novelraw Chapter 286
Chapter 286
When only he himself knew the situation.
Since the key was already in his hand, there was indeed no need to rush.
Upon returning to Cold Blood Peak, at the cave mansion location he had chosen, quite a number of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators were currently flying up and down.
Crimson lacquered columns inlaid with gold dragons and pieces of crystal-clear glazed tiles were being assembled. Using spirit wood as material, they rapidly constructed a magnificent and grand building complex.
Calling it a courtyard would belittle it. It resembled a palace accompanied by several small halls, and even a garden, covered walkways, and viewing pavilions were fully built for him.
There were alchemy rooms, artifact forging rooms, and many functional structures. The finished area was much larger than the land he originally marked. Perhaps this was the hidden benefit of being a candidate elder.
It was only unfortunate for his neighbor. Xue Ying’s cave mansion was already close to his, and now these people expanded his construction even further, leaving only a hundred meters between them.
Truly living side by side.
Xue Ying was standing atop a temporary snow tower molded by spell power. She stared blankly at the scene of these people working hard to add more structures, as if unable to fully comprehend what was happening.
Wang Yu noticed this and felt slightly embarrassed.He descended beside Xue Ying.
“Apologies, Daoist Xue. They acted on their own. I…”
“No need to apologize.”
Seeing that it was him, Xue Ying shook her head and added with a trace of curiosity. “Exactly what position does Daoist Wang hold on the peak? They are actually trying so hard to curry favor with you. A few days ago Xue Ying went to negotiate regarding this matter, yet they unexpectedly helped Daoist Wang first.”
Hearing this made Wang Yu even more embarrassed.
“Perhaps I made reservations slightly earlier.”
“So that is the case. Then it seems Xue Ying wrongly judged a gentleman with the mind of a petty person.”
“Not at all.”
After a round of polite exchange, just as Wang Yu intended to continue speaking, a breeze carrying a faint fragrance swept past, accompanied by the crisp ringing of bells.
A woman descended from midair. Her hair was styled in a Lingxu topknot. She wore a bright blue inner robe patterned with snowflakes, concealing all her graceful curves.
A white mink collar wrapped around her shoulders. A white fine-fur cloak draped over her, covering her tightly. She slowly landed before them.
She had ice-blue eyes. Her face was snowy-white and smooth without makeup. Her small and delicate lips curved in an elegant arc as she nodded toward him.
“Elder Wang Yu, little sister Xue Ying. I did not expect the two of you to become neighbors. At least this trip was not wasted.”
Wang Yu was still puzzled.
Xue Ying, however, revealed a surprised expression.
“Senior sister Yan Ling, did you come to find Xue Ying for something?”
Yan Ling?
In Wang Yu’s mind surfaced the graceful silhouette he once saw at Spider Mountain. Though he did not see her true appearance then, he had already guessed her identity.
By age, Yan Ling was more than ten years younger than Xue Ying, yet was addressed as senior sister.
Among cultivators, the strong came first. Whoever had higher strength was the senior, so such forms of address were normal.
As for Xue Ying, possessing the Heavenly Ice Spiritual Root, she was not inferior to Yan Ling’s Heavenly Water Spiritual Root and was even more suitable for Cold Blood Peak’s inheritance.
Yet she had not become a true disciple, merely an ordinary inner sect elder.
Thinking of her elder Flying Snow True Personage, and that fleeting glance from the past, the mysteries surrounding this woman were indeed many.
This was not the time to explore them.
Wang Yu cupped his fists at Yan Ling and asked, “May I ask for what purpose the personal disciple Yan Ling has sought me?”
“I heard Elder Wang Yu returned to Cold Blood Peak yesterday and already attained the title of Twelve Elder Candidate.”
“That is correct.”
Just as he finished speaking.
Wang Yu felt a faint gaze on him. It was Xue Ying.
She had clearly thought of the so-called earlier reservation he mentioned moments ago.
Thinking carefully, Wang Yu had only returned to the sect yesterday. There was no earlier reservation. It was simply something he said to smooth things over.
Yan Ling continued. “Elder Wang Yu is a prodigious talent. You have just become a Cold Blood Elder, yet already possess such a title. Becoming one of the Twelve Elders is only a matter of time.”
“Not at all. I have only just reached Core Formation. How can I compare with the current Twelve Elders? I am far from that.”
“Elder Wang is too modest. Within the peak, very few oppose your appointment as candidate elder. You must have received the tacit approval of the Zuoqiu and Zhuo clans.”
Hearing this, and sensing those ice-blue eyes fixed directly upon him, how could Wang Yu fail to understand Yan Ling’s intent.
She simply wished for him to join her faction.
Yet he still did not fully understand the factions within Cold Blood Peak, so he had to remain cautious.
Today was only his second day here, and her arrival this soon was unexpected. Moreover, Yan Ling was already the personal disciple of the Cold Blood Peak Master.
Her status on the peak was second only to one person.
Why act so urgently?
As he pondered, Yan Ling exchanged a glance with Xue Ying. The latter immediately spoke.
“Senior sister Yan Ling, Daoist Wang Yu, why not come into Xue Ying’s humble abode for a seat? We can drink tea and speak slowly.”
“Then I shall follow little sister’s suggestion. Elder Wang?”
“Very well.”
He was quite curious about the two of them. Besides, his cave mansion was still under intense construction and he had nowhere else to go, so he might as well gather some information about the situation within the peak.
A short moment passed.
A cup of ice cold Snow Spirit Flower Tea slid down his throat. The tea was smooth and lightly fragrant, with a long aftertaste and a hint of honeyed sweetness. Its mind-clearing effect was outstanding.
After savoring it, Yan Ling took the initiative to speak.
“I remember that the alchemist Tantai was also introduced by Elder Wang. She even delivered a letter for Fellow Daoist Jiang. Why is she acting so unfamiliar toward Yan Ling now.”
It was not a matter of familiarity or unfamiliarity. It was a matter of whether he wished to involve himself in the internal power struggle of Cold Blood Peak.
“Your Highness Yan Ling must be joking. I do know Alchemist Tantai, but I cannot control her will. It was only because Your Highness displayed extraordinary means that she was drawn to your side.
“As for delivering a letter, I have no recollection of such a thing. Perhaps you remembered it incorrectly.”
Wang Yu spoke smoothly and fabricated nonsense with ease.
His words not only confused Xue Ying but also made Yan Ling momentarily dazed. She inwardly cursed him, then let a flawless smile bloom on her face.
“Yan Ling heard that Elder Wang returned only yesterday and visited the treasuries of all peaks in search of a type of spiritual material. Could it be this one.”
Yan Ling took out a treasure.
Its entire body was azure blue, its surface glimmering with a glassy sheen. It was exactly what Wang Yu lacked, the Glazed Azure Goldstone.
Although pleasantly surprised, Wang Yu did not take it immediately.
Instead, he pondered and said, “May I know what Your Highness wishes Wang to help with.”
“I…”
He had treated the matter as a mercenary transaction. This rendered Yan Ling speechless. She believed Wang Yu absolutely understood her intention, yet he refused to acknowledge it.
After thinking for a moment, she lifted her brow.
“Elder Wang should know that whenever the sect treasury is replenished, Nascent Soul cultivators look through it first, followed by the personal disciples of the nine peaks, and then the elders.
“In the future, if you require any treasure, you may come to me. If I happen to be unavailable, you should be able to guess what will happen.”
The meaning was clear.
If he refused, obtaining desired spiritual materials in the future would become uncertain.
This was not Yan Ling targeting him. Rather, someone else wanted to make things difficult for him, and she was discreetly informing him of this.
Within Cold Blood Peak, the strongest faction was definitely the alliance of Zuoqiu and the Zhuo clan. But there were still other groups. It was impossible for all of them to have no hostility toward him.
Anyone with ambition for the title of one of the Twelve Elder Candidates would surely find chances to trouble him. His foundation was shallow, and Yan Ling’s foundation was not deep either.
If the two joined forces, it would strengthen her bargaining chips and grant them real power.
The path Yan Ling was walking was very similar to the plan Wang Yu had initially made for himself. He had simply abandoned the true disciple route, while Yan Ling succeeded.
She, like Wang Yu, was a grassroots cultivator.
Wang Yu’s father was a mortal, and Yan Ling was even an orphan picked up from somewhere. For all they knew, she might have been a child abducted from Taihu.
The demonic path was filled with crimes. Such things were not impossible.
After hesitating for a moment.
Wang Yu suddenly turned his head toward Xue Ying, who was holding a teacup and sipping in small mouthfuls. His sudden action startled her, and a blush rose to her cheeks.
She truly did not look like a cultivator of a Exalted Sect.
“Fellow Daoist Xue Ying, what do you think of Her Highness Yan Ling’s words.”
“Fellow… Fellow Daoist Wang Yu, why ask me.”
Wang Yu smiled.
“I have heard that those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots are blessed by fortune, and what they think is often correct. What is your view.”
This statement was of course nonsense.
Otherwise, Luo Chen would not have fallen so foolishly. Yan Ling, who knew this detail, frowned slightly, unable to discern the exact relationship between Wang Yu and Xue Ying.
In fact, this was Wang Yu’s method of building rapport.
Speaking too deeply with someone you barely know was taboo, yet people often liked making decisions for others. Regardless of whether it was right, they longed for acknowledgment.
Xue Ying’s innocent manner suggested that if she was not pretending, she had been overly protected since childhood, like a flower raised in a greenhouse, with a bit of social anxiety.
He felt that her Heavenly Ice Root must have been enhanced later in life, likely after the death of True Personage Flying Snow.
Aside from drawing closer to her, this was also a test of her relationship with Yan Ling. Everything depended on how she chose.
“If I must choose…”
As Xue Ying struggled with the situation, her ears twitched slightly. She heard Yan Ling’s transmitted voice. Her expression grew steadier, and she replied with slight embarrassment.
“I think… Elder Sister Yan Ling’s words make sense.”
“Good.”
Having received her response, Wang Yu did not hesitate.
He decisively accepted the Glazed Azure Goldstone. He indeed needed this spiritual material to refine his life-bound artifact, and the sooner the better. His prior indirect dealings with Yan Ling were not false.
He knew she was someone able to judge the times. When selecting a collaborator, they did not need to be exceptionally intelligent, but they must know when to advance and when to lie low.
In this aspect, she outperformed Su Yulong. At least she would not be dragged down by baseless trouble.
The conversation afterward was much lighter.
Having achieved her objective, Yan Ling stayed only half an hour before taking her leave. Meanwhile, Wang Yu’s cave mansion was still under construction.
Xue Ying hesitated several times, then invited him to stay for a few days.
This showed that their earlier conversation had made progress, yet Wang Yu declined. Construction was construction, but living in the cave first was not an issue. He had always been practical about his environment.
After taking his leave, he met with the construction team and made several more requests, all of which were fulfilled. Only then did he enter the cave in the rock wall with satisfaction.
He could now begin refining the Glazed Iceheart Tower and the Fengshui Compass.
He waited a moment longer.
Day thirty-one of Elder Wang Yu’s career.
On this day.
A sudden surge of brilliance erupted. Wang Yu’s mana upper limit reached one thousand strands. He successfully broke through to Core Formation third layer.