Chapter 799: Chapter 688: Stewing Newbies in an Iron Pot (Long Chapter) _2
The tower soared straight up, disappearing into the clouds, its exact height obscured from view.
Shay reached out intending to light a cigarette, but then remembered that he should maintain some dignity as an elder in front of the novice disciples. Embarrassed, he withdrew his hand.
"You all might have guessed why I brought you here."
"Honestly, your talents are poor, and even with the usual Awakening Potion available in the market, it’s difficult for you to awaken. Without awakening, even the best cultivation techniques are beyond your reach."
Listening, a young man dressed in luxurious clothing sadly lowered his head. His family was clearly well-off, affording many attempts at different methods and potions to aid awakening.
It was all in vain.
Even the presence of an Ancestor from the Unity Realm, invited by his parents, could not improve his low cultivation talent.
It was akin to a death sentence.
He would never be able to cultivate.
Despite his parents’ high status, the young man faced scorn and had no expectations when his parents sent him here to try his luck.
"But don’t belittle yourselves, since you all passed the Sect’s assessments, it proves you have redeeming qualities," Shay paused, "As for poor talent hindering cultivation? To Tao Sect, what does that matter?
Today, I brought you here to undergo the Wash Essence and Marrow to improve your talents... Of course, it’s not free. The Sect abhors unearned gains. To improve your talents, it will cost you 1,000 Sect points. Any points you earn from missions will be halved until you repay these 1,000 points.
This isn’t coercion. It’s your choice to accept or decline. But if you miss out, the Sect will not provide you with a ’loan’ opportunity again."
Yang Yue and the others did not hesitate; it was clear that the Sect was offering them special consideration.
"Alright, gentlemen follow me, ladies follow Senior Sister Shanggong."
Yang Yue turned and saw that the young Senior Sister, only twenty-one years old, was standing nearby, watching them with a hint of curiosity.
Among the teens, eight were boys and seven were girls.
They were all young, the youngest being twelve and the eldest only seventeen—not that older individuals were harder to train. Elder Yan broke through to Transcendence at three hundred years old, and now wasn’t he in the Unity Realm?
It’s just that it’s easier to... er, instill Sect ideologies and concepts in younger people. In the assessments, many old tricks were eliminated by Grandmaster Tang for not meeting the singing and dancing standards, among other reasons.
Yang Yue and the other six followed Senior Sister Shanggong into the training area, eventually reaching a spacious room.
The room was sealed, without any windows, and the floor was engraved with circle upon circle of mysterious patterns.
In the center of the room stood a huge cauldron, its diameter estimated to be around five or six meters. The lid wasn’t closed, visibly revealing the emerald-green potion inside, emitting a fragrance that revitalized the novices just by its scent.
Senior Sister Shanggong stepped forward and began extracting various herbs, prepared potions, and pills from her Storage Ring, placing them into the cauldron in a specific order.
Woosh~
An orange flame ignited beneath the cauldron, crackling loudly. The color of the soup gradually shifted from emerald to a deeper green, and the fragrance of the herbs became even more enticing.
Yang Yue couldn’t help but lick her lips.
Tempted.
She glanced at the ring-laden hand of the Senior Sister, wondering whether the next moment would reveal a giant Mutant Beast from the Storage Ring?
Perhaps using a special Mutant Beast as the main ingredient, the potion brewed must be able to improve their talents, Yang Yue surmised—after all, the cauldron was so large, there must be a way to concentrate the potion.
Before long, the potion in the cauldron began to regularly form bubbles which burst, creating a gurgling sound that grew more frequent.
Senior Sister Shanggong felt it was about time and announced, "Alright, this is the potion that will allow you to Wash Essence and Marrow. Just take off your clothes and sit in it, eh, remember to submerge everything below your neck."
The novice girls: "???"
Fear.jpg.
Senior Sister Shanggong knew what they were thinking, "Don’t panic, it just looks intimidating. In fact, this potion has a low boiling point; the temperature as you soak will be just right, like soaking in a hot spring."
She gave a slight pout, "When I started, my mentor didn’t prepare any potion like this for me. You disciples are really fortunate."
Indeed, being chosen as Inner Sect Disciples, the seven young women looked at the bubbling dark-green liquid. Although apprehensive, they overcame their fears and approached the cauldron.
’It doesn’t seem too hot indeed.’
Carefully, Yang Yue dipped her hand in, feeling a slight, warm mist.
She steadied herself, her fingertips delving into the viscous dark-green potion.
Warm and slippery.
Yang Yue understood why men and women were separated; at first, she only thought it was because their body constitutions were different and needed differently formulated potions.
The room was shrouded in mist.
Several young girls no longer hesitated, but they removed their clothing with somewhat shy motions.
Piece by piece, they neatly stacked them in cabinets against the wall.
Then, they approached the pot via a set of steps beside it, stretching out their tender feet and dipping them into the potion.
Gurgling~ Gurgling~ Gurgling~
The cauldron was large enough for ten people, and with seven people it was not yet crowded. Their bodies were submerged in the dark green potion, only their fair, slender necks and hair coiled at the back of their heads were visible.
Below the neck, even the collarbones were out of sight.
Shanggong Ling leaned against the cauldron edge, bored, watching those novices buried up to their heads as if planted in the ground.
She actually wanted to soak too.
However, her teacher had specifically instructed her not to soak in it—her body would absorb most of the potion’s efficacy in no time, and importantly, after absorption, it wouldn’t have any effect on her.
The orange flames at the bottom of the pot continued to blaze, enhancing the absorption of the potion by Yang Yue and others.
The confined room was filled with medicinal fragrance, which had changed a bit since the beginning; perhaps... there was an added scent of meat?
About two or three hours later,
most of the efficacy from the potion had been absorbed, turning from dark green to a light green color, and the figures under the surface of the liquid were faintly visible.
Shanggong Ling dipped her finger into the potion in the pot and licked it off.
Suddenly Yang Yue looked curiously at her, her face flushing, "I, I am testing the concentration of the potion for you, analyzing the absorption effect of the potency."
The naive Yang Yue believed her without doubt.
Shanggong Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that her image as a senior sister hadn’t collapsed.
After a while, "It’s ready, the potion has turned into clear water, come on out."
Splash~
Yang Yue stood up from the pot, and some sticky, translucent liquid slid off her graceful body.
While soaking in the pot, she only felt comfort, but as she stood up, she began to notice changes in her own body.
Yang Yue couldn’t help but clench her fists, feeling a surge of power in her palms.
She lightly leaped directly from the pot to the floor, but didn’t manage her balance well and "ouch" fell to the ground.
"I, I’ve gotten stronger?"
She was so stunned that she barely noticed the wet and sticky feeling on her body, just staring at her own palms.
"That’s right, the potion improved your constitution and also enhanced your physical fitness. Within three to five days, you should awaken and then you can begin cultivation.
Although your constitution has improved, compared to other disciples, it’s still quite mediocre; you will need to put in more effort. Eventually, when you have accumulated enough points, you can apply for a higher level of the improvement potion."
Again, another soak?
Yang Yue was already enchanted by the feeling of "steeping" herself.
"Alright, you all go take a bath, I’ll wait for you outside."
Shanggong Ling waved her hand blandly and pushed the door to leave.
Yang Yue looked down, only then noticing that although there was no greasy impurity like she imagined, the sticky potion on her body was unpleasant.
She pushed off the ground and her entire body swiftly leaped up, barely exerting any force, she floated lightly and moved quickly toward the bathroom door.
Then,
she tripped on the threshold, "smack" as her chin hit the ground, her entire body slid several meters forward.
Her eyes were spinning.