Soul Nurturing Pagoda

Chapter 8: Soul Nurturing Pagoda

After three days of engrossed study of the Ghost Taming Art, Lei Dong opened his eyes with mixed feelings. While the Ghost Taming Art was indeed an incredibly potent technique, it was also vast, profound, and exceedingly difficult to master. Three days had only allowed him to grasp a superficial understanding. Furthermore, unlike Chen Ge's Netherflame Bullet, which only required absorbing Netherflame during cultivation and could be cast from thin air in combat, the Ghost Taming Art had different requirements.

Lei Dong's Ghost Taming Art not only required the creation of a Soul Nurturing Pagoda for Yin Souls to reside in but also necessitated capturing Yin Souls from all over to refine into Ghost Servants. Only then could he summon Ghost Servants to aid him in battle. These were not the most crucial points, however. The most important factor was that Yin Souls wandering in the wild were categorized by quality and grade. To those who practiced the Ghost Taming Art, most Yin Souls were classified as Inferior Ghosts. Even after refinement, they could only serve as cannon fodder. Refining Ghost Servants was extremely draining in terms of energy and time, and it also required Essence Blood. Inferior Ghost Ghost Servants had very little potential for growth, making the effort not worthwhile.

Out of tens of thousands of Inferior Ghosts, only one Spirit Ghost would appear. Spirit Ghosts were further divided into five tiers: Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade, Top Grade, and Heavenly Spirit Ghost. In fact, any Spirit Ghost, even a Lower Grade Spirit Ghost, possessed cultivation value. However, to rely on them as trusted subordinates long-term, one would need at least a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost. Yet, the higher the quality of the Spirit Ghost, the rarer it was. It took approximately a million Inferior Ghosts to produce a single Middle Grade Spirit Ghost. The Ghost Taming Art did mention that if one was fortunate enough to possess a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost during the Qi Refining Stage, along with a few Lower Grade Spirit Ghosts, they would hold a significant advantage among cultivators of the same level.

All of the above reasons contributed to Lei Dong's mixed feelings. He was currently penniless. Where would he find a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost?

Not only were Spirit Ghosts difficult to obtain, but Lei Dong also had no good solution for the Soul Nurturing Pagoda for the time being. Although the Ghost Taming Art listed the materials for a novice like him to construct a Soul Nurturing Pagoda, he lacked the materials. Even if he could gather them, without any foundation in artifact refining, how could he possibly forge a Soul Nurturing Pagoda?

Helpless, Lei Dong spent several days refining his Storage Belt and Small Sword. While he couldn't wield them with perfect proficiency, he could manage to control them. He then packed his few valuable possessions into his Storage Bag and found a strong servant to escort him to the artifact refining room belonging to the Myriad Ghost Cave. As expected, it was managed by an elderly Senior Brother in the Qi Refining Stage.

When Lei Dong greeted him, the old man barely acknowledged him, engrossed in reading a bamboo scroll. Although Lei Dong felt a slight surge of anger, he patiently inquired about the Soul Nurturing Pagoda.

The old man paused, then immediately began to mock Lei Dong, calling him ignorant and overconfident for attempting to practice a costly art like the Ghost Taming Art at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage.

From the old man's rambling, Lei Dong gradually understood. The Ghost Taming Art might indeed be a powerful technique, but to achieve any success, one either needed money – a substantial amount of Spirit Stones – to afford a Top Grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda or Middle Grade and Upper Grade Spirit Ghosts. It wasn't that no one practiced the Ghost Taming Art from the beginning; they usually had powerful backing, such as being a direct descendant of an Ancestor, which gave them a chance to obtain Middle Grade Spirit Ghosts. Of course, unless one had exceptional luck and easily captured an excellent Spirit Ghost. It was like the Myriad Ghost Ancestor, who, at the fifth level of Qi Refining, luckily obtained a Top Grade Spirit Ghost. It was with the help of that Top Grade Spirit Ghost that the Myriad Ghost Ancestor was so strong even during the Qi Refining Stage, capable of undertaking difficult missions that were beyond his level. From then on, he amassed wealth and resources, eventually achieving his current Golden Core Path.

Even though the Myriad Ghost Ancestor cherished Spirit Ghosts throughout his life, after countless efforts and expenditures, he only possessed one Upper Grade Spirit Ghost and one Top Grade Spirit Ghost. The Top Grade one was acquired by chance when he was very young. This illustrated how difficult it was to find excellent Spirit Ghosts. A Middle Grade Spirit Ghost was already a matter of chance.

As for Spirit Ghosts of higher grades, many who practiced the Ghost Taming Art might never acquire one in their lifetime.

With his face flushed from the insults, Lei Dong gritted his teeth and asked how to exchange for the lowest-grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda. The ten points of Contribution Value quoted by the old man made Lei Dong's Qi churn. Exchanging for a bottle of Lesser Vitality Pill earned one point of Contribution. This most basic Soul Nurturing Pagoda required ten bottles of Lesser Vitality Pills. After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth and asked how much Contribution could be obtained by paying Spirit Stones to the Sect.

"Spirit Stones?" The old man seemed reluctant to do business. "According to Sect rules, paying one Low-grade Spirit Stone earns five points of Contribution Value. How many Spirit Stones do you have?"

"I don't have Spirit Stones. I wanted to ask about exchanging Contribution for Spirit Stones. How much Contribution for one Low-grade Spirit Stone?" Lei Dong, without changing his expression, lied directly.

"Are you messing with me?" the old man snorted. "Ten Contribution points for one. How many do you want to exchange?"

"I was just asking casually." Lei Dong left with some disappointment under the old man's angry gaze. His two Spirit Stones, which should be Lower Grade, could be exchanged for one Soul Nurturing Pagoda. However, the difference between paying and exchanging left Lei Dong somewhat unwilling. He mused that if someone had a spare beginner Soul Nurturing Pagoda, perhaps one Spirit Stone would suffice.

After asking the strong servant, he learned that there was a Senior Brother in the Myriad Ghost Cave who specialized in business. When others had surplus items, they would sell them to him. He would then take them to sell outside periodically. The Yin Sha Sect was, after all, a large Sect, and the quality of items used by its disciples was acceptable. His purchasing prices were not high, but when he sold them to rogue cultivators or cultivation families outside, he could make a small profit.

Arriving at his door, after the strong servant helped notify him, the Senior Brother Zhao Baiwan, who exuded the shrewdness of a businessman, warmly invited Lei Dong in. He showed no disdain for Lei Dong, who was only at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Upon entering, Lei Dong saw that Zhao Baiwan's room was filled with a dazzling array of various items, resembling a small shop. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

"Junior Brother, please don't laugh. Zhao doesn't consider himself a cultivation genius, so I can only make a living as a businessman," Zhao Baiwan said with a smile as he brewed tea to entertain Lei Dong. "Our Myriad Ghost Cave only has over a hundred people in total. Everyone is busy cultivating and taking on missions. Even if they had the spare time to set up a stall, not many people would patronize it. Going to the headquarters' Marketplace is too far, and it's not worth the trip for small items. Therefore, most Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers with discarded items sell them to me, Zhao, at a low price. Junior Brother Lei, please patronize my business in the future."

After drinking some tea and chatting for a bit, Lei Dong directly stated his purpose.

"A beginner's Soul Nurturing Pagoda for novices? Yes, this is the Myriad Ghost Cave after all. Many people practice the Ghost Taming Art. However, it's rare to see someone like you, Junior Brother, at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage, heading straight for the Ghost Taming Art." Zhao Baiwan rummaged through his numerous goods and found a Soul Nurturing Pagoda, handing it directly to Lei Dong. "This Soul Nurturing Pagoda costs ten Contribution points when exchanged, which is roughly equivalent to two Spirit Stones. Sold outside, the price is about the same. However, as fellow Sect disciples, Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers, I won't take advantage of you. I bought it for six bottles of Lesser Vitality Pills. Since this is our first transaction, I'll let you have it for six bottles."

"How can I accept this?" Lei Dong politely refused, then asked with some curiosity, "However, Junior Brother doesn't know the value of six bottles of Lesser Vitality Pills and their relationship with Spirit Stones."

"So Junior Brother has Spirit Stones," Zhao Baiwan's eyes lit up slightly, and he explained with a smile, "Turning in any material to exchange for Sect Contribution is a very unfavorable deal. For example, the Spirit Stones in your hand can only earn five Contribution points when turned in to the Sect, but it costs ten points to exchange for one. Therefore, generally, people only use Contribution earned from missions or meritorious deeds for exchanges. However, for the sake of convenient calculation, we measure the value of items we buy or sell based on their exchange price. And the cheapest item for exchange is the Lesser Vitality Pill, one bottle for one Contribution point. Your Spirit Stones, one Low-grade Spirit Stone is equivalent to ten bottles of Lesser Vitality Pills. Therefore, in my price assessment, the value of a beginner Soul Nurturing Pagoda is usually equivalent to one Low-grade Spirit Stone."