Chapter 86: The Early-Death White Moonlight in a Cultivation Novel (Part 17)

When Zhou Yanxi hurried to the scene, she found that her once lively and energetic senior brother was now lying weakly on the bed, looking deathly pale.

Sitting beside him was a senior cultivator checking his condition. Zhou Yanxi respectfully saluted this Elder Wuchen, then quietly moved to stand beside her father, not daring to interrupt.

The room was completely silent, except for the labored breathing of her senior brother.

For cultivators, once they began cultivating, their breathing would typically be so subtle as to be undetectable—unless they were seriously injured or on the verge of death.

A moment later, Elder Wuchen turned to her father, sighing deeply."Chongyuan, your disciple is seriously injured. To treat him, we're missing a crucial medicinal catalyst. Without it, I can't refine the pill he needs to recover. And that item… it's a treasure you can't buy even if you have the money."

In other words—without it, Yuan Hen was as good as dead.

Chongyuan's voice rose sharply:"Wuchen, this isn't the time for riddles! Just tell me what it is. I don't care what it costs—I'll get it for you."

By the end of his sentence, Chongyuan True Lord was practically shouting. If Wuchen had been just any other alchemist, with that kind of attitude, he would've stormed off already.

But Wuchen knew full well the temper of his old friend—after all, they had been friends for centuries—so he didn't take offense.

He also understood: if he didn't spit it out soon, Chongyuan might actually fight him right here.

"It's something found only in the Shuangzi Mystic Realm," Wuchen finally said. "Extremely rare—usually only one appears. It's… the Five-Hundred-Year Starlight Grass (Xuanxingcao). Even if someone found it, they wouldn't sell it."

Chongyuan's expression turned bleak. His previously upright figure slowly slumped.

Of course… a spirit herb like Starlight Grass, capable of purging demonic energy, was never going to be available on the market.

But just then, Zhou Yanxi's eyes lit up—hadn't she picked one in the mystic realm?!Just like the saying goes: "I sought it in vain, only to stumble upon it effortlessly."

She stepped forward. "Senior, I have a Starlight Grass."

Before they could doubt her, she immediately took out a jade box from her storage pouch and opened it.

Inside lay a plant that shimmered with silver light, its leaves speckled with starlike glimmers. Its roots coiled elegantly like a dragon in repose.

Elder Wuchen was no longer the slightest bit disheartened—his eyes locked onto the plant like he was hypnotized. A five-hundred-year-old Starlight Grass!

If he added in the right supporting herbs, he could refine a batch of seventh-grade Demon-Dispelling Pills.

An opportunity like this—he'd be willing to pay spirit stones just for the chance!

After all, in his hundreds of years of life, he'd only seen the herb a few times, and had only refined with it once.

Next to him, Chongyuan True Lord gave Wuchen a hard shove, clearly annoyed at the man's dazed expression.

Zhou Yanxi watched this scene with a twitch at the corner of her eye. Yep, that's her dad for you—always straightforward, never bothering with polite pretense.

"Now that we have the Starlight Grass, why are you still standing there? Get to work! You can't waste this chance, Wuchen—my disciple's life is in your hands!"

Only then did Elder Wuchen snap out of his trance. Looking around and seeing Zhou Yanxi respectfully lowering her gaze, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness… hopefully the kid didn't notice me losing it just now. My dignity as Elder Wuchen must be preserved…

In truth, Zhou Yanxi had noticed his barely contained glee—but as a junior, she knew better than to gawk. She only peeked once before bowing her head.

Now that the main ingredient was secured, Wuchen stabilized Yuan Hen's condition, then went directly to Zhou Yanxi's alchemy room to begin pill refinement.

Zhou Yanxi had no objections—after all, Yuan Hen had been the first person to treat her kindly in this world and had helped her greatly.

She'd even been willing to hand over the Starlight Grass—what was the alchemy room in comparison?

Unbeknownst to her, the room had been custom-built by her father, after consulting Wuchen for safety precautions.

In fact, Wuchen had once considered taking Zhou Yanxi as his direct disciple, but for the sake of inter-sect politics, he'd ultimately let it go.

With everything handled, Zhou Yanxi saw no reason to linger. She'd done everything she could—the rest was up to Elder Wuchen.

She informed her father that she would be visiting her master the next morning, then quietly took her leave.

Honestly, the cultivation world was far too dangerous. Even someone like Senior Brother Yuan Hen, a Golden Core cultivator, had ended up in this state—let alone someone at her level.

She had to focus on cultivating the "Demon-Slaying Blade Technique" her master had given her. Only with strength could she truly explore this perilous and mysterious world.

Back in her training room, Zhou Yanxi pressed the jade slip of the technique against her forehead, and the first layer of blade forms emerged before her eyes.

The manual began with a warning:

"This blade art can be used to slay demons and scourge scum from the mortal world.Do not abuse its unique killing intent, or else you will suffer unthinkable backlash…"

Zhou Yanxi strongly agreed with that sentiment. If she let the killing intent consume her, she'd become nothing more than a murder machine—which was not the path she sought, no matter how powerful it made her.

Eventually, Elder Wuchen refined six Demon-Dispelling Pills—he kept one for himself and gave the rest to Zhou Yanxi and her father. Truly, he might be the most generous alchemist in history.

After giving Yuan Hen one pill, he quickly regained consciousness. Though his body was still weak and needed time to recover, he was out of danger.

Once he was awake, Zhou Yanxi learned the shocking truth: his attacker had ties to demonic cultivators.It seemed the three hundred years of peace were about to come to an end.

Afterward, Zhou Yanxi entered the hellish training her master had prepared for her. He constantly dragged her into "friendly duels" or took her to the back mountain for combat simulations.

The process was brutal—but the results were undeniable. Even with her master suppressing his cultivation, she could now last over a hundred moves against him.

Time passed, and soon it was time for the sect-wide competition for new disciples—a time that, in the original timeline, was when her unlucky senior brother had taken a hit meant for Li Haochen…