The Three-Year Pact (Seeking Reads)

"In that short while, it was roughly equivalent to two days of progress without taking pills—perhaps even more."

Ji An was thrilled. If he had enough Spirit Crystals, he could cultivate around the clock like Senior Brother Liu Yu.

Just thinking about it made his breathing quicken.

One day equaled someone else's month. Trading Spirit Crystals for time was the best bargain imaginable.

Wei Songnian was slightly taken aback. That wasn't right—Junior Brother was only at Qi Condensation Layer 4. Logically, the effect of refining spiritual power should have been even better.

Could it be that Junior Brother's aptitude was atrocious, merely low-grade?

No, that wasn't right either. The sect would not accept disciples with low-grade aptitude. There was only one possibility: Junior Brother's aptitude had barely reached mid-grade.

"Ahem, ahem." Wei Songnian coughed twice and smiled.

"As your cultivation rises, the Spirit Absorption Array's effect will gradually weaken. Still, it is more than sufficient for Qi Condensation Stage disciples."

He put away the array plate, then took a jade slip from his Storage Bag and handed it over.

"Junior Brother, please keep the array plate safe.

"The jade slip records the incantation for controlling the formation. It is merely a method of applying spiritual power—extremely simple. You'll understand it at a glance."

Ji An accepted the items and pressed the jade slip to his forehead.

A moment later, he lowered the jade slip and smiled.

"It really is very simple. Thank you, Senior Brother. Now, let's settle the accounts."

He placed the bundle on the table and untied it, pulling out the Spirit Stones and pushing the talisman paper and talisman ink toward the other man.

Wei Songnian rubbed his hands together. What he loved most was the feeling of taking inventory; it was every bit as wonderful as the feeling of selling goods.

Before long, he had counted everything and said with a beaming smile.

"Two hundred and fifty-six sheets of Tier 1 Low-grade Talisman Paper, one hundred and twelve sheets of mid-grade Talisman Paper, ten bottles of low-grade talisman ink. Mm."

After rapidly calculating in his head, he named a figure.

"They are worth 1,566 Spirit Crystals in total. Even those old Spirit Farmers would envy Junior Brother's harvest."

"Envy what? Envy me for not having any Spirit Crystals left?"

Ji An laughed. He pushed the Spirit Stones over and added, "That comes to seventeen Spirit Stones and eighty-five Spirit Crystals. Senior Brother, count them.

"As usual, I'll take the materials for ten bottles of talisman ink and twenty-four Azure Jade Pills.

"Mm, wait, that's not right! Hold on a moment."

He took out another five Spirit Stones, saying somewhat sheepishly, "If I don't have any Spirit Stones on hand, then I bought the Spirit Absorption Array for nothing. These five Spirit Stones can't go to Senior Brother."

It would be far too wasteful to buy the formation only to let it sit as an ornament for three months! At the very least, he had to enjoy ten hours of it.

"Junior Brother makes perfect sense."

There was not the slightest displeasure on Wei Songnian's face. The Spirit Stones the other man earned here would all be spent here as well—what a perfect customer. He had to maintain this relationship properly.

"Junior Brother, after deducting the Spirit Crystals for the materials, you still have 1,901 Spirit Crystals."

"All nineteen Spirit Stones go to Senior Brother. Including the three Spirit Stones I put down as a deposit, I still owe Senior Brother twenty-three Spirit Stones.

"I plan to repay Senior Brother gradually over half a year. I don't want the extra Spirit Crystal."

Rarely generous, Ji An waved his hand with considerable bravado.

He sighed inwardly that his creditworthiness had grown better and better with the other man. He could actually buy on credit for over twenty Spirit Stones.

Mm, he needed to keep up the good work.

"I'm not in a hurry. Junior Brother can repay me slowly; you mustn't delay your own cultivation."

Wei Songnian put away the Spirit Stones and smiled.

"I'll go find Liang Qiu and have him cook us another spirit fish.

"Heh, one fish served four ways—nothing goes to waste."

He walked out of the room, calculating inwardly.

Twenty-three Spirit Stones is no small sum. It will affect my Spirit Crystal cash flow. I'll have to borrow some Spirit Stones from Old Huang and the others.

In cultivation, the years passed without notice, and time slipped away in the blink of an eye.

Ji An settled down to cultivate beside Azure Water Lake of the Golden Spirit Sect. In the blink of an eye, three years had passed, and the time for assessment had arrived.

"Three-year minor assessment. Liu Yu, seventeen years old. Spirit Fields planted: zero mu. Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation. Evaluation: Upper Grade A."

The elderly cultivator in charge of the assessment cupped his hands with a genial smile.

"Congratulations, Martial Nephew Liu. After the assessment comes the time for the various Senior Brothers to select disciples. To achieve this much after only three years in the sect, Junior Brother will surely be fought over by the Senior Brothers.

"Perhaps before long, I will have to address you as Junior Brother Liu."

The cultivator sighed inwardly. This man was most likely a direct descendant of the Liu Clan of Qingping Mountain. Supported by his family and cultivating diligently for three years, he had probably already arranged everything for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

All the Senior Brothers at Foundation Establishment Late Stage would surely be scrambling to take in a disciple like this. Once he became a master's disciple, the master would receive a sect reward when the disciple reached Foundation Establishment—a win-win for both master and disciple.

Liu Yu smiled mildly and returned the salute with cupped hands.

"This disciple hardly deserves Martial Uncle's praise. I will naturally cultivate diligently and strive to contribute my modest strength to the sect. May I ask Martial Uncle's honored surname?"

"My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Fan."

The cultivator stroked his snow-white hair and mocked himself.

"A man true to his name—utterly ordinary. More than half my life has already slipped away in vain."

He had cultivated bitterly for a hundred and fifty years, yet he was only at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment. If he could reach the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in this life, it would already be thanks to his ancestors' blessings.

Liu Yu would most likely reach Foundation Establishment before the age of twenty. Though he could not compare to those cultivators born with naturally open immortal meridians, reaching Foundation Establishment Late Stage would be no problem at all.

If his fortune was decent, he might even have a chance of advancing to the Origin Return realm.

Liu Yu felt slightly awkward and did not reply.

The tangled emotions in Zhang Fan's heart were swiftly suppressed. After all these years, he had come to terms with reality.

He only wished to remain in the sect, build connections and accumulate spirit stones, and secure a better beginning in life for his family's younger generation.

He cleared his throat and said, "Who's next?"

Ji An stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Disciple Ji An greets Venerable Master."

He pointed to the Spirit Field beside him and smiled.

"This is the Spirit Field this disciple reclaimed."

Zhang Fan raised a brow and said suspiciously, "You reclaimed all of it?! I can tell from your aura that you are merely at Qi Condensation Layer 6. With ten mu of Spirit Fields, you shouldn't be able to tend to them all! Falsifying things and deceiving the sect? Heh, you'll have to take a trip to the mines."

He cast a covert glance at Old Huang. The other man was nearly old enough to be expelled from the sect, and it was highly likely that he had secretly helped Ji An.

In his view, Spiritual Farmer Disciples generally had rather poor aptitude. For Ji An to reach Qi Condensation Layer 6 within three years, his aptitude should not be bad.

Perhaps he had clashed with certain people and had therefore been kicked off to Azure Water Lake to cultivate Spirit Fields.

Ji An did not argue. He formed the hand seals for the Minor Cloud and Rain Art, his fingers leaving afterimages as white mist gathered wildly. In the blink of an eye, it formed a spirit cloud spanning five mu.

Silvery threads of rain fell as hazy water vapor rose, turning the Spirit Field into a fairyland.

"The Minor Cloud and Rain Art is at perfection! Junior Brother, what astounding comprehension!"

Liu Yu cried out softly. Though it was only a basic Farming Spell, reaching perfection in just three years showed how astonishing this Junior Brother's comprehension of Water Element Spells was.

Could he possess a special constitution?

Zhang Fan extended a hand into the curtain of rain, silently sensing that peculiar aura before nodding with a smile.

"The Minor Cloud and Rain Art is at perfection. No wonder.

Ji An, three-year assessment: Qi Condensation Layer 6, reclaimed ten mu of Spirit Fields, Grade A-low.

What a pity. If you could break through to Late Qi Condensation, a Grade A-middle evaluation would be yours for certain."