In a world rife with conflict, there is no safe haven.

Outside Danlan Valley.

Surrounded by fiery light, the Fire Cloud Shuttle churned and churned among the peaks, like a fiery thread stitching a needle, weaving together thousands of cliffs and ravines.

Before long, the speed stopped above Danlan Valley, where the mountains were vying for beauty and the clouds were rising and falling, and it slowly descended.

As if they already knew guests were coming, two cranes stood facing each other on a spacious flat area paved with bluestone in Danlan Valley, with two white-robed Taoists sitting on their backs.

As the Fiery Cloud Shuttle landed, amidst the rising clouds, it seemed as if three figures—one tall and two short—slowly stepped out.

Fearing they might be negligent, the two quickly rose and stepped forward, bowing respectfully in unison:

"The Daoist steward of Danlan Valley, acting on the orders of Steward Zheng, is here to welcome Steward Zhu!"

"Old Zheng is quite shrewd. He knew I was coming to see him even though I didn't greet him?"

A woman's voice drifted on the wind, clear and melodious like pearls falling onto a jade plate, with a hint of teasing.

The two white-robed Taoists dared not speak or raise their heads, and could only smile awkwardly as they stepped aside to make way for each other.

"May the Lord's office be well!"

……

Inside the Shui Xie Pavilion, which is half-built against the mountainside and perched on the air, adjacent to Wen Lake.

A crack was opened in the window, and the cold morning wind, mixed with snowmelt, swept into the room, only to evaporate before it hit the ground.

Two gilded incense burners with crane heads were placed in front of the couch, about ten feet apart, emitting a calming and soothing purple aura of incense.

In the center of the incense burner is an ancient alchemy furnace shaped like a small tripod, with three legs, two handles, and fire holes all around.

A long desk lay across the alchemy furnace, with a jumble of herbs and elixirs scattered haphazardly on it, along with a large stack of papers and documents.

The paper is covered with many wrinkles and the handwriting is messy, but it is still possible to make out that it is a series of alchemical formulas.

"Should we burn it or bury it?"

A gaunt old man, half-undressed, with a disheveled beard and sparse hair tied in a willow braid with a red string, was sitting cross-legged, looking up at the beam, seemingly lost in thought.

"Old Zheng, what's gotten into you again?"

A woman's voice suddenly rang out from inside the room.

"Oh, Zhilan, you've arrived!"

Zheng Bingqian, the head of Danlan Valley, regained his clarity of vision and quickly stood up, smiling as he invited the newcomer to sit down.

Zhu Zhilan stood with her robes drawn up, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the messy surroundings. She shook her head helplessly, tidied the table, brewed a pot of tea, and then slowly sat down.

"As people get older, they tend to dwell on the past!"

Zheng Bingqian stroked his disheveled beard, staring blankly at the rising smoke.

"More than ten years ago, a little girl came to Danlan Valley for the first time. She was not even as tall as the desk. She cried and told her father that she wanted to learn alchemy from me."

"Now, that little girl is taller than me and has higher ambitions than me, but she looks down on my shallow alchemy skills."

Zhu Zhilan's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and she said calmly:

"Times change and the world changes; nothing remains the same, and neither do people. So why should Mr. Zheng be so troubled?"

"With over a thousand servants in the Three Valleys and Nine Courtyards, are you afraid we can't find a worthy candidate for alchemy?"

Zhu Zhilan poured herself a cup of tea, then gently picked up the teacup by the handle, slightly curled the corners of her lips, and slowly blew away the hazy steam, her voice as clear as water.

"Enough with the nonsense."

"The Dao Competition between the Jade Sleeve and the Rinsing Sea factions will begin in two years. This competition will determine who will host the Fish and Dragon Banquet in the Southern Dusk Immortal Prefecture. The situation is of paramount importance and cannot be taken lightly."

"Although the Jade Sleeve Cultivator will participate in the discussion and strategy, the influence of Zhenfu and Zhang will affect all three valleys and nine academies. Therefore, the number of magical artifacts, robes, and pills required by the disciples of the Eight Veins Daoist lineage will inevitably increase sharply..."

She took a small sip of tea and spoke softly:

"Zhilan felt that it was appropriate to send a few stewards to inspect the three lower courtyards and strictly supervise them."

"What does Mr. Zheng think?"

"Zhilan is now in charge of the Gold Melting Valley. From now on, she can make her own decisions about these matters."

Zheng Bingqian glanced at the large lake outside the window, appearing uninterested.

"Senior Sister, we want to go too!"

Suddenly, two childish voices rang out.

Immediately afterwards, two adorable little Taoist boys with red ribbons around their wrists scurried out from behind the door and crowded around Zhu Zhilan.

Upon seeing the two young Taoist boys, Zheng Bingqian's cloudy eyes brightened slightly, but he feigned anger and said:

"You two, you've finally returned to Danlan Valley, why don't you come and greet your grandfather?"

To everyone's surprise, the two young Taoists completely ignored her and kept pestering Zhu Zhilan, insisting on going to the Lower Three Courtyards for a visit.

Zhu Zhilan narrowed her beautiful eyes and asked:

"The three lower courtyards each have their own unique environments, especially the Forging Courtyard, where the air is extremely hot and scorching. Can you endure it?"

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. We've been cultivating diligently these past few days, and we've successfully absorbed Qi into our bodies and completed five cycles of circulation. A little heat won't harm us!"

The Taoist boy, known as "Golden Boy," spoke with an air of age.

The beautiful woman nodded vigorously to the side.

"If the children want to go, then..."

Zheng Bingqian was about to speak, but when he met Zhu Zhilan's emotionless, bright eyes, he immediately shrank back, like an old child, and said no more.

Zhu Zhilan then looked at the golden boy and jade girl, nodded slightly, and said:

"You can go to the Third Hospital, but when you come back, you must recount to me everything you saw and heard on this trip in its entirety."

"Whether it's a matter or a person, anything that's extraordinary is acceptable."

Before the two young Taoist disciples could cheer with joy, she continued:

"However, only one can go. The other one can stay in Danlan Valley and keep your grandfather company."

Upon hearing this, the golden boy and jade girl were taken aback.

They then exchanged a glance, like roosters who had found their match, looking as if a great battle was about to begin.

I don't know if she wanted to go to the Third Hospital too much, or if she didn't want to stay by her own grandfather's side.

……

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; half a day passes in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Forging Courtyard, a group of ordinary servants lined up, holding bamboo tallies, waiting for the supervisor to inspect the quality of the sword blanks and confirm that there were no problems before they could receive their wages for the day.

"I've been feeling a bit weak these past few days, so I'm planning to go to Toad Cave to buy some spirit bird meat to nourish myself."

Li Xuanyi, who was at the front of the line, turned around and asked Yan Chen:

"Junior Brother Yan, are you coming or not?"

"The meat of the spirit birds in Toad Cave is indeed suitable for nourishing the body, but the price is too high, costing one hundred magic coins per catty, which is only enough for one meal."

"Why not just buy ten catties of spirit rice, cook it into porridge, and that will be enough for Junior Brother to eat for half a month?"

Yan Chen shook his head.

Toad Cave is a small restaurant located within the Nine Courtyards. The spiritual birds and grains sold there are different from ordinary rice and meat, and are very beneficial to the nourishment of the body.

In the early stages of Qi cultivation, the focus is on the physical body.

Three parts training, seven parts diet!

Some ordinary people who find it difficult to further circulate their Qi will choose to have a big meal in an attempt to break through the bottleneck.

Of course, its effects are not comparable to those of pills or similar elixirs.

That being said, even a single health-preserving pill that replenishes qi and blood and nourishes the meridians requires hundreds or thousands of coins. If one wants to make significant progress, one needs to take it for a long time to maintain health.

Even the privileged sons of the elite families might not be able to afford it.

In comparison, the price of spirit birds and spirit grains seems much more "affordable".

"As a lowly mortal servant of the Jade Sleeve Sect, the obstacles to advancement are truly numerous and as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

As Yan Chen sighed inwardly, the procession moved forward, and soon it was his turn.

He handed over the bamboo tally, received his wages, and thanked the supervisor.

Just as Yan Chen was about to leave, he heard Qu Ying across from him suddenly speak:

"If Senior Brother's guess is correct, Junior Brother Yan should have already circulated his Qi nine times and is in sight to reach the first level, right?"

"Having joined the Forging Academy for only ten days, to have made such progress in cultivation—that's quite talented; he's a promising individual!"

Qu Yingjun smiled slightly, his eyes looking at Yan Chen with a meaningful gaze.

"Supervisor Qu is too kind."

Yan Chen lowered his eyes, said nothing more, put away the money, and hurriedly left the Forging Institute.

After walking several dozen steps, he slowly stopped and turned to gaze in the direction of the Forging Academy.

"Qu Ying, Yan Mo..."

Yan Chen narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The days I spent in the Forging Academy seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, there were undercurrents of turmoil.

He had discerned the cause and effect of these two individuals more than once, repeatedly examining whether they posed a real threat to him at present.

Fortunately, the answers were all "no".

But these are all temporary. The arrow is already on the bowstring, and there's no reason not to release it. On the contrary, the tension will only intensify as time goes on.

The Jade Sleeve Daoist lineage prides itself on being the righteous path, but within these nine academies, it engages in acts of cruelty and ruthlessness at every turn.

They regard the common people at the bottom as weeds, which cannot be cut down or burned off, and they keep creating value for the so-called "upper-level cultivators" as if it were only natural.

If you want to succeed, you must climb the narrow mountain path of "rules" and "compliance" with great difficulty.

Everything must be done in accordance with the established rules and regulations.

How domineering!

How helpless we are!

"Since I'm going to take a chance on my future, it's inevitable that I'll get entangled with them, or even have conflicts, but... so what?"

"Being conservative and timid may offer temporary security, but it cannot withstand the test of time. Living in constant fear, how can one even hope to attain enlightenment?"

Yan Chen flicked his cotton robe and wide sleeves, his eyes blazing with fire as he walked, sparkling and shimmering.

"The great way is one of contention; how can any egg remain intact?"

……