Volume One: The Most Heartless Phoenix Tree Flower Chapter Seventeen: The Path of Qi

The noon sun was blindingly bright, yet the Crimson Cloud Beast’s vivid red form shone as radiant as ever in the sunlight, making it impossible to miss. As a heavy thud echoed across the open plaza, a gust threatened to topple those nearby. The Crimson Cloud Beast shook its fiery, lion-like head, its sturdy right forepaw rhythmically stomping the ground, while thick, white vapors were expelled from its large nostrils—exhaustion was evident in its every movement.

Bathed in the glow of its flames, a figure slipped down from the beast’s back. Old Jiao hurried over to Zhuo Hua and his companions, presenting a palm-sized wooden box with both hands, panting, “Young Master Yuan… the item is inside.” Then, he glanced at Princess Guangping, nodding to assure her all was well. Zhuo Hua took the box, feeling its surprising weight, and, his mind already guessing its contents, asked Old Jiao, “Are you alright?” Old Jiao instinctively hid his right hand behind his back and replied, head bowed, “Thank you for your concern, Young Master. I am fine, I should tend to my wounds.” Zhuo Hua nodded and turned toward the hall.

Inside, Zhuo Yun alternated between fanning Qin Ying and wiping the sweat from the monarch’s brow. The king’s breathing grew steadier, and the wound on his chest had been properly bandaged. Indeed, Zhuo Yun possessed a gift for healing, perhaps inherited from her aquatic lineage.

Zhuo Hua glanced at Qin Ying; her complexion would flush then pale, her breath wavering, her injuries worsening. Zhuo Yun noticed Zhuo Hua’s arrival and started to rise, but he gestured for her to remain seated and continue caring for them. He then strode swiftly to the alchemical furnace, recited an incantation, and floated the scorching lid away. Opening the box Old Jiao had brought, he found two shield-shaped, blood-stained scales inside.

Pinching the precious scales between his fingers, Zhuo Hua held them in his palm and channeled his energy into them. The scales levitated, trembling in a regular pattern—slow at first, but as his energy intensified, their form blurred until only a white shadow remained. With a final surge, the scales collapsed into powder, drifting evenly into the furnace below. With the last medicinal catalyst added, the elixir would require two more hours of refining before it could be used.

Zhuo Yun, seeing him pause, softly asked through the screen, “Master Yuan, will Sister Qin be alright?” As Zhuo Hua used the Green Oriole Mirror to heat the furnace, he replied, “Don’t worry! Your Sister Qin will be just fine.” Zhuo Yun peeked out from behind the screen, her wide eyes blinking at Zhuo Hua, and said, “Master Yuan, it’s time to use the Cangyue Pearl.”

Zhuo Hua acknowledged her and went to Qin Ying’s side, continuing to heal her with the Cangyue Pearl. Zhuo Yun fanned him as she asked, “Master Yuan, the king injured Sister Qin, yet you didn’t let Palace Master Lin kill him—why?”

“Because he acted under someone’s control,” Zhuo Hua answered, guiding the Cangyue Pearl’s gentle movement.

“Oh? Is that so? He must be very skilled. But our Master Yuan is even more formidable—he chased him off with just a few moves,” the girl remarked, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Zhuo Hua.

“She is not so easily dealt with. If she hadn’t held back out of old affection, it’s not certain your Sister Qin would have survived. This entire palace might have been reduced to dust,” Zhuo Hua said, noticing sweat again beading on Qin Ying’s brow and hurriedly wiping it away.

“Really?” Zhuo Yun asked, incredulous. “Does that person possess such power?”

Zhuo Hua glanced at her, smiling. “If she had used just a little more of her cultivation today, she would have drawn too much energy and triggered a minor heavenly tribulation. Whether it was lightning or fire, we could use our techniques to evade or withstand it, but these ordinary people and this palace would vanish without a trace.”

Zhuo Yun covered her mouth, terror flooding her face, and her fan stilled. She asked, “So this is the legendary heavenly tribulation? How does one overcome it?”

Settling Qin Ying, Zhuo Hua turned to Zhuo Yun and said, “Call me in an hour. Later, use the method I taught you for the king’s final treatment; he should awaken in three days.” With that, he returned to the screen to continue refining the elixir.

Little Fish, seeing Zhuo Hua hadn’t answered her question, asked anxiously, “Master Yuan, am I asking too many questions?”

“No, it’s just that your question is somewhat complex.” Zhuo Hua paused, then continued, “Heavenly tribulations are not fixed. Their arrival is caused when a concentration of yin energy reaches a critical point, attracting yang energy from the heavens. The more yin accumulates, the stronger the yang summoned, resulting in varying tribulations.”

“This is what they call heavenly lightning drawing earthly fire. Cultivators in the void, whether of the True Path or the Ingenious Path, ultimately convert the sun’s essence into yin energy for their own use. Overcoming a tribulation means that the practitioner’s techniques or artifacts are sufficient to withstand the heavens’ strike. Thus, the full-force blow of a tribulation master will surely trigger a heavenly tribulation, which they themselves can survive, while those of lesser cultivation or with inferior artifacts cannot.”

He paused, and silence settled beyond the screen. After a while, Zhuo Yun murmured, “Master Yuan, Little Fish wants to become a tribulation master. Next time someone bullies everyone, I’ll call down heavenly lightning on them.”

Zhuo Hua smiled, “Then, Little Fish, which path will you choose?”

Zhuo Yun bounded over and knelt at Zhuo Hua’s side. “Master Yuan, you’re willing to teach me cultivation? Hmm… I don’t know how to choose!”

He smiled, patting her shoulder. “Cultivators in the void belong to many sects, but broadly, there are the True Path and the Ingenious Path, though some pursue mastery in both, which is the hardest. The True Path focuses on enhancing one’s techniques, energy, and willpower. Using the Qi-Stabilizing Pearl within the body, they transform the sun’s essence into energy. Energy is the root of the True Path—the higher one’s energy, the longer one can fight, the more complex their techniques, the greater their willpower, and the larger the objects they can control. They use their own cultivation to resist each tribulation, and their power and endurance depend on whether the sun shines upon their path. Such practitioners require a robust body to store sufficient energy.”

Seeing Zhuo Yun deep in thought, Zhuo Hua continued, “The Ingenious Path practitioners are like ordinary people in aptitude, but they excel at studying the principles of all things and crafting artifacts. They use the Sun-Essence Jewel to store transformed sun essence, injecting it into artifacts as needed. Artifacts of different ranks require varying amounts and purity of sun essence, and the higher the rank, the harder it is to obtain and replenish. Their power and endurance depend directly on their artifacts and the amount of sun essence they carry.”

Zhuo Yun asked, “So, by that logic, the Ingenious Path can’t trigger heavenly tribulations themselves?”

Zhuo Hua nodded, “True, they don’t accumulate energy themselves, so they don’t trigger tribulations. However, when their artifacts contain enough energy to reach a critical point, they too attract the heavens’ strike. Thus, a minor tribulation master of the Ingenious Path will always have an artifact capable of withstanding such a blow.”

Zhuo Yun exclaimed, “Wow! So, for an Ingenious Path master to match a True Path master of the same rank, they must pay a far greater price?”

Zhuo Hua nodded in agreement, “That’s why many high-ranking Ingenious Path masters are wealthy merchants or rulers of powerful nations. Without vast resources, they couldn’t support the tremendous cost. A common Sun-Essence Jewel can fetch a thousand gold coins. Of course, high-level True Path practitioners use Qi-Stabilizing Pearls that are also extremely valuable; those of the Immortal rank and above are priceless rarities. Whenever one appears, it causes a storm in the cultivation world.”

Zhuo Yun’s eyes brightened, “Oh~~~ I see!”

Zhuo Hua paused his Green Oriole Mirror and asked, “So, Little Fish, have you decided which path to take?”

Little Fish lowered her head in thought, then replied, “I want to be an extraordinary master like you, but I feel ordinary in talent and have no support. Master Yuan, please choose for me.”

Zhuo Hua pulled a Qi-Stabilizing Pearl from his Infinite Pouch and said, “You—though a koi—are not merely a creature of the pond in Cloudtop Palace. With cultivation, you may transform into a golden dragon. The dragon’s formidable physique can rule the Four Continents and Five Oceans. Start as a True Path cultivator, and when you reach a certain rank, ask the palace masters for any artifact you desire.”

He placed the pearl in her hand. “Little Fish, this Qi-Stabilizing Pearl is called Waning Moon. My mother gave it to me when I began my studies. Though only a spiritual-grade artifact, it means much to me. I now pass it to you, hoping you will progress steadily, work diligently, and someday serve Cloud Palace well.”

With tears in her eyes, Zhuo Yun received the Waning Moon, knelt before Zhuo Hua in gratitude, and declared, “Master Yuan, you have remade me. From this day forward, I dedicate myself to your cause and the affairs of Cloud Palace, ready to face any trial unflinchingly.”