A single clap of spring thunder brought a refreshing spring rain. The lively rain swept away the snow on the mountain cliffs, merging into streams that trickled downward.

In Crescent Moon Valley, cultivators of the Medicine Hall emerged from their pavilions in high spirits. With laughter and light steps, they dismantled the winter spell formations. Those that got dismantled were the ones that kept the area perpetually temperate even in the dead of cold. At last, the harsh season had passed, and spring had arrived in earnest.

This winter had been unusually comfortable for the Medicine Hall. The reason? Their industrious neighbors at the Alchemy Hall. While the pills refined there raked in a fortune, it wasn’t just the pills themselves that brought in profit. A significant chunk came from the auxiliary materials that were purchased directly from the Medicine Hall.

Even at discounted internal prices,...