Chapter 57: Divine Ability, Burning Silence

Chapter 57: Divine Ability—Incinerating Silence

Disheveled and battered by the flames spat out by the giant serpent, Hua Changxi knew that returning to the dormitory in such a state would surely spark gossip. After a moment of thought, she looked toward the one-armed man.

"How is Elder You?"

At the mention of this, the one-armed man grew anxious. "As soon as Master returned, he went into seclusion. Where on earth did you two go that my Master ended up injured?"

Hua Changxi replied, "As for where we went, you should ask Elder You yourself. Now, I want to make a deal with you."

The one-armed man frowned. "What kind of deal?"

"Think of a way to let me stay here in the Medicine Valley," Hua Changxi said. "In exchange, I will heal Elder You's injuries."

The one-armed man fell into a silent contemplation.

It wouldn't be difficult to let Hua Changxi stay in the Medicine Valley; the valley needed people to guard it, and adding her was a simple matter of a single word. However, why would Elder You's injuries require her intervention?

Hua Changxi smiled. "Elder You's injuries are not ordinary. They cannot be healed with standard medical methods. If you don't believe me, you can go back and check on him immediately."

Seeing her speak with such certainty, the man's brow furrowed deeper.

His master had entered the stone chamber immediately upon his return, so he was unaware of the exact nature of the injuries.

Seeing that he remained motionless, Hua Changxi continued, "Why don't we go up together to take a look? Once you see Elder You's condition, it won't be too late to make your decision."

Hearing this, the one-armed man stopped his silence. He turned and headed up West Mountain, with Hua Changxi following closely behind.

Soon, the two reached the stone cliffs halfway up the mountain.

As they approached the stone cave, both heard suppressed, agonizing groans coming from within.

The one-armed man's expression changed drastically, and he rushed into the cave.

The interior of the cave was not spacious, measuring only about a hundred square meters. It featured a central living area with two stone chambers built on either side.

The one-armed man charged directly into the chamber located at the upper left.

"Master!"

Hua Changxi followed him inside and saw Elder You curled up on a stone bed. His limbs, scorched by fire, were constantly oozing blood and fluid. His face was flushed bright red as if he had swallowed hot coals, and he was continuously exhaling puffs of smoke with heavy, ragged breaths. He was completely unresponsive to the one-armed man's cries.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi motioned for the man to step aside so she could examine Elder You's condition.

With no better option, the one-armed man could only allow her to proceed with the diagnosis.

[Inspection, Listening, Inquiry, and Palpation (Beginner): Diagnosis 2/10]

As she examined Elder You's body, a line of text popped up in Hua Changxi's vision.

The "Inspection, Listening, Inquiry, and Palpation" skill had first appeared during the New Year period while she was checking on Xu Ling at Pharmacist Xu's house. She had actually forgotten to upgrade it for such a long time.

After gaining a general understanding of Elder You's condition, Hua Changxi looked at the one-armed man. "Well? Do you want to make the deal?"

The flames spat by the Red Eagle contained Fire Spiritual Energy. After Elder You was burned, that energy had entered his body through the wounds and was now wreaking havoc within him.

Elder You's current sensation was akin to meat on a grill; once the Fire Spiritual Energy completely swept through his body, he would be cooked through.

Seeing Elder You in such agony, the one-armed man did not dare hesitate. "Fine, I agree. Tomorrow, I will tell the Medicine Valley steward to let you stay and tend to the medicinal fields."

Having achieved her goal, Hua Changxi did not dally. "I'm going to the bottom of the cliff to gather a few herbs." With that, she stepped out of the cave and leaped down the cliffside.

Fifteen minutes later, Hua Changxi returned with six spiritual plants and ten unripe green fruits.

Though the green fruits were not yet ripe, they possessed certain healing and restorative properties, which would be sufficient to treat Elder You.

The stone cave was equipped with a complete set of alchemy tools.

Since he guarded the Medicine Valley and was surrounded by so many medicinal ingredients, Elder You was naturally not entirely selfless; he would refine medicine whenever he had leisure time.

Although his skill level was not particularly high, he could refine common medicines used by many martial artists.

The one-armed man watched Elder You anxiously while keeping a wary eye on Hua Changxi.

When he saw her gathering the green fruits and appearing ready to use them as ingredients, he grew worried.

His master had once told him that his eldest senior brother had died from his body exploding after consuming green fruits.

The one-armed man moved to stop her, only to find that his hem was being gripped tightly by Elder You.

Elder You was indeed somewhat delirious from the torment, but he was aware that the one-armed man and Hua Changxi had entered the cave. He spoke with great difficulty, "Trust the person you employ."

The one-armed man immediately understood his master's meaning. Although he was still somewhat worried, the thought that Hua Changxi's staying in the valley depended on him gave him a bit of peace of mind.

Soon, the scent of medicine wafted through the cave.

The fragrance was so soothing that even Elder You felt his pain subside slightly.

"Master Guo, bring this bowl of medicinal soup to Elder You."

The one-armed man took the refreshing soup, and his heart jolted.

Though it was a soup brewed over a great fire, it carried no heat whatsoever. Instead, it emitted a chilling mist. As soon as he caught a whiff of it, he couldn't help but shiver, as if he had taken a cold bath in the dead of winter—it was bone-chillingly cold.

Not daring to delay, the one-armed man carefully fed the soup to Elder You, and immediately saw his master's complexion visibly improve.

After finishing the medicine, Elder You's expression relaxed, the smoke stopped exhaling from his mouth, and he soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

Seeing Elder You's breathing stabilize and his pulse grow strong, the one-armed man let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Master Guo, take this medicinal powder and sprinkle it over Elder You's wounds."

The one-armed man walked over and took the small bowl of green powder handed to him by Hua Changxi.

Afterward, the one-armed man focused on applying the medicine to Elder You. Once finished, Hua Changxi exited the cave.

After all that work, it was already late at night. Assuming everyone in the Medicine Valley had gone to sleep, Hua Changxi quietly returned to her dormitory, changed into clean clothes, and used the Cleansing Technique to clean her body.

Being burned by the giant serpent's flames had made Hua Changxi realize that she herself was not afraid of fire.

However, looking at her tattered clothes, she felt a headache coming on. She wasn't afraid of fire, but her clothes were. In the future, she would have to avoid fire; she certainly didn't want to end up running around naked.

"There should be clothes that are invulnerable to blades and resistant to fire and water, right?"

Thinking of her gains today, especially the Flowing Light Lotus Seeds she had eaten, Hua Changxi did not stay in her dormitory. Instead, she went to a secluded spot, sat cross-legged, and began to "internally inspect" her Dantian Qi Sea.

The Qi Sea was no longer surging and boiling, nor was it erupting with red lotuses as frequently as before; only one or two would occasionally emerge.

Eating an Ancestral Regression Spiritual Fruit meant inheriting the corresponding ancestral divine ability.

Hua Changxi raised her right hand, and with a *boom*, a thirty-six-petaled fire lotus condensed in her palm.

*Incinerating Silence!*

This was the fire-type divine ability she had obtained after eating the Flowing Light Lotus Seeds.

Previously, the fireballs and fire blades she condensed could injure people, but their lethality was limited. Now, if she threw out a fire lotus, as long as the person's cultivation was below hers, there was a high probability they would be burned to ashes.

To test the power of the fire lotus, Hua Changxi brought out the Red Eagle she had captured earlier.

*Boom!*

Hua Changxi threw the fire lotus, which instantly expanded to envelop the Red Eagle. In less than a breath, the bird was reduced to ash.

Watching this scene, Hua Changxi felt invigorated.

From the spiritual energy fluctuations emitted by the Red Eagle, she could tell it was likely a Qi Refining Stage beast.

A Qi Refining Stage beast stood no chance against the fire lotus; it had no power to resist.

Hua Changxi then brought out the giant serpent.

This serpent was fiery red all over. In the Fire Spiritual Ore mine, she wouldn't have been able to catch a glimpse of it if its eyes hadn't been glowing.

Feeling the abundant spiritual energy within the serpent, Hua Changxi hesitated for a moment and decided not to burn it with the fire lotus, intending to keep it for snake soup.

In particular, she thought of Xu Ling.

She wondered if Xu Ling would eat snake soup?

If Xu Ling had never eaten spiritual fruits or similar items, would his spontaneous ancestral regression also result in inheriting a divine ability?

This fire serpent could breathe fire; if Xu Ling ate it, perhaps he could inherit that ability and breathe fire as well.

After a moment of wandering thoughts, Hua Changxi took out eight top-grade spiritual stones and, following the teachings of the Divine Farmer Planting Technique, set up a Spirit Gathering Array.

Then, sitting cross-legged in the center of the array, bathed in the dense fire spiritual energy, she closed her eyes to cultivate.

The next day, as the first light of dawn appeared, Hua Changxi opened her eyes and put away the top-grade fire spiritual stones, whose color had barely changed.

[Realm: Qi Sea Realm 30,500/100,000]

With her cultivation points breaking 30,000, her Qi Sea had expanded twofold.

However, Hua Changxi was not particularly happy. From the previous night until now, she had only absorbed 3,500 points of spiritual energy.

She calculated that she could absorb a maximum of 1,000 points of spiritual energy per hour.

If she had known she could only absorb such a small amount, she wouldn't have bothered setting up the Spirit Gathering Array; she wouldn't have even finished absorbing a single top-grade fire spiritual stone.

Previously, when she lacked resources, it was one thing that her realm wouldn't advance, but now that she had plenty of resources, her cultivation speed had hit a bottleneck.

Hearing voices coming from the direction of the dormitory, Hua Changxi released her spiritual energy to erase the traces on the ground and hurried back.

The planting tasks in the Medicine Valley were complete. Whether they were the laborers who had been there from the start or those who had come with Hua Changxi, everyone except for a few staying to guard the valley was to return to the Medicine Manor today.

After breakfast, the steward gathered everyone together and began calling names.

Before the roll call was finished, the one-armed man arrived.

He pulled the steward aside, and Hua Changxi saw the two of them glancing at her from time to time.

A few minutes later, the one-armed man returned to West Mountain.

After finishing the roll call, the steward dismissed the crowd but called Hua Changxi to his side. "You have caught Elder You's eye. He wants you to stay and guard the Medicine Valley. You don't need to return to the Medicine Manor today."

Hua Changxi immediately replied, "Don't worry, Steward. I will guard the Medicine Valley diligently."

The steward asked curiously, "Elder You rarely pays attention to us laborers. How did you catch his eye?"

Hua Changxi replied, "...I am quite capable at growing herbs?"

Seeing her look equally bewildered, the steward assumed she had simply had a stroke of luck and did not press further. "Fine, go do your work."

Including Hua Changxi, five people remained in the Medicine Valley.

Their duty was to patrol the medicinal fields daily—watering where it was dry, fertilizing where it was lacking, and replanting where pests had appeared.

Among the five, Hua Changxi was the only woman.

As a result, Hua Changxi effectively occupied an entire room to herself.

Knowing that she had been kept by Elder You, the other four did not dare say much and fairly divided the medicinal fields they were responsible for guarding.

At the stone cliffs halfway up West Mountain, the one-armed man saw that Elder You had actually come out as soon as he returned. He rushed forward. "Master, why are you out?"

Elder You reassured him, "I am fine now."

Hearing this, the one-armed man found it hard to argue. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that the medicine Hua Changxi provided was simply too effective.

His master's body was covered in burns, but after applying the medicinal powder refined by Hua Changxi, the wounds had not only scabbed over overnight but had even grown new skin.

"Master, I have already spoken to the steward and arranged for Hua Changxi to stay in the Medicine Valley."

"You did well... In the future, you may interact with that young girl more, but do not be too obvious about it."

The one-armed man tried to hold it in, but he couldn't help himself. "Master, where exactly did you take Hua Changxi yesterday?"

Thinking of the Red Eagle they had encountered yesterday, Elder You felt he should inform Guo Yu, so he explained that he had taken Hua Changxi to the heart of the South Mountain.

"A fire-breathing eagle?"

The one-armed man was stunned. If his master had encountered such a fierce beast and ended up covered in injuries, would he have survived if he had been in his place?

Elder You's expression was solemn. "In the future, if you encounter fierce beasts, you must be extremely careful."

Recalling Hua Changxi's words about harnessing the power of heaven and earth for one's own use, Elder You added, "I will be away for a few days in a couple of days. Keep a close watch on the Medicine Valley."

He needed to visit some old friends to see if they knew that the world was undergoing a massive transformation.

Over at the Sancha Medicine Manor, after the laborers returned, Mao Yong learned that Hua Changxi had been highly valued by Elder You and specifically kept in the Medicine Valley. His heart tightened, and he once again regretted offending her.

However, remembering that he had helped Guo Yu, Mao Yong's expression improved slightly. For Guo Yu's sake, Elder You likely wouldn't blame him.

In the future, if he ran into Hua Changxi, he could bring his brother along to apologize and make amends; surely that would settle the matter.

Having thought it through, Mao Yong went to find the bearded Zhu Yu.

After all, Zhu Yu was the leader of the Laborer Hall for this period, and he needed to be informed that Hua Changxi was staying in the Medicine Valley.

Upon learning that Hua Changxi had caught Elder You's eye, Zhu Yu was also quite surprised. "The work here at the Medicine Manor won't take much longer to finish. Will Hua Changxi be returning to the Laborer Hall with me?"

Mao Yong smiled. "When a Grandmaster takes notice of you, even a fool knows how to choose. She's definitely staying in the Medicine Valley."

Zhu Yu replied, "I understand." Since a Grandmaster had spoken, he could not prevent her from staying.

After staying in the Medicine Valley, Hua Changxi would quickly finish her daily patrols of the assigned fields, then find a secluded spot nearby to begin cultivating with her top-grade spiritual stones.

In a day of twelve double-hours, excluding the time she had to appear in public, she spent all her other time cultivating.

In this manner, she could absorb over 10,000 points of spiritual energy a day, and her realm grew with extraordinary speed.

On the seventh of the fourth month, Hua Changxi's cultivation points broke 100,000.

[Realm: Qi Sea Realm 106,000/100,000]

Just like the Qi Refining Stage, her realm did not advance after breaking 100,000 points.

As she internally inspected her Dantian Qi Sea, she truly felt a sense of vastness, as if it were an endless, boundless ocean.

Looking at the somewhat hollow-feeling Qi Sea, Hua Changxi wondered, "Do I need to continue adding spiritual energy to the Qi Sea?"

Recalling that after breaking 1,000 points in the Qi Refining Stage, it had taken until 10,000 points to advance to the Qi Sea Realm, Hua Changxi had a faint, bad premonition.

"To go beyond the Qi Sea Realm... surely I won't need to break through 1,000,000 spiritual energy points?"