The Blue-Robed Woman

The youth let out a cold, sly laugh at the sight.

"Since I've taken your attacks, it's my turn, isn't it?" As he spoke, he withdrew his shield and brought his hands together. With a sweeping motion, he pulled them apart, and a massive, crescent-shaped azure arc blade materialized between his palms.

"Try my Azure Arc Slash," he said with a dark grin. The blade shot forward with a whistling roar, hurtling straight at the two brothers opposite him.

The attack drew cries of alarm from the onlookers. Anyone could see that the Fu Murong brothers had no strength left to cast spells, let alone defend themselves.

The two youths panicked. After a helpless glance around, they split apart and bolted into the crowd on either side.

"Split!" the youth barked.

The flying azure arc obeyed his command, splitting in two mid-air. With a flick of his hand, both halves veered off in pursuit of the fleeing brothers.

As luck would have it, one of the youths, having sensed that Han Li was one of the stronger cultivators in the watching crowd, charged straight toward him without hesitation. This caught Han Li completely off guard.

Han Li had no intention of interfering. He knew that no matter how arrogant and reckless the young man was, he would never dare to physically harm the Fu Murong brothers in broad daylight. He was only trying to scare and humiliate them. Han Li was not about to play the sacrificial lamb.

Besides, the youth was cunning. He was clearly trying to use Han Li as a human shield. Han Li had no intention of letting him have his way. With a subtle shift of his body, he vanished from his spot, leaving the youth to grab at empty air. The youth cursed in frustration before scrambling away in a clumsy retreat.

A moment later, a deafening rumble shook the ground where the other youth had been fleeing. Dust erupted, followed by the angry curses of a man. Clearly, someone had not been as wise as Han Li and had failed to dodge the role of living shield.

When the dust settled, a towering earthen wall several dozen feet high stood across the clearing. A long, shallow groove, a few feet deep, was carved into its surface. Behind the wall stood a stocky young man in his twenties, a strange wooden crutch strapped to his back. One hand pressed against the wall as he cursed loudly. Behind him, pressed close, was one of the Fu Murong brothers, grinning from ear to ear.

"Senior Brother Lu, what do you think you're doing? Can't you see there are other people here? Were you planning to cut me in half too?" the stocky young man demanded, his voice sharp with anger and shock.

Senior Brother Lu snorted. He ignored the accusation, his face darkening as he focused on the remaining half of his azure blade. He suddenly accelerated its pursuit, driving it toward the youth on Han Li's side. From the blade's trajectory, it was clear he intended to leave a lasting mark.

"Enough!" A young woman's clear, sharp voice rang out from above, as if descending from the heavens. A blazing firebird fell from the sky, swallowing the azure blade trailing the youth in a single gulp. It then dissolved into a ball of flame and vanished.

"Who? Who broke my spell?" Senior Brother Lu roared, lifting his head to scan the sky.

There, hovering above the crowd, stood a woman in a flowing blue robe. Her skin was as smooth as polished jade, her face radiant as a celestial being. She had a slender willow waist, a graceful, jade-like neck, and her hair was piled high in an elegant bun. To look upon her was to feel a sense of distance, as if she were a being beyond mortal reach.

"Ah, it's Junior Sister Nie. I should have known only you would have such refined magical power," the previously furious Senior Brother Lu said, his demeanor shifting instantly to one of gentle courtesy. He even managed a graceful bow.

"Senior Brother Lu, will you let this match end here, for my sake?" the woman in palace robes said coolly, stepping lightly on her flying tool.

"Haha, since it's your wish, Junior Sister Nie, I'm happy to oblige," the youth replied, his face full of smiles.

The woman nodded without another word, descended from the sky, and walked toward the Fu Murong brothers.

"Sister Nie, you came just in time! We almost took a real beating," the youth who had just escaped said brightly, running over to her with relief. The other one grinned and trotted around the earthen wall to join him.

"Face the wall and reflect on your mistakes. Do not leave seclusion until you have mastered the ninth layer of the technique," the woman said calmly, her tone utterly unruffled, betraying no trace of emotion.

The Fu Murong brothers slumped their shoulders, crestfallen, and nodded in dejected acknowledgment.

After dealing with the brothers, the blue-robed woman turned her gaze toward the stocky young man. A sudden, radiant smile broke across her face, making everything around her seem to dim in comparison. As her coral lips parted, she said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for your help. If something had happened to Junior Brother Murong, I would have been unable to face our sect."

"It—it was nothing..."

The stocky young man, utterly dazzled by her stunning smile, could only stammer and let out a foolish chuckle.

The surrounding men, seeing the special treatment he had received, burned with envy. They deeply regretted not being the one who had stepped in. Daggers of jealousy seemed to pierce the stocky man from every direction.

Senior Brother Lu's eyes flickered with malice, though he quickly masked it, maintaining his refined and courteous expression. Apart from the female companion at his side and Han Li, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, no one else noticed his change.

Even though the woman known as Junior Sister Chen was also a rare beauty, she was completely outshone by the one in blue. The moment the woman in palace robes appeared, Junior Sister Chen had rushed to Senior Brother Lu's side, afraid he would be captivated. She wrapped her arms around his arm and glared at the newcomer with open hostility.

The blue-robed woman naturally sensed the animosity but paid it no mind. As she turned to leave with the Fu Murong brothers, her gaze lightly, almost imperceptibly, brushed over Han Li. Then, a pleasant voice sounded directly in his ear.

"You are not weak in magical power, friend, but I cannot approve of this habit of only looking out for yourself. I hope that when we meet again, you will have changed your ways."

Han Li frowned slightly at her words. It seemed his evasive maneuver had not gone unnoticed. She clearly had not formed a favorable impression of him—quite the opposite, in fact.

But he was no saint. Who but a fool would knowingly be used as a shield and not run the other way? The stocky young man had not stood aloof, and now he had caught Senior Brother Lu's attention. Who knew if he might end up dead before long? Would the great beauty avenge him then? Han Li scoffed at the thought.

For some reason, Han Li felt no attraction to this kind of peerless beauty. He much preferred the more modest, gentle type. Whether he left a good impression on Senior Sister Nie was of no concern to him. He only hoped she would keep her attention off him.

By now, the beauty in blue and her companions had already disappeared. Senior Brother Lu shot the stocky young man a vicious glare before leaving the peak with his female companion. Seeing that the excitement was over, the remaining crowd dispersed.

Han Li also flew away on his tool, heading straight back to the Hundred Herb Garden.

Once inside his room, he eagerly pulled out the two jade slips. He selected the one containing the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe and began to read it word by word.

Though his mind was racing, his expression remained utterly still. It was only hours later that he let out a long breath and set the slip down. Then, he sank into deep thought, concentrating fiercely.

After a long while, he suddenly stood up, his brows tightly knit. He walked out into the herb garden and began scanning the plants, muttering to himself:

"Thousand Knots, Black Peony Herb, Golden Essence Ginseng... the thirty-one auxiliary ingredients are no problem. The garden has all of them. But they need to be aged—hundreds of years of potency. The main ingredients, though—Jade Marrow Mushroom, Purple Ape Fruit, and Celestial Spirit Fruit—are the real problem. Not a single one of them is here. I've never even heard of them."

Han Li deliberated for a long time before finally deciding to ask someone. And who better to ask than the old man who was a master of pharmacology?