"We have a lead!"

The shout brought Wu Qiu hurrying over. Concerned about their research, Su Xuan quickly followed.

"Pill Master Wu, we've compared numerous case files and finally found a clue!" The assembled Pill Masters and Physicians spread several scrolls before Wu Qiu and Su Xuan. One of them pointed to a particularly ancient scroll. "This scroll is the record of a patient from a hundred years ago. He had the exact same symptoms: abnormal bone growth resulting in spurs that pierced through his skin!"

"Excellent!" Wu Qiu picked up the scroll and read it closely, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Su Xuan's gaze also fell upon the scroll, and his face became just as somber.

"We've clearly found the cause of the condition," Wu Qiu said to Su Xuan. "According to the record, the Five Elements within the patient's body were imbalanced. His Wood element was too vigorous, causing his bones to grow beyond their normal limits. Therefore, to cure the patient, we must suppress the Wood element in his body. Nephew Su, do you understand this?"

"I understand," Su Xuan nodded. In Taoist teachings, the human body was a composite of the five elements, existing in a state of perfect balance. If any element became abnormal, it would manifest externally as a disease, be it common or severe. Traditional medicine and its herbal remedies also adhered closely to the principles of the Five Elements, treating illness through the lens of mutual support and suppression.

"This patient died," Su Xuan stated suddenly. He had seen the final entry on the case file. It read: *Patient, deceased.*

In other words, they didn't manage to cure him.

"Well, this patient's family wasn't wealthy," Wu Qiu explained to Su Xuan, looking somewhat awkward. "His family's financial situation couldn't support continued treatment. Besides, this record is a century old; we should be able to cure it now. Just a moment, let me see which famous physician wrote this and if there's any follow-up treatment recorded..."

The record hadn't been written by a Physician or Pill Master from the Floating Cloud Sect. It was a well-known case study, circulated throughout the world above the mountain like a reference book from the world below. But with the patient's death, no subsequent treatment methods had been recorded.

"Xie An?!" Wu Qiu's expression changed when he found the author's name. "How could it be him?"

"Who is he?" Su Xuan asked, seeing his reaction.

"He was the Third Elder of the Jiuding Pavilion," Wu Qiu said. "Jiuding Pavilion is a sect that specializes in pill refinement, and this Third Elder was an Earth Grade Pill Master. A hundred years ago, he was incredibly famous!"

"Is he still alive?" Su Xuan asked.

"He passed away ten years ago, having lived for more than 180 years." Wu Qiu shook his head, his expression strange. "He died of... bedroom affairs."

"Uh..." Su Xuan was astonished. To live for over 180 years was a feat in itself, but to die from *that*!

He still had the ability at that age? That's insane!

Seeing the look on Su Xuan's face, Wu Qiu chuckled. "It's not so strange. In the world above, nearly everyone cultivates, including Pill Masters. We tend to live long, and our prowess in... that area is also quite formidable!"

"Oh," Su Xuan nodded.

I'm cultivating now, too. Does that mean I'm also formidable? But that's not something you can really describe...

"So, Pill Master Wu, now that we know the cause of the illness, do you have a way to treat it?" Su Xuan asked, getting back to the point.

"That... is a bit difficult." Wu Qiu pointed to an annotation in the case file, looking embarrassed. "In the later stages, the patient was already taking high-grade elixirs. This is also why he went bankrupt. Those elixirs are extremely expensive, and ordinary Pill Masters can't refine them..."

"And you can't refine them either?" Su Xuan glanced at the white-haired Wu Qiu.

"Ahem..." Wu Qiu's voice dropped to a whisper. "This old man is only a Profound Grade Alchemist. I can occasionally craft mid-grade elixirs, but I haven't reached the level required to refine high-grade ones."

"Su Xuan, Pill Masters are ranked according to Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow," Qi Li explained from the side. "Heaven Grade is the most powerful, followed by Earth... Among those present, other than Elder Wu, who is Profound Grade, the rest of us are Yellow Grade."

"I see." Su Xuan sighed in frustration. So none of these old men are actually up to the task. He could understand, though. The Floating Cloud and Controlling Spirit Sects were small, after all. They clearly couldn't afford to support high-level Pill Masters.

"Although we don't have a solution, that doesn't mean no one does," Wu Qiu said. "Xie An had a disciple who inherited all his knowledge—his biological son, Xie Cheng. His pill refinement skills are even greater than his father's. If you find him, there will definitely be no problem."

"Where is Xie Cheng now?" Su Xuan asked.

"He's also at the Jiuding Pavilion. He inherited his father's position and is now also the Third Elder," Wu Qiu replied.

"So I should go find him?" Su Xuan asked.

"Yes, find him and your worries will be over," Wu Qiu nodded, then added, "However, his fees are very high. Compared to his father, he is truly a case of the student surpassing the master."

"How high?" Su Xuan inquired.

"An initial consultation costs ten thousand Moon Profound Stones," Wu Qiu said. "If you need him to refine pills after that, the price is up to him. I estimate it would be at least another fifty thousand Moon Profound Stones."

"I..." Su Xuan's mouth fell open. "I don't have a single Moon Profound Stone."

In the world below, he was a billionaire many times over, but in this world above the mountain, he was as poor as dirt. It was a shame the system had given him a superhuman learning ability but no way to make money. What am I supposed to do?

"We'll give you the Moon Profound Stones!" Qi Li suddenly declared with great generosity. "Didn't my father and the others go to survey that Moon Profound Stone lode? If the lode is real, we'll have plenty of stones, won't we?"

"Then thank you very much," Su Xuan said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Once this is all settled, I'll find a way to bring some resources from the secular world to repay you."

"Don't worry about it!" Qi Li waved a dismissive hand. "If it weren't for you, the Floating Cloud and Controlling Spirit Sects probably wouldn't even exist anymore. A few Moon Profound Stones are nothing to be polite about."

"Where is the Jiuding Pavilion?" Su Xuan, taking him at his word, didn't stand on ceremony any longer. "Once I have ten thousand Moon Profound Stones, I'll pay a visit to this Xie Cheng."

"The Jiuding Pavilion isn't far." Wu Qiu pointed to the west. "To the far west, there's a circular mountain range called the Eighteen-Fold Mountains. The Jiuding Pavilion is on the fifth mountain. From the Floating Cloud Sect, it's a three-day journey."

"Good." Su Xuan nodded and gazed outside.

I hope Qi Qingshan finds that lode, and I hope it's rich with a limitless supply of Moon Profound Stones. At the same time, I really wish there was a way to connect the economies of the world above and the world below. Then I could just use my own money.

Just then, a disciple burst into the room. "Bad news!" he cried out breathlessly.

"Sect Leader Qi found the lode!"

"But he's gone missing inside it!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.