Chapter 140 - The Jade Slips and the Coming Opening
Chapter 140: Chapter 140 - The Jade Slips and the Coming Opening
The next day, pill refinement continued.
Li Xuanzong stood outside the hall for a moment and looked at Su Bai and Liu Meng.
"We need as many as we can prepare."
Liu Meng nodded seriously.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Su Bai also nodded.
The goal was clear.
The Fallen-Star Sanctuary might last long after entry. No one could guarantee when people would gather, what routes they would take, or how long they would be trapped in miasma-heavy regions.
Radiant Sky Sect needed enough Immaculate Lotus-Heart Pills to support its disciples for at least a month.
Preferably more.
Of course, Su Bai himself probably did not need them.
But that was precisely why he needed to help refine more.
He could not use his own abnormality as an excuse to let others lack protection.
The day passed in medicinal light and furnace heat.
When evening arrived, Liu Meng’s face was slightly pale, but her eyes were brighter than the furnace flames.
Li Xuanzong looked at her and Su Bai.
"Enough for today."
Liu Meng hesitated then lowered her head.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Su Bai silently accepted.
...
That night, after returning to his room, Su Bai did not immediately cultivate.
Su Bai opened his system inventory.
One item after another appeared in his awareness.
After some thought, he moved several items closer to the front.
The Petrified Calamity-Magnet was placed within immediate reach.
The Ten Reversed Lotus-Heart Pills were placed beside it.
The Slumbering-Lotus Fog Talismans were moved forward.
There were many of them. Too many, actually.
The system had given them again and again during previous sign-ins.
Looking at the upcoming Sanctuary, they became useful again.
A fog talisman that could obscure perception and slow pursuit might save a life.
Especially if the Sanctuary scattered everyone upon entry.
Su Bai looked at the stack for a while.
Then he divided them.
He decided to give portions to the others.
After that, Su Bai took out several empty jade slips.
He looked at them.
The techniques he had given his fellow disciples before had already been digested better than expected.
Liu Meng had used Wildfire Step well.
Han Yuelin had grasped the Sloth Sword.
Qin Baoshan had mastered Unshakable Mountain Stance.
Ji Ruyue’s Dance of the Winter Fairy had grown even sharper.
The Fallen-Star Sanctuary was near.
It was time to give them something more.
Su Bai closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank inward.
The Dao-Shattering Jade stirred.
A purple mark appeared faintly on his forehead.
In the next breath, a huge chunk of his Qi vanished.
Su Bai’s eyelids twitched.
Memories from the Ancestral Sanctum unfolded in his mind.
Ancient techniques. Defensive arts. Footwork. Etc.
Su Bai did not copy them directly. He simplified.
He kept the core principle and discarded the unnecessary ancient arrogance.
One jade slip after another began to glow.
For Liu Meng, he inscribed:
Verdant Flame Life-Sustaining Art.
A fire-and-wood support technique that uses gentle flame to stimulate recovery and wood Qi to preserve vitality.
For Qin Baoshan, he inscribed:
Eight-Direction Mountain Lock.
A defensive technique that rooted the body and shield through eight force points, allowing the user to receive impact, redirect pressure, and protect allies behind them.
For Han Yuelin, he inscribed:
Drifting Step of the Returning Blade.
A footwork that uses short advances, sudden retreats, and angled returns to control battle rhythm.
For Ji Ruyue, he inscribed:
Silent Moon Frost Thread.
A cold-control technique that condensed frost Qi into nearly invisible threads, useful for sealing joints, binding weapons, and freezing small weak points without wasting energy.
Su Bai looked at the four jade slips.
After a moment, he took out another blank slip.
This one was not for any one disciple.
He inscribed a short emergency method.
Three-Step Mist-Breaking Formation.
A simple temporary formation that three or more people could use to stabilize direction inside mist. It was not powerful, but it was easy to learn and could be activated with spirit stones, talismans, or coordinated Qi.
This one could be shared.
When the last jade slip dimmed, Su Bai exhaled.
The purple mark on his forehead slowly faded.
His Qi had dropped sharply.
But the result was acceptable.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Then he stood and left his room.
First, he knocked on Liu Meng’s door.
After a moment, Liu Meng opened it.
"Senior Brother Su?"
Su Bai handed her a jade slip and a portion of Slumbering-Lotus Fog Talismans.
"For you."
Liu Meng accepted them with both hands.
When her spiritual sense brushed the jade slip, her eyes widened.
"Verdant Flame Life-Sustaining Art..."
She looked up.
"Senior Brother Su, this is..."
"Another technique suitable for you."
Liu Meng’s fingers tightened slightly around the jade slip.
Her expression became serious.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Su. I will study it carefully."
Su Bai nodded.
"Do not exhaust yourself."
Liu Meng smiled.
"Sect Master just said the same thing."
Su Bai paused.
Then said, "He was right."
Liu Meng’s smile became brighter.
Next was Qin Baoshan.
When Qin Baoshan opened the door, he was still wearing his training clothes. His shield was leaning beside the wall.
It seemed he had been reviewing the yesterday’s battle.
Su Bai handed him the jade slip.
"Eight-Direction Mountain Lock."
Qin Baoshan’s expression became solemn as soon as he read the name.
After looking through the first few lines, his back straightened.
"This technique is very suitable for shield defense."
"Yes."
Qin Baoshan cupped his hands deeply.
"Senior Brother Su, I will not waste it."
Su Bai gave him the fog talismans too.
"For escape."
Qin Baoshan accepted them seriously.
"I understand. If retreat is necessary, I will protect everyone while retreating."
Su Bai thought about correcting him.
Then gave up.
That was also useful.
Han Yuelin’s room was next.
Before Su Bai knocked, laughter came from inside.
Then the door opened.
Han Yuelin appeared while holding a sword in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.
"Junior Brother Su? Do you want to compare sword intent?"
"No."
"Pity."
Su Bai handed him the jade slip.
Han Yuelin glanced inside casually.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"Drifting Step of the Returning Blade.?"
His smile grew wider.
After reading a few more lines, he laughed.
"This is good. Very good..."
His eyes became bright.
"Junior Brother Su, you understand sword people."
"I do not."
"You do."
"I only copied and simplified."
"That is also understanding."
Su Bai handed him the fog talismans.
"For escaping."
Han Yuelin took them and laughed again.
"Excellent. If I cannot win, I can vanish. If I can win, I can vanish first and come back from a better angle."
Su Bai looked at him.
That was not quite the original intention.
But it was not wrong either.
Finally, Su Bai went to Ji Ruyue’s room.
He knocked once.
The door opened almost immediately.
Ji Ruyue stood behind it, expression cold.
She looked at Su Bai.
Su Bai handed her the jade slip.
"For you."
Ji Ruyue accepted it.
Her spiritual sense entered the slip.
A faint change appeared in her eyes.
"Silent Moon Frost Thread."
She read quietly.
Then she looked at Su Bai again.
"This is suitable for me."
"Yes."
"Very suitable."
Su Bai nodded.
"I thought so."
Ji Ruyue held the jade slip for a moment longer.
Then said, "Thank you."
Su Bai then handed over her portion of the talismans.
Ji Ruyue accepted them.
"For escaping?" she asked.
"Yes."
Ji Ruyue looked at the fog talismans.
Then at Su Bai.
"I do not like running."
"It is not running."
"What is it?"
"Changing the battlefield."
Ji Ruyue considered this.
Then nodded.
"That is acceptable."
Su Bai felt that explanation had been useful.
Ji Ruyue looked at him again.
After a moment, she said, "You should rest too."
Su Bai blinked.
Ji Ruyue closed the door.
Su Bai stood outside for two breaths.
Then he turned around and walked back to his room.
Once inside, he sat down again.
Su Bai took out a needle.
He placed it between his fingers and stared at it quietly.
Sloth Sword Intent had left a deep impression on him.
Could that principle be used with needles?
Su Bai was not sure.
Sword intent existed.
Blade intent existed.
Spear intent existed.
Fist intent existed.
Could needle intent exist?
He did not know.
But he was willing to find out.
Nothing was impossible.
After all, his body itself was very good evidence against common sense.
Su Bai closed his eyes.
The Dao-Shattering Jade stirred again.
The purple mark appeared on his forehead.
Another large portion of Qi disappeared.
His thoughts sank into clarity.
The Sloth Sword Intent from the Ancestral Sanctum appeared in his mind again.
Su Bai held the needle.
He did not throw it.
He did not move his hand.
He only sent a thread of intent forward.
The needle trembled.
Only slightly.
Then stopped.
Su Bai opened his eyes.
’Not enough.’
Again.
The room became quiet.
A needle hovered above his palm.
Sometimes it moved.
Sometimes it did not.
Sometimes it appeared to move late.
Sometimes its shadow arrived before its body.
The result was unstable.
But it was not empty.
Su Bai’s eyes became deeper.
There was something there.
Needle intent. Perhaps it existed.
Su Bai continued to train.
...
From that day onward, Radiant Sky Sect entered a strict rhythm.
By day, they refined pills.
Liu Meng controlled the furnace.
By night, the disciples studied.
Su Bai also practiced needles.
The days passed like that.
Refine pills during the day.
Train at night.
Rest only when Li Xuanzong personally appeared and looked at them until they obeyed.
The pile of Immaculate Lotus-Heart Pills grew.
The stockpile was finally approaching the target.
Enough to support Radiant Sky Sect’s chosen disciples for a month inside the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
Maybe not comfortably. But survival was rarely comfortable.
Then, on the morning when only ten days remained before the originally predicted opening, Azure-Jade City changed.
A deep fluctuation spread from the direction of the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
It passed through the city like an invisible tide.
The jade lamps flickered.
Window paper trembled.
Water in cups rippled without wind.
Every cultivator in the city looked up.
In Quiet Jade Inn, Su Bai opened his eyes.
His body reacted as if something distant had breathed.
Su Bai’s gaze changed.
A moment later, a message from the City Lord Mansion arrived at Quiet Jade Inn.
Li Xuanzong, Lu Canghai, Su Bai, Liu Meng, Ji Ruyue, Qin Baoshan, and Han Yuelin gathered in the private hall.
The messenger’s face was pale, but his voice remained steady.
"By order of City Lord Yue."
He held up a jade token.
"The fluctuation of the Fallen-Star Sanctuary has strengthened again. The originally known opening date can no longer be trusted."
The hall fell silent.
The messenger continued, "From this day onward, all factions holding entry slots must complete their preparations. The Sanctuary may open any day."
Li Xuanzong accepted the jade token.
"Understood."
The messenger bowed and left quickly.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Lu Canghai looked toward the direction of the Fallen-Star Sanctuary.
His expression was dark.
"Any day..."