"What tier alchemist are you, exactly!"
Every word that left Zhu Shu's mouth sounded as if it were gritted between his teeth.
Bai Ran shrugged, her expression at ease. "A fourth-tier alchemist."
This woman was spewing lies, yet he had not the slightest shred of evidence to prove it.
In this world, could the concentration and temperature of one's spiritual fire truly present in such different ways?
It wasn't that Bai Ran wouldn't admit it; if she had, she might never have left Medicine Valley.
A seventh-tier alchemist at fifteen years old – no one would let her go, especially not in Medicine Valley, a place that revered talent above all else.
Bai Ran stepped away from the house where the spiritual fire had been tested. Zhu Shu stared intently at her retreating back, determined to uncover her true identity...
"Master, does that mean you'll have to attend fourth-tier alchemist classes?" Zhu Que chimed in.
Bai Ran glanced at the courtyard, then swept her gaze towards the distant mountain peak.
Her master should have realized by now that she had encountered some trouble and couldn't return.
Medicine Valley was so vast that finding her would take some effort.
"Miss, the alchemist classes are about to begin," Jing Yuanming approached slowly, his tone rather amiable.
"As a new disciple, why haven't you gone to class?"
Bai Ran twirled a strand of her hair, her thin lips parting slightly. "I will be there shortly."
"However, this disciple is a bit confused. Why are ordinary disciples not allowed on that mountain peak?"
Jing Yuanming's gaze was probing. "You wish to enter that peak?"
Bai Ran nodded. Since he was the valley master's eldest disciple, he should know more than ordinary disciples.
It would be best if she could glean some information from him.
"Strange occurrences have always happened on that mountain. Many disciples have seen a long-haired woman on the mountain."
"It hasn't been just once or twice, so the valley master prioritizes the safety of the disciples."
"He resides in that palace on a daily basis, making it convenient to patrol the mountain."
It wasn't a forbidden area, but rather, disciples who entered the mountain would act as if they were possessed.
They would emerge from the mountain acting deliriously, muttering about a long-haired female ghost.
"It's solely for the disciples' safety; they are normally not permitted to enter."
Listening to Jing Yuanming's explanation, Bai Ran had a general understanding.
The valley master, in order to heal her master's mother, would naturally not bury the body but would instead place it in the sparsely populated palace halfway up the mountain...
There could be three possibilities for the ghost rumors: first, the valley master deliberately created a false impression to deter disciples from casually ascending the mountain.
Second, it could be her master's mother; her spirit refused to depart after death, lingering in the mountains.
And the third possibility was that other ghosts were intentionally causing trouble.
Regardless of the situation, the valley master would never let the disciples know the truth.
"Do you know why the valley master is so determined to refine the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuanming answered without hesitation, "Naturally, it is for Medicine Valley."
Bai Ran frowned, only to hear him continue, "The Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill is one of the rarest elixirs in the world."
"If my master can refine the Three-Pattern Clear Spirit Pill, Medicine Valley's strength will increase significantly, and its influence will grow even greater."
Bai Ran pursed her lips, remaining silent.
"Miss, the classes are starting," Jing Yuanming said, looking at her with a touch of urgency in his eyes.
Bai Ran's mind raced, as she began to strategize...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xuan Qinghong stared at the spirit coffin before him, his eyes bloodshot and his fists clenched until they bled.
"You've been using mother's corpse for research day and night?"
Even in death, she couldn't find peace... Xuan Qinghong stared at the person before him, gritting out the words.
The old man's hunched figure emerged, his features bearing a slight resemblance to Xuan Qinghong.
Xuan Hongsheng raised his hand and brushed the surface of the spirit coffin. "It's all to save her..."
"Save her?" Xuan Qinghong laughed with extreme anger. "What were you doing when mother was alive? Now that she's dead, you still won't let her rest!"
"And you're telling me now that you're saving her!"
How could there be such a detestable father in this world!
Xuan Hongsheng looked up at the furious Xuan Qinghong, at his own biological son who had been away from home for over fifty years.
"Qinghong... Father knows he was wrong..."
Xuan Hongsheng sighed deeply. "Without your mother, there's no one to manage Medicine Valley's accounts, and your mother's family is constantly bothering me."
That concubine, aside from being gentle, was utterly useless and couldn't help in any meaningful way.
Xuan Qinghong's chest heaved violently, a ringing in his ears.
No one to manage accounts, and his mother's family bothering him... so he resorted to all sorts of means to disturb his mother's rest?
He had thought this man had realized his mistakes...
"Xuan Hongsheng! You are truly disgusting!"
He turned and left. It was impossible to communicate with this so-called father!
"Father..."
"You are not my father! I severed ties with you fifty years ago!"
Having such a close blood relative caused Xuan Qinghong's heart to ache as if it were bleeding.
He walked through the mountain forest. Mist had begun to rise at some point.
His vision blurred, and the damp air caused water droplets to cling to Xuan Qinghong's hair.
"Mother..." His expression was bitter, and he closed his eyes in pain.
"Hong'er."
Xuan Qinghong startled and opened his eyes.
He saw a long-haired woman standing before him. Not a monstrous ghoul, but the gentle appearance his mother had in life.
His pupils trembled. He walked towards the woman in disbelief. "Mother...?"
This was his mother's... spirit?
However, with each step he took forward, the woman stepped back. Gradually, Xuan Qinghong began walking towards the mountain peak.
The mist grew thicker and thicker. The closer he got to the peak, the more blurred his vision became, and the woman's figure began to dissipate.
Suddenly, Xuan Qinghong stopped, his expression growing grim.
Something was wrong...
The surroundings were enveloped in a vast expanse of white mist, and only the silhouettes of tree trunks were vaguely discernible.
"Hong'er..."
Xuan Qinghong's eyes sharpened. In an instant, a snow-white door appeared before him.
A door? A door leading where?
"Hong'er..."
It was indeed his mother's voice, and it came from within that door.
*Creak—*
The door slowly opened. Xuan Qinghong's nerves tensed, and a chill inexplicably ran down his spine.
Inside the door was a milky white expanse, still making it impossible to see anything.
He tentatively reached out his hand, intending to touch the cloud-like door.
But suddenly, countless skeletal arms shot out from within the door, grabbing Xuan Qinghong's limbs.
"Damn it!"
Only now did Xuan Qinghong realize that the woman earlier could not have been his mother! He had fallen into a trap!
The strength of the skeletal arms was immense. The white expanse within the door gradually transformed into a black vortex, like an abyss, threatening to swallow him whole.
"This is! The Gate of the Ghost Realm!"
The human world's Ghost Realm appears, and the ghost race crosses the threshold!
If a living person were dragged into the Gate of the Ghost Realm, their soul would be instantly stripped away, leaving them a walking corpse.
"Damn it!" Xuan Qinghong summoned his sword, but his limbs were trapped, making it impossible to wield the sharp blade.
"So, what are you doing?"
An indignant female voice rang out. Bai Ran strode forward, with a trembling Jing Yuanming following behind her.