He reached out and grasped the mother blade of the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Blades. With a thought, the six son blades flashed with dark light and flew about the room under the control of his divine sense, remarkably agile.
Under his divine sense's control, they easily carved a deep groove into the hard stone wall, as effortlessly as slicing through bean curd dregs. Controlling this top-grade magical artifact placed no strain on Liu Yu's divine sense. For a moment, exhilaration filled his heart, and he could not resist letting out a long, ringing cry!
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. It was the hour of the Ox, and the stars still shone freely in the sky, showing no sign of fading.
Liu Yu had long since made his preparations. His vitality, energy, and spirit were all in excellent condition, and he was ready to face his new destiny.
He took out the Golden Dragon Sword, became a streak of dazzling golden light, and flew toward Clear Spring Peak.
On the fifth day, Jiang Qiushui had come to his door and handed him the Jade Spirit Pill formula, five sets of spirit herbs for refining Jade Spirit Pills, and ten spirit stones. The Jade Spirit Pill formula cost one hundred spirit stones, and each set of herbs was worth twenty, making a total of two hundred and ten spirit stones.
Liu Yu held her abilities in high regard. Completing all this in five days was fairly quick, so he immediately gave her the ten spirit stones as a reward.
Of course, Liu Yu knew why Jiang Qiushui had gone to such trouble running errands for him. If he wanted her to keep doing her utmost, he naturally had to offer her some benefits. He had originally intended to concentrate on cultivation after becoming an inner disciple and leave miscellaneous chores to her. However, with the outbreak of the Spirit Stone Mine War, he had to head to the border of Qing Province, so that plan could only fall by the wayside.
Most of the spirit herbs used in Jade Spirit Pills matured at one hundred years of age, produced seeds, and stopped growing. The principal ingredient, Azure Jade Grass, likewise reached maturity at one hundred and fifty years, produced seeds, and ceased growing.
With the Jade Spirit Pill formula and the spirit herbs, Liu Yu could continually accelerate the herbs' growth through the Immortal Mansion and refine Jade Spirit Pills. They were among the best pills for increasing magical power and advancing cultivation in late Qi Refining. Their medicinal potency was gentle and easy to absorb. With Jade Spirit Pills, Liu Yu could rapidly advance to Qi Refining perfection, greatly increasing his strength.
The wind brushing his face at night was still rather cold. Ordinary mortals exposed to it for too long would inevitably fall seriously ill, but cultivators' bodies were nourished by magical power. Naturally, they were different from mortals and suffered no real harm.
Liu Yu's assignment this time was to garrison Cold Moon City on the border of Qing Province. Beside the city lay a tiny Cold Iron Ore Vein, and they needed to ensure that mining continued without interference.
This tiny Cold Iron Ore Vein produced cold iron ore worth five hundred spirit stones every month. Cold iron was extracted from the ore and used to refine lower-grade magical artifacts. Lower-grade magical artifacts made from cold iron had always sold well among rogue cultivators. Every month, the sect sent someone to collect the mined ore. This Cold Iron Ore Vein earned the sect five or six thousand spirit stones a year, so it would not be abandoned lightly.
Over the past few days, Liu Yu had gathered information about Cold Moon City and its surroundings. According to what he had learned, the surrounding cities were all inhabited by mortals, with no particularly powerful lineages or factions nearby. Only three small Qi Refining lineages were present, none of which posed a threat to him. Even the nearest market ward was three hundred li from Cold Moon City. Clearly, cultivation resources were scarce here, and the area was relatively remote.
The Golden Dragon Sword lived up to its status as a superior-grade magical artifact. Its flying speed was roughly a third faster than the Giant Wood Sword's, and he reached Clear Spring Peak in less than two hours.
Although it was still late at night, many disciples bound for the front lines were already waiting in the square before the General Affairs Hall. There were over a hundred of them, merely the first small group of cultivators being sent as reinforcements.
Despite the number of people in the square, it was not noisy. Unease spread through the crowd. Some cultivation partners bade reluctant farewells with reddened eyes, while some cultivators' friends and relatives comforted one another as they said goodbye. Others stared wide-eyed, their gazes vacant and their faces filled with despair.
Liu Yu recognized that look. It was the look of the weak.
Liu Yu had arrived at Clear Spring Peak around the hour of the Tiger. As he watched the scene, he felt a touch of melancholy. Over a hundred people were setting out, but how many would return? After a while, he regained his composure, his eyes beneath his lashes deep and calm.
Liu Yu first reported to the General Affairs Hall, stating that his preparations were complete and he could leave at any time. The steward told him to wait to one side. With his assignment credentials, he went to the stipend distribution point and collected a full year's allowance at once. Since being away inevitably caused inconveniences, the Primordial Yang Sect issued an entire year's stipend in advance. A year later, the disciples sent to collect the cold iron ore would bring their next allowance.
As an inner disciple, Liu Yu received eighty-four low-grade spirit stones and twenty-four Purple Spirit Pills a year. Purple Spirit Pills were ordinary pills used for cultivation in late Qi Refining, with a market price of five spirit stones each. The combined value of the spirit stones and pills came to nearly two hundred spirit stones.
This was already quite generous and made countless outer disciples envious. Even while maintaining normal cultivation, an inner disciple could save for a few years and buy a middle-grade magical artifact.
After collecting his year's stipend and putting it into his newly acquired Storage Bag, Liu Yu stood in a corner of the General Affairs Hall with his arms folded, waiting for his four teammates to arrive.
He did not have to wait long. About half a quarter-hour later, a somewhat familiar, honest-looking man approached. Cultivators rarely forgot someone they had met even once. It was Wu Chang, who had previously guarded Spirit Herb Garden D-17 and handed it over to him.
Wu Chang had slightly dark skin and a tall, straight figure. He was an ordinary outer disciple, thirty-two years old that year. Perhaps because of a bottleneck, he was still at the sixth level of Qi Refining after three years and seemed to have made little progress.
Wu Chang immediately recognized Junior Brother Liu, whom he had met once at the herb garden. However, Liu Yu now wore white robes, so he ought to address him as Senior Brother Liu instead. Sensing Liu Yu's cultivation, Wu Chang approached, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly in greeting, adopting an extremely humble manner.
"Senior Brother Liu, it's been a long time. Congratulations on your successive breakthroughs and admission to the inner sect. The Great Dao is within your reach! You must be the leader of this assignment. Please look after me over the next five years."
Wu Chang was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and his flying sword was a fine specimen among middle-grade magical artifacts. He counted as one of the outstanding outer disciples. Since he had also managed to secure a garrison assignment, he clearly had some ability.
This Junior Brother Wu looks honest and simple, but his mind is actually quite nimble. He's no fool. Away from the sect, I should unite every force I can. If he'll follow my orders at a critical moment, there's no harm in winning him over.
Recalling their previous encounter, Liu Yu reached this conclusion and gave him a friendly smile.
"Junior Brother Wu, have you been well? There's no need to stand on ceremony. We're fellow disciples of the same sect, after all. Naturally, we should look after each other while we're away!"
From his position of seniority, he showed a friendly attitude, patted Wu Chang on the shoulder, and spoke with a smile.
Wu Chang understood at once. He took a position fairly close to Liu Yu, remaining half a step behind him as a sign of respect.
"I've been well, Senior Brother. It's just that my cultivation has remained stuck at a bottleneck without any progress. Please look after me during this assignment in Cold Moon City. I'll certainly follow your lead, Senior Brother Liu!"
Wu Chang gave his solemn assurance. As for how much of it was sincere, only he knew.
Thanks to book friends Stranded, Don't Know What to Call Myself, Chicken Dabao 0, Dry-Fried Big Yellow Duck, Zeng Xiangbin, Hunan Warlord, 20170121170909780, and others for your recommendation votes!