After giving Xiao Rong a tenth of the spirit stones, Yao Ranran still had 468 left in hand.
Adding in the 1,300 she already possessed, her total came to 1,768 spirit stones.
She could finally afford to upgrade the blacksmith shop.
Yao Ranran waved her hand, summoning the blacksmith shop, and poured in 1,000 spirit stones.
A flash of white light burst forth. The blacksmith shop rose to Level 2, and a forging blueprint appeared on the anvil.
[Blueprint: Ancient Appraisal Mirror]
Required materials:a beauty's personal hand mirror, tears of a snow rabbit, spirit soil buried for ten thousand years, and one Ancient Appraisal Mirror blueprint.
"Is this a reward for upgrading the blacksmith shop?"
Puzzled, Yao Ranran put away the blueprint.
"These materials shouldn't be hard to find. Tomorrow I'll have Xiao Rong and Xiao Jiang help me collect them."
She left the shop, set down the simple wooden bed she had bought, folded her hands over her chest, and lay down to sleep.
The next afternoon.
Xiao Rong stood in front of Yao Ranran's door, staring at the shadow cast on the wooden surface. He gulped nervously. "This is scary… what is Boss doing in there?"
Dong—dong—dong—
With each heavy strike of the hammer, beads of sweat rolled down Yao Ranran's forehead.
After a while, the shadow on the door straightened up.
Yao Ranran picked up the small mirror on the anvil and saw her own reflection.
Fresh as lotus rising from clear water, beauty untainted by adornment.
Even stripped of all her belongings and ornaments by Shen Yue, her face remained so breathtaking that a single glance could pull one's soul into its depths.
"What a perfectly blooming white lotus."
One line after another appeared in the mirror.
Target: Yao Ranran ???
Aptitude: Saint-grade Immortal Lotus ???
Spirit Root: Water Spirit Root ???
Cultivation: Qi Refinement, First Layer ???
"Why are there question marks after everything?" She blinked. "Could it be my Ancient Appraisal Mirror is defective?"
"Boss, what are you doing in there? Can I come in?"
Xiao Rong's curious voice came from outside.
Yao Ranran put away the blacksmith shop and called out, "Come in."
Xiao Rong trotted in, glancing around. His eyes fell on Yao Ranran holding a small mirror to his face."Boss, why are you looking at me through a mirror?"
Target: Xiao Rong the tree spirit
Aptitude: Average
Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Third Layer
Divine Ability: None inherited yet
Yao Ranran tucked the Ancient Appraisal Mirror into her robe and said calmly, "Nothing, I just wanted to see how you look in it."
Xiao Rong froze, then rubbed his hands shyly. "Aw, don't tease me… I'm not that handsome."
???
"When did I say you were handsome?"
Yao Ranran shook her head. "At most, you're cute."
It seemed the Ancient Appraisal Mirror worked fine. The issue must lie with her own body.
After finding nothing unusual in her room, Xiao Rong left on his own.
Yao Ranran stepped outside the Daoist temple, gazing at the rolling black clouds halfway down the mountain. "Maybe the Ancient Appraisal Mirror can reveal what these clouds are."
The thought barely formed before she pulled out the mirror.
[Evil Thought Black Cloud: Formed from the evil thoughts of demons, ghosts, and humans. Extremely lethal. Can be purified.]
"It works!" She smiled with delight.
Yao Ranran sat cross-legged, meditating until dawn.
The next morning.
Xiao Rong stretched, rubbed his eyes with a tiny green hand, and was about to head down the mountain to find Xiao Jiang when the sight before him nearly scared him out of his leaves.
"Boss! Don't die! I'll save you!"
Amid the roiling black clouds, a flicker of white clothing could be seen.
Yao Ranran quickly flung out the Nine Lotus Rings, blocking him from charging forward.
"I'm fine. These black clouds can't harm me."
Xiao Rong stepped back several paces, fear etched across his face, as Yao Ranran walked out of the clouds.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Those clouds devour everything, even people. How are you still alive?!"
Yao Ranran's lips curved into a mysterious smile. "My aptitude is special. I can walk through the black clouds without being corroded."
Xiao Rong shrank back as the clouds crept closer. "O-okay…"
"No wonder Boss is so strong. She's got some special cultivation gift!"
Since Xiao Rong couldn't enter the clouds, Yao Ranran had no way to bring him along.
Now that she knew the clouds posed no danger to her, she explored within and found the Bat King's lair. Whenever she had free time, she hunted the bat demons outside its cave to train.
Three days later.
After slaying the last wave of bat demons, Yao Ranran put away the Nine Lotus Rings and walked to the edge of a black pool. "I swear something's flashing in there."
"Father, you're finally out of seclusion!" Zhou Lili ran up and clung to the man's arm.
Zhou Shengqian's complexion was healthy and his eyes bright, clear signs his cultivation had advanced.
"I've heard about what happened to you. I told you to spend more time cultivating and less time playing. Now you've learned your lesson."
His tone was stern.
Zhou Lili pouted. "Father, you have to avenge me."
Zhou Shengqian's expression softened. He patted her head. "Of course. My daughter cannot be bullied. Come, I'll capture that person for you right now."
A satisfied smile bloomed on her lips. "Yao Ranran, your days of comfort are numbered."
By mid-day, the sun blazed overhead.
Zhou Shengqian's group skirted Longyin Village and climbed another hill.
"Lili, are you sure that woman really lives in Guling Mountain?" he asked with a trace of doubt.
"Father, how could you not believe me? I had someone tail Jiang Shengxiang. Yao Ranran and that tree spirit live right on Guling Mountain."
"Alright, alright, I believe you," Zhou Shengqian said soothingly. "But Guling Mountain… is not a place ordinary people can reach."
"You were talking about Guling Mountain just now?"
A gust of wind cut through the air. Suddenly, a figure appeared before Zhou Shengqian.
The man seized Zhou Shengqian by the collar, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. "Tell me, which way to Guling Mountain?"
Fear flickered in Zhou Shengqian's eyes. This man was a Golden Core cultivator!
He hastily pointed. "Follow this path straight ahead, you'll reach Guling Mountain."
The man's voice was cold. "Don't lie to me, or you'll die horribly."
With that, he tossed Zhou Shengqian aside and vanished like the wind.
Zhou Lili hurried to help her father up. "Who was that? He was so fast."
Watching the man's disappearing silhouette, Zhou Shengqian gripped her hand urgently. "Come, let's follow him. We need to know whether he's friend or foe."
Though confused, Zhou Lili climbed onto the flying sword with him. The Biliu Sect disciples with them quickly sped up to keep pace.
[Black Pool: Nemesis of living beings. Can be purified.]
[Demon Stone: Extremely rare. Can be used for forging.]
Yao Ranran stared at the appraisal results in her Ancient Appraisal Mirror.
The Demon Stone looked like a real treasure. And in this entire vast pool, there was only one.
She had to retrieve it.
Gathering spiritual energy in her fingertips, she let tiny points of white light gather on her skin, weaving together into a long white whip.
With a sharp flick, the whip coiled around the stone in the pool's center.