After Becoming The Master In A Master-Disciple Novel - Chapter 4

The whole point of leaving the mountain this time to search for medicine was to avoid her three disciples and stay far away from that damned plot. How could she possibly be willing to travel with any one of them?

Even if she had used her second disciple as an excuse, Wei Hanzhen had no intention of bringing her along, much less anyone else.

Wei Hanzhen rejected Chen Zhuya’s suggestion without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Zhuya looked deeply at her and said nothing more, only reminding her a few times to “be careful on the road” and the like.

The Rebellious Disciple Always Wants to Overstep was a novel centered around love, hatred, passion, and grudges. In truth, its background was not very clear. Wei Hanzhen only knew that all sides struggled and schemed back and forth until other sects finally seized an opportunity. From then on, Changguan Sect declined and never again recovered its former might as the number one sect of the righteous path.

As for the sect that had always competed with Changguan Sect, that was Yuxiao Sect. In the end, it had not gotten what it wanted either.

On the Nine Provinces Continent, the demonic tide rose and the demonic path flourished. Instead, the Demon Sect and the Yao Court sat back and watched the great sects of the righteous path exhaust themselves through internal conflict, then took the chance to rise.

This time, while leaving the mountain, it went without saying that she had to be careful of the Demon Sect and the Yao Court. If she encountered anyone from Yuxiao Sect, she would also have to stay on guard. That sect, too, had a legacy of ten thousand years. Its reputation was only beneath Changguan Sect’s. Its goal was to replace Changguan Sect and become the master of the righteous path—no, the master of the Nine Provinces.

If an ordinary cultivator suffered qi deviation and their realm fell, they would basically have no chance of cultivating back up. It was equivalent to having their path cut off.

However, Wei Hanzhen was the daughter of the fourth-generation sect leader. Her status was extraordinary, and the good things she had on her were countless. At that critical moment, she had used a magical artifact to protect her Dao and preserve her Nascent Soul. Her current drop in realm was actually because her Nascent Soul had been sealed.

She needed to find five medicinal ingredients and refine them, so that at the instant her Nascent Soul was unsealed, they could protect her Dao body.

These five ingredients were extremely precious and not easy to gather. The moment Wei Hanzhen’s accident happened, Danding Courtyard had received the sect leader’s order and used every method possible to search for the ingredients and refine them into pills.

Unfortunately, that medicine had been taken away by Yuyan.

When she thought of that little disciple, Wei Hanzhen’s teeth ached.

It seemed there were other settings attached to her as well? But she had not read the book carefully, and she had not reached the ending either, so no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember.

On Pengxuan Peak, spiritual energy was dense and visible.

Wei Hanzhen had originally planned to leave directly, but after thinking for a while, she felt it was somewhat inappropriate. Her gaze flickered, and a flying letter was sent to Qingsheng’s residence.

When this second disciple had entered the sect, she had already been fourteen. She had then stayed in Yinghua Courtyard for eleven years, and only after reaching Foundation Establishment had she entered Pengxuan Peak. Her relationship with Wei Hanzhen was even more distant.

This disciple’s background was not very good either. Although she had been born into a wealthy family, she had ended up with a father skilled at selling his daughters. When she was fourteen, seeing that her appearance had gradually blossomed, he had prepared to offer her to a powerful noble in exchange for status and authority.

She had escaped from home on her own and traveled thousands of li to Changguan Sect to seek the Dao. Fortunately, her talent was decent, and she had been accepted into the sect. Otherwise, she could only have sought attachment to some cultivator—and who knew what kind of fate she might have met then?

Unlike Suwei’s quiet and lonely residence, Qingsheng’s courtyard could be considered the liveliest place on all of Pengxuan Peak.

She loved music, fine clothes, and beautiful women… Graceful singing always lingered above her courtyard, going on for a long time without fading.

When she received the letter, she was reclining lazily on a couch. The singing was melodious, the dancers moved gracefully, and her gaze drifted with a hint of intoxication.

A letter from Master?

That was extremely rare.

She raised a brow, dismissed the singing beauties, straightened her clothes, and headed toward Wei Hanzhen’s cave residence.

Among the three disciples, Qingsheng was the one who observed propriety best. She was always smiling, her brows and eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“Master.” At this moment, she was well-behaved and courteous. There was none of the unrestrained indulgence she showed in her own courtyard.

Wei Hanzhen’s gaze rested on her for a moment before moving away. She said calmly, “In a few days, I will enter seclusion. I have something to entrust to you. Your eldest senior sister has her heart set entirely on cultivation, while your little junior sister is too innocent and ignorant of worldly affairs. After thinking it over, I can only hand Pengxuan Peak over to you.”

Qingsheng suddenly raised her eyes and looked at Wei Hanzhen, her gaze frighteningly bright.

This was undoubtedly an unexpected joy, but she was not carried away by delight.

Wei Hanzhen said, “During my seclusion, Pengxuan Peak will temporarily be managed by you. If there is anything you do not understand, you may consult your Martial Uncle Zhou.”

Qingsheng replied, “Yes.”

This Martial Uncle Zhou referred to Pengxuan Peak’s vice peak lord, Zhou Dingyuan, a Nascent Soul expert. Qingsheng did not like interacting with this martial uncle. Pengxuan Peak was so quiet—what could possibly happen? After hearing Wei Hanzhen’s words, she was rather disapproving, but not the slightest trace of it showed on her face.

Wei Hanzhen swept an indifferent glance over Qingsheng. She knew this second disciple had many thoughts of her own, but she did not expose her. Instead, she changed the subject.

“You are now at the third level of Foundation Establishment. If you temper yourself properly for a while, your cultivation will reach perfection.”

Qingsheng said respectfully, “This disciple understands.”

She had no intention of going out to search for the external medicines needed to form her core. Doing that would delay her by who knew how much time. She chose to remain in the sect and go to Danding Courtyard for the medicine when the time came.

Many of the sect’s direct disciples did the same, and she did not think there was anything wrong with it.

Wei Hanzhen frowned and said in a low voice, “Golden Cores are divided into nine grades. The upper three grades have the chance to seek the Great Dao, while the middle three grades can generally only reach the Origin Transformation stage. As for the lower three grades, they have no hope of even reaching Nascent Soul. Your aptitude is not bad. Achieving one of the upper three grades is not difficult for you. Even if you are temporarily managing Pengxuan Peak, you must not let trivial matters delay your cultivation. As for the medicine required to form your core, I will go to the sect leader and request a set for you.”

Qingsheng froze.

A moment later, she said softly, “Many thanks, Honored Master!”

The external medicines for forming a core were also divided by quality. By the time they reached Danding Courtyard, the good ones had long since been taken away, and what remained were only mid-grade. She had originally thought mid-grade would be enough. But now, if the sect leader helped, obtaining high-grade medicine would not be difficult. Naturally, she would not refuse.

She secretly glanced at Wei Hanzhen, feeling that Master was somewhat different now.

Could it be that her temperament had changed drastically because of qi deviation?

Was that why she had been so ruthless toward Little Junior Sister as well?

Wei Hanzhen did not care what Qingsheng thought.

This time, after falsely claiming she would enter seclusion, presumably no one would pay attention to her whereabouts. Pengxuan Peak had been handed to Qingsheng. She would manage all kinds of affairs, and she would also take care of the disciples on the peak. In that case, there would be no need to worry about Yuyan’s side.

Among the five medicines Wei Hanzhen needed, Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass could be harvested and preserved without affecting its medicinal effects, so it might be found in the major immortal markets.

As for One-Breath Clarity Water, Taiwei Heart-Seizing Thunder, Stone Stalactite Milk, and Junyang Earth Qi, they were only at their best the moment they were collected.

Wei Hanzhen did not plan to gather everything and refine it all into a pill. She had flipped through some related texts and discovered that only by using herself as the furnace and spiritual power as the fire could she fully bring out the medicines’ effects.

On the Nine Provinces Continent, immortal markets were scattered everywhere like stars across the sky. No matter what cultivation the market lord possessed, cultivators had an agreement among themselves: no conflicts were to be started inside an immortal market. Otherwise, one would become the enemy of all the righteous sects of the Nine Provinces.

The immortal market Wei Hanzhen was headed to was the largest one, called Yunxiao.

Yunxiao Immortal Market floated in midair. It was made of nine great flying ships linked together by golden chains. Palaces and halls covered it everywhere, forming a solitary island in the sky. Its grandeur was no less than that of a medium-sized sect in the Nine Provinces.

Traveling from Changguan Sect to Yunxiao Immortal Market required a month, but Wei Hanzhen had a Cloud-Treading Flying Ship in her possession. Its speed was extremely fast, and it forcefully shortened the journey by half.

Yunxiao Immortal Market was dazzling with five-colored light, splendid and brilliant.

The cultivators coming and going either rode escape lights or traveled in carriages. People flowed back and forth, making it extremely lively.

Wei Hanzhen leapt down from the flying ship, and an attendant of the immortal market immediately came forward to greet her.

“What does our esteemed immortal guest wish to purchase?” the attendant asked with a beaming smile.

Hearing the words “immortal guest,” Wei Hanzhen raised a brow in surprise. Her thoughts turned, and she replied, “Where are the spirit herbs and spirit medicines?”

The attendant immediately answered, “Immortal guest, please come this way.”

Within the immortal market, all kinds of things could be found. Among them, spirit herbs and magical artifacts each occupied an entire grand palace.

This attendant was only responsible for leading the way. Once they arrived at the destination, a beauty immediately came forward to receive her. A faint demonic aura floated around this beauty. Presumably, she was a fish maiden of the water race who had taken human form.

The fish maiden knew every spirit herb in the pavilion like the back of her hand. She introduced them one by one while leading Wei Hanzhen deeper inside.

Although her goal was Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass, if she encountered other useful spirit herbs, there was no harm in buying them. With that thought in mind, Wei Hanzhen listened to the fish maiden’s explanations with great interest.

Only when they reached the ninth floor did Wei Hanzhen finally ask, “Do you have Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass here?”

The ninth floor was already the top floor. The spirit herbs displayed here were extremely precious. Ordinary cultivators could not afford them at all, so very few people came here.

The moment Wei Hanzhen’s words fell, the surroundings immediately went quiet for a moment.

“Immortal guest, we do not have any here,” the fish maiden said, her gaze dimming.

Wei Hanzhen sighed. “It’s fine.”

This result was within her expectations as well. For a rare spirit herb like that, the moment it appeared on the market, someone would likely buy it.

“Fellow Daoist wishes to obtain Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass?” A clear, bright voice suddenly came over.

Wei Hanzhen looked toward the source of the voice. It was the only other customer on this floor.

She was a young and beautiful female cultivator with an ancient-looking zither on her back. Judging by her clothes, she should be a disciple of Yuyin Sect.

Although Yuyin Sect was not equal to Changguan Sect or Yuxiao Sect, it was still a major sect of the righteous path. The disciples of this sect were all sound cultivators, using spiritual power to command sound and wound their enemies.

Before Wei Hanzhen could answer, the female cultivator had already walked over. She bowed and said, “Yuyin Sect, Yun Chiyue. How may I address you, Fellow Daoist?”

Wei Hanzhen had no impression of this name. Looking at the patterns on her clothes, she guessed that this person was a true disciple of Yuyin Sect.

She raised her hand and returned the courtesy, smiling faintly. “Changguan Sect, Wei Taoyuan.”

Before leaving, she had already thought it through. While traveling outside, she would use the name Wei Taoyuan.

“Hanzhen” was her Dao name, while “Taoyuan” was her true given name. Aside from the grand elders, the sect leader, and her senior brothers, very few people knew this.

“So it is a fellow Daoist of Changguan Sect.” Yun Chiyue smiled. Her eyes were clear and guileless. Seeing Wei Hanzhen nod, she smiled again and said, “Just now, I heard Fellow Daoist mention Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass. I happen to have some information about it.”

Disciples of the major sects often traveled outside, so their information was naturally more extensive.

Interest immediately appeared on Wei Hanzhen’s face.

“Fellow Daoist, have you ever heard of the Dengying Secret Realm?” Yun Chiyue asked openly.

Wei Hanzhen naturally knew of it.

It was a training secret realm jointly created in the past by the ascended mighty figures of the Nine Provinces. It gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and collected the treasures of the Nine Provinces. Every hundred years, it would produce one hu of Penglai Qi.

It belonged to no one. Later, the righteous path, the demonic path, and the Yao Court agreed to hold a “Dengying Assembly,” sending disciples below the Nascent Soul stage into the secret realm to train, thereby deciding who would obtain the Penglai Qi.

If Wei Hanzhen remembered correctly, this time, the Penglai Qi would fall into the hands of her third disciple.

Yun Chiyue said, “My master said that Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass can be found in the Dengying Secret Realm.”

Once the Dengying Secret Realm opened, Changguan Sect would certainly send disciples inside. No matter what Yuyan’s current cultivation was, there would always be a place for her.

Wei Hanzhen wanted to avoid her.

But if this secret realm was related to Hanzhen Spirit Leaf Grass, then she could not hide from it.

She gave Yun Chiyue a grateful smile. “Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Yun.”

Yun Chiyue smiled brightly. “No need to thank me.”

After a pause, she looked at Wei Hanzhen with a face full of expectation and said, “Senior Sister Wei, shall we travel together?”