The day after uncovering Jin Yaoyang's insidious plot, Su Chan did not act rashly. The vial of poisoned "Sun-Kissed Vitality Dew" sat on his table, a beautiful, deadly testament to the true nature of the Holy Son competition. He spent the morning in deep meditation, not just cultivating, but strategizing. A direct accusation would lead to a "he said, she said" situation. Jin Yaoyang, with his powerful family backing, would deny everything, and the 'Soul-Scorching Serpent Venom' was designed to be undetectable by ordinary means. Proving it would be difficult, and a failed accusation would make Su Chan look paranoid and petty.
No, Su Chan thought, a cold smile touching his lips, a direct confrontation is a fool's game. A gift should be… returned. But not to the sender.
Later that afternoon, a guest arrived at Fairy Peak, an Inner Disciple from Alchemy Peak sent with a message for Yu Xinyue, its gentle Peak Master. Su Chan, using his 'Shadowless Steps,' just so happened to be passing by the entrance to Fairy Peak at that exact moment.
"Junior Brother from Alchemy Peak," Su Chan said, his voice friendly and calm as he approached. The disciple, startled by the sudden appearance of the now-famous True Disciple, quickly bowed.
"Greetings, True Disciple Su Chan!"
"I have a small matter and would trouble you," Su Chan said, producing the exquisite jade box containing the poisoned dew. "A fellow True Disciple, Jin Yaoyang, gifted me this tonic to aid my recovery. However, my physique is of a chaotic nature, and I fear its potent Yang energy might conflict with my foundation. Our own Peak Master Yu Xinyue of Alchemy Peak is a peerless master of spiritual medicines. Could you perhaps deliver this to her on my behalf? I wish to ask for her expert opinion on whether it is suitable for me, and if not, perhaps it can be repurposed so that True Disciple Jin's kind gesture is not wasted."
The Inner Disciple, seeing the valuable-looking box and hearing the reasonable, humble request from a renowned True Disciple, felt honored. "Of course, True Disciple Su Chan! It would be my pleasure to deliver it to Peak Master Yu directly!"
"Many thanks," Su Chan said with a warm smile, handing over the box. He watched the disciple depart towards Alchemy Peak, the beautiful, deadly vial now on a one-way trip to the person most capable of discerning its true nature in the entire Holy Land, besides perhaps the Holy Lord herself.
Alchemy Peak
Yu Xinyue received the jade box from her disciple, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion as she heard the story. A gift from Jin Yaoyang to Su Chan? Odd. As a diary reader, she was already highly suspicious of Jin Yaoyang's character, especially after Su Chan's diary had detailed his arrogance as a potential rival.
"You may go," she said to her disciple, her gentle voice unwavering.
Alone in her pill refinement chamber, surrounded by the fragrant aroma of thousands of rare herbs, she opened the box. The potent Yang energy of the Sun-Kissed Vitality Dew immediately washed over her. It was indeed a high-quality tonic. But Su Chan sending it to her for an "opinion"... it was a clear, unspoken signal.
Her gentle expression turned serious. Her delicate fingers uncorked the vial, and she did not rely on a simple spiritual sense probe. As the Divine Pill Fairy, her knowledge of spiritual herbs, toxins, and their interactions was profound. She conjured a wisp of her own pure, wood-aspected spiritual energy – a neutral energy excellent for analysis – and guided it into the golden liquid.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as her spiritual energy delved deeper, bypassing the vibrant Yang essence, she felt it. A minuscule, almost perfectly hidden thread of something else. Something cold, insidious, and utterly vile, clinging to the soul of the tonic like a parasite. Her spiritual sense, guided by her immense alchemical knowledge, analyzed its properties.
Her gentle, warm eyes flashed with a cold, murderous fury she rarely ever displayed.
Soul-Scorching Serpent Venom! The name sprang to her mind from an ancient, forbidden text she had once studied. A demonic, soul-destroying poison, notoriously difficult to detect and even harder to cure. To use such a thing on a fellow disciple… on Su Chan, who had just survived a near-death experience…
"Jin Yaoyang!" she whispered, her voice trembling not with fear, but with righteous, protective rage. "You dare to employ such demonic means within our Holy Land?! You court death!"
She immediately understood Su Chan's move. He had suspected the tonic but couldn't prove it. So, he sent it to her. It was a brilliant, indirect move that placed the evidence directly into the hands of the one person who could not only definitively identify it but whose word on the matter of pills and poisons was unassailable.
She carefully sealed the vial, her mind racing. This was no longer just a matter of rivalry. This was an internal rot, a potential conspiracy that threatened the sanctity of the sect. She needed to inform the others. But not through official channels, not yet. That would alert Jin Yaoyang and his faction.
She turned to her own diary interface. The Group Chat function, which she, Bai Lianxin, Shen Qingyu, and Hua Yueli had formed, was the perfect, secure channel.
[Tianshang Peak Masters (Female) Group Chat]
[Divine Pill Fairy (Yu Xinyue)]: Sisters, a grave matter has arisen. It concerns Su Chan and Jin Yaoyang.
[Frost Moon Fairy (Bai Lianxin)]: What has happened, Xinyue? Is Su Chan alright?
[Ice Lotus Peak Master (Shen Qingyu)]: Jin Yaoyang? That arrogant brat. What has he done?
[Divine Pill Fairy (Yu Xinyue)]: He sent Su Chan a "gift." A tonic called Sun-Kissed Vitality Dew. Su Chan, wisely suspecting it, had it delivered to me for an "opinion."
[Illusory Peak Master (Hua Yueli)]: Ooh, a gift from a rival? How delightfully suspicious! What did you find, dear Xinyue? Don't keep us in suspense!
[Divine Pill Fairy (Yu Xinyue)]: It contained a trace amount of Soul-Scorching Serpent Venom.
A moment of silence hung in the virtual chat room. The implications were chilling.
[Ice Lotus Peak Master (Shen Qingyu)]: That bastard! That is a forbidden demonic poison! Its use is grounds for immediate execution!
[Frost Moon Fairy (Bai Lianxin)]: (Her message seemed to radiate a palpable, soul-freezing killing intent even through the text) Jin. Yao. Yang.
[Illusory Peak Master (Hua Yueli)]: My, my. Things have escalated far beyond simple competition. To use a soul poison… he has crossed a line. And little Su Chan was clever enough to send it to you, Xinyue. He didn't just walk into the trap. How very impressive.
[Divine Pill Fairy (Yu Xinyue)]: What should we do? A direct accusation is difficult. The poison is masked. Jin Yaoyang's faction is powerful. They will shield him.
[Frost Moon Fairy (Bai Lianxin)]: Proof. We need undeniable proof. But more importantly, we need to ensure Su Chan's safety. This proves the internal threat is real and immediate.
[Ice Lotus Peak Master (Shen Qingyu)]: Agreed. From this moment on, we must all keep a closer watch. The Holy Son competition will be a breeding ground for such schemes.
[Illusory Peak Master (Hua Yueli)]: Well then, it seems a storm is brewing within our Holy Land. And our dear little Su Chan, whether he likes it or not, is standing right at its eye. This will be far more entertaining than I thought. But do be careful, sisters. A cornered rat like Jin Yaoyang might do something even more desperate.
The four most powerful women in the Tianshang Holy Land, save for the Holy Lord herself, were now alerted and united by a shared secret and a common protective goal. Jin Yaoyang, in his arrogance, thought he had sent a silent, untraceable arrow of death towards his new rival. He had no idea that he had instead just armed Su Chan's most powerful, unseen guardians with a weapon of irrefutable truth, and in doing so, had signed his own eventual death warrant. A storm was indeed gathering, but its true nature, and the direction from which it would strike, was something he could never possibly predict.