Mixed Rock Shield

Three months later.

Halfway up Lingxiao Mountain, in a quiet courtyard.

Ling Pengyun felt a little helpless as he muttered to himself, realizing that he had been cultivating for the past three days without the help of Spirit Gathering Pill and had to rely on Spirit Fruits.

"First-grade mid-to-high-grade spiritual fruits are ultimately just first-grade spiritual items. Their Spiritual Qi content is far inferior to that of Second Rank Low Grade Spirit Gathering Pill. The spiritual fruits I have consumed in these three days of cultivation are not as effective as the Spirit Gathering Pill I have used in one day. It is really too slow."

"The Spirit Gathering Formation I have is only First Rank Low Grade. The Spiritual Qi gathered by activating this array is less than that Spiritual Qi by consuming a spirit fruit."

"In the future, we will still have to fund the purchase of a batch of Spirit Gathering Pill ourselves."

Ling Pengyun, who had been in seclusion for six months since entering the Foundation Establishment, had already used up all six Spirit Gathering Pill given to him by Ling Yunhong three days ago.

Without the second-tier Spirit Gathering Pill, he could only cultivate by consuming the first-tier mid-to-high-grade spiritual fruits he had left over from his Qi Training Stage.

As for setting up the First Rank Low Grade Spirit Gathering Formation that he bought from his cousin Ling Penglin years ago, it was the Lower Vehicle choice and he would not use it easily.

Directly absorbing Spiritual Qi for cultivation was not part of Ling Pengyun's cultivation plan, as this method was simply too slow.

Considering that he no longer had any Spirit Gathering Pill and that consuming spirit fruits would slow down his cultivation, he decided to temporarily put aside his cultivation. Instead, he patted the Storage Bag at his waist and took out a palm-sized, earthen-yellow shield.

As soon as he took out the shield, he mobilized his Divine Sense and poured it into the shield, placing Divine Sense imprint within it.

This small yellow shield is called the Mixed Rock Shield, and its grade is as high as the Second Rank Low Grade.

It was six months ago, at the beginning of this year, that Ling Yunhong purchased it from West Yang Small Gathering and gave it to Ling Pengyun.

Because he had recently received Spirit Gathering Pill and his cultivation was not yet stable, he had to postpone the refinement of this magic shield for the time being.

Now that he no longer has any Spirit Gathering Pill, he naturally puts the matter of refining this shield on the agenda.

This Mixed Rock Shield is a brand new magical Law Artifact, and no Divine Sense imprint has been placed on it by anyone else.

Within three days, Ling Pengyun successfully refined the shield.

Once the refinement was successful, Ling Pengyun channeled a stream of spiritual energy into the magic shield and began to play with it.

As spiritual energy was injected, the palm-sized Mixed Rock Shield flashed with yellow light and immediately expanded.

In the blink of an eye, the shield grew to two feet in length and width.

Subsequently, the shield also erected an earthen-yellow light curtain, protecting Ling Pengyun inside.

To test the defensive power of this magic shield, Ling Pengyun waved his hand and took out the twelve First-Tier Superior-Grade Azure Spirit Sword he used during his Qi Training Stage from his Storage Bag. He then formed the Earthly Fiend Sword Formation by Hand Seals.

Once the Sword Formation was complete, he controlled it to bombard the magic shield defensive light barrier.

"Boom!"

The twelve flying swords forming Sword Formation struck the light screen with a booming sound, but the Earthly Fiend Sword Formation only slightly shook the magic shield light screen, stirring up a small Ripples Marketplace on the screen.

Seeing this, Ling Pengyun couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Such defensive power is truly worthy of being a defensive light barrier that only second-tier or higher Law Artifact can support."

"If I were still in the Qi Refinement Realm, I'm afraid even if I used my full strength, I would have difficulty shattering this light barrier in a short time."

"It seems that my first-tier Azure Spirit Sword is indeed not keeping up with my cultivation level."

"If I have the chance in the future, I should try to find a second-tier attack Law Artifact."

First-tier defensive Law Artifact are insufficient to support a light barrier; only Second Grade Magic Tool can support a defensive light barrier.

There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is that only second-tier spirit iron has the ability to transform into a light screen through the spiritual power injected by the cultivator.

When Ling Pengyun had just Foundation Establishment, he told Ling Pengyun about the Lineage's financial difficulties.

In recent years, the Ling Clan has purchased shops in the newly established markets of the Five Prefecture Cities of Jiao Province and bought a Foundation Establishment Pill for Ling Pengxing, resulting in the depletion of most of the Spirit Stone accumulated by the clan over the past two hundred years.

It would be quite good if the Lineage could equip Ling Pengyun, a newly promoted Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with a second-tier defensive Law Artifact that is much more expensive than an offensive magic Law Artifact.

"Now that the Mixed Rock Shield has been refined, it's time to go find the Spirit Gathering Pill."

Ling Pengyun stood up and stepped out of the quiet room, heading towards the clan's only Affairs Hall that sold spiritual items.

His courtyard and the Affairs Hall were both located on a very large flat area halfway up Lingyun Mountain, and were very close to each other.

A short while later, Ling Pengyun entered the Affairs Hall.

There was no one else in the Affairs Hall except Ling Ruxian, who was in charge of the Affairs Hall. He kept fiddling with a Sandalwood Abacus, flipping through the account books, and checking them to avoid making mistakes.

"Peng Yun, have you consolidated your cultivation?" Ling Ruxian, who was checking the ledgers, saw Ling Pengyun arrive and asked with a smile.

"Six months ago, the Third Grandfather gave me six Spirit Gathering Pill. With the help of those six Spirit Gathering Pill, I consolidated my realm three months ago and even cultivated for three months, making a lot of progress in my cultivation." Ling Pengyun said truthfully, and then revealed the purpose of his visit.

"As for why I came here today, it is to purchase Spirit Gathering Pill."

Upon Ling Ruxian's smile deepened, and he said with a smile.

"It's good that your cultivation has been consolidated. There are quite a few Lineage that produce Spirit Gathering Pill. Your Third Grandfather's success rate in refining Spirit Gathering Pill is over 30%. As long as you Contribution Points or Spirit Stone, you can buy them while you are in the Lineage."

"If you purchase the Spirit Gathering Pill with Contribution Points, it will be cheaper, costing 140 Contribution Points per pill. If you purchase it with Spirit Stone, it will cost 200 Spirit Stone per pill, based on the market price."

"How many Spirit Gathering Pill do you need?"

The Affairs Hall sells spiritual items, and if a clansman has already Contribution Points to purchase them, they are always sold at 70% of the market price.

This approach is also intended to increase the enthusiasm of clansmen to do things for the Lineage.

Contribution Points are different from salaries, which are paid out monthly. Contribution Points can only be earned by doing things for the Lineage.

When Ling Pengyun heard Ling Ruxian ask how many Spirit Gathering Pill he needed to buy, his expression changed slightly. He then channeled his Divine Sense into his Storage Bag to check the number of Spirit Stone Storage Bag.

When he discovered there were 1,853 Spirit Stone, he spoke.

"Nine Spirit Gathering Pill."

After saying that, he summoned 1,800 Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag and placed them on the ground.

The 1,853 Spirit Stone in his Storage Bag were the money his Lineage had earned over the past three years from repaying Ling Pengyun for forging a thousand Azure Spirit Sword.

He originally had three thousand Spirit Stone in three years, but more than five months ago, Ling Yunhong, who attended the West Yang County's triennial West Yang Small Gathering near Serpent Dragon Lake, helped him buy three bottles of fifty-year-old Evergreen Spirit Water. Each bottle cost the Lineage three hundred Spirit Stone, so he lost nine hundred Spirit Stone.

In addition, during his three years of seclusion, he spent some Spirit Stone on the Wind Shadow Peng, the two Songhua Spirit Chicken, and the three Earth-Turning Earthworm, leaving him with only 1,853 Spirit Stone.

As for purchasing Evergreen Spirit Water, it was given to Wind Shadow Peng to consume, to help him quickly enter the Qi Training Late Stage.

Only when Wind Shadow Peng reaches the Qi Training Late Stage, and can travel more than 8,000 miles a day, will it be useful for Ling Pengyun, who is in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Ling Ruxian was slightly surprised to see Ling Pengyun spend 1,800 Spirit Stone in one go.

However, considering that Ling Pengyun had forged a large number of Azure Spirit Sword for the Lineage and received considerable rewards, he felt relieved.

"I don't have any Spirit Gathering Pill on me. I need to go to the Clan Repository at the top of the mountain to get them. Please wait for me a moment." After putting away the 1,800 Spirit Stone, Ling Ruxian the Affairs Hall.

After waiting a moment, Ling Ruxian returned to the Affairs Hall.

Upon entering the Affairs Hall, he took out seven medicine bottles from his Storage Bag and handed them to Ling Pengyun.

Ling Pengyun was slightly puzzled by this, as pills are usually packaged in bottles of two.

Logically, the nine Spirit Gathering Pill he purchased should have been more than enough to fit in five medicine bottles.

He used his Divine Sense to scan the seven medicine bottles in his hand and found that there were as many as fourteen Spirit Gathering Pill inside.

"How come there are five extra Spirit Gathering Pill, Eleventh Great Grandfather?" Ling Pengyun asked in surprise.

"You don't need to think too much about it. Those five extra Spirit Gathering Pill were purchased by me using my Contribution Points."

"These Spirit Gathering Pill are not many, but I hope you will not think they are too few. Although I have offspring, I only have one, Ancestor Yunfu. You know your situation, Ancestor Yunfu. Although he has many wives and concubines and many children, they are all mortals and none of them have Spirit Root."

"My lifespan is also running out. Your Ancestor Yunfu is over eighty years old now, and at most he only has twenty or thirty years left to live."

"Whether he can have a child with Spirit Root with his wives and concubines during the last days of his life is still unknown."

"Even if a person with Spirit Root is born, your Ancestor Yunfu, whose lifespan is not long, will probably not be able to take good care of him."

At this point, Ling Ruxian moment, then unusually pleaded.

"Under these circumstances, if in the future my lineage produces a truly talented disciple, I would be grateful if you would offer him guidance and support."

Ling Ruxian has a son named Ling Yunfu, who, like Ling Ruxian, is Lineage elder.

Ling Yunfu served as the Fourth Elder of the Lineage. He was deeply influenced by his father's talent in business and had an extremely high talent for doing business.

Therefore, Ling Yunfu was often sent out by the Lineage to manage the Lineage 'Lineage shops in various markets.

Today, Ling Yunfu personally manages a Hundred Treasures Pavilion run by his Lineage in West Yang Market Town, which was established in recent years.

Upon hearing Ling Ruxian's words, Ling Pengyun understood the true purpose of the five Spirit Gathering Pill.

He had no intention of doing so.

It is only natural to pave the way for future generations.

Furthermore, Ling Ruxian had treated him well, so if someone with Spirit Root were to emerge from Ling Ruxian's lineage, it wouldn't be a big problem to help that descendant.

"Eleventh Great Grandfather, you are exaggerating. Even without these five Spirit Gathering Pill, I would still take good care of your lineage members with Spirit Root. My skills in Spirit Plant plants all come from you."

"Even the Natal Spirit Plant, the Thorn Vine, was carefully selected by you. It was a second-tier Thorn Vine spirit seed that you purchased at a high price from elsewhere. Without the Thorn Vine spirit seed you gave me, I would never have reached my current cultivation level so quickly."

"I will always remember this kindness. If anyone with Spirit Root appears in your lineage, I will do my best to support them, regardless of their talent," Ling Pengyun said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Ling Ruxian was extremely satisfied, and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He secretly sighed that he had not misjudged Ling Pengyun and that his early training of him had not been in vain.

"Very good, very good," Ling Ruxian a smile.

"Eleventh Great Grandfather, as for the five Spirit Gathering Pill you gave me, I won't stand on ceremony," Ling Pengyun said.

"Of course, you can take it." With Ling Pengyun's assurance earlier, Ling Ruxian said very generously.

The two then chatted for a few more minutes. Finally, Ling Ruxian told Ling Pengyun that the Lineage needed to hold an end-of-year summary meeting six months later, and that Ling Pengyun must come.

Having agreed to the matter, Ling Pengyun left the Affairs Hall and returned to his quiet room in his courtyard.

Quiet room.

Ling Pengyun sat cross-legged on the Meditation Mat, took out the fourteen Spirit Gathering Pill he had obtained from his trip to the Affairs Hall from his Storage Bag, his expression slightly pleased, and muttered to himself.

"The Lineage currently has four Foundation Establishment. To supply four Foundation Establishment Spirit Gathering Pill in the Pill Refining shops that the Lineage has opened in various markets, we still have such a large quantity of Spirit Gathering Pill. Presumably, the success rate of the Third Grandfather in refining these Spirit Gathering Pill is not low."

"This is a great thing for us Lineage cultivators. In the future, when I need Spirit Gathering Pill, I can just go to the Lineage's Affairs Hall. I won't have to search for such spiritual items like Spirit Gathering Pill everywhere like ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

"Back then, it was wise for the clan to exchange their share of the Profound Water Mineral Vein for that Second Rank Alchemy Inheritance from the Hundred Spirits Sect."

"But thinking about it this way, the Third Grandfather is indeed a great talent. He has only been engaged in Pill Refining for a little over ten years, yet he has achieved such success in the Pill Refining. I imagine that his Pill Refining skills will not stop here. In the future, as long as I have enough Spirit Stone, I will not have to worry about not being able to buy Cultivation Resources."

Once a spiritual item reaches the second tier, it becomes extremely rare. For example, Second Rank Low Grade Spirit Gathering Pill Spirit Gathering Pill rarely found in shops in major markets, and it is only more common at auctions in various markets.

Thinking about it this way, Ling Pengyun couldn't help but think of Ling Yunhong's cultivation level.

"The Third Grandfather should only be around 120 years old, and he has not suffered any major injuries. He should have at least 120 or 130 years left to live."

"As early as eight or nine years ago, the Third Grandfather had already reached the Fourth Layer Foundation Establishment, and now he may have reached the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer."

"Given the Third Grandfather's cultivation speed, he should have no problem breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Completion stage with the remaining 120 or 130 years of lifespan, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

"Perhaps, the Third Grandfather still has a slight chance of breaking through to the Golden Core."

With this thought in mind, Ling Pengyun's eyes lit up, and he secretly looked forward to the future achievements of Ling Yunhong, the Clan Head who would change the development of the Ling Clan.

Thanks to: Book friends 202211252236543950, wengyong, Book friends 20220618224839122, and Quantitative Bull for their monthly tickets.

Thank you so much for your support!