The herbs were laid out one by one before her. Some she had in abundance. Others, only a few stalks remained—barely enough for two furnaces. If both attempts failed, that would be the end of it.
She had the pill recipe, so there would be other chances in the future. But she would definitely miss the sect-wide tournament.
A memory from her past life surfaced.
Lin Ya, hair white as snow, stood tall as he raised his sword against the Demon Sovereign, his face full of tragic resolve.
Yun Jin clenched her fists.
She would not let Tianjian Peak, nor Lin Ya, nor her senior brothers and sisters, fall to that fate again. If change had to begin, it would start with this Butian Pill.
She drew a deep breath, then began feeding the ingredients into the pill furnace, following the simplified method she had prepared.
The greatest difficulty in this pill refinement lay in one thing—sustaining a spiritual energy output equal to the Nascent Soul stage.
Her cultivation was only at early-stage Golden Core. Even after reaching the realm, her speed had slowed, even with the help of pills. That was unavoidable. The higher the level, the more spiritual energy it required. Even with her medication-fueled progress, she would likely only reach mid-stage Golden Core before the tournament.
It was short of her original goal—late-stage Golden Core.
But there had been one unexpected breakthrough.
Thanks to Shen Yanye's help, her soul power had ascended into the Divine Transformation realm. This meant her spiritual awareness had surpassed Ruan Jun's. Stronger soul power translated into stronger mental strength, which gave her an edge in battle.
With mid-stage Golden Core cultivation and Divine Transformation soul force, she could easily defeat someone like Ruan Jun. That duel was no longer a concern. What mattered now was the Butian Pill.
The moment the ingredients entered the furnace, Yun Jin poured her spiritual energy into it at full force. She was still technically at early-stage Golden Core.
Then—
"First Wave," she whispered.
Her spiritual energy surged, suddenly reaching late-stage Golden Core.
Still not enough.
"Second Wave."
Another boost stacked atop the first, pushing her aura to the level of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The power was finally sufficient.
The pill furnace responded, humming gently as it began to operate on its own. This level of spiritual energy consumption was intense. Yun Jin had prepared a large supply of spiritual recovery pills. The moment her reserves dropped below half, she took one immediately.
She had the advantage that every pill she refined was of perfect grade—one was worth ten of others. They were easier to absorb, more potent, and left less residue behind.
If not for that...
Her energy would have run out long ago.
This process would take around three days and three nights.
During that time, she could not let her mind wander. Her energy output had to remain at the Nascent Soul threshold. One moment of lapse, and the entire pill would be ruined.
She quietly gave Shen Yanye another heartfelt thanks.
Without the breakthrough into the Divine Transformation soul realm, she might not have survived this trial. Clearing all distractions from her thoughts, Yun Jin focused entirely on the art of pill refinement.
—
At the Beastmaster Hall
Shen Yanye gave a light cough. "Ling Fei, let's go find the girl. I haven't seen her all day."
Ling Fei looked confused. "Yun Jin is preparing for the sect tournament. She likely doesn't have any free time."
"Is that so?" Shen Yanye sounded a little disappointed. "That spirit beast of hers is still too weak. If it were at Golden Core stage, I could pass down some of my own beastmaster techniques. As it is, it's not much use in a real fight."
Which also meant he couldn't help her much either.
"Then we wait," Ling Fei replied, clearly helpless.
At first, Shen Yanye had seemed indifferent about Yun Jin. But ever since he helped awaken her beastmaster potential, his attitude had shifted dramatically. His enthusiasm had become so intense that Ling Fei found it hard to keep up.
Still...
If even someone like Shen Yanye believed in Yun Jin, that could only be a good thing.
With his support, even if Yun Jin lost the duel, she might still survive.
"If we can't find Yun Jin, why don't we drop by Tianjian Peak and talk with her seniors? You said her master is injured and rarely appears, right? Then let's speak to the others."
Ling Fei sighed. "Shen, they're probably busy preparing too."
"I'll just take a look," Shen Yanye insisted.
He had a plan.
From what Yun Jin said, she held deep affection for Tianjian Peak. If he could get her senior brothers and sisters on his side, the chances of her accepting him as a master would rise significantly. Unable to dissuade him, Ling Fei finally agreed.
—
At Tianjian Peak
Now that Qing Yun and Qi Yu had settled down peacefully, Yue Zhao called over Si Wanning and Yu Songnian.
He didn't explain much, only said they were seniors.
Both of them recognized Qi Yu. Seeing the well-known Grade Seven alchemist bow respectfully before another old man, they couldn't help but speculate on Qing Yun's identity.
Even without Yue Zhao's words, they dared not show any disrespect.
Qing Yun glanced at them briefly, then stopped on Yu Songnian.
"Oh?" He let out a faint sound of interest.
"Senior, this is my Third Brother," Yue Zhao quickly said. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
This strange illness of Yu Songnian's had troubled them for a long time. It was said that the best alchemists were also the best healers. Could this senior have seen something?
Qing Yun had indeed noticed something odd, but he only smiled. "Interesting."
He did not elaborate.
Yue Zhao was a little anxious but dared not press. With someone of Qing Yun's level, they had no right to ask for more than he was willing to give. The group sat quietly, carefully sipping their tea, not daring to speak out of turn.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Just then, Gu Jinghong entered, bringing Ling Fei and Shen Yanye with him.
"Tianjian Peak is quite the beautiful place," Shen Yanye chuckled.
Now that he had taken a liking to Yun Jin, even her surroundings looked better in his eyes. When Yun Jin wasn't around, Gu Jinghong rarely showed any extra expression. He paused slightly upon seeing guests, but nodded politely. "Senior Ling has brought a friend."
Yue Zhao's heart skipped a beat.
Usually, they would be more than happy to welcome Ling Fei.
But right now?
He instinctively glanced at Qing Yun.
Qing Yun smiled. "It's fine. I'm content with my tea. No need to worry about me."
Yue Zhao nodded, then steeled himself to receive the new guests. Shen Yanye had been acting casually, but the moment his eyes met Qing Yun's, his expression shifted.
This old man... his cultivation was terrifying.
He looked so ordinary at first glance, but Shen Yanye could not sense a single fluctuation from him.
And if he couldn't sense it at all, that meant one thing—Qing Yun's level was far beyond his own.
And Shen Yanye was already in the Tribulation realm.
That could only mean...