Time flowed without notice. Two and a half months had passed since Bai Tian embarked on his path as an alchemist.
The long days he endured were filled with endless dedication—studying ingredients, refining elixirs, and igniting the pill flame. Now, his efforts had begun to show results. Though still limited, he was already capable of creating various second-grade pills, albeit with imperfect quality.
However, his progress was not only seen in alchemy. His cultivation realm had also experienced a great leap, and now Bai Tian was at the Essence Gathering Realm, middle stage.
During that period, Bai Tian had spent nearly all the resources he possessed. At this point, he could truly be considered penniless.
Half a month later, he finally became accustomed to refining second-grade pills with average quality. Yet, realizing that his pockets were growing thinner, he began planning to sell some of his pills in order to survive.
With the remaining ingredients at hand and his spiritual sea as fuel, Bai Tian lit his alchemy furnace. Within half a day, he successfully formed several pills, but his spiritual sea was nearly depleted, causing his body to collapse and fall into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, the sky was already bathed in twilight. Feeling that his spiritual sea had yet to recover, he set out to search for a place with richer energy. After a brief thought, he decided to head toward Moonlight Hill—a place he often visited before.
Upon a large boulder, he sat cross-legged, greedily absorbing spiritual energy as though he were starving.
Four hours later, Bai Tian's body was filled with strength. Freshness and vigor surged through him once more, prompting him to immediately begin picking a few spiritual herbs as he usually did.
Days passed. During the day, Bai Tian spent his time inside the alchemy chamber, refining pills without rest. At night, he always went to Moonlight Hill to recover. That was his rhythm of life for an entire week—struggling on the brink of poverty, yet steadily walking the path of alchemy.
On the seventh day, while meditating at Moonlight Hill, Bai Tian slowly opened his eyes. A faint sensation brushed against his senses—someone was approaching. He instantly knew who it was. With reluctance, he rose to his feet, descended from the meditation stone, and left the place to return to his humble dwelling.
Not long after, a woman in soft green robes descended from the skies, graceful like a fairy of the mortal world. She was Xuan Ying'er, the direct niece of the Sect Master. For the past half year, she had withdrawn from the sect's bustle, choosing instead to focus on cultivation and tranquility. Today, she had come to Moonlight Hill solely to check on the spiritual herb she once planted here—the Ice Spirit Grass.
From afar, everything appeared normal. But as she drew closer, her gaze suddenly sharpened. She realized that in recent days, someone had been frequently visiting this place. The spiritual aura in the surroundings was noticeably thinner, and worse still, part of her precious plants had vanished—replaced by common weeds.
Xuan Ying'er's eyes hardened. Her mind drifted back to a humiliating incident that befell her half a year ago. Her anger surged uncontrollably, releasing a wave of pressuring energy from her body, shaking the very air around her.
With a single stomp, she soared high into the skies. Her spiritual sense spread in all directions, attempting to track down the petty thief who dared to desecrate this place.
Yet, after half an hour of searching, she found no trace of the intruder. Xuan Ying'er could only suppress her frustration before finally choosing to leave Moonlight Hill.
Main Peak, Pavilion of Dreams.
That night, Xuan Ying'er returned to her majestic yet silent residence. After briefly informing the servants and guards nearby, she stepped inside, allowing no one to disturb her. The sound of her footsteps echoed softly along the pavilion corridor until she arrived at her private chamber.
The room was spacious, its pale green curtains swaying gently in the night breeze, reflecting the moonlight that streamed through the intricately carved window. As she entered, a chill instantly enveloped the place.
Xuan Ying'er sat by the edge of a silk-draped bed, her body still surrounded by remnants of anger not yet dissolved. Her gaze was sharp, cold as ice that would never melt beneath the blazing sun. From time to time, her fingertips tapped against the bedframe, revealing how restless her heart truly was.
"My Ice Spirit Grass… someone dared to touch it. The spiritual aura of Moonlight Hill was clearly absorbed in secret."
Her faint voice echoed, each word carrying a chill that pierced bone.
Yet, behind her lofty expression, something else flickered. Half a year had passed, but the memory of that humiliating event remained unerasable. Her frosty face suddenly flushed faintly, forcing her to bite her lip in an attempt to regain control.
With a long exhale, she waved her sleeve, calming the turbulent spiritual energy within her. The frigid aura gradually dissipated, leaving behind a frozen silence within the chamber.
Xuan Ying'er then rose and walked toward a small jade-adorned table. Atop it stood a spiritual round mirror. She gazed at her reflection—clear eyes that seemed sharp, yet within their depths lay something even she was unwilling to acknowledge.
"Whoever that petty thief is… sooner or later, I will find them."
The air in the chamber instantly trembled. The thin curtains danced as streams of cold energy unconsciously flowed from her body. That night, the Pavilion of Dreams was truly like an ice palace, still and unmoving beneath the moonlight.
In his humble dwelling, Bai Tian awoke from a short slumber, his body still weary. That night, the air felt heavier than usual. For some reason, his heart stirred uneasily—as if a pair of sharp eyes had nearly discovered him.
He sat upon his simple wooden bed, staring at the long-cold alchemy furnace. His spiritual sea had yet to fully recover, yet cold sweat still dampened his brow.
"That was dangerous… just now, I was truly almost discovered."
He clenched his fists. Merely recalling the chilling aura that swept across Moonlight Hill made his body tremble. That was no ordinary aura—it was the power of someone far above him.
Bai Tian inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself. Even so, a strange feeling lingered within, one he could not quite dispel. Shaking his head strongly, he slapped his own cheeks.
"No! I mustn't dwell on this too much. What I need to think about now is how to survive and gather more resources."
That night, Bai Tian could only sit cross-legged, forcing himself to restore his spiritual sea, while his heart remained filled with a mixture of fear and… an unexplainable curiosity. Then, he muttered:
"Could it be… the book was wrong? Was everything I've done in vain…?"
Unknowingly, Bai Tian eventually fell asleep.