The old man had noticed Yue Zhao as well. He turned toward him with a curious look.
"Senior," Yue Zhao greeted respectfully at once.
The old man chuckled. "Oh? You sensed it too?"
Yue Zhao gave a wry smile. When it came to rare spirit plants that formed naturally, the rule was simple—whoever had the skill could take it.
Since the elder had arrived at the same time, by custom, it was fair competition.
But how could he possibly compare to this elder?
Sensing Yue Zhao's frustration, the old man smiled again. "You're after the Bishui Fruit too, aren't you? How about this—if there's more than one, we split them. If there's only one, then I'll be taking it. I'm gathering rare spirit plants as gifts for a disciple I've never met."
This old man was none other than Qing Yun, who had traveled across great distances to get here.
The Canglan Kingdom was remote, lacking even a long-distance teleportation array. He had flown most of the way on his own, which naturally took more time.
Thankfully, he had made it just in time.
Half a month should still be enough, he hoped.
Yue Zhao desperately needed the Bishui Fruit. His junior sister had also warned him that the alchemy process wasn't guaranteed to succeed. It was best to have extra materials on hand.
Even so, he knew this elder was already being generous.
If it had been someone else, they could have claimed both fruits and left him with nothing to say.
Yue Zhao nodded gratefully, thoughts racing.
If there really was only one fruit, maybe he could try purchasing it. He had built up quite a fortune over the years, and recently, he'd helped Yun Jin with her business, earning even more.
Yun Jin had told him he could use her funds freely, but Yue Zhao preferred not to.
If it came down to it, he'd put everything he owned on the table to buy the Bishui Fruit. And if that still wasn't enough, he could borrow a little from his junior sister.
With his thoughts in order, Yue Zhao slowly calmed down.
"Come," Qing Yun said with a smile. "Let's have a look."
Yue Zhao quickly followed.
Qing Yun's spiritual sense was immensely powerful. With just a single sweep, he locked onto a specific area.
Yue Zhao trailed after him and, not long after, they reached the place where the Bishui Fruit was growing. It was nestled in a crack between two rocks near the shoreline.
On the surface, there was nothing unusual. But underneath, the Bishui Fruit's roots were greedily drawing water from the sea, causing constant ripples in the surrounding water.
Everything nearby was yellowed and dead.
No other plant could survive near it.
To Yue Zhao's relief, there were two fruits. Judging by their appearance, they had likely matured for at least five hundred years—maybe even longer.
If the elder kept his word, Yue Zhao should be able to receive one.
Still, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
If the elder changed his mind, there was nothing he could do.
But Qing Yun merely glanced at him and smiled, showing no signs of going back on his word. "You're lucky. Two fruits. One for each of us. Did you bring a water-attributed storage box?"
Yue Zhao quickly retrieved a green jade box.
Qing Yun nodded. With a flick of his fingers, the two fruits floated into the air and flew toward them.
Qing Yun kept one. Yue Zhao carefully stored the other, treating it like the rare treasure it was.
Seeing Yue Zhao's reverence, Qing Yun let out a soft laugh.
The Bishui Fruit might be rare, but to him, it wasn't much—just something he picked up along the way.
Still, for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it could definitely be considered a precious item.
That said, this young man wasn't water-affinity. Was he preparing it for someone else?
Qing Yun didn't bother digging into the details.
His mind was fully occupied with thoughts of his future precious disciple.
"Young man, let me ask you something," Qing Yun said.
"Please speak, Senior," Yue Zhao replied quickly.
He was hoping to build some rapport anyway. If possible, he still wanted to buy that second Bishui Fruit, just in case.
"Are you from the Canglan Kingdom?"
Given how close the Endless Sea was to Canglan, there was a decent chance this young man hailed from there.
Yue Zhao nodded. "I've lived in the Canglan Kingdom since I was a child."
Qing Yun looked pleased. A local, then.
Traveling alone into such unfamiliar territory, he could definitely use a native guide.
"Since you're from Canglan, you must have heard of that young alchemy genius who recently made waves," he asked.
Yue Zhao: "???"
His expression shifted subtly.
Qing Yun, thinking Yue Zhao hadn't caught on, continued, "You know, the one who improved the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. She was last seen near the market town between Tianxing Sect and Huangshi Sect."
At that level of detail, how could Yue Zhao not know?
"What, you've never heard of her?" Qing Yun asked, puzzled.
Yue Zhao cleared his throat. "A genius like that... of course I've heard of her."
"Oh?" Qing Yun's eyes lit up. "Then do you know her personally?"
Yue Zhao's expression grew more strained, but he still replied, "Someone like that... I've only heard rumors. There's no way someone like me would have any connection to her. People even say she might be a disciple of a Holy Land."
"Absolutely not," Qing Yun said with complete certainty.
Now it was Yue Zhao's turn to be suspicious.
Qing Yun raised an eyebrow. As if the Xuandan Gate would have such a talent and he wouldn't know?
Not just the Xuandan Gate, but all the major sects beneath it had no such disciple.
Qing Yun didn't offer an explanation. "No matter. You know the market town's location, don't you? Take me there. Once we arrive, I'll reward you handsomely. What do you say?"
Yue Zhao's eyes flickered.
Leading the way wasn't hard.
But still...
Why did this mysterious elder want to find his junior sister?
"What's wrong?" Qing Yun frowned slightly as Yue Zhao hesitated.
Yue Zhao gave a helpless smile. "Senior may not know, but many are searching for that alchemy genius right now. In fact, one of the top sects in Canglan, Yiqi Sect, even sent a Grade Seven alchemist. A Grade Seven! He personally came to the market town and said that as long as she agreed, he'd immediately take her in as a core disciple. If Senior has any ill will toward her, you might end up crossing a Grade Seven alchemist."
He was dropping Qi Yu's name deliberately. If this elder had bad intentions, it might at least give him pause.
"Grade Seven?" The elder frowned, then immediately grew anxious. "And the girl? She didn't accept, did she?"
Yue Zhao shook his head. "She's never appeared in public."
The elder laughed in delight. "Haha! That's my girl! Smart as always. A mere Grade Seven alchemist—how could he be worthy to be her master? Quick, lead the way! I can't let my precious disciple get taken away."
Yue Zhao's expression changed slightly.
So this old man was also here to take his junior sister as a disciple?
And what did he just say?
A mere Grade Seven alchemist?
That was a Grade Seven!
And he called it mere?
What kind of identity did this elder have?
Yue Zhao suddenly remembered something else. Earlier, he'd mentioned the Holy Land, and the elder had dismissed the idea immediately.
Why was he so certain?
Unless...
Yue Zhao's face changed completely.