In the next few days, Li Xing stayed behind closed doors, focusing intently on her work while also guiding the Ning siblings. With the addition of Ning Zhun and Ning Yao, the pharmaceutical production sped up significantly. At this rate, they hoped to ship out all the goods before the second round of the competition ended.
For the next competition, no matter what, they couldn’t just market their products openly to the public.
On the evening of the sixth day of the holiday, Li Xing received a ssage from Chu Yunyi.
//Chu Yunyi: Ah Xing, I’m really sorry, but the repair of the bracelet has to be postponed.//
//Fragile Little White Flower: Why?//
//Chu Yunyi: There’s a rare material called Southern Celestial Eye that I haven’t found yet. I used the Chu family’s connections to send out a bounty to the entire rchant Guild of the Qianyuan Continent, but unfortunately, there has been no response so far.//
//Fragile Little White Flower: What is Southern Celestial Eye?//
//Chu Yunyi: Southern Celestial Eye is a rare mineral. It’s as thin as paper but extrely hard, capable of resisting various elental attacks.//
//Fragile Little White Flower: How much does it cost to purchase?//
//Chu Yunyi: Southern Celestial Eye is sold by the gram, with the market price being two million star coins per gram. When the market is tight, the price can double or triple.//
//Fragile Little White Flower: Do you have any pictures?// Li Xing was prepared for the worst. If she couldn’t buy it, she would find it herself.
//Chu Yunyi: I don’t have any. But Southern Celestial Eye is easy to recognize. A whole piece of it looks like an egg. Unfortunately, the best quality Southern Celestial Eyes on the market are all in fragnt form.//
Huh? Looks like an egg? Could it be...?
Li Xing opened the Tian Xia Yi Pin Spiritual Pendant and found the box that used to contain three thousand lotus seeds. It was full of broken eggshells. Li Xing casually picked one up and sent a picture to Chu Yunyi.
//Fragile Little White Flower: Does it look like this?//
//Chu Yunyi: Southern Celestial Eye!?//
Chu Yunyi had never seen such a large piece of Southern Celestial Eye in his life.
//Chu Yunyi: Where did you get it?//
Li Xing: Emmmmm... How was she supposed to explain that she had three thousand of such scarce and expensive materials?
//Fragile Little White Flower: Uh, I picked it up while hunting in the forest when I was little. I kept it because it looked interesting. I didn’t expect it to be Southern Celestial Eye, hehe!//
After a long while, Chu Yunyi sent a ssage.
//Chu Yunyi: Datang really is a geomantic treasure land, finding even near-perfect Southern Celestial Eye there. I must visit it soti!//
Li Xing: (︶.̮︶✽) Hug a little, you’ll be disappointed if you really go.
//Fragile Little White Flower: Now that we have the Southern Celestial Eye, shall we proceed as planned?//
//Chu Yunyi: Okay.//
Early the next morning, Li Xing arrived at Tian Yi City and went straight to the agreed location. When she got there, Chu Yunyi was already waiting.
"Captain Chu, you’re here so early."
"Outside the competition field, I’d prefer you call Brother Chu."
"Ah? Oh, okay."
Li Xing’s response pleased Chu Yunyi, and he nodded, taking out sothing to hand to her.
"This is a Disguise Mask. It will make it easier to get things done."
Li Xing placed the mask over her face. The mask, as soft as silk, imdiately adhered to her skin, feeling natural and delicate to the touch.
To others, Li Xing now appeared completely ordinary. Although her features weren’t unattractive, they no longer stood out, and she’d be unrecognizable in a crowd. Chu Yunyi was similarly transford, appearing as a regular young man after donning the mask.
Feeling the soft and smooth mask that seed to rge with her skin, Li Xing exclaid, "This is really sothing!"
Had she known such a magical tool existed, she wouldn’t have been so awkwardly observed by the people of Datang.
"Brother Chu, where did you get this mask?"
"This is a Disguise Mask developed by Wan Tong Departnt Store. Currently, only the standard male and female appearances are available for sale."
Li Xing was extrely surprised. How could even disguise masks be made standardized?
Perceiving Li Xing’s confusion, Chu Yunyi explained, "In the past, there had been too many incidents of people committing cris with disguises, causing significant problems. Consequently, the Qianyuan Continent once banned the use of Disguise Masks and Concealing Cloaks that hinder identity recognition. However, in certain situations, or for specific groups, the use of Disguise Masks and Concealing Cloaks is indispensable. After decades of negotiation and evaluation, the Federation Governnt decided they could be used at auctions, secret etings, and similar venues."
"The production and sale of Disguise Masks are entirely controlled by the governnt. To prevent misuse for framing and deception, the governnt requires all Disguise Masks to be made using the sa template."
Li Xing: "So if soone sees our appearance, they’ll know we’re wearing a Disguise Mask?"
Chu Yunyi nodded with a smile.
Li Xing was speechless. This mask was no different in essence from the cheap plastic masks sold for a few coins in Yi Wu. She couldn’t understand why the people of Qianyuan went to such lengths to make them so exquisite and realistic.
"Disguise Masks can only fool those below level A spiritual power. Even so, many people still choose to wear them when going out. After all, Tian Yi City is the center of power and wealth, with many celebrities. No one wants every action closely watched."
Li Xing could relate to this feeling—being watched everywhere she went was indeed difficult to endure.
Although wearing a mask was akin to announcing that the person seed suspicious and should be closely watched, according to Chu Yunyi, many people in Tian Yi City traveled under the guise of a mask. So, they wouldn’t stand out, and Li Xing went along with it.
"Let’s go to the Heaven-Reaching Tower."
Arriving at the destination, Li Xing looked up at the gigantic white spire and murmured, "Isn’t this the Elder Council?"
Although it wasn’t the sa route from last ti, Li Xing wouldn’t mistake the white spire-shaped building.
Chu Yunyi explained, "You’re not wrong. The Elder Council is located within the Heaven-Reaching Tower, although their entrances are different. To be precise, the Elder Council is affiliated with the Heaven-Reaching Tower. The visible tower body is rely the base level. The middle and upper levels are covered by arrays and cannot be seen with the naked eye. How many levels the entire Heaven-Reaching Tower has is only known by the Tower Guardian and the ten Great Elders."
"Oh, so that’s how it is. Weren’t you going to repair the Glazed Pearl for ? Why are we here?"
"There’s a specific area within the Heaven-Reaching Tower dedicated to talisman masters. They can use the Fire Rune to create extrely high-temperature flas to lt raw materials. High-level talisman masters go there to refine artifacts and repair weapons."
Oh? That seed similar to the Earth Fire Room principle in the cultivation world.
"I see, then let’s go inside quickly!"
"The entrance of the Heaven-Reaching Tower has a talisman array. You must not harbor malicious intent when entering, or the array will instantly kill you. Stay close to and don’t be nervous."
After Chu Yunyi finished speaking, he stepped into the imposing and majestic door like that of a temple, disappearing from sight.
Li Xing, feeling a tad apprehensive, mimicked Chu Yunyi’s actions, crossing through a water-like defensive formation, vanishing from her original spot.
The chill on her body dissipated, and Li Xing knew she had passed through the defensive formation. She looked around and found herself in an extraordinarily spacious hall.
Contrary to her expectations, the hall had no guards. In a corner, an old man in gray sat cross-legged. The old man was small, with no trace of spiritual energy around him, appearing no different from an ordinary person.
Seeing Li Xing successfully pass through the talisman array, Chu Yunyi signaled her to remove her mask and follow him as they headed towards the gray-clad old man.
Chu Yunyi reached the old man’s front, kneeling and saluting respectfully, "Ninth Uncle-Grandfather."
The old man opened his eyes. A film of white veiled his eyes, covering the pupils—a blind man.
"Ah, it’s Yun Yi! I heard from Brother Baili that you were injured so ti ago. I was worried and thought of finding a day to visit you. Seeing you today, I know you’re all better. Very good!"
Chu Yunyi bowed his head, "Thank you, Ninth Uncle-Grandfather, for your concern."
When Chu Yunyi knelt down, Li Xing also followed his example. Based on her experience in the cultivation world, the guardians of places like the Treasure Pavilion and Scripture Pavilion were always formidable, similar to legendary sweeping monks.
The Heaven-Reaching Tower was the most confidential and sacred place on the Qianyuan Continent. Guarding its entrance alone, this old man was definitely not simple and must be treated with respect.
The old man’s eye pupils shifted slightly, precisely looking at Li Xing, and asked, "Hmm, there’s a girl here too? She looks quite pretty."
Li Xing: ... Is this old man really blind or not?
"I’m Li Xing, junior, paying respects to the senior."
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