Chapter 56: An Encounter

Most of the cultivators present were solitary individuals, each claiming a corner and making it clear they did not wish to be approached. There were also a few who seemed like elders bringing younger ones to broaden their horizons, two or three people gathered together. Since all wore cloaks that shielded their identities and spiritual signatures, it was nearly impossible to discern their cultivation levels or appearances.

Lu Tanxian observed for a while before withdrawing her gaze and turning her thoughts to the upcoming trade. Originally, she had only intended to look for a pill manual or recipes that would benefit her alchemy, but her intuition told her such items would not come cheap at an event like this. Though she had some spirit stones on hand, she feared they would not suffice, so she planned to sell something of her own.

She had already sold many spirit herbs during her Qi Refinement stage, mostly out of ignorance of their true value or a pressing need for money. Although she could cultivate more, her storage space was not so miraculous as to grow millennia-old herbs in a short span, and thus they were not worth much. Yet she had always been lucky—during the He Xi secret realm expedition, she had unwittingly obtained a spiritual beast egg. When she later showed it to Daoist Lord Yuheng, she learned it was a Gale Demon Wolf egg. Since neither she nor Daoist Lord Yuheng had a wind spiritual root, it had lain unused.

Why not bring it out for trade today? It was said such spiritual beasts were extremely rare and would surely fetch a good price. Having made up her mind, Lu Tanxian placed the demon wolf egg into an empty storage pouch beneath her cloak, ready to bring it out when the time came.

Soon, the room filled to capacity with thirty or forty people. The host, Cong Baoxin, appeared with a beautiful female cultivator who would serve as the auctioneer. The two of them stood at the center, and the previously chatty cultivators fell immediately silent.

Cong Baoxin cleared his throat and invited the female cultivator to begin. She wore a flowing, deep-purple smoke-veil gown patterned with plum blossoms, draped in a cicada-wing shawl trimmed with purple bamboo motifs. Her silky black hair was styled with an elegant Heavenly Luan hairpin, and a bejeweled flower ornament nestled in her cloudlike tresses. Her hands, smooth and fair as creamy jade, bore a jade-green bracelet, and a pink tassel belt with an amethyst sachet hung at her waist. On her feet were soft lotus satin shoes in a pale tan shade. She was a beauty of rare grace and dazzling charm.

She swept her gaze around, her smile poised and measured. Even when reciting the rules for the trading event, her sweet voice never grated on the ear. When she finished, the cultivators were invited to propose their trades.

The first to stand was a cultivator from the northern corner. He rose and, in a rough voice, announced, “I have a Mysterious Jade Pill and wish to exchange it for a spiritual artifact.”

The room erupted in murmurs. The Mysterious Jade Pill he offered was a renowned healing medicine, known for its remarkable effects on internal injuries caused by cultivation mishaps. It was said to cure even decades-old wounds that had stunted a cultivator’s progress. Of course, it came with a catch—once consumed, the user could never advance their cultivation again.

This sounded severe, but for high-level cultivators, it could be a lifesaver. Internal injuries often led to a decline in cultivation, sometimes even reducing a Nascent Soul cultivator to the Qi Refinement stage—a virtual death sentence. But with the pill, one could at least enjoy another hundred years of life, enough to nurture a new generation of Foundation Establishment or even Core Formation disciples for their family.

Thus, it was not unreasonable to trade such a pill for a spiritual artifact, though of course the artifact would not be of the highest grade. Soon, someone offered a low-tier Phoenix King Feather Sprout Bracelet. Though lower in rank, it boasted both defense and speed enhancement, making it far from useless. After a moment’s hesitation, the first cultivator accepted the exchange.

With the ice broken, the atmosphere grew lively. Five exchanges were completed in quick succession, and some who found nothing to trade for simply sold their goods for spirit stones. Satisfied cultivators departed early, leaving only five besides Cong Baoxin and the female host.

Lu Tanxian waited a long while but saw no one produce a pill manual. Disheartened, she was about to offer her beast egg for spirit stones when someone beat her to it.

A small, thin man stood up; though his cloak hid him, he exuded a chilling aura. When he spoke, a coldness filled the air. “I have a Soul-Summoning Pearl and a ghost cultivation manual, and I wish to exchange them for a bottle of Blood-Melting Nether Pills.”

Clearly, this man was a ghost cultivator. Both his wares and his desire were strictly for ghost cultivators—the former allowed mortals to embark on the path of ghost cultivation, the latter could elevate a ghost’s realm to that of a Ghost General. But it seemed no one present had the pills, and silence dragged on.

Lu Tanxian was torn. If she was honest, the person she cared for most in this life was Granny Hua, who had cared for her when she first transmigrated. Back then, she had been a modern city dweller turned orphaned beggar—clueless, helpless, and nearly dead more times than she could count, it was Granny Hua who had protected her.

Granny Hua treated her as her own granddaughter, saving every morsel of food for her, teaching her how to survive. Yet, when Granny Hua fell ill, Lu Tanxian had been helpless to save her, and the only person who had ever loved her died, never to be repaid. If anything could still move her now, in a heart grown calloused by the world, it was Granny Hua. If only she could summon Granny Hua’s soul and help her cultivate as a ghost...

But if the sect discovered such a thing, it would be a grave crime. After all, ghost cultivators had to absorb souls to grow stronger, and then... The dilemma tore at her heart. Just as she wavered, someone else spoke up.

“I don’t have Blood-Melting Nether Pills, but I have a pill manual that contains the recipe.”

Now, both the Soul-Summoning Pearl and the pill recipe were within reach. Lu Tanxian made up her mind and stepped forward. Through negotiation, she obtained the pill manual, the Soul-Summoning Pearl, and the ghost cultivation method, trading the beast egg to the man with the manual and some spirit herbs useful for ghost cultivation to the slender man. They exchanged communication jade tokens and agreed that, should she succeed in refining the pills in the future, they would trade again.

With these treasures in hand, she left in haste, not even bothering to inform Cong Baoxin. On her way back, she found a secluded spot, set up her formation, and began the soul-summoning ritual.

Coincidentally, she knew this particular ritual, for the inheritance she had acquired from the Strange Array Sect specialized in such unorthodox formations. With the array laid out and the Soul-Summoning Pearl in hand, she recited the incantation taught to her by the ghost cultivator.

At once, a wild wind howled through the small space, leaves and dust spinning upward with such force it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. Yet nothing happened. Lu Tanxian grew anxious—both the pearl and the array had limited power, and if she failed to summon Granny Hua’s soul within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the pearl would shatter, never to be used again.

As the pearl grew dimmer and dimmer, on the verge of failure, the wind inside the array suddenly stilled and a shadowy figure appeared.

“Granny Hua! Is that you?” Choking back tears, Lu Tanxian peered at the faint ghostly shape and, recognizing her old protector, could not keep from crying out.

After decades of wandering the mortal world, Granny Hua’s soul was terribly weak. Though she could barely recognize Lu Tanxian, she could not speak, nor communicate through spirit sense—she could only convey her meaning through her expression.

Lu Tanxian hurriedly produced a soul pill, secretly given to her by the ghost cultivator, and handed it to Granny Hua. Though barely conscious, Granny Hua instinctively sensed its benefit and snatched it, swallowing it down. Immediately, her form grew clearer and her presence stronger.

Lu Tanxian seized the chance to communicate, handing over the ghost cultivation manual and drawing Granny Hua’s soul into the Soul-Summoning Pearl as a place of refuge.

From then on, Granny Hua began her journey as a ghost cultivator within the pearl. Lu Tanxian diligently studied the pill manual and learned to craft many ghost cultivation pills, supplying them in abundance to Granny Hua. Soon, Granny Hua advanced to the Ghost Shadow stage, the second of six great ghost realms: Ghost Soul, Ghost Shadow, Ghost Form, Ghost General, Ghost King, and Ghost Emperor.

Lu Tanxian maintained private contact with the ghost cultivator, providing him with pills in exchange for his guidance in training Granny Hua and familiarizing her with ghost cultivation techniques. Occasionally, he would also take Granny Hua to absorb living souls, and in such moments, Lu Tanxian would help conceal their deeds.

Once Granny Hua reached the Ghost Shadow stage, Lu Tanxian returned to the sect. Coincidentally, upon her return she heard that Han Su had successfully formed her Golden Core but had been struck by tribulation lightning and returned home to recover.

Lu Tanxian had long been awaiting Han Su. Knowing that the Hall of Inheritance held the sect’s array formation legacies, she was eager to obtain them. The Strange Array Sect’s methods often involved modifying existing formations—a solid foundation was essential for innovation and mastery.

If she could master the full body of Construction Sect’s array knowledge, her own skills would surely reach new heights. Besides, she still harbored old grudges against Han Su, and suspected that Su Yunmo’s antagonism toward her was all on Han Su’s behalf.

If she could trip up Han Su, she would do so without hesitation. Unfortunately, Han Su had always kept to herself, surrounded by layers of protection, and when she did venture into the secret realm, she was accompanied by her senior sister—so Lu Tanxian never found an opportunity.

Now, not only had Han Su mastered the arrays, she had even formed her Golden Core! Though she was injured by the tribulation lightning, her mother was a Nascent Soul cultivator who practiced the Dao of Medicine—curing Han Su would be a trifling matter. So Lu Tanxian could only approach indirectly, hoping to find an opening.

Resolute, she went to inform Daoist Lord Yuheng of her intention to visit Han Su. He had never cared for such affairs, so she mentioned it offhand, expecting no particular response.

He indeed showed no reaction—until she was about to leave, when he suddenly called after her. “Whom did you say you wished to visit? The daughter of Lingwu Peak’s master? Han Su?”

Lu Tanxian was startled. The light from the doorway shone into the hall, leaving Daoist Lord Yuheng’s face hidden in shadow. Yet instinctively, she felt a sense of danger. He, who never concerned himself with worldly matters, had remembered Han Su’s name—could it be...?

“Take this jade token to her,” he said, and a jade slipped through the air into her hand.

Her feelings were a tangled knot as she asked softly, “Is there a message you wish to send?”

“All that needs to be said is within the token. She will understand when she reads it.” The words were even more ambiguous. Alarm bells rang in Lu Tanxian’s mind. She was sorely tempted to peek, but knew it was impossible: a jade token crafted by a Nascent Soul cultivator could only be opened by the intended recipient—unless its maker perished.

All the way there, Lu Tanxian’s mind was a tempest. Even her usually proud swordflight was erratic, nearly colliding with another distracted traveler.

And who was that? By coincidence, it was none other than Su Yunmo.

Author’s note: Vacation is almost here! I’m so happy! Another round of conflict is coming! Some have asked why I spend so many words on the heroine and the female rival; let me say, the whole point of this story is to carve a path through the vortex of their struggles! Everything both characters do will affect the plot. If you like Han Su, please be patient—they’ll stir up some trouble before she appears! But actually, she’ll be in the next chapter, so you won’t have to wait long. (No update tomorrow due to vacation, see you with the next chapter the day after!)