CHAPTER 24: White-Browed High-Legged Spider

Pill-refining pills can be shared, but not a single spirit stone can be spared.

Even though she had made a decent profit at the black market a few days ago, Yu Youyou still decisively refused.

The smile on Kuang Langsheng’s face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his enthusiasm and pitched his case with even more fervor—

“Junior Sister Yu, don’t reject me so quickly! I’m telling you, my acting skills are really good. If you don’t believe me, just wait—once we find the right opportunity, I’ll play dead. If no one sees through it, then you can cooperate with me and act it out once more. How about that?”

Of course, Yu Youyou wouldn’t agree. Paying a thousand spirit stones just to make the Yunhua Sword Sect disciples shut up?

Absolutely not.

After all, she didn’t need to spend any spirit stones to make those sword cultivators shut up. If they were willing to pay a thousand spirit stones daily, Yu Youyou would even personally teach them how to taunt people effectively.

Calling someone “useless trash” or “weakling” was too basic and dull.

The gamblers at the black market had a much sharper edge—just a simple “Master Bald” seemed respectful on the surface but struck straight at the heart. Every time Yu Youyou heard it, she felt an ache in her tailbone.

….

Three days later, cultivators from the three sects gathered before Yunhua Sword Sect’s mountain gate and boarded a massive cloudship, heading toward the eastern outskirts of the Everlasting Forest to acclimate before the upcoming Four Realms Tournament.

Since the destination was particularly dangerous, two elders from the Pill Cauldron Sect accompanied them.

Elder Ma sat right beside Yu Youyou. Across from them were several unfamiliar sword cultivators from the Yunhua Sword Sect.

Unlike Jiang Yuan, they did not hurl insults, but for some reason, ever since Elder Ma took his seat, their gazes had been locked onto the old man with unwavering intensity.

Yu Youyou could even see their subtle glances at each other, the slight nudges of their elbows as they struggled to contain their excitement.

She understood what those looks meant.

“So this is the elder from the Pill Cauldron Sect?”

“Tsk, this is the elder that Lady Yu visited in the middle of the night?”

“Ew…”

Elder Ma felt utterly uncomfortable under their stares.

He wasn’t deluded enough to think these sword cultivators admired him.

Yu Youyou heard him muttering under his breath, talking to himself, “Did I owe them spirit stones? No, that can’t be. I haven’t been to the Yunhua Sword Sect in over a hundred years… Did I owe their grandfathers spirit stones?”

“…”

Yu Youyou decided it was best not to tell him the truth.

….

The cloudship flew westward from Yunhua Sword Sect for half a day. As the sun began to rise, someone suddenly let out an exclamation.

“I see it!”

Curious, Yu Youyou stood up and walked to the edge of the ship to look out.

On the horizon, a streak of lush green appeared. As the cloudship drew closer, that green expanse widened, stretching endlessly. Finally, everyone saw the forest in its full glory.

At some point, Qu Qingmiao had moved to stand beside Yu Youyou.

In a soft voice, she said, “That is the Everlasting Forest.”

“A thousand years ago, there was a place called the Central Province, located in the heart of the Four Realms. It was prosperous and rich, receiving tributes from all four regions. However, due to the ravages of war, the Central Province was destroyed, and over time, it became a desolate forest.”

“No one knows when it started, but mutated spirit beasts began appearing in that forest. To escape their attacks, the people of the Four Realms kept retreating, allowing the forest to expand further and further, until it became the vast unclaimed land you see today.”

Yu Youyou raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, squinting as she noticed faint figures moving at the forest’s edge.

As the cloudship landed, those figures swiftly approached.

Qi Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise, “There are even our Pill Cauldron Sect senior brothers here?”

“Senior brothers? Call them Elders,” Su Yizhi corrected. “Can’t you see they’re wearing the same robes as Elder Ma?”

Sure enough, Qu Qingmiao stepped forward, greeting them with a respectful bow. “Elder Gou, Elder Lu.”

Only then did Yu Youyou and the others learn that to prevent spirit beasts from breaking through and harming civilians, the three major sects had stationed many elders and disciples at the eastern entrance of the Everlasting Forest.

White-clad sword cultivators, blue-and-white-robed alchemists, and gold-armored shield cultivators stood watch at the forest’s perimeter, their colors blending together in an unyielding barrier.

Every single one of them carried an air of solemnity. Even the two elders from the Pill Cauldron Sect, who had accompanied the cloudship, merely gave brief words of encouragement before soaring into the sky once more, patrolling the vast expanse of the Everlasting Forest.

These stationed cultivators were all elites of their respective sects—every single one of them at least at the Golden Core stage, with no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators among them.

For the young disciples who had just arrived at the border, this was difficult to comprehend.

After all, in the cultivation world, a Nascent Soul cultivator was a revered figure. Many medium-sized sect leaders only had Nascent Soul cultivation, yet here, they were as common as cabbages—no attendants, no special treatment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Golden Core disciples.

“The three major sects of the Eastern Realm enjoy the richest resources, so naturally, they must bear the heaviest responsibilities,” Qu Qingmiao said, her sharp brows slightly raised as she gazed at her fellow disciples stationed at the border. “Once I reach the Golden Core stage, I, too, will need to serve here for ten years.”

Hearing this, Qi Nanfeng immediately turned to Yu Youyou, his tone solemn. “You better hurry up.”

Yu Youyou blinked. “What do you mean?”

Qi Nanfeng patted his chest. “I’m already close to the late-stage of the Qi Refining realm, while you’re still in the mid-stage. If I reach the Golden Core stage while you’re only at Foundation Establishment, we won’t be able to guard the border together!”

Yu Youyou: “…”

You’re still in the Qi Refining stage, and you’re already planning for your Golden Core future?

….

After verifying their identities, the young disciples who had come for the trial were led to the entrance of the Everlasting Forest.

Before entering, disciples of the three sects were required to hand over all magic treasures stored in their spatial pouches.

“Aside from the spatial pouch, sword cultivators are only allowed to bring their swords, shield cultivators their shields, and pill cultivators their alchemy furnaces.”

Qi Nanfeng was a bit puzzled. “Why can’t we bring anything else? I specifically bought some talisman scrolls a few days ago to use in the Four Regions Tournament.”

“Because the previous tournament had people who thought exactly like you.” Qu Qingmiao had an indescribable expression. “You’ve all probably heard that the cultivators of the Southern Region are the wealthiest, right?”

“Three years ago, the Southern Region cultivators each carried multiple high-grade magic treasures and hundreds of talisman scrolls. The moment they entered the Eternal Ancient Forest, they started bombarding the beasts with offensive talismans. While the cultivators from the other three regions were still cautiously exploring the dense forest, the Southern Region cultivators had already flattened their entire area to the ground.”

Needless to say, the champions that year were, of course, the wealthy cultivators from the Southern Region.

“That’s just shameful!” Qi Nanfeng said indignantly. “The Four Regions Tournament is meant to temper us young cultivators, yet these people were trying to take shortcuts!”

And not only did they take shortcuts—they even blew up the entire path behind them!

“You actually have such awareness? Not bad.” Qu Qingmiao looked at Qi Nanfeng in surprise and even praised him.

Then, when she saw what Qi Nanfeng pulled out of his spatial pouch, she fell into silence.

An entire box full of talisman scrolls, at least a thousand in total.

And he called that “just a few”?

Even more outrageous, he had also prepared three sets of soft bedding, complete with blankets and pillows, as well as an assortment of exquisite pastries. He even brought a mosquito net.

“Huh? When did you buy this?” Yu Youyou looked at the mosquito net—it even had an embedded mosquito-repelling spirit array. It was actually a low-grade magic treasure!

“I specifically bought it yesterday—for you, actually. I figured the forest would be full of mosquitoes,” Qi Nanfeng said, sounding regretful. All for nothing now.

Yu Youyou also felt regretful. She patted her good brother on the shoulder and pointed at what she had taken out from her own spatial ring. “Actually, I also bought three mosquito nets with spirit arrays.”

For once, she wasn’t stingy when it came to keeping mosquitoes away.

Yu Youyou’s spatial ring couldn’t hold too many items. Since all her medicinal herbs had been used up, she had only taken out a few things.

Qu Qingmiao picked up a bottle labeled as a special fur-care balm for beastfolk, her expression slightly puzzled. “Why did you buy this?”

A nearby sword cultivator elder also glanced over. “Isn’t this something only beastfolk use?”

It was rather strange for a human cultivator to have something meant for beastfolk in their spatial pouch.

Before Yu Youyou could answer, Su Yizhi had already pulled out an identical bottle from his own spatial pouch.

With absolute certainty, he declared, “This stuff is great for hair care. I applied a layer after washing my hair last night, and today my hair feels incredibly smooth. And her hair is so long and healthy precisely because she uses this!”

Yu Youyou, whose tail was indeed balding but whose hair was undeniably thick and lush: “…Mm.”

“Really?” The sword cultivator elder, who had thinning hair, didn’t question it further. However, he did take an extra glance at the label on the bottle.

Yu Youyou had a strong suspicion that he was trying to memorize the name of the fur-care balm.

After all their magic treasures were confiscated, the three sects’ cultivators set off toward the outer perimeter of the Eternal Ancient Forest.

Though this area had only expanded into forestland in recent years, for some reason, the trees here were extraordinarily dense. Their overlapping leaves formed a thick canopy, allowing only a fraction of the blazing sunlight to filter through, casting the area in a dim and secluded atmosphere.

It looked like an ordinary dense forest, but everyone knew—this was the perilous Eternal Ancient Forest.

The three major sects of the Eastern Region had a clear division of responsibilities. The cultivators of Heaven’s Shield Gate held their massive shields and walked at the front. The sword cultivators spread out in the middle, their swords at the ready. Meanwhile, the pill cultivators and Kuang Langsheng, who was in charge of the rear guard, walked at the back.

As Yu Youyou walked, a massive hoe suddenly appeared on her shoulder, even taller than she was.

Kuang Langsheng was startled. “How did you bring that in? Weren’t pill cultivators only allowed to bring their alchemy furnaces?”

“Because this isn’t a magic treasure—not even made from spiritual materials.” Yu Youyou calmly carried the hoe on her shoulder. “It’s just an ordinary herb hoe.”

“They can’t possibly expect us pill cultivators to dig up spiritual herbs with our bare hands, right?”

Typically, sword cultivators would help pill cultivators collect spiritual herbs. However, judging by how Jiang Yuan and the others had ignored them ever since entering the Eternal Ancient Forest, getting their help was impossible. It would be lucky if they didn’t throw out some sarcastic remarks instead.

Just as she thought that, Jiang Yuan turned around and glanced over. It was only when he had heard the Pill Cauldron Sect disciples call her “Junior Sister Yu” on the flying vessel that he realized this little girl was the same beggar who had embarrassed them earlier.

The three people from the Pill Cauldron Sect that he disliked the most were all here together. Jiang Yuan felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed an unflavored fasting pill.

He snorted coldly. “It might just be us Eastern Region cultivators in this trial, but once we reach the Four Regions Tournament, if you keep acting like this, you’ll only disgrace our Eastern Region!”

Yu Youyou replied lazily, showing no intention of putting the hoe down. “No worries. The more you lose face, the more you get used to it.”

Kuang Langsheng, rather than feeling embarrassed, actually looked on enviously. “I should get a mortal’s broadsword for myself too.”

Jiang Yuan: “….”

What kind of bizarre teammates had come to this year’s Four Regions Tournament?

…

The surrounding noise and excited discussions never reached Yu Changan’s ears.

There were only eleven sword cultivators present today—one was missing.

That person was Yu Nianrou.

Last night, Yu Changan had intended to have his sister join the trial, since she had never given up on the idea of participating in the Four Regions Tournament. However, when he mentioned the trial to her, Yu Nianrou was too afraid of her facial wound being seen—afraid of getting injured by the beasts again. No matter how he tried to convince her, she refused to come.

Yu Changan thought that if she didn’t take the opportunity to familiarize herself with the Eternal Ancient Forest now, it would be a huge problem when the Four Regions Tournament officially began. He suggested that she could wear a veil and still participate.

Just this one sentence seemed to have struck a sore spot for Yu Nianrou, making her cry and throw a tantrum for the entire night.

She cursed the Pill Cauldron Sect for failing to heal her wounds, cursed the elders of the Yunhua Sword Sect for not realizing she had been injured by a mutant beast, cursed Jiang Yuan for not protecting her at the time, and in the end, even her younger brother, Yu Changan, was not spared—she scolded him for forcing her to go out and embarrass herself.

Finally, their mother ordered him to apologize to his sister and coaxed Yu Nianrou by promising that their father would soon return to find medicine for her, only then did she finally calm down.

Such occurrences were not uncommon on the Undying Peak—they had been going on for nearly half a year now.

The young man’s mind was still entangled in last night’s commotion, his expression clouded with gloom. His footsteps slowed bit by bit until he gradually fell behind the other sword cultivators.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air behind him.

At the same time, a hoe, still caked with soil, came slashing diagonally toward his head!

“What are you trying to do?!”

Jiang Yuan, the strongest among them, noticed the subtle disturbance and turned back, shouting angrily to stop it.

However, he was too far away, and the hoe had already swung down.

In that instant, Yu Changan’s mind went completely blank. Having trained in the sect since childhood and never truly fought anyone, he actually forgot to draw his sword!

But the expected pain never came—only some dirt splattered onto his face.

He instinctively touched his cheek and dazedly looked at the frail girl before him.

She was gripping the hoe with both hands, still holding the posture of a bent-knee strike.

And beneath the hoe lay a massive spider, now split neatly in two after being struck down.

A faint black aura lingered around the spider’s body—it was subtle, but clearly, this was no ordinary creature.

“It’s a mutant beast!” Kuang Langsheng exclaimed.

“Are you stupid? That’s not a beast. This is a mutant arachnid—specifically, a White-Browed High-Legged Spider.” Qi Nanfeng clicked his tongue and precisely reported its name.

Jiang Yuan, who had rushed over, suddenly halted his steps. His expression turned complicated as he glanced at Yu Youyou, saying nothing.

Yu Youyou had already straightened up, taking one look at her hoe in distaste before wiping off the black-green ichor on the surrounding weeds.

She called out, “Su Second, the rest is up to you.”

The fair-skinned boy she addressed immediately stepped forward. He efficiently rolled up his sleeves and retrieved a small white porcelain bottle from his storage pouch, beginning to collect the spider’s secretions.

He was exceptionally delicate-looking—almost like a young girl, his features exquisitely refined. Despite being the youngest among them, he was anything but squeamish. Instead of being repulsed, he even looked pleased, as if he had stumbled upon treasure.

He even took the time to explain to the others, “If anyone gets bitten by this kind of spider later, its secretions can be refined into an antidote.”

Yu Changan slowly snapped out of his daze.

Lifting his head, he looked at the girl who had just saved him, words stuck in his throat.

Meanwhile, Yu Youyou slung the now-clean hoe back over her shoulder. Though she made a show of disliking Su Yizhi’s filthy hands, she still grinned and ruffled his hair.

From start to finish, she never once looked at Yu Changan.