Chapter 35: Submitting the Spirit Herbs (Part II)

"Ladies and gentlemen, the outer perimeter trial has concluded. You may now present the spirit herbs you have gathered, and I shall elevate your spirit seal ranks. I reiterate: only those with red spirit seals may remain as outer disciples, while those with purple spirit seals shall proceed to the next stage of the trial!"

Instantly, whispers rippled through the crowd, growing loudest around You Qing.

"Brother You Qing, your contribution was the greatest in this trial, and you gathered the most herbs. You will surely become the strongest purple-seal disciple!"

"That’s right! We are all truly impressed. Your strength far exceeds everyone else's; you are definitely stronger than those two."

"Exactly! There are only two of them. Who knows how many arrays they could have even broken? They might not even qualify for a red spirit seal!"

...

With such flattering voices echoing in his ears, You Qing slowly set aside his wariness toward Qinglan and her companion, replacing it with undisguised smugness. "Everyone, we have traveled this path together, fighting side by side. Now is the time for us to reap the rewards!"

"Yes!"

Dozens of people responded in unison, pulling storage bags from their robes. Piles of spirit herbs appeared on the ground, shimmering with brilliant light, causing the ambient spiritual energy of the world to intensify.

The elder remained indifferent, though his gaze, as it swept over You Qing, betrayed a hint of admiration. He gave the pile a cursory glance and grasped the situation immediately. With a gentle clench of his palm, a flicker of dark green light passed, and the herbs vanished, replaced by streaks of brilliant red and purple light shooting toward the crowd.

Around You Qing, red light flashed repeatedly, while a dozen or so others felt a purple glow settle between their brows. You Qing himself stood with a faint smile, bathed in a radiant purple brilliance. As the light faded, a stunning purple seal appeared on his forehead, with seven glowing runes shimmering within it.

"A seventh-tier purple seal!" many exclaimed.

The gasps of astonishment were continuous. Even Qinglan and Yuedong were momentarily surprised; this man truly had some ability to lead so many people and achieve such a result.

You Qing could not hide his joy, yet he remained humble. "It was all due to everyone’s hard work. I am truly humbled. I promise here and now that I will do my best to protect you all in the next round!"

"That’s wonderful!"

"With Brother You Qing’s protection, we will surely go even further!"

The female water-element cultivator gazed at him with admiration, then shot a scornful look at Qinglan, sneering, "Brother You Qing is truly noble and broad-minded, unlike some selfish people who only care about themselves. People like that won't have much of a future, even if they do manage to enter the Array Sect!"

...

Qinglan and Yuedong were indifferent to this, but what Qinglan found truly interesting was that the two red-clad female cultivators nearby looked genuinely indignant upon hearing these words, as if they were taking up her cause.

Keeping their distance from You Qing’s group, the two women stepped forward to present their harvest. Two streaks of purple light flashed over them; one attained a first-tier purple seal, and the other a third-tier, both earning the chance to compete for inner-disciple status.

Seeing that only a few scattered individuals remained, Yuedong said, "It is getting late. It is our turn."

Qinglan stepped forward slowly. Having secured their red and purple seals, the crowd watched her with gloating anticipation.

*Thump!*

A colorful mound suddenly appeared before Qinglan—herbs of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. She had gathered them all. The herbs were bundled in small, messy groups, looking like a pile of cheap cabbage, and she dumped them onto the ground with a casual flick of her hand.

"Elder, this is what he and I gathered. It’s all here."

The elder’s eyelid twitched at the sight. After counting them one by one, he looked at the girl with a strange expression—these "cabbages"... no, these spirit herbs, totaled seventy-two. This quantity was more than enough for the two of them to rise from first-tier blue seals to ninth-tier purple seals.

Full promotion.

A silence fell over the area.

...

The elder curled his fingers, and two intense beams of purple light enveloped Qinglan and Yuedong. The seals on their foreheads shifted from blue to red, then to purple, growing brighter and more brilliant until they reached the ninth tier.

"It seems the most outstanding disciples of this outer trial have emerged."

The elder took the fifty-two herbs required for their elevation. Looking at the twenty remaining, he felt a sting of regret. He glanced at Qinglan, who was looking at him with wide, expectant eyes. He strangely understood the girl’s silent wish: *What happens to these? Can we have them?*

He was speechless for a moment before laughing with a hint of annoyance. "Keep what’s left."

The laughter in his eyes deepened, and traces of profound insight flickered within his gaze. He seemed to have noticed something, and as he looked at the girl again, his eyes held a touch of pity.

Qinglan smiled brightly. "Thank you, Elder!"

She thanked him for letting her keep the remaining herbs, but more importantly, she thanked him for the intricate world he had constructed.

The elder accepted her gratitude. Usually cold and reclusive, he felt an uncharacteristic urge to speak more to this girl today. He said gently, "You both gathered quite a variety of five-element herbs. It is rare to see two people who truly grasp the underlying meaning of the arrays I set."

Qinglan and Yuedong exchanged a smile. What they had gained was far more than mere herbs; it was an understanding of five-element arrays and refined combat techniques. Yuedong had even used this to break through his own cultivation limit. It was a bountiful harvest indeed.

Outside the array boundary, before the Mirror of Law, the Fifth Elder, Yaoyu, felt a sense of danger upon seeing her Third Senior Brother’s praise of Qinglan. *Third Brother, don't tell me you’re trying to steal a disciple from your little sister?*

As her thoughts raced, Yaoyu recalled various details and realized with a start that the Third Elder had encountered Qinglan before she had. As the master of the Azure Firmament Herb Garden, he was naturally prone to gaining the favor of wood-element cultivators. If he were to play the role of the kind, gentle elder, it would be a disaster!

A sense of crisis welled up in her heart, and a chill began to emanate from her entire body.

Inside the array, seeing Qinglan and Yuedong earn the elder's favor, You Qing’s face grew dark with every word of praise. He felt as though every sentence from the elder was a jab at him.

He had relied on shortcuts, currying favor, and gathering a crowd to obtain his herbs, but didn't that just prove his leadership skills? These two had acted independently without a care for others—could such a style really be considered superior to his? And those arrays were merely obstacles to obtaining herbs; as long as they were broken, what did it matter what their elemental properties were?

*Damn it, I underestimated them!*

You Qing roared internally. He did not notice that the water-element female cultivator who had been supporting him was looking at him with concern, frightened by the twisted, vicious look in his eyes.