The bonds between cultivators are like strands of silk—seemingly delicate, yet when woven together, they create a tapestry of unimaginable strength. Choose your allies with care, for they will shape your destiny as surely as any technique or treasure.
—Master Song Lin, Scholar of the Jade Path
Xiulan studied the empty guest room with a critical eye. The bare wooden walls and stone floor provided an ideal neutral foundation for alchemy work. There were no lingering spiritual resonances to interfere with delicate processes.
"Remove everything." Xiulan pointed to the remaining furniture. "Even the wall hangings need to go."
The servants rushed to comply, carrying out tables and chairs while others carefully rolled expensive tapestries. Dust motes swirled in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.
"Scrub the floors thoroughly." Xiulan directed from the doorway. "And wipe down the walls. I need this room completely clean."
After an hour of intense cleaning, the room stood empty and spotless. The stone floor gleamed with a dull sheen, and the wooden walls gave off a fresh scent from the cleaning. She waved in the servants with a new set of carefully selected tables, counters, and cabinets.
Xiulan unpacked her new supplies from the Treasure Pavilion, arranging each item with methodical precision. The pill furnace dominated the center of the room, its bronze surface etched with intricate spiritual arrays.
A box of refined spiritual charcoal sat ready beside the furnace.
The jar of spiritual water from the Spirit Spring caught the light, its contents shimmering with ethereal energy.
Three qi-sealing containers lined up against the wall, their protective seals glowing faintly.
The mortar and pestle of spirit-imbued stone took its place on a low table, its smooth surface cool to the touch.
Twelve jars of purification herbs formed a neat array, each labeled with precise characters.
A pouch of spirit-infused grinding sand waited beside the mortar.
The small brazier for alchemical preparations stood ready near the furnace.
A set of spirit-reinforced measuring vials completed the basic setup.
Xiulan placed her precious blood lotus and earth heart roots into two of the qi-seal jars. I’ll need more storage containers soon if I plan to build a proper ingredient collection.
Finally, she arranged eighteen spirit stones on a wide ceramic plate, their soft glow casting gentle shadows across the room’s new workspace.
Xiulan frowned at the coarse spirit-infused sand. She was going to need to grind it before she could even start.
She settled cross-legged on the floor with the mortar and pestle, channeling qi into her hands. The stone tools felt cool against her palms as she began grinding. Each circular motion required precise pressure—too much would damage the sand, too little would fail to refine it.
"Definitely should have haggled harder," Xiulan muttered, watching another patch of impurities burn away from the glowing grains. The repetitive motion made her shoulders ache, but she maintained the steady rhythm. The aching was probably all in her head, anyway.
An hour passed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she poured continuous streams of qi into the grinding process. Finally, the last impure grains crumbled away, leaving behind a fine powder that sparkled like captured sunlight.
It was worth every moment of the tedious work. She deposited her precious product into a small ceramic container without cleaning the mortar itself.
Now for the Earth Reinforcement pill. Xiulan reached for fresh paper and an ink set. The recipe floated hazily in her memory, not as familiar as the Meridian Opening pill she’d practiced countless times. Better to write it down properly.
She dipped her brush in ink and began recording each step, pausing occasionally to search her memories. Details surfaced slowly—she almost forgot a few things, too. Yeah, this was a good idea.
With the complete recipe in front of her, confidence replaced uncertainty. "Let’s do this right the first time," Xiulan whispered, surveying her workspace.
She arranged the brazier first, positioning it beside the pill furnace. A clean cutting board came next, along with sharp kitchen knives she’d borrowed. The simple steel blades would suffice—Earth-Heart roots required crushing more than precise cutting.
Xiulan opened the jar containing the roots, selecting one with a crystalline core that pulsed with earthy energy. She carefully placed it on the cutting board.
The timeline stayed within Mei Chen’s safe range, but anxiety still gnawed at Xiulan’s stomach. She traced the route again, calculating distances and potential delays.
Feng Yu’s help would make a significant difference, though the thought of bringing both her and Ren Chun flickered.
But she still didn’t know what it would take to acquire the thunder root. Qingfeng hadn’t offered her information on it, so that was difficult to plan. She didn’t have any other developed connections to advise her.
She’d probably need help with that, too. Better to keep Ren Chun in reserve, then.
One step at a time. Xiulan leaned back against the cushioned wall, forcing her tense shoulders to relax. The silk of her robe whispered against the fabric as she adjusted her posture.
The Treasure Pavilion missions served dual purposes—strengthening vital relationships while working toward Mei Chen’s cure. But surviving the looming catastrophe would require more substantial backing. Her knowledge of future events remained frustratingly incomplete.
Four seals. One lawful kingdom deity spirit. A princess at the center of it all. Xiulan rubbed her temples as she recalled the game’s lore fragments. The broken seals had shattered the deity’s protection, leaving the kingdom defenseless against the swarm of evil cultivators who descended like locusts to devour everything in their path.
It was a bog standard tragedy tale just meant to be the background for the chaos players were shoved into.
She had no idea what the princess looked like, and a parchment listing all the imperial family members had no ’Phoenix Princess’ on it at all. She didn’t even bother going through the list of names because it was two pages long. The emperor had two dozen concubines and seemed to be very vigorous.
Unless something killed all the emperor’s sons in the next few years, there wasn’t even a crown princess.
Xiulan stared at the map, its carefully inked borders representing a realm that would cease to exist unless she found a way to change its fate.
She traced a finger along the map’s edge where one crucial detail burned in her mind—at least one seal lived inside the princess herself. The lore had made that clear—three broken seals, and then the death of the princess and the last seal inside of her had ended things.
Xiulan pressed her palms against the cool wooden table. Breaking past body refining stood as just the first hurdle. Qi gathering would follow along with selecting an elemental path, and finally beginning qi refinement. Only then could she even contemplate addressing the seal situation.
Five years stretched ahead—an eternity in mortal terms, but barely a blink in cultivation time. The game’s lore painted a glacial progression through the stages, yet players advanced at an accelerated pace. If she could somehow mirror that progression...
"Ugh." Xiulan tugged at her hair, twisting the strands between her fingers. The weight of future knowledge pressed against her skull like a vise.
At least she’d begun building a network. Master Qingfeng provided valuable guidance. Ren Chun offered martial expertise. And Feng Yu seemed like she’d be a potential friend too.
And of course Mei Chen when she was saved.
Four young heroes to challenge fate?
Xiulan tsked and folded her papers and finished the tea and looked for her bed. As if it would be that easy.
A year or two at one of the major schools might accelerate her advancement, but entry posed its own challenges.
The schools accepted only the most promising candidates through a single annual test. Worse, all four academies conducted their trials simultaneously, forcing applicants to make their choice.
Xiulan shook her head sharply, dispersing the swirling thoughts. The cool night air drifted through her window, carrying the scent of blooming spring. She rolled the map with precise movements, tucking it away in its leather case.
One step at a time. The immediate challenges loomed large enough without drowning in far-future concerns. Dawn serpent scales and thunder roots posed deadly enough threats without adding the weight of kingdom-saving schemes.
Master Qingfeng’s promised tool would arrive within a day or two. That gave her time to focus on some more training. The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet as she crossed to her bed.
Martial arts beckoned. It was a glaring blind spot, and she needed to at least be able to not get stabbed in three seconds, even if she focused on other things.
Maybe she could convince one of her new allies to properly teach her a Qinggong skill? The silk sheets whispered against her skin as she slipped under the covers.
Xiulan grabbed her pillow and hugged it close. The memory of Feng Yu and Ren Chun’s laughter echoed in her mind—their shared amusement at Chun’s description of her clumsy attempts at Water Stepping Foot. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she buried her face in the pillow.
Just wait. She’d master as many techniques as she could learn or make up on her own. Then they’d see who laughed last.