Great Void Sect

Chapter 3: Great Void Sect

Seeing this, Shi Yue's face lit up with joy. If he couldn't get out soon, he would starve to death before long.

Shi Yue wrapped the blue pearl in a piece of cloth and tucked it close to his body. Then, he peeled off the Crimson Scale Python's skin and removed the gall bladder, storing the python skin and gall bladder in separate wooden boxes before quickly walking out.

Once out of the cave, Shi Yue slapped his Storage Bag with his palm, and the Green Leaf shot out from within, hovering in front of him.

Shi Yue jumped onto the Green Leaf and cast a hand seal onto it. The Green Leaf immediately radiated a brilliant green light, carrying him as it soared into the sky.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, Shi Yue arrived above a lush, layered expanse of the Verdant Mountain Range.

Dense, verdant trees could be seen everywhere, but not a single building was in sight.

Shi Yue flipped his hand and produced a green Square Token. The front of the token was engraved with the pattern of a Green Flame.

After Shi Yue infused it with spiritual power, the Green Flame actually flickered as if it were a living creature.

A beam of green light shot out from the token, hurtling straight toward the mountain range below.

Before long, ripples of green light suddenly spread across the mountains below, and a translucent, arc-shaped Green Light Screen emerged into view.

At a glance, the mountain range stretching for hundreds of li was entirely shrouded beneath the Green Light Screen.

Beneath the Green Light Screen, palaces, towers, pavilions, and terraces stood scattered among the mountains. Some perched atop steep cliffs, some built on flat plains, and others nestled on mountain slopes, forming a vast and elegant complex.

In addition, numerous cultivators clad in Great Void Sect Robes either stepped on gleaming magical artifacts, sat cross-legged atop White Cloud Masses, or rode pure white jade-like White Cranes, shuttling through the sky—a scene befitting an Immortal Abode.

Shi Yue formed a single hand seal, and the Green Leaf beneath his feet swiftly descended.

Shi Yue passed through the Green Light Screen with ease, and the Green Leaf carried him southeastward, eventually landing at the foot of a lush green peak about two to three hundred zhang tall.

At the foot of the mountain stood a crude courtyard. The walls were piled up with green stones, and moss had grown thickly over them.

This courtyard was Shi Yue's residence, and it was also the smallest and least spiritually rich courtyard on the entire Azure Origin Peak.

Most of those living on Azure Origin Peak were outer disciples of the Great Void Sect. The higher one's cave dwelling was located, the richer the spiritual energy.

Shi Yue also wished to live in a spacious courtyard with abundant spiritual energy, but unfortunately, unable to afford the rent, he could only stay in this dilapidated yard.

The Great Void Sect had a rule: For outer disciples' cave dwellings, courtyards occupying less than one mu of land required an annual rent of five Spirit Stones, or an equivalent value in goods. For courtyards occupying one mu or more, the annual rent was ten Spirit Stones, with an additional five Spirit Stones for every extra mu. Any area less than one mu was counted as one mu. Foundation Establishment Realm disciples and inner disciples lived in cave dwellings for free, no matter the size, without paying a single Spirit Stone.

The Great Void Sect established this rule hoping that Qi Refining Stage disciples would cultivate diligently, focus their minds on training, and strive to become inner disciples or reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible.

Overall, this rule greatly benefited the development of the Great Void Sect. But for the vast majority of Qi Refining Stage disciples, it was like a heavy boulder pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

Most Qi Refining Stage disciples had no background. They had joined the Great Void Sect through their own efforts. To earn Spirit Stones for cultivation, they took on all kinds of hard and dirty work. Some even risked their lives, venturing deep into the mountains to hunt demon beasts—often never to return.

Under these circumstances, the size of a Spirit Field was extremely important for a Qi Refining Stage disciple, especially for an outer disciple without any family background. A larger Spirit Field meant more Spirit Grain and Spirit Herbs to sell for money. A smaller Spirit Field meant having to find other work, such as patrolling the Sect Gate or watering the Spirit Fields of Foundation Establishment Stage senior uncles.

An ordinary Qi Refining Stage disciple worked themselves to the bone every month, earning barely enough Spirit Stones to sustain their cultivation. Very few ever managed to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Shi Yue pulled out the Square Token and shook it toward the courtyard. A flash of green light shot out and landed inside the courtyard.

Every courtyard had a Minor Formation. The formation had no lethal power, but if triggered, it would cause a great commotion. This was set up to prevent theft.

After lifting the restriction, Shi Yue pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

To the left of the gate was a crude Stone House, five meters long and five meters wide, where Shi Yue sat in meditation and cultivated. The entire courtyard occupied one mu. Aside from the Stone House, the rest of the land was all Spirit Field.

In the Spirit Field grew a type of plant whose main stem was as thick as a bowl's rim. Each plant bore several fist-sized grains of rice. The leaves were thick and flat, a purplish-red color, and emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance.

This type of Spirit Rice was easy to cultivate and had low environmental requirements. Normally, it ripened once a year, and the market purchase price was one Spirit Stone per jin.

In two more days, this batch of Spirit Rice would be ready for harvest.

Shi Yue closed the courtyard gate and began to chant under his breath. A large amount of blue light gathered around him.

After a moment, Shi Yue stopped chanting and pointed toward the sky above the Spirit Field.

The surrounding blue light, as if guided, surged toward the sky above the Spirit Field, converging into a massive White Cloud Mass that covered the entire field.

"Fall," Shi Yue commanded in a low voice, casting a hand seal onto the White Cloud Mass.

The White Cloud Mass churned and roiled, and then fine, misty raindrops, carrying a hint of coolness, poured down from the cloud mass in a blanket, enveloping the Spirit Field.

A Little Less Than Half an Hour later, Shi Yue formed a single hand seal, and the White Cloud Mass dispersed, the raindrops vanishing along with it.

Seeing this, Shi Yue nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the Stone House.

The interior was extremely simple. There was a gray Stone Bed about a zhang long, covered with a thin layer of cotton bedding. Beside the Stone Bed stood a Stone Table about a meter high, on which sat a small Earthenware Pot.

"Gurgle, gurgle," Shi Yue's stomach suddenly growled.

He frowned, walked over to the Stone Table, and lifted the lid of the Earthenware Pot. His lips moved a few times, and soon, a large amount of blue light materialized out of thin air, rapidly condensing into a blue water ball the size of a watermelon.

Shi Yue withdrew his hand seal, and the blue water ball fell into the Earthenware Pot.

Then, Shi Yue took a yellow grain of rice from his Storage Bag. He rubbed it lightly between his hands, and the husk shattered like paper, revealing a transparent grain of rice inside, emitting a faint fragrance.

Shi Yue cut the fist-sized Spirit Rice into small pieces, tossed them into the Earthenware Pot, and covered the lid.

With his left hand holding the pot, his right hand formed a hand seal while he chanted under his breath.

With a "puff," a ball of Scarlet Red flame burst forth from his left palm, wrapping around the small Earthenware Pot and burning fiercely.

Before long, a rich aroma wafted out from the pot, stirring anyone's appetite.

Shi Yue's expression shifted, and the flame shrank slightly. A moment later, with a puff, the flame scattered and vanished.

He quickly placed the now-scalding earthenware pot onto the stone table and lifted the lid.

A layer of snow-white rice immediately appeared before him.

Shi Yue took out a wooden spoon, scooped it into the pot, lifted out some rice, and brought it to his mouth for a taste.

This spirit rice was the most common kind—fragrant to the nose but bland in flavor. Its main virtue was that it staved off hunger, though the spiritual energy it contained was pitifully meager. This single pot of rice was enough to last Shi Yue a full day.

Disciples at the Qi Refining Stage could go to the Deacon Hall each month to receive a free bottle of Bigu Pills, but only if they had completed their routine tasks or reached Qi Refining Level 10 or above.

Shi Yue had spent ten days inside the Mysterious Space. By his reckoning, he was already overdue. Having failed to complete the task assigned by Steward Wang on time, he naturally had no free Bigu Pills to claim.

After eating his fill, Shi Yue sat cross-legged on the stone bed, took out the blue pearl from his bosom, and examined it closely.

With his previous experience in mind, Shi Yue dared not inject any more spiritual power into the blue pearl, fearing he would be trapped inside again.

The space within the blue pearl had spiritual energy far richer than the outside world. If only he could enter and leave freely—how wonderful that would be, Shi Yue thought to himself.

Suddenly, Shi Yue recalled something. He remembered his parents telling him, when they were alive, that magical artifacts required blood to bond with their owner. If he performed a blood-bond on the blue pearl, perhaps he could enter and exit the Mysterious Space at will.

At this thought, Shi Yue's face showed a flicker of emotion. After a brief deliberation, he took out the Red Moon Sword, lightly cut his finger, and a wound an inch long appeared. A drop of blood the size of a bean fell and landed on the blue pearl.

This drop of blood quickly sank into the blue pearl and vanished, apparently absorbed by it.

But strangely, after absorbing this drop of blood, the blue pearl showed no unusual reaction.

"Could it be that the amount of essence blood isn't enough?" Shi Yue muttered to himself. After a moment's hesitation, he pinched the wound and squeezed out a few more drops of blood, letting them fall onto the blue pearl.

These drops were quickly absorbed by the blue pearl, yet it still showed no change.

Seeing this, Shi Yue frowned. After thinking it over, he squeezed out a few more drops and dripped them onto the blue pearl, but the result was the same—no abnormality whatsoever.

"Could I have remembered wrong?" Shi Yue furrowed his brow, his eyes full of confusion.

After mulling it over, Shi Yue tucked the blue pearl close to his body, deciding to explore its secrets another time.

Several days had already passed. He had to go to the Deacon Hall as soon as possible to take on a task; otherwise, he wouldn't have a single spirit stone next month.

With this in mind, Shi Yue walked out of the courtyard, mounted his artifact, and flew high into the sky.