"One thousand and ten Spirit Stones?"
Fang Chen's eyes widened.
One Spirit Stone could be exchanged for ten taels of gold or a hundred taels of silver.
One thousand and ten Spirit Stones came to a hundred and one thousand taels of silver.
The plump old man nodded slightly. "That's right. Tian Hu was a Senior Servant, so the fine for killing him is one thousand Spirit Stones. Zhang Tieniu was a Low-Rank Servant, so that's another ten. One thousand and ten Spirit Stones in total! Pay the money, and the matter ends here!"
Fang Chen looked up at the old man. "Elder, I don't have the money right now."
The old man seemed to have expected that. "No matter. You can owe it for now and pay it back gradually once you earn the money. But there's interest, and it's rather high: two percent a month!"
"Two percent?"
Fang Chen's gaze sharpened. He cursed the sect's darkness inwardly. One thousand and ten Spirit Stones amounted to a hundred and one thousand taels of silver. The monthly interest alone would cost him more than two thousand taels.
If he relied on chopping Exquisite Bamboo to earn it, he would have to cut down more than two thousand stalks.
But he had no other choice. It looked like daylight robbery, yet a problem that money could solve was no great problem.
He had now broken through to the Qi Refining Realm. He was much stronger than before, and his ability to earn money had grown with it.
After signing the Judgment Document and the Loan Contract, he left the Enforcement Hall with a mountain of debt on his back.
Outside the Enforcement Hall, Xu Yi smiled at him. "Fang Chen, stop frowning. You were lucky!"
"Lucky?"
Fang Chen looked at Xu Yi in confusion.
Xu Yi nodded. "Zhang Tieniu had a three-attribute Mixed Spiritual Root and was very strong. Even Tian Hu, a Senior Servant, couldn't match him. At his level, he'd have become a High-Rank Servant before long, and he might even have broken through to the Qi Refining Realm!"
"But he'd only just joined Dragon Tiger Mountain, so he was still a Junior Servant. Under sect rules, killing a Senior Servant incurs a fine of one thousand Spirit Stones, a Mid-Rank Servant a hundred, and a Junior Servant ten. The sect calculates fines by a servant's rank. Looked at that way, you came out ahead!"
"I suppose so!"
Fang Chen nodded lightly. Zhang Tieniu had indeed been stronger than Tian Hu, yet Tian Hu's death cost a thousand Spirit Stones while Zhang Tieniu's cost only ten. Looked at that way, Zhang Tieniu had gotten a raw deal.
Xu Yi smiled. "Come on. I'll take you to the Library Pavilion!"
Fang Chen was now an Outer Sect Disciple of the Glazed Sword Sect's Azure Cloud Peak.
When he had first come to the Glazed Sword Sect as a servant, he had received the Glazed Qi Refining Art, but it contained only the first level.
After breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm, he could become an Outer Sect Disciple and receive the complete Qi Refining Realm portion of the Glazed Qi Refining Art.
In Xu Yi's eyes, Fang Chen had no Spiritual Root, so even with the later stages of the cultivation art, he would find it difficult to advance any further.
Still, this was a benefit Fang Chen was entitled to as an Outer Sect Disciple. Xu Yi would do his job and take him to the Library Pavilion according to procedure.
The Foundation Establishment Secret Method was different. Only after reaching the Great Perfection of Qi Refining could a disciple enter the Scripture Depository to consult it, and there was only one free chance to do so.
Xu Yi now planned to take Fang Chen to the Scripture Depository to consult the complete Glazed Qi Refining Art.
The cultivation arts and secret techniques in the library required Contribution Points to view.
Contribution Points were the sect's hard currency. They could be exchanged for many useful things, including Spirit Stones, cultivation arts, and spiritual treasures.
Though Contribution Points could be exchanged for Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones could not buy Contribution Points. To obtain them, one had to personally complete tasks issued by the sect.
Of course, where there were rules above, there were ways around them below. With enough money, one could hire others to help complete a task, then have the Contribution Points credited to oneself.
Apart from cultivating, sect disciples worked desperately to complete tasks, earning Contribution Points to exchange for more resources to pour back into their cultivation.
The path of immortal cultivation was, when all was said and done, a path paved with burning money. Talent mattered, but so did resources. Almost every powerful cultivator had been built up on a mountain of them.
After leaving the Library Pavilion, Fang Chen and Xu Yi headed to the Treasure Pavilion.
As a newly promoted Outer Sect Disciple, Fang Chen could choose one Low-Tier Spiritual Artifact there.
Some also called Spiritual Artifacts spiritual treasures or magical artifacts.
In the Barbaric Realm, Spiritual Artifacts were divided into nine tiers, from low to high. Above the Ninth Tier were Saint Weapons, and above Saint Weapons were Supreme Emperor Weapons.
A Saint Weapon could only be formed through a Saint's constant tempering with his own Saint Force. Such weapons were exceedingly precious and immensely powerful.
Only a Great Emperor could nurture a Supreme Emperor Weapon, and every one of them possessed boundless might.
Under ordinary circumstances, disciples in the Qi Refining Realm used First-Tier Spiritual Artifacts.
Like the Qi Sensing Pavilion, the Treasure Pavilion was a three-story building.
As soon as Fang Chen entered, a strong smell of copper hit him. The items inside were piled together in a jumble, like so much rubbish.
What kind of lousy Treasure Pavilion is this? It's a rubbish heap!
Fang Chen couldn't help cursing inwardly.
The old gatekeeper had told him he had half an hour to choose at his leisure.
Despite his irritation, Fang Chen searched carefully, hoping to find a decent Spiritual Artifact amid the rubbish.
Nearly half an hour later, Fang Chen finally found a sword. It was about three feet long and five fingers wide, made of black iron and broader than the Floating Immortal Sword. Its blade was nicked in many places, and more than half the Inscription Patterns engraved on it had fallen away.
It was the best sword Fang Chen could find.
"This one!"
Fang Chen took the Black Iron Sword, left the storeroom, registered it with the old gatekeeper, and found Xu Yi chatting with several other Outer Sect Disciples.
"Senior Brother Xu Yi, I've chosen my spiritual treasure!"
Xu Yi glanced at the Black Iron Sword in Fang Chen's hand and nodded approvingly. "Not bad. It still has quite a few Inscription Patterns. Once you've earned some money, find someone to repair its Aerial Formation Pattern, and you'll be able to use Sword Flight. Try claiming it with your blood now. If it won't accept you, you can choose another!"
"All right!"
Fang Chen nodded, then lightly drew the little finger of his left hand across the Black Iron Sword's edge.
Slash!
A cut opened on his finger. Bright red blood seeped out and was absorbed by the Black Iron Sword.
Hum!
After absorbing Fang Chen's blood, the sword trembled faintly, and countless red runes surfaced across it. Fang Chen felt a subtle connection form between himself and the Black Iron Sword, though it was nowhere near as strong as the one he felt with the Floating Immortal Sword.
Seeing this, Xu Yi said, "Try drawing it into your body and see if you can manage it!"
"Mm!"
Fang Chen nodded and silently commanded, Return!
The next moment, the Black Iron Sword turned into a streak of black light and entered his left palm. It traveled along his meridians into his dantian.
Once inside, the Black Iron Sword hovered tip-down above the vortex of True Qi.
"Senior Brother Xu Yi, I did it!"
Fang Chen looked at Xu Yi, his face alight with excitement.
"Excellent! Congratulations! You refined a spiritual treasure into your body on the first try. Even among people with high-grade Spiritual Roots, many can't do that! Come on, I'll take you to find a place to live!"
With that, Xu Yi summoned his Flying Sword and stepped onto it.
Fang Chen stepped on behind him and grabbed his belt.
Whoosh!
Xu Yi carried Fang Chen into the sky on his sword.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, they arrived above a stretch of low hills. Irregular Spirit Fields lay between them, their grain already yellow and nearly ready for harvest.
Xu Yi brought Fang Chen to the foot of a hill a hundred zhang high.
Courtyards dotted the hill, each one spacious and planted with fruit trees. Some peach trees were laden with ripe peaches, pink and red and wonderfully tempting.
Xu Yi landed with Fang Chen and said, "I'll take you up the mountain now. We'll have to walk from here!"
"All right!"
Fang Chen nodded, and the two of them followed the mountain path upward.
Xu Yi walked quickly. Fang Chen did not dare lag behind and immediately quickened his pace to keep close on Xu Yi's heels.
After a while, Xu Yi led Fang Chen onto a side path. They followed it for roughly three hundred zhang before a massive boulder, more than a zhang tall, blocked their way. The words "Lingquan Mountain" were carved into it, beside an oval recess about the size of Fang Chen's Identity Token. Behind the boulder lay white mist, concealing everything beyond it.
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