Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Acting Sect Leader, Choice is Greater Than Effort

Of course, the most important development was Gu An’s cultivation breaking through to the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm.

Even though the Cyan Yuan Sect had become a subordinate of the Merak Sacred Land, it still needed an expert of this caliber to hold down the fort. The gap between the Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens and the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera was considerable.

Liu Xuan was now taking most of the experts to the Merak Sacred Land to establish a firm foothold. Only by doing so could they secure a bright future.

Once they were established in the Merak Sacred Land, they could send people back to hold down the fort in the Cyan Yuan Sect, taking turns. Moreover, if anyone’s Martial Arts Cultivation happened to break through during this time, that would be even better.

The initial period would be rather difficult, but as long as they made it through, their future would be limitless.

After Liu Xuan presented the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, Gu An agreed without much hesitation. An elixir of this caliber wasn’t easy to obtain, even within the Merak Sacred Land.

In fact, Liu Xuan had asked the three Supreme Elders if one of them would stay behind. However, even after taking the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, they had failed to break through to the Cleansing Marrow Grandmaster Realm. With their lifespans dwindling, they naturally wanted to go to the Merak Sacred Land to seek a chance for a breakthrough.

None of them agreed, of course. The final result was that the last remaining Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was used to persuade Gu An to stay behind for a few years, buying everyone more time.

Liu Xuan never considered entrusting this task to someone from the Merak Sacred Land. From the Cyan Yuan Sect’s perspective, the people of the Holy Land were all outsiders. If one of them took control of the Cyan Yuan Sect, he would very likely lose it as his power base.

After all, besides his position as a Peak Master, the sect was the biggest trump card he had after joining the Merak Sacred Land.

If another Secret Realm were to appear within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, he would be able to get involved at the earliest opportunity.

Burning one’s boats was a last resort for desperate situations. He wasn’t at that point yet, so naturally, he didn’t need to make such a choice.

"Soon, I will have another identity within the Cyan Yuan Sect: Acting Sect Leader. I will be temporarily in charge of the sect’s internal affairs."

"This is for your ears only for now. Don’t spread it around. The announcement will be made before the Sect Leader and the others depart for the Merak Sacred Land."

"This is also why I was able to promise you a viewing of the Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture."

"For the time being, just carry on as usual. Focus on your alchemy and your cultivation."

Gu An looked at Yang Chan and dropped another bombshell, one that was also meant to put his mind at ease.

’Once Liu Xuan secures his position as Peak Master in the Merak Sacred Land, the so-called Acting Sect Leader will likely be promoted to official Sect Leader.’

’Furthermore, the Cyan Yuan Sect’s affairs will ultimately be decided by Gu An’s will alone.’

Although Gu An hadn’t stated this outright, Yang Chan understood the implications.

He didn’t actively involve himself in the sect’s internal affairs, content for the most part to just be an Intermediate Pharmacist, but he was keenly aware of all the underlying connections.

Since he wanted to avoid being sent on too many external missions, he had to understand the sect’s complex internal relationships to steer clear of trouble.

"Rest assured, Hall Master. I will focus on my cultivation and alchemy during this time."

Since everything had been made so clear, Yang Chan naturally didn’t say anything more.

He could have tried to press for more benefits, but there was no need. It was enough to get what he wanted; pushing for more might make things unpleasant.

If he made Gu An unhappy, Gu An could make him unhappy in return. Knowing one’s limits was crucial.

...

「Yuanqing Courtyard.」

After leaving the Medicine Preparation Institute, Yang Chan headed straight for his residence.

He paid no mind to Gu An’s subsequent meetings with other disciples, as they were all just Official and Elite Disciples.

The Elite and Official Disciples were all eager to join the Merak Sacred Land, but upon arrival, they would likely only become Outer Disciples. Their status would be just a notch above Servant Disciples, and the Cultivation Resources available to them wouldn’t necessarily be better than what they had in the Cyan Yuan Sect.

"Pharmacist Yang."

After leaving the Medicine Preparation Institute, Han Bingyu went straight to Yang Chan’s residence. Her inquiries had revealed that the disciples eligible to go to the Merak Sacred Land were generally summoned by their respective Hall Masters to receive more information about the Holy Land.

"Things will proceed as usual for now. No changes."

Seeing Han Bingyu, Yang Chan naturally knew what she wanted to ask.

Han Bingyu was bound to be concerned about news of the Merak Sacred Land, especially since he was a prime candidate to go.

"I understand. I’ll make the arrangements."

Hearing Yang Chan’s words, Han Bingyu immediately understood his meaning.

’As usual’ meant things were staying the same. No changes. That meant he wasn’t preparing to go to the Merak Sacred Land.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed. Because of Yang Chan’s promise, if he went to the Merak Sacred Land, she would have a good chance of going with him and seeing a true Holy Land for herself.

If she joined the Merak Sacred Land, her own future prospects would expand immensely.

She was particularly optimistic about Yang Chan’s future; by following him, she was certain her own path would take her much further.

With his potential, if Yang Chan could establish a foothold in the Merak Sacred Land, the resulting benefits would be unimaginable.

She would only need a tiny fraction of those benefits, and reaching the Inner Refining Grandmaster realm would be no problem. Even becoming a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster would be possible.

’Choosing the right path is more important than hard work. With a good backer, my starting point could be the finish line for those who toil endlessly in their cultivation.’

"The Han Family has already begun collecting Spirit Medicines. A batch will be delivered in three days."

"Also, I’ve informed the Han Family about what you said—that you can’t exchange a large quantity of elixirs for assisting Inner Refining Grandmaster Level cultivation. They have no objections."

"Elixirs and ointments that assist with External Cultivation are also acceptable."

Han Bingyu relayed the intelligence from the Han Family, information she’d received while Yang Chan had been in his meeting with Gu An. After Yang Chan had told her about Gu An’s new restriction on providing elixirs for Inner Refining Grandmaster cultivation, she had naturally passed the message along to her family.

Since the directive came from the Cyan Yuan Sect’s Medicine Hall Master, no one dared to disobey. Besides, even elixirs and ointments for External Cultivation were very helpful to the Han Family, who stood to gain a lot from them.

To the Han Family, elixirs that aided Inner Refining Grandmaster cultivation were considered Superior Elixirs, while those for External Cultivation were Middle Level elixirs. The demand for the latter was, in fact, much greater.

There weren’t many Inner Refining Grandmaster experts in Qing State, but there were plenty of masters at the External Refining Level. The most numerous of all were Martial Artists who had just managed to comprehend Power.

Of course, this didn’t even count the ordinary people who had yet to comprehend Power.

Therefore, having a sufficient supply of External Refining Level elixirs was an excellent source of Cultivation Resources for the Han Family.

Furthermore, the medicinal efficacy of the Spirit Medicine from Taiyin Heaven wasn’t as good as that from the Silver State Secret Realm. This was because the Spirit Medicine sent out of Taiyin Heaven was all from the outer regions, with limited potency. The truly valuable Spirit Medicine lay deep within Taiyin Heaven.

One had to brave the many dangers within Taiyin Heaven to have any chance of obtaining it. On the other hand, the quantity of ordinary Spirit Medicine was much greater, and it naturally needed to be consumed.

Once a Spirit Medicine was picked, its medicinal effects would slowly diminish without proper preservation methods, eventually becoming extremely weak or even useless.

Therefore, unless one intended to use it personally, they would sell it off as quickly as possible; otherwise, its value would plummet.

"Good. You can handle the Han Family’s side of things as usual. When the Spirit Medicine arrives, just take stock of it, and then I’ll have the elixirs and ointments sent over."

Yang Chan nodded, not giving it much thought. He left these trivial matters for Han Bingyu to handle.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask?"

Yang Chan was inspecting a few stalks of Spirit Medicine he had brought back from the Medicine Hall and Pharmacy, but he soon noticed a change in Han Bingyu’s expression.

He noticed because, under normal circumstances, Han Bingyu would have taken her leave after finishing her report. The fact that she was still lingering was something his senses picked up clearly.

"Pharmacist Yang, even if you can’t join the Merak Sacred Land this time, there will be other chances."

"With your Talent, you will definitely be able to join the Merak Sacred Land, become one of its members, and go much further."

Han Bingyu looked up at Yang Chan, her body drawing closer as she spoke in a comforting tone.

As she spoke, she pulled his head into her embrace, as if she could see right through him and knew he was in a bad mood.

Yang Chan was taken aback by her action.

If he hadn’t sensed that she bore him no ill will, he would have stopped her immediately.

’I have to say, they really are magnificent,’ he thought, inhaling a fresh, fruity fragrance. He was intimately familiar with this particular fruit, having tasted it many times. ’Once peeled, the fruit was always translucent and crystalline. A single bite would release a torrent of sweet juices that left him utterly satisfied.’

As Han Bingyu held him, Yang Chan quickly understood what was happening.

She was obviously trying to comfort him for not being able to join the Merak Sacred Land. In the eyes of many, he should have been among the first group to go.

The thought made him not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, how could he pass up such a ripe fruit when it was offered so freely?

With a single hand, he peeled away the thick outer layer, revealing the translucent flesh within. He took a bite, and the taste was as satisfying as ever.

It was a generous portion, and he partook of it with great pleasure.

The fact that there were two such fruits, allowing him to switch between them, made it even better.

Han Bingyu entered Yang Chan’s study and didn’t emerge, even after night fell. The maids were very considerate; aside from delivering some food and preparing hot water, they didn’t go near the room.

Princess Lan Yue sighed when she saw this. She had come over to get an update from Yang Chan.

She had already heard about the Cyan Yuan Sect’s general arrangements from others—the news had spread quickly since so many people were involved. However, only a high-level figure like Yang Chan would know the more secret details.

The Medicine Hall Master had personally met with Yang Chan’s group and had even spoken to him alone afterward. He was bound to know more, which was why she had come to learn the specifics.

If Yang Chan was going to the Merak Sacred Land, she had to find a way to convince him to take her along rather than abandon her.

She knew full well what would happen if she were abandoned. As things stood, she had no power to resist; if left behind, she wouldn’t survive.

But with no one emerging from the room, she had no opportunity to speak with him. Unless...