Exchange!

Su Bai's mind sank into the interface within his body, where lines of clear information appeared:

[Name]: Su Bai

[Spirit Root Talent]: Single Spirit Root (Lightning) [Original: Fire and Wood Dual Spirit Root → Lightning Single Spirit Root]

[Sword Dao Talent]: Clear Heart Sword Intent (Yellow Tier)

[Spell Talent]: Ice Attribute Spell Talent (Third Tier)

[Immortal Talent Reflection]: Survey 0/1, Copy 0/1.

"Success!"

An indescribable thrill surged through his heart. The column representing his Spirit Root Talent had changed from "Dual Spirit Root" to "Single Spirit Root (lightning)"!

This means that he has completely broken free from the shackles of mediocre talent and entered the ranks of true geniuses.

From now on, cultivation speed will experience Qualitative Leap, and the affinity and absorption efficiency of Lightning Attribute Spiritual Qi in the world will far exceed that of the past.

Meanwhile, Elder Wan Haoran on the opposite side was focused on the gentle, dancing arc of purple and white lightning at his fingertips.

Completely focused on guiding Su Bai to sense the subtle changes, they were completely unaware of the dramatic transformation occurring at the very foundation of Su Bai's body.

In his perception, Su Bai's aura seemed to fluctuate slightly with contact with the Lightning Spiritual Power, but this was quite common when first deeply sensing high-level Spiritual Power, and he simply attributed it to the excitement of the young man.

A moment later, Wan Haoran withdrew the lightning arc from his fingertip.

He stroked his long beard and pondered, "I roughly understand your pursuit of the 'tremor' and 'high frequency' characteristics of Lightning Spiritual Power, and your idea of combining it with sword resonance and sword speed."

He paused, then gently patted the Storage Bag at his waist.

A pale purple Jade Slip flew out and landed in his palm.

"This is a near- Quasi-Second Tier Lightning Law Technique, named [Thousand Lightning Lure]."

"Without a sufficiently strong Lightning Attribute Spell Talent, the difficulty of cultivation will be quite high. You should take a look for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Su Bai's heart stirred, and he accepted the Jade Slip with both hands.

His Spiritual Sense probed slightly, and a rather profound Method Formula appeared in his mind, which was indeed very similar to the concept he had tried to "make up".

If I were to acquire a talent for Lightning Attribute Spell Talent in the future, and use this technique as a blueprint, combined with Sword Control Technique or Sword Qi energy, I might be able to simulate the famous "Thunder Method Sword Art" from my memory.

But at this moment, he possessed only a single Lightning Attribute Single Spirit Root, yet had no Lightning Attribute Spell Talent.

The difficulty of cultivating such a subtle and profound Quasi-Second-Tier Thunder Method is unimaginable.

Roughly estimated, without the aid of corresponding Talent, it would take years or even decades to get started and master the skills to a level sufficient to integrate them into Sword Dao.

For him, who was racing against time to Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible, this was undoubtedly putting the cart before the horse and a losing proposition.

However, he did not show any unusual behavior on the surface. Instead, he expressed his gratitude appropriately and carefully put the Jade Slip slip away.

Su Bai bowed deeply to Wan Haoran: "Thank you for your generous gift, Elder! This technique is profound and exactly what Disciple had in mind."

"This Disciple will certainly study diligently and live up to the Elder's expectations."

He then abruptly changed the subject, offering a pre-prepared explanation. "Elder, this Disciple may need to leave the sect soon to carry out a True Disciple of knowledge. My return date is uncertain." He added, "For the foreseeable future, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to disturb Elder peaceful cultivation."

Wan Haoran, unsuspecting, waved his hand and said, "It's alright, the sect's mission is more important. You may go now, but be careful in everything you do."

"This Disciple takes his leave." Su Bai bowed again, turned and steadily left Wan Haoran's cave.

Stepping out of the cave and into the Clear and Cold mountain breeze of Qingyun Cliff, Su Bai let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes gleaming.

With Single Spirit Root now established, cultivation speed will surge once again!

The time required to advance from the Qi Refining Layer Eight will be greatly shortened, and the Qi Refining Great Perfection will be just around the corner!

He felt the Spiritual Power flowing through his body much more actively and smoothly than before, and his perception of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi (especially the sparse Lightning Spiritual Qi) became much clearer, filling him with confidence.

The next step is to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pill, and then find a safe and secluded place to go into seclusion and attempt to break through to the Breaking Through to Foundation Establishment!

With his goal clear, Su Bai didn't delay any longer. He took off on his Sword Flight, transforming into a streak of Azure Light, and flew straight towards the Inner Sect Grand Hall.

The Inner Sect Grand Hall remained solemn and dignified.

Su Bai stopped the Sword Light and stepped into the hall.

It was not a busy time, and the hall was relatively quiet.

He walked straight to the Steward counter on one side, which was responsible for resource exchange and Contribution Points management.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged Elder with a refined appearance and a deep, composed aura; he was clearly Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Upon seeing the dark black True Disciple Token at Su Bai's waist, he slightly raised his eyelids.

"Elder," Su Bai stepped forward, first taking out a Storage Bag containing 4,200 Spirit Stone and placing it on the counter, "This Disciple wishes to exchange all these Spirit Stone for Sect Contribution Points."

The middle-aged Elder glanced at the Storage Bag, scanned it with his Spiritual Sense to confirm the amount, and said in a businesslike manner, "Five Percent handling fee will be charged for exchanging Spirit Stone."

"Four thousand two hundred Spirit Stone can be exchanged for three thousand nine hundred and ninety Contribution Points. Confirm exchange?"

"Confirmed." Su Bai nodded.

Although the transaction fees are considerable, the convenience of Contribution Points within the sect is irreplaceable.

The middle-aged Elder said no more, took Su Bai's True Disciple Token, operated it on a Law Artifact similar to a compass for a moment, and then returned the Token to Su Bai.

"It's been credited; your annual bonus of 1,000 Contribution Points for this year's True Disciple Annual Quota has already been distributed."

"Currently, the Token contains a total of 15,190 Contribution Points."

Su Bai took the Token, and with a slight probe of his Spiritual Sense, confirmed that the number was correct.

More than 15,000 Contribution Points —that was an astronomical figure when he was still Outer Disciple a few months ago.

But what follows will cost an even more staggering amount.

He composed himself and said, "Elder, according to the sect's rules, True Disciple have the right to periodically exchange Foundation Establishment Pill for their own use. This Disciple wishes to exchange for one Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon hearing the words "Foundation Establishment Pill," the middle-aged Elder's eyes became noticeably more serious.

He took Su Bai's Token again and carefully checked its identity information, Contribution Points balance, and... past exchange records (Su Bai had no previous records).

At the same time, he took out a pale blue Jade Slip slip, the surface of Jade Slip was covered with shimmering runes.

"Foundation Establishment Pill are a strategic resource of the sect. Exchange requires registration of intended use and July pledge to ensure their use for one's own Foundation Establishment. They may not be transferred, resold, or used for other purposes without authorization."

The middle-aged Elder spoke solemnly, pushing the Jade Slip towards Su Bai, "Infuse your Spiritual Power imprint and a wisp of Divine Sense into it, stating the purpose of your exchange."

Su Bai did as instructed, forcing out a wisp of pure Spiritual Power from his fingertips, along with a clear intention ("to Breaking Through to Foundation Establishment Realm"), and injecting it into the Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip slip flashed with a faint light, recording and sealing the information.

This contract does not carry any mandatory penalties; rather, it serves as a record, demonstrating the exchanger's attitude and leaving a traceable record.

If such activities as reselling are discovered in the future, this will serve as evidence.

The middle-aged Elder nodded upon seeing that the Jade Slip recording was complete, his tone softening slightly. "Three Spirit Root Talent... Hmm?"

He paused slightly and glanced at the basic information on the Token again (which still recorded Su Bai's "Three Spirit Root" from his entry test).

He glanced at Su Bai again, a knowing look flashing in his eyes, and continued to himself, "... Being well-prepared, and having an extra Foundation Establishment Pill, is certainly a prudent move."

He clearly attributed Su Bai's act of exchanging Foundation Establishment Pill to the fact that Su Bai's "known" mediocre Spirit Root needed more protection, without giving it much thought.

After confirming that the procedures are complete and the intention is reasonable.

The middle-aged Elder took out a Jade Bottle emitting a faint medicinal fragrance from a jade box covered with numerous sealing Talisman under the counter, and handed it to Su Bai, saying solemnly, "Worth 10,000 Contribution Points. Please examine it."

Su Bai took the bottle with both hands, uncorked it, and a strange medicinal fragrance that invigorated the spirit immediately wafted out. Just a whiff of it made him feel his Spiritual Power become more active.

Inside the bottle, a pill with natural Cloud Patterns on its surface lay quietly, its inner light radiating and its aura flowing, exactly the same as the one bestowed upon it by Hall Master Fu Yunshen before.

"It is undoubtedly Foundation Establishment Pill."

Su Bai carefully sensed the bottle for a moment, suppressed his excitement, put the stopper back in, and carefully put it into his Storage Bag.

At this point, he possessed two Foundation Establishment Pill!

With the Single Spirit Root aptitude he will soon possess, the probability of successfully Foundation Establishment is now almost 100%.

"This time I leave the sect, I will not return until I have successfully Foundation Establishment!"

A resolute and determined spirit rose within Su Bai.

Elder.

Su Bai spoke again, pointing to the remaining 5,190 Contribution Points on the Token.

"This Disciple would like to exchange all remaining Contribution Points for ' Golden Marrow Pill '."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed across the middle-aged Elder's eyes.

Exchanging such a large number of Golden Marrow Pill at once is rare even among True Disciple.

But he didn't ask any further questions, and quickly calculated. "Golden Marrow Pill, each bottle (ten pills) costs fifty Contribution Points. Five thousand one hundred and ninety points can be exchanged for one hundred and three bottles... forty Contribution Points remaining."

"To exchange for 103 bottles of Golden Marrow Pill, 5,150 Contribution Points will be deducted. Confirm?"

"Confirm."

Su Bai did not hesitate.

Golden Marrow Pill is a mainstream Pill for improving Late Qi Refining, and it is currently a necessity for him.

With Single Spirit Root aptitude, the efficiency of consuming Pill will be higher, and the speed of improvement will be faster. These Pill should be enough to support him until the Qi Refining Great Perfection, and perhaps even have a slight surplus.

Even if you don't use them all, Golden Marrow Pill are a hard currency everywhere, and there's absolutely no worry about them depreciating.

The middle-aged Elder moved nimbly, taking one standardized small Jade Bottle after another from the storage shelf behind him, quickly piling them up on the counter.

A total of one hundred and three Jade Bottle, a truly impressive sight.

"Your Contribution Points balance is now forty points," the middle-aged Elder reminded him after the transaction was completed.

The 15,000+ Contribution Points were almost completely depleted in an instant.

Looking at the number on the Token, which had shrunk to almost negligible, Su Bai couldn't help but feel a slight pang of heartache at the thought of losing such a huge sum of money.

But the thought of receiving a Foundation Establishment Pill and enough Pill to sustain him until the Qi Refining stage immediately replaced the heartache with a strong anticipation for the future.

"Thank you, Elder."

Su Bai bowed in thanks, then with a flick of his sleeve, he collected all one hundred and three Jade Bottle from the counter into his Storage Bag.

The originally spacious storage space was suddenly taken up by these Pill.

After doing all this, Su Bai did not leave immediately, but pondered for a moment.

He spoke again, "Elder, Disciple have another question. I wonder if the sect has recently issued any... True Disciple missions suitable for Mind-Calming cultivation and preparation for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment?"

"This Disciple wishes to undertake a mission and seek refuge in seclusion at the mission's location for some time."

Few True Disciple actively request to take on missions, but they do exist.

The reason given, in particular, as "finding a suitable place for seclusion," is entirely reasonable.