Chapter 164: Chapter 163: The Hall Master Passes Away

The location of the third Yin Sha Earth Vein must be the nest of the Two-Winged Yin Centipedes. There were obvious signs of activity.

But the cavern was a mess, and the Evil Qi was sparse.

"Those Two-Winged Yin Centipedes must have devoured it. We’ll have to wait another ten years before we can extract the Evil Qi again..."

Zhou Suqing sensed the concentration of Evil Qi in the cavern and felt it was a shame.

"These Demon Beasts devour Gang Sha by instinct, making their already powerful bodies even tougher. But what a colossal waste of a god-given treasure..."

They scoured the entire valley one more time. Even Genggeng got down on the ground and bounded about energetically, confirming that there were no other Yin Sha Earth Veins.

In addition, they also found a patch of Taiyin Moon Grass.

This was precisely what Senior Sister Zhou had originally intended to gather. She had recently hit a bottleneck with her Arrays and was practicing Alchemy on the side.

There was a certain Tier One Top-Grade Elixir whose refinement success rate could be increased by adding Tier Two Taiyin Moon Grass as a supplementary ingredient.

As long as she could successfully refine a single batch, with her talent, she would naturally be able to refine it consistently thereafter.

At that point, becoming a Tier One Peak Alchemist would be child’s play for her.

"Since there are three Yin Sha Earth Veins, it’s perfect for the three of us to take one each... Junior Brother Bai, what do you think?"

Zhou Suqing was well aware of who had contributed the most and deserved the primary credit for this operation. She deliberately avoided mentioning their agreement to split the spoils four ways.

"Alright. This is simple and saves us the trouble of a detailed division."

A stable harvest of one strand of Profound Frost Gang Sha every ten years for junior disciples or clan members was enough for Bai Zichen.

"By that count, I’m taking advantage of you... I’ll take this Earth Evil Yin Vein right here. The other two, which can be harvested for Evil Qi starting next year, I’ll leave for the two of you."

Su Li blushed, embarrassed that she had contributed the least yet was receiving an equal share of the rewards.

"Also, I’ll cover the cost of the materials needed to set up Protection Arrays for the three Earth Evil Yin Veins."

"Excellent. Fellow disciples shouldn’t haggle over every little thing. When it comes to magnanimity, none of us can compare to Junior Brother Bai. I’ll mark the locations and set up a simple array..."

Admiration filled Zhou Suqing’s eyes. ’A Sword Cultivator of his talent and combat prowess, yet so magnanimous and generous, and willing to help his fellow disciples. Truly a rare find.’

’That Junior Sister Lan always gets so worked up when she talks about Bai Zichen, claiming he’s blunt, narrow-minded, and arrogant. Thinking back on it now, it must have been slander.’

’It seems I’ll need to keep my distance from Lan Hong.’

’Exaggerating and slandering a fellow disciple behind their back... someone with that kind of character isn’t worth getting close to.’

Leaving the marks was mainly a warning to any cultivators who might come later that these Yin Sha Earth Veins were already claimed.

Ninety-nine percent of the cultivators who came to this valley were disciples of the Qingfeng Sect. Upon seeing the marks, they would naturally abandon any thoughts of seizing the veins for themselves.

The true protection would have to rely on the arrays they would set up later.

This was mainly to prevent Demon Beasts from barging into the caverns and disrupting the accumulation of Evil Qi.

After returning to White Jade Tower, Bai Zichen personally selected two stalks of Spiritual Bamboo and fed them to Genggeng as a reward for its excellent performance.

"Shape up a little. Once you become a Tier Two Spirit Beast, that treasure-hunting talent of yours will be even more useful..."

Bai Zichen watched as Genggeng sat on the ground with its legs splayed out, fastidiously nibbling on the tenderest tip of the bamboo stalk while casually sweeping the rest of the stalk aside.

’The Sect doesn’t even raise Spirit Beasts on a large scale. The Spirit Beast Hall has no systematic selection of Spirit Beasts for disciples to choose from, so the Alchemy Hall naturally won’t go out of its way to refine Spirit Beast Elixirs. In that regard, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is the most reliable.’

’Given this cub’s lazy disposition, I can’t expect it to grow up on its own.’

’I, its master, will have to put in some effort. When I get the chance, I should visit the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and purchase a batch of elixirs that can help Spirit Beasts grow.’

’The pamphlet that came from the Spirit Beast Pavilion mentioned several types of elixirs that are effective for Tier One Bear Spirit Beasts.’

’But the Pill Formulas for these elixirs are almost completely monopolized by the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.’

’This has led to a special branch of Alchemists within the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. While their skills in refining elixirs for human cultivators are average, their art of creating Spirit Beast Elixirs has reached perfection.’

Bai Zichen then summoned Lu Song and informed him about the Yin Sha Earth Vein in the Nameless Valley.

He instructed Lu Song to accompany the disciples of Senior Sister Zhou Suqing next year to extract the Profound Frost Gang Sha from the valley.

He himself might not have the time to make a special trip then.

’Qi Refining Ninth Layer... Not bad. In a few more years, once you reach Qi Refining Great Perfection, you can start thinking about Foundation Establishment.’

Bai Zichen sized up Lu Song. Thanks to the Seven Luminaries Spiritual Body, his physical body showed no signs of decline; his vitality was still robust.

Moreover, his Magical Power was full and stable, not the least bit superficial.

"When you’re ready to attempt Foundation Establishment, let me know in advance. I’ll prepare a Foundation Establishment Pill for you."

"Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle Bai."

With this renewed assurance, a look of joy spread across Lu Song’s face.

After he came out of the Ancient Secret Realm, although he hadn’t obtained any Treasures, he had undergone an infusion of a strange Black Flame.

It had replenished his Essence and allowed him to form the Seven Luminaries Spiritual Body, and Lu Song could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had increased significantly.

He was confident that as long as he obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, he had a very high chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.

However, given how precious the Foundation Establishment Pill was, it wasn’t something a mere Steward could hope to acquire.

Only if Bai Zichen personally vied for it on his behalf was there any chance at all.

’I’m not short on Sect Contribution right now. A Foundation Establishment Pill is only ten thousand contribution points, which I can transfer to him at any time... The problem is his place in the queue. How can I move Lu Song further up the list?’

A couple of days ago, the Elder in charge of the Spirit Field Hall had paid a visit to White Jade Tower, taking a hundred healthy and viable Dragon Tooth Rice Spirit Seeds with him.

In return, he had transferred fifty thousand Sect Contribution points to Bai Zichen’s Elder Token.

This instantly made him one of the few Elders in the entire Sect with the most contribution points to spare.

Even Hall Master-level Elders like Liang Yu would have already exchanged their Sect Contribution for useful items, and were unlikely to let the points just sit in their accounts.

After submitting their applications, Steward-level disciples usually had to wait five to ten years before it was their turn to be eligible to trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The exact waiting period also depended on how often the Sect’s alchemists were Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills, as well as the number of True Disciples in need.

If a Steward had a powerful backer who was willing to trade some resources, this waiting time could potentially be shortened.

’I still have several years. By then, I’ll definitely have reached Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, and my voice should carry more weight in the council of Elders...’

Bai Zichen had gotten the better end of the deal when distributing the Treasures from the Ancient Secret Realm, so he was determined to secure this Foundation Establishment Pill for Lu Song, no matter how difficult it might be.

As for whether Lu Song succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment and what his future held, that would be out of his hands.

’Originally, the decision on who received the Foundation Establishment Pills was up to the Sect Leader alone... but now, Gu Xisheng certainly doesn’t have that kind of authority, which means the Five Hall Masters have a much greater say.’

’As long as I can get Lu Song onto the final list, there’s room to maneuver.’

Bai Zichen’s expression was grave. Fortunately, Lu Song’s Seven Luminaries Spiritual Body made the so-called "Foundation Establishment deadline" irrelevant.

Time-wise, they weren’t under too much pressure.

’After all these years, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo is still completely inactive. It must be because my Realm is too low, so the nurturing effect of my Qi Sea is limited...’

Thinking of the Secret Realm, Bai Zichen looked at the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo lying quietly within his Dantian Qi Sea. If not for the occasional arc of lightning that pulsed across its surface, it would be indistinguishable from an inanimate object.

However, even in its slumber, the faint arcs of electricity radiating from the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo were constantly refining the quality of his Liquid Magical Power.

At the same time, this allowed him to refine and absorb the power from elixirs contained within his Magical Power at a rate several times more efficient than others, all without the risk of Erysipelas.

It was truly worthy of something that had devolved from what was suspected to be a Tier Five Flying Sword.

Even in its Sword Embryo state, it was beyond what any ordinary Tier Three Magical Treasure could compare with.

Unfortunately, he still hadn’t managed to unlock the secrets of the mysterious Sword Box he had also obtained. No matter what method he tried, it remained completely inert.

...

「Five months later.」

’I’ve run out of elixirs. I’ll have to make another trip to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion... It’s a shame I have to wait until I reach Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment to take another Nine Revolutions Dragon Tiger Pill. Otherwise, just one more pill and I could have reached the Peak of Early-Stage Foundation Establishment.’

Bai Zichen walked out of his Quiet Chamber and played with Genggeng for a while. It was only when he checked his Elder Token that he discovered an obituary notice from several days prior.

Tan Changkong, the Master of the Alchemy Hall, had passed away five days ago.

’So, Brother Tan finally reached the end of his road. He couldn’t hold on any longer...’

Even now, Bai Zichen clearly remembered the ecstatic expression on Tan Changkong’s face in the Ancestor Hall all those years ago when he saw the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.

Any cultivator would lose their composure upon discovering such a Life-Extending Secret Technique at the end of their life.

Tan Changkong had been at death’s door, a cultivator barely clinging to life with all sorts of life-extending elixirs. He naturally had no illusions about reaching Core Formation with the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique. The extra thirty years of life it granted after mastery wouldn’t be enough for him to advance his Cultivation another step.

But that time was more than enough for Tan Changkong to put his affairs in order.

Over those thirty years, he had frequently opened the furnace and refined pills, leaving a great many elixirs for his descendants in the Tan Family.

Most importantly, he had secured a Foundation Establishment Pill for the Tan Family’s most outstanding descendant, Tan Qin, ensuring the family’s legacy had a chance to continue.

’When a Hall Master-level Elder passes away, I should technically pay my respects... But I had no relationship with Brother Tan. In fact, the Alchemy Hall faction is vaguely hostile toward me. They didn’t even send an invitation to the service, so I might as well not go.’

The Alchemy Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall had never been on good terms. Since Bai Zichen was clearly close to Liang Yu, they had once secretly treated him as a rival.

If he were on the main mountain, he would have no choice but to go and offer his condolences.

But since he was far away at Feiyue Lake and hadn’t received an invitation, there was no need for him to eagerly show up unannounced.

He had someone summon his only Inner Chamber Disciple, Tong Huan, so he could check on his cultivation progress.

With the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror, any slight deviation in a Qi Refining Cultivator’s practice would immediately be reflected on the Human Meridian Map.

’Mm, his foundation is very solid. There are no problems...’

Tong Huan had Lu Song’s meticulous guidance. His daily meals consisted of Tier One Spirit Rice. The Cultivation Technique he practiced was the one the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror had selected as most suitable for him, and he was constantly cultivating in a Tier Two Top-Grade Spiritual Land.

In terms of cultivation environment alone, even the direct descendants of the Foundation Establishment Elders might not have it as good as him.

He was still at the Qi Refining Third Layer, but Bai Zichen had no intention of letting him use elixirs to break through.

Tong Huan wasn’t like him. Bai Zichen had experienced all sorts of fortuitous encounters and didn’t need to worry about bottlenecks.

It was better to let him overcome a small bottleneck like the one before Mid-Stage Qi Refining on his own.

Otherwise, if he developed a habit of relying on elixirs at such a young age, how would he ever manage Breaking Realm when faced with the increasingly difficult bottlenecks of the future?

Bai Zichen had made a silent promise to himself to nurture Tong Huan to at least Qi Refining Great Perfection, and ideally help him achieve Foundation Establishment.

Otherwise, he would be failing to live up to Elder Tong’s gift.

Besides, it would be a loss of face for him if his first Inner Chamber Disciple’s Cultivation was too poor.