Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Sacred Sound Bamboo

"Grand-uncle, why are we in such a hurry to leave? I still wanted to chat with Sister Bai Ling about Water Element Magic."

Inside a square cabin resembling an Artifact Refining Pavilion, various Artifact Refining Materials and tools were laid out.

Anyone who saw it at first glance would never have guessed it was actually Liu Anx’s Flying Spiritual Artifact.

A delicate and lovely young Female Cultivator whined at Liu Anx, tugging on the corner of her clan elder’s robe.

"And that Elder Bai, he became a Foundation Establishment Cultivator at such a young age. Didn’t you always tell us back home that we should learn from him? Why are we rushing off today after we finally got to meet him?"

"He’s just returned from his Sect. His own family wants to talk. We’d just be in the way..."

Liu Anx glared at this extremely spoiled junior of his.

’If Bai Zichen still holds his clan in his heart,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to inform the Patriarch upon my return. Our stance toward the Bai Family can be elevated another level.’

News from within the Qingfeng Sect was of the utmost concern to Cultivation Families like theirs.

Especially the five newly arrived families, who were practically living under another’s roof, with few close ties within the Qingfeng Sect.

Although they had done their best to build connections over the past few years, they had only established interest-based relationships with a few Elders.

But they had no path to go any higher.

After Bai Zichen’s Foundation Establishment, his name had spread throughout Black Mountain, and these Cultivation Families had already studied him inside and out.

His cultivation process, his various preferences, his social habits, and so on...

Every Cultivation Family was thinking about how they could get closer to Bai Zichen, including the simplest method of a marriage alliance.

Unfortunately, Bai Zichen had risen too quickly and made few friends, making it difficult to even begin to form a connection.

The Qingfeng Sect cultivator most likely to reach Core Formation after Ancestor Ge.

This was a title some had already bestowed upon Bai Zichen.

The experienced Patriarchs of the Noble Families wouldn’t go so far as to rank his chances of reaching Core Formation higher than Wei Dao’s, but he was already considered among the top three.

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could protect a clan for a hundred years, then a Core Formation True Man could dominate a region for several hundred.

Just like Qingfeng Sect’s Master Yang, who has been a Core Formation master for over two hundred years and has witnessed countless generations of disciples.

Two hundred years ago, when another Core Formation True Man from the Qingfeng Sect unexpectedly fell, he single-handedly supported the Qingfeng Sect. With the addition of the Duality Illusion Moon Array, a Tier Three Top-Grade Array, he managed to endure the most difficult century, until Ancestor Ge finally broke through and successfully reached Core Formation.

This was the strategic significance of a Core Formation True Man. As long as they consolidated their power and had a Tier Three Array to support them, unless faced with overwhelming strength, it was very difficult for them to be destroyed by another Core Formation Power of the same level.

...

「Water Curtain Cave.」

After exchanging a few pleasantries with his clansmen, Bai Xianzhong invited Bai Zichen into his Cave Mansion.

A Spirit-Catching Array here had formed a Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Land.

In the past, Bai Zichen had been astonished by the Spiritual Qi here, but now, accustomed to the Moon-Locking Pool, he found it quite ordinary.

"In just a few short years, Brother Chenn has become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It’s truly incredible to think about..."

Bai Xianzhong brewed the tea himself, filling two cups.

"It’s all thanks to you, Clan Leader, for letting me join the Qingfeng Sect. Otherwise, without the opportunities, I wouldn’t have been able to do it so quickly."

’If I had stayed in the clan,’ Bai Zichen thought, ’breaking through the realms would have been no problem with my special Spirit Body. But without the aid of a Tier Three Low-Grade Spirit Land, and with my actual aptitude of Three Spiritual Roots, it would have been impossible to accumulate enough Magical Power to reach the Qi Refining Great Perfection stage so quickly. Not to mention the opportunity I got by becoming an Inner Sect Disciple to receive the Tianhe Sword Sect’s inheritance. The Bai Family’s resources also wouldn’t have been enough to help me obtain a Spiritual Artifact so quickly.’

Bai Xianzhong looked embarrassed and stammered, "There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Brother Chenn... Back then, Sect Leader Wei Dao promised the Bai Family the right to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"The deadline was last year, but you were in seclusion and the clan had no other suitable candidates, so I applied to the Qingfeng Sect to delay the acquisition. This opportunity arose because of you in the first place, and we did promise to hold it for you for two years. I really should have consulted you about it."

If Bai Zichen were still just an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingfeng Sect, then of course, what to do with the Foundation Establishment Pill would have been Bai Xianzhong’s decision to make alone.

But now he was an Elder of the Qingfeng Sect, seen as a peerless prodigy with the potential to reach Core Formation.

Thus, he couldn’t afford to ignore Bai Zichen’s wishes.

Bai Xianzhong did not want this peerless prodigy to develop a rift with the clan.

"It’s fine. Didn’t I redeem a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Sect? If I hadn’t succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment on my first try, I might have then thought about the one from the clan."

’This had been Bai Zichen’s plan all along.’

The Clan Leader’s willingness to offer an explanation put him more at ease.

Bai Xianzhong handed over a long Jade Box, its surface sealed with several Talismans.

This ensured the Spiritual Qi was completely sealed inside, without the slightest leak.

"What’s inside?"

Bai Zichen glanced at it, not immediately accepting it.

’Presented so solemnly, it must be an extremely precious treasure.’

Bai Xianzhong swiped a finger, and the Talismans broke in two, sliding away.

"The Bai Family has limited resources, so we can’t offer much... After discussing it with the Elders, we decided to give this to you as your Foundation Establishment gift."

The long Jade Box was pushed open, and inside lay a five-foot-long Spiritual Bamboo, as thick as a forearm.

This piece of bamboo looked unremarkable, with a few fresh bamboo leaves still hanging from its branches, as if it had just been pulled from the earth.

Bai Xianzhong flicked it with a bent finger, and the bamboo emitted a hollow, melodious sound, like a struck instrument, its echo lingering.

"This is... Sacred Sound Bamboo?"

This was the highest achievement of the Bai Family’s Wood God Skill. After a hundred years, with countless clan members tending to it day after day, two stalks of Tier Two Mid-Grade Sacred Sound Bamboo had finally mutated into existence.

When moved by the wind during its growth, it would produce a musical sound. This characteristic would be retained even after it was refined into a Flying Sword or Spiritual Artifact.

Hence its name.

Because Sacred Sound Bamboo could be used as the main material for refining a Tier Two Flying Sword, its price far exceeded that of other Spirit Plants of the same tier.

One of the stalks had been auctioned off for a price of four thousand Spirit Stones.

"That’s right. It’s the very stalk of Sacred Sound Bamboo the clan has been carefully cultivating, hoping it would mutate and advance again... We just harvested it last month and performed some preliminary refining on it according to the method passed down by our ancestor."

Bai Xianzhong looked at the Sacred Sound Bamboo in the box, his expression filled with reluctance.

Since his birth, this stalk of Sacred Sound Bamboo had been growing deep within Hanxiu Peak.

"The stalk of Sacred Sound Bamboo that was auctioned at the Market back then was only four feet long after refining. This one, perhaps because it was grown for several more decades, absorbing Spiritual Qi and bathed in the Spirit Light of the Wood God Skill, grew another foot."

Bai Zichen took a deep breath, reached out, and slowly took the Sacred Sound Bamboo in his hand.

As a member of the Bai Family, he had grown up hearing stories of the Sacred Sound Bamboo.

Now that this Spiritual Bamboo was actually right in front of him, how could he not be thrilled?

Based on what Bai Xianzhong said, the value of this Sacred Sound Bamboo was well over four thousand Spirit Stones.

It was indeed a weighty Foundation Establishment gift.

Moreover, this stalk of Sacred Sound Bamboo held an even more special significance for the Bai Family.

"I feel unworthy of such a great treasure..."

The Sacred Sound Bamboo felt cool and smooth in his hand.

Bai Zichen injected a trace of Magical Power into it. Even though it was still just a Spirit Plant, the power flowed through it unimpeded, and there was even a slight amplification effect.

"Brother Chenn, you once said something I found very reasonable... ’Letting good things sit idle at home is like hiding a pearl in the dark; hoarding treasures is useless. Only by putting them into circulation can their true value be realized.’"

Seeing his reluctance to part with the Sacred Sound Bamboo, Bai Xianzhong said with a relieved sigh.

"If the Spiritual Bamboo stays with the Bai Family, it’s just one more Tier Two Spirit Plant in the clan. It’s not like the Spirit Tea Tree, which can generate profits continuously."

"But in your hands, Brother Chenn, if you have someone refine it into a Tier Two Flying Sword, you’ll have a powerful Spiritual Artifact that can accompany you throughout your entire Foundation Establishment Stage."

"In the future, if you become a Core Formation True Man, it will be the glory of the entire Bai Family... Every single member of the clan will benefit from your success!"

"In that case, thank you, Clan Leader. This Sacred Sound Bamboo is indeed very important to me."

Bai Zichen put the lid back on the Jade Box, borrowed a few more Sealing Spirit Talismans, and carefully applied them.

This was the only way to ensure the Sacred Sound Bamboo remained in peak condition, preserving the Spiritual Qi it had at the moment of harvesting until the day it was finally refined.

"Also, I’ll give you this as well: the Sword Refining Secret Technique passed down from our ancestor."

Bai Xianzhong then pulled two Jade Scrolls from his storage bag. They were the other two parts of the three Flying Sword refining legacies passed down by the Bai Family’s ancestor.

"Every Bai Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator receives a copy of this Sword Refining Secret Technique... I hope you can refine them soon, so I can see for myself the wonderful things our ancestor left behind."

Bai Zichen briefly scanned the contents of the Jade Scrolls. They contained the complete Sword Refinement legacies for the other two Flying Swords.

The Sound Bamboo Sword, a Tier Two Flying Sword, refined with Sacred Sound Bamboo as the main material.

The Celestial Xin Sword, a Tier Two Flying Sword, refined from White Iron Elite.

’This ancestor of our Bai Family was truly extraordinary,’ Bai Zichen thought. ’To think he left behind something like this...’

’The Jade Scrolls recorded the methods for refining the Flying Swords in exhaustive detail. A Tier Two Flying Sword was on a completely different level from an ordinary Spiritual Artifact. What the Bai Family’s ancestor left behind far exceeded what an Inner Sect Disciple of the Fish Dragon Sect ought to possess. And that Talisman Treasure the Bai Family Elder produced when the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator attacked Hanxiu Peak... that also wasn’t something a Cultivation Family with no historical connection to a Core Formation True Man should have been able to produce.’

"Yes, that’s why our Bai Family has never considered refining the Sound Bamboo Sword and the Celestial Xin Sword."

Bai Xianzhong recalled the longing he’d felt when he first saw the Sword Refining Secret Technique and said, his voice filled with emotion.

"Not to mention the cost of refining a Tier Two Flying Sword, even if we succeeded, we might not be able to protect it... and it would also expose the fact that the Bai Family possesses a Sword Refining Secret Technique."

"Brother Chenn, in the future when you refine a flying sword, just use the excuse that you obtained it through a fortuitous encounter outside. No need to say it was passed down from the Bai Family."

Bai Zichen nodded in agreement.

The risks that an Elder of the Qingfeng Sect and a Cultivation Family could bear were completely different.

A secret that could bring about the annihilation of the Bai Family might be of little consequence to an Elder of the Qingfeng Sect.

"If the Sect suggests I hand over the sword refinement legacy, should I agree?"

’The Qingfeng Sect’s way was not to force its disciples to hand over fortuitous encounters they found elsewhere. However, as was the duty of the Transmission Hall, they would certainly inquire as a matter of routine if he was willing to turn it in for Sect Contribution.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"In the last few years’ Spirit-Guiding Ceremonies, the clan has taken in four or five Immortal Seedlings in a row. Coupled with the clan’s insufficient income in recent years, the clan members’ Cultivation Resources are becoming increasingly stretched..."

After hearing this, Bai Xianzhong did not respond directly, but instead spoke of the clan’s difficulties.

"I understand... As a child of the clan, it is my duty to help resolve its difficulties."

’Bai Zichen understood the Clan Leader’s meaning. It seemed Bai Xianzhong’s perspective had truly changed a great deal. He was even willing to trade the clan’s inherited Sword Refining Secret Technique for resources. This had a lot to do with his own appearance on the scene.’