Wei Zonghao clasped his hands and said, "Sister Yunting is right. If there's nothing else, I'd like to stabilize my cultivation first."
His intent to see them off couldn't have been clearer. The Wei family disciples didn't object. After all, Zonghao was a Three Spiritual Roots cultivator who had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining. If they didn't work harder, they'd fall even further behind. After some brief farewells, everyone departed.
The only one who hadn't moved to the outer three peaks yet was Wei Yunyīng. Her cultivation speed couldn't keep up with the others. She was still hovering around the sixth level of Qi Refining. But while that might be considered slow compared to fellow Wei clan disciples, it was above average for most outer sect disciples.
Among the group, Wei Yunqing's expression was the most sour. She couldn't tolerate being surpassed by someone like Zonghao, who had Three Spiritual Roots. She was the most talented among the Wei family's younger generation. What would the inner sect elders think now?
After returning to Pill Peak, she went straight to find Senior Brother Ye and tearfully complained again.
Ye Shaotian still favored this delicate little junior. Wei Yunqing had Water-Wood dual spiritual roots and true talent when it came to cultivating spiritual herbs. She managed his medicinal fields with great care. Her potential was clear, and it was only a matter of time before she entered the inner sect. He didn't mind making an early investment.
"Junior Sister Yunqing, you're only one layer behind him. Both of you are still in the outer sect, both still Qi Refining cultivators. You need to look further ahead," Ye Shaotian said gently.
Wei Yunqing's eyes were red as she asked, "Senior Brother Ye, what do you mean by that?"
He reached over and took her hand with a smile. "My foolish little Junior Siste, what you need to focus on now is reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining, then using a Foundation Establishment Pill to enter Foundation Establishment in one move and step into the inner sect. With your age and aptitude, there will be plenty of elders fighting to take you as a personal disciple.
When you become an elder's disciple, no one will dare look down on you. They wouldn't even dare to speak rudely to you."
Wei Yunqing let herself sit beside Ye Shaotian. Her eyes lit up at his words. She had indeed been narrow-minded. She had focused too much on being surpassed by other Wei family disciples, forgetting that once she entered the inner sect, they would be the ones looking up to her.
She smiled and turned to him. "Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother. I know what I should do now. But about the Foundation Establishment Pill…"
Ye Shaotian cut in smoothly, "No need to worry, Junior Sister Yunqing. When have Pill Peak disciples ever lacked pills?"
Wei Yunqing sighed dramatically. "Senior Brother, you always know how to ease my heart. But those pills are fought over in the outer sect. As soon as one appears, it's snatched away. Even if I gather enough spirit stones, I might not even get one."
"If you can save that damaged Foundation Establishment Herb," Ye Shaotian said, "we'll be able to collect the rest of the ingredients ourselves. Then I'll ask an inner sect uncle at Pill Peak to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill for us."
Finally, he revealed his true plan.
Wei Yunqing's eyes flickered. "Is that true, Senior Brother? You're not tricking me just because I'm young, are you?"
"Oh, my dear Junior Sister, that herb depends entirely on your care. How could I lie to you?"
"Alright, then I'll do my best to revive that Foundation Establishment Herb. When the time comes, we'll enter Foundation Establishment and the inner sect together."
Wei Yunqing knew how to paint a future as well.
"Good. Then I'll be counting on you, Junior Sister Yunqing."
Now that they had a shared goal, their bond deepened. Still, Ye Shaotian was clever. Outwardly, he told others that he looked after Yunqing like a younger sister. Since Wei Yunqing was only ten years old, it didn't attract much suspicion.
Meanwhile, several disciples at the Alchemy Hall who had been keeping tabs on Yunxi soon discovered that she had left the sect under the pretense of completing a mission to find a friend. They also learned that the original outer sect task had since been upgraded and moved to the inner sect board. Gathering together, they began to discuss their next steps.
"If we had known she would leave, we should have secretly taken control of her. Now the chicken's flown and the eggs are broken, and we got nothing."
"Forget it. With the difficulty increase, there's no guarantee she'll even return alive."
"Tch, lucky or unlucky, who knows? Honestly, it would've been better if we had gotten her to refine pills for us. That beats ending up dead."
"She's a Wei family disciple. I warned you we had to be cautious. The Wei clan has inner sect backing. We can't touch that so easily. We just wanted a shortcut into the inner sect, not to throw our cultivation path away."
"You're right, Senior Brother… but I still feel so unwilling."
"Well, she's left the sect now. Why don't we follow her? If we can't catch up, then we'll give up."
"Fine. Her leaving might be a good opportunity."
After making their decision, the group picked up an outer sect mission and quietly left the sect, heading in the same direction Yunxi had gone.
Yunxi wasn't sure whether the Alchemy Hall's interest in her had been Wei Yunqing's doing, but she believed that as long as she disappeared, her stalkers would eventually lose interest.
Thankfully, she had acted decisively. She had spent a fortune in spirit stones to travel through a teleportation array out of Haoran City, causing her pursuers to miss her entirely and helping her avoid what could have been a major disaster.
At this moment, Yunxi had just left Xizi House. Her goal there had been to sell some pills and talismans. After using the teleportation array, her storage pouch was nearly empty.
Thankfully, her disguise had worked well. The shop assistant, who was only at the Qi Refining stage, was very welcoming. Though he noticed the items she sold didn't quite match her cultivation level, he was wise enough not to ask.
Yunxi had sold off nearly half of her stored pills and talismans. Only then did her pouch start to feel full again.
"Senior, is there anything else you require?" the shop boy asked.
"No, nothing for now."
She swept 6,480 low-grade spirit stones into her storage pouch, then casually tossed four more stones to the assistant as a tip. It was a move befitting a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The boy's smile grew even more genuine. He accepted the tip gratefully and personally escorted her to the door, watching her leave before returning inside.
Jiaozi had been waiting outside the entire time. He didn't dare enter such a place. If he offended even one cultivator, the consequences would be serious.
As Yunxi walked, she asked, "Jiaozi, is there a place in Baohua City that's secure enough for cultivation or breaking through, but doesn't cost too much?"
She glanced at her pouch. It was fuller now, but still worth being cautious.
Without hesitation, Jiaozi answered, "There's a place in Baohua City that specializes in renting cultivation dwellings. There's even a Nascent Soul cultivator stationed there to keep things in order. No one dares cause trouble, and it's perfect for breakthroughs."
"Good. Take me there."
As they turned a corner, Yunxi canceled her disguise, revealing her true cultivation at the peak of Qi Refining. Since she was going there to break through, there was no point pretending.
Fortunately, Jiaozi was a mortal and couldn't sense the difference. That was exactly why Yunxi had chosen a mortal boy as her guide.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the place Jiaozi had mentioned. It was a small shop with a wooden sign that read "Cultivation Dwellings for Rent." Upon entering, Yunxi saw an old man dozing behind the counter.