Chapter 136 | Limited Options

Chapter 136: 136 | Limited Options

The atmosphere around Alchemy Peak had lost some of its usual vitality. while the heat from the formations could no longer bring Elder Liu the comfort it once had.

Even the disciples moving between the halls had grown quieter, adjusting their work as the repeated difficulties continued to affect the pace of refinement across the peak.

Refinement schedules had become more cautious, with several lower-tier batches being delayed rather than risk wasting precious materials.

Inside her private meditation chamber, Elder Liu sat upon a profound-ice jade slab, slowly circulating her Qi as another flare of Phantom Burns faded from her chest.

She opened her eyes only after the burning sensation had eased, her expression remaining calm despite the growing difficulty of suppressing the illness.

Her remaining high-grade Yang-attribute herbs were being carefully conserved, while the Underground Ghost Market had yet to produce a reliable result.

The suppliers she had already contacted were also unable to provide enough Crimson-Sun Roots. Zhou and Ma could offer only limited quantities, leaving her with fewer useful channels than she had expected.

Elder Liu’s fingers rested against the arm of the jade slab.

She had exhausted the most direct options. It was time to widen the search.

"Deacon Feng!"

The heavy stone doors opened, and Feng entered before bowing. "Master."

"Contact Gu and Zhao," Elder Liu ordered. "Their trade networks extend beyond the sect’s usual suppliers."

She reached into her spatial ring and handed him a storage pouch.

"Take twenty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from my private treasury. Pay a fair if necessary, but secure as much of their current stock as they are willing to release."

Feng accepted the pouch with both hands. "Understood, Master. I will contact them immediately."

After he left, Elder Liu closed her eyes again.

She had no intention of approaching Lin Tian while other possibilities remained. Whatever unusual understanding the young disciple possessed, seeking his help now would mean acknowledging that her own methods had failed to solve the problem. She was not ready to make that choice.

Nearly two hours later, the stone doors opened again.

Feng entered with a restrained expression and bowed. "Master, I contacted both suppliers."

Elder Liu opened her eyes. "Their answer?"

"They both have some Crimson-Sun Roots, but neither can spare enough to meet your request. Their larger reserves are already committed, and they are unwilling to release them at present."

Elder Liu’s fingers tightened slightly.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing that would make a meaningful difference. They said fresh stock may take some time to become available."

A quiet silence filled the chamber.

Elder Liu slowly released her grip. She did not ask Feng to pressure the merchants further; if their larger reserves were already committed, forcing the matter would accomplish little.

"Continue watching both channels. The moment fresh stock becomes available, inform me."

"Yes, Master."

Feng bowed and withdrew.

Once alone, Elder Liu remained seated for several breaths before reaching toward the spatial ring on her finger.

A faint spiritual hum sounded.

A heavily sealed jade box appeared in her palm.

She opened it.

Inside lay three perfectly preserved Dragon-Fire Lotuses. Their crimson petals held dense Yang essence, and even within the cool meditation chamber, the lotuses gave off a faint warmth. Even sealed inside the jade box, their presence was unmistakable to a cultivator sensitive to Yang energy.

Elder Liu stared at them for a long moment.

She had accumulated the three lotuses over many years and kept them untouched as an emergency reserve. They were too precious for ordinary refinement, but the current situation was no longer ordinary. Drawing upon them would cost her a valuable part of the reserve she had carefully protected for decades.

Still, they gave her something she needed more than anything else now.

Time.

That alone was valuable. A short period without a severe flare could allow her to refine, study her condition, and wait for another opportunity to appear.

Used carefully, the lotuses could suppress the Phantom Burns and allow her to continue searching without rushing into a decision she was unwilling to make.

Elder Liu closed the jade box.

"I still have time."

Her voice was quiet, but firm.

The situation had narrowed her choices, not removed them. As long as these lotuses remained, she could preserve her strength and keep searching for a more permanent solution.

She placed the jade box back into her spatial ring and slowly rose from the jade slab.

For now, Elder Liu would use the reserve only when necessary.

Meanwhile, the Inner Sect Resource Hall continued its orderly routine.

At the main administrative desk, Madam Shen reviewed the day’s requisitions one jade ledger after another. A request from Alchemy Peak soon caught her attention.

It was for spiritual charcoal and several basic elemental catalysts required to maintain their lower-tier furnaces.

Madam Shen approved the full quantity and pressed the official seal onto the ledger. She then routed the shipment through the Eastern Valley channel, where several current consignments were already moving and delivery was expected to take longer than through the main Inner Sect paths.

She called one of the hall’s deacons.

"Take this requisition and route it through Eastern Valley," she instructed, handing him the sealed ledger.

The deacon glanced over the order. "Understood, Vice-Manager. The route is slower at present. It may take several days longer than usual."

"Follow the normal procedure."

"Yes, Vice-Manager."

The deacon bowed and left to arrange the shipment.

She did not linger over the order. Once filed, the shipment would follow the same process as every other requisition through the hall, attracting no special attention and requiring no further action from the Resource Hall.

Madam Shen returned to the remaining ledgers without lingering on the matter. The requisition had been approved in full, and nothing in the record gave reason to question the delay.

The shipment would arrive.

It simply would not arrive as quickly as the Alchemy Peak expected. The difference was small enough to pass as routine, but regular enough that those managing the peak would eventually notice the inconvenience.

By midnight, the Cloud-Sea Pavilion had fallen quiet beneath the pale mountain moon.

Lin Tian sat in the main hall when Lady Yun stepped from the shadows near the pillars. A short while later, Aunt Lin entered through the inner passage, followed by Madam Shen through the main doors. The three women gathered before him while the Tier-3 isolation arrays kept the pavilion shielded from outside senses.

"Master."

Lin Tian looked at them. "Report."

Lady Yun spoke first. "The Underground Ghost Market still has no suitable high-grade Yang-attribute herbs. I also found no sign of unusual activity around Alchemy Peak. Elder Liu is widening her search, but she is still handling her affairs normally."

She paused before adding, "Feng has also been told to watch the outside suppliers. At present, none of those routes appears close to producing the amount Elder Liu needs."

Lin Tian gave a slight nod.

Madam Shen stepped forward. "The latest request from Alchemy Peak was processed without issue. The shipment is moving through the Eastern Valley channel."

"Any unusual reaction?"

"None," she replied. "The delay remains within what could be expected from the current route."

"Good. Leave it unchanged."

Aunt Lin spoke next. "My side remains quiet. I have kept my work routine, and I have seen no sign that anyone is paying unusual attention to my recent progress."

Lin Tian studied her for a moment before nodding. "Then continue exactly as you are."

He did not ask her to hide every sign of improvement. Excessive caution could itself become noticeable. Remaining ordinary was safer than trying to appear weaker than she truly was.

He leaned back slightly.

"Elder Liu has fewer convenient choices now, but she is not being forced into one. That distinction matters."

Lady Yun asked, "You believe she will continue looking for another solution?"

"Most likely," Lin Tian replied. "As long as another path remains available, she will choose that before considering anything she does not fully understand."

His gaze shifted toward the distant glow of Alchemy Peak.

"What matters now is not how many options remain. It is which one she abandons first."

The three women listened quietly.

"Continue as before," Lin Tian said. "Madam Shen, keep her requests moving through normal channels. Aunt Lin, maintain your current routine. Lady Yun, watch Elder Liu and the people closest to her."

He paused before adding, "Pay attention to whom she begins relying on, where she sends Feng, and whether her decisions start to change. Those details will tell us more than any direct interference could."

"Understood, Master," the three women answered.

Lin Tian’s fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"The situation is moving on its own. Let it."

Lady Yun nodded. "We will continue observing."

"Yes."

Silence settled over the hall again.

Lin Tian looked once more toward Alchemy Peak. Elder Liu still had enough room to make her own choices, and he had no reason to take that away from her.

The Shadow Web would remain quiet.

Now, they only had to see who Elder Liu would turn to next.