Translator: Kazeyuki_ Editor: Jimmy_
After heading down the mountain, Qin Wushuang returned to the headquarter of the Stargaze Palace. His first task was to meet with his teacher. The Laba Rice Porridge Festival was more than a month away, apparently him going down the mountain was somewhat early.
Thus, Tan Zhongchi also felt somewhat surprised when he heard that Qin Wushuang had asked to meet with him.
“Haha, Wushuang, you are looking good. I didn’t see you for two months, it seems you’ve gotten some good things?” Tan Zhongchi asked with a smiling face.
“Tell me, what did you get?”
Qin Wushuang did not conceal the truth and revealed all the details except some parts about the man in black.
The part he had left out was the identity card and that strange map belonging to that man in black. For the other matters, he reported in detail.
After hearing his words, Tan Zhongchi twisted his brow and said to himself: “You went to the Nature Manifestation Valley and participated in the arena competition. Someone threatened you, right?”
“Yes.” Qin Wushuang did not keep it as a secret.
Showing an ashen face, Tan Zhongchi said: “These bastards, suppressing fellow colleagues, do they really want to monopolize and only ensure their own growth?”
“Teacher, who are they?”
“Who else could the be? Their head is that Brother Wei you talked about—Wei Yi! He studies under the Head Palace Master. These guys have always push aside the other four factions. They even want to monopolize the entire resource line available in the Stargaze Palace.”
“The faction of the Head Palace Master? Could it be, that he ordered them to do it?” Qin Wushang felt somewhat disbelief.
“It is the so-called saying of where we must deal with the King of Hell, yet the little demons are even more troublesome. The Head Palace Master would not go to such extent. Among the five of us, he is still a person of virtue and prestige. However, his disciples liked to take the mountain and monopolize the goods. Wushuang, among those Core leaders you talked about, one of them was from our side. Guess which one?”
After a moment of thinking, Qin Wushuang asked: “Could it be that Senior Sister Zhou?”
Tan Zhongchi laughed: “How did you guess?”
“Instincts, it was all my intuition. I only feel that she was much more friendly.”
“Yes, don’t underestimate your intuition. Sometimes, Upper Sky elite warriors have sharp intuition. Wushuang, for the second round of the martial arts student exam, the result from your Bai Yue country was not very ideal.”
“Oh?” Qin Wushuang became attentive as he had always cared about this matter. Hearing it from his teacher, he couldn’t help but feel worried, “It wouldn’t affect the Bai Yue becoming an Upper Subordinate Country, right?”
“That won’t happen, one of you is enough. The rest are decorations. This time, from your Bai Yue Country, besides you, only six people was chosen by the Palace. The remaining Middle Ranking Subordinate Countries had close to ten people qualify. Your neighboring Great Wu Country was given thirteen spots. Thus, they also rose up to become an Upper Subordinate Country!”
Qin Wushuang smiled bitterly. Inwardly, he thought that it seemed the conflicts between the Bai Yue and the Great Wu would continue. Initially, he thought that if the Bai Yue had surpassed the Great Wu over status, they would have an upper advantage. He didn’t expect the Great Wu was also determined to not fall short!
Now he cared the most whether he knew some friends among those six spots. However, after some thinking, he felt the chance was slight.
Besides the Qin family in the Bai Yue, there were the four Royal Families. Despite the fall of the Redwood King, three Royal Families remained. At least, three disciples from the three Royal families would take a spot.
The entire martial arts disciples from the Bai Yue Country needed to fight for the remaining three spots. For Da Xiyang and Tongyan, their chance would most likely be slim.
At the moment, he couldn’t help but ask: “Teacher, which ones from the Bai Yue had entered the Stargaze Palace?”
Tan Zhongchi smiled bitterly: “I did not pay attention to this matter. Anyways, they did not have much potential and could not meet my standard. I think they were picked up by the Elders. You should check it out sometimes. However, Wushuang, at the Stargaze Palace, you should consider the entire Great Luo Empire, and not just the little Subordinate countries.”
‘Yes.” Qin Wushuang also felt it was somewhat inappropriate when he had spoken those words before his teacher.
“Wushuang, are you intending to refine an Upper Sky Initial Spiritual pill after collecting this many of inner cores?” Suddenly, Tan Zhongchi asked.
“I intend to.” Qin Wushuang moved his brow, “May I ask, regarding refining the pillss, which faction of the Stargaze Palace excel at it?”
“None of it!” Tan Zhongchi said with a definitive tone and sighed, “Everyone wants to practice it to gain a breakthrough towards the path of training. Regarding refining the pils, everyone wants to sit and wait for the cheap convenience. However, when I asked them to learn it, no one was willing to study it.”
“What? If that’s the case, in the giant Stargaze Palace, could it be we don’t even have one Alchemist?”
Tan Zhongchi gave a long sigh: “That’s not the case. Right now, the best Alchemists in the Palace belong to the faction of Shakymuni Li Huo. Among the eight Shakymuni, only he excells in making pill. His disciples were also good. Only…”
“Only what?”
“This Shakymuni Li Huo has a strange personality and is not easy to interact with. If you want to ask him to make it for you, you will go through some trouble.”
“Since he is the Shakymuni for the Stargaze Palace, of course, it’s natural for him to make pills. At most, I would pay some commission fee.” Qin Wushuang felt extremely curious. Why would he go through some trouble just to find their own Shakymuni to make some pills?
“Haha, Wushuang, you made it sound so easy.”
Tan Zhongchi laughed and revealed a casual manner of wanting to see a good show.
Qin Wushuang couldn’t help but laugh: “Paying tribute to my teacher is something I should do naturally.
Tan Zhongchi nodded satisfaction: “Good, go and pay a visit to the Li Huo Palace to Shakyamuni Li Huo. If he is willing to help, then the success rate in making the pill would be one hundred percent. At least, ten superior Initial Staged pills would be refined from the five different attributes inner cores. If you had given it to a mediocre Alchemist, you would be thankful to make three!”
The practice of refining pills also emphasized success rate. To someone as professional as Shakyamuni Li Huo, of course it would be a waste of his talent to make Upper Sky Initial Stage pills. It would be impossible for him to fail. Thus, the success rate would be extremely high.
If it were a new person or even an apprentice, it would be another story.
“Then I will go take a look at the Li Huo Palace. I will come back and pay you a visit.”
“Yes, go probe a little. If it doesn’t work, I will use my face and go talk to that Shakyamuni Li Huo.”
Qin Wushuang said his goodbyes and walked toward the Li Huo Palace.
The Li Huo Palace was located at the central east side outside the main buildings of the Stargaze Palace.
The overall structures of the Stargaze Palace appeared in a three dimensional spiral shape. The exterior places were for the Butlers and the Elders. The place by the butlers was called the “Butler Office”, and the place for the Elders to live was called the “Pavilion of Elders”. Together, they formed a surrounding and protection area.
Another layer in were the Palaces for the eight Shakyamuni. They were lined in the eight divinatory trigrams of the Books of Changes. They were Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui which symbolized Sky, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Water, Fire, Earth and Rain.
Since the attribute of the Li Huo Palace belonged to fire, it was supposed to be located at the central east. Thus, the palace was built at the central east.
These eight Shakyamuni Palaces formed a layer of protection and encircled the five Palaces as a group revolving around a revered leader. In the end, it would emphasize the tall main Palace building to show off ostentation.
After leaving the front Palace, Qin Wushuang arrived at the area where the Li Huo Palace was located in a moment. This Li Huo Palace belonged to Shakyamuni Li Huo and was an important place to refine pills. Thus, the environment was rather quiet.
When Qin Wushuang walked close to the door, he saw a young teenager holding a broom and was sweeping without energy. Right now, since it was winter, the accumulation of dried up leaves was not easy to clean.
Apparently, that young teenager swung the broom and seemed somewhat depressed. From time to time, he hit the broom to the ground to let out of his emotion. Then, he continued to sweep.
Qin Wushuang could not help but feel surprised when he saw the back of this young teenager.
He almost thought he had saw the wrong person. Obviously, this young teenager was Tong Yao’s little brother Tong Yan. That young martial arts disciple who had advanced successfully with Qin Wushuang’s help.
Why was he here?
Or in other words, he was among the six martial arts disciple from the Bai Yue country? Qin Wushuang thought inwardly and shouted in a clear voice: “Tong Yan?”
Initially, Tong Yan was feeling down. Hearing this call, he looked back with surprise and saw Qin Wushuang standing at the door of the Li Huo Palace with a face full of smiles. Stunned, his face then turned into one of joy!
“Qin Wushuang!” He threw the broom away and rushed over in large steps. That situation seemed as if he had reunited with a long lost brother.
“Tong Yan, you…” Qin Wushuang looked at this Li Huo Palace and looked at Tong Yan’s servant robes. He could not understand.
Tong Yan smiled bitterly. Initially, he was a person with a strong ego. After being selected by the Stargaze Palace, he first thought he would rapidly go up in the world. Unexpectedly in the first two months of entering here, the only thing he had done was sweeping.
It had made this young man with a strong ego deeply depressed. If he had not fear this Stargaze Palace, most likely he would have left.
Hearing Qin Wushuang asking, Tong Yan gave a long sigh with a bitter smile: “I don’t know if I am lucky or unlucky. I thought I would have a meteoric rise after getting picked by the Stargaze Palace and bring honor to my ancestors. I didn’t expect I would be doing this. If I knew…”
“Who picked you?” Qin Wushuang asked curiously.
“Shakyamuni Li Huo! Besides that old devil, who else would make someone suffer like this.” Tong Yan whispered, “He said that after entering the Li Huo Palace, you must sweep for half a year. If you had done a good job, then you can be a Herbalist apprentice. If not, sweep for another year.”
Looking miserable, Tong Yan heaved deep sighs.
On the other hand, Qin Wushuang comforted him: “Tong Yan, don’t feel down. I heard that although Shakyamuni Li Huo had a strange personality, he is an elite warrior in the Stargaze Palace. He must have his intentions for doing this. Maybe it is a test of the temperament of his disciples?”
Stunned, Tong Yan immediately fell deep into thought.
