The Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion was one of the busiest places on Fragrant Cloud Peak. Every day, it teemed with outer sect disciples coming and going. Part of the reason was the *ten stone tablets* located there; the other was the pavilion itself, where disciples could exchange contribution points for medicinal herbs and pill recipes.
Exams to promote disciples to *apprentice alchemists* were held here regularly, and pills refined by disciples were often collected and appraised. All these factors made the pavilion a *hub of noise and activity*.
Over time, thanks to its bustle, the Ten Thousand Medicines Pavilion also became a *news center* of the sect. While the original intent had been for disciples to exchange herbal knowledge, it had naturally grown to include *sect gossip, internal matters, and rumors*.
When *Bai Xiaochun* arrived, he saw many outer sect disciples moving about, chatting in small groups, or lining up beneath the stone tablets to attempt the rankings.
He squeezed through the crowd toward the *second stone tablet, intending to get closer, when he overheard a nearby conversation between three disciples—talking about him*.
> "Did you hear? Something weird's been happening in the sect lately. Someone's been stealing *Elder Li's Spirit-Tailed Chickens*. Apparently, over a hundred have gone missing!"
> "More than a hundred! I heard Elder Li's chickens are practically wiped out. The thief's even been *officially hunted* by the disciples in charge of raising them. They've sworn to *cut him into pieces and feed him to the chickens*!"
> "Strange times on Fragrant Cloud Peak… First that *mysterious turtle* showed up, now there's a *chicken thief*!"
Bai Xiaochun instinctively *shrunk his neck, guilt flashing in his eyes. *Was it really that big a deal to steal a few chickens? Now it seemed like *everyone knew*!
And when he heard that the chickens actually *belonged to Elder Li Qinghou*, he got even more nervous.
> "I didn't steal that many…" Bai Xiaochun muttered, feeling wronged. He was still thinking of how to fix his public image when *a commotion behind him* broke out.
> "Hey, girl, why are you pushing? In a hurry to reincarnate?"
> "So what if I push? Who do you think you are? If you're scared of crowds, don't come here! It's your honor to get bumped by me!"
> "You—!"
The voices were familiar. Bai Xiaochun turned to look and saw a *delicate young girl* with soft white skin, a proud stance, and her hands on her hips—*arguing with a burly man*.
> "Hou Xiaomei?" Bai Xiaochun blinked.
Sure enough, it was Hou Xiaomei. She heard his voice, looked over, and her haughty face instantly turned into one of *delight*.
> "Brother Xiaochun! It's you!" Hou Xiaomei wiggled over to him excitedly, her lively and innocent aura practically *radiating heat*.
> "Ah, Sister Xiaochun." Bai Xiaochun looked at the energetic and adorable girl in front of him.
> "Brother Xiaochun, you're so bad! Teasing me like that—my name is *Hou Xiaomei*!" She pouted playfully, cheeks reddening slightly.
With that, she looked even more radiant and charming. Quite a few nearby disciples' eyes lit up, though the burly man was covered in goosebumps, feeling that this girl was far too *moody and unpredictable*.
> "Brother Xiaochun, my brother isn't back from his trip down the mountain. This is my *first time* here, and I want to exchange for *Herbology Volume Two*. Where do I go?" she asked eagerly. Normally her brother helped with these matters, but today, she was on her own—and had run into Bai Xiaochun just in time.
Bai Xiaochun smiled and patiently *explained the whole process. Hou Xiaomei nodded repeatedly, clearly understanding more and more. As she looked at him, she started to think he wasn't just kind—he also **knew a lot*.
After the explanation, Bai Xiaochun glanced at Hou Xiaomei, and *couldn't resist. He raised his right hand and **casually pointed* at the *first stone tablet*.
> "See that tablet? Only *true prodigies* of the sect can leave their marks on it. Every single one of them will shake the cultivation world in the future."
> "Let me show you the *second place* mark. That *vase symbol* belongs to the top talent of Fragrant Cloud Peak—*Zhou Xinqi*!"
> "Zhou Xinqi! That symbol represents someone with a *Spirit Plant root* physique. She was accepted by the peak lord herself! I heard about her from my brother—she's going to be an inner sect disciple for sure!" Hou Xiaomei's eyes lit up with admiration as she stared at the vase mark. She had long looked up to Zhou Xinqi, and Bai Xiaochun's explanation only deepened that respect.
Bai Xiaochun waited smugly for her to notice the *turtle mark above Zhou Xinqi's* and ask about it. But Hou Xiaomei kept *staring at the vase*, totally ignoring the turtle.
He was clearly unhappy. He had hyped this up just to talk about *the turtle*, yet she wasn't taking the bait.
> "Ahem, Zhou Xinqi really is extraordinary. That's why she's only *second place* on the Herbology Volume One tablet!" he emphasized "second" loudly.
Hou Xiaomei paused and furrowed her brow.
> "Second place? Then who's the ugly turtle above her? That drawing is awful."
That did it. Bai Xiaochun was *visibly offended. He felt the **urgent need to correct* this misguided girl.
He put on a serious face and began to *lecture earnestly*:
> "You're wrong, Xiaomei. That beautiful turtle is the most mysterious, most amazing, most transcendent disciple in our entire sect!"
> "He's surrounded by endless rumors. Every time he appears, he causes a sensation—everyone stares, everyone cheers, everyone envies!"
> "Really?" Hou Xiaomei was naive and pure, and now her eyes sparkled, half-doubting, half-intrigued.
> "Did you know? Two months ago, he emerged out of nowhere and *crushed Zhou Xinqi's dream* of ranking first on all nine stone tablets!"
> "Did you know? The moment he appeared, he casually took first place in *Herbology Volume One*, as if it were nothing!"
> "Did you know? Zhou Xinqi watched it all, and for *seven days straight, she trained non-stop trying to reclaim first place. She gave everything she had, but in the end, she remained in **second*—willingly admitting defeat!"
> "Did you know… I, Bai Xiaochun… ahem."
> He caught himself just in time. He had nearly *exposed his identity. No, his dream was to **reveal the truth before a crowd, not just to a single little girl. That would **waste the drama*.
> "Really?" Hou Xiaomei's eyes now sparkled like stars. She looked at the turtle with a face full of admiration, her cheeks glowing pink.
> "Of course it's true." Bai Xiaochun felt proud. He had, in his mind, *rescued a misguided youth, guiding her back to the right path. He was filled with **a sense of accomplishment. With a flick of his sleeve, he walked toward the **second stone tablet*.
After squeezing through the crowd and waiting a bit, an empty wooden hut opened up. Bai Xiaochun strode inside confidently—and disappeared.
Inside, the setup was the same as before. Bai Xiaochun sat in front of the tablet and drew his *turtle mark* again. His vision blurred, and he was pulled into the *illusionary space*.
This time, there was *no voice prompt—just a near-endless stream of **herbal fragments* appearing before him.
Bai Xiaochun was calm and confident. His eyes gleamed as his hands moved rapidly. In mere moments, he reconstructed plant after plant.
Time passed. By the end of a single incense stick's worth of time, only *five thousand fragments remained*—a far better result than his performance in Herbology Volume One.
Unfortunately, time ran out. His vision blurred again, and when things cleared, he was back in the hut. Still, he felt *extremely confident. Clutching the newly exchanged **Herbology Volume Three*, his heart beat with anticipation.
Pushing open the door, he stepped outside.
Most disciples hadn't yet noticed the *change in rankings, but Bai Xiaochun was already full of **heroic ambition*.
> "This time, I'll shake the entire sect! I'll let *everyone* know that I—Bai Xiaochun—am the *glorious Turtle Lord*!"
In his mind, he imagined scenes of *worship*, of Hou Xiaomei's shocked face, of thousands of people cheering for him. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Puffing up his chest, he raised his right hand dramatically, preparing to *shout out his identity* and finally let the world know\...
But right then, a conversation from the queue beside him caught his ear.
> "You think that turtle who outshined Sister Zhou will show up again?"
> "Doubt it. Zhou Xinqi's admirers are going *nuts. Word is, they're searching **all of South Bank* for that turtle guy. They've sworn that once they find him, they'll *flay him alive*…"
> "I heard *inner sect disciples* are involved too."
Bai Xiaochun's raised hand *froze* mid-air. Hearing all this, his heart began to race. When he realized even *inner sect disciples* were looking for him, he broke into a cold sweat.
Quickly scratching his head, he *lowered his hand* and pretended like *nothing happened*.
His expression turned sullen. He sighed deeply, squeezed into the crowd, and *muttered bitterly* to himself:
> "Too much… this is just too much. I only took first place—does it really warrant a full-blown *manhunt* by inner sect disciples?"
> This time, the grief on his face was *genuine*.
Moments later, people noticed the new ranking on the second stone tablet, and a wave of *shocked cries* erupted through the crowd like thunder.