WebNovels

Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Near Death Experience.. Weight of power

He did not believe his system was broken. He tried again.

A familiar hum answered him as faint motes of light gathered, spiraling into the air.

One by one, the remains of old herbs, shattered cores, and failed pill fragments disintegrated into energy particles and vanished.

A line of text appeared before his eyes:

[Recycling in progress…]

[+67,000 Recycle Points gained.]

"Huh?"

Wan Long exhaled slowly, his brows furrowing.

"Only… Recycle Points again?"

He blinked in confusion.

No pills, no herbs, no spiritual energy—just points.

That had never happened before. Usually, the system would reward him with all sorts of treasures: pills, cultivation resources, spiritual energy… even rare techniques.

He frowned, looking around the immaculate chamber. "Does that mean there was nothing in this area? Not even a pill shard?"

Unwilling to believe it, he moved on to the next room and invoked the system again.

"System—recycle."

Light swirled once more, the air humming with that familiar suction. But when the last mote of energy vanished, the message appeared again:

[Recycling complete.]

[+180,000 Recycle Points gained.]

Wan Long froze.

"Again? Only points?"

He stood still, unease crawling up his spine.

Was something wrong with the system… or with the place itself?

He was about to call for another recycle sweep when suddenly—

BOOM!

An invisible force crashed down on him.

His vision blurred. A suffocating pressure slammed into his body, forcing him to his knees before he could react. The jade tiles beneath him cracked, spiderweb lines spreading under his palms.

"W-what—!"

The crushing weight grew heavier by the second. His bones creaked audibly; his meridians shuddered under the strain. His dantian quivered as if something deep inside him was being dragged awake.

It wasn't just spiritual pressure—it was ancient, vast, and oppressive, like the heavens themselves were pressing down upon him.

He gasped for breath, his forehead slamming into the cold floor as the air left his lungs. Every attempt to circulate his Qi was instantly smothered, as though the entire world had frozen in place.

An invisible force crushed him down—majestic, ancient, and absolute. The air itself shimmered with spiritual energy so dense that it felt like molten metal pressing against his skin. His meridians screamed, his bones creaked, and his consciousness blurred on the edge of collapse.

This pressure…, he realized in horror. This is someone's aura…!

The weight increased slightly, and he felt his vision swim. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor completely, panting heavily. The scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, delicate yet intoxicating, each breath a blend of countless pills—pure, refined, divine.

Then he noticed the faint sigil carved into the wall behind the cauldron—a crescent moon wrapped in a lotus of flame.

His eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat.

That emblem… it belongs to the Peak Master of Alchemy Hall!

It struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The Western Quarters—where he had casually begun "recycling" the remnants—were not a storage or servant area at all. It was the private alchemy chamber of the Peak Master herself!

Cold sweat drenched his back as he realized the gravity of his mistake.

He had been "recycling" her discarded remains—no, not even discarded, for a Tier 6 Alchemist like her would never leave waste behind. He had been meddling with the very aura she'd left embedded into the environment.

No wonder the system had only given him Recycle Points.!

Everything here had been refined to perfection—ashes that carried no flaw, herbs whose essence had already been completely extracted. There was simply nothing left to reclaim.

And now, he had triggered her residual will.

A soft, melodic voice suddenly echoed through the chamber, calm yet filled with vast pressure.

"Who dares trespass in my quarters?"

It wasn't loud, but it reverberated through his bones, commanding reverence like the voice of the heavens.

Wan Long's entire body trembled. He immediately pressed his forehead against the ground.

"This disciple greets Peak Master Lian Yueru!" he said hurriedly, his voice shaking. "Forgive me! I did not know this was your personal chamber! I was merely assigned to the Western Quarter for cleaning duties—I meant no offense!"

For a long, tense moment, silence.

Then, a faint rustle.

The pressure gradually lessened, though it still lingered, enough to remind him of the vast gulf between them. A figure emerged from within the chamber's depths—graceful, dressed in robes of pale gold and silver threads that shimmered like moonlight on water.

Her hair flowed like ink, her eyes serene and luminous, but within that serenity lay the quiet intensity of a blazing sun. Every step she took exuded effortless majesty.

Peak Master Lian Yueru.

Wan Long dared not raise his head fully; he could only glimpse her from the corner of his vision.

"So you are the one assigned here," she said softly, her tone unreadable.

"Your aura… you've cultivated the azure flame method, haven't you?"

Wan Long froze. For a moment, his mind blanked.

Was she seeing through his Heaven-tier Azure Fire Control?

He hurriedly bowed deeper. "Reporting to Peak Master—this disciple is newly appointed to assist in the Western Quarter's maintenance. I only used my spiritual energy to activate the cleansing formation. I did not intend to disturb you, Peak Master!"

Lian Yueru studied him for a long moment.

Then, to his surprise, she chuckled faintly—a sound like wind chimes under the moonlight.

"ohh really..… your control over spiritual energy is unusually fine for someone at the ninth level of Body Tempering."

She paused, her tone softening just a trace.

"It seems Elder Bai wasn't exaggerating when he spoke of a promising young alchemist appearing among the servant disciples."

Wan Long's heart skipped a beat. Elder Bai… spoke of me?

She waved her hand lightly, and the crushing pressure dissipated completely. The air cleared, the lingering flame intent dispersing like mist.

"You may continue your assigned duties," she said. "However, do not enter this chamber again without permission. This area contains incomplete formations and sealed furnaces that react poorly to foreign spiritual energy."

"Yes, Peak Master! This disciple understands!" he said quickly, bowing until his head nearly hit the floor.

She nodded slightly. "Good. You have a steady attitude. Do not waste it."

Her form shimmered, dissolving into a faint glow of light before fading entirely—an afterimage of spiritual projection, not her true body.

Wan Long stayed kneeling long after the aura disappeared, his entire back soaked in sweat. Only when the air returned to its normal stillness did he dare to exhale.

He slowly stood, still shaken but strangely exhilarated.

Peak Master Lian Yueru…

Her presence alone had made his Qi quiver. That was the power of a Tier Six Alchemist also rumored to have stepped in the ninth level of Nascent realm, one of the figures standing at the pinnacle of the sect's hierarchy.

(Note: Cultivation levels; Body Tempering → Qi Refinement → Spiritual Realm → Core Foundation → Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Void realm → Dao Manifestation → Saint Realm → Immortal Ascension.)

He couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"To think… I almost recycled the Peak Master's domain. I really have no sense of self-preservation."

He wiped the sweat from his brow, a trace of awe flickering in his eyes.

"But now I've seen it for myself—the realm I must one day reach."

With renewed determination, he bowed respectfully toward the chamber one last time and quietly exited, the echo of her calm, moonlike aura lingering in his heart.

...

Wan Long staggered back to his room, his robes clinging to his back with cold sweat. Even after leaving the Western Quarters, he could still feel faint tremors in his meridians, as though the Peak Master's spiritual pressure had left a lingering echo inside him.

He slumped down on his bed, his breath uneven.

"Just… her presence alone nearly crushed me," he muttered weakly.

He reached into his storage token and retrieved a high-grade Tier 3 Rejuvenation Pill, one of the rewards from before. The pill glimmered faintly with golden veins, its fragrance instantly soothing. Without hesitation, he swallowed it.

A cool, gentle wave spread through his body. His damaged meridians quivered, then slowly began to mend. The chaotic spiritual energy within him stabilized, and the dull ache that had been spreading through his limbs started to fade.

After half an hour, the pain dulled to a faint throb.

He exhaled deeply, a wry smile forming on his lips.

Even without attacking me, her aura alone almost shattered my meridians. Just how vast must her cultivation be?

He remembered the calm serenity in her eyes, the effortless dominance in her voice. She had only looked at him once, yet it felt as if the heavens themselves had descended.

"To think that such a being walks the same halls as I do," he whispered, looking at his trembling hands. "That's… the difference between mortals and legends."

He stared at his reflection in the bronze mirror across the room—young, calm, but undeniably weak in comparison.

For a long while, he sat in silence, the faint glow of moonlight spilling through the window onto his face. Then, his gaze hardened.

"No," he said firmly. "I can't stay like this. If I ever want to stand before someone like her again without being crushed to the floor… I need strength. Real strength."

He vowed in his heart and sprung into action....

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