Chapter 109 | The Alchemist’s situation

Chapter 109: 109 | The Alchemist’s situation

The main hall of the Cloud-Sea Pavilion was quiet, with only the faint hum of the defensive arrays outside breaking the silence.

Lin Tian sat at the head of the spirit-wood table, the dark-silver Abyssal Suppression Pagoda resting beside him. Aunt Lin stood to his left, her face still showing the strain left by her Qi Stagnation and the long fight in the Desolate Weeping Woods, but her attention remained completely focused on him.

Madam Shen stood on his right. Her dark-crimson robe was neat as always, and her expression was calm, though the respect in her eyes was clear.

"The Shadow Web is in place," Lin Tian said. "Now we need to understand what holds the Inner Sect together. Madam Shen, give me your report."

"Yes, Lin Tian."

Madam Shen stepped forward and took out a crimson jade slip from her storage ring. She placed it on the table and guided her Divine Sense into it.

A map of the Inner Sect appeared above the jade slip, showing the major peaks and their surrounding areas.

"The Inner Sect is mainly supported by three major forces," she began. "Martial Arts Peak, Punishment Hall, and Alchemy Peak."

She raised a hand toward the first mountain on the map.

"Martial Arts Peak is controlled by Instructor Qing. Their needs are straightforward: weapons, healing medicines, and cultivation pills for the disciples."

Her finger moved to the next area.

"Punishment Hall is different. Most of their resources come through the sect’s regular channels, and they rarely request anything directly from the Resource Hall."

Then she stopped at a mountain covered in green mist.

"The real anomaly is Alchemy Peak."

Lin Tian’s gaze settled on the projection. "Why?"

"Because their resource usage has changed sharply over the past month," Madam Shen said. "The records don’t match their normal needs, and most of the difference is connected to Matriarch Liu."

Lin Tian leaned forward slightly. His attention sharpened at the name.

"Tell me everything."

***

Madam Shen moved her hand across the projection, shifting the image from Alchemy Peak to a long list of resource records.

"Elder Liu is a Core Formation Matriarch and a 4-Star Alchemist," she said. "Her Verdant Flame Physique is one of the reasons her alchemy is so strong. She is also the only alchemist in the sect capable of refining some of the high-grade pills needed by the Patriarchs during their closed-door cultivation."

She paused at several marked entries. "But something changed about three weeks ago."

Several records lit up in red.

"She sealed her private Earth-Fire chambers and stopped meeting even her direct disciples. More importantly, her demand for pure Yang-attribute herbs has increased sharply."

The names appeared one after another on the projection.

"Crimson-Sun Roots, Dragon-Fire Lotuses, Vermilion Flame Fruits. She has been requesting them in large quantities, sometimes hundreds at a time."

Despite her exhaustion, Aunt Lin frowned as she studied the records. Her experience as a Master Forger immediately made her aware that something was wrong.

"Pure Yang herbs? But her Verdant Flame Physique produces a wood-attribute spiritual fire. If she uses that much Yang energy in alchemy, the two forces should conflict."

"It already has," Madam Shen replied.

She pointed to another set of records. "According to the reports from Alchemy Peak, the spiritual energy around her private chambers has become unstable. Black ash has been coming from the vents for days, and three of her Tier 3 cauldrons have exploded within the past week."

Aunt Lin’s expression grew more serious.

Madam Shen continued, "She is burning through rare herbs and damaging valuable cauldrons, but because she is a Core Formation Elder, none of her disciples dare question her decisions. If this continues, she could exhaust a large part of the sect’s Yang-attribute reserves."

Lin Tian leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the projection.

He already knew something was wrong with Elder Liu.

The Insight Eye had revealed her condition when he first encountered her. Now Madam Shen’s report simply confirmed how serious the problem had become.

"Pill Toxicity," Lin Tian said quietly. "That’s what we’re looking at."

Both women looked toward him.

***

"It’s not the pills themselves that are the problem," Lin Tian said, his gaze remaining on the map. "Elder Liu is suffering from Pill Toxicity."

"She has refined pills for many years, and even the best alchemist cannot remove every impurity. Those impurities build up over time, eventually settling in the meridians and disrupting the flow of spiritual energy."

"When the accumulation becomes too severe, it creates a burning pain deep inside the meridians. There is no actual flame, but the pain can feel just as intense. That’s what people call Phantom Burns."

Madam Shen’s expression changed. "Then the strange behavior in her records..."

"Is caused by that condition," Lin Tian said. "She knows something is wrong, but she is treating the symptom instead of the cause."

Aunt Lin frowned. "Then why is she consuming so many Yang-attribute herbs? If her meridians are already unstable, that much Yang Qi should make things worse."

"Exactly."

Lin Tian nodded. "She believes the Yang energy can burn away the impurities. But forcing that much Yang Qi into an unstable flow will only stir them up further."

Aunt Lin’s expression grew serious. "That would explain the unstable spiritual fire around her. When she uses it to refine pills, that instability would spread into the cauldron. If the spiritual energy inside the inscriptions becomes too chaotic, the formation will fail."

"That’s why the cauldrons are exploding," Lin Tian said.

Madam Shen looked back at the records. "So every time she tries to suppress the problem, she makes it worse."

"Yes. She is using the sect’s resources to fight the condition, but every attempt is pushing her further out of balance."

Aunt Lin looked at the map again. "Then if this continues, her meridians could suffer even more damage."

"They already have."

Lin Tian remained calm. His Insight Eye had revealed the condition when he first encountered Elder Liu. Madam Shen’s report had only confirmed how far it had progressed.

He looked at the name marked on the map. "The real question is how long she can continue before the damage becomes impossible to reverse."

***

The grand hall fell quiet as Madam Shen and Aunt Lin took in Lin Tian’s plan. Elder Liu was a Core Formation Matriarch, yet Lin Tian had already found a way to turn her weakness into an opening. Neither woman spoke for a moment as they considered how easily a small change in resources could affect someone of Elder Liu’s position.

Madam Shen broke the silence. "This is a major weakness. Should I interfere with her next shipment of herbs?"

"No." Lin Tian raised a hand at once.

He had no intention of destroying Elder Liu. A powerful Matriarch was more useful under his control than removed from the board.

"A Core Formation Matriarch won’t accept help easily once her pride is threatened. We won’t attack her or offer a cure yet. We’ll let her own condition force her to change."

He looked at Madam Shen. "You control the resources. Use that advantage quietly. Don’t cut off the Yang herbs completely. Delay some shipments, reduce the quality of others, and limit her access to the best materials. Make everything look like an ordinary mistake."

Madam Shen’s eyes narrowed as she understood. "Her condition will worsen without her knowing that we are behind it."

"Exactly. As long as she has those herbs, she can keep suppressing the problem. Take them away little by little, and eventually her own methods will stop working."

Madam Shen gave a slow nod. She was already thinking about which records could be adjusted without attracting attention. "I understand."

"The report is finished. Return to the Resource Hall and make the changes carefully. Nothing should lead back to us."

"It will be done."

Madam Shen bowed and left. The spirit-wood doors closed behind her, leaving the hall quiet once again. The jade slips on the table remained untouched, and the atmosphere that had been filled with strategy slowly settled.

Aunt Lin remained near the entrance, still tired from the battle and the long meeting. More than once, her thoughts had returned to the promise Lin Tian made before they left the Desolate Weeping Woods. She had kept her silence throughout the discussion, but the memory had never really left her mind.

Lin Tian rose and walked toward her. His footsteps were steady across the quiet hall, and Aunt Lin lifted her eyes when he stopped in front of her.

"I haven’t forgotten what I promised you," he said.

A faint smile appeared on her tired face. "I know." She looked at him for a moment, the exhaustion in her eyes softening as she remembered everything that had happened since they left the sect.

He offered his hand. "Come. You need to rest."

Aunt Lin placed her hand in his, and his fingers closed gently around hers. Without another word, she let him lead her from the hall.