Chapter 00212: The Yan Family Has Arrived
# The Yan Family Has Arrived
Chapter 212
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 212: The Yan Family Has Arrived
After neatly putting away the mid-grade and high-grade spirit crystals, Lan Xiaobu took out a pile of low-grade spirit crystals to surround himself.
Didn't Chang Qingshuang say they had a year left? He intended to use this year to elevate his cultivation to the peak of the Human Immortal stage.
As he started to cultivate, the spirit crystals transformed into spirit energy, which Lan Xiaobu effortlessly absorbed.
It was at this moment that he truly understood the vast difference between cultivating with spirit crystals and spirit stones.
No wonder after he transcended the tribulation, he directly jumped three levels.
The essence of spiritual energy and the difference in quality were like night and day.
Moreover, the rules of heaven and earth here were far stronger than those in the Original Continent.
With his talent, cultivating in such an environment faced almost no hurdles.
In just two months, Lan Xiaobu smoothly progressed from the third level of Human Immortal to the fourth level.
The fourth level was considered the mid-stage of Human Immortal, not only boosting his strength significantly but also transforming nearly fifty percent of his true essence into spirit essence.
Lan Xiaobu was not ignorant; he knew that usually, to fully transform into spirit essence, one had to reach the Celestial Immortal stage.
Given his current pace, he would likely achieve full transformation within a year.
This illustrated just how formidable the Taichuan Secret Technique was; the only problem was that it consumed spirit crystals at an equally terrifying rate.
…
Wen Dan Hall was the largest gathering place for alchemists in the Pill Capital Immortal City.
With the Nine Continents Potion Competition about to start, Wen Dan Hall bustled with numerous alchemists coming and going, engaging in deep discussions about alchemy and enhancing their skills.
Chang Qingshuang, being a third-grade alchemist and hailing from the Herbal Aroma Valley, held a respectable position here.
After months of dedicated study, she felt that there was still so much to learn.
Although Herbal Aroma Valley enjoyed a good reputation in the Five Heavy Realms, it was not particularly strong in alchemy; their expertise lay in herbal medicine.
That day, early in the morning, as Chang Qingshuang prepared to leave the Colorful Immortal Breath Tower with Qi Hanfu for Wen Dan Hall, a friendly-looking man appeared outside their room.
With great courtesy, he asked, "Are you the esteemed Fairy Chang from Herbal Aroma Valley and Fairy Qi?"
Chang Qingshuang looked curiously at this unfamiliar man and replied, "Yes, we are from Herbal Aroma Valley. May I ask who you are?"
The man performed a formal greeting, "I am Yan Youyi from the Yan family. Our family master intends to come here to watch the Nine Continents Potion Competition. Because our family master is particularly fond of alchemy, he has invited several alchemists to join discussions. I have come on behalf of my master to invite you two fairies to join us in this discussion about alchemy."
"That sounds great! We will go together!" Qi Hanfu immediately responded with excitement.
The Yan family estate was well-known in the Suiping Celestial Horn, and though Chang Qingshuang and Qi Hanfu had attended an auction in the Silver Bay of Suiping City, they had never had the chance to visit the Yan estate.
Chang Qingshuang suddenly recalled Lan Xiaobu’s message.
She hesitated for a moment and asked, "May I ask if the alchemy discussion is in Pill Capital Immortal City?"
The man smiled slightly and replied, "No, but it’s not far from Pill Capital. It’s at the Qie Feng Immortal Pool; I believe you two have heard of it."
Chang Qingshuang indeed knew about Qie Feng Immortal Pool, as it was only a few thousand miles from Pill Capital.
"Wow, I’ve heard that the Qie Feng tea there is one of the top ten teas in the Five Heavy Realms. I wonder if we’ll get a chance to try it!" Qi Hanfu exclaimed in delight.
"Of course! You two fairies can drink it, and you may take some with you when you leave," the man said with a warm tone.
Chang Qingshuang quickly bowed, "Thank you for the invitation, senior. My senior brother just messaged me that they will be arriving soon. My disciple and I need to wait for him first."
Qi Hanfu was ecstatic, wanting to ask her senior sister if Senior Brother Qianhen had arrived.
However, as the words reached her lips, she quickly swallowed them back, realizing something felt off.
If her senior brother was coming, Qingshuang would have informed her beforehand.
The man handed Chang Qingshuang a jade token, smiling, "This is the jade token for entry to Qie Feng Immortal Pool. You two fairies are welcome to come anytime."
After the man left, Chang Qingshuang chose not to proceed to Wen Dan Hall but instead closed the door and even set up a barrier.
Qi Hanfu looked puzzled and asked, "Sister Qingshuang, didn’t Senior Brother Qianhen say he would come closer to the competition? There are still several months before the competition begins, so why has Senior Brother come now?"
Chang Qingshuang furrowed her brows, seemingly in deep thought, and after a long pause, she said, “I feel something is off. I just sense this situation is a bit strange.”
"What’s strange? Qie Feng Immortal Pool is a well-renowned place! I have longed to taste the Qie Feng tea there," Qi Hanfu said.
Chang Qingshuang replied, "If it’s about discussing alchemy, the Yan family master could simply go to Wen Dan Hall. Why invite us to Qie Feng Immortal Pool?"
"Maybe because the Qie Feng tea can only be brewed with the water from the Qie Feng Immortal Pool," Qi Hanfu offered.
Chang Qingshuang shook her head.
"Do you remember the message Lan Xiaobu sent a few months ago?"
Qi Hanfu immediately recalled, snorting, "That Lan Xiaobu is too despicable. Not only did he smear the Yan family when he couldn't stay there as a gardener, but he even killed their steward!"
Chang Qingshuang said calmly, "The Yan family estate holds a high position in the Five Heavy Realms, but a steward is still a true immortal expert. After thinking about it, something seems amiss. Our Herbal Aroma Valley isn't famed for alchemy; rather, we specialize in herb cultivation and potion crafting. It seems a bit far-fetched that the Yan family master would specifically send a golden immortal to invite us."
"Is that person a golden immortal?" Qi Hanfu asked in astonishment.
Chang Qingshuang replied, "Whether he is a golden immortal, I cannot say for sure. All I know is I couldn't sense his strength, which is likely much stronger than mine."
Qi Hanfu fell silent.
If Sister Qingshuang was at the late stage of the true immortal realm, then someone even stronger must indeed be a golden immortal.
"I suspect that the man came to invite us, specifically mentioning that it was on the Yan family master’s order, to test us. If we don’t go, it indicates that we are wary of the Yan family. The Yan family does charity work, so what should we fear? The only possibility is…"
Chang Qingshuang left those words hanging, but Qi Hanfu blurted, "Is it true what Lan Xiaobu said? That the Yan family estate is hypocritical? In fact, they are evildoers?"
Chang Qingshuang replied, "To be honest, I didn't believe it at all. But today, someone from the Yan family has actively come to invite us, and he’s a golden immortal expert. This feels unusual. If we truly recognized the Yan family as wicked, we might indeed choose not to go."
"Ah, if I had known we should have gone, then there would be nothing for them to suspect!" Qi Hanfu sighed.
Chang Qingshuang responded, "If we had gone and Lan Xiaobu spoke the truth, we might not survive to figure out how we died. Do you think once we arrive there, we could keep our mouths shut? They wouldn’t even need to torture us; we would spill the beans."
"That guy Lan Xiaobu! If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be caught in such a whirlpool. What should we do now?" Qi Hanfu grew anxious.
Chang Qingshuang took out a communication pearl.
"I need to send a message to Lan Xiaobu first."
After sending the message, she received no response.
Chang Qingshuang sighed and said, "We should head to Wen Dan Hall first. As long as we don’t leave Pill Capital Immortal City, we should be safe. The Nine Continents Potion Competition is only a few months away, and by then, Senior Brother and Master will come. We won’t need to fear anyone."
…
Boom! Lan Xiaobu felt a surge of spirit essence explode within him, and at that moment, he broke into the seventh level of Human Immortal.
This explosive spirit essence instantly filled all his spiritual channels, causing his power to skyrocket.
He had reached the late stage of Human Immortal.
Now, facing Yan Youyi, he could at least break free and escape.
Unfortunately, his strength was still too low; if he were at the Earth Immortal level, he wouldn't fear the other party at all.
Looking at the spirit crystals beside him, aside from around a thousand high-grade spirit crystals, he had actually consumed all the mid-grade and low-grade ones in his cultivation.
It seemed impossible for him to reach the peak of Human Immortal before returning; what he lacked now was spirit crystals.
Lan Xiaobu couldn't help but sigh.
This was still the Human Immortal realm; if he were to reach the Earth Immortal level or the True Immortal level, how terrifying would the consumption of spirit crystals be?
He needed to earn money; otherwise, he might not even have food to eat.
He wondered if the rewards for the upcoming Nine Continents Potion Competition were substantial.
However, shaking his head, he realized that he couldn’t even refine a first-grade spirit pill, so the rewards probably wouldn’t have anything to do with him.
Right, he still didn’t know if Chang Qingshuang wanted him to participate in the competition.
Thinking of this, Lan Xiaobu took out the communication pearl.
If Chang Qingshuang did not refuse his participation in the competition, he intended to ask her about the rewards for the Nine Continents Competition.
If the rewards were rich, he would hurry to learn potion refining; if they were mediocre, he would continue to figure out how to get some spirit crystals.
As soon as the communication pearl was out, Lan Xiaobu noticed two messages inside.
He must have been too engrossed in his cultivation to pay attention to the incoming messages on the pearl.
The first message was from a few months ago: "Lan Xiaobu, today someone from the Yan family estate came to Colorful Immortal Breath Tower to invite me and Sister Hanfu to Qie Feng Immortal Pool. Remembering the message you sent before, I made an excuse not to go."
Upon reading this, Lan Xiaobu suddenly stood up and thought, This isn’t good.
Chang Qingshuang and Qi Hanfu were too naive.
The Yan family sending someone to the immortal tower to invite them clearly indicated a hidden agenda.
At this point, whether they went or not, they would be tested.
The only difference would be that if they went, the time of exposure would be slightly delayed; if they didn't go, they would be exposed right on the spot.
And what came after the test? To capture them directly.
Chang Qingshuang and Qi Hanfu were quite innocent; it wouldn't be difficult for the Yan family to grab them without raising suspicion.
If it were him, he would promptly report this matter to his sect and seek shelter in Pill Capital Immortal City until his sect members could come.
After all, the Herbal Aroma Valley was a sizable sect.
It would be much easier for them to find refuge in Pill Capital than for him, Lan Xiaobu.
The second message came just three days later, with only a faint breeze sound.
Lan Xiaobu understood at once; the communication pearl had been taken from someone during transfer.
His guess had been proven right—Chang Qingshuang and Qi Hanfu had been captured.
(End of this chapter)