Lu Guichen's words made no secret of his disgust for Yuan Shu.
He had seen it from the very beginning; with Yuan Shu's level of talent, it was impossible for her to achieve anything great on the path of cultivation in this lifetime.
If the Yuan Manor hadn't offered such an exorbitant amount back then, Lu Guichen probably wouldn't have agreed to let Yuan Shu up the mountain.
And now, Yuan Shu actually dared to provoke Su Lingxi?
Compared to Yuan Shu, Lu Guichen thought very highly of Su Lingxi.
This young disciple was considerate and polite, and her talent was absolutely top-notch. He believed it wouldn't be long before she soared into the heavens!
Thinking of this, Lu Guichen's disdain for Yuan Shu deepened.
He wished Azure Cloud Peak didn't even have this person!
A flash of schadenfreude crossed the eyes of many bystanders.
With Yuan Shu's talent and connections, even her own master treated her this way—clearly, she had nothing to be proud of.
She just had some filthy lucre, that was all.
Hearing that Yuan Shu was already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, the crowd was a bit surprised, but they didn't take it to heart.
Su Lingxi slightly lowered her eyes and obediently stood beside Lu Guichen, softly calling out, "Master."
Lu Guichen nodded at her. "Lingxi, your talent is quite good, and your future is limitless. Since Yuan Shu insists on competing, then compete with her."
"Didn't she say it herself? She has plenty of money. When the time comes, you can take the money she compensates you with a clear conscience and properly improve your strength!"
"There's no need to swear an oath for this bet. Your master will oversee it for you!"
Lu Guichen treated Yuan Shu with cold disdain, yet was amiable and approachable to Su Lingxi.
This contrast in his affections was incredibly obvious.
"Heh." Yuan Shu laughed, suddenly feeling that the original host was quite pitiful.
The Yuan Manor had spent a lot of mid-grade spirit stones to send her up to Azure Cloud Peak. Yet after Lu Guichen collected the spirit stones, he casually threw her to Shu Linyuan to be taught.
In the ten years since coming up the mountain, not only did the original host not receive a single bit of guidance from Lu Guichen, but she was also subjected to such disgust from him?
Yuan Shu knew that their master-disciple relationship was poor, and originally thought she could try to repair it.
But looking at it now, it seemed there was no need for that.
"What are you laughing at?"
With Lu Guichen's incredible hearing, he naturally caught Yuan Shu's soft chuckle. He turned his head to look at her, his brows furrowing.
"Nothing, I'm just happy for Su Lingxi that she can receive such protection from the Peak Lord of Azure Cloud Peak."
Yuan Shu smiled casually.
Lu Guichen swept a cold glance over her. He didn't care that she addressed him as the Peak Lord of Azure Cloud Peak; in fact, he felt that was exactly how she should address him.
After all, she wasn't worthy of calling him "Master"!
"Peak Lord Lu, they are both your personal disciples. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to show such blatant favoritism?"
Suddenly, a pleasant, gentle male voice rang out from the back of the crowd, drawing everyone's attention.
Yuan Shu also followed the crowd's gaze and only then realized that there was still someone lingering in the pavilion ahead.
The man was dressed in a long cyan gown, possessing a temperament as gentle as jade, elegant and noble. He held a jade pestle in his hand, toying with it.
He sat sideways, the exposed half of his face revealing delicate features, fair skin, and distinct facial contours.
On the surface, he looked much younger than Lu Guichen and Shen Jingyuan.
She remembered this person: Yao Qianci, the Peak Lord of Medicine Cloud Peak.
As if sensing Yuan Shu's gaze, Yao Qianci turned to look at her and smiled, nodding in her direction.
Yuan Shu was somewhat surprised that he would speak up for her, and she raised an eyebrow.
"The affairs of Azure Cloud Peak do not require Peak Lord Yao's concern. If you have free time, you should have your peak's disciples refine more high-quality pills."
Lu Guichen spoke without any politeness.
Compared to the previous Peak Lords of Medicine Cloud Peak, this Yao Qianci had only risen to the position within the last century.
His age was vastly different from theirs, and his seniority was lacking in comparison.
If Medicine Cloud Peak didn't control nearly two-thirds of the Falling Immortal Sect's pill resources, he wouldn't even deign to sit with someone like him.
Yao Qianci turned to glance at Lu Guichen, chuckled softly, and shook his head. "So I spoke out of turn?"
Lu Guichen snorted lightly and didn't reply.
"Enough. Since the matter has been decided, disperse! We'll see what's what in a month."
Lu Guichen swept a faint glance over Yuan Shu, then rested his gaze on Su Lingxi beside him.
"Lingxi, come with me. Regarding the supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill you need, your master has some clues..."
"Yes." Hearing this, Su Lingxi's heart stirred. She clenched her fists in excitement and quickly followed Lu Guichen's footsteps.
A supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill! She had only asked her master about it briefly, and he actually had clues?
If she could truly achieve a supreme-grade Foundation Establishment, her future advancement would be much faster than others!
Seeing this, Shen Jingyuan, who was off to the side, smiled and turned to look at Yuan Shu, who remained standing there. With a hint of sympathy in his eyes, he also turned and left.
Seeing that the show was over, the other disciples also dispersed one after another.
Yuan Shu shrugged, indifferent to the whole thing. Just as she turned around to leave, a soft call came from behind her.
"Yuan Shu, is it? May I call you that?"
Yuan Shu turned around. Yao Qianci was sitting upright by the stone table, twirling the jade pestle between his fingertips.
The elegant and unworldly man now exuded a touch of down-to-earth friendliness.
"Peak Lord Yao called for me?"
"Naturally." Yao Qianci pointed to the seat opposite him, gesturing for her to sit.
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow and, without standing on ceremony, sat straight down.
"Is there something you need, Peak Lord Yao?" Yuan Shu didn't believe that a Peak Lord would have nothing better to do than call out to a trash personal disciple just for fun.
"Ahem, the Falling Immortal Sect has a rule that disciples who fail to break through to Foundation Establishment within ten years of entering the mountain will be expelled. However, there is an exception for Medicine Cloud Peak."
"What I want to say is, if you can no longer stay at Azure Cloud Peak a month from now, you can come find me at Medicine Cloud Peak."
?
Yuan Shu was somewhat surprised. "Why?"
Yao Qianci smiled. "I just noticed you have a small, transparent medicine pouch by your waist. Does it contain a formula for clearing the mind and sharpening the senses?"
Yuan Shu reached out and touched the small medicine pouch kept close to her body.
It was a medicinal pouch she had Yun Sheng prepare according to that medical book to assist with cultivation.
She had one, and Yun Sheng had one.
The material of the pouch wasn't particularly special; it was a sachet sewn with transparent silk threads, allowing the scent of the herbs to continuously volatilize.
It usually didn't attract any attention, so she hadn't expected Yao Qianci to notice it.
"This prescription is quite excellent. If I'm not mistaken, it's an ancient lost formula, isn't it? Being able to prepare this formula shows that you must have a profound understanding of medicinal herbs."
"Although Medicine Cloud Peak isn't as famous as Azure Cloud Peak, it's not bad either. If you are willing, you can come work directly under me!"
Yao Qianci cherished talent, especially someone who had knowledge of ancient lost formulas.
Although he didn't know why Yuan Shu hadn't chosen to come to Medicine Cloud Peak despite possessing such skills, now that he had encountered her, he wouldn't let the opportunity slip by.
From Lu Guichen's words, if Yuan Shu still couldn't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage by the sect competition in a month, she would be driven down the mountain.
He couldn't bear to see such a talent buried like this.
Hearing this, Yuan Shu was a bit surprised. This Yao Qianci's nose was quite sharp.
No wonder he could become the Peak Lord of Medicine Cloud Peak at just over a hundred years old.
This man was likely a genius in the way of spiritual medicine!
