The earth fire in the alchemy chamber was adjusted to a gentle simmer. The faint blue flames licked the bottom of the bronze cauldron, making subtle crackling sounds.
Lin Zhiyue washed her hands and burned incense, laying out today's auxiliary ingredients one by one.
What she was going to refine today was the Cold Marrow Meridian-Protecting Pill, specifically used to ward off extreme cold.
During her half-month of secluded cultivation, a northern frost had swept through, causing many disciples who lacked Ice or Water Spiritual Roots to contract a cold affliction. The Cold Marrow Meridian-Protecting Pill was the best antidote.
The refining process for this pill was complex, demanding extremely high age and quality of the herbs—especially those core water-element spiritual materials, which were all indispensable.
She counted the auxiliary ingredients on hand, and after confirming everything was correct, she stood up and headed to the sect's medicine hall to collect the final few main herbs: Cold Abyss Condensation Root, Tide-Heart Narcissus, Deep Sea Ice Marrow Flower, and Boundless Cold Silk Algae.
The medicine hall was filled with a rich aroma of herbs, and the administrative disciple in charge was buried in a mountain of ledger books.
“Senior Sister, what medicine are you here to collect today?” The disciple looked up, saw it was Lin Zhiyue, and quickly put down his pen, asking with a smile.
“The main herbs for the Cold Marrow Meridian-Protecting Pill.” Lin Zhiyue handed over the pill recipe. “One Cold Abyss Condensation Root, two Tide-Heart Narcissuses, one Deep Sea Ice Marrow Flower, and one bundle of Boundless Cold Silk Algae.”
The disciple took the recipe and glanced at it, but the smile on his face gradually froze, replaced by a look of embarrassment. “Senior Sister, these... these herbs, I'm afraid we don't have them anymore.”
Lin Zhiyue frowned slightly. “None of them? Is it due to low stock, or have they not been logged into the inventory yet?”
“The supply has been cut off,” the disciple whispered, his tone turning solemn. “The Merfolk of the Four Seas... have sealed off the sea.”
“Sealed off the sea?” Lin Zhiyue's heart skipped a beat.
“Indeed.” The disciple nodded and explained, “Just this morning, the Merfolk of the Four Seas suddenly closed off all their sea territories, completely cutting off the circulation of all water-element spiritual materials. The spiritual material reserves of the major sects are depleting at a visible rate. Although Tiance Palace has some stock, if we don't find a new supply channel soon, even the water-element pills used for daily needs will face shortages in a few months.”
Lin Zhiyue fell silent for a moment.
Over half of the Sanglan Realm's territory was covered by water, making water-element spiritual materials irreplaceable in pill refining, artifact crafting, and talisman drawing.
The Merfolk's blockade was equivalent to cutting off more than half of the cultivation world's supply of spiritual materials.
Lin Zhiyue didn't ask further after hearing this. She turned, walked out of the medicine hall, and returned to her own alchemy chamber.
...
Once the news of the Merfolk sealing off the sea spread, the major sects could no longer sit still. Even some minor sects that rarely showed themselves began to search for news everywhere, trying to find alternative solutions or establish contact with the Merfolk.
That evening, the system screen popped up. The title was simple and eye-catching.
【New Quest Instance triggered. Quest: Tears of the Merfolk. Core Objective: Travel to the sea territory of the Merfolk of the Four Seas and investigate the reason for the sea blockade. Rewards: Gold Ticket ×3, Unlock Quest-Exclusive Fashion Set Piece ×1.】
Lin Zhiyue looked at the lines under the lamplight, not closing the panel immediately.
She read the quest description from beginning to end, pausing for a moment on the line “investigate the reason for the sea blockade.”
The Merfolk sealing off the sea sounded unusual just on its own.
Although interactions between the Merfolk and cultivators were not particularly close, they had historically kept to their own boundaries, coexisting peacefully without any major conflicts.
Now, they had suddenly sealed off the entire sea territory. Unless something major had occurred that forced their hand, they would never have acted so resolutely.
...
The night was already very deep. The wind outside passed beneath the eaves, carrying a trace of chill.
She closed her notebook, returned it to the bookshelf, shut the ventilation vents of the alchemy furnace, extinguished the lamp, and sat in the darkness for a while.
The next day, when the sky brightened and the morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, the White Jade Plaza in front of Tiance Palace was already solemn and tense, no longer possessing its usual tranquility.
Several large spirit boats of various designs were docked steadily above the plaza's Cloud Sea Platform. The sect emblems engraved on the hulls shone brightly, highly recognizable—Qingling Sect, Biluo Immortal Sect, Piaoyin Sect, Sacred Sword Pavilion, and Luohong Valley. Each of the five top sects had brought two senior elders to the meeting.
In addition, the Clear Creek Sect, along with several second-rate mid-tier sects, had also sent core elders to participate in the discussion.
Inside the towering main hall of Tiance Palace, nearly twenty elders from various sects sat on both sides. Their robes fluttered, their auras intertwined, and an invisible pressure heavily weighed down upon the entire hall, making the atmosphere so stagnant it was almost suffocating.
At that moment, Lin Zhiyue was walking up the blue stone steps of the plaza toward the alchemy chamber. Before she even neared the main hall, the tumultuous, noisy arguments from within pierced through layers of jade pillars and flying eaves, clearly striking her eardrums.
The usually solemn and quiet assembly hall was no longer orderly and peaceful.
Elders from different sects held fast to their own views, their voices rising and falling in waves. They argued endlessly, their fierce arguments and rebuttals piling on top of each other, nearly lifting the glazed dome of the hall.
Some spoke with urgency and indignation, their every word pressing; some were calm and stubborn, contesting every point; others were deeply worried, trying repeatedly to dissuade them. With opposing stances, they were at a deadlock, unable to reach a unified consensus.
This was because the Merfolk's blockade of the sea was no longer just a crisis for a single sect, but a devastating predicament that affected the very lifelines of all Water and Ice Spiritual Root cultivators throughout the cultivation world.
Ice-element pill ingredients, water-element spiritual ores, and deep-sea cultivation resources were completely cut off. The inventory of every sect's alchemy chambers was critical, and countless disciples under their gates faced sluggish cultivation and unhealed old wounds. If this deadlock continued, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This concerned the very cultivation foundation and future survival of every sect, and no one was willing to back down even half a step.
“We absolutely must not venture out to sea rashly!” The first to speak was an elder from the Sacred Sword Pavilion, his voice carrying a solemn, angry rebuke. His brow was furrowed, and a faint sword energy condensed around him, carrying a chilling wariness.
“The Merfolk suddenly sealed off the sea completely with absolute resolve. This journey is fraught with unpredictable danger! Previously, rogue cultivators and low-level cultivators who went out to sea on their own to search for treasures have already perished in those waters, leaving no bones behind! Now that the situation is unclear, rashly sending a delegation deep into the Wudu Sea is no different from walking into a tiger's den and throwing away our lives!”
Before he could finish, a female elder from the Biluo Immortal Sect suddenly stood up, her voice sharp and urgent. “Incorrect! Even when considering safety, we must distinguish between what is urgent and what is not.”
“Currently, the supply of water-element spiritual materials across the entire realm is completely cut off. More than just the Water Spiritual Root cultivators are affected—how many pill recipes, artifact forgings, and formation lines rely on water-element spiritual materials? Pulling a single hair moves the whole body.”
“The cold afflictions of the disciples under my gate cannot be cured, and their cultivation is stagnating. If we delay any longer, it won't just be a matter of a few people's cultivation halting; the very foundation of our sects will be shaken.”
“If we simply shrink back and sit idly by, are we to just watch our disciples' cultivation stagnate?”
This elder of the Biluo Immortal Sect was originally of a Water Spiritual Root, and most of the disciples under her were of Water and Ice Spiritual Roots.
The arguments of the two factions were completely opposite, instantly igniting debate across the entire hall.
An elder from the Piaoyin Sect lightly tapped the table, his voice cold and calm as he proposed a compromise. “In this old man's opinion, there is no need to rush to form a delegation. We can first dispatch two high-level cultivators as scouts to test the boundaries of the sea territory, figure out the Merfolk's true intentions and the limits of their blockade, and then make plans after uncovering the truth. This would be the safest approach.”
“Test them? It's too late!” An elder of the Qingling Sect suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, his tone anxious and impatient. Looking at everyone, he said in a deep voice, “When the northern frost swept through half a month ago, the inventory of the Cold Marrow Meridian-Protecting Pill in each sect was reduced to only thirty percent. The cold damage to the meridians of many injured disciples is continuously worsening. We simply cannot afford repeated testing and layers of delay!”
The arguments in the hall grew increasingly turbulent. Elders from various sects stood up one after another to argue, exchanging sharp words back and forth. Cries of debate, dispute, and dissuasion intertwined, and the aura of spiritual energy fluctuated chaotically. The expressions of the people on the jade seats on both sides were anxious, stubborn, or worried, and the deadlock could not be broken for a long time.
Some advocated for active negotiation, some for stability and defensive observation, and some suggested secretly opening up overseas private mining channels to leave a way out. With opposing positions, no one yielded an inch, and the atmosphere in the grand hall was tense to the extreme.
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