After howling at the Chaos Bead for ages without Yang Mei Patriarch producing another "newbie gift pack," Xuanwei could only resign himself to reality.
"Forget it. Better rely on myself than beg others. I'm a veteran corporate drone who survived modern workplace PUA—am I really going to be stumped by this little difficulty?" He encouraged himself and turned toward the Interception Sect's Scripture Pavilion, as Daoist Duobao had directed.
His top priority was to find a way to quickly restore his origin and solve the issue of the Void Spirit Drawing Array's formation core.
The Interception Sect's Scripture Pavilion stood atop a floating immortal mountain east of Biyou Palace. Unlike Yuxu Palace's solemn, strict, rule-bound atmosphere, the Interception Sect's Scripture Pavilion felt more... casual? Or perhaps chaotic.
The pavilion itself was ancient and imposing, but the disciples coming and going were a varied bunch. Some walked while engrossed in jade slips, while others gathered in small groups to debate the Dao. There were even several Demon Race disciples who had not fully shed their original forms, with fluffy tails or wings exposed as they loudly exchanged cultivation insights. The whole place was as lively as a... cultivation-world university study hall?
"Now this looks more like 'teaching without discrimination,'" Xuanwei muttered inwardly, feeling a little more fondness for the place.
His clearly weak and dim wisp of immortal qi drifted inside without drawing much attention. After all, Interception Sect disciples came in every imaginable variety. An injured wisp of immortal qi was hardly anything unusual.
The Scripture Pavilion's interior was enormous, expanded by spatial magic. Rows upon rows of towering jade-slip shelves stretched as far as a forest. The texts covered everything, from orthodox cultivation methods and divine abilities to alchemy, artifact refinement, formations, talismans, Spiritual Plants, beast taming... There were even miscellaneous books documenting strange tales and geographical features of the Primordial World.
Xuanwei was dazzled, practically drooling—on a mental level. This was simply a treasury of knowledge!
He headed straight for the formation section. Yang Mei had only given him the basics and core principles of the Void Spirit Drawing Array. He still needed to research the specific arrangement methods and alternative materials himself.
After searching through the vast sea of formation jade slips for ages, he finally found several records mentioning similar spatial spirit-gathering formations. But those formations either had extremely demanding requirements and could not be set up by anyone below the Golden Immortal realm, or required extinct Void Stones as their cores.
"Void Stones... That sounds expensive and rare!" Xuanwei frowned miserably. He was completely broke right now and did not even have Contribution Points—the merit currency circulated within the Interception Sect, exchangeable for resources. What was he supposed to use to trade for them?
He then moved to the Spiritual Plant and healing-method sections, searching for a way to quickly restore his origin. He did find several pill formulas and secret arts for nourishing one's origin, but they either required rare spiritual medicines or took far too long to cultivate. They could not solve his immediate problem.
"Do I really have to work for Senior Brother Duobao to pay off my debt, or go swindle people... Ah, no, go 'beg for alms'?" Xuanwei crouched in the corner of a bookshelf—mentally crouched—and felt that immortal life was difficult.
Just as he was at his wits' end, his gaze inadvertently swept over an ancient jade slip in the miscellaneous book section. Its title was Records of Exotic Treasures from Overseas Immortal Islands.
"Nothing else to do anyway. Maybe I can find an opportunity to pick up a bargain." Treating a dead horse as though it were alive, he sent his divine sense into the jade slip.
The jade slip had been written by an Interception Sect senior who enjoyed traveling. It recorded strange tales, unusual events, and local treasures from many immortal islands and secret realms beyond the four seas of the Primordial World. Most of it was hearsay, difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, but it did mention quite a few bizarre things.
Suddenly, a passage about Liubo Immortal Island caught his attention:
"...Liubo Mountain lies seven thousand li out at sea. Upon it dwells a beast shaped like an ox, with a bluish body, no horns, and only one foot. Whenever it enters or leaves the water, wind and rain inevitably arise. Its glow resembles the sun and moon, its roar is like thunder, and its name is Kui. Kui Niu hide is exceptionally tough and can be made into drums whose sound carries five hundred li. However, where a Kui Niu falls, there is a tiny chance that a peculiar crystal may form, called a 'Kui Niu Tear Crystal.' It contains a faint spatial fluctuation, but its energy is mixed and violent, making it extremely difficult to refine. It is generally regarded as a worthless trifle..."
Kui Niu Tear Crystal! It contained spatial fluctuations!
Xuanwei's eyes lit up instantly! The description said its energy was mixed and violent, difficult to refine, and practically worthless... but that was only for others! He had the Chaos Bead! If it could even convert Chaos Qi, why would he fear a bit of mixed energy?
More importantly, because it was considered "worthless," it had to be cheap! Perhaps he could obtain it at a very low cost!
"That's it!" Xuanwei was so excited that his immortal qi body rippled. Just when all hope seemed lost, a new path appeared!
He hurriedly memorized Liubo Immortal Island's approximate location and all the details concerning the Kui Niu Tear Crystal.
With the target decided, the next question was how to get his hands on it.
Going overseas to search for it directly? Too dangerous. With his tiny body, he would probably be eaten as a snack by sea beasts before even reaching Liubo Mountain.
That meant he could only find a way through the Interception Sect. Perhaps some fellow disciple had stockpiled this "worthless" material, or it could be acquired through trading channels.
The first person he thought of was warmhearted Senior Brother Ma Sui.
He found Ma Sui tinkering with a pile of artifact-refining materials outside his cave abode. Putting on a humble, eager-to-learn expression, Xuanwei said, "Senior Brother Ma Sui, I want to refine a small item and need a material containing faint spatial fluctuations. I heard there is something called a Kui Niu Tear Crystal that meets the requirements. Do you know of it? Does anyone in the sect collect it, or is there somewhere I can exchange for it?"
"Kui Niu Tear Crystal?" Ma Sui scratched his head, a thoughtful look appearing on his round face. "I think I remember something... Right! A few years ago, a junior brother returned from the East Sea with a few pieces. He said they looked pretty, but were useless and took up space, so he seemed to have thrown them to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for Contribution Points?"
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion? That was where Interception Sect disciples traded and exchanged items!
Xuanwei was overjoyed. After hurriedly thanking him, he rushed toward the Hundred Treasures Pavilion without stopping.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was just as bustling, like a massive cultivation-world flea market. Some people had set up stalls, some had posted purchase requests, and official counters handled Contribution Point exchanges.
Xuanwei went straight to an official counter and asked about Kui Niu Tear Crystals.
The one on duty was a rabbit-eared female immortal. After checking the records, she nodded. "We did receive three Kui Niu Tear Crystals. Since their effects are unclear and their energy is mixed, they are priced at ten Contribution Points each."
Ten Contribution Points! Xuanwei was delighted. As expected, they were cheap!
But the next moment, he could not smile anymore—because he did not have a single Contribution Point!
"Um... Senior Sister, could I exchange for them another way? For example... with spiritual herbs?" Xuanwei asked tentatively.
The rabbit-eared female immortal glanced at him and shook her head. "This pavilion only accepts Contribution Points or standard spiritual materials, pills, and magical treasures of equal value. Immature spiritual herbs cannot be exchanged directly."
Xuanwei was dumbfounded. The Spirit Nurturing Grass and Qi Gathering Flowers in his Medicine Garden were still far from maturity! They could not solve his immediate need!
Did he have to ask Senior Brother Duobao for an advance on his wages? Or borrow from Senior Brother Ma Sui? They had only just met, so asking to borrow money did not seem right.
Just as he paced anxiously in circles and considered whether to risk going into the Chaos Bead to "cry poverty" to Yang Mei Patriarch again, his peripheral vision caught sight of a notice board in the corner of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Besides all kinds of purchase requests and sales listings, it also had a "sect mission board."
Xuanwei walked over for a look, and his eyes immediately lit up again!
The board listed missions issued by Interception Sect disciples or stewards, with Contribution Point rewards for completion. The tasks came in all varieties: purchasing specific materials, inviting teams to explore secret realms, helping tend medicinal gardens at cave abodes, and even assisting with refining particular pills or magical artifacts...
"Right! I can take missions to earn Contribution Points!" Xuanwei slapped his thigh—mentally, of course. "With my ability to accelerate Spiritual Plant growth, why would I be afraid of not making money?"
He immediately began carefully browsing missions related to Spiritual Plants.
Before long, one mission caught his attention:
[Mission Issued: Urgently need ten three-hundred-year Clear Heart Bamboos for refining calming pills. Time Limit: Five days. Reward: 50 Contribution Points. Issuer: Fire Spirit Mother.]
Fire Spirit Mother! She was one of the Interception Sect's renowned core disciples, Daoist Duobao's disciple, and held considerable status! Furthermore, the reward was generous—fifty Contribution Points, enough to buy five Kui Niu Tear Crystals!
Clear Heart Bamboo was a type of spirit bamboo that calmed the mind and assisted cultivation. Its growth cycle was not short, and three-hundred-year specimens were not common. But for Xuanwei, that was no problem! His Medicine Garden happened to have several Clear Heart Bamboo seedlings. Although they were still young, with the nourishment of Wutu Source and Wood Element Spiritual Qi, plus a little stimulation from the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art—if carefully controlled—forcing them to three hundred years of growth within five days was not impossible!
"This one!" Xuanwei accepted the mission without hesitation.
After registering with the Hundred Treasures Pavilion steward, he took the mission token and eagerly returned to the Medicine Garden.
Looking at the Clear Heart Bamboo seedlings that were only a few decades old, Xuanwei rubbed his hands together—mentally rubbing his hands together.
"Come on, my darlings! Grow faster, even faster! You're our startup capital!"
He carefully drew upon the power of the Wutu Source Core and guided the Wood Element Spiritual Qi within the earth veins. Like the most meticulous gardener, he began using a "pulling seedlings to help them grow" method to force the Clear Heart Bamboos' growth.
The emerald bamboo stalks shot upward at a visible rate. Their leaves grew increasingly lush and green, releasing a faint, calming fragrance. Yet Xuanwei could also feel that this forced growth, which defied natural laws, placed no small burden on both the land's vitality and himself.
"For the Kui Niu Tear Crystals, for the Void Spirit Drawing Array, for Chaos Qi, for Yang Mei Patriarch's pension fund... I'm going all in!"
As he devoted himself completely to this "short-term, high-return" cultivation project, he failed to notice that a figure within the distant clouds was quietly observing the unusual spiritual qi fluctuations and growth rate in his Medicine Garden.
It was Daoist Duobao.
He watched Xuanwei's focused expression and the Clear Heart Bamboos' abnormal growth. No expression could be read from his ancient face, but a profound glint flashed through his eyes.
"Such a method of forced growth... I have never heard of it. This junior brother has more secrets than I imagined..."
He murmured softly, then his figure slowly blended into the clouds and vanished.
Xuanwei knew nothing of this. He was happily calculating whether, after receiving fifty Contribution Points, he should buy one Kui Niu Tear Crystal first to test it out—or go all in and purchase all three.
Before you continue