Spoils of Battle

"Eldest Senior Brother! Eldest Senior Brother!"

Zhao Yi was resting in the pavilion. His meridians were badly injured, so it was best to move as little as possible.

Wang Qing's voice rang out. Zhao Yi answered, and Wang Qing came running over with two books in his hands.

"What is it?"

"Eldest Senior Brother, one of these is a wood-attribute cultivation method, and the other contains beast-taming spells!"

"Oh, these two manuals were found in Daoist Mu's bedroom. There were two secret compartments in the bedroom, each holding one of these manuals."

"Eldest Senior Brother, can I practice this Azure Wood Pure Spirit Art?" Wang Qing looked at Zhao Yi expectantly, clutching the cultivation manual tightly as his chest rose and fell.

Zhao Yi glanced at Liu Yu, who had followed him over, then smiled. "Of course!"

Zhao Yi understood Wang Qing's excitement. The Azure Wood Pure Spirit Art suited Wang Qing perfectly. He was still young and had a wood spiritual root, so switching to the Azure Wood Pure Spirit Art would not cost him much.

Besides, practicing a cultivation method suited to oneself could increase cultivation speed and make one stronger!

Linghua Island's inherited cultivation method had been bestowed by the Tide-Subduing Sect a hundred years ago. Called the Spirit Origin Body-Nourishing Art, it could be cultivated up to the spirit attraction stage. Balanced and gentle, it made cultivation deviation unlikely and suited all spiritual roots. Its only drawback was its relatively slow cultivation speed.

Apart from the Spirit Origin Body-Nourishing Art, there was also the Water-Spirit Wave-Subduing Art, which suited cultivators with water spiritual roots. Liu Yu had a water spiritual root, and the Water-Spirit Wave-Subduing Art was what he practiced.

Zhao Yi was twenty-four this year and had an earth spiritual root. Practicing the Spirit Origin Body-Nourishing Art, he had already reached great completion of meridian opening. His cultivation progress was considered very fast.

After all, their master, Chen Yihua, had reached great completion of meridian opening at thirty and only broken through to perfection of meridian opening at forty. He had remained there ever since, unable to find an opportunity to break through to the spirit attraction stage.

Liu Yu was twenty this year, had a water spiritual root, and had just reached the meridian opening stage. Wang Qing was two years younger than Liu Yu, had a wood spiritual root, and was at great accomplishment of qi nurturing.

All three fellow disciples had low-grade spiritual roots. Humans were the most spiritually gifted of all beings, born with all five elements. The difference between cultivators and mortals lay in whether their spiritual root aptitude met the requirements for cultivation.

By attribute, spiritual roots could be divided into five-element spiritual roots and variant spiritual roots. By aptitude, they could be divided into high, middle, and low grades.

Spiritual root aptitude was one's sensitivity and affinity to spiritual energy, with high-grade being the best.

Above high-grade were spirit bodies. After cultivators entered the core condensation stage, their spiritual roots naturally transformed into spirit bodies.

Spiritual root aptitude was not immutable, either. As cultivation advanced, spiritual root aptitude would improve as well.

It was said that Spirit Attraction into the Body for the first time could improve spiritual root aptitude. A rogue cultivator on Azure Cloud Island had broken through to the spirit attraction stage, and his low-grade spiritual root had become a middle-grade one.

Obtaining this cultivation method alone made their trip to Jade Pearl Island worthwhile.

But where had Daoist Mu put his spiritual resources?

Could he have eaten them all?

This was no joke. To rogue cultivators, every spirit stone and every grain of spirit rice was incomparably precious.

Whenever they obtained spiritual resources, they converted them into nourishment for their own cultivation as quickly as possible.

Only cultivation forces like Linghua Island, with inheritances spanning several generations, would devote large quantities of resources to developing spirit fields and growing spirit rice.

"Liu Yu, Wang Qing, did you search the study?"

"Senior Brother, I smashed up the floor and walls, but found nothing!" Liu Yu said helplessly.

"Mm. What about these buildings in the front courtyard? Did you break open the walls and floors to look?"

"No, Eldest Senior Brother. How about I go smash them open and check?"

Emerging from his delight at obtaining a cultivation method, Wang Qing volunteered to go smash the walls.

"Liu Yu, go with him. Search the side rooms in the front courtyard again. I refuse to believe we can't find even a single grain of spirit rice!"

Zhao Yi spoke fiercely, a trace of hostility showing in his eyes.

The sun stood at its zenith, blazing overhead.

Liu Yu and Wang Qing returned empty-handed, looking dejected.

"Eldest Senior Brother, we searched both courtyards and didn't find a single spiritual item. That old scoundrel was truly poor."

Wang Qing slumped over the stone table in dismay as the gentle breeze eased his exhaustion.

"Liu Yu, brew a pot of tea. We've been busy all day and haven't even had a sip of water."

Zhao Yi was likewise lounging against the railing.

Liu Yu nodded and got up to fetch the teapot from the bamboo house and make tea.

When he reached the bamboo house, the teapot was sitting on the table. He picked it up, lifted the lid, and sniffed. Liu Yu frowned. Overnight tea-the pot needed washing.

He went outside, turned into the kitchen on the right, and lifted the wooden lid off the water vat, preparing to scoop out some water.

"Hm? What's this?"

A faint scratch was visible on the floor. Liu Yu immediately crouched and felt around the bottom of the vat.

He pinched up a little soil from the floor, then immediately stood and wrapped both arms around the vat. Bracing himself against the ground, he heaved it aside, revealing a hole directly beneath it.

"Senior Brother, come here, quickly."

At that moment, Zhao Yi was resting with his eyes closed, feeling the gentle sea breeze brush against him as he waited for Liu Yu's tea.

Hearing Liu Yu call, he quickly rose and walked over, with Wang Qing close behind.

Inside the kitchen, all three fellow disciples looked at the hole before them in some astonishment.

"Second Senior Brother, you're amazing! How did you find it?"

"I was about to scoop out some water to rinse the teapot when I saw scratches between the bottom of the vat and the floor. I thought I'd move the vat and take a look. I never expected to find this hole."

Liu Yu patted the vat as he spoke with feeling.

The hole was small, containing only an exquisite wooden chest.

Zhao Yi took a beast-hide glove from inside his robe, put it on, and lifted out the chest.

Then he used a fire poker nearby to pry the chest open. Three jade boxes lay inside.

He opened the first jade box. Inside were twenty full pieces of translucent spirit jade, each the size of a thumb.

"Twenty low-grade spirit stones. That old scoundrel had some savings!"

With this remark, Zhao Yi handed the jade box to Liu Yu.

Then he opened the second jade box, which held a bottle of pills.

He opened the jade bottle. There were only three pills inside, giving off a faint, fresh fragrance of herbs. Zhao Yi did not recognize the pills, so he could only put them back in the jade bottle.

The last jade box contained two jade pearls. They radiated dense spiritual power, and a light sniff made the true qi in his body circulate thirty percent faster.

Zhao Yi picked up one jade pearl and rolled it between his fingers, then exclaimed, "These look like spirit pearls!"

Spirit pearls formed inside spirit mussels. Spirit mussels absorbed the essence of the sun and moon every day, and over time, a spirit pearl condensed within their bodies. Afterward, they continued nourishing it until the end of their lives.

Spirit pearls contained pure spiritual power and were suitable for all cultivators, who could absorb the spiritual power within them to improve their cultivation.

The refinement of many miraculous elixirs also required spirit pearls as supplementary ingredients.

Thus, many sects and lineages raised spirit mussels.

A fifty-year-old low-grade spirit pearl sold for fifty spirit stones at Fubo Pavilion on Azure Cloud Island.

Three years ago, Zhao Yi and his master had been fortunate enough to attend an auction at Fubo Pavilion. The final item was a seven-hundred-year-old high-grade spirit pearl, which sold for six thousand nine hundred spirit stones.

According to the auctioneer at the time, high-grade spirit pearls could improve the cultivation of Dao Foundation cultivators.

"Senior Brother, then these two spirit pearls...?"

"They're naturally low-grade spirit pearls. Their age is determined by their size. These two are the size of soybeans, so they must be low-grade spirit pearls. The high-grade spirit pearl auctioned that year was a full inch across!"

"All right, Liu Yu, put these three jade boxes away for now."

"We've pretty much finished searching. I reckon this is all Daoist Mu had. We've been busy all day. I'll go make something-it's time we ate!"

After eating, the three took out all the spoils they had obtained that day.

In total, there were two low-grade spirit talismans, a handful of Iron Thread Vine spell seeds, one Dharma Weapon, three Qi-Replenishing Pills, three Essence Qi Pills, twenty-two low-grade spirit stones, a bottle of unidentified pills, two spirit pearls, two cultivation manuals, and an incense burner.

Zhao Yi gave Liu Yu one spirit pearl, the three Essence Qi Pills, and two spirit stones. A little of the spirit pearl's spiritual energy had already dissipated, so it needed to be refined as soon as possible.

He gave the Iron Thread Vine seeds and the sword to Wang Qing, then put away the rest himself to place in Linghua Island's treasure chamber upon their return.

Looking around at the other two, Zhao Yi's expression turned solemn. "Daoist Mu has been killed. Jade Pearl Island cannot be left without a resident cultivator. Besides, we need to tell them that Jade Pearl Island has a new immortal master!"

"Liu Yu, Wang Qing, head down the mountain shortly and tell the islanders that Daoist Mu has been executed. From now on, Jade Pearl Island will be under Linghua Island's jurisdiction. The islanders originally migrated here from Linghua Island, so they won't feel any resistance to it."

"All right, Eldest Senior Brother." Liu Yu nodded and readily agreed.

"After that, you two will stay on Jade Pearl Island for now. I'll return to Linghua Island to recover from my injuries. Once I've recovered, I'll come back to relieve you."

"Also, help check the islanders' aptitude and see whether any of them can cultivate. We now have two islands, so we need more people."

Testing cultivation aptitude was actually very simple. A meridian opening stage cultivator held a spirit stone, and the person being tested placed a hand on it. The cultivator circulated the spiritual power within his body through the person's arm to touch the spirit stone. If the stone reacted, it meant the person had the aptitude to cultivate.

Determining their exact aptitude, however, required a Spirit-Testing Artifact.

Linghua Island had a Spirit-Testing Artifact, issued by the Tide-Subduing Sect.