“Why are you all here again?”

  Fei’s luck was the worst kind. The very people he dreaded running into always seemed to appear. The quirky old man in front of him—solemn as ever, turning good intentions into disasters—was the last person he wanted to face.

  But Yue Yang’s condition couldn’t be explained openly. From the snippets of conversation he’d overheard, they already knew she could speak now.

  “Deacon Lan assigned us the case—it’s still open,” one of the apprentices said earnestly. “Yue Yang told us we’d find her here.”

  “Yue Yang told you…” Deputy Deacon Zhang eyed them suspiciously. Seeing their serious faces, he huffed and ushered the group inside the spirit herb nursery without further delay.

  The moment they crossed the threshold, dismay crashed over them. Rows of mature awakening spirit herbs—plants that should have pulsed with vibrant, multicolored auras—lay shriveled and lifeless.

  “My herbs!”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang darted between the beds, mustache bristling in fury. He frantically tried to prop up the wilted stalks, but they slumped back down, every trace of vitality drained away.

  “Where’s the culprit? Spread out—that way!”

  “It looked like Old Bai’s mute girl, Yue Yang. How did she suddenly become so quick?”

  Voices echoed from deeper in the nursery. A team of cultivation physicians seemed to be chasing a fleeting figure through the labyrinth of racks, but the shadow vanished before they could close the distance.

  Fei stared at the desiccated herbs, shock rooting him in place. Had Yue Yang truly done this? What was she trying to achieve? Questions stormed through his mind.

  Lulu Gan observed the devastation with an enigmatic expression. She’d already pieced it together—Yue Yang was in deep trouble.

  The scene mirrored her own essence surge three years ago. Back then, fever had scorched her body; medical scans turned up nothing.

  Little Lulu had raced through the wards, drawn irresistibly by the scent of spirit herbs. Hunger had overwhelmed her.

  Invisible, she’d slipped into the nursery, devoured several stalks, and downed an entire vial of spirit essence supplement.

  Three hours later, she’d cleared the Trial Realm and shattered the record.

  That single day catapulted her from awakening peak to initial essence stage. Whispers of the Gan family prodigy spread from the medical division straight to Regiment Leader Yi’s ears.

  Instead of punishment, he’d ordered Fei to give her special training—and even allowed her on squad missions.

  The “little scout” nickname stuck. Peers eyed her with envy. No more apprentice camps; she bustled about like a miniature adult every day.

  Now, amid the anxious faces, Lulu remained composed.

  True, this destruction far outstripped her own mischief—ruthless and thorough—but one thing was certain: Yue Yang was on the cusp of awakening.

  Could Sister Yue Yang be a genius too…?

  The thought crossed her mind just as Deputy Deacon Zhang whirled toward them, eyes bulging.

  “These herbs were the foundation for the next batch of apprentices’ awakenings! Gone—just like that! We poured days and nights into nurturing them…”

  His voice cracked. Then realization struck. Trembling, he pointed deeper into the nursery at the physicians trailing him.

  “You lot—hurry to the Spirit Spring Cave! Check there, now!”

  At his command, the physicians surged forward eagerly. The cave was normally off-limits to all but the elite.

  Rumors abounded: even inhaling the premium herbs’ essence within could grant massive breakthroughs for initial-stage essence users.

  They jostled through the racks, racing to reach it first.

  By then, Yue Yang had reached the nursery’s far end. A translucent curtain billowed gently in the warm breeze, emblazoned with stark characters: Forbidden Grounds.

  Shouts from pursuing physicians echoed behind her. She didn’t pause—stepping straight through.

  She expected another storage chamber. Instead, a hidden paradise unfolded: pebble paths crunched underfoot, summer-like warmth enveloped her, steam rose from bubbling pools.

  She detected sedatives in the vapors—mind-numbing agents. But to the spirit lord within, they were insignificant.

  “What are you doing?” Yue Yang demanded inwardly, halting mid-stride. “This is the physicians’ forbidden zone!”

  “I told you—I’ll give you everything,” the spirit snarled. “Stop doubting me. Or go back to being mute. I can wait until you’re withered and alone… then claim this body fully.”

  “No innocent blood.”

  “Not yet.”

  Her clenched fists relaxed. For now, she yielded control, heart racing with tension—and intoxicating thrill—as power flooded her veins.

  She pressed onward through the mist, inhaling fragrant air. The soft trickle of streams confirmed the water’s extraordinary purity.

  Ahead, a curtain of water seeped from overhead rock fissures.

  Beyond it: an arched cavern sealed by a specialized metal door. Rich scents wafted from tiny gaps.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  She touched the surface—essence vanished instantly. No spirit power responded. The handle bore a complex password lock.

  “Essence-sealing ore,” the spirit mused, almost amused. “Clever, for a place like this. Good thing we’re awakened enough now. Still… I want to see inside.”

  Yue Yang stepped back, attempted to flicker through—and rebounded off the gleaming black metal.

  Footsteps approached. A scornful smile touched her lips as she fell still, back turned.

  “Yue Yang? Is that you?”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang’s voice carried concern. The physicians followed cautiously, awestruck by the cavern’s beauty.

  Yue Yang’s reputation had always been impeccable. Even after the herb theft, worry outweighed anger—they feared she’d finally broken under unbearable grief.

  Earth Mother’s death, Feng Yi’s fall, Wan Lin’s demise, Timo Yang’s confinement under Iron Law… the losses piled endlessly upon her.

  “Uncle Zhang,” Yue Yang said calmly, without turning. “I’m no longer the girl I was. I’ve glimpsed the Trial Realm. You should be happy—soon I’ll be an essence wielder.”

  With that, she glanced into the distant mist. The Trial Realm’s gateway shimmered into her vision.

  Without hesitation, she stepped through.

  “Could Sister Yue Yang be a genius too?” a physician murmured. “Essence suppressed for years—finally erupting?”

  “She’s already entered the Trial Realm.” Another beamed despite himself. “We’ve cultivated for decades… yet nothing matches a genius’s spark!”

  Envy spread. They drew deep breaths of the crisp air, hoping for breakthroughs.

  “Useless!” Deputy Deacon Zhang barked. “If it were that simple, I wouldn’t have needed Old Bai’s help to reach essence peak. The mist is toxic—breathe shallow!”

  They clustered closer, noting the protective shimmer of his water essence field.

  Fei, however, saw it differently from the rest.

  So far, the spirit inside Yue Yang hadn’t spilled innocent blood.

  When she emerged, she’d be an essence wielder. Such explosive growth would invite scrutiny—and if flaws surfaced under questioning, complications would only snowball.

  Entering the Trial Realm was a life-or-death gamble. Some never returned. Others emerged changed—twisted in ways no one could predict. A rare few blazed through in hours.

  The thought tightened Fei’s chest. His own trial had dragged on for three grueling days and nights.

  The hardest barrier for him had been the trial of the heart. Even now, he shoved those memories deep.

  Fei was eighteen; Yue Yang nineteen. He’d awakened his talent at eleven.

  It took him six years to reach awakening peak, and only last year had he broken through to initial essence stage.

  After hitting peak, he’d buried himself in grunt work—anything to earn merits, trade for points, and secure priority access to the Trial Realm.

  For a big guy like Fei, the labor was easy. But for slower-developing kids, it was brutal.

  He never slacked despite his natural edge. To catch up to Feng Yi, he trained harder than anyone.

  Everyone saw him as gifted and relentless. Parents held him up as the example: “Why can’t you be more like Fei?”

  To the children, he was a hero—second only to Feng Yi himself.

  Back then, Yue Yang and Feng Yi had grown close. Feng Yi was five years older, a decorated senior. Fei knew he couldn’t compete openly. He just pushed himself harder in silence.

  Half his drive over the years had come from that quiet rivalry.

  The moment he became an essence wielder, Feng Yi was still the first person he wanted to surpass.

  Then yesterday… news of Feng Yi’s death hit like a blade.

  Fei hadn’t taken longer because of poor talent. No—he’d followed his father Yong Yuan’s teachings to the letter: physical foundation always came first.

  Years of brutal body training had slowed his essence cultivation. But today, even with essence sealed, few could get close enough to touch him.

  Still, six years to breakthrough was rare in the outer zones. Resources were the real bottleneck—especially after reaching awakening peak.

  Scarcity was why essence wielders had dwindled there. Some, desperate to survive, turned dark—draining others’ spirit roots.

  Fei’s parents had warned him early. That’s why he earned resources through sheer physical labor, leaving his guaranteed share for the slower kids.

  For centuries, the Watch Regiment’s territory had thrived—rich spirit veins, fair management, unity inside and out. Outsiders and foreign clans had tried to invade countless times. None succeeded.

  But Fei knew the rot had started the day his father died. Internal threats and external evil cultivators had been moving in the shadows ever since.

  Now, with Yue Yang’s spirit root restored and her essence exploding overnight, the medical division gained a new essence wielder. Good news—if the ghost spirit didn’t control her.

  Fei paced in tight circles. If she emerged changed, twisted… striking her down here might be the only mercy.

  But this was physicians’ forbidden ground. If he didn’t leave, Deputy Deacon Zhang would never budge.

  Fei sighed, glancing up at the towering rock overhead. Then it hit him—Yue Yang hadn’t come here by accident. She had a purpose.

  “Uncle Zhang… that cave in there—it’s the Spirit Spring Cave where premium spirit herbs are grown, right?”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang nodded. His thoughts mirrored the other physicians’: sheer disbelief at the mute girl’s sudden transformation.

  “The enhancement potions and spirit recovery agents your scout teams use—they come from herbs nurtured here. Incredibly precious. In critical moments, they can save lives.”

  Fei couldn’t agree more. He’d pushed high-tier earth essence yesterday thanks to one.

  “Against that high-tier Evil Cultivator—it made all the difference. Let me unleash the advanced Earth Rift technique.”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang’s mustache twitched with approval. The boost had exceeded his expectations.

  “The potion is too potent—once every three days at most. No exceptions these next two days.”

  Fei nodded. That potion had saved him. When the mountain watcher never showed, it had given him the burst to summon his mother.

  “Don’t worry—Deacon Lan already warned me. Uncle Zhang… there’s something I don’t understand. Can I ask you privately?”

  He lowered his voice, glancing around. The others were too busy gawking at the paradise to notice.

  Fei grabbed the deputy deacon’s arm and tugged. The skinny old man looked comically like a child being dragged by an elder.

  Deputy Deacon Zhang flushed—undignified in front of the others. He yanked free with surprising strength.

  Then he spun toward the gaping physicians still inhaling deeply.

  “Get moving! Prepare new seeds—we’ll be working overtime replanting awakening herbs these next days. Stop gawking!”

  At his bark, they scattered, murmuring as they left the forbidden zone.

  Fei overheard snippets: “Yue Yang was hiding her depth all along—no wonder Old Bai favors her.”

  Once alone, Deputy Deacon Zhang turned back. “They’re gone. Ask.”

  Before he finished, Fei slung an arm around his shoulders like old buddies.

  “Just hypothetically… if someone absorbed every rare herb in there, would it skyrocket their cultivation?”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang eyed him sideways. The scout teams were disciplined—no way Fei planned theft. He answered honestly.

  “Of course. But some combinations are lethal. Like that demonic poison powder stolen recently—mixed with black widow venom and toxic spirit herbs. Doubled potency. Absolute forbidden substance.”

  Lulu Gan, edging closer for gossip, froze at “demonic poison powder.” She quickly pretended to hunt for clues elsewhere.

  “Setting poisons aside,” Fei pressed carefully, “if someone absorbed only the beneficial premium herbs… could it push them straight to essence peak?”

  Deputy Deacon Zhang grew wary. He’d dreamed the same once.

  Possible, yes—but impossible without an essence envoy-tier physician guiding the process.

  He’d only managed a few stalks himself, thanks to Old Bai’s help.

  “It can be done,” he admitted, “but not without an essence envoy overseeing. No chance otherwise.”

  He folded his arms, staring gravely at the sealed metal door.

  “These herbs aren’t kept here just for the spirit vein. The real reason… these plant spirits absorb surrounding essence.”

  His tone darkened.

  “That includes essence from anyone below mid-stage essence wielder. Any living creature, really.”

  Fei’s eyes widened. He’d never heard this.

  “You’re saying… the premium herbs eat people?”

  “Not flesh—just essence. A person can live without it. But in a danger zone? Essence drained means death all the same.” He paused. “That’s why I always agreed with your father. Body training first—always.”

  Fei’s face tightened. To reach mid-stage essence, he’d need mid-tier resources.

  The only way: officially submit the missing children case.

  Doing so would strip him and Lulu of independent investigation rights.

  Fei stepped back instinctively. He was only initial stage—close enough to risk drainage.

  。

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