Chapter 31

Rumors quickly spread throughout Cangyun City.

Dantai Family's Tianlun Elder engaged in a fierce battle with a young woman who came to challenge him, ultimately suffering a heavy defeat and lying on the brink of death.

Most people could not discern the truth of the rumors, but the voice of the young woman challenging Dantai Elder was clearly heard by many around the Dantai Manor.

With the rumors being deliberately spread and further embellished by those who thought they knew the inside story, the news quickly became known throughout the city. Behind the most enthusiastic spreaders of the rumors, there seemed to be the shadow of the Shengyu Trading Company.

Almost as soon as the rumors began to ferment, the other three major families, led by the Yun Family, started to create friction at the borders of the four major families' territories, testing the Dantai Family's response.

Soon, the Dantai Family began to show signs of weakness. The Yun Family, Zhao Family, and Qi Family decisively struck, beginning to encroach on the Dantai Family's interests in various fields.

Cangyun City was suddenly in turmoil. The Dantai Family Head was busy all day dealing with the encirclement by the three major families, and Dantai Jin was particularly distressed.

This was because, after defeating Dantai Elder, Shangguan Junyi had softly uttered the name "Dantai Jin."

Since then, the entire Dantai Family, from top to bottom, had looked at him with resentment and blame.

"Our Dantai Family has come to this because you provoked someone you shouldn't have."

Even his youngest brother, Dantai Yan, who was just over ten years old, said this to his face.

Throughout the entire incident, Zhong Wen's presence was never seen. However, for some reason, whenever Dantai Jin was in a difficult situation, the image of that cunning young man's smile would constantly float in his mind.

"One day, I will make you wish you were dead but unable to die!"

He gritted his teeth, unable to suppress his hatred for Zhong Wen.

However, Zhong Wen, the object of his hatred, was completely unaware.

After receiving a large amount of spiritual medicines and seeds from Shangguan Mingyue, he happily started his next task.

"Task 1: Successfully refine 100 'Great Spirit Recovery Pills.' Please draw a lot to receive your task reward: 1. Records of the Grand Historian; 2. The Great Brightness Non-Form True Sutra; 3. The醍醐灌頂 (one scroll)."

"Congratulations, you have received the reward: The醍醐灌頂 (one scroll)!"

Zhong Wen looked at the lottery result with regret. The second option sounded incredibly powerful, but unfortunately, he didn't have the luck to get it, and once again missed out on the best reward.

At this moment, a new alternative task appeared on the panel:

"Task 1: Successfully refine 30 'Spirit Ascension Pills' to get one lottery chance."

"This task is quite challenging, but..." Zhong Wen, alone in his room, put on a haughty and domineering demeanor, "it's all within my reach!"

After playing around, he obediently sat back in front of the alchemy furnace, took out a pile of various spiritual medicines, lit the alchemy fire, and began to add the ingredients one by one.

The 'Spirit Ascension Pill' is a pill that enhances spiritual power cultivation. Such pills are extremely precious in the world of cultivators, with their formulas tightly controlled by the seven great holy sites. Even when a few pills occasionally leak out from the holy sites, they would be fiercely contested by various forces, often leading to bloody battles.

One of the extremely precious ingredients, the 'Dao Ling Fruit,' was something even Shangguan Mingyue, with the power of the trading company, could not gather. Fortunately, Zhong Wen still had quite a few in his ring.

"You have a problem, and I have the solution~" Zhong Wen hummed a little tune, continuously turning the alchemy furnace, his expression incredibly relaxed.

Since the day he refined pills in the Medicine King Valley and triggered a heavenly phenomenon, his alchemy skills had improved to a new level, subtly resembling the first alchemy master of ancient times, the deputy valley master of the Medicine King Valley.

In less than two hours, a furnace of over seventy fragrant 'Spirit Ascension Pills' neatly appeared in the alchemy furnace.

Picking one up and sniffing it, a strange fragrance entered his nostrils, and the flow of spiritual power in his body subtly quickened.

"Good stuff." Zhong Wen happily put the 'Spirit Ascension Pills' into a bottle.

As a cultivation-enhancing pill, the 'Spirit Ascension Pill' is one of the most basic types, with many restrictions on its use. It is ineffective for cultivators at the Tianlun stage and below, and each cultivator can only take a maximum of three pills. If more are taken, the body will develop resistance, and the effects will be wasted.

Even so, in the secular cultivation world, the 'Spirit Ascension Pill' is a rare and precious pill, impossible to obtain with spirit crystals.

Zhong Wen, who was not familiar with the cultivation world's landscape, was not overly excited. Instead, he focused on studying the 'New Huazang Pavilion' in his mind:

"Task 1: Successfully refine 30 'Spirit Ascension Pills.' Please draw a lot to receive your task reward: 1. Three Hundred High School Chinese Reading Comprehensions; 2. Dragon Elephant Heaven-Shaking Technique; 3. Breath Concealment Technique."

"The second one, the second one, I must get the second one, Namo Amitabha!" Zhong Wen clasped his hands together, praying to the gods, "Draw the lot!"

"Congratulations, you have received the reward: Three Hundred High School Chinese Reading Comprehensions!"

"Damn!" Zhong Wen was so angry he jumped up and down, unable to resist giving the sky the middle finger.

After cursing for a while, he dejectedly looked at the new task on the panel:

"Task 1: Translate a book written in the language of the Great Gan Dynasty. The reward will depend on the length and quality of the translation."

"Huh?" Looking at the new task, Zhong Wen blushed.

In the past few days, he had gradually adapted to life in the Piaohua Palace, and his initial enthusiasm for learning the language had waned. The 'Mengxue' and 'Shiwen Shuozhi' books on his desk had not been opened for several days.

I haven't told the little girl a story in a while!

He suddenly felt a sense of guilt. When he first arrived in this world, the little girl was the closest to him. Now that he was meeting more people, he was spending less time with this kind and innocent little girl.

Putting away the alchemy furnace, he opened the door, intending to find the little girl, but found Yin Ning'er standing at the door, seemingly about to knock.

"Miss Yin, is there something you need?" Zhong Wen asked curiously.

"Call me Ning'er." Yin Ning'er's tone was somewhat stubborn.

Zhong Wen was surprised by the sudden closeness of this ice-cold beauty but did not refuse: "Ning'er, what's the matter?"

"Can I ask you some questions about spiritual medicines?" Yin Ning'er's tone was somewhat hesitant, quite different from her usual cold demeanor.

"Of course." Zhong Wen smiled, "Ning'er must really like the study of spiritual medicines."

"I lost my parents at the age of ten and came to Qingfeng Mountain with my master. Apart from my master and senior sisters, I didn't interact much with outsiders." Yin Ning'er rarely talked about her past, "When I was alone on the mountain, I often stared at the flowers, trees, and plants, and gradually, I felt as if I could sense their growth. They don't speak loudly, but they are real lives."

"I was born with an unfriendly personality and felt uncomfortable talking to strangers, but I felt no pressure around plants, only comfort and happiness." As if opening up, Yin Ning'er spoke fluently, a hint of excitement on her fair and delicate face, "Later, I thought, since plants grow so slowly and with such difficulty, maybe I could help them."

"So you started learning how to plant?" Zhong Wen couldn't help but interject.

"Yes, I used my saved pocket money to buy some related books and started learning how to plant on my own." Yin Ning'er nodded, "Later, when my junior sister entered the sect and I became a senior sister, I thought I shouldn't just freeload and should contribute to the sect. Since Qingfeng Mountain is rich in spiritual medicines, I began to study the cultivation of spiritual medicines and also learned some alchemy."

After talking for a while, Yin Ning'er gradually shed her hesitation and returned to her usual calm and cold demeanor: "I will never forget the happiness I felt when my first batch of spiritual medicines was sold by my master."

Zhong Wen looked at the elegant and reclusive 'hermit' before him and sincerely said, "It's a great fortune for the Palace Head to have a disciple like you."

"No, I was just running away, immersing myself in my own world. If I hadn't been so capricious and had trained as hard as my second senior sister in spiritual techniques, I wouldn't have been so helpless that night, unable to protect myself or Xiaodie." Yin Ning'er shook her head, recalling the desperate feeling, her eyes slightly red, "Zhong Wen, thank you for saving us."

The usually elegant and cold white-robed girl, now frowning and with red-rimmed eyes, looked incredibly delicate and pitiful.

Seeing this, Zhong Wen felt a strong urge to protect her and couldn't help but comfort her: "Ning'er, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Qi Qi is naturally suited for martial arts, but your talent lies elsewhere. As the saying goes, there are 360 trades, and each has its own champion. Cultivation is not the only path."

Seeing that Yin Ning'er was still frowning, Zhong Wen continued: "Personal martial prowess often does not determine the outcome of a war. In my view, the role of a great spiritual medicine master and a great alchemy master is far more significant than that of a Tianlun expert."

"But my knowledge of spiritual medicines and alchemy is very basic; I am not a master." Yin Ning'er still shook her head.

"Ning'er, do you want to become a true master?" Zhong Wen stared into Yin Ning'er's eyes, making a significant decision in his heart. "Qiao Erniang and the others want to revitalize Qingfeng Pavilion, and they might really need the support of a master behind them."

Yin Ning'er felt a bit flustered under his gaze, almost looking away, but finally mustered the courage to meet his eyes for a few seconds: "Yes!"

"Very good." Zhong Wen's smile was radiant, "I will teach you!"