Ji Zining glanced at the jade plaza. Seeing there was no room left, she felt a little helpless.
"This place is only so big, so I can't take out any more. Father, you'll have to make do with these."
"Ah? Make do?!"
Ji Chenkong was utterly dumbfounded.
He had never dared imagine so many supreme-grade spirit stones. He couldn't have dreamed of them in his sleep.
But what was Ning'er saying?
Make do? Just these?
Were these not enough?
Even if he sold the Flowing Moon Dynasty he had founded ten thousand times over, he couldn't get this many supreme-grade spirit stones!
Forcing himself to calm down, Ji Chenkong spoke in a trembling voice.
"Ning'er, where did you get these supreme-grade spirit stones?"
Even after becoming the Divine Son of Ziwei Holy Land, she shouldn't be this lavish, should she?
Even Ziwei Holy Land wouldn't take so many supreme-grade spirit stones lightly.
Ji Zining smiled at his question.
"Actually, I had these before I came to Ziwei Holy Land."
"Well, an ancestor of Ziwei Holy Land came to find me in Flowing Moon City. He said these were a welcoming gift for me and insisted that I come to this disciple recruitment ceremony."
There was no real need to hide it. Since Ji Chenkong wanted to know, there was no harm in telling him.
Ji Chenkong was having trouble getting his head around it. He hurriedly raised a hand, signaling Ji Zining to stop for a moment.
"Wait, Ning'er. You're saying an ancestor of Ziwei Holy Land personally went to Flowing Moon City to find you?"
"And not only that, he gave you these supreme-grade spirit stones as a welcoming gift, just to get you to attend Ziwei Holy Land's disciple recruitment ceremony?"
Ji Zining gathered her thoughts and nodded slightly.
"That's more or less right."
There had also been a surprise or something, but it hardly mattered whether she mentioned it.
Ji Chenkong was stunned. He glanced blankly at the supreme-grade spirit stones around him.
Although he knew Ji Zining was exceptionally gifted and possessed a legendary physique, this kind of treatment was truly beyond his expectations.
He even felt that Ziwei Holy Land's unusual decision to hold the disciple recruitment ceremony early this time had something to do with Ji Zining!
The ceremony had been brought forward for Ji Zining alone!
Ji Chenkong was suddenly filled with emotion.
He had struggled for half his life and, with great difficulty, founded the fairly respectable Flowing Moon Dynasty.
He had originally planned to pass it down to his descendants one day, only for Ji Zining to be born with severed meridians, nearly driving him to despair.
Fortunately, Heaven had not let him down. Not only had his Ning'er's severed meridians disappeared, but she had also awakened such a legendary physique.
And because of that physique, she had gained an exalted status. Truly, the world was ever-changing; no one could tell what would happen next.
Ji Chenkong took a deep breath and asked,
"You've given me so many supreme-grade spirit stones. Do you still have any for your own cultivation?"
If he took these supreme-grade spirit stones back, the Flowing Moon Dynasty's strength would surely rise rapidly.
If possible, he wanted to take them back, but that depended on whether Ji Zining needed them herself.
His rule now was to put Ji Zining first in everything. If she gave him anything she didn't need, he wouldn't refuse.
But if Ji Zining needed them herself, he absolutely couldn't accept them.
Ji Zining waved the storage ring on her hand and smiled softly.
"Don't worry, Father. These are just a hair on nine oxen. You don't need to worry about my cultivation."
The supreme-grade spirit stones she had just taken out had barely exposed the bottom of one corner of her storage ring.
The supreme-grade spirit stones left inside were still beyond counting. Ji Zining herself didn't know exactly how many remained, but there were a lot.
The corner of Ji Chenkong's mouth twitched.
So many supreme-grade spirit stones were just a hair on nine oxen. The ancestor of Ziwei Holy Land really had spared no expense!
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. The Flowing Moon Dynasty needs these supreme-grade spirit stones very much."
"You're now the Divine Son of Ziwei Holy Land. We can't let the Flowing Moon Dynasty hold you back, can we?"
Ji Zining shook her head.
"What do you mean, hold me back? Father, why would you say that? Put these supreme-grade spirit stones away first."
"What happens to you after this is up to you, Father. This is all I can do to help you."
Ji Chenkong nodded firmly.
"My Ning'er has grown up and can already share her father's burdens. I'm very gratified."
With that, he began collecting the supreme-grade spirit stones on the jade plaza, a smile on his face.
As he collected them, Ji Chenkong counted them as well.
A moment later, all the supreme-grade spirit stones on the jade plaza had been stored in his storage ring.
Ji Chenkong gripped the storage ring containing the supreme-grade spirit stones tightly, as if afraid it would run away.
"Five million! A full five million supreme-grade spirit stones!"
Even disregarding the smaller figures, the total number of supreme-grade spirit stones he had just collected came to a full five million!
He was holding five million supreme-grade spirit stones. How could Ji Chenkong not be nervous?
It took Ji Chenkong quite a while to get his emotions under control, and he was barely able to calm his nerves.
Even so, after putting on the storage ring, Ji Chenkong still covered it with his other hand.
Seeing Ji Chenkong like this, Ji Zining couldn't help finding it funny.
In the original owner's memories, Ji Chenkong had always been dignified and kind. He had never behaved like this before.
At that moment, Ji Chenkong took a deep breath and said in a low voice,
"Ning'er, take me to that small world from before. I'll wait there for Xiao Jiu to wake up."
"Come to think of it, I watched Xiao Jiu grow up too. I can't leave Xiao Jiu there alone."
Ji Zining nodded slightly.
"All right, Father."
Once Xiao Jiu woke up, his strength would surely soar, and the Flowing Moon Dynasty would have another powerful guardian beast.
Ji Zining poured spiritual power into the Divine Son token and tore an opening in the formation. At the same time, she called softly,
"Ancestor!"
As soon as her voice fell, the space ahead rippled slightly, just as it had last time, and a black spatial passage appeared.
Ji Zining smiled at Ji Chenkong.
"Father, let's go in."
With that, she stepped into the spatial passage first.
Seeing this, Ji Chenkong followed close behind.
The peach blossom forest small world.
Ji Zining and Ji Chenkong appeared out of thin air.
Li Changsheng, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, saw the two of them and smiled faintly.
"Did you succeed in transcending the tribulation?"
Ji Chenkong hurriedly cupped his hands respectfully.
"Yes, Ancestor!"
He was now also an outer sect guest elder of Ziwei Holy Land, so it was only natural for him to address Li Changsheng as Ancestor.
Li Changsheng smiled and nodded.
"Not bad. You broke through on your own, without using any of the magical treasures Qianyan prepared for you."
"Looking at it this way, we underestimated you before. Your future achievements will surely surpass Spirit Transformation!"
Hearing this, Ji Chenkong couldn't help scratching his head.
"You flatter me, Ancestor."
Li Changsheng shook his head slightly.
"I'm not flattering you. It's the truth."
With that, Li Changsheng turned his gaze to Ji Zining.
"You two came in for that little fellow over there, didn't you?"
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Xiao Jiu, who lay motionless and asleep on the ground not far away.
Recalling how Xiao Jiu had turned his backside toward him when he stared at him earlier, Li Changsheng's expression grew a little unnatural.
Ji Zining cupped her hands slightly.
"Yes, Ancestor. Father wants to wait until Xiao Jiu wakes up and take him back to the Flowing Moon Dynasty with him."
Li Changsheng nodded.
"Then you've come at just the right time. This little fellow is about to wake up."