Chapter 25: Cultivating the Mind to Form Greatness, Admiring Treasures at Qixia

"Youling, Youling, did you really anger Master Hong so much that he left?"

Jiang Youling felt helpless and corrected Shen Yingshu's words, "He wasn't driven away by anger; I was simply stating the facts."

"I heard all about it! Before Master Hong left, a massive gust of wind swept through, leaving the disciples in the hall looking disheveled and dusty. After this incident, I'm afraid even fewer disciples will go to listen to his lectures in the future."

Shen Yingshu was delighted, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Master Hong is truly... he clearly knows we are mere mortals, yet he insists on teaching the 'Lightning Induction Art' and talking about whether one has a spiritual root or not. Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this!"

Jiang Youling let out a soft sigh. "What Master Hong said actually makes sense. However, as mortal servants questioning the immortal sects, we ultimately harbor a sliver of obsession—we simply cannot bear to let that obsession turn into nothingness!"

"What do you mean, 'makes sense'?"

Shen Yingshu stood with her hands on her hips, looking defiant and pouty.

"I wasn't there for that class, but if I had been, I would have certainly faced his fury and asked him: why is it that the immortal sects widely recruit disciples to spread the Dao, but when it comes to him, it becomes 'mortals seeking immortality is like ants gazing at the sky'!"

Jiang Youling was amused. "Yes, yes, yes. Then Master Hong would surely be left speechless and unable to respond!"

Hearing this, Shen Yingshu actually felt embarrassed, her face flushing red.

"I—I was just saying! If I actually went to the Hall of Inquiry and faced the Master's wrath, I'm afraid I'd be too terrified to even speak, let alone dare to argue in public!"

Jiang Youling tilted her head and blinked, whispering, "Actually, when Master Hong summoned that great wind, I was terrified too. I was so afraid he would denounce me for being irreverent and defying my elders, and in a fit of rage, kick me out of Taixuan!"

Shen Yingshu patted her chest as if recovering from a fright and gave her a reproachful look. "And yet you still dared to say those things?"

Jiang Youling smiled faintly. "Because I realized one thing."

"What thing?"

"The path of a mortal servant is difficult, like green elm bark being soaked three times to become paper, or red sand being washed and sifted a thousand times to settle into ink. To achieve the Dao, one must guard their original heart."

Shen Yingshu looked blank. "Huh?"

Jiang Youling patted her shoulder and changed her metaphor.

"It's just like how your seniors in the Alchemy Academy refine pills—chopping wood, controlling the fire, selecting materials, and purifying them... it takes a hundred refinements to form a single pill. What do you think is the most important part of that process?"

Shen Yingshu furrowed her brows, feeling as if she had grasped something, yet still finding it somewhat vague.

After pondering for a moment, she shook her head helplessly and looked at Jiang Youling with admiration.

"Youling, you know far too much! No wonder you could argue with the Master... I'm truly impressed by you now!"

Jiang Youling laughed heartily. "I'm just a new disciple who has just entered the path; why admire me? Besides, what I said might not even be right—it might just be flawed logic."

"Flawed logic is still logic."

Shen Yingshu pulled Jiang Youling toward the exit. "Since we have nothing to do today, let's go out for a stroll. I've been in the Taixuan Sect for over a month and haven't properly toured it yet! I heard that on Qixia Peak, there is a precious pavilion called the 'Pavilion of Equality.' It contains everything under the sun. Come, let's go and broaden our horizons!"

Jiang Youling had also heard of the fame of the Pavilion of Equality, so she went along happily.

The Taixuan Sect was composed of towering mountains and overlapping peaks, with great distances between them. If one were to walk along the mountain paths, even the fastest disciple would spend half a day making a round trip.

To avoid the hardship of such trekking, the sect had constructed several iron-chain flying bridges between the peaks.

The chains were as thick as a child's arm, paved with green jade slabs, and suspended in mid-air.

The disciples only needed to step onto the cableway, and it would operate on its own like a living creature, carrying them across the void.

After the two arrived at Qixia Peak via the cableway, they saw

*A thousand peaks burn red with maple,* *A single stream flows green with pine.* *Clouds curl around the dew-drenched pavilion,* *As sunset light shatters against the eaves.*

It was a masterpiece of natural scenery!

Shen Yingshu remarked with emotion, "I thought the scenery at our Baina Peak was quite good, but I didn't expect Qixia Peak to be this magnificent! Even if we don't go to that 'Pavilion of Equality,' this trip won't have been in vain."

Jiang Youling also stood still for a long time, watching the maple leaves like fire and the shifting clouds.

Once they had enjoyed the scenery to their heart's content, they found a passing senior disciple to ask for directions to the Pavilion of Equality and began walking slowly.

After walking for about half an hour, an octagonal black tower appeared in the distance.

Above the main entrance hung a plaque made of ebony, inscribed with the two words "Equality." The brushstrokes were elegant and appeared ancient and natural, yet upon closer inspection, a faint spiritual light seemed to flow within them, as if it might burst out of the plaque at any moment.

"We're here!"

Seeing the Pavilion of Equality, Shen Yingshu's spirits lifted, and she quickened her pace.

Jiang Youling hurried to catch up, entering the pavilion together with Shen Yingshu.

The Pavilion of Equality had nine floors in total. The first floor was called the "Mortal World Market," which mostly sold basic spiritual items, primarily catering to the large number of Qi Refining disciples in the sect.

The second floor was named the "Exquisite Pavilion," where the items were more precious than those in the Mortal World Market, though the buyers were still mainly Qi Refining disciples.

As for the treasures displayed on the third floor, the "Treasury of Riches," they were naturally even more precious than those in the Exquisite Pavilion, and their prices caused ninety-nine percent of Qi Refining disciples to recoil.

The fourth through ninth floors were not open to Qi Refining disciples.

After learning the rules of the pavilion, the two began to browse the Mortal World Market on the first floor with great enthusiasm.

The Mortal World Market was large, divided into dozens of small shops.

"Youling, look! They actually sell 'Heart-Clearing Pills' here!"

Jiang Youling looked toward the sound and saw that the items on the shelves were exactly the Heart-Clearing Pills they had taken not long ago.

The shop assistant glanced at the two of them and, from their reactions and expressions, guessed they were newly admitted disciples.

Although he expected they wouldn't have many spirit stones and might not buy the pills, he patiently explained in the spirit of building goodwill.

"Low-grade Heart-Clearing Pills are three spirit stones per pill. If you buy ten, I can give you one extra for free."

Shen Yingshu gasped. "Hiss! A single Heart-Clearing Pill costs as much as three spirit stones? That's too expensive! I didn't realize Heart-Clearing Pills were so valuable!"

Jiang Youling also thought it was expensive. She had only cleared a small section of her meridians and was not even at the early stage of Qi Refining; her monthly stipend was only one spirit stone and one Heart-Clearing Pill.

Unless she cleared an entire Lung Meridian, her monthly stipend would only rise to five spirit stones and ten Heart-Clearing Pills...

Jiang Youling shook her head at the assistant. "We are new disciples and don't have many spirit stones on hand. We came to the Pavilion of Equality today just to see the sights. We will come back to do business with you when we are more well-off."

The assistant was very kind. "Alright, feel free to look around. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."

The two went through the medicinal pills on the counters one by one, only to discover that the Heart-Clearing Pills were actually the cheapest! Some pills were priced as high as dozens of spirit stones per pill!

Shen Yingshu was slack-jawed and whispered, "Since pills are so valuable, I must study hard in the Alchemy Academy and strive to learn the art of alchemy as soon as possible! Once I can refine pills and make a batch or two, I'll give a batch to you!"

Jiang Youling suppressed a laugh. "Alright, then I'll thank you in advance."