The Wei Yunqing mentioned by Yunxi was, at that very moment, making a mess of things in the heart of the Qinghua Mountain Range, trying to scrounge up some heavenly materials and earthly treasures to pad her purse.
That day, Wei Yunqing had been thrown into the deepest part of the Qinghua Mountain Range by Ran Xi. After confirming where she was, she swore to be at odds with Wei Yunxi forever. She wanted to turn around and settle accounts with Yunxi immediately, but on second thought, she was nowhere near Ran Xi's match. Going back would only invite humiliation.
What was more, even the sect would not stand on her side, and the Wei clan could not be relied upon. She had planned to take on two personal disciples within the sect, but from what Yunxi said, her chances of recruiting inside the sect were slim. So her eyes turned, and she came up with a new plan.
If disciples could not be taken inside the sect, she would recruit them outside and bring them back for training. She was, after all, a Divine Transformation cultivator. She still had the right to take one or two disciples. On the surface, the sect would not object, much less stop her. She could also avoid Wei Yunxi meddling with her recruitment. Right now she was on utmost guard against Wei Yunxi.
Having decided, Wei Yunqing no longer rushed back to the sect. She resolved to make a circuit through the Qinghua Mountain Range, find some resources to convert to spirit stones, then see if she might encounter a pleasing cultivator to accept as a disciple. She would bring the disciple back to the sect along the way, cultivate feelings, and make them wholeheartedly loyal.
Plans are beautiful. Reality is cruel. Wei Yunqing turned the inner ring of the Qinghua Mountain Range upside down and still did not find a single treasure. She was so angry her spiritual energy almost went into disorder.
Hidden in the dark, a fifth-rank Shi Lin watched with vertical pupils nearly spitting fire, grumbling inwardly:
"This stupid female cultivator, how long is she going to keep this up? She has combed the place twice already. If she cannot find anything, she should get lost. What is she still churning up the ground for? When she finally leaves, I will have to take the children and tidy everything all over again."
The little ones curled against Shi Lin's flank were anxious too. Not being able to burrow made their scales itch, so they piped in milky voices:
"Father, when can we burrow into the mountain? That lady cultivator is not even strong. Why will you not drive her away?"
Another little one rubbed its head against the hard scales on its father and asked,
"Right, right. She is so dumb. We hid all the good things, of course she will not find them. Why is she still digging there?"
Shi Lin was speechless too, because a far stronger cultivator had transmitted a message, ordering him to hide all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the inner ring of the Qinghua Mountain Range and not leave so much as a leaf for the blundering woman outside.
He could not beat the messenger and could only obey. Besides, it was good for them as well. The "Flower in Stone" he guarded was about to bloom. If the Divine Transformation woman outside really took it, that would be a loss. If he consumed it, he could advance to peak fifth rank. So he moved smartly.
Facing his children's questions, he curled his tail around the two little ones and soothed them vaguely:
"She will leave soon. Do not startle her. When you wake up, you can burrow."
Sure enough, an hour later, with nothing found, Wei Yunqing could only leave the center of the Qinghua Mountain Range resentfully and move outward. There were plenty of spirit plants and beasts on the outskirts, but she looked down on them all. In her view, with her current cultivation, only fifth-rank fine treasures were worthy of her.
Three days later, she stood before the gates of Qinghua City.
Qinghua City had returned to its former calm. The guards at the gates were now Foundation Establishment cultivators, with only one Golden Core cultivator seated in secret. The alert level had been lowered.
Cultivators hurried in and out of the city gates. Most were here to temper themselves in the Qinghua Mountain Range. Their short stay in the city was for rest and to refill their storage bags, then to convert what they had found in the mountains into spirit stones, after which they would either end their training or head back into the range to seek opportunities.
There had previously been a clash between Divine Transformation cultivators in the Qinghua Mountain Range, which made the place lively for a while. Once the great experts had combed through the range and repaired the damage caused by battle, the place gradually returned to normal.
Wei Yunqing had gained nothing in the mountains and was in foul temper. She flashed into Qinghua City, found an inn that rented cave dwellings, and planned to rest for a day before leaving.
Because of her cultivation level, the innkeeper personally greeted Wei Yunqing and led her to the largest cave dwelling with the densest spiritual energy in the entire inn.
Wei Yunqing then asked, "Has anything interesting happened in Qinghua City recently?"
The shopkeeper smiled like Maitreya and replied respectfully at once: "Senior, the 'Zhenbao Pavilion' recently launched a new treasure-drawing event. With a small stake you can win big. Many cultivators have tried their luck.
Someone drew a supreme-grade Yellow Essence Stone. Someone else used a single low-grade spirit stone to draw a high-grade spirit stone. Those with poor luck drew things of little value, but the loss was small, so it has attracted quite a crowd."
Wei Yunqing's interest was piqued. She asked, "How do you win big with a small stake? What tiers are the treasures divided into?"
The shopkeeper had already dug up the details, so he smiled and explained, "There are upper, middle, and lower tiers. They cost one high-grade, one mid-grade, and one low-grade spirit stone respectively. Naturally, the items sealed in the spirit-isolating boxes vary by tier. What you grab depends entirely on luck. After drawing, you are allowed one exchange.
I hear Zhenbao Pavilion will randomly mix one unsold auction item and one piece from the upcoming auction batch into the boxes. If you draw one of those, then you are truly blessed."
Wei Yunqing decided it was worth a look. She had never encountered this method of treasure-drawing before. After a night of cultivation, she went straight to Zhenbao Pavilion the next morning.
As a Divine Transformation cultivator, she was naturally invited to a VIP room. Wei Yunqing stated that she had come specifically to draw treasures, purely for fun and to join the excitement.
The manager of Zhenbao Pavilion nearly split his face smiling. Free publicity, dropped into his lap. Without her even asking, he set the highest-tier boxes before her and said with a grin:
"Please take a look, Zūnzhě. These are today's draw items. Among them is an unsold magical treasure and a bottle of Dingyan Dan taken from today's auction list. Let us see how your luck holds."
The message was clear. These were all top-tier items. Spending a single high-grade spirit stone would be more than worth it.
Wei Yunqing nodded with restrained poise and tossed over a high-grade spirit stone. Her divine sense swept across the ten boxes, and, as expected, she detected nothing. She still picked a long rectangular box by feel.
"This one."
She took the box in hand and flicked her sleeve to open it.
Inside lay a long azure blade mottled with rust. Chips marred the edge. The dragon-shaped hilt was pitted and scarred. Clearly it was a magical treasure whose grade had fallen.
The manager's expression shifted. He hastily offered with a fawning smile, "Zūnzhě, shall we exchange it? You have one chance to swap."
At that moment, Wei Yunqing already held the azure blade. A thoughtful look crossed her face.