Chương 26

[Training in progress. Three days of cultivation completed. Qi Refining Tier 4 progress +3.] [14/100]... After another three days of cultivation inside the Ember Sanctum—equivalent to six hours in the outside world—Elara had nearly exhausted her remaining Qi Gathering Pills. Taking one pill a day, and sometimes two, was depleting her supply at an alarming rate. She had originally received two full bottles of Low Basic-grade pills.

Cedric had given her one as a reward, while the other had come from the Ember Sanctum. That investment had significantly accelerated her progress. Without the pills, even the Ember Sanctum's benefits might not have been enough to move her progress bar by a single point after three full days of cultivation. If I had a steady supply of cultivation pills, I could probably break through within a month or two, even without the Ember Sanctum. With the Sanctum's help, a single week in the outside world might be enough.

Even the Moonwatch Sect's Chosen Heir might struggle to match such astonishing cultivation speed. Of course, for now, it was little more than wishful thinking. A bottle of Low Basic-grade Qi Gathering Pills was hardly cheap. Valehaven had very few alchemists, so a single bottle sold for nearly twenty Spirit Stones. No cultivator without considerable wealth could afford to use them at such a rate. By the time Elara emerged from the Ember Sanctum, it was already late at night.

Rather than continue cultivating, she went straight to bed and allowed herself to recover fully. Tomorrow was the Moonwatch Sect's outer disciple selection.... Early the next morning, Elara placed everything she owned of value inside her storage ring. She then returned to Dawnmere's spirit fields to retrieve Prim, the little straw servant she had left behind. She infused it with another stream of qi, replenishing its energy.

The first round of the assessment would test her professional abilities as a Spirit Gardener. A straw servant that had developed genuine intelligence should earn her a considerable number of additional points. When Elara reached the eastern side of Valehaven, she found a flying ship resting on the ground. It was noticeably smaller than the field-inspection ship from the previous day, and a steady stream of young candidates was crossing the boarding ramp onto its deck.

Valehaven had distributed just over thirty assessment recommendations this quarter. With so few passengers, the flying ship had more than enough room for everyone. Elara briefly greeted Cedric and the others, then boarded with Prim and found herself a quiet corner. The flying ship traveled at astonishing speed. The landscape on either side slipped past in a blur, vanishing almost as soon as it appeared, yet the people aboard felt no movement at all. Standing on the deck felt as stable as standing on solid ground.

Elara was about to close her eyes and rest before the assessment when she heard several people whispering nearby.

"Is that the apprentice working under Dawnmere's second manager?"

"That's her. Because of that damned second manager, I lost an entire brood of Spirit-Eater Beetles that I spent years raising." Several young men had gathered a short distance away. Among them was the southern-frontier cultivator who had looked so miserable the previous day. Now he was staring at Elara as if he wanted to burn a hole through her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

He had transferred all his hatred for Cedric onto Cedric's only apprentice. By pure coincidence, he had also identified the true culprit.

"I heard fighting is forbidden aboard the flying ship," one of the House Wang candidates warned.

"If the sect disciples overseeing the journey catch anyone causing trouble, they'll disqualify them and throw them off immediately. We're already a long way from Valehaven. Getting home from out here won't be easy." The flying ship could cross hundreds of miles in very little time. Although they had only been traveling for a short while, Valehaven was already far behind them.

"We don't need to fight her," the southern-frontier youth said.

"Look at her. She's sitting by herself instead of staying with the other Dawnmere candidates. What's wrong with going over there and putting her in her place?"

"He's right." The four House Wang candidates glanced around. When they saw that none of the supervising disciples appeared to be paying attention, they walked openly toward Elara.

"You're the apprentice working under Dawnmere's second manager?" Elara opened her eyes and looked at the four young men standing before her. A long sigh escaped her. As a Qi Refining Tier 4 cultivator, her senses were far sharper than those of the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cultivators in front of her. There was no chance their whispered conversation could have escaped her notice. She had assumed that their inability to gauge her cultivation would make them cautious.

Instead, they had gathered a group and approached her anyway. Elara raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want?"

"You still have the nerve to ask?" one of them demanded.

"Do you have any idea what your second manager did to my friend's treasure?"

"Then take it up with the second manager." Elara's irritated response left them with nowhere to take the conversation. Whether they intended to provoke or intimidate her, their behavior seemed no more threatening than children trying to act tough. Not only had they failed to upset Elara, but the exchange had also attracted the attention of the other candidates. As more people turned to watch, the four House Wang youths' earlier confidence began to wilt. Prim made matters worse.

The straw servant stood less than half as tall as an adult. It turned its back on the four young men and repeatedly slapped its straw backside in open mockery. The gesture only deepened their humiliation. Just as the confrontation reached an impasse, a familiar voice called out from nearby.

"What do the four of you think you're doing? You want to bully my boss? Did any of you bother asking whether Alistair Li would allow it?" Alistair strode over with an outer disciple behind him. He folded his arms and regarded the four House Wang candidates with his usual arrogance, showing no sign of fear. Elara was mildly surprised. She hadn't noticed Alistair when she boarded the flying ship. The four young men looked at the outer disciple behind him. For a long moment, none of them managed to produce a response.

"Why are you still staring?" Alistair challenged.

"Were you hoping for a fight?" He began rolling up his sleeves. The four House Wang candidates immediately exchanged eager looks. If Alistair struck first, he would be disqualified. Before he could do anything, however, the outer disciple behind him stepped forward. The resemblance between the two men was obvious.

"You think you can bully my younger brother?" the outer disciple asked.

"I can throw all four of you off this flying ship right now." That development genuinely surprised Elara. Apparently, Alistair had more connections than she had realized. His older brother was one of the outer disciples responsible for transporting the candidates. Humiliated, the four House Wang youths had no choice but to retreat. Once they were gone, Alistair approached Elara cautiously.

"Boss, I couldn't resist showing my older brother the burial technique you gave me yesterday." Elara didn't mind. Alistair had paid one hundred Spirit Stones for the technique. What he did with it afterward was his decision.

"I'm Gideon Li, Alistair's older brother." Gideon dwarfed his younger brother. He was exceptionally broad and powerfully built. Elara acknowledged the introduction with a slight nod. Gideon immediately crouched in front of her with the enthusiasm of a devoted admirer and lowered his voice.

"My brother showed me that art yesterday. I searched through every basic gardening art I could find, but I couldn't identify it. Did you create the technique yourself?" He hurried to add, "I'm also a Spirit Gardener, so I'm sure you understand the problem. Our options in battle are extremely limited. That burial technique of yours is exceptional." Elara didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.

She had never expected an outer disciple of the Moonwatch Sect to praise the modified form of Soften Earth she had sold for money so enthusiastically.

"It isn't even particularly difficult to learn," Gideon continued.

"Even I was able to begin practicing it almost immediately. With my cultivation at Qi Refining Tier 6, I doubt anyone below Tier 4 could break free once I trapped them."

"If we applied this technique on a battlefield, even Spirit Gardeners could provide meaningful combat support." As Gideon continued discussing the art at length, Elara couldn't help thinking that his quick progress was hardly surprising. The technique had evolved from Soften Earth, one of the most fundamental arts of their profession. Of course a Spirit Gardener would learn it quickly.

"More importantly," Gideon finally said, reaching his true purpose, "if you successfully enter the outer sect this time, I would be grateful if you could look after my younger brother." After all that praise and discussion, he had finally revealed what he wanted. Gideon was genuinely interested in the combat art, but he also had a troublesome younger brother to worry about.