Chapter 13 (Additional Content)

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Gong Wenzhi was an elder at the Dao Court. After the secret realm of the Battle of the Deer was announced, he should have had a period of relative ease without pressing matters. Yet, some disciples cornered him at the Dao Court.

These disciples had come to protest.

“Elder Gong, we hope the sect will seriously consider Qi Miao’s safety.”

“Elder, I heard Qi Miao has not yet broken through the Fusion Stage. If she encounters life-threatening danger outside, what are we to do?”

Rubbing his ears numb from the noise, Gong Wenzhi repeated over and over, “Qi Miao is an inner disciple of the Refining Workshop. Her participation in the Battle of the Deer secret realm is reasonable and compliant, and it is the sect leader’s decision.”

After a whole day of commotion, he finally drove away these noisy brats.

With his ears finally at peace, Gong Wenzhi sighed in relief and muttered along with other elders similarly besieged, “Qi Miao also owes us money. Do these disciples think we want her to go into the secret realm?”

Indeed, sending Qi Miao to the secret realm was the sect leader’s decision. Unlike the resource veins, the secret realm carried risks but also forged cultivators, helping them grow.

So, Qi Miao’s entry into the secret realm was settled.

Other elders, equally vexed, echoed in agreement, “Yes, why don’t they go talk to the sect leader, or to Qi Miao herself!”

Of course, Qi Miao had been sought out as well.

But before dawn, she had already gone to the Refining Workshop to prepare to craft a light sword, unaware of the secret realm’s announcement.

When her creditors came to her dormitory and contacted her through spiritual tablets, she was seated at her desk, writing and sketching.

Around the desk lay scattered papers, all covered with strange drawings and various numerical notations.

These were discarded designs for improving the light sword.

The cultivation world was unlike the interstellar realm; there were no ready-made parts for Qi Miao to assemble. With her current precision in qi control, making a light sword required starting from the most basic steps.

After revising more than a dozen versions, Qi Miao finally stopped, satisfied. Running through the process in her mind with no hesitation, she took out a piece of Void Crystal from her storage pouch, bowed her head in concentration, and let spiritual energy flow.

Gradually, her dark eyes revealed the internal structure of the crystal. In the next moment, the spiritual energy transformed into an invisible blade, slicing the Void Crystal into dozens of small cubic pieces, each about the size of a fingernail.

Fang Xiaoyu had given her a whole raw stone.

Only a small piece was needed to make the light sword; the rest would serve as backup energy sources.

Qi Miao placed the leftover fragments and backup energy cubes into her storage pouch, then picked up the Meteorite Stone.

Now came the truly difficult part.

Qi Miao was so engrossed in the Refining Workshop that she lost track of time. When she finally stepped out, it was already late at night on the second day.

Hungry and famished, she rushed to the communal kitchen and devoured two bowls of rice fiercely before she barely revived.

Slowing her pace to eat, she couldn’t help but think of the Nutrient Capsule. But its engineering was infinitely more complex than the light sword. She considered it briefly, then reluctantly suppressed the thought.

She had spent two days making a single light sword; the Nutrient Capsule could wait for another time.

After finishing, Qi Miao pulled out her spiritual tablet to see if the elders had replied.

Her tablet lit up, flooding her face with countless messages. She blinked, eyes wide.

The last time she saw such a flurry was when her creditors had first come knocking.

Had something else happened during her two days of forging?

With a mix of anxiety and curiosity, she scanned the messages, her confusion turning into silence.

Well, there was no need to ask the elders if she could enter the Battle of the Deer secret realm—the answer had already come from her creditors.

They had found out before she did that she was allowed to enter.

One after another, they messaged her in detail about the many dangers of the secret realm, warning that a single misstep could mean death.

Qi Miao blinked. Though none explicitly forbade her, it was clear they did not want her to risk herself in the secret realm.

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Qi Miao understood why her creditors were reluctant, but she had no intention of backing down. She had initially planned only to go to the Battle of the Deer to improve her situation. Her recent work on the light sword and the Void Crystal had only strengthened her resolve to undergo the trial in the secret realm.

The Cangwu Sect had provided her with many conveniences, but an artificer’s work required money in many places. She couldn’t always rely on the same methods to obtain the materials she needed...

After reading all the warnings from her creditors and noting the possible dangers, she thanked each of them for their concern and said, “I will be careful.”

Those who finally received her reply were speechless.

They sent more messages, but Qi Miao didn’t read them. She put away her tablet. With so many creditors, replying was harder than forging.

If she tried to chat one by one, she wouldn’t have finished before the secret realm appeared.

After eating, Qi Miao left the communal kitchen and summoned her spirit beast to return to Xuanyue Peak.

But as she stepped into the dormitory courtyard, a sharp sword sliced the air toward her. Qi Miao’s pupils contracted sharply, her fingers instinctively pressing the light sword.

“Tsk, Meng Xiaoci, stop! That’s Qi Miao.”

Another slender figure flashed like lightning beside Qi Miao. She hesitated and did not draw her light sword.

Gan Jinlei pulled Qi Miao close and kicked the incoming sword blade away from her face.

“Huh?”

Qi Miao steadied herself and looked ahead to see a blue-clad girl running toward her, her face full of panic as if she had caused trouble.

“Sorry, sorry, you must be Qi Miao. Lately, other disciples have been barging into our dorm, and I thought they were back.”

The blue-clad girl bypassed Gan Jinlei, took Qi Miao’s hand, and examined it carefully before sighing with relief, “Glad you’re not hurt.”

Qi Miao tilted her head uncertainly and asked, “Are you Senior Sister Meng?”

“I am,” the blue-clad woman smiled brightly, “I’m Meng Xiaoci.”

After a few minutes, Qi Miao learned why Meng Xiaoci had attacked.

Her plan to enter the secret realm had alarmed many creditors, and that night several came to her dormitory.

Gan Jinlei and Meng Xiaoci, annoyed by these intrusions, began cooperating to drive them away one by one. When Qi Miao arrived, Meng Xiaoci had mistaken her for one of the intruders.

“Can’t blame me,” Meng Xiaoci shot a sidelong glance at Gan Jinlei, who was smirking, “I haven’t been back to the dorm recently. Today was the first time I saw Qi Miao — it’s normal I didn’t recognize her.”

“Is that so?” Gan Jinlei returned to her spot, flicked her finger to spark a flame, and continued roasting sweet potatoes, laughing, “Look around—who else lives in the inner disciples’ dorm and hasn’t reached the Fusion Stage but Qi Miao? You didn’t think of that?”

Meng Xiaoci brushed a stray spark from her eyes elegantly, smiling behind her sleeve, “What are you saying? Not all cultivators are as dumb as you body cultivators, who flaunt their strength.”

Qi Miao glanced between the two senior sisters.

Their relationship did not seem very good.

She obediently sat between them, becoming an inconspicuous background.

As they bickered, Meng Xiaoci’s spiritual tablet beeped. She looked down, then at Qi Miao.

“Junior Sister Qi, someone is looking for you.”

Qi Miao blinked, “Huh?”

Meng Xiaoci handed her the tablet, “My senior brother’s friend, Liu Ruzhen, said he couldn’t reach you and came to me.”

Qi Miao looked down, a little headache coming on, and took out her own tablet to find Liu Ruzhen among the many creditors.

After learning she was definitely going to the secret realm, Liu Ruzhen asked, “Is it really necessary to go?”

Qi Miao sighed and replied, “Yes, fortune favors the bold.”

Without waiting for Liu Ruzhen, she continued: “I have a life token, and I’ve forged protective spiritual tools for the secret realm these past days. I promise I won’t die. So instead of persuading me, Senior Brother Liu, just hope for the best. If I gain something in the secret realm, I can repay you sooner.”

Liu Ruzhen was not fooled. Calmly, he said, “Your injury is also a torment for us.”

Qi Miao: “...”

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“Senior Brother Liu, growth requires experience!”

She needed the experience!

Liu Ruzhen didn’t reply further. Qi Miao stared at the tablet a while, uncertain if that meant agreement.

After a few seconds of thought, she gave up guessing his thoughts.

Whatever, no reply meant tacit consent.

*

Only one day remained before the Battle of the Deer secret realm appeared, and disciples of the Cangwu Sect started mobilizing.

Qi Miao had rested two days in the dormitory, replenishing her energy. After receiving her life token, she borrowed two items from Elder Zhao.

One was a storage pouch with vast capacity; the other, a flying spiritual tool.

Zhao Qiong teased her, “Your cultivation isn’t high, but you sure think a lot. I’ll lend you the storage pouch—I want to see how many treasures you can bring back.”

Then she took out a mechanical umbrella and taught Qi Miao its usage secret.

Qi Miao quickly mastered the technique. When she was ready to leave, Zhao Qiong handed her a pill to replenish spiritual energy.

Qi Miao looked at Zhao Qiong with tearful eyes. Zhao Qiong flicked her forehead with a finger.

“What are you staring at? The secret realm is far from Cangwu Sect. Your spiritual energy isn’t enough to get you to the entrance. Now go—earlier you leave, earlier you return.”

Rubbing her head, Qi Miao walked out of the Refining Workshop. Just as she was about to pass through the mountain gate on horseback, someone shouted loudly.

“Qi Miao’s out!”

Qi Miao stopped, bewildered, looking up.

Outside the Refining Workshop stood a dense crowd, all staring straight at her following the voice.

Instinctively, Qi Miao stepped back.

“Qi Miao,” Qiu Tu pushed through the crowd, “are you ready to enter the Battle of the Deer secret realm?”

Qi Miao saw Qiu Tu and glanced at the unfamiliar faces around. A dreadful intuition told her these were probably the creditors she had communicated with via spiritual tablets but had never met.

“...”

Had these people come to block her from entering the secret realm?

Looking at the endless crowd, Qi Miao gave up on flying away with her summoned item. She slowly edged forward, forcing a smile.

“Senior Brother Qiu, what are you doing here?”

“Have you found teammates to go into the secret realm with you?” Qiu Tu asked bluntly. “If not, I’ll take you along.”

Qi Miao looked dazed, about to answer, but others spoke first.

“You medical cultivators can’t fight. How will you protect her if danger comes?” A young man in black complained from the crowd. “Qi Miao should team up with us. With us around, no one will harm her.”

“Stop it,” a girl with double spiral buns near Liu Ruzhen rolled her eyes. “You body cultivators love to stir up trouble when there’s none. Qi Miao is an artificer—she can’t handle your nonsense.”

After speaking, the girl turned to Qi Miao with a bright smile, “Join us. We have Senior Brother Liu. If you come with us, I guarantee you a safe secret realm journey.”

“Don’t believe those magical cultivators’ lies,” someone else shouted from the crowd’s other side. “They can’t take a hit. If you want to team up, sword cultivators are the most popular choice. Qi Miao, come join us.”

“You wooden sword cultivators protect people?”

“What are you talisman cultivators even doing? A bunch of deadbeats who spend half an hour setting formations before a fight!”