Chapter 151: Odd

The pill medicine still had not been produced. Wang Tong saw that Kong Hou was not calm and sent her to teach the newly joined disciples. His reason was so that the new disciples would recognize her.

Kong Hou also wanted to calm down and avoid influencing Huan Zhong. This time, Splendid Cloud Sect had recruited a dozen disciples of good talent. Their conduct and style of talking were very suitable to Splendid Cloud Sect.

After being immersed in cultivating for these years, Kong Hou was skilled at tactics during fighting. She knew a little bit about divination and pill making. She knew more about forging and had learned gradually from Huan Zhong many forging methods. Luckily, the new disciples did not need to learn these others. Otherwise, she, as the "elder" would have no face. 

The majority of new disciples had never seen Kong Hou before but they had heard of her legend. Energy Refinement and Base Building in five years, Mind Activation when travelling two years, and bewitching the famed sword cultivator Spirit Master Zhong Xi so that Radiance Sect wanted to have a marriage alliance with Splendid Cloud Sect. Five Flavors Manor and Cool Breeze Sect also chose to join Splendid Cloud Sect because of Kong Hou.

The new disciples that had coincidentally seen Kong Hou heard the surrounding discussion. Just as they wanted to say that Kong Hou Shijie was not extremely beautiful, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside.

They hurriedly sat properly and did not dare to make a sound.

Dressed in a grand flowing dress, the young woman climbed the stairs with a smile on her face. Her beautiful features made people think of a half-blooming cherry blossom, a pear flower glistening with dew, a kind of beauty that was not pressuring.

"Greetings to Kong Hou Shijie."

"No need for such courtesy. Everyone, sit down." Kong Hou's gaze swept the group and looked serious as though she was memorizing everyone's features. "I have never taught other people. Today, I will talk to everyone about my daily cultivation habits, on how to spend the least amount of time to draw in more spirit energy. But before speaking of all this, I must warn everyone that cultivation is not convenient and easy. If someone tells you he can let your cultivation grow overnight, if you can beat him, beat him viciously, and do not be softhearted. If you cannot win, call on your fellow disciples to help you fight. This kind of shameless liar just lacks a beating."

Kong Hou's words caused the new disciples to laugh out loud. When she started talking of other things, they listened to it all.

After morning classes ended, Kong Hou walked out of the teaching hall under the yearning glances of the disciples and encountered Wu Chuan who was walking over.

"Wu Chuan Shixiong." In the years Kong Hou spent in Moon Star Sect's small world, Wu Chuan's cultivation had reached Mind Manifestation Stage. She stopped in her steps and smiled apologetically. "I am very sorry for not being able to attend Wu Chuan *Shixiong's Mind Manifestation ceremony."

"That is all right. Path Friend Zhong Xi sent a very valuable gift on your behalf." Wu Chuan's usually stern face showed a slight smile. "You can frequently see it, but Path Friend Zhong Xi sending gifts is a rare event."

Kong Hou: "…"

The two laughed for a while. Wu Chuan wanted to ask Kong Hou about the pill medicine but did not voice the question in the end.

 "The clouds in the sky are changing…"

Wu Chuan lifted his head up at Kong Hou's words. The clouds were red and mixed with purple. It looked as though a precious treasure was about to appear. Over there was Daybreak Cloud Peak. Could it be…

During his momentary daze, Kong Hou turned into a stream of light to fly towards Daybreak Cloud Peak.

"Kong Hou Shimei!" Wu Chuan hurriedly followed and chased her to the outside of Daybreak Cloud Peak's pill making room.

The purple clouds in the sky grew denser and showed signs of lightning. Wu Chuan pulled out his sword and said, "Shimei, be careful—this is a pill ordeal."

Some pills were too valuable and important, so they would cause pill ordeals. Splendid Cloud Sect's pill making building would be struck by lightning every few decades. Wu Chuan was used to dealing with this phenomenon.

"Pills also have ordeals?" Kong Hou held Phoenix Head in her hand. Her expression grew more worried. "What to do?"

"We cannot let the lightning damage the pill cauldron. Otherwise, the pill medicine will be ruined." The wind stopped but the clouds continued to roil. Wu Chuan's expression was grave. "The lightning ordeal does not appear relaxed. We have to be careful."

 As he finished, a lightning bolt came down. Before Wu Chuan could react, he saw Kong Hou fly out, and wave her sleeve to reflect the lightning back.

 Wu Chuan silently put his sword back in its scabbard. He felt he had no need to act.

A second, a third, a fourth.

Each lightning bolt was blocked halfway. Wu Chuan looked at the young woman standing proudly in the clouds. He reached out and rubbed his arms. He could not touch the world of geniuses.

The presence of others appeared behind him. Wu Chuan looked back. Huan Zhong had appeared outside the pill making building at some unknown time. He wore brocade robes but his hair was not in his coronet. He appeared to have come in a hurry.

Wu Chuan looked at him but he did not look at Wu Chuan. His eyes stared at the young woman in the sky and he wanted to fly next to her.

"Do not go there." Spirit Master Nameless opened the door and blocked him. "You cannot rashly use spirit energy in five days before eating the pill medicine. Miss Kong Hou's cultivation is greater than I imagined. There will be no problems. Even if she cannot withstand it, Splendid Cloud Sect has so many people. They will not let anything happen to her."

When he said this, he glanced at Huan Zhong. "She is doing her best to make you well. If you are a man, you will accept this goodwill."

Huan Zhong took back his step forward. In this span of time, Jin Yue, Wang Tong and Heng Yan all rushed over. Jin Yue flew next to Kong Hou without even thinking and swung his sword to block a lightning bolt.

Kong Hou was covered in black ash after being struck. Seeing Jin Yue, who was stronger than her, come over, she put away Phoenix Head without any hesitation. She bowed to Jin Yue and said, "Thank you Sect Master Jin Yue. This junior bids farewell."

She could not let herself end up too disheveled. Otherwise, Huan Zhong would worry.

Jin Yue: "…"

Seeing Kong Hou return, Huan Zhong took out a handkerchief to wipe away the black ash on her face. "Are you wounded?"

"I am fine. The first few bolts were not very powerful." Kong Hou looked up at Jin Yue who was using his lifebond sword to block the last bolt of lightning. "Sect Master Jin is so good to you."

Huan Zhong wiped the corner of her mouth and said in a gentle tone, "Master taught me from childhood. Master is both teacher and father to me. Master treats me like his son." He gave a new handkerchief to Kong Hou and looked silently at Jin Yue.

The ninth bolt of lightning came with a destructive momentum. Jin Yue managed to cut the lightning in half with just a sword. The power of the ordeal lightning disappeared. This was the power of a Transcendental cultivator.

The pill making building was shrouded in purple energy. The cries of dragons and phoenixes came from the purple energy and light flashed.

"The pill has formed!"

"It's formed!"

Kong Hou, who should have been the most excited, looked dazedly at the door. It had formed?

Was she dreaming or was this true?

Qing Yuan came out, carefully holding a pill medicine. They hadn't even blinked in the last few days in order to make this pill.

 The pill was purple and gold in color with clear patterns like a dragon and phoenix twisted together. The heaven and earth, the harmony of dragons and phoenixes. This pill had ingredients that came from the sky, from the ocean, and also from the mountains and land. Those ingredients appeared random but made life when placed together.

The opportunity for life was so rare. No wonder it would cause a pill ordeal.

Qing Yuan put the pill medicine in Huan Zhong's hand. "It is best to eat this as soon as possible. Quick."

Huan Zhong held the pill medicine and didn't immediately swallow it. He looked with a smile at the dazed Kong Hou. "Kong Hou."

"Ah?" Kong Hou's eyes widened as she looked at Huan Zhong.

Huan Zhong pulled her hand and placed the pill medicine in her palm. "Could you feed this to me?"

She had given him this opportunity. His body and heart naturally belonged to her.

Kong Hou finally felt a sense of reality when the round pill medicine lay in her palm. She blinked, her eyes turning red. She said, sobbing and laughing, "You are so old, but you still fear eating medicine."

"Someone once said to me it is not embarrassing to play cute with people important to them."

"Yes, I said it." Kong Hou put the pill medicine into Huan Zhong's mouth. "You can play cute with me for an entire lifetime."

When the pill medicine entered his stomach, the meridians in his organs started to rebuild. Spirit energy surged towards his spirit platform and the cracks started to heal. The spirit platform was the most important place for a cultivator. There would be great pain when one's spirit platform was injured slightly, much less when using spirit energy to forcibly heal a long-formed crack.

Huan Zhong sweated in pain but he was happy about the pain. He knew he could stay longer with Kong Hou and walk further with her.

The one in pain was Huan Zhong but Kong Hou was as pale as Huan Zhong. She pulled at Huan Zhong's sleeve and didn't feel when her fingernails broke the skin of her palm.

"Zhong Xi, it will be fine once you last this little while." Jin Yue also had a thin layer of sweat as he barely managed to keep the composure and calm of a sect master. "Sit up cross-legged and organize the spirit energy in your body. Make sure there is no obstruction in the circulation of spirit energy between your spirit platform and your meridians."

Kong Hou inhaled deeply and forced herself to release Huan Zhong's sleeve. She sat down cross-legged next to Huan Zhong, and started to channel spirit energy alongside him.

Then everyone saw the spirit energies of the world form a sphere around Huan Zhong and Kong Hou. Spirit energy continued to circulate between the two of them. They appeared to be one, and not two.

 Finding a pair of people that could perform universal paired cultivation was once in a thousand years. This was because people with suitable auras might not be able to trust each other unreservedly. And people that could trust each other so much may not have such an opportunity.

Being able to trust each other completely was too hard.

Heng Yan and Wang Tong stood together. He said to Wang Tong, "Wang Tong Shidi, these two young people are a match in heaven."

A gaze could lie to people, words could lie to people, but the spirit energy during universal paired cultivation could not lie to people. If these two were not connected in mind unreservedly, spirit energy could not flow so smoothly.

Huan Zhong and Kong Hou could not hear the conversation outside. They were in a profound state. Especially Huan Zhong. His cultivation had not advanced at all due to the problem in his spirit platform, but his mentality had grown stronger due to the hardships. He learned to love and to be loved. He learned to appreciate the beauty in the world and the delight in life.

When his spirit platform recovered completely, the ordeal clouds that had dissipated in the sky gathered again.

"An ordeal?!" Wang Tong stared. "Zhong Xi's cultivation is about to advance?"

Kong Hou and Huan Zhong opened their eyes at the same time. Kong Hou quickly kissed Huan Zhong's cheek. "I will protect you."

Huan Zhong nodded. "Wait for me."

"All right." Kong Hou stood up and retreated outside the range of the ordeal lightning.

##

At the base of Splendid Cloud Mountain, the disciples of Five Flavors Manor looked at the ordeal clouds that had appeared on the mountain and discussed among themselves.

"Is Splendid Cloud Sect planning to split their mountain?"

They had been struck by lightning just an hour ago. Now they were doing it again?

"Maybe they think that their houses are too old and are planning to rebuild?"

 The disciples of Five Flavors Manor were watching, and the people of Harmonious City also squeezed onto the streets to see. Some people had already put out pots and pans for the spirit rain that came after a successful ordeal surpassing.

An outsider squeezed in and asked with a fawning smile, "Which great power of Splendid Cloud Sect is having their ordeal?"

The surrounding people glanced at him. "Why are you asking this?"

"I am just curious, just curious," the outsider said. "I heard that Kong Hou is about to marry Spirit Master Zhong Xi. I came to watch."

"Oh." The members of Harmonious City nodded and continued to watch.

The outsider: "…"

Didn't they say the people of Harmonious City liked to watch spectacles and knew many things that other people didn't? Why didn't they talk?

"The lightning's coming, coming!"

"This lightning is so bright. Last time, when Transcendent Wu Chuan was advancing, it didn't seem so frightening?"

"It cannot compare. It appears that it is an elder of Splendid Cloud Sect that is having their ordeal this time."

 "I think the same."

The outsider listened slightly and watched the ordeal clouds in the sky with a changing expression.

"Why would an elder of the sect suddenly have an ordeal?"

The eyelids of the outsider flickered. "Didn't you hear the evil cultivators are invading? Maybe this elder has to level up because of the evil cultivators?"

 Hurriedly advancing in cultivation, even by relying on pill medicines, was not as stable as relying on one's true strength and mental state. Also, after this time, their cultivation could not advance again. They essentially gave up on the hope of ascending.

It appeared that Splendid Cloud Sect was deciding to give up.

The outsider hurriedly walked out of the crowd towards the gates of the city.

Before he reached the city gates, several people beat him into the ground and he was tied up.

The outsider cursed. "What do you want?"

 "You won't watch such a great spectacle. If you are not blind, you have other intentions." The men who had tied him up smiled coldly. "Do not curse at us. Even if you become hoarse, no one will help you. We just have to give you to the transcendent to determine your innocence."

The outsider: "…"

Damn your grandfather. Harmonious City was such an odd place!