capable of refining pills, the price would automatically triple. Depending on the quality of produced pills and the number of stars they could handle, the price would multiply even further.

“For today, I shalt teach thee how to refine the Copper Skin Toughening Pill, which shalt be useful if thine body requires strengthening during thine work for the Yi family, or if thou art interested in body cultivation.”

Yi Wei nodded, so the woman stretched out her hand and beckoned the forest. A number of herbs, ginsengs and plants were brought out of the shade of the leaves by sturdy branches.

“Have thou handled such things before?” the woman asked, laying these items out on a table beside the pill furnace.

“I have seen how to process the hundred-year ginseng, crimson petal flower, bright star tulip and violet grass, but not the rest of these. Are these the correct quantity for a Copper Skin Toughening Pill?”

“Indeed. The fact that thou hath recognized these is good for thine future in this art. Do remember that some of them are also beneficial in their raw form and can be consumed in higher quantities than most pills before their usefulness ebbs. However, keep in thine mind that they shalt be wilder and less controlled than typical pills, so if thou art interested in the matter, ensure that thee art well prepared for it. Acquire items to resist the potential impact, or else thine time will be short indeed.”

“I am aware, but I have not been able to acquire any precious herbs with my limited funds. Anything you’d recommend, or could provide?”

“Hm… I shalt consider this, but I do possess a unique planar herb of an unknown quantity of stars – the Nine Petals Cosmic Lotus. I am not certain what its purpose is, but I am certain that it is beneficial to thine body,” Chu Ling admitted, rubbing her chin, “If thou stumbled upon it, or another instance of it, do not consume it hastily. It will not end well.”

Yi Wei could tell that she was not saying this because of her desire to get her hands on the planar herb, but due to some small degree of genuine concern. ‘Is she actually worried about me as her disciple? That’s… unexpected… Maybe I’ll be able to get help from my five teachers if I get into some trouble with the family eventually… I can consider this later. Shouldn’t be getting distracted this easily…’

“Alright. I am not so-” she was about to label herself as the bastion of carefulness, but none of her actions over the last two weeks suggested that, “I may be a little careless, but I won’t make such a simple mistake.”

“Do not fear, I do not believe thee to be a fool, child of Yi. However, thine cultivation could not be so great without taking any risks, so I simply wished to remind thee that thou should not consume such an item under any circumstances,” the woman in green smiled, “Now, observe the process, and learn as much as thee can. Once thee have witnessed it once, we may attempt it together.”

 

“The Ice Demon’s Will meshes well with our natures, brother. As the one of greater dark, how is your progress?”

“I am making a little more progress than you, clearly... I am at the Great Stride already, and the Paradigm of Yin only now begins to struggle.”

“There’s a reason the Gr-”

“Brother…”

“I mean, there is a reason why They wished to get their hands on it. If it had been an ordinary forbidden skill, they would have allowed to remain just like all of the rest of the weaker skills. If they realize what they’re missing with that brat, Da Gang, they would certainly ignite a second War of Yin.”

“War of Yin… It is fitting for him, as well, though I suspect, based on the lightning… War of Gold, perhaps? The Astral War?”

“The first one, I understand, but not the second.”

“Just consider his lighting. It was of two colours, was it not?”

“That’s where the gold thing came from, yes.”

“Truly, you were not the better half… The lightning was gold, but also purple… violet… akin to the stars…”

“Oh… I see!”

“I suspect you do not, Great Light. That light must be in your eyes far too often for you to see the world around you… Remember, when the storm from his attack descended, it was a mixture of heavenly gold, but also starlight. When I looked through those bolts of lightning, it was like I watched the skies themselves…”

“You have an impressive imagination… is what I’d like to have said, but I saw it too, just thought it to be in my head, and my head alone… Isn’t it said that abilities that are able to pierce into the heavens are akin to the eighth realm?”

“I wouldn’t know… The worst would be if he owned a forbidden skill of his own, as this would be far superior to the Paradigm of Yin. Perfected stages for every stage reached…”

“Yeah, you don’t have to say it. Scary stuff.”

 

Just as the refinement completed, Yi Wei sneezed out of nowhere.

“Did I get sick despite being a cultivator? Huh…”