Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 151 – The Alchemist's Identity

"Tell me again, in more detail—about that cultivator."

Standing at the prow of the treasure ship, Shi Yunjie gazed out toward the distant island and addressed the Qi Refining cultivator beside him. An unknown Core Formation cultivator had eliminated a major threat for the entire crimson Coral Archipelago, but rather than feeling at ease, Shi Yunjie was worried. What if this newfound "savior" turned out to be an even greater threat?

So before making official contact, Shi Yunjie needed to gather as much information about this cultivator as possible to prepare countermeasures if necessary.

"Yes, Sir!"

Faced with the Alliance Leader's question—yet again—the Qi Refining cultivator didn't dare slack off. He repeated everything he had seen on the island once more, carefully and thoroughly.

Soon, the treasure ship arrived at the island. Several mortals rushed over to report the latest developments. Just earlier, it had been that same Qi Refining cultivator who returned alone to deliver the first update. The mortals and this year's offering had remained on the island.

At this moment, last year's offering—a young girl—was playing on the beach with this year's offering, a little girl. Suddenly, a dark, muscular figure burst forth and scooped up the younger girl in a single motion.

"My sweet granddaughter! Grandpa's come to take you home!" The dark-skinned man trembled with emotion as he hugged the girl he thought he'd lost forever.

She wasn't just his granddaughter—she was the only member of their family with spiritual roots, a rare seedling with the potential to cultivate. But because of the monstrous giant lizard, he had been forced to offer her as a sacrifice, despite the pain it brought him.

"This is a cultivator's domain—show some respect!" Shi Yunjie barked sharply.

At those words, the dark-skinned man immediately calmed himself and brought his granddaughter to stand quietly behind Shi Yunjie.

"You again, young lady." Shi Yunjie turned his gaze to the older girl—the same one who had been offered up the previous year. He naturally remembered her face.

"Greetings, Alliance Leader."

The girl bowed slightly. Despite the formal gesture, she felt nothing but cold detachment toward the people before her. After all, they were the ones who had torn her from her parents and delivered her here as a sacrifice. They had even warned her that if she tried to escape, many people—including her own parents—would die because of her.

Fortunately, she had never encountered the brutal giant lizard. Instead, she met an immortal. Not only did that immortal take her in, but he even taught her cultivation techniques. At present, the girl was already in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and her physical body had reached the level of a late-stage cultivator.

That was thanks to the several scarlet Jade Pills Gu Mo had given her. Those Tier-2 pills had enhanced her physique to the late-stage Qi Refining level. Unfortunately, her willpower wasn't strong enough, and much of the medicinal potential had been wasted.

Shi Yunjie wasn't surprised by her aloof attitude. At the time, in order to convince her to quietly accept her fate as a sacrifice, he had threatened her repeatedly. If a sacrifice tried to escape, who knew how many people across the archipelago would suffer?

But fate is ever-changing. The monstrous lizard that had suffocated the entire crimson Coral Archipelago had been slain, and the sacrifice girl had not only survived but gained an immense opportunity.

As a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, Shi Yunjie could clearly sense her cultivation level—and even more impressively, her body strength, which exceeded her realm. To reach this point in just one year, even with a mid-grade spiritual root, was extraordinary.

It was obvious she hadn't done it on her own. She must have received blessings from that Core Formation cultivator.

"Is the cultivator present?" Shi Yunjie cupped his fists in a respectful salute.

He didn't know what this girl's status was in the cultivator's eyes, but the fact that she had been taught cultivation skills meant she was at least valued. Naturally, Shi Yunjie wouldn't dare show disrespect.

"Please follow me, Alliance Leader."

The girl wasn't just here to look after the little offering; she had also been tasked with guiding the visitors.

"Thank you."

Shi Yunjie nodded and followed her toward the center of the island. Before long, she brought them to a small hut.

Gu Mo didn't intend to bring outsiders into the lake area, and receiving them at the outskirts of the island wasn't appropriate either. So, he had temporarily designated this hut as a reception area.

"Greetings, Senior!"

The moment Shi Yunjie saw the young man seated in front of the hut, he quickly bowed. Based on the Qi Refining cultivator's earlier description, he knew this was the Core Formation expert who had slain the Tier-3 giant lizard.

"I am currently traveling and happened upon this place. I plan to stay here for a while. Since you're a local, tell me more about this area." Gu Mo didn't offer a seat. As a Core Formation cultivator, he had no need to show courtesy to a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Shi Yunjie wasn't offended—this was simply how the cultivation world worked.

"Yes, Senior!"

Shi Yunjie gathered his thoughts and began to describe the surrounding region. Through his explanation, Gu Mo gained a general understanding of the area.

That included the very island they were currently on. Originally, it hadn't even existed. Over a decade ago, it had risen from the sea due to a shift in the earth's ley lines.

Back then, Shi Yunjie and a few False Core and External Core cultivators from the archipelago had come to investigate. Upon discovering a Tier-3 water vein on the island, the entire archipelago had been shaken.

To claim the island, the various factions of the crimson Coral Archipelago had nearly gone to war. But then, a Tier-3 giant lizard appeared and seized the island for itself, forcing everyone to cease hostilities. Under this threat, the factions formed an alliance to deal with the beast.

Unfortunately, the lizard was far too powerful. Nearly all the False Core and External Core cultivators perished in the battle. With no one left at the Core Formation level, the archipelago lost the ability to resist the lizard. They had no choice but to offer a top-tier sacrifice every year in exchange for peace—arranged through the mediation of a Core Formation cultivator from another island.

"There are other cultivator factions outside the crimson Coral Archipelago?" Gu Mo asked.

"Yes, Senior. The Coral Archipelago is located on the very edge of the cultivation world. To the west are many other island chains, many of which are larger and more abundant in spiritual energy than ours. However, most of those islands are occupied by sea monsters. Human cultivators are few and far between."

Gu Mo nodded thoughtfully as he listened.

Those islands, where sea monsters and human cultivators coexisted, were obviously high-risk zones. In contrast, the Coral Archipelago was entirely under the control of human cultivators and populated by many mortals.

Over the years, aside from that Tier-3 lizard, nothing particularly threatening had appeared. From this, Gu Mo concluded that the region was relatively stable.

Even if some Tier-3 sea monster noticed the water vein here, Gu Mo felt confident he could handle it now.

All things considered, this was an ideal place to quietly build up strength. The more distant islands might have more valuable water veins, but they also teemed with dangerous enemies. As long as Gu Mo stayed put and cultivated steadily, he would grow stronger without unnecessary conflict.

"This Tier-3 water vein originally belonged to your people. I don't plan to take advantage of you. If you have any spiritual herbs, I can refine some pills for you." With that, Gu Mo revealed his identity as an alchemist.

"Th-Thank you, Senior!"

Shi Yunjie froze for a moment, then fell to his knees, overcome with joy. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for every cultivator in the Coral Archipelago.

The archipelago was rich in spiritual energy—being composed entirely of low-grade spiritual coral—and naturally had an abundance of spiritual herbs. But they had no skilled alchemists. Without one, the spiritual herbs were largely wasted, and cultivators advanced slowly.

If they had access to a powerful alchemist, the Crimson Coral Archipelago might have produced a Core Formation cultivator of their own—and the giant lizard disaster could have been avoided entirely.

But it wasn't too late.

Now the lizard was dead, and a Core Formation alchemist was offering to refine pills for them. The archipelago's overall strength would no doubt rise quickly.

Shi Yunjie could only wonder: would this expert be capable of refining Condensation Gold Pills?

As someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment, Shi Yunjie's greatest wish was to obtain a pill that could help him break through to the Core Formation stage.

For that purpose, he had spent years accumulating rare ingredients—some of which he'd risked his life to steal from the territories of sea monsters. But having materials was meaningless without someone to refine them.

Shi Yunjie had considered venturing to distant islands in search of an alchemist, but he quickly gave up the idea. As a lone Foundation Establishment cultivator with no backing, carrying treasure into such chaotic territories would likely end in death.

Those outer island regions were infamous for their lawlessness.

But right now, Shi Yunjie saw an opportunity. This so-called "True Person" wasn't just an alchemist—he also didn't appear to be a malicious person.

Of course, appearances can be deceiving. Shi Yunjie planned to observe for a while longer before making his final decision. After all, this concerned his hopes of reaching the Core Formation stage.

"Yuwei, you'll be in charge of this," Gu Mo said, turning to the young woman beside him. Originally, he had planned to let her return with Shi Yunjie. But considering he needed to refine pills for the cultivators of the Crimson Coral Archipelago, someone had to help receive the medicinal herbs—he couldn't handle all of that himself.

So Gu Mo decided to have the girl stay behind. Now that she was officially a cultivator, she could at least be of some use.

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing that the immortal was entrusting her with a task, Shi Yuwei finally let go of the anxiety she'd been carrying. She had been deeply worried that the immortal would cast her aside.

Shi Yuwei knew very well—this place was her destined opportunity, and this immortal was the greatest stroke of fortune in her entire life. Her parents had already received a generous sum of money when she was chosen as a sacrifice. That wealth was enough for them to live in comfort, surrounded by dutiful younger siblings.

So even if she never returned home, it wouldn't really matter. After all, she had never been treated with much affection. Her parents had only ever wanted to marry her off to someone wealthy so the family could improve their circumstances. Now that their wish had been fulfilled, she had, in a sense, met their expectations.

And after witnessing the immortal's brilliance, a firm determination to pursue the Dao had already taken root deep within her heart.

"Miss Yuwei, about what happened before—I hope you won't take it personally. I had no other choice." As he walked with Shi Yuwei away from the lakeside cottage, Shi Yunjie gave a light cough, then produced a hairpin magic tool forged from red coral.

Now that this Shi Yuwei had become the immortal's representative, Shi Yunjie naturally wanted to smooth things over with her.

"There's no need for that, Lord Alliance Leader. I don't hold a grudge. In fact, I should be thanking you. If not for you, I never would've had this opportunity." Shi Yuwei waved her hand lightly.

Although Shi Yunjie had sent her as a sacrifice, and she had indeed felt fear and dread at the time, looking back now, she realized that without that encounter, she would never have met the immortal—nor would she have gained such a miraculous opportunity. So, she no longer harbored any resentment toward Shi Yunjie.

As for any sense of closeness or affection—there was none of that, either.

"That's good to hear!"

Shi Yunjie smiled and pressed the hairpin magic tool into her hand, then boarded the treasure ship with his people and departed the island.

"If I'd known, I would've sent my granddaughter last year…" the dark-skinned man murmured to himself as he stood on the treasure ship, gazing at the island in the distance.

If they hadn't found that other girl among the mortals last year, his own granddaughter would've been chosen as the sacrifice. If that had happened, would she now be the one enjoying this great fortune?

Unfortunately, fate and fortune are as elusive as mist. All the man could do now was sigh that his granddaughter simply wasn't destined for such blessings.

After establishing contact with the crimson Coral Archipelago's cultivation forces, life gradually returned to calm. The only difference was that, every so often, a treasure ship would arrive carrying a large shipment of spirit herbs.

Gu Mo would then refine those herbs into a wide variety of pills. The high frequency of refinement significantly accelerated Gu Mo's progress in the alchemic arts. Especially with the use of torchwood stumps to fuel his alchemy—the cost was incredibly low, and the success rate remarkably high. As a result, Gu Mo had stockpiled a massive quantity of first- and second-tier pills.

But for someone like Gu Mo—whose body had already reached the level of Core Formation, and whose soul was steadily transforming to match—those pills were completely useless.

In fact, his body had already accumulated a considerable amount of Core Formation energy. At this point, Gu Mo was capable of unleashing short bursts of power equivalent to that of a true Core Formation cultivator.

Now, all he had to do was fill his meridians with Core Formation energy. Once that was done, he would be ready to attempt a true breakthrough into the Core Formation stage.

While Gu Mo was busy with cultivation and alchemy, a lone figure was approaching from across the distant sea, heading straight for the Crimson Coral Archipelago.

"Next year is Lord Chisha's millennial birthday. If I offer up the mortals of the Red Coral Archipelago as a blood sacrifice, it'll surely please him. Who knows? I might even gain the chance to break through."

The figure walking across the waves looked toward the gradually nearing archipelago, a hint of smugness in his expression. He had gone to great lengths to prepare this place.

He had driven away the sea monsters nearby, allowing the local human population to multiply rapidly. He had sent a third-tier giant lizard to eliminate any cultivators on the archipelago who reached the Core Formation level. And he had arranged for the archipelago to send a spirit-rooted child each year as tribute, ensuring that no new Core Formation cultivators could ever arise there.

After all these years of careful cultivation, the time had finally come to reap his harvest.

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