Chapter 617

is the six hundred and seventeenth chapter of Tong Yao's Guardians of Night.

Summary
Some time earlier, in a mysterious area with a dark sky and ornate stone pillars, a meeting between the Grand Masters of the Three Great Main Peaks commences. Grand Master Piao Miao and Fu Yao from Grand Pure Peak, Grand Master Moyun from Hollow Jade Peak, and Grand Master Qing Deng from Ten Thousand Star Peak are present at the meeting. Piao Miao announces that the Untitled Sage Clan is facing an unprecedented catastrophe, and if not resolved, will result in the eradication of the clan. She then reveals the issue to be that the younger generation of Untitled Sages refuse to procreate despite being at the optimal age to have children who will not be negatively impacted. Fu Yao and Qing Deng agree with the sentiment, with the latter expressing their disdain for their students' feminist views. Noting that the clan forbids forcing students to reproduce, Piao Miao reveals her possession of a piece of the Heaven Crystal and announces that it will be given to whoever completes a certain test, but it must be taken by a pair of cultivation companions.

In the present, upon hearing about the details of the meeting from Mingyue, Huang Xiaoyan asks about the contents of the test. Mingyue answers that she only knows the testing location is at Bozhou and it could begin at any time. She then asks her junior about the purpose of the Heaven Crystal, having forgotten it.

Huang Xiaoyan explains that the Heaven Crystal is the physical form of the culmination of the world's energy and fortune, and compares it to a wishing bottle that can grant any wish, depending on the wish's "size". Using the wish to own a car and the wish to own a city, Huang likens the former's size to an apple and the latter's size to a truck. Since the Heaven Crystal possesses a tremendous wish capacity, it can grant wishes of incredible size. The last time the crystal was activated, Cao Cao, who obtained the larger piece wished to unite China, while Hua Tuo received the smaller piece and wished to save all people from suffering. However, the wish-granting capabilities of the Heaven Crystal is limited, as shown when Cao Cao was unable to unite China during his life and the feat was accomplished by his son instead, and Hua Tuo was granted extraordinary medical skill but could only cure those he met and not rid the world of diseases. Despite the two seemingly failed examples, they exemplified the power of the Heaven Crystal, as it is capable of almost granting world domination. Once the Heaven Crystal's power is activated when all of its fragments are gathered, even a small piece of it could grant a wish that will allow one's name to be remembered in history.

Motivated by the explanation, Mingyue becomes enthusiastic about acquiring the Heaven Crystal and finding a cultivation companion, with Huang Xiaoyan noting that she seems more passionate about the latter. After teasing Huang Xiaoyan about her relationship with Ye Yan, Mingyue considers pairing up with Che Yongtai.

Meanwhile, the Untitled Sage who drew her sword against Li Lingbiao is revealed to be Qingfeng, who demands him to be her cultivation companion since she does not have time to find men other than Department of Night agents. Li Lingbiao refuses, claiming Qingfeng is not his type. Qingfeng then cuts down a large tree next to her with a single slash of her sword, coercing Li to accept. Li then asks her why she didn't choose the other men in the Department of Night. Qingfeng reasons that Ye Yan belongs to Huang Xiaoyan, Wang Shengli is too old, Che Yongtai is scummy, Wuren is an "oily middle-aged man" which is not her type, and Ximen Guanren causes her to want to kneel, which she dislikes since she hates feeling inferior to a man. Hearing this, Li Lingbiao calls her troublesome, which angers her.

Chapter Notes

 * The exact abilities of the Heaven Crystal is revealed.
 * Qingfeng pairs up with Li Lingbiao for the cultivation companion test.