Chapter 320: Chapter 318: Qingfeng Sword
"Where did you get this Jade Lock?"
Bai Zichen held the Jade Lock in his palm. The appearance of the Tripod Song might not have much of an impact on the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Qingfeng Sect.
But for the few Core Formation Ancestors, it was of grave importance.
This was especially true for Master Ge Cang and Ancestor Bai. With the Tripod Song, they could cultivate at least two more volumes of the Daoist Classic Cantongqi in a short period of time.
This would bring Bai Zichen one step closer to his ultimate dream of awakening the Spiritual nature of a Tier Three Flying Sword.
What was strange was why such an important Jade Lock would appear in Hejian County instead of being stored in the Sect Secret Hall or the Transmission Hall.
"When I was young, I fell into a valley where I found a tall skeleton. I picked this up from beside it," Tie Changsheng said carefully, breathing a sigh of relief.
"A skeleton... could it be Ancestor Qingfeng..."
Bai Zichen then realized that the Sect’s records on its founding ancestor didn’t describe how Master Qingfeng had passed away.
They only said that Master Qingfeng had crossed the sea, trekked thousands of miles, and fought against Core Formation True Men throughout the Cultivation Realm, maneuvering freely.
Eventually, he chose the Black Mountain Range. There, he pioneered the land through arduous effort, braving the elements and slaying countless Demon Beasts to carve out a territory for human Cultivators in the otherwise untamed Demon Beast Mountains.
’Could it be that Ancestor Qingfeng didn’t die of old age, but that there’s a hidden story behind his death? Why isn’t it recorded in the secret scrolls beneath the Transmission Hall? It seems I’ll have to ask Brother Ge or Yingg Zhong. As the Transmission Hall Master, he might know more.’
"Was there only the Jade Lock beside the remains? No other items?"
Bai Zichen swept a scrutinizing gaze over Tie Changsheng and said calmly.
"Finding the Jade Lock and completing an important Cultivation Technique for the Sect is already a great merit. Our Sect doesn’t force disciples to turn over unexpected gains, especially since you weren’t even a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect at the time. However, we will not treat any disciple who makes a contribution unfairly. If your heart is with the Sect, the Sect will naturally give you the reward you deserve."
"Reporting to the Ancestor, I also obtained a Flying Sword at that time... Other than that, there was only a piece of Fire Jade, which I sold for Spirit Stones so I could cultivate relatively quickly in my early years."
Tie Changsheng’s expression shifted. As if he had made up his mind, he took out a dull, grayish-blue Flying Sword from his storage bag.
"The Qingfeng Sword!"
Bai Zichen took the Flying Sword. Three maple leaves were inscribed on the hilt. Its form was ancient and peculiar, and its body was a uniform shade of aquamarine.
Although it was heavily damaged, its Spirit Light dim and obscure, it was clearly identical to the personal sword of Master Qingfeng recorded in the annals.
Judging by the Flying Sword’s quality, it must have been a Tier Three Flying Sword when it was intact.
In that case, there was no doubt that the skeleton belonged to Master Qingfeng.
"Although this sword is damaged, it was still Ancestor Qingfeng’s personal sword, so its commemorative value is extraordinary... Tell me, what reward do you want?"
Bai Zichen gave the Qingfeng Sword a gentle shake, and the dust and rust spots fell away, faintly revealing its former glory.
However, there were several obvious cracks in the middle of the blade. It was hard to imagine what kind of attack could have damaged a Tier Three Flying Sword to this extent.
With the Moon Xuan Sword in hand, he knew well that even a Tier Four Flying Sword would struggle to damage a Tier Three Flying Sword to this degree.
It would take at least several consecutive strikes, all landing on the exact same spot, to create even a small crack.
This also required another condition: the two people controlling the Flying Swords had to be of comparable strength.
Otherwise, after a few strikes from the Tier Four Flying Sword, the opponent would have been defeated long ago, leaving no opportunity for the swords to clash multiple times.
Tie Changsheng was a smart man. Since he had even taken out the Qingfeng Sword, the probability of him hiding other treasures was low.
After a thousand years, Ancestor Qingfeng’s storage bag might have been carried off by a Demon Beast, or perhaps swept away to some other place by a violent storm.
There was no need to investigate the specific details.
"This disciple only asks to successfully achieve Foundation Establishment."
Tie Changsheng kowtowed repeatedly as he stated his wish.
"You’re not greedy. Even if you don’t know how much contribution the Jade Lock is worth, you must have some idea of the value of a half-ruined Tier Three Flying Sword, right?"
Bai Zichen chuckled. This disciple was truly tactful. By stating such a low request, even the greediest Sect Elder wouldn’t be tempted to covet his findings and take them for themselves.
"Our Sect is not in the habit of embezzling from or shortchanging its own disciples. If you want to achieve Foundation Establishment, I will give you enough Contribution Points, and I will also grant you the right to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill on a priority basis three times... If you still fail, then it is the will of heaven, and you probably don’t have many days left to live."
"Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you for your great benevolence, Ancestor Bai!"
A great weight lifted from Tie Changsheng’s heart. Back in the era of the Ghost Spirit Sect, he would have kept this secret to his grave.
If he were ever in desperate need of Spirit Stones, he would have only sought out an Underground Market to sell it at a discount; he would never have chosen to deal with the Ghost Spirit Sect.
Because he knew very well that in the Ghost Spirit Sect, revealing your wealth was tantamount to seeking death.
For a Qi Refining Disciple with no backing, holding such a great Treasure, the most likely outcome would be getting intercepted by a Foundation Establishment Elder, who would steal the Treasure and eliminate all traces of him.
Only now did he dare to slightly raise his head to look at Ancestor Bai, who stood on the blue-gray stone at the head of the room, before immediately lowering it again.
The figure and features seemed somewhat familiar, but he quickly dismissed the unrealistic thought. How could he have ever met a personage like Ancestor Bai?
Ever since he joined the Sect, Ancestor Bai had been in secluded Cultivation. Even someone as outstanding as Ma Ruoxi was denied an audience after her Foundation Establishment.
"A half-ruined Tier Three Flying Sword, including its commemorative value, is worth one hundred thousand contribution points. I will transfer them to you from my account..."
Bai Zichen paused, uncertain about what reward to set for the Tripod Song.
"As for this Jade Lock with the Cultivation Technique, I’ll have the Transmission Hall assess it later. You will not be shorted on your Sect Contribution for it either."
"I will never forget the Ancestor’s great kindness!"
Tie Changsheng’s face was alight with ecstasy. Even if he received no Contribution Points for the Jade Lock, he would have been more than satisfied.
In the Sect, a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object required an exchange of 1,500 Contribution Points.
A single Foundation Establishment Pill required an exchange of ten thousand contribution points.
However, demand far outstripped supply. Even if you scraped together enough Contribution Points, you’d have to wait in line if you weren’t a True Disciple.
In recent years, even True Disciples, who represented the future hope of the Sect, might have to wait for one or two batches of Foundation Establishment Pills before it was their turn.
This was also a reflection of just how many disciples were at Qi Refining Great Perfection in the Sect, and how great the demand for Foundation Establishment Pills had become.
Fortunately, there was the Profound Yin Gang Sha from Ten Thousand Immortals Creek to supplement this, as only a small portion of people could choose to use a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through their bottleneck.
Although the success rate was low, many people used it. In recent years, the number of disciples who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment relying solely on Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects was close to ten.
With the three priority exchange rights promised by Ancestor Bai, Tie Changsheng had ample room for trial and error. He would even have enough left over to purchase elixirs to protect his meridians and Sea of Consciousness, reducing the backlash from a failed Foundation Establishment attempt.
If everything went smoothly, these Contribution Points would even be enough for Tie Changsheng’s two sworn siblings to achieve Foundation Establishment.
"We can discuss other matters later. First, point the way and take me to the place where you discovered Ancestor Qingfeng’s remains. If I had never known, it would be one thing. But now that I do, how can I allow the Ancestor’s remains to be exposed in the wilderness and not properly buried!"
Bai Zichen grabbed Tie Changsheng, transformed into a streak of moonlight, and vanished in an instant.
’It truly is a matter of fate. I never thought that this Tie Changsheng would actually possess a Treasure related to the Sect’s inheritance secrets... He’s lucky to have met an Ancestor as generous as Master, who casually looks after his juniors. It’s unlikely he’ll ever catch up to Ma Ruoxi, but he still has a chance of catching up to Mi Wandeng.’
Tong Huan, who had been standing quietly to the side and witnessed the entire event, shook his head, filled with emotion.
He had been moved by Tie Changsheng’s sincere words during his repeated visits, and the snippets of information he revealed about the Jade Lock made him feel that the matter was very likely true, which was why he brought Tie Changsheng to see his Master.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, Ma Ruoxi couldn’t find the most compatible Curved Water Five-Eyed Bodhi, so she settled for a Tier Three Mid Grade Green Water Rock Milk Stone as a substitute.
She couldn’t achieve the maximum effect of her Water Stone Spiritual Body and didn’t reach an aptitude close to a Celestial Spiritual Root, but her Cultivation speed was still much faster than that of ordinary Dual Spiritual Root Cultivators.
In terms of refining nature’s spiritual energy alone, her effectiveness was already comparable to those with an Abnormal Spiritual Root.
This performance also made the Sect see Ma Ruoxi’s potential.
They added more rewards to the existing acquisition mission for the Curved Water Five-Eyed Bodhi, and also had the team heading to Zengguang Immortal City to purchase the Golden Crown Reishi add this Spiritual Object to their list.
As long as the price wasn’t too outrageous, they were to acquire it at auction.
Once she was equipped with the Curved Water Five-Eyed Bodhi, one could almost foresee the rise of another disciple at Foundation Establishment Perfection.
Regardless of her chances of achieving Core Formation, she was an excellent Core Formation Seed that the Sect could see right now.
’The juniors are all catching up and surpassing me one by one. I need to work harder too. I heard that Junior Brother Lii is already on the verge of breaking through to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment... If this continues, I, the eldest senior brother, will become the one with the lowest Cultivation under Master’s tutelage. Even a disciple I watched join the Sect is about to catch up and surpass me.’
A wave of bitterness washed over Tong Huan’s heart. His talent was inferior to others; blaming heaven and earth was useless.
’Even the faintest glimmer can grow into a blazing sun.’
Reciting this silently in his heart twice, Tong Huan decided to continue practicing the Heavenly Inquiry Sword Technique after he returned.
This swordsmanship was simpler than any he had practiced before, consisting of just nine simple Sword Paths. Taken individually, they showed no miraculous qualities.
Only when empowered by conviction, with nine questions posed to the heavens, could the true subtlety of the Heavenly Inquiry Sword Technique be unleashed.
He had taken a liking to this swordsmanship the moment he began practicing it, reaching a point where his sword never left his side, and he would feel dissatisfied if he didn’t practice it several times a day.
Gradually, Tong Huan truly began to grasp a hint of the essence of the Heavenly Inquiry Sword Technique, and he was already seeing some results.
He had planned to find an opportunity to ask his Master for guidance, but he hadn’t expected such a major event to occur today, and his Master had left so abruptly. He could only wait for the next time.
[...]
The sensation of Sword Flight on a Tier Four Flying Sword, soaring through the Cyan Nether—even many Nascent Soul True Monarchs never had such an opportunity.
Tie Changsheng, a mere Qi Refining Cultivator, was getting to experience it ahead of time.
Wrapped in moonlight, he was already thousands of feet in the air. After pointing out the general direction, he became completely disoriented, unable to tell north from south, east from west.
This speed of flight far exceeded what his body could withstand.
If Bai Zichen hadn’t protected Tie Changsheng’s body with moonlight, he would have long been flayed to the bone by the violent air currents or suffocated to death mid-flight.