Chapter 119: The Lost Volume

"Spent big to flex, and now I’m completely broke… sigh…"

Chen Huai’an did a quick calculation of his remaining balance and felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

"Alright, let’s at least get the basics down with the Tideborn Technique first. Once Three Eggs gets back, I’ll check the app to see if there are any missions I can take."

Now that Li Qingran was safely back at her sect, he didn’t need to keep watching over Sword Pavilion.

With that, he closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation practice, following the insights Li Qingran had taught him.

—

At the Sword Pavilion’s Mountain Gate—

A group of disciples stood around, staring at the bruised and swollen Da Ha, who lay unconscious on the ground, their faces full of awe and fear.

"I heard it was some mysterious senior from our sect that did it… supposedly, he’s Junior Sister Li’s master."

"That powerful?!"

"Honestly, I think it’s good Da Ha got a beating—maybe now he’ll stop digging up our Spirit Fields behind Luoxia Peak every day."

"Uh… but if I remember correctly, it was the Pavilion Master who gave the order to attack the flying boat, right? Not Da Ha’s fault he got wrecked…"

"Ahem!"

The conversation was getting a little too real.

Su Qinian cleared his throat twice, shutting the disciples up before smiling and personally welcoming Li Qingran and Yue Qianchi as they disembarked from the flying boat.

That white-haired powerhouse had left immediately after delivering his warning, but Su Qinian wasn’t stupid—

That "warning" had been aimed at him, not Da Ha.

So, of course, he had to treat Li Qingran well now.

"Welcome back! How did things go? With the twenty low-grade Spirit Stones I gave you, I’m sure you handled any trouble with ease~"

Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes but didn’t bother correcting him about what had actually happened at Lingxi Valley.

Despite his usual laid-back attitude, Su Qinian genuinely cared about Sword Pavilion’s disciples.

If he found out Yun Suxin had deliberately set up an Illusion Formation to mess with them…

He might just storm into Lingxi Valley with his sword and demand an explanation.

"Sect Master, we’ve gathered all the necessary spiritual herbs—only two more medicinal ingredients remain."

Li Qingran bowed respectfully, her face bright with excitement.

Now that she was back at the sect, she could finally begin preparing the medicine.

Every step toward curing her master’s poison filled her heart with pure joy.

"Very good! Very good!"

Su Qinian grinned smugly, crossing his arms. "I knew it—our Sword Pavilion’s reputation is unmatched! That Lingxi Valley wouldn’t dare give you any trouble! Hmph, hmph, hmph—hahaha!"

Yue Qianchi rolled her eyes again.

"Wouldn’t dare give us trouble?"

If Li Qingran’s master hadn’t stepped in to save them, they’d probably still be stumbling back in humiliation—and the flying boat would be confiscated.

"You’ve been traveling long enough—you must be tired. Why don’t you both rest first?"

Su Qinian turned to Li Qingran.

"I’ll take you to the Medicine Garden later."

With that, he walked over to Da Ha to check on his injuries.

The stupid mutt’s chest had completely caved in from that single kick.

The impact force had exploded outward from his back, leaving a bloody, mangled mess—

Though his chest wasn’t pierced through, the damage to his back was even worse.

Fortunately, he was a Guardian Beast, and the white-haired powerhouse hadn’t gone for the kill.

Da Ha still had a bit of life left in him.

But if he wasn’t treated immediately, he’d be unconscious for days.

Su Qinian sighed and shook his head, looking both frustrated and helpless.

He thought his warning had been obvious enough—

Yet, Li Qingran marched forward two steps, stood straight as a board, and solemnly cupped her hands.

"Sect Master, disciple is not tired and does not need rest."

"I would like to go to the Medicine Garden and meet Elder Liu immediately!"

Su Qinian: "……"

"Master," Yue Qianchi stifled a laugh, stepping in to take responsibility.

"I’ll carry Da Ha to the Sect Hall and let the elders check on him. You should take Junior Sister to the Medicine Garden."

Li Qingran finally realized what was going on.

She glanced at the Guardian Beast—

The same beast that her master had beaten into a pulp.

Her ears burned red.

But…

So what?

Her master’s affairs would always come first!

With this thought in mind, Li Qingran fixed Su Qinian with a determined gaze.

—

Su Qinian led Li Qingran to the Medicine Garden, where Elder Liu Yuanqing was already standing at the entrance, waiting.

However, his expression looked far from friendly.

"Elder Liu." Li Qingran bowed respectfully.

Su Qinian, on the other hand, grinned mischievously.

"Old Liu, why the sour face? I haven’t even gone to your Medicine Garden to ‘appreciate the flowers’ in the past two days."

Liu Yuanqing snorted and completely ignored him.

He simply turned to Li Qingran, motioning for her to enter the Medicine Garden, before slamming the door shut behind them—

Leaving Su Qinian yelling outside.

Inside, Liu Yuanqing forced a smile and asked, "Did you manage to purchase all the herbs on the list?"

"Yes, Elder Liu, I’ve gathered everything," Li Qingran’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Can we proceed to the next step?"

The Hundred-Grass Detoxification Pill was an extremely complex elixir.

Unlike regular elixirs, it required an additional step—Spiritual Purification.

This purification process could only be done using a special alchemy cauldron.

Before their trip to Lingxi Valley, Elder Liu had promised to help her find one.

"That’s great," Liu Yuanqing sighed, but his face darkened. "However… the Spiritual Purification process is going to be a bit tricky."

"Why?" Li Qingran’s heart clenched, her brows furrowing slightly.

Liu Yuanqing stroked his beard and paced back and forth before hesitantly explaining:

"I heard that Zhou Xuanzi, the Sect Master of the Alchemy Sect, possesses a Dragon-Wave Cast Cauldron.

This cauldron was forged from seawater, making it perfect for refining the Hundred-Grass Detoxification Pill—it’s exactly what we need for Spiritual Purification.

I used to have some personal ties with Zhou Xuanzi back in the day, so I thought borrowing the cauldron would be easy…

But he outright refused.

Even when I offered Spirit Stones, he still wouldn’t lend it out."

"Why wouldn’t he?" Li Qingran bit her lip, speaking anxiously.

"We’re only borrowing it for a short time! If he thinks the payment isn’t enough, we can negotiate! Surely he’s willing to at least discuss the terms—"

"Impossible."

Liu Yuanqing’s eyes flashed with anger, his voice turning cold.

"That man is just a snob who looks down on others.

Back when I was still in Zhenwu Sect, he treated me with nothing but respect.

But now that I’ve settled in Sword Pavilion, do you know what he said?

He said he doesn’t associate with beggars."

—

BANG!

The Medicine Garden’s doors flew open with a single kick.

Su Qinian stormed inside, his face dark with rage.

"Which son of a b** called our Sword Pavilion a sect of beggars?!**"

"Elder Liu, say the word—I’ll go kill him right now!"

"Alchemy Sect. Zhou Xuanzi. Late Nascent Soul Perfection."

Liu Yuanqing shot him a cold glance, then pointed at the door.

"One hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Pay up."

"One hundred Spirit Stones?! For your busted wooden door? Why don’t you go rob someone?!"

"I AM robbing you! Got a problem?"

"I won’t pay! I’m broke!"

"Then leave your flying sword!"

"Hell no!"

"You f*ing mule!**"

"You’re the f*ing mule!**"

—

Li Qingran: "……"

Something wasn’t right.

In her mind, Elder Liu should have been different from Pavilion Master Su.

That was what she had always believed.

But now, somehow, the two of them overlapped perfectly…?

—

"Since Zhou Xuanzi has the cauldron, that makes things difficult."

Su Qinian frowned, rubbing his chin.

The Alchemy Sect was a sect dedicated to medicine, but its nature was nothing like Lingxi Valley.

Lingxi Valley specialized in spiritual herbs.

The Alchemy Sect, on the other hand, thrived on alchemy—attracting countless rogue cultivators, making it a chaotic melting pot of different cultivation paths.

Because of its complicated ties with various factions, few wanted to provoke them.

Su Qinian wasn’t necessarily afraid of Zhou Xuanzi.

But he was concerned about Sword Pavilion’s disciples.

They frequently interacted with rogue cultivators while on missions.

And the last thing they needed was to end up on a hit list because of some sect feud.

"Is there really no other way…?"

Li Qingran’s voice wavered slightly as she looked down, pressing her lips together.

They had come so far already.

She couldn’t give up now.

"There’s… one other way."

Elder Liu pulled out an ancient scroll, unrolling it for Li Qingran and Su Qinian to see.

"This is a lost volume from the Medicine King Valley.

It records a technique that allows a cultivator’s body to replace an alchemy cauldron for Spiritual Purification—

But it must be done by a cultivator with a Water Spiritual Root."

Su Qinian skimmed two pages—

Then his face twisted in horror.

He immediately threw the scroll away, roaring:

"What kind of twisted technique is this?!"

"Just burn it already! I’ll go rob the Alchemy Sect and take that damn cauldron myself!"

"Are you insane?!"

"I’m not letting a Sword Pavilion disciple go through something like this!"

"Did you even read it properly?! That’s NOT something a human should be doing!"

—

While the two elders were arguing, Li Qingran had already picked up the scroll, carefully reading through it.

The words were bone-chilling.

But when she thought of her master, still suffering from the demonic poison—

Her resolve only grew stronger.

"Elder Liu, Pavilion Master Su," she interrupted, bowing deeply.

"For my master’s sake, I am willing to try."

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