Making Spirit Stones

Halfway up Lingyun Peak stood a grand, imposing hall, heavily guarded. Only a narrow bluestone stairway, flecked with sparse moss, wound its way inside.

Beside the bluestone steps lay patches of grass dotted with Spirit Flowers of strange colors.

Yet Ye Jingcheng did not dare look too closely. This hall was the Ye Family's Treasure Pavilion, the place where treasures could be exchanged.

Those grassy patches all concealed formations. Only this bluestone stairway remained untouched by the formations and could be crossed safely.

He had originally kept quite a few Spirit Feeding Pills, but the Crimson Flame Fox consumed them rapidly. With the addition of a Jade Ring Rat, less than ten days had passed before he had used up all his pills.

He had to come to the Treasure Hall to exchange for more Spirit Herbs, then return to the Alchemy Pavilion to refine more Spirit Feeding Pills. He also planned to exchange for some Spirit Beast Meat.

Besides that, if possible, he wanted to gather the Spirit Herbs for the pill formula in the Ancient Book as soon as he could.

Before long, he crossed the bluestone steps and arrived before the hall. There were quite a few cultivators inside, all there to exchange treasures.

Among them was Ye Jingcheng's Second Brother, Ye Jingyong. He had also exchanged for a Flying Cloud Leopard, and logically speaking, a Spirit Beast's appetite should have been even greater than that of Jingcheng's Crimson Flame Fox.

Thus, whenever Ye Jingcheng saw Ye Jingyong leaving the Treasure Hall, he could clearly see the troubled expression on his face. Back when he had carried off the Flying Cloud Leopard, Ye Jingyong had stood tall with his chest out, his face brimming with joy!

"Second Brother!" Ye Jingcheng greeted him.

Ye Jingyong glanced over. Seeing that it was Ye Jingcheng, he gave a helpless smile. "Jingcheng, you came to exchange for spirit food too? I finally understand why our Ye Family is so poor!" Ye Jingyong said with a mournful face.

"I've already come three times. My Spirit Herbs are gone, and so are my Contribution Points!"

"You have two Spirit Beasts. You must have come several times too, right?"

"Right!" Ye Jingcheng nodded. Though this was his first time here, seeing the longing in Ye Jingyong's eyes, he still nodded.

"Right, Jingcheng, since you're here, Second Brother will take you to make Spirit Stones when the time comes. I guarantee you'll have enough to squander for quite a while!" Ye Jingyong suddenly recalled something. Rubbing his thumb against his index and middle fingers, he finally broke into a smile.

Ye Jingcheng, however, was doubtful.

The Jing Generation had all grown up on Lingyun Peak. Naturally, he knew Ye Jingyong's temperament well.

As for Ye Jingyong's ways of making Spirit Stones, he truly did not dare hold them in high regard.

"Don't worry, it's not me. Fourth Brother is leading the team. He gave me the news—do you believe it now?"

"Fourth Brother called for it?" Ye Jingcheng was immediately tempted. Fourth Brother Ye Jingyu and Second Brother Ye Jingyong were astonishing opposites: one was the strategist of the Ye Family's Jing Generation, while the other was the reckless brute of the Jing Generation! "Of course. But Fourth Brother said we have to wait another month!" Ye Jingyong said.

Seeing Ye Jingcheng nod, he leaned close to whisper in his ear.

"It's that Demon Valley the family swept clean before. There's a spirit vein there—it'll definitely draw Monster Beasts back!"

With that, Ye Jingyong took his leave.

After considering it for a moment, Ye Jingcheng nodded as well. His Fourth Brother truly deserved to be called a strategist. The Demon Valley still retained much bloody stench, so the powerful Monster Beasts would not return so quickly. Instead, those First-Order Early Stage Monster Beasts would be unable to resist the lure of the spirit vein and would rush to occupy it first.

So long as they grasped this window of time properly, they would not need to worry about coming back empty-handed.

Of course, Ye Jingcheng had another reason for agreeing. Ye Jingyu's father was Ye Xingliu, the Ye Family's patriarch.

He was also one of the Ye Family's only two Foundation Building Cultivators. If he allowed Ye Jingyu to go, then Ye Jingyu surely possessed a trump card to preserve his life. Even if danger arose, he would not truly be buried there.

Ye Jingcheng pondered for a while before shaking his head and dismissing the thought. There was still a full month left, so there was no need to be in such a hurry.

He then stepped into the Treasure Hall, took out his Family Token, and began exchanging for Spirit Herbs.

The one in charge of the Treasure Pavilion was Ye Jingcheng's Eighth Grandfather, Ye Haiping.

"Eighth Grandfather!" Ye Jingcheng stepped forward of his own accord and helped Ye Haiping sort out the Spirit Herbs he had just taken out, placing the remaining half back behind the counter.

The Ye Family's Spirit Herbs were divided into two categories. Most below First-Order Grade-Middle were nurtured within the Dharma Artifact cabinets behind the counter, while those at First-Order Grade-Middle and above were kept in the Ye Family's Storage Bags using spirit jade.

"Jingcheng, Eighth Grandfather can do this himself. It won't take long!"

"Eighth Grandfather, Jingcheng is simply eager to exchange for Spirit Herbs!" Ye Jingcheng replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Ye Haiping understood that it was Ye Jingcheng's goodwill and simply let him help.

A few breaths later, everything had been sorted and put away.

"What do you want to exchange for?" Ye Haiping dusted off his hands.

"Ten portions of Spirit Herbs for Spirit Feeding Pills, another twenty jin of Spirit Beast Meat, two Detoxification Pills for healing injuries, and two Blood Essence Pills!" Ye Jingcheng listed them one by one.

He had long prepared these words. The Crimson Flame Fox could not suddenly recover; he had to reveal its improvement bit by bit.

That way, everyone would see the process.

Yet Ye Haiping caught the implication. Somewhat startled, he asked, "Has that Crimson Flame Fox recovered?"

Ye Jingcheng shook his head. "How could I be so lucky? It merely still has some life left, and the poison seems to have faded a little. Jingcheng is only entertaining the wild fancy of picking up a bargain."

"As long as it lives, that is enough. That beast is not simple. If it can endure this, then its talent exceeds even our expectations. You really are lucky, boy!" Ye Haiping nodded, unable to help praising him.

A Crimson Flame Fox cub at full strength would cost at least six or seven hundred Contribution Points. Ye Jingcheng had truly picked up a bargain this time.

As he spoke, Ye Haiping reached into the Dharma Artifact cabinet behind him and took out some Spirit Herbs for Spirit Feeding Pills. Before long, he had gathered ten portions.

After that, he took a huge wooden box from a Spirit Beast Bag. A Spirit Talisman was pasted onto the surface of the box.

Ye Haiping removed the Spirit Talisman, revealing the flesh of a First-Order Iron Skin Pig inside—exactly twenty jin!

Finally, he took out two pill bottles, each containing two pills.

"Spirit Herbs for Spirit Feeding Pills are two Contribution Points per portion, twenty Contribution Points total. Spirit Beast Meat is one Contribution Point for two jin, ten Contribution Points total. Antidote Pills and Blood Tendon Pills are five Contribution Points each, twenty Contribution Points total. Fifty Contribution Points altogether!"

Ye Jingcheng nodded and handed over his Family Token. The Contribution Points would be deducted from it.

Meanwhile, the Spirit Beast Meat and Spirit Herb materials went into his Storage Bag.

"Eighth Grandfather, could Jingcheng ask you for further guidance?" Ye Jingcheng took out a Jade Slip.

He inscribed within it all the Spirit Herbs from the Ancient Book that he did not recognize.

"This is a Blue Fish Fruit. It is named for its resemblance to a blue fish and is a First-Order Grade-High Spirit Fruit..."

Ye Haiping explained them to Ye Jingcheng one by one! After hearing everything, Ye Jingcheng felt some bitterness in his heart. That spirit pill was at least a First-Order Grade-High pill. With his current Alchemy, he could not refine it.

"Eighth Grandfather, then I'll exchange for some Spirit Talismans as well. Two Golden Sword Talismans, two Wooden Vine Talismans, and two Water Shield Talismans!" After hesitating for a moment, Ye Jingcheng took out his token again.

A month later, when they went to the Demon Valley on Mount Taihang, he had to make some preparations at the very least. Spirit Talismans were among the best things to have.

"Fine!" Ye Haiping reached into the Storage Bag again and soon took out six Spirit Talismans. They were all First-Order Grade-Middle Spirit Talismans. Even when exchanged within the Ye Family, they cost ten Contribution Points each.

"Sixty Contribution Points in total!"