A Small Token of My Esteem

After seeing Zhang Miao off, Wu Ming and Zheng Lingxi briefly swept up the broken bricks and dust inside the Sect Leader Temple before Gu Bai kept them behind to share a meal.

A plate of fruit cakes and a pot of herbal tea—the very same things Zheng Lingxi had just served to their guests. The Gujian Sect advocated frugality and forbade waste, and Gu Bai, reluctant to enjoy them alone, was also unwilling to let his disciples miss out. Thus, the master and his two apprentices rarely found themselves gathered around a table together.

The conversation over tea and cakes naturally revolved around the recent Four Symbols of Dharma Combat.

The defeated Liu Family only had to cede territory and pay reparations, but the Gujian master and disciples had far more to consider.

"Ming'er, what are your thoughts on that Liu Qi and Zhang Miao?"

Wu Ming replied bluntly: "Rich bro and rich sis, send me fifty!"

"?"

Wu Ming explained: "As long as they can cash in that IOU we're holding, I'll trust them."

Gu Bai couldn't help but chuckle: "Heh heh, you're straightforward and utilitarian!"

"If Master trusts them, why shouldn't I?"

Gu Bai gave a wry smile: "Don't overestimate your master's judgment."

"To have recruited three disciples of such outstanding talent and solid character in a backwater like Qiongzhou—Master's judgment is more than trustworthy."

Gu Bai, coaxed into another helpless smile, took a sip of tea before turning to Zheng Lingxi: "Lingxi, what about you?"

Zheng Lingxi froze on the spot, forgetting to even chew the cake in her mouth. She was simple-minded by nature, unable to grasp overly complex matters and too lazy to dwell on them. The last thing she expected was to be called on to speak her mind over a snack!

Wu Ming was also curious: "I'd like to hear Senior Sister's opinion too. In your view, is that Zhang Miao worth getting close to?"

Hearing the title "Senior Sister," Zheng Lingxi's face lit up with joy. Though she had heard it countless times over the past month, each instance still filled the girl's heart with delight.

Hurriedly washing down the cake with tea, she began recalling what she had seen and heard not long ago. After a moment, she wrinkled her nose and said: "Little Sister Zhang Miao has a really nice smell on her!"

At this, both Gu Bai and Wu Ming nodded.

If she could make Zheng Lingxi feel at ease, she was most likely not a malicious person... In matters of simple good-and-evil judgment, this clear-hearted little Witch was sometimes even purer and more accurate than the weathered Gu Bai.

The fact that she had once braved Senior Sister's pressure to pick up Wu Ming and bring him back to her Tree House was proof enough!

"Still, Senior Sister, I should remind you to keep some distance from that Zhang Miao."

Zheng Lingxi blinked again. Though she didn't speak, her clear, big eyes clearly asked: "Why?"

"...I just don't want one day, when the three of us are eating together, to find you secretly using me and Master as a side dish for your meal."

"?"

"?"

Wu Ming coughed and changed the subject: "Master, regarding the Four Symbols fight just now, what shortcomings did I have, and where should I focus on improving? Please critique and advise me."

Before Gu Bai could speak, Zheng Lingxi couldn't help but widen her eyes again.

"Huh?"

In her view, Wu Ming's performance in that Four Symbols fight was incredibly impressive—picking him up and bringing him back to the mountain had been the right call... Yet he still wasn't satisfied and wanted someone to nitpick?!

Even Senior Sister, who was strict with herself, wouldn't be so demanding!

Oh no, little Junior Brother isn't going to turn into another Senior Sister, is he...

On the other side, Gu Bai nodded with satisfaction.

The principle of "loving something is better than just enjoying it" was truly embodied in Wu Ming. Despite a resounding victory, he didn't really care about winning or losing itself. He had even quickly set aside his desire for revenge against the Liu Family, focusing only on using every opportunity to make himself stronger.

Such a mindset was extremely rare and commendable... So Gu Bai gave a serious response.

"In the Four Symbols fight, though you won decisively, it wasn't a complete victory. You clearly lost the [Physique] round, and the [Mana] round relied heavily on clever tricks. If the match were held again, Zhang Miao might not use brute force against you. Once it turned into a drawn-out battle, your advantage in clever energy manipulation would diminish greatly, and the outcome would be about fifty-fifty."

Wu Ming nodded: "In terms of stats, aside from the Human Dao Seal, Zhang Miao outclasses me in every attribute."

"That's the advantage of coming from a noble family. If you ask me what shortcomings you had in the Four Symbols fight, it's your lack of background, accumulation, and resources. Everything else, no matter how much you polish it, is just chasing the trivial."

Wu Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded again: "True. Rather than wasting time refining techniques and details, it's better to find ways to improve actual cultivation. It's just that..."

Given his current situation, his cultivation speed had already reached its limit. Though he had been running scripts for the past month, after a month of optimization and refinement, he had already squeezed every last drop out of this scripted life.

With his bone structure and Spirit Root aptitude, his cultivation progress over the past month had already exceeded common sense by several times. Considering the Gujian Sect's resource scarcity, this speed was even more astonishing.

To go further, he would need the system to grant him another gold, allowing him to refine or overlay the Spring Encounter Book or Root Stance. But such things couldn't be rushed. Even winning a Four Symbols fight only netted him two hundred Spirit Crystals—the same reward as when he snatched the sword in front of Dinghuang Prefecture.

Recreating a famous scene, on the other hand, had earned him five hundred.

As for the good old days at the start of his transmigration—a thousand Spirit Crystals for an escape guide, six hundred for an entry guide—those were clearly gone for good.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Gu Bai sigh and speak.

"It's just that the Gujian Sect's resources are limited, and I can't let you compete on equal footing with those noble scions. Fortunately, your Immortal Fate is deep, and you always find ways to adapt."

With that, Gu Bai pointed a finger, and a delicate porcelain bottle landed before Wu Ming. It was the [Red Cloud Essence-Condensing Pill] that Liu Li had used to ransom his life not long ago.

Gu Bai said: "The [Red Cloud Essence-Condensing Pill] is a unique secret medicine of Luohuang Mountain's Mingxiao Pavilion. Its effects in condensing essence and replenishing qi are unmatched across Qiongzhou. The top-grade pills are even sufficient for Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Each pill contains spiritual energy equivalent to a Golden Core True Person breathing in a spirit-rich area for a hundred days. As for the Red Cloud Intent within, it has the miraculous effect of reviving the dead and mending broken bones."

Hearing this, Wu Ming suddenly understood, and then was startled.

This pill was clearly suited for healing and replenishing qi in the elderly, worn and injured. But if Gu Bai was bringing it out now, he clearly didn't intend to use it himself...

After that, Gu Bai took an ancient, worn-out manual from his sleeve.

[Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art]

"This art can melt and refine high-quality miraculous medicines and elixirs into qi, temporarily substituting for spiritual veins, allowing one to breathe and cultivate. It is an advanced cultivation technique that circulates in Yuzhou of the southwest. However, practicing this art places extremely strict demands on elixirs. Unless one is in Yuzhou, where vegetation is lush and alchemy is advanced, using top-grade elixirs as fuel for cultivation is hard to sustain long-term. Your master obtained it by chance in his youth but never had the opportunity to practice and use it... This immortal fate seems to be destined for you."

"Now, these two Red Cloud Essence-Condensing Pills here should be enough for you to refine for over two years, breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining in the Spring Encounter Book."

Hearing this, Wu Ming couldn't help but frown and interrupt, "Wait..."

But Gu Bai didn't wait at all, continuing, "After refining this pill, channel the Red Cloud Intent within it into your bones, tendons, flesh, and skin. It can also be considered a form of dietary supplement. Later, I will teach you a body-tempering [Green Pine Stance], which, combined with Root Stance practice, can effectively hone your physique."

"But..."

"Although you could also sell this pill and exchange it for some conventional cultivation resources, like spirit stones or talismans, after careful deduction, I still believe it's best to refine it with the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art."

Looking at the old man's face, clearly exhausted again from the mental strain of deduction, Wu Ming could only sigh inwardly.

This old man often mocked himself as a crippled, useless Heterodox Zen, but whenever his disciple needed something, he could always pull out the most suitable technique... The Three Pure Ones Orthodox Method, the Spring Encounter Book, the Yuzhou specialty Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art—he produced them at will. With such a foundation, how could he really be a down-and-out rogue cultivator?

It was only because he had poured his entire foundation without reservation onto his disciple that he had ended up so destitute.

Thinking this, Wu Ming stopped hesitating and said, "Since Master already has a plan, I won't be pretentious. Once I achieve something in cultivation, I'll repay the sect doubly."

Gu Bai smiled. His disciple's confidence and decisiveness truly made him both appreciative and gratified.

After the smile, the old man cleared his throat and added, "Using top-grade Golden Core elixirs for daily cultivation may seem outrageous, but for those from aristocratic families, it's actually quite common. Although Qiongzhou is relatively poor, even a talented scion from a prefectural clan often spends several hundred spirit stones annually during the Qi Refining stage."

"As for direct disciples like Liu Qi and Zhang Miao, who have studied under renowned masters, their annual expenses on spiritual veins and elixirs are incalculable. Even now, with you refining elixirs, it's hard to say you can completely close the gap between you and them."

Hearing this, Wu Ming was taken aback. According to Master Gu Bai, the Nine Provinces continent seemed to have a very realistic style: no money, no cultivation.

Fortunately, a channel for wealth had now been opened: the connections of the rich are always the most valuable resource. If Liu Qi and Zhang Miao truly intended to offer compensation and form a friendship, then...

Thinking of this, Wu Ming's heart stirred, and he pulled a small brocade pouch from his sleeve.

It was the small token of apology Zhang Miao had just used to secure the IOU, saying it was a gesture of goodwill... So, how sincere were that rich brother and sister's intentions? Let's find out now.

He untied the cord of the brocade pouch, and saw that the mouth of the bag was pitch-black and deep, like a bottomless abyss. Wu Ming was startled.

This pouch itself was actually a valuable Storage Artifact!

Seeing this, Gu Bai also let out a soft exclamation, then curled his fingers and formed a hand seal for the Object Manipulation Technique, breaking the seal on the pouch's mouth. From inside, he pulled out four more brocade pouches!

"Still compressed packages!?"