Chapter 39: Pondering Wisp

Xiulan studied the empty guest room with a critical eye. The bare wooden walls and stone floor provided an ideal neutral foundation for alchemy work. There were no lingering spiritual resonances to interfere with delicate processes.

“Remove everything.” Xiulan pointed to the remaining furniture. “Even the wall hangings need to go.”

The servants rushed to comply, carrying out tables and chairs while others carefully rolled expensive tapestries. Dust motes swirled in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.

“Scrub the floors thoroughly.” Xiulan directed from the doorway. “And wipe down the walls. I need this room completely clean.”

After an hour of intense cleaning, the room stood empty and spotless. The stone floor gleamed with a dull sheen, and the wooden walls gave off a fresh scent from the cleaning. She waved in the servants with a new set of carefully selected tables, counters, and cabinets.

Xiulan unpacked her new supplies from the Treasure Pavilion, arranging each item with methodical precision. The pill furnace dominated the center of the room, its bronze surface etched with intricate spiritual arrays.

A box of refined spiritual charcoal sat ready beside the furnace.

The jar of spiritual water from the Spirit Spring caught the light, its contents shimmering with ethereal energy.

Three qi-sealing containers lined up against the wall, their protective seals glowing faintly.

The mortar and pestle of spirit-imbued stone took its place on a low table, its smooth surface cool to the touch.

Twelve jars of purification herbs formed a neat array, each labeled with precise characters.

A pouch of spirit-infused grinding sand waited beside the mortar.

The small brazier for alchemical preparations stood ready near the furnace.

A set of spirit-reinforced measuring vials completed the basic setup.

Xiulan placed her precious blood lotus and earth heart roots into two of the qi-seal jars. I’ll need more storage containers soon if I plan to build a proper ingredient collection.

Finally, she arranged eighteen spirit stones on a wide ceramic plate, their soft glow casting gentle shadows across the room’s new workspace.

Xiulan frowned at the coarse spirit-infused sand. She was going to need to grind them before she could even start.

She settled cross-legged on the floor with the mortar and pestle, channeling qi into her hands. The stone tools felt cool against her palms as she began grinding. Each circular motion required precise pressure—too much would damage the sand, too little would fail to refine it.

“Definitely should have haggled harder,” Xiulan muttered, watching another patch of impurities burn away from the glowing grains. The repetitive motion made her shoulders ache, but she maintained the steady rhythm. The aching was probably all in her head, anyway.

An hour passed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she poured continuous streams of qi into the grinding process. Finally, the last impure grains crumbled away, leaving behind a fine powder that sparkled like captured sunlight.

It was worth every moment of the tedious work. She deposited her precious product into a small ceramic container without cleaning the mortar itself.

Now for the Earth Reinforcement pill. Xiulan reached for fresh paper and an ink set. The recipe floated hazily in her memory, not as familiar as the Meridian Opening pill she’d practiced countless times. Better to write it down properly.

She dipped her brush in ink and began recording each step, pausing occasionally to search her memories. Details surfaced slowly—she almost forgot a few things, too. Yeah, this was a good idea.

With the complete recipe in front of her, confidence replaced uncertainty. “Let’s do this right the first time,” Xiulan whispered, surveying her workspace.

She arranged the brazier first, positioning it beside the pill furnace. A clean cutting board came next, along with sharp kitchen knives she’d borrowed. The simple steel blades would suffice—Earth-Heart roots required crushing more than precise cutting.

Xiulan opened the jar containing the roots, selecting one with a crystalline core that pulsed with earthy energy. She carefully placed it on the cutting board.

The root pulsed with a soft emerald glow as she brought the knife down in precise, measured cuts. Each cube sparkled with concentrated earth essence as it separated from the whole.

She transferred the glowing cubes into the spirit-infused mortar. The leftover grinding sand from earlier sparkled against the dark stone—no need to add more.

The pestle moved in smooth, practiced motions as she ground the root into a fine powder. Earth essence mixed with the shimmering sand, creating an ethereal display of golden and emerald light that danced across her face.

When it was half processed, she turned to the array of purification herbs.

The ginseng root emanated steady earth qi, while the ironweed leaf carried traces of mineral essence. The stone orchid completed the trio with its grounding resonance. She measured each into a pot, along with exactly one liter of water.

That went atop the alchemical brazier to boil. A single spirit charcoal provided the steady flame at a measured rate.

While the hourglass measured time, Xiulan returned to her workstation. The knife cleaned easily under her practiced hands and then she continued grinding the earth-heart powder to an even finer consistency.

Two turns of the hourglass later, she carefully drained the purified liquid into a thick-walled container. Steam rose in lazy spirals as the mixture cooled on the side table.

Steam curled from the herb-infused water as it cooled in the pot. Xiulan settled into a light meditation stance, letting her qi settle after the intense grinding work. An hour passed in peaceful silence as the liquid’s temperature dropped.

A bittersweet memory flickered through her mind—Mei Chen eagerly helping with the tea. An image of her friend using her icy fingers to cool things off rapidly flashed by. The thought brought a painful mix of laughter and grief. I’m terrible.

Xiulan moved to test the water with a quick touch. Perfect. She retrieved a glass dropper, carefully measuring three drops of spirit-infused water into the herbal mixture. Blue energy blazed through the liquid, illuminating the workspace with ethereal light.

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Taking one of the spirit stones, she placed it in the power slot of the furnace and then activated its array. It lit up with a blue hued energy along the golden formation inlays. The glowing mixture went in first. The earth-heart root powder followed in a steady stream as she stirred methodically to prevent clumps from forming.

Spiritual charcoal clicked into place in a slid out chamber beneath the furnace. Xiulan pressed her palms against the metal surface, channeling qi through the ancient formation arrays. Spirit stones would work faster, but they cost too much to waste when I can do this myself.

Energy flowed from her hands in a steady stream. The furnace hummed with power as heat built inside. Pure white steam escaped through the ventilation holes while the formation field contained the precious essence within.

Maintaining the precise flow rate demanded intense concentration. This makes excellent qi control practice. Each minute stretched as she focused on keeping the energy perfectly steady.

The hourglass marked a full hour. Xiulan released her qi flow and opened the small access door. A single brown pill rolled out onto her palm. Success!

She activated the furnace’s purge function. A solid chunk of blackened waste dropped onto the table with a dull thud—all the spent and useless material separated cleanly.

She held up the earth reinforcement pill, holding it toward to one of the lantern lights. The pill looked utterly ordinary. Well, it was one of the most basic pills. What had she expected? She wasn’t even sure if there was a golden version of it.

That takes care of things for Ren Chun.

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Xiulan adjusted her light silk robe and settled onto a cushion at the low table. Steam rose from her teacup, carrying hints of jasmine through her bedroom.

The familiar scent brought a moment of peace after the long day of taking care of Mei Chen, meeting with Qingfeng, clapping arrogant young masters, cooking, and alchemy work.

Ugh, it was the most loaded day so far, maybe. Enough to leave her head wooly, even with her cultivator’s endurance.

She unrolled a detailed map across the polished wood, securing the corners with small weights. The parchment displayed the territories between Blackmere and Dawn Valley in precise detail. Next to it, she placed a scroll about dawn serpents.

A surprised laugh escaped her lips. The creatures matched exactly what she remembered from Phoenix Kingdom Chronicles —massive scaled beasts that players had to defeat for quests and experience. But harvesting their scales while the beasts were alive? That element never existed in the game.

Her finger traced eastward along the map, crossing through two counties before reaching Fershere. The territory sprawled across craggy mountains where mining operations dotted the landscape. Most of the region consisted of bare rock and steep cliffs, except for one notable feature—Dawn Forest.

It was nestled in a mountain valley, surrounding a permanent lake. Despite the abundant water source, no mortal settlements existed there. The territory was just inside the wilds, making it too dangerous for anyone without cultivation abilities to survive.

Xiulan sat back and took another sip of tea. The journey would require at least a week of travel, assuming perfect conditions. Then there remained the trek from Fershere’s city to the forest itself. Add in time to actually collect the scales...

Two to three weeks, minimum. She drummed her fingers on the table.

The timeline stayed within Mei Chen’s safe range, but anxiety still gnawed at Xiulan’s stomach. She traced the route again, calculating distances and potential delays.

Feng Yu’s help would make a significant difference, though the thought of bringing both her and Ren Chun flickered.

But she still didn’t know what it would take to acquire the thunder root. Qingfeng hadn’t offered her information on it, so that was difficult to plan. She didn’t have any other developed connections to advise her.

She’d probably need help with that, too. Better to keep Ren Chun in reserve, then.

One step at a time. Xiulan leaned back against the cushioned wall, forcing her tense shoulders to relax. The silk of her robe whispered against the fabric as she adjusted her posture.

The Treasure Pavilion missions served dual purposes—strengthening vital relationships while working toward Mei Chen’s cure. But surviving the looming catastrophe would require more substantial backing. Her knowledge of future events remained frustratingly incomplete.

Four seals. One lawful kingdom deity spirit. A princess at the center of it all. Xiulan rubbed her temples as she recalled the game’s lore fragments. The broken seals had shattered the deity’s protection, leaving the kingdom defenseless against the swarm of evil cultivators who descended like locusts to devour everything in their path.

It was a bog standard tragedy tale just meant to be the background for the chaos players were shoved into.

She had no idea what the princess looked like, and a parchment listing all the imperial family members had no ‘Phoenix Princess’ on it at all. She didn’t even bother going through the list of names because it was two pages long. The emperor had two dozen concubines and seemed to be very vigorous.

Unless something killed all the emperor’s sons in the next few years, there wasn’t even a crown princess.

Xiulan stared at the map, its carefully inked borders representing a realm that would cease to exist unless she found a way to change its fate.

She traced a finger along the map’s edge where one crucial detail burned in her mind—at least one seal lived inside the princess herself. The lore had made that clear—three broken seals, and then the death of the princess and the last seal inside of her had ended things.

Xiulan pressed her palms against the cool wooden table. Breaking past body refining stood as just the first hurdle. Qi gathering would follow along with selecting an elemental path, and finally beginning qi refinement. Only then could she even contemplate addressing the seal situation.

Five years stretched ahead—an eternity in mortal terms, but barely a blink in cultivation time. The game’s lore painted a glacial progression through the stages, yet players advanced at an accelerated pace. If she could somehow mirror that progression...

“Ugh.” Xiulan tugged at her hair, twisting the strands between her fingers. The weight of future knowledge pressed against her skull like a vise.

At least she’d begun building a network. Master Qingfeng provided valuable guidance. Ren Chun offered martial expertise. And Feng Yu seemed like she’d be a potential friend too.

And of course Mei Chen when she was saved.

Four young heroes to challenge fate?

Xiulan tsked and folded her papers and finished the tea and looked for her bed. As if it would be that easy.

A year or two at one of the major schools might accelerate her advancement, but entry posed its own challenges.

The schools accepted only the most promising candidates through a single annual test. Worse, all four academies conducted their trials simultaneously, forcing applicants to make their choice.

Xiulan shook her head sharply, dispersing the swirling thoughts. The cool night air drifted through her window, carrying the scent of blooming spring. She rolled the map with precise movements, tucking it away in its leather case.

One step at a time. The immediate challenges loomed large enough without drowning in far-future concerns. Dawn serpent scales and thunder roots posed deadly enough threats without adding the weight of kingdom-saving schemes.

Master Qingfeng’s promised tool would arrive within a day or two. That gave her time to focus on some more training. The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet as she crossed to her bed.

Martial arts beckoned. It was a glaring blind spot, and she needed to at least be able to not get stabbed in three seconds, even if she focused on other things.

Maybe she could convince one of her new allies to properly teach her a Qinggong skill? The silk sheets whispered against her skin as she slipped under the covers.

Xiulan grabbed her pillow and hugged it close. The memory of Feng Yu and Ren Chun’s laughter echoed in her mind—their shared amusement at Chun’s description of her clumsy attempts at Water Stepping Foot. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she buried her face in the pillow.

Just wait. She’d master as many techniques as she could learn or make up on her own. Then they’d see who laughed last.