Chapter 59: Pomegranate of Creation

Elder You has been away from the Medicine Valley for over two months; with no return for so long, Guo Yu was deeply worried, yet he had to guard the valley to prevent fierce beasts from descending and ravaging the medicinal herbs, leaving him only able to pray incessantly in his heart that Elder You would come to no harm.

Seeing him weighed down by worry every day, Hua Changxi took the initiative to ask, "Do you know whom Elder You went to find?"

Guo Yu shook his head, "Master only said he was going to meet an old friend and inquire about the matters you mentioned to him," then looked seriously at Hua Changxi.

"Changxi, can you tell me exactly what you said to my master?"

Hua Changxi smiled, "Your master told me the location of the Great Nanshan Rift Valley, so I shared with him some secrets he did not know; I could tell you these secrets too, but what will you offer in exchange?"

She had obtained this cultivation opportunity by sheer luck, yet nearly lost her life because of it, so naturally she could not disclose it to others without compensation.

Guo Yu frowned; he also knew that there was little friendship between himself and Hua Changxi, and he had no right to demand that she must reveal her secrets to him.

Hua Changxi watched him with a smile and continued probing about Elder You, "Elder You is a Grandmaster; are his friends all Grandmasters as well?"

Guo Yu glanced at her; since he had failed to learn the secrets he desired and did not wish to speak further about his master, he replied vaguely, "I am not clear on that either."

Hua Changxi did not mind and continued asking, "Since Elder You is already a Grandmaster, why does he still work for the Medical Bureau, guarding a single Medicine Valley day after day?"

Guo Yu replied, "...Master graduated from the Capital Martial Academy."

Hua Changxi was puzzled, "Does graduating from the Capital Martial Academy mean one must work for the Medical Bureau?"

Guo Yu looked at Hua Changxi; seeing the confusion on her face, he found it strange, "You are a member of the Medical Bureau; do you not know that both the Martial Academy and the Medical Bureau fall under the unified administration of the Celestial Division?"

"The Celestial Division?"

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered with light; finally, she had heard some useful information, "I am merely a laborer, and I have been in the Medical Bureau for such a short time that I am unaware of many things."

Guo Yu's eyes darted about; imitating Hua Changxi's earlier demeanor, he said, "These matters are indeed beyond what a laborer could know; I can tell you, but what will you offer in exchange?"

Seeing him act this way, Hua Changxi found it somewhat amusing; without another word, she took out a bottle of pills and tossed it to him, "Heavenly Gang Pills; a few days ago while wandering in the mountains, I gathered the ingredients and casually refined them."

Guo Yu looked at Hua Changxi in surprise, "You know I have become an eighth-grade martial artist?"

The Earth Gang Pills refined by Hua Changxi and those he had obtained previously were simply not on the same level in terms of efficacy; having been stuck at the seventh grade for several years, after consuming the Earth Gang Pills given by Hua Changxi, he had smoothly broken through to the eighth grade even while sleeping, which was truly baffling.

Hua Changxi smiled, "I can sense that your internal energy has grown stronger."

If her third and sixth brothers were like ants in her eyes, then Guo Yu was like a small chick; when a small chick's body becomes sturdier, she can indeed perceive it.

"Now can you tell me in detail about the Celestial Division, the Martial Academy, and the Medical Bureau?"

Guo Yu looked at her, carefully put away the bottle of Heavenly Gang Pills; though his expression remained unchanged, his heart was far from calm.

Although ordinary people could not access information about the Celestial Division, once inside the Medical Bureau, as long as one paid careful attention and knew how to cultivate relationships, it was actually not difficult to gather intelligence.

One Heavenly Gang Pill sold for one thousand taels of silver; a bottle containing ten pills amounted to ten thousand taels.

Silver was not the most important factor; what mattered was that Heavenly Gang Pills had a price but no market availability, rarely seen in circulation, with nine out of ten monopolized entirely by the imperial court and powerful noble families.

In his view, for Hua Changxi to trade a bottle of Heavenly Gang Pills merely for information about the Celestial Division was truly wasteful.

Yet such a wasteful person kept silent about her transaction with his master; whatever they discussed must be of immense significance.

"The Celestial Division uniformly administers the Martial Academy, the Medical Bureau, and the Demon-Suppression Bureau; its status equals that of the Six Ministries, and it reports directly to the Emperor."

"The Martial Academy trains martial artists; upon completion of their studies, the Celestial Division assigns them duties uniformly, either remaining at the academy as instructors, assisting the Medical Bureau in guarding medicinal estates and valleys like Master does, or entering the Demon-Suppression Bureau."

"Of course, when places such as the Six Doors, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, or the Imperial Guard run short of personnel, they will also request excellent martial artists from the Celestial Division."

Hua Changxi cared little for the other details; having never heard of the Demon-Suppression Bureau before, she could not help but ask, "What kind of office is the Demon-Suppression Bureau?"

Guo Yu replied, "The Demon-Suppression Bureau specializes in hunting fierce beasts; does not the matter of demonic monks and demonic Daoists frequently arise in various regions? Those also fall under the jurisdiction of the Demon-Suppression Bureau. By the way, there is a sect in the martial world called the Asura Gate, which is the greatest rival of the Demon-Suppression Bureau."

Hua Changxi silently committed the Demon-Suppression Bureau to memory.

Since the Demon-Suppression Bureau was responsible for hunting fierce beasts, and she herself had encountered demonic beasts, the members of the Demon-Suppression Bureau would inevitably encounter them even earlier than she did.

The Demon-Suppression Bureau also handled matters concerning demonic monks and demonic Daoists; since she herself had obtained a cultivation opportunity because of one demonic Daoist, there was no reason for members of the Demon-Suppression Bureau not to encounter such opportunities.

Therefore, there must absolutely be cultivators within the Demon-Suppression Bureau!

This conclusion made Hua Changxi feel both exhilarated and tense.

What exhilarated her was that she now knew where to find cultivators like herself.

What made her tense was that the Demon-Suppression Bureau had engaged with the path of cultivation earlier than she had, so their strength must surely surpass hers.

Not only the Demon-Suppression Bureau, but certainly other organizations as well most likely harbored cultivators; she worried that her realm was too low, and should conflict arise upon meeting them in the future, she would be the one crushed.

A sense of urgency to rapidly elevate her realm surged within Hua Changxi's heart; she did not wish to place herself in danger.

"Master Guo, must martial artists graduating from the Martial Academy have their duties uniformly assigned by the Celestial Division?"

Guo Yu replied, "If one has background and powerful patrons, then it is not necessary."

"Since the Celestial Division oversees the Medical Bureau, martial artists can exchange merit points for pills unavailable on the open market; in order to enhance their strength, martial artists who meet the Celestial Division's employment standards will choose to remain."

Hua Changxi thought of Hua Dalang, "My eldest brother graduates this year; I wonder where he will be assigned to serve?"

Guo Yu's face showed surprise, "Your eldest brother is from the Capital Martial Academy?"

Hua Changxi nodded.

Guo Yu immediately asked, "What grade of martial artist is he?"

Hua Changxi replied, "During the New Year, he was a sixth-grade martial artist; I do not know if he has broken through to the seventh grade by now."

Hearing this, the corners of Guo Yu's mouth twitched; it had taken him five years to break through from the sixth to the seventh grade, and only a few months had passed since the New Year; even if Hua Changxi's brother was a genius of unparalleled talent, surely he could not advance from the sixth to the seventh grade within mere months.

However, thinking of the pills refined by Hua Changxi, he became somewhat uncertain again.

"Sixth and seventh-grade martial artists possess considerable strength; if you have connections, you could arrange things to strive for an assignment that suits your wishes."

"The Demon-Suppression Bureau hunts fierce beasts daily, so it is certainly the most dangerous, but the merit gained is also the greatest."

"Guarding medicinal estates and valleys for the Medical Bureau is somewhat boring, but the advantage lies in safety and an uninterrupted supply of medicinal herbs."

"If one wishes to accumulate more connections, one can choose to remain at the Martial Academy."

"If one desires to enter places like the Six Doors or the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then one needs influential connections."

Hua Changxi recalled that during the New Year period, her esteemed eldest brother had grown quite close to the Earl's Manor, so she did not dwell further on the matter; in any case, the Hua family had never valued her opinions.

In the blink of an eye, time reached the last day of June.

[First-Grade Alchemist (Supreme Quality Pills): Alchemy 1001 furnaces 1001/1001]

Having refined over a thousand furnaces of pills, Hua Changxi's pill quality improved once again.

Looking at the supreme-grade Yuan Spirit Pill in her hand, which radiated a halo of light, Hua Changxi swallowed it whole; the moment the pill entered her mouth, it transformed into a warm current that swept through her entire body.

Hua Changxi carefully observed the smoothness of absorption and refinement for the four grades of Yuan Spirit Pills.

When the low-grade pill entered her mouth, the warm current carried an obvious sense of stagnation; with the medium-grade pill, the stagnation was greatly reduced; with the high-grade pill, the stagnation diminished further; with the supreme-grade pill, there was no stagnation at all.

The stagnation generated during the refinement and absorption of pills would impact the spiritual meridians, causing them some harm; over time, this would likely damage the meridians.

At the same time, the refinement and absorption of the pills were incomplete; the low-grade pills were the worst, while the supreme-grade pills left almost no residue.

Hua Changxi reasoned that the unabsorbed residue remaining in the body must be what legends called pill poison: "In the future, when consuming pills, it is best to only take supreme-grade ones."

As for the pills of other grades she had refined, she would sell them.

Hua Changxi took out the Fire-Return Grass she had found in some cracks within the Fire Spirit Mine and began refining supreme-grade Fire-Return Pills.

The Fire-Return Pill could instantly replenish consumed spiritual energy without needing refinement or absorption; while it restored spiritual energy quickly, it could not be used to advance one's cultivation realm.

To advance one's cultivation realm, one still had to consume Yuan Spirit Pills.

Subsequently, Hua Changxi began refining Fire-Return Pills; she had only refined five furnaces when she heard Guo Yu's urgent shouting.

"Hua Changxi!"

Unable to find the stone cave where Hua Changxi was refining pills, Guo Yu could only stand atop a giant tree in the middle of the rift valley, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi stored her pill-refining tools, herbs, and other items into the Shennong Cauldron, then walked out quickly: "Master Guo, why have you come to the rift valley?"

In their interactions, Guo Yu had always maintained proper boundaries and had never come to the rift valley to look for her before.

Seeing Hua Changxi, Guo Yu looked as if he had spotted a savior: "Changxi, my master has returned; he and his friends are severely injured. Master says only you can save them; please come back with me quickly to see them."

Seeing Guo Yu sweating profusely from anxiety, Hua Changxi said nothing else; she hurried toward the Medicine Valley with him, asking as they went: "Tell me about the condition of their injuries."

Guo Yu's face turned somewhat pale: "They've split open. The friends my master brought back have not a single patch of good skin on their bodies; it's all split open, as if... as if..."

Seeing that Guo Yu could not describe it further, Hua Changxi finished his sentence for him: "As if their bodies are about to burst apart."

Upon hearing this, Guo Yu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, that's it; it's as if they're about to burst apart."

Hua Changxi roughly guessed what had happened to Elder You's friends: "Elder You's friends probably won't last much longer. I'll go ahead first; you follow slowly."

As soon as her voice fell, Guo Yu saw Hua Changxi speed past his field of vision; within a few breaths, her figure was nowhere to be seen.

Guo Yu swallowed hard, his heart churning like a stormy sea; he had guessed that Hua Changxi, whom his master valued, possessed some ability, but he had never expected her to be this powerful.

His lightness skill was a true transmission from his master; even when traveling alongside his master, he would not fall far behind.

Yet now, he could not only not catch up to Hua Changxi, but he had also completely lost track of her.

That Hua Changxi's strength far exceeded his master's was something he had never anticipated.

As soon as Hua Changxi reached the stone cliff halfway up Xishan, she heard agonized roars coming from inside the stone cave, along with Elder You's anxious words of comfort; she called out, "Elder You, I'm here," and walked straight in.

"Changxi."

Upon seeing Hua Changxi, Elder You rushed over and grabbed her: "Changxi, quickly take a look at my old friend; see if there is still any hope for him?"

With a gentle wave, Hua Changxi caused Elder You to release his grip, then walked directly toward the blood-covered figure lying on the stone bed.

This person truly did not have a single patch of intact skin; their flesh was split open, and the fissures were continuously widening.

Had it not been for the two people on either side continuously channeling internal energy into him to suppress the spiritual energy running wild within his body, this person would have already exploded and died.

"Help him sit up."

Upon hearing this, Elder You immediately stepped forward and extremely carefully helped the blood-covered figure sit up.

Condensing spiritual energy in her palm, Hua Changxi struck the blood-covered figure's head, while simultaneously ordering the two people channeling internal energy to stop.

Those two looked at Elder You; upon seeing him nod, they simultaneously withdrew their hands in unison.

The spiritual energy running wild within the blood-covered figure's body was not abundant; in less than a minute, Hua Changxi had forced all of it out of his body.

Seeing that the blood-covered figure's body had stopped splitting further, Elder You and the other two breathed a heavy sigh of relief; one of them even collapsed to the ground as if completely exhausted.

Elder You looked at Hua Changxi: "Is he out of danger now?"

Hua Changxi replied: "How could he be out of danger? His tendons and meridians are completely severed, and his internal organs are shattered; right now, he is like a porcelain doll covered in cracks; the slightest carelessness, and this porcelain doll will crumble apart."

Elder You's face turned pale; he looked at Hua Changxi nervously: "Is he... is there still any hope for him?"

Hua Changxi did not answer immediately; instead, she looked at the other two people in the stone cave. She could sense that the internal energy within these two was as profound as Elder You's; they were all Grandmasters.

The blood-covered figure should have been one as well; unfortunately, after this incident, all his cultivation had vanished into nothingness.

Seeing that Hua Changxi did not deny having a method, Elder You knew she could save the man; recalling how he had previously told her the location of the Great Rift Valley, prompting her to speak of cultivators, he stated solemnly: "As long as you can save him, we will agree to anything you ask."

The other two quickly expressed their agreement as well: "Yes, as long as you can save Yang Chuan, whatever requirements you make, we will agree to them all."

Hua Changxi remained silent for a moment, then looked at Elder You: "I want to see the fruit he ate."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Elder You and the other two changed simultaneously.

Elder You looked at Hua Changxi: "How did you know we still had the fruit he ate on us?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "I sensed it."

Hearing this, Elder You's expression worsened; they had sealed the fruit inside a box, yet unexpectedly, Hua Changxi could still sense it; he looked at his old friend on the left: "Zhuo Fan, give the fruit to her."

Zhuo Fan hesitated somewhat; this fruit was something the four of them had risked their lives to obtain with great difficulty.

Seeing that he delayed without moving, the other person spoke up: "Just give it to her."

Yang Chuan had nearly exploded and died after eating the fruit; they dared not eat it themselves while keeping it, so it was better to see what this little girl had to say.

Somewhat reluctantly, Zhuo Fan removed the box from his waist and handed it to Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi took it, opened the box, and saw a pomegranate emitting multicolored light; a piece of the pomegranate's skin had been peeled back, revealing a hollow indentation.

Clearly, the blood-covered figure must have eaten one pomegranate seed, which then nearly caused him to explode and die.

A Creation Pomegranate!

Hua Changxi looked curiously at Elder You and the other two: "Where did you find this fruit?"

Zhuo Fan frowned: "What does this have to do with saving the person?"

Seeing they did not wish to speak, Hua Changxi asked again, "Someone is hunting you down, isn't that so?" Though phrased as a question, her tone was utterly certain.

Elder You's expression grew grave, while the other two remained silent.

Hua Changxi said, "If this fruit is not sealed away, those hunting you will track you down before long."

Hearing this, the expressions of Elder You and his two companions changed instantly.

Elder You asked anxiously, "How can it be sealed?"

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "You are incapable of sealing it."

Zhuo Fan frowned and snorted coldly, "Are you trying to tell us that only you can seal this fruit?"

Seeing his attitude, Hua Changxi simply tossed the box back to him. "If the fruit is not sealed, not only will your pursuers find you quickly, but within a few days the fruit itself will turn into a useless ordinary fruit."

Having spoken, she stepped out of the stone cave.

Seeing this, Elder You glared at Zhuo Fan, then hurried after her. "Changxi, wait. That fruit was retrieved by the four of us at the cost of our lives; that is why my friend's attitude was somewhat poor."

Hua Changxi's expression remained indifferent. "What misfortunes you have encountered have nothing to do with me; I have no obligation to soothe his feelings."

"Elder You, for the sake of our acquaintance, let me remind you: your injured friend cannot last more than a few hours. I can save him, but what do you have to offer in exchange for prolonging his life?"

"Go and discuss this properly with your friend."