Three Hundred Thousand Spirit Stones

The outer sect plaza.

A morning breeze fragrant with pine drifted out of the mountain forest and swept across the plaza.

The bluestone paving slabs were still damp from the previous night, and watermarks of varying shades glimmered faintly in the morning light.

Dawn had only just broken, but outer disciples were already coming and going across the plaza.

Some practiced Law Techniques in the sword-testing stone area on the plaza's outskirts, sword light flickering through the morning mist.

Others hurried onto the stone paths at the edge of the plaza that led to the various peaks, the hems of their robes flashing around the bends before vanishing from sight.

Still others gathered in twos and threes in the center of the plaza, whispering to one another, their voices fading in and out as the morning breeze carried them away.

In the sky, inner disciples occasionally streaked past on flying swords.

Their swords left trails of spiritual light of varying lengths, and their robes snapped in the wind high above. In the space of a few breaths, they crossed from one side to the other and disappeared into the clouds beyond the mountain ridges.

Lu Yang stood at the edge of one side of the plaza, his gaze resting on several wildflowers swaying gently in the morning breeze nearby.

The wildflowers were pale purple, their names unknown. Their tiny blossoms had pushed stubbornly through cracks in the bluestone slabs, and last night's dew still clung to their petals.

Disciples passing by him glanced sideways almost instinctively.

The female cultivators' gazes fell on his incomparably handsome profile, and their steps slowed without their realizing it; the male cultivators quickened their pace and hurried away, their hearts full of jealousy.

Qin Nanyue had barely stepped into the plaza when she spotted him.

It couldn't be helped. Standing among the crowd now, Lu Yang looked as though he belonged to an entirely different art style from everyone else.

The morning light fell on his profile, tracing a smooth line from his forehead to his chin.

His high nose, his thin, slightly pursed lips, his deep eyes fixed absentmindedly on the wildflowers...

Qin Nanyue's eyes flickered, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

How does this kid keep getting better-looking?

She lowered her head and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable stir in her heart, then strode quickly over to him.

When she reached him, she flashed him a breezy smile and waved. "Lu Yang!"

Lu Yang turned at the sound of her voice, drawing his gaze away from the wildflowers to look at her.

Then he gave her a pure, gentle smile. It unfolded in the morning light, catching Qin Nanyue off guard and making her heart jump again.

"Senior Sister Qin, you're here!"

Qin Nanyue coughed and tried to make her voice sound as it always did. "Mm, sorry for the wait?"

"No, I only just got here myself."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, his tone neither hurried nor slow. His warm, ink-dark eyes remained fixed on Qin Nanyue, focused and open, without the slightest attempt to look away.

Qin Nanyue suddenly discovered that maintaining a calm expression under that gaze was far harder than she had imagined.

The corners of her mouth were a little stiff, her ears were a little hot, and for a moment she didn't know what to do with her hands.

She looked slightly away and gave a decisive wave. "Come on, let's go straight to the Affairs Hall."

"Okay."

Qin Nanyue turned and led the way, taking long, quick strides as though fleeing from something.

Lu Yang followed at an unhurried pace, keeping about two steps behind her.

The two climbed the steps along the mountain path.

Ancient pines of unknown age lined both sides of the path, their needles rustling softly in the morning breeze. The air was filled with the fresh scent of pine resin and the damp smell of earth soaked in dew.

An early-rising flower-tailed finch fluttered up from a branch, shaking loose a few drops of last night's dew.

After a moment's silence, Qin Nanyue finally got over her earlier, inexplicable awkwardness.

She turned her head and asked casually, "Lu Yang, how many contribution points are you planning to exchange for?"

Lu Yang thought for a moment. "I'm not sure of the exact amount yet. I'll start with three hundred thousand."

He only needed to spend a little over two hundred thousand more to raise Tycoon's Confidence another level. He would put three hundred thousand toward it first to get through this level, then see how much the next one required.

If he could level it up again right away, he would keep exchanging; otherwise, he would wait until next time.

He had originally planned to exchange all of his more than a million Spirit Stones for contribution points, but after obtaining the mercenary contract yesterday, he had changed his mind.

Three million could hire a peak nascent soul puppet for a day.

It was best to save those Spirit Stones for now, just in case.

Qin Nanyue abruptly stopped in her tracks.

She froze where she stood and turned to look at Lu Yang, her eyes full of astonishment. "...How much?"

"Three hundred thousand. What's wrong?" Lu Yang stopped too, a hint of amusement in his voice.

The corner of Qin Nanyue's eye twitched violently, and a string of question marks slowly rose in her mind.

Wait... three hundred thousand???

And judging by how casually this guy said it, three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones didn't even seem like much to him?!

Just how much money does this kid have?!

She, Qin Nanyue, was a direct descendant of the Qin Household and one of the top ten outer disciples. Among her fellow disciples, she was already considered well-off.

But even she couldn't possibly produce three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

Qin Nanyue's chest rose and fell involuntarily.

Her figure was already curvaceous, her bosom ample, and the movement was quite noticeable.

Lu Yang's gaze involuntarily shifted slightly along with it. In less than a breath, he quickly looked away and stared straight ahead at the mountain path.

It would be too embarrassing if he were caught, after all.

Qin Nanyue didn't seem to notice Lu Yang's gaze.

Recovering from her shock, she asked again, "...Are you sure? Three hundred thousand??"

Lu Yang nodded. "Yeah. Isn't the exchange rate thirty to one anyway? That makes it a nice round number."

Qin Nanyue: "..."

So he's exchanging three hundred thousand because he wants a round number?

Wait... Lu Yang's idea of a round number seems a little different from mine?

Qin Nanyue grumbled wildly to herself, but in the end, she said nothing more.

He had money. Was she supposed to stop him?

She took a deep breath and brought the conversation back on track. "Since I'm the one making the exchange, the contribution points will go into my sect token. Is that all right?"

Lu Yang smiled. "Of course. I trust you, Senior Sister Qin."

Qin Nanyue muttered, "Even I don't trust myself as much as you trust me. Three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones would make the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators green-eyed enough to risk their lives, but you... you just hand them over without even blinking."

She paused, then asked, "What are you planning to exchange them for?"

Lu Yang thought for a moment. He already had a general idea. "Supreme-grade Law Artifacts and supreme-grade pills, I think."

Qin Nanyue nodded. "Mm, let's go take a look together afterward. What we exchange for is up to you anyway. I'm just running errands for you."

They chatted as they walked, and before long, the Affairs Hall building appeared around a bend in the mountain path.

This building was a size larger than the one Lu Yang had visited to register last time. It had three stories and was built entirely of dark cyan stone, with pale golden formation patterns inlaid in its window frames.

The last time Lu Yang had come to the Affairs Hall, he had only registered as an outer disciple. The contribution point exchange area was in another building, so this was his first time here.

The two pushed open the half-closed, copper-clad wooden door and entered the hall.

The interior was much more spacious than it appeared from outside. A huge, nine-tiered spirit lamp hung from the domed ceiling, casting a soft, even white light that made the entire hall as bright as day.

Dozens of counter windows were set into the walls on all four sides, with people lined up in varying numbers at each one.

Several rows of stone benches stood in the center of the hall for those waiting, with a few disciples scattered among them, their heads bent over Jade Slips.

Besides exchanging Spirit Stones for contribution points, one could also exchange contribution points back into Spirit Stones here.

The two services were handled at different windows in the same hall, so the crowds mingled together, making it quite lively.

After waiting in line for a while, the two finally found an open window near a corner.

An outer sect deacon sat behind the counter, a young man who looked to be in his twenties.

He had initially worn a professional smile, but his expression changed the moment he examined the sect token Qin Nanyue handed him.

His back instinctively straightened a little, and his professional smile turned genuinely respectful.

"Senior Sister Qin!" He bowed slightly, his tone warm. "Would you like to exchange for Spirit Stones or contribution points?"

Qin Nanyue remained composed, as unruffled as someone accustomed to such treatment. "Contribution points."

The outer sect deacon's smile grew even brighter, and he eagerly asked, "How much would you like to exchange?"

Qin Nanyue didn't answer. She turned to look at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang spoke casually. "Three hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

For an instant, silence fell on both sides of the window.

The outer sect deacon's expression froze on his face.

A few breaths later, he recovered, swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He carefully confirmed, "...Th-three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Qin Nanyue nodded calmly. "That's right."

"A-all right! Please submit the Spirit Stones..." The outer sect deacon's voice trembled involuntarily as his fingers tapped rapidly at an operation formation beneath the counter.

A concealed compartment beneath the counter gave a faint hum. An opening about the size of a washbasin slowly appeared, and an appraisal formation could be dimly seen within, faint light flowing across it.

Qin Nanyue tilted her head and gestured at the opening with her chin. "Just pour the Spirit Stones in there."

Lu Yang nodded and reached into the Storage Bag at his waist. With a movement of his Divine Sense, the Spirit Stones inside poured out with a clatter like floodwaters released through a gate.

The crisp sounds of Spirit Stones striking one another merged into a dense clatter as the appraisal formation inside the opening operated, its spiritual light flickering.

The sound went on for a very long time.

So long that the cultivators lining up and waiting nearby turned to look one after another.

They saw countless Low-Grade Spirit Stones pouring from the mouth of the Storage Bag like an upside-down waterfall, their spiritual light brightening the entire corner.

The hall gradually fell silent, leaving only the clatter of that Spirit Stone waterfall echoing between the walls.

It wasn't unusual for outer disciples to exchange for contribution points.

After all, the sect had plenty of descendants from aristocratic clans. Some disciples occasionally exchanged Spirit Stones to cultivate Cultivation Methods and secret Techniques unique to the sect, or to obtain rare resources available only for contribution points.

But they had never seen anyone pour them out like this.

How many did it take to keep flowing without stopping like that?

A hundred thousand?

A hundred and fifty thousand?

Two hundred thousand??

The same question raced through everyone's mind.

Just how many has this guy poured out?!

Lu Yang paid no attention to the shocked gazes around him.

His Divine Sense had long since extended beyond his body, precisely counting the Spirit Stones.

Only when he had poured out three hundred thousand Spirit Stones did his hand abruptly stop.

"That's enough."

With a turn of his wrist, he put away the Storage Bag.

The appraisal formation gradually ceased operating, and the opening slowly closed, leaving the counter's surface slightly warm.

Qin Nanyue keenly caught the faint fluctuation as Lu Yang released his Divine Sense. Her eyes widened slightly, and a hint of surprise entered her voice. "You've already used the Azurite Jade Liquid? Your Divine Sense has awakened?"

Lu Yang nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "Yeah, I used it last night."

Qin Nanyue's gaze immediately grew somewhat envious. She clicked her tongue and said, half in admiration and half sourly, "Tsk... it's nice to be rich. I want to awaken my Divine Sense early too."

Even though she was already at the peak Qi refining realm, she hadn't managed to awaken her Divine Sense early.

Heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could help a cultivator awaken Divine Sense early were simply too rare. Even as a direct descendant of the Qin Household, she couldn't just come across them whenever she wanted.

Even if she was lucky enough to find one, as she had when she encountered the Azurite Jade Liquid at the auction, she still needed the money to buy it.

While the two were talking quietly at the counter, the outer sect deacon had already scrambled to finish processing the Spirit Stone exchange.

He returned Qin Nanyue's sect token with both hands, his manner even more respectful than before. He didn't dare let his eyes wander. "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, the exchange is complete. Ten thousand contribution points in total. Please have a look."

After speaking, he secretly glanced at Lu Yang out of the corner of his eye, an added layer of awe in his gaze.

He had sat behind this counter for more than twenty years. What sort of person hadn't he seen?

But he truly had never seen an outer disciple who could produce three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones in one go to exchange for contribution points.

This senior brother surely had a frighteningly powerful background.

Lu Yang paid the deacon's gaze no mind.

His attention was fixed on the system panel before him.

Sure enough, the Tycoon's Confidence field was now lit with a glow indicating that it could be upgraded.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly in a discreet smile.

With a thought, Tycoon's Confidence leveled up once more!