Chapter 100 - Daily Life of a Peak Master
The heat of the Yin-Yang Origin Flame rose from the cauldron, a quiet and steady warmth that did not flicker under the drafts of the refinement room. Su Ming sat cross-legged, his gaze steady on the gray surface of the iron cauldron. In his mind, the balanced energies of Yin and Yang rotated smoothly, guiding the fire with a precision he had lacked before.
A faint pop came from the cauldron, followed by a light, herbal fragrance that carried no bitterness. Using his spiritual sense, Su Ming could see the liquid Qi within the herbs condensing, the impurities burning away under the heat of his mystical flames. Within ten breaths, a batch of smooth pills emerged, their surface reflecting a uniform silver-gray glint without a single crack.
It was a High Mortal Grade Spirit Calming Pill. High quality.
Su Ming let out a slow breath, letting his fire dissolve back into his dantian. Over the past week, his control over his alchemical flame had reached a state of natural ease. He no longer had to constantly calibrate the heat; the flame simply answered to his will, adapting to the melting points of the spiritual herbs without hesitation.
Later that afternoon, he sat in the mountaintop garden pavilion, the cold mountain wind blocked by the tall spiritual trees. A steaming pot of tea sat between him and Bai Qingxian, the aroma of dried plum blossoms drifting in the small space.
"Your needlework is still a little stiff through the second meridian row." Bai Qingxian set her cup down with a light click without looking away from his hands. "You’re forcing it again."
"Am I?" He chuckled.
She reached over and adjusted his wrist herself, unhurried. "Let your spiritual sense find the pulse first. Wait for the meridian to open on its own. You don’t have to make room for the needle, Su Ming. It’s already there."
Under her hand, the angle settled. The needle slid through cleanly, no resistance at all.
"There," she said, satisfied, and did not quite let go of his wrist right away.
Over the past few months, these afternoon teas had become a regular routine. Under her guidance, Su Ming spent his hours studying the intricacies of meridians and the alchemical properties of medicinal herbs.
Beside the pavilion, under the shade of the ancient spirit tree, Yunxiao lay completely still. The white deer had entered a state of deep hibernation two days ago, her breathing slow and faint. When Su Ming narrowed his eyes and activated his Essence Sight, he could see a soft, translucent light glowing deep within her form. The energies of the Qiongqi blood essence and the chaotic core were slowly integrating into her bloodline, restructuring her strength while she slept. She would not wake for some time.
A handyman disciple walked up the gravel path, carrying a heavy, sealed box and a letter. He bowed respectfully at the entrance of the pavilion, his breathing slightly rushed from the climb.
"Elder Su, a delivery from the Wang clan has arrived," the disciple reported, placing the box and the letter carefully onto the stone table.
Su Ming nodded. He reached into his sleeve, flicking a small pouch containing a hundred low-grade spirit stones toward the youth. The handyman caught it, his eyes widening in pleasant surprise. A hundred spirit stones was a significant reward for a simple delivery run to an outer peak.
"This junior thanks the Elder!" the disciple said, bowing even lower before turning to jog back down the gravel path.
Once the youth had retreated, Su Ming reached out, breaking the seal on the box and sliding the lid open.
Inside, resting on red silk, lay three high-grade spiritual boxes.
The first held a Blazing Heart Flame Crystal, dark crimson red, its translucent core holding a flame that burned without fuel. Even sealed inside the Jade box, it had been warm enough to distort the air around it. Formed in volcanic veins over centuries, it was the kind of flame crystal that burned inward rather than outward.
The second contained a vial of Three Radiances Mystic Water. The liquid was so still and so deep that it seemed to swallow light entirely rather than reflect it. A water-element essence condensed from the combined radiance of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
The third held a fragment of Ancient Spring Spiritwood, impossibly dense, a deep green pulse beating steadily at its heart as though it were still alive and growing. It was a rare Wood Essence drawn from trees that had never known the harshness of True Winter, never shed their leaves, never entered dormancy, and whose growth had continued uninterrupted for centuries.
Su Ming picked up the accompanying letter, skimmed its contents, and folded it shut. The letter detailed the monthly dividends from his joint commerce ventures with the Wang clan. It also explained that although they had successfully secured the Fire, Water, and Wood elements, they had been unable to find a high-grade Metal element material.
The only suitable Metal element essence, a Blackstar Meteorite Core, was scheduled to be auctioned at the upcoming Grand Auction in the neutral trade city of Qiancheng.
Seeing the delivery, Su Ming reflected on the personal visit of Patriarch Wang to White Lotus Peak shortly after Wang Tian’s recovery had been informed to him. The union between the Patriarch and his formerly crippled heir had been joyous, filled with relief and gratitude.
During that visit, Wang Zheng had cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Su Ming, inviting him and his disciples to visit the Wang clan in the future, promising a grand celebration.
Su Ming had also introduced Bai Qingxian to the Patriarch, telling him that without her clinical expertise and medical care, the reconstruction of Wang Tian’s meridians would have failed.
He also remembered bringing out the Obsidian Jade Tablet carved with ’Immortal Wang’ during that visit. The Patriarch had gone silent when he saw it. He had known the Sealed Jade Box; it was a clan heirloom passed down through generations, but the tablet inside was something he had never seen before.
The engraved title ’Immortal Wang’ had clearly shaken him. There were old family stories, and half-dismissed rumours of the Wangs being descendants of an Immortal Clan, but he had never been certain whether to believe them. Seeing those two characters carved into the stone had left him uncertain in a way a Patriarch rarely allowed himself to show.