Peerless Spirit Master - Chapter 15

With the warm sun heralding spring, the grass growing and orioles flying, March had finally arrived. There were now less than seven days left before the minor sect selection.

“Miss! Miss!”

Xiao Ju’s bright and loud voice was as energetic as ever. Ye Guilan, now quite used to it, opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed down her morning grouchiness, waiting for Xiao Ju to come in and help her get dressed.

In the past half year, Ye Guilan had changed noticeably. With the help of the Lesser Primordial Pill, her strength had improved significantly, and just yesterday, she had broken through to Apprentice Ninth Level!

Xiao Ju pushed open the door, and Ye Guilan smiled wryly. Compared to her lively little maid, she really was the steadier one.

As Xiao Ju assisted her in getting up, she chattered away happily.

Ye Guilan sat there yawning a few times, responding half-heartedly. During this period of advancement, not only had her strength grown, but her alchemy skills had also taken a great leap forward.

Currently, her abilities were still limited, so she couldn’t yet make Spirit Gathering Level medicines, but it was only a matter of time before she reached that level.

Apprentice Ninth Level was just one step away from Spirit Gathering Level, and Ye Guilan was looking forward to it, even feeling a bit impatient.

“Miss, you’re going to participate in the minor sect selection in a few days. Should we buy some new clothes?”

Xiao Ju opened the wardrobe to have a look. “Miss, you’ve thrown away a lot of your old clothes and haven’t bought many new ones. You’re almost out of things to wear.”

“It’s not like this is some grand occasion where I need to be flamboyant. I think these clothes are fine; no need to buy more.”

Looking at the clothes in the wardrobe, Ye Guilan let out a sigh of relief. She had gotten rid of all the garish, bizarre outfits of the former Miss Ye, leaving only two barely wearable ones, and then bought a few simple styles she liked.

“Alright then, Miss. Your tastes really have changed a lot.”

That casual remark from her maid made Ye Guilan a little nervous, but seeing Xiao Ju’s face with no hint of suspicion, she managed to suppress her anxiety.

“I don’t think it’s that strange, given that I went through a life-and-death experience.”

Ye Guilan stood up and glanced at the clothes in the wardrobe. If Ye He found out, would he go and stuff the whole closet full again?

“Then help me buy two new outfits, according to my current preferences.”

“Alright, Miss, I’ll go right away!”

Ye Guilan shook her head helplessly as she watched Xiao Ju dash out, all cheerful energy. Xiao Ju was the only one in the house-apart from being a bit loud, she had no flaws.

Judging from Xiao Ju’s appearance, she shouldn’t be much older than Ye Guilan herself.

Ye He had never treated Xiao Ju unfairly. In the Ye family, though there were a Miss and a Master, Xiao Ju was not a true servant; they were more like a family.

Ye Guilan walked out of her room and headed straight for the alchemy room. These days, whenever she woke up, she went to look for Ye He-rain or shine.

Inside the alchemy room, Ye He saw his daughter walk in and waved cheerfully, “Not bad, Apprentice Ninth Level.”

But Ye Guilan’s expression was a little serious. “I used up the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid you gave me.”

“You drank that? Wasn’t it the Lesser Primordial Pill you relied on?”

Ye He looked at his daughter with concern. Ye Guilan replied with a hum and sat across from him with a sigh.

“I thought drinking it would let me break through to Spirit Gathering Level right away, but I only reached Apprentice Ninth Level.”

Ye He fell silent at that. Indeed, the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid was a Spirit Gathering Level medicine, and its effects were strong. Yet his daughter had not managed to break through, which was puzzling.

It seemed that the amount of spiritual energy needed by the Spirit Seed in her body far exceeded that of ordinary people.

“Try the Spirit Energy Field.”

Ye He thought for a moment. “The Spirit Energy Field can gather spiritual energy more quickly. For cultivation, its essence is the same as the medicine you took.”

Ye Guilan stood up as well. “Is that so? Then why didn’t you take me there earlier, Dad?”

“Your Spirit Seed had been sealed, and the way it was opened was different from others. I was worried you wouldn’t adapt, so I used medicines with a concentrating effect to prepare you.”

Ye Guilan nodded and followed Ye He once again to Lan City. A small town wouldn’t have a facility like a Spirit Energy Field.

With a wave of his hand, Ye He secured the top private room, which also had the densest spiritual energy.

Once inside, Ye Guilan felt the thick spiritual energy swirling around her and took a deep breath. It was like stepping into a natural oxygen bar.

Even the lightest breath revealed just how saturated the air was with oxygen.

Ye He patiently instructed her on how to absorb and circulate the spiritual energy, and after listening, Ye Guilan began to practice.

But after a while, both father and daughter grew serious.

Ye He frowned as he saw the surrounding spiritual energy density barely change. “Guilan, is something wrong?”

His daughter hadn’t absorbed much spiritual energy at all.

Ye Guilan sat there straining so hard sweat began to bead on her forehead, but finally spoke helplessly.

“Dad, the Spirit Energy Field doesn’t seem to be working.”

Ye Guilan stood up. “I followed your instructions and could sense spiritual energy entering my body, but the moment it went in, it disappeared-like a drop of water vanishing without a trace.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… the energy does go in, but it vanishes instantly.”

Ye Guilan frowned and thought for a moment. “I can only draw the spiritual energy in. I can’t proceed with the next steps at all, because it just disappears.”

“Was it the same when you took the medicine?”

Ye Guilan shook her head. “No, it’s different. When the medicine enters my body, the spiritual energy is genuinely absorbed-none of it goes to waste.”

Ye He looked around, then took her out of the Spirit Energy Field.
“In that case, you should continue focusing on taking medicine. Once you break through to the Spirit Gathering Level and have your own Spirit Space, you should understand the reason behind it.”

“Father, I’ve always wanted to ask you-why did you seal the Spirit Seed in my body back then?”

On the way back, Ye Guilan pondered for a long time before finally speaking. This was a question that had lingered in her heart, never fading away.

“It was your mother who asked me to. She instructed me to seal your Spirit Seed. As for why, I didn’t ask.”

Ye Guilan wrinkled her nose at this. Sealing your daughter’s Spirit Seed-just because someone told you to, you did it without even asking why?

Unable to help herself, Ye Guilan covered the spot where her Spirit Seed was, her delicate face scrunching up. Even cross-level pills couldn’t help her reach the Spirit Gathering Level; her strength was still stuck at the Spirit Manifestation Level. Could it be that, just like last time, she was going to be stuck at level nine again?

“Don’t worry. It’s not that hard to go from Spirit Manifestation Level to Spirit Gathering Level-it’s just a thin line.”

Ye He chuckled and comforted her, “The Lesser Primordial Pill is no longer effective for you, so just switch directly to the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid. I have some in stock.”

Ye Guilan tugged at the corner of her mouth. Just how much spiritual energy did her Spirit Seed need to consume? For now, this was the only way.

When they got home, Ye He took out a few small bottles and handed them to Ye Guilan. “You can only take this once every two months. Remember that.”

Ye Guilan nodded. She was anxious, but she also understood the importance of not taking medicine recklessly.

Three more days passed, and there were only four days left until the start of the Minor Sect Selection.

Early in the morning, Ye He was already waiting outside, ready to take his daughter to Abyss Capital, where the selection would be held.

It was a gathering place for Third-Rank Families, and also a more prosperous and bustling Third-Rank City.

Ye Guilan sat in the carriage, snacking and occasionally glancing at the scenery outside. This was a much farther trip than going to Lan City.

This time, Ye He actually didn’t bring much with him. When asked, she learned that her wealthy father planned to buy whatever they needed along the way-whatever they lacked, they’d just buy it.

“Father, why is the Minor Sect Selection held in a Third-Rank City? Wouldn’t Lan City do?”

“Only Third-Rank Cities are qualified to host it. Fourth-Rank and Fifth-Rank Cities aren’t.”

Ye He smiled as he took a piece of paper and wiped Ye Guilan’s mouth. Ye Guilan felt a bit embarrassed and thanked him softly.

The carriage rocked along for two days before finally reaching the transfer hub on this route-Central Altar City.

No matter which direction you came from, you had to transfer at Central Altar City to get to Abyss Capital. As a hub city, it was bustling with activity.

With people coming from all directions to participate in the Minor Sect Selection, even before reaching the city gates, Ye Guilan could already see the unusually dense crowds.

The scene was even grander than the entrance exam.

“Are all these people here for the Minor Sect Selection?”

Ye He grunted in affirmation. “Not surprising. But there are indeed a lot more people this time than last time.”

Ye Guilan nodded, looking at the endless line ahead. At this pace, they’d be lucky to get in before nightfall.

“Roar-!”

Faintly, the roar of a beast came from up ahead. Only then did Ye Guilan notice that in the crowd ahead, there weren’t just people and carriages, but also some beasts.

Were those Magical Beast Mounts?

Ye Guilan looked at the Magical Beasts, each one adorned with complicated gear on their mouths and bodies. The people riding them all wore somewhat proud expressions.

Following her gaze, Ye He smiled and said, “Do you want one? Magical Beast Mounts aren’t that hard to buy.”

“No, I don’t want one.”

Ye Guilan quickly refused. With her small frame, not only would she be unable to control one, she might even get thrown off.

Besides, the eyes of those Magical Beasts used as mounts were anything but friendly. In those beastly eyes, there was only suppressed irritation and resentment toward humans.

Seeing this, Ye Guilan shrank back. Without those restraining devices, these Magical Beasts would probably bite their riders to death in an instant.

“Look, that’s the Iron Wing!”

Someone shouted. A strong gust swept through the sky, as if something powerful had just flown overhead.

Ye Guilan poked her head out and saw, high in the sky, several large birds gliding swiftly with their wings spread wide.

On the backs of each bird, human figures could be vaguely seen. The great birds carried their riders quickly into Central Altar City.

“Those Iron Wings must belong to the Ling Family from Abyss Capital. It’s really lucky to see them here.”

“Yeah, they’re so cool. Flying Magical Beasts really are something else.”

Watching the few black dots disappear into the sky, Ye Guilan couldn’t help but nod inwardly. They really were impressive. The Magical Beasts in this world were so powerful, and the fact that humans could carve out a place for themselves showed they had their own means.

The line into the city moved at a snail’s pace, but before nightfall, Ye He’s carriage finally made it inside.

Once inside the city, an uncomfortable feeling seemed to fill every part of her body.

Ye He reached over and took his daughter’s sweaty hand in his palm, and Ye Guilan immediately felt much better.

“It’s normal. This is a Fourth-Rank City. Many people at the Spirit Gathering Level live here, and there are even some at the Spirit Manifestation Level. This is Spiritual Pressure.”

Ye Guilan nodded and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

After a while, the carriage arrived at their destination. When Ye Guilan got out, she almost lost her footing.

In front of her was a dense sea of people.

“No rooms left! There really are no rooms left! Instead of crowding here, you might as well go look elsewhere! There really are no rooms!”

Someone was shouting hoarsely at the front, but the mass of people showed no sign of moving.

Ye Guilan stared in shock. Was the Minor Sect Selection really this popular?”