Chapter 49, Chapter 48: The Azure Phoenix Carrying a Ganoderma
When Lin Chengye returned, the school was unusually chaotic. Whether reserved or straightforward, everyone opened up and chatted freely, exchanging ideas. Their faces showed no signs of worry; instead, they were full of enthusiasm for their studies, eager to finish the assignments on the spot.
The Master stood to one side, his eyes filled with satisfaction, and did not stop him.
"We've all forgotten about the heavy burden we carry throughout the year."
Yu Jiang, as was his habit, spoke with great enthusiasm to Lin Chengye.
"The Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect will assign major assignments around the middle of the year. You will have nearly half a year to think, overturn, and recreate them repeatedly. Just do whatever you want, and polish your most perfect work at this stage as the year draws to a close."
"Hmm, the questions are different every year. I remember there were hidden weapons, trapping and killing formations, illusion formations... but in the end, the test is always a real battle."
Liu Zhenglin added. She really enjoyed the large course; the ample time allowed her, with her naturally slow pace, to achieve her best.
"Masters, I have a question."
Lin Chengye pretended to be a well-behaved student.
"Could we collaborate on this assignment? For example... Yu Jiang, you're good at design, and Liu Zhenglin is good at forging. Wouldn't it be better if we collaborated?"
How do you know that the two of us did that?!
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yu Jiang's eyes widened, and he said hurriedly.
“She didn’t say…” Liu Zhenglin couldn’t help but whisper a reminder, but Yu Jiang was in high spirits and continued speaking.
"However, this is tacitly approved; you can even pay someone to help you. In short, any method is acceptable."
Yu Jiang raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
“At this time of year, I can even earn two hundred taels of silver from this. Zheng Lin earns even more; she can earn three or four hundred taels.”
"...Then I understand a little bit."
Lin Chengye's eyes darted around, and he suddenly realized something. He tapped his fingers on the table.
The key to this probably lies in the final practical assessment.
She had only practiced the "Turning Stone into Gold" technique for a few days, yet she could already operate the Mother-Child Sleeve Arrows without manual intervention, using only her internal energy. Therefore, the level of internal energy likely had a significant impact on formations and weapons; she didn't believe she could control the Ninefold Formation like Guan Xiaoxian.
Even if the sect leader could create unparalleled formations and weapons, whether one could actually control them was another matter entirely. Therefore, regardless of the methods used, in the final battle, one must shed the demonic exterior.
"Come on, let me give you an example. Go find Doctor Bian and you'll understand."
Yu Jiang pushed Lin Chengye out the door, and Liu Zhenglin grabbed her backpack and ran out like three colorful gusts of wind.
Unexpectedly, Lin Chengye had the best lightness skill and was running in the lead. This was only because she occasionally slowed down and looked back. If she had been left to run freely, she would have disappeared long ago.
Yu Jiang, unwilling to give up, chased after him until his face turned red and he was drenched in sweat. Liu Zhenglin tried, but realizing he couldn't catch up, he simply lagged behind and walked slowly.
"Bianyi?"
Lin Chengye landed gracefully like a bird that had just flown through the air. She looked around but couldn't find the white figure. She tried calling out to him.
Are you home?
Suddenly, something green whizzed past, leaving a trail of afterimages. It grazed Lin Chengye's nose and then bounced off Yu Jiang's forehead, who had rushed in from behind, causing her to cry out in pain.
She was hit twice in one day, and this time it hurt a lot, making Yu Jiang furious. She puffed out her cheeks and glared in the direction from which the thing had flown.
But one glance was enough to deflate my spirits.
Amidst the dense green waves, dappled sunlight fell on Bian Yi's smiling lips and her loosely styled hair. She rested her chin on one hand, crumpling a leaf between her slender fingers. Yu Jiang stared at the leaf in her hand, unable to understand how she could have hurt her so much.
Bian Yi lay on the tree branch and asked.
"Why are you back at this time?"
Bian Yi asked curiously. She had just seen off a few patients and was thinking of shirking her duties, pretending not to be home. Unexpectedly, the next "patient" was these three children, forcing her to take the initiative to greet them.
"I need your help with something." Lin Chengye looked up and waved at her.
With a flick of her wide sleeve, Bian Yi landed silently, lighter than a cloud. She replied with a smile.
"OK."
"Hmm...it's this one."
Liu Zhenglin pulled a bronze-colored sphere from her bag. It looked like he had to use both hands to lift it, but it was only the size of a palm.
The sphere wasn't large, but its surface wasn't smooth; it resembled vines coiling inwards in circles, a clever design that made it easy to hide. Lin Chengye couldn't help but look at it again and again before handing it to Bian Yi.
Bian Yi didn't put in much effort; he simply twirled it between his fingertips and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Liu Zhenglin explained.
"originally……"
Before Liu Zhenglin could finish speaking, Bian Yi suddenly clenched his fists and grasped the sphere, instantly gathering his inner strength. The sphere instantly dispersed, transforming into a five-meter-long whip, its surface coated with a layer of bronze that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Bian Yi twisted his body, wielding the whip with one hand, sending it slicing through the air with a series of booming sounds like cannon fire.
Not far away, a deep crack appeared on a thick tree trunk. With each swing of Bian Yi's arm, the crack would deepen by several inches, and soon it was already showing signs of breaking.
Bian Yi finally stopped, withdrew her inner force, and the long whip instantly coiled into a ball again. She exclaimed in genuine admiration.
"Good weapon."
Liu Zhenglin stared, dumbfounded. After a long while, he swallowed hard and whispered.
"...That's how we originally envisioned it being used."
"I firmly believed that the design of the round vine whip represented my highest level of skill at the time, so I was full of confidence when Zheng Lin created it, but..."
That's utter nonsense, all that confidence.
Yu Jiang felt an urge to bang her head against the ground whenever she recalled the scene from last year. That exam was conducted personally by the sect leader. She stood in front of the sect leader and tried her best, but she couldn't turn the sphere into her round whip.
Even Guan Xiaoxian's serious face cracked slightly. She patted Yu Jiang on the shoulder and said, "A weapon must be worthy of the user; otherwise, it's nothing but a piece of scrap metal."
"Your internal strength is too shallow. You can't even lash out with this whip. You need at least the third level of the Alchemy skill to be truly proficient."
Bian Yi understood and smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Yu Jiang was on the verge of tears, and tugged at Lin Chengye's arm.
"You understand now, right? So there are no loopholes in this assessment. Only you know yourself best. Even if the most powerful artifact in the world were in my hands, it would be nothing more than a piece of scrap metal."
Lin Chengye sincerely thanked the two of them, and couldn't help but admire her mother's clever methods; the seemingly loose rules were actually flawless. She silently memorized Yu Jiang's words.
Whether a weapon is suitable or not, you can only know by holding it yourself.
...
As dusk settled and a sudden downpour began, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly broke the gray, indistinct atmosphere.
Two swordsmen wearing bamboo hats galloped swiftly across the water, their green raincoats rustling in the wind, and stray strands of hair mingling with the cold rain clung to their cheeks. Their horses reared up, splashing mud three feet high and shattering countless ripples in the water.
It was supposed to be a nasty, bad day.
"drive!"
Lin Chengye squeezed the horse's flanks with his calves, let out a low growl, and galloped off in the sudden rain. She was completely unaware that she was almost soaked through, and even water was seeping from her ears.
This feeling is so exhilarating, so long-lost.
Lin Chengye's spirit was no longer content to be confined indoors like a porcelain doll. She looked out the window at the torrential rain and smelled the earth. At that moment, it felt as if a thousand voices were screaming from her aching bones, shouting that she wanted to return to the time in Litaozhou, to gallop across the grasslands and ride horses in the rain.
Now that it has finally come true, the backlash is even more intense.
So when she and Bian Yi set off for Mengshan City, she insisted on riding horses without a second thought.
"Bian Yi! How much longer until we reach Mengshan City?"
Lin Chengye laughed loudly in the rain, looking at the person beside him who always moved at the same pace as her.
"At this rate of reckless travel, we should arrive tonight."
Bian Yi shook her head helplessly. Lin Chengye was no longer considered her patient, and now he seemed to be retaliating by doing everything she hadn't been able to do in the past six months. She felt both happy and worried.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chengye revealed a row of white teeth. She tilted her head back and caught the tears of heaven with her eyes, then nonchalantly rubbed them out of her eyes and shouted loudly.
"Then tonight!"
...
They did indeed arrive in Monsanto at sunset.
This mountain town is hidden in the folds of the mountains, surrounded by continuous mountains that form a natural wall that tightly encloses it. It is very remote and rains all year round.
Water is like the lifeblood of this city, with so many streams that the city almost floats on the water. When outsiders accidentally wander in, all they see are mountains upon mountains locked in mist and rain, Taoist temples and old bridges hidden in deep greenery, and amidst the swirling clouds and mist, it feels as if they have stepped into a painting of a paradise on earth.
Only a few winding paths remained, leading outwards. The terrain within the city was also uneven, and the stone slabs in the narrow alleys were shiny from the rain, making them wet and slippery to walk on.
The streets were deserted at the moment, with only the sound of horses' hooves on the bluestone slabs mixed in with the rain.
"Where are we going? Given the state of Mengshan City, it's not surprising that it has a jade vein, but to which sect or faction does it belong?"
Lin Chengye finally pulled on the reins, forcing the horse to stop. Even the finest steed looked listless and exhausted.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Actually, this jade vein is..."
Bian Yi deliberately kept everyone in suspense. She raised her hand and pointed to a blurry house located halfway up the mountain.
The house is nestled in the lush greenery, backed by a cliff and facing a deep valley. Its eaves soar like boats, and its green walls appear and disappear, as if floating in the air.
Lin Chengye couldn't help but wonder if the people in this house had become isolated from the world, oblivious to human affairs, and whether it was the abode of immortals or a piece of jade casually tossed down to earth by immortals.
However, this reminded her of someone. Lin Chengye's heart stirred, and he vaguely felt as if he had encountered an old acquaintance.
Cyan, a color associated with immortals. Although she now knows that she has nothing to do with that person, and is even completely opposite to him, it does match the first impression that person gave her.
As expected, Bian Yi slowly opened his mouth.
"The mountain in front of us is called Spring Mountain, and the jade vein is located within it. That place is Chu Wuding's hometown."
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