Chapter 115: Master Qingxi, Xin Wuyao's Decision

Chapter 115: Master Qingxi, Xin Wuyao's Decision

Deep within the Qingxi Sect, past the outer gates, lay the inner sanctum where the true disciples resided and cultivated. It was also where most of the sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators lived.

Unlike the outer courts, which consisted of individual courtyards, the inner sanctum was dotted with small hills, each housing a different cave abode.

At that moment, within one of the most lush and vibrant cave abodes, six figures sat. Each of them was a powerful Golden Core cultivator.

The man seated in the center, a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face and an aristocratic air, wore an expression of barely contained joy.

"Fellow elders," he began, his voice carrying a hint of excitement, "according to the latest report from one of our disciples, the spirit plant within the Spirit Realm is a Wood Spirit Plant.

In three months, when the restrictions on the Spirit Realm can be lifted, I intend to organize a group of disciples who cultivate wood-attribute techniques to enter and, with the aid of the Five Elements Grand Array, acquire the spirit plant.

What are your thoughts on this matter, elders?"

As the sect master, Xin Wuyao, finished speaking, a plump elder immediately chimed in:

"Sect Master, we have spent decades searching for this spirit plant, and now that we finally have concrete information, we must spare no effort to obtain it.

However, to activate the Five Elements Grand Array, even with just two people taking turns, we will need at least a thousand disciples of the Qi Refining Realm.

If we include disciples of other attribute techniques, there would be no issue, but to gather solely those of the wood attribute...

After these years of losses, I fear we may not be able to gather a thousand disciples at the sixth layer of Qi Refining or above."

"Yes, Sect Master," the only female cultivator among them, a silver-haired elder named Mu, added. "Now that we know it's a Wood Spirit Plant, why don't we take some time to cultivate more disciples in wood-attribute techniques? In a year or two, we will have more than enough qualified disciples.

We've already waited for decades, so what's another year or two?"

Within the Qingxi Sect, the title of 'Sect Master' could only refer to one person – Xin Wuyao.

Hearing the concerns of the two elders, the joy on Xin Wuyao's face faded slightly, and he heaved a soft sigh. "Elder Xie, Elder Mu, believe me when I say that I would prefer to wait as well. However, the Yin Demon Sect lingers like a specter, refusing to disappear.

And it seems the other six sects of the Qingxia Mountain Range have caught wind of our intentions.

During our last joint operation to purge the Yin Demon Sect, they kept testing our resolve. It won't be long before they start exerting pressure directly.

What if, at that time, they decide to join forces with the six sects..."

Xin Wuyao's words caused the elders to exchange grave looks, their faces turning solemn.

"If we don't have enough people, what do you plan to do, Sect Master?" Elder Mu asked.

Xin Wuyao turned his gaze to a red-robed elder. "This will trouble Elder Gui. I need you to personally refine a batch of Breakthrough Pills."

"Breakthrough Pills," the elders murmured, their eyes flickering with unspoken thoughts.

The Breakthrough Pill was a specialized pill for Qi Refining cultivators. Upon consumption, it could forcibly raise one's cultivation by a whole stage, even ignoring bottlenecks.

For example, a cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining who took the pill could break through to the sixth layer in a very short time.

Similarly, a cultivator at the sixth layer could directly enter the late Qi Refining stage and reach the seventh layer.

However, the price was steep. Once a cultivator broke through with the aid of this pill, their cultivation would forever stagnate at that level, unable to progress further.

It was a pill usually taken by Qi Refining cultivators who had been stuck at a certain level for years and had lost all hope of advancing further on the path of cultivation.

Additionally, the pill was difficult to refine, making it hard for Qi Refining cultivators to obtain.

As a result, the Breakthrough Pill wasn't widely used in the cultivation world.

After all, every cultivator, regardless of their current stage, held on to the dream of advancing further and gaining a deeper understanding of the Dao.

When Xin Wuyao mentioned asking Elder Gui to refine a batch of Breakthrough Pills, his intentions were clear to everyone present.

Noting the expressions on the elders' faces, Xin Wuyao maintained a calm expression as he slowly spoke, "If we weren't forced into this situation, I would never dream of cutting off the path of our own disciples.

But the spirit plant is of utmost importance. If we can obtain it, our Qingxi Sect may very well produce a Nascent Soul cultivator.

For the sake of the sect's future, we must make sacrifices."

Xin Wuyao's tone left no room for argument.

"The Sect Master is right," a stern-faced elder on his right spoke up. "Sacrifices must be made. So what if their cultivation cannot progress further? We lost many disciples the last time we entered the Spirit Realm anyway."

Xin Wuyao nodded at the black-faced elder and then scanned the rest of the elders before continuing, "In that case, the matter is settled.

For now, let's keep this under wraps. In three months, all inner sect, outer sect, and menial disciples who cultivate wood-attribute techniques and are at the sixth layer or above will enter the Spirit Realm directly.

Those at the fifth layer of Qi Refining will take the Breakthrough Pill and join them.

At that time, I will also need the help of all the elders to lift the restrictions once more."

Xin Wuyao's gaze then turned to the gray-robed Elder Gui. "Elder Gui, this matter is of great importance. I ask that you personally refine the Breakthrough Pills to ensure that no information is leaked."

...

In Yanji Fang, no one was aware of Chu Ning's breakthrough to the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

He continued to maintain the appearance of a fifth-layer cultivator.

The next market day, Chu Ning opened his shop as usual.

In the afternoon, as Chu Ning was preparing to head to the spirit fields, Gu Xiaqing paid him a visit.

Recently, Du Han had stopped harassing them, thanks to the idea Chu Ning had given Gu Xiaqing during their last encounter.

And so, Gu Xiaqing had returned to her usual gentle and graceful self.

"Chu Ning, some of the pills you gave me last time were quite niche, and it took until today to sell them all," she said, placing a bag of spirit stones on the table.

"In total, they sold for 620 spirit stones. Please count them."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Gu," Chu Ning said, casually placing the bag of spirit stones into his storage bag.

He then took out several Flowlight Ice Shield Talismans from his storage bag and handed them to Gu Xiaqing.

"I brought out some elementary upper-grade talismans from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion during my last visit to the sect. They aren't very popular here, so I'd like to trouble you with selling them."

To cultivate the Divine Art, he had been crafting a lot of talismans lately. He had a large stack of these elementary upper-grade talismans in his storage bag.

Of course, he couldn't very well tell Gu Xiaqing that.

Just then, Lu Miaoying finished packing up her things, and the two women began to chat again.

After Gu Xiaqing left, Chu Ning glanced at the sky and decided not to go to the spirit fields that day.

That night, after his cultivation session, Chu Ning hesitated before deciding not to rest. Instead, he took out a stack of talismans from his storage bag.

"Even though I've been intentionally controlling the number of elementary upper-grade talismans I craft, I still ended up with over a thousand of them after a few months. I guess it's time to make a trip to Yunhai Pavilion in Fengxia Fang." Chu Ning mused to himself.

Apart from selling the talismans, Chu Ning had some other business to attend to.

With that in mind, he looked at the black sword made of Black Night Iron and Soul Wood in his hand.

Over the past two years, Chu Ning's skill in the Divine Art had been steadily improving, thanks to his diligent cultivation and talisman crafting. The pure wood essence energy from the Black Night Iron and Soul Wood had played a significant role in this progress.

However, as Chu Ning cultivated, the black sword had gradually lost its deep black color. Although he couldn't directly sense how much wood essence energy was left, the change in color suggested that it wouldn't last much longer.

While it was challenging to find resources that aided in the growth of spiritual sense, Chu Ning was determined to try his luck at Yunhai Pavilion. He wanted to be prepared.

Additionally, he wanted to inquire about any follow-up techniques to the Divine Art. After all, at his current cultivation pace, he would complete the first layer of the Divine Art in less than three months and would need to start cultivating the second layer.

With his mind made up, Chu Ning decided to make the trip. Although Fengxia Fang was not exactly close, he hadn't heard any recent news about Yin Demon Sect disciples in the area.

Furthermore, Chu Ning believed that traveling alone would make him less conspicuous and, therefore, less risky.

In truth, it would have been safer to travel with Lin Changqing. However, given the large amount of spirit stones involved and the secrecy of his plans, it was more convenient for Chu Ning to go alone this time.

So, early the next morning, Chu Ning left the market town as usual, heading toward the spirit fields. But instead of staying there, he only made a brief stop to ensure that everything was normal before leaving the fields and using his Illusion Shape Art to alter his appearance and fly away with the Wind Riding Art.

After traveling for a while, he was well out of Yanji Fang's territory. Only then did Chu Ning take out his Chase Wind Shuttle and fly toward Fengxia Fang.

After all, he wasn't sure if anyone else would recognize his shuttle, so he preferred to be cautious.

The journey was uneventful, and thanks to the speed of his shuttle, Chu Ning arrived at Fengxia Fang in just one hour.

Upon entering the market town, he made a beeline for Yunhai Pavilion without any detours. The items he intended to trade were so valuable that only large shops like Yunhai Pavilion and Fengxia Pavilion could accommodate such transactions.

As Chu Ning entered Yunhai Pavilion, a waiter immediately approached him.

Chu Ning casually took out a jade slip and said, "Help me check how many spirit stones are left on this jade slip, and withdraw them all."

The jade slip had been among the items he found in Old Man Sun's storage bag, and he hadn't known its purpose until recently. That was why he hadn't brought it with him during his previous visit to the market town.

Without asking any questions, the waiter led Chu Ning to a circular device and pointed to one of the indentations on it. "Place the jade slip there, and you can directly view the contents, just like a jade slip, to check the number of spirit stones."

Chu Ning understood that the circular device was probably used to temporarily lift the restrictions on the jade slip. He placed the jade slip into the indentation, and as expected, the restrictions disappeared, allowing him to clearly sense the information within.

"One thousand one hundred and thirty spirit stones," Chu Ning muttered, feeling slightly disappointed by the amount. "Looks like Old Man Sun did indeed have over five thousand spirit stones after selling the Seven-Star Spirit Fruit and other items. But he must have used a lot afterward, leaving only a little over a thousand now."

However, he quickly shrugged off the disappointment. After all, it was all unexpected gain.

The most valuable item he had obtained from Old Man Sun was probably the small pitch-black dagger. Although Chu Ning had kept it as a hidden trump card and hadn't used it yet, just having it gave him a sense of security.

Turning to the waiter, Chu Ning said, "Please help me withdraw all the spirit stones."

"Of course, would you like to withdraw them as low-grade spirit stones or medium-grade spirit stones?" the waiter asked.

Medium-grade spirit stones? Chu Ning's eyes lit up at the mention.

According to the exchange rate in the cultivation world, one medium-grade spirit stone was equivalent to a hundred low-grade spirit stones. He had been considering exchanging some of his spirit stones for medium-grade ones, and now the waiter had brought it up without any prompting.

"I want to exchange them for medium-grade spirit stones," Chu Ning replied.

Besides being easier to carry due to their smaller quantity, Chu Ning wanted to see if the spiritual energy in medium-grade spirit stones would be absorbed faster.

"As you wish, please wait a moment." The waiter took the jade slip and quickly returned with a storage bag. "There are exactly one thousand one hundred and thirty medium-grade spirit stones here. Please check."

Chu Ning carefully checked the spirit stones and found that they were genuine. He nodded in satisfaction and put the storage bag away.

After a short while, the waiter returned with a tray in hand.

On it were two types of spirit stones, one slightly larger than the other. There were eleven of the larger ones and thirty of the smaller, ordinary low-grade spirit stones.

"These are the medium-grade spirit stones," the waiter explained.

Chu Ning's eyes swept over them, and he secretly marveled to himself.

Without making a fuss, he proceeded to collect both types of spirit stones from the tray, along with the jade slip, and stored them away in his bag.

Without another word, Chu Ning turned and left Yunhai Pavilion.

Finding a secluded spot, Chu Ning crushed the jade slip in his hand.

Although the slip had restrictions to prevent others from viewing its information, those restrictions were not meant to withstand such physical force.

With the slip now in pieces, Chu Ning once again altered his appearance with the Illusion Shape Art, transforming himself into the image of a middle-aged man.

This was the same appearance he had used during his previous visit to Yunhai Pavilion.

With his disguise in place, Chu Ning returned to the pavilion.

When he presented the jade slip and mentioned that a female cultivator by the surname Zhang had assisted him last time, he was promptly led to the same room where Zhang had attended to him before.

The reason for seeking out the same attendant was that they had already discussed prices for his talismans, making it more convenient.

As expected, the female cultivator named Zhang recognized him and greeted him with a bright smile.

"Li, it's nice to see you again."

Chu Ning gave a noncommittal nod, maintaining his usual indifferent demeanor.

Unfazed by his response, Zhang continued with a smile, "Li, are you here to sell or buy something today?"

"I've brought some talismans to sell," Chu Ning replied as he took out stacks of talismans from his storage bag.

This time, he hadn't brought any elementary medium-grade talismans; instead, he had brought only elementary high-grade ones.

After all, the demand for elementary medium-grade talismans in Yanji Fang had been quite high recently, so Chu Ning's production had matched that demand.

In comparison, the yield of elementary high-grade talismans was undoubtedly higher.

"That's wonderful!" Excitement flashed in Zhang's eyes.

"The talismans you sold last time were very well-received in the pavilion.

The elders have been reprimanding me for not inviting you to stay on as a guest talisman master.

I've been hoping you would return to sell more talismans."

Whether Zhang's words were true or not, Chu Ning merely listened politely, not taking them to heart.

For him, what mattered was the tangible spirit stones he could obtain.

As Chu Ning placed the stacks of talismans in front of Zhang, a look of surprise finally appeared on her face.

"Four hundred Fiery Flame Talismans, four hundred Cloud-Riding Talismans, and five hundred and fifty Flowlight Ice Shield Talismans," she said, quickly counting the talismans to confirm the quantities.

After Chu Ning verified the count, she continued, "As for the price, let's stick to what we agreed on last time. The Fiery Flame Talismans and Cloud-Riding Talismans will be seventeen spirit stones each, and the Flowlight Ice Shield Talismans will be twenty-two spirit stones each.

That comes to a total of twenty-five thousand seven hundred spirit stones."

Zhang quoted a price that was slightly astonishing.

Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a twinge of delight. Although he now possessed many treasures, this was the first time he had earned so many spirit stones.

Chu Ning also recalled that he still had a thousand spirit stones on his spirit stone jade slip.

Adding to that the one thousand one hundred spirit stones he had just withdrawn from Old Man Sun's jade slip, along with some spirit stones he already had, he would have nearly thirty thousand spirit stones in total.

"With this amount of spirit stones, my stash would definitely be considered substantial even within the sect," he mused to himself.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Zhang spoke up again, "Is there anything else you wish to purchase, friend?"

Chu Ning nodded. With so many spirit stones, he wouldn't be able to use them all himself.

"Do you have any treasures or pills that enhance spiritual sense? An elder of mine is interested in acquiring such items," he inquired.

"Treasures that enhance spiritual sense?" Zhang seemed a bit taken aback by Chu Ning's request.

However, when she heard that it was for an elder, she didn't pry further.

Instead, she offered an apologetic smile and said, "Friend, treasures that enhance spiritual sense are mainly used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. I'm afraid I don't have the authority to view those items.

Would you like to wait while I send a message to inquire with the other elders?"

Chu Ning nodded in understanding. It was only natural for Yunhai Pavilion to have different levels of access based on authority.

Zhang, being at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, would likely be authorized to handle matters for late Qi Refining cultivators, who wouldn't require items to enhance their spiritual sense.

After sending a message with a transmission talisman, Zhang didn't immediately send another one. Instead, she turned to Chu Ning and asked, "Are there any other items you wish to inquire about? If there's anything else you're interested in that I don't have access to, we can ask about them together."

Chu Ning thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Let's inquire about that first."

Although he now had a substantial amount of spirit stones, he expected that items related to spiritual sense would be pricey. He decided to see what was available first before considering other purchases.

Seeing Chu Ning's response, Zhang nodded and sent another transmission talisman.

Soon, a reply arrived, along with a small jade box delivered on a tray.

Zhang listened to the message on the talisman and then turned to Chu Ning, "Li, I apologize, but items that enhance spiritual sense are extremely rare, and we don't have any in stock at the moment.

However, we do have one item related to spiritual sense that might interest you."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end