Even Martial Uncle-Ancestor Needs to Make Money

Days pass without notice in the mountains, and another stretch of several days goes by.

"It's been ten days now—how goes the battle at the 73rd Hanging Sword Array?"

Lei Qingyang stood atop the cliff, his gaze fixed on the rolling sea of clouds, with Elder Liu, the messenger in charge of relaying news across the sect, at his side.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, under the leadership of Elder Lu and Elder Yu, our sect has achieved a great victory. We have fully breached the Blood Demon Sect's forward outpost at the 73rd Hanging Sword Array and are preparing to enter the array for a decisive battle against their main force."

"The only issue now is that the Blood Demon Sect has entrenched itself in three cities of a million mortals each. Our sect dares not attack recklessly, for fear of harming the common people."

Lei Qingyang nodded. "Cunning Blood Demon Sect, cunning demon cultivators! Send word to the two elders: they may proceed slowly, but do their utmost to spare the lives of those mortal civilians."

"If necessary, I will go myself." He clenched his fist, and arcs of electricity crackled between his fingers.

Elder Liu advised caution: "Sect Master, please think carefully. If you enter the fray, the situation will inevitably escalate, and the Blood Demon Sect may dispatch even more powerful experts."

"I know. At worst, we'll force a full-scale decisive battle with the Blood Demon Sect!"

"Xuanyun is no longer the Sword Gate of sixty-five years ago. The blood debt of the Blood Demon Sect's massacre of Sword Suppression Peak's entire peak—sooner or later, we'll settle it!"

Lei Qingyang spoke with indifference, thunder flickering in his eyes.

Speaking of Sword Suppression Peak, he suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, how is Uncle-Master Chen faring lately?"

At the mention of Chen Xian, Elder Liu smiled faintly. "Uncle-Master Chen Xian has been frequently attending lectures by the elders of various peaks, and as a result, the disciples on those peaks have been putting much more effort into their studies."

"This uncle-master of mine certainly has leisure time, haha. But that's fine."

Lei Qingyang shook his head, assuming Chen Xian was simply bored and passing the time by listening to lectures.

For an old senior whose lifespan was nearly spent, he had no demands.

But Elder Liu hesitated before adding, "Yesterday, I observed Uncle-Master Chen Xian from a distance and noticed that his cultivation seems to have recovered somewhat!"

"Oh?" Lei Qingyang was a bit surprised this time.

He had examined Chen Xian's body before and knew that this uncle-master of his was left with only the Mystic Jade Sword Bone, his cultivation almost entirely gone.

Could it be that at this age, he could still succeed in rebuilding his cultivation?

"Roughly around Dao Disciple second or third rank," Elder Liu added.

"Bah! I thought uncle-master had recovered to the Sword Master Realm!"

Hearing this, Lei Qingyang waved his hand dismissively. "It must be that after returning to the sect, his recuperation has been good, and his cultivation has rebounded somewhat."

"But..." A glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.

"If uncle-master's cultivation really can return to the Sword Master Realm, and his lifespan is replenished as a result, then perhaps our Sword Sect can gain another veteran, haha."

As he spoke, Lei Qingyang laughed and shook his head.

He felt he was letting his imagination run wild.

An eighty-year-old man, his blood and qi withered, his cultivation completely lost, and his lifespan nearly exhausted—how could he possibly succeed in rebuilding his cultivation?

"Should we send some Qi Induction Pills to Uncle-Master Chen Xian?" Elder Liu asked.

"No need. I understand uncle-master's condition; Qi Induction Pills are useless to him."

"With the sect's war effort pressing, it's better to allocate these medicinal resources to promising disciples as much as possible."

Lei Qingyang refused with a shake of his head. Supporting an elder was the sect's duty, but the sect also had a more important responsibility: enabling its disciples to develop faster.

"That's true." Elder Liu nodded in deep agreement.

"By the way, since uncle-master doesn't want to go to Hidden Dragon Valley, find some people to clean up Sword Suppression Peak again."

"If he likes to tinker, let him be a peak master, and recruit some disciples. That way, the lineage of Sword Suppression Peak can be continued."

Lei Qingyang suddenly thought of something and gave the order.

"Yes!" Elder Liu acknowledged.

"Qi Induction Pills... Hmm, I need to find a way to get some Qi Induction Pills."

Walking out of the lecture hall specially for outer sect disciples below the Sword Disciple realm, Chen Xian rubbed his white eyebrows, his brow slightly furrowed.

He had just attended a lesson where an elder said that to speed up cultivation, one could appropriately take Qi Induction Pills.

Coincidentally, in the few days he had been cultivating, he also felt his progress was somewhat slow.

Since breaking through to Dao Disciple second rank, another five days had passed, and he had only just touched the edge of Dao Disciple third rank.

He estimated he would break through to third rank tomorrow or the day after.

Seven days for one minor realm—for the vast majority of disciples, this speed was already as fast as riding a war vessel.

For most disciples, breaking through one minor realm in two or three months was already considered exceptional talent.

Moreover, the path of cultivation only got slower as one progressed. Very few disciples could break through to the Sword Master Realm and join the inner sect within three years of entering the sect.

Chen Xian's cultivation speed was ten times theirs, but he was still dissatisfied.

Unlike these young sprouts who still had seventy or eighty years to slowly grind away, he only had two and a half years.

A Grade 6 Life-Prolonging Pill could only be taken once in a lifetime.

So if he couldn't break through to Sword Master within two and a half years, he'd kick the bucket for good.

Thus, he needed external help to speed up his cultivation.

A Qi Induction Pill was what he needed most right now.

Although Lei Qingyang usually had people send him spiritual fruits and such, he basically never gave him any pills or elixirs.

Could he just go ask Sect Master Lei himself?

No, Lei Qingyang might not give them, and he didn't have the face to shamelessly beg.

The man had already been good enough to him, and to the sect, he was no different from a waste. If he went asking for cultivation resources on top of that, it would be like climbing all over his face.

So he could only rely on himself to get a Qi Induction Pill.

How could he get it on his own?

Chen Xian came to two conclusions: "Either refine it, or buy it!"

He could go to Pill Peak, find a few gifted alchemy geniuses, copy some quality traits, then refine the Qi Induction Pill himself and take it.

But here came the problem—traits weren't hard to get, but the alchemy materials still had to be bought!

So now it came back to the most fundamental issue—he had no money!

That's right, Lei Qingyang hadn't given him any "money."

After all, food, drink, clothing, and lodging were all provided free by the sect. In Lei Qingyang's eyes, he probably figured Chen Xian had no use for "money."

Just like in most xianxia novels, the currency of the Xuanyun Sword Sect was "Contribution Points."

You got them by doing sect missions, trading cultivation resources, or obtaining them from the sect or other disciples.

Since he was at Morning Sun Peak in the outer sect, Chen Xian headed straight for the Mission Hall.

"Greetings, Elder Chen!"

The person in charge of issuing missions at the Mission Hall was a middle-aged steward around thirty years old, surnamed Liu, named Yuanbao. True to his name, he was round and plump, looking very kind.

As soon as Chen Xian entered, he greeted him proactively.

The surrounding disciples also quickly bowed to Chen Xian, and he nodded back to each one in turn.

The hall was filled with many mission boards, displaying over a thousand missions.

Chen Xian couldn't be bothered to check them one by one, so he walked up to Liu Yuanbao and asked, "Hey, Yuanbao! Do you have any missions suitable for this old man here?"

"Yes! Elder, yes!"

Liu Yuanbao nodded with a cheerful smile.