Appease

Chapter 19: Currying Favor

Suddenly, Chen Ge hardened his heart and knelt down on the spot. He pulled the mid-grade Fire Cloud Sword from his Storage Belt and said respectfully, "Reporting to the Ancestor, this Fire Cloud Sword was seized from that bastard of Extreme Yin Cave. I humbly ask the Ancestor to accept it." As he spoke, he winked at Lei Dong.

Lei Dong immediately caught on. He quickly produced the jade box containing the Lingzhi, his expression both excited and sincere as he said, "Ancestor, this is the Lingzhi the three of us found, barely half a step short of a century old. We dare not hope for anything else, only that it might bring the Ancestor one step closer to the Nascent Soul path, as a token of our filial piety."

Of course, they couldn't bring out the other odds and ends. That wouldn't be filial piety—it would be an insult.

The three understood that while the Lingzhi and Fire Cloud Sword seemed like valuable treasures to them, to a powerhouse of Myriad Ghost Ancestor's caliber, they were likely no different from the grass and trees by the roadside. They offered them up for two reasons: first, both items had been mentioned in the earlier incident, and whether the Ancestor valued them or not was one thing, but whether they showed filial intent was another. Second, even if the Ancestor accepted these gifts, given his status and the fact that they were juniors under his command who had done something that pleased him greatly, how could he not give something in return? Any hair plucked from the Ancestor's body was thicker than their thighs.

Myriad Ghost Ancestor was in an excellent mood that day. After all, these lads had killed the newly accepted personal disciple of his old rival, Extreme Yin Old Ghost, and done it cleanly, with all reason on their side. He couldn't help but be pleased, especially since these little fellows were sensible—whether sincere or not, at least they knew to offer good things to the Ancestor.

With a slight wave of his hand, the Fire Cloud Sword and Lingzhi box drifted slowly into Myriad Ghost Ancestor's grasp. He lightly stroked the sword and praised, "This sword isn't bad—a mid-grade Magic Artifact." With that, he stored it away in thin air. He then opened the Lingzhi jade box, glanced at it twice, and nodded. "This Lingzhi is only a few months short of maturity. What's rare is that it was transplanted without a single mistake, showing your caution and care."

After a pause, Myriad Ghost Ancestor put away the Lingzhi as well. "This Seat accepts both treasures. I will handle this matter fairly. You three will stay in the cave and cultivate peacefully for the next two years. You may withdraw."

Seeing that Myriad Ghost Ancestor had indeed accepted their gifts without any sign of reciprocation, all three felt a sense of having thrown a chicken only to lose the bait. But at that moment, not a single one dared show the slightest discontent. Instead, they all put on expressions of joy, comfort, and natural acceptance. Not daring to linger, they bowed farewell to the Ancestor and were led out by the Ghost Servant.

From start to finish, the Ghost Servant said nothing more to them. Only after leaving the Ancestor's Cave Mansion and gathering in Chen Ge's quarters did they fully relax. A series of events had unfolded, and though the three had remained composed throughout, only they could truly appreciate the dangers involved. Exhausted, they collapsed into chairs. Yet their expressions held a mix of relief and regret, especially since Myriad Ghost Ancestor had taken their gifts without any reward, simply waving them away.

After resting a while, they went together to turn in the nearly fatal team mission. Lei Dong's Contribution Value went from zero to ten points. The recording of Contribution Value was quite miraculous—it was stored in the disciple's waist pendant. As long as they were within the Yin Sha Sect, they could use this pendant anywhere to exchange for what they wanted. Chen Ge also sold all the miscellaneous items to Zhao Baiwan, and the final haul was eight Spirit Stones plus ten bottles of Lesser Vitality Pills. After splitting things evenly among the three, Lei Dong received two Spirit Stones and ten bottles of pills. Having spent one Spirit Stone on the jade box, Lei Dong's total assets now stood at exactly forty-two Spirit Stones.

Lei Dong also took the opportunity to visit Tang Qian and browse the exchange for spell manuals. After picking for half a day, he followed Tang Qian's advice and chose a manual called Spirit Forging Art.

Spirit Forging Art was not a profound manual, but it was simple and easy to understand, best suited for Qi Refining stage cultivators to train their Spiritual Sense. It could be considered a basic, common technique for tempering the mind and spirit. Even so, the Jade Slip containing Spirit Forging Art required thirty Contribution Points to exchange.

He had no energy left for more missions. Gritting his teeth, Lei Dong reluctantly donated four Spirit Stones to the sect, converting them into twenty Contribution Points. That was just enough to exchange for Spirit Forging Art. His Spirit Stone count plummeted from forty-two to thirty-eight, causing him considerable heartache. Yet, Spirit Forging Art was a must-have. He had already experienced the power of Ghost Soldiers firsthand.

By his estimation, with two Ghost Soldiers, his Spiritual Sense would be just barely sufficient. But trying to multitask and control a Magic Artifact at the same time would be a stretch. Thus, he had to strengthen his mental power. If he simply continued cultivating the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, his Spiritual Sense would naturally grow. However, as his cultivation advanced, the Ghost Soldiers' strength would need to keep pace. Otherwise, what use would a First-level Ghost Soldier be when he reached the tenth layer of Qi Refining? The stronger the Ghost Soldier, the more mental power it consumed to maintain. So, his mental strength would still be insufficient.

For others practicing the Ghost Taming Art, having one Ghost Soldier was fine—Spirit Ghosts were hard to find, and one was enough for most purposes. But Lei Dong had been lucky enough to obtain the monstrously overpowered Soul Devouring Pagoda. If he only led one or two Ghost Soldiers, wouldn't that be a waste of a heavenly treasure?

After much deliberation, Lei Dong decided to focus on strengthening his Spiritual Sense, pushing it as far as possible. Every additional Ghost Soldier of the same cultivation level would greatly boost his overall combat power—an advantage others didn't have. So, while spending four Spirit Stones hurt, Lei Dong felt it was worth it.

After parting ways with Chen Ge and the others, Lei Dong obediently stayed home, practicing Qi cultivation and meditating diligently. To speed up his progress, he took a Lesser Vitality Pill every few days. While meditating, he always held a Spirit Stone in his hand. This method yielded decent results. Additionally, he spent two hours each day using Spirit Forging Art to temper his Spiritual Sense.

Just over a month later, the Ghost Servant suddenly visited. Lei Dong, both surprised and delighted, invited him in. But he soon discovered that the Ghost Servant had come on the Ancestor's orders to distribute rewards to the three of them. Lei Dong was thrilled to receive a mid-grade Magic Artifact called Cloud Ascending Boots and a bundle of over a hundred Spirit Stones. Though he didn't know what Chen Ge and Wei Hua had gotten, it was clearly no less than his own.

Lei Dong now had some understanding of Magic Artifact values. A mid-grade Magic Artifact, even the cheapest, cost at least a hundred Spirit Stones. Better ones could cost several hundred. The Cloud Ascending Boots were finely crafted, with visible fluctuations of spiritual power. What was even more peculiar was that regardless of foot size, they automatically adjusted when worn, fitting perfectly. Even without activating the artifact, he felt a lightness in his step. Clearly, even among mid-grade Magic Artifacts, these Cloud Piercing Boots were a decent find.

After Lei Dong tried to give away the bundle of Spirit Stones and was refused, the Ghost Servant took his leave. Lei Dong quickly contacted Chen Ge and Wei Hua through the sect's communication system. After confirming that they had received the same treatment—one mid-grade Magic Artifact and a bundle of a hundred Spirit Stones each—Lei Dong finally relaxed, barely able to contain his ecstasy. Indeed, any hair plucked from the Ancestor's body was thicker than the thighs of the three miserable brothers. This reward had effectively increased his wealth nearly tenfold.

But once his excitement settled, his mind cleared. External treasures were tempting, but one's own cultivation and realm were the most important. If he could one day reach the Golden Core Stage like Myriad Ghost Ancestor, mid-grade Magic Artifacts and Spirit Stones would mean nothing to him.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he put away the Spirit Stones and Cloud Ascending Boots he had been playing with. He swallowed a Lesser Vitality Pill, gripped a slightly dim Spirit Stone in his palm, and resumed his arduous cultivation, striving to break through to the second layer of Qi Refining.

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