MTLNOVEL Chapter 9:
Chapter 9: The Theory of Fate is Nonsense:
Zhou Zhilian, her face grave, hurried directly toward Sect Master Yun Yao’s palace. Along the way, disciples of the sect greeted her, but she paid them no attention. Seeing her in such a state, the disciples couldn’t help but wonder—had something major happened in the sect? Even someone as composed as Zhou Zhilian seemed so anxious.
She passed through winding corridors and crossed elegant pavilions before reaching the lotus pond, where she saw Yun Yao casually scattering feed into the water for the golden fish. Zhou Zhilian noted that her master appeared to be in a good mood.
Sensing someone approaching, Yun Yao glanced up. Seeing the serious expression on Zhou Zhilian’s face, she set down the feed.
“Zhilian, you look anxious. Is there something urgent you need to report?”
Zhou Zhilian nodded, took a deep breath, and spoke solemnly.
“Master, I have observed that the sect’s Purple Qi is dispersing westward, and the rate of dissipation has increased significantly compared to the previous days. I fear that something is wrong with the sect’s fate.”
Hearing her words, Yun Yao smiled faintly, speaking in a reassuring tone.
“The workings of destiny are mysterious—how could mortals fully comprehend them? The notion of fate is elusive and ever-changing.
“If fate truly existed, then with the Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect flourishing over the past 300 years, our sect should be at its peak. How could our Purple Qi dissipate now?
“In the end, what has made the sect strong is our unity, determination, and collective effort. That is what brought us to where we are today.
“As long as I am here, and as long as I have talented disciples like you, what does it matter whether we have fate or not?”
Yun Yao did not completely dismiss the concept of fate—no cultivator truly did. However, she refused to believe that a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like Zhou Zhilian could truly perceive it. More importantly, she would not allow such a notion to shake the faith of the Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect.
Could it be that a sect led by Yun Yao would lack good fortune?
Hearing her master’s resolute words, Zhou Zhilian felt a surge of emotion. But having studied celestial divination for years, she still had lingering doubts.
Seeing her disciple’s hesitation, Yun Yao patted her shoulder gently.
“Zhilian, you’ve been working too hard lately. Take some time to rest. Try again on an auspicious day, and perhaps you will see things differently.”
Feeling the warmth in her master’s words, Zhou Zhilian nodded.
“Thank you for your concern, Master. I will check again in a few days.”
Yun Yao took out a jade bottle from her sleeve and handed it to her.
“This is a Tranquil Mind Pill I refined. Take one each night—it may help improve your clarity.”
Zhou Zhilian accepted the gift, thanked her master, and returned to Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.
Her master’s words were not without reason.
Heaven’s will was unpredictable—divination could only serve as a reference, not an absolute truth.
After all, how could anyone claim to fully grasp the workings of destiny?
Perhaps… she had indeed misread the signs this time.
Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect, Alchemy Hall.
Several young disciples, each holding newly received medicinal pills, approached Elder Wu with complaints.
“Elder Wu, something seems wrong with the pills we received these past two days!”
“The Qi Restoration Pill isn’t as effective as before—I have to take two pills to achieve the same effect as one used to.”
“I exchanged contribution points for a Rejuvenation Powder, but its healing effects feel noticeably weaker.”
At first, Elder Wu dismissed their concerns. But hearing the same complaint from multiple disciples, he began to take the matter seriously.
He took the pills they handed over and had his subordinates fetch older stock from previous months for comparison. After testing them, it was clear—the new batch of pills had significantly degraded in quality.
“Perhaps the Alchemy Hall was rushing production and made some mistakes. Here, I’ll give each of you an extra bottle from our previous stock to compensate.”
With that, Elder Wu returned their pills and gave them each an additional bottle from the old stock.
The disciples, satisfied with the extra pills, swallowed their complaints and left happily.
But once they were gone, Elder Wu’s face darkened.
He ordered his subordinates to gather all newly stored pills from the past two days and compare them one by one against the older stock.
The results were exactly as he feared—every single newly produced pill had deteriorated in quality.
Turning to his assistants, he instructed in a serious tone.
“Prepare yourselves. More disciples will likely come demanding replacements soon. I am going to find the head of the Alchemy Hall.”
With that, Elder Wu hurried out of the medicine storage hall.
This was no small matter.
Sect disciples spent contribution points to exchange for these pills. Those contribution points were often earned through risky missions or even at the cost of blood and sweat.
If the sect distributed low-quality pills, it would severely damage its reputation and credibility.
However, rather than reporting directly to the sect master, Elder Wu decided to speak with Alchemy Hall’s leader first—Chen Shiyun—to understand the situation.
…
Chen Shiyun was examining pill formulas when she noticed Elder Wu arriving in a hurry.
She respected this senior Elder of the sect and immediately stood up.
“Uncle Wu, you seem urgent. Did something happen?”
With a grave expression, Elder Wu spoke.
“Shiyun, something is wrong—the pills produced in the past few days have all declined in quality!”
Hearing that the Alchemy Hall’s pills had problems, Chen Shiyun’s expression changed instantly.
“Are you certain?”
Elder Wu nodded and handed her two bottles of pills.
“Several disciples came to complain just now. So we compared the latest batches with older stock and confirmed that their quality has noticeably deteriorated.”
Chen Shiyun took the pills and examined them. At a single glance, she could tell that what Elder Wu said was true.
Her expression turned cold—she had only been lax in oversight for a short while, and her subordinates had already started cutting corners?
“Thank you, Uncle Wu. It seems I have been too lenient with my subordinates, allowing them to slack off like this. I will make sure they learn their lesson.”
Seeing the stern look on her face, Elder Wu quickly advised.
“Shiyun, right now, punishment is not the priority. The most urgent issue is replenishing the stock with high-quality pills. If disciples can’t exchange for proper medicine, they might riot.”
Chen Shiyun took a deep breath and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Wu. We will have the pills ready in time. I will personally oversee production for the next few days.”
Hearing her firm response, Elder Wu finally relaxed.
“Good. Make sure to act quickly. I will return to the storage hall to handle the replacements.”
Chen Shiyun courteously escorted Elder Wu out, adjusted her robes, and stormed toward the Alchemy Hall, her anger barely contained.
But when she arrived, what she saw wasn’t what she had expected.
Her subordinates weren’t slacking off or cutting corners.
Instead, they were all diligently focused on refining pills.
Chen Shiyun’s brows furrowed.
This situation… wasn’t as simple as she had thought.