Refining the Mountains and Rivers

In a completely random and confusing manner, Qin Yu had stumbled his way into becoming the Junior Uncle of Immortal Eclipse Valley, the largest sect within the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty. Not just that but he had an incredibly scary status to go along with it. As he looked down at his supposed apprentice nephews, nieces, and all his other children, and grandchildren, he felt that the route the plot had taken was far too incredulous. He closed his eyes for a night, opened them, closed and opened them again repeatedly, and finally sighed. It seemed that this really wasn’t a dream.

“Young Junior Uncle, are you awake?” A soft and charming voice sounded out from the other side of the door.

Qin Yu opened the door and saw six young female cultivators of Immortal Eclipse Valley standing there with blushing faces. They held loose inner robes, shirts, boots, water basins, towels, and all sorts of other things as they lowered their heads and said, “Disciple greets Young Junior Uncle.”

“And you are?”

“We are following orders to serve Young Junior Uncle in bathing and dressing this morning.” A young woman on the left said, her face as red as the sunrise. “The hot water has been prepared, please follow us.”

Qin Yu was frightened. Just what was that old fool Pill Crucible doing? He waved his hands again and again, saying, “No need, I’ll wash myself. All of you leave!”

The young woman helplessly muttered, “This…”

Qin Yu said, “I will explain it myself later. Don’t worry.”

The young woman brightened up. “Thank you Junior Uncle! This disciple’s name is Caiyue. From now on, with Mingxia, the six of us will be responsible for serving you. If you have any needs in the future, please feel free to speak them.”

Qin Yu frowned, not saying much. He would need to find Pill Crucible to resolve this matter. He took the hot water, clothing, and other items and waved for them to leave. After washing and changing into the appropriate robes, he opened the door to see Caiyue, Mingxia, and the other young girls looking at him with bright eyes.

Qin Yu wasn’t an extremely handsome person, but the Demon Body had molded his figure and sharpened his edges, making his features much more distinct and prominent. Moreover, in addition to the existence of the little blue lamp, an invisible bearing had grown in his heart, giving him a dashing and imposing aura. Of course, this had a tremendous connection to the clothes that Immortal Eclipse Valley had prepared for him. The black silk with the silver threads, the hand-crafted embroidery was second to none. These tailor-made clothes accentuated Qin Yu’s aura. When people said that people relied on clothes and horses relied on saddles, this was what they meant.

Moreover, his crown of white jade, the dragon talisman hanging at his waist, and his roc-embroidered boots were not just mind-bogglingly gorgeous but also incredible treasures. With his clothes alone, even if he stood still he could resist two or three attacks from Golden Core cultivators. In particular, the dragon talisman at his waist; that could even block an attack from a Nascent Soul.

“Where is senior-apprentice brother?”

Caiyue respectfully replied, “Replying to Junior Uncle, the High Ancestor has already been waiting for you. Please follow me.” After stepping out from the room they passed through long corridors before finally arriving at an incomparably elegant garden. Strands of fog winded about the area, giving it a quiet and lonely atmosphere.

Pill Crucible sat in the main seat, looking indifferent as he sipped some tea. He faintly smiled as he heard approaching footsteps. “Little junior-apprentice brother, did you rest well last night?”

Qin Yu cupped his hands across his chest. “Greetings, senior-apprentice brother. I rested very well. Also, I must thank senior-apprentice brother for gifting me these treasures.”

Without saying anything, Caiyue drew back.

Pill Crucible immediately lost any sense of authority. He lazily slumped back in his seat and said, “Little junior-apprentice brother, I feel that this servant girl still has her primordial yin. Are there any problems that you find difficult to say? Don’t be afraid, just tell your senior-apprentice brother here. In fact, I can even refine you some pills and guarantee that any problems you have with your nighttime vigor will be solved…cough…for good!”

Looking at this old fellow wink at him, Qin Yu’s eyes twitched. He took a deep breath and said, “My body is quite good, you don’t have to worry about me senior-apprentice brother. Caiyue, Mingxia, and the others are all valley disciples. You should allow them to leave and cultivate.”

Pill Crucible wailed in pity and sorrow, as if he were trying to say ‘junior-apprentice brother, didn’t you just admit your problems? But this old man didn’t even laugh at you, so please, why are you looking at me with such dreadful eyes?’

Seeing Qin Yu’s complexion darken, he coughed and said, “Alright, alright, let’s just say that your body is perfectly fine. Caiyue and Mingxua will stay behind to serve you, but you can rest assured that this is completely voluntary. In the future, you don’t need to worry about these juniors. Cultivators like you and I act with a clear conscience and no regrets. There is no need to pay attention to all these minor myriad details in the future.” He blinked and said, “And as they say, pick the flowers when they’re in full blossom, or you’ll regret it when they fade. Junior-apprentice brother, you shouldn’t waste your wonderful youth like this!”

Qin Yu accepted his fate. He cupped his hands and bowed, “I thank senior-apprentice brother for the guidance.”

Pill Crucible stood up, looking like someone giving his nephew a valuable life lesson. He said, “Come, I will lead you to Treasure Collection Pavilion. You can choose something from there. Consider it a first meeting gift from your senior-apprentice brother.”

Qin Yu’s eyes brightened.

The Treasure Collection Pavilion of Immortal Eclipse Valley must be extraordinary.

After leaving the hall, Pill Crucible flicked his sleeves. The sound of whistling wind filled the air, and by the time the surroundings were clear again they were in front of an old wooden pavilion. The staircase was intact and repaired, but the wood had been weathered with wind and rain over countless years, giving it a light breath of vicissitudes.

Pill Crucible held his hands behind his back and said, “Qin Yu, even though you are my junior-apprentice brother, you can still only choose one item. I have no idea when the next time you will be able to enter will be. So, for the next two hours, make sure you carefully look over everything. Once you have determined your choice, leave behind a mark of your divine sense. Now go.”

Qin Yu’s heart warmed. This inexplicably cheap and vulgar senior-apprentice brother of his actually treated him quite well. Of course, it wasn’t like he would fully devote his loyalty to someone just because of something like this. There were far too many deep and hidden intentions in this world. Even an affectionate husband and wife could turn on each other after a night of arguing, so it was best to remain cautious.

Respectfully bowing, Qin Yu turned and walked towards the wooden pavilion. The wooden steps creaked as he walked up. The sound wasn’t chaotic or startling, and actually left his mind in peace. He didn’t worry that Pill Crucible was planning to take advantage of him, because with his current cultivation there was no need to go to such lengths.

The door wasn’t locked. Qin Yu pushed it up and an invisible suction force drew him in. Everything turned dark, and by the time his surroundings lit up, he found himself standing in the wooden pavilion. The door was behind him, and although it remained unlocked, at this moment it actually represented some inconceivable power in his eyes.

If one didn’t have permission, then perhaps anyone who touched that door might never appear in the world again.

The wooden pavilion wasn’t some magnificent sight nor were there any horrifying traps or enchantments. There were several wooden frames haphazardly placed at random, making the area look a bit disheveled. Bubbles of spiritual strength wrapped around items, sealing them on the wooden frames. Beside each item was a jade slip.

Qin Yu looked at the first treasure that caught his eye. He moved over and picked up the jade slip. After probing it with his divine sense, he found they indeed contained information pertaining to the treasure.

“Heaven Opening Axe [imitation]. Although this is far from comparable to the genuine article, its attack power is still outstanding. It is a weapon suitable for walking the path of epic heroicness. Note: this treasure requires a certain degree of mortal bodily strength.”

And what was most amazing was that there was a series of images marked in the back of the explanation. A dark-faced big fellow grasped the Heaven Opening Axe and chopped down, severing the river in front of him in half!

Its might was incredible.

This imitation Heaven Opening Axe possessed top grade striking power amongst Golden Core realm items. After sweeping his eyes over the several long wooden frames and the bubbles of spiritual strength covering them, Qin Yu sighed inwardly. Immortal Eclipse Valley was truly filthy and disgustingly rich!

He lay down the jade slip and continued forwards. The treasures on the wooden frames should be divided into categories. When he entered, those he saw were magic weapons, several of them extremely powerful. However, Qin Yu only glanced at them, not moved much. His own strength was already potent enough. If he didn’t run into a Nascent Soul cultivator then he could freely wander through the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty. These sorts of treasures could only be called adding the final touches on perfection.

The next wooden frame was covered with defensive magic tools. Although they were also of high quality, Pill Crucible had already gifted him many of them. There wasn’t anything here that stood out in particular. Qin Yu took note of a few and moved on.

Following that, the treasures began to diverge in all sorts of strange categories. These were things that Qin Yu had never heard about and they fully reflected the rich and deep background of Immortal Eclipse Valley.

Eight Treasure Lantern. Place a wisp of one’s soul within, and then light the fire and place it upon an altar of worship. If one were to die, there is a chance that this lamp can be used to condense the remaining remnant soul. For cultivators, if one’s soul didn’t fully dissipate then they hadn’t yet truly died. Seizing the body of another was the best choice, and taking over a refined puppet was another. The worst option was to transform into a ghost cultivator and survive like that. No one ever complained about having too many life maintaining items; this treasure could be considered precious.

Crimson Smelting Nine Tier Pagoda. Each level of the pagoda had beast souls sealed within. A first level Energy Refining cultivator could summon a first level Energy Refining beast soul, and a second level Energy Refining cultivator could summoned a second level Energy Refining beast soul. At the ninth of Energy Refining, one could summon nine beast souls into battle. This continued at the Foundation Establishment realm and even the Golden Core realm! For those at the Energy Refining and Foundation Establishment realm, this treasure was good enough, but the Golden Core realm beast souls were particularly fierce. If one could summon all nine beast souls to battle then they could easily devastate anyone below the Nascent Soul realm.

Monk Hood of Flowing Light. This was a mystic treasure of buddhist sects. When cultivating, one could bring this out. Not only would it calm the mind and prevent outside thoughts from interfering, but one’s cultivation speed would also rise precipitously. Most importantly, after using this monk hood for an extended period of time, a person could achieve unity with it and fuse it into their body. From that point on, buddhist powers would shelter their soul, making them unassailable to 10,000 evils!

Crimson Flame Glazed Beads, treasure condensed from a volcano that was thousands of miles deep…Untearable Tie, after refining it with a drop of blood, it could be used to form a contract with two parties so that they live and die together…Dark Nine Nether Lotus, capable of increasing the strength of one’s soul by a great deal…

The treasures in this wooden pavilion were all saved over the countless years that Immortal Eclipse Valley had existed for. Each one was incomparably precious. For Pill Crucible to allow him to casually choose whichever one he liked, that was already extremely generous!

But, which one should he choose?

Qin Yu looked around, feeling a bit helpless.

…

Outside the wooden pavilion, Pill Crucible blew his beard about, but the 16-17 year old girl didn’t seem to care at all. She continued speaking in her apathetic tone.

“Pill Crucible, even if you are the master of Immortal Eclipse Valley, you don’t have the right to grant someone an item from the treasure pavilion as you wish. You know this is wrong and yet you do it anyways. How can you possibly convince your sect’s disciples like this?”

Pill Crucible clenched his teeth. “I am already standing here. How about you go and find someone who isn’t convinced?”

The young girl shot him a look. “To take advantage of your cultivation and status to suppress the different opinions of the valley is just stupid to the extreme.”

Pill Crucible didn’t spare her a glance. “This old man just happens to be stupid and does whatever he wants!”

The young girl lightly said, “In the next great valley meeting, I will reveal this matter to everyone.”

“Without evidence, no one will believe you!”

“I’ve already taken an image of today’s events.”

Pill Crucible stiffened. His expression suddenly changed, “Look Spirity, this old man only has a single junior-apprentice brother. As the solemn master of the valley, it’s a bit shameful if I don’t have a good gift for our first meeting, right? Just this time, I guarantee it will be just this time. How about bending the rules a little for me?”

The young girl tilted her head and looked at him. Then, she stretched out five fingers. Pill Crucible’s face wrinkled in pain and he finally pinched his nose in defeat. “Alright, I’ll deliver the spirit stones and other things to you later.”

Shua –

The young girl turned and left, leaving behind countless motes of light in her wake.

A complex light appeared in Pill Crucible’s eyes. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He looked back up at the wooden pavilion, curious as to what treasure Qin Yu would choose.

At nearly the same time, Qin Yu paused. He lowered his head, his face full of surprise. He looked down at a dark ash gray mushroom-shaped object on the wooden frame.

This…this is…

Qin Yu’s eyes popped up. He smelled wild mushroom and then carefully felt the texture of the wooden frame. His eyes began to brighten. He took out his storage bag. With a flash, the Medicine Codex appeared. He probed the jade slip with his divine sense and soon found the information he needed.

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