The wildflowers outside the cave abode had turned yellow and green again, and before anyone knew it, another spring had arrived.
Chen Shuangbai had officially entered the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer.
After reaching the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, he could circulate the Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method with ever greater ease. The Law Power he cultivated surged like spring water in an endless stream, at least thirty or forty percent greater than that of the other disciples who cultivated the ordinary Jade Spring Qi Ingestion Method.
Moreover, the Moon-Worshipping Clear Illumination Method involved worshipping twelve lunar phases. By his reckoning, Chen Shuangbai had already completed three cycles. His Law Power flowed like a cold spring, more smoothly than ever before. It was truly a delight.
His cultivation was not the only thing that had progressed; he had also gained a great deal in the art of pill refining.
Yi Chongyue had previously instructed the remaining five not to interrupt their practice with the Jade Spring Five Pills. After a year and a half, the five could now be considered official apprentice Alchemists.
The reason they could not be called Alchemists was that the sect had a rule: anyone who could only refine pills below the first tier did not count as an Alchemist.
Among them, Fan Yunsong and Chen Shuangbai were evenly matched in the quality of the pills they refined.
The two of them supplied the basic pills for the Expenditure Hall's monthly supply quota.
The Jade Spring Sect's influence extended across three provinces. It did not act overbearingly or target Rogue Cultivators. Instead, it had established markets throughout the three provinces, selling pills, talismans, Law Artifacts, and other goods produced by its many halls.
As a result, its reputation was also the best among the five sects.
There were countless Rogue Cultivators in the three provinces, so demand for pills, formations, Talisman Artifacts, and artifacts was naturally enormous. As the ruler of the three provinces, the Jade Spring Sect naturally needed to regulate this vast market.
Thus, vast quantities of pills, formations, Talisman Artifacts, and artifacts flowed out of the Jade Spring Sect every month.
For that very reason, disciples of the Jade Spring Sect who could master a cultivation craft generally had little need to worry about Merit Points, as long as they put in a little effort.
The Jade Spring Five Pills had been developed by the Jade Spring Sect's Grand Alchemist, who improved upon the five basic pills most widely circulated in the markets: the Water Cloud Pill, Miasma-Cleansing Pill, Jade Healing Pill, Jade Dew Pill, and Spring-Turning Pill.
By refining the Jade Spring Five Pills in large quantities, Chen Shuangbai had not only made considerable progress in pill refining but had even begun using the substantial Merit Points he earned to support his own cultivation.
Otherwise, he could not possibly have broken through the minor bottleneck between the Third Layer of Qi Refinement and the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer so quickly.
At present,
the five of them had attracted the Jade Dew Hall's attention, though not enough for it to make a move to recruit them.
After all, the Jade Spring Sect had no shortage of disciples studying pills, formations, Talisman Artifacts, and artifacts. Apprentices like them, who had only begun learning less than ten years ago, only warranted a little attention.
Inside a cave abode on Lesser Yang Peak.
Chen Shuangbai slowly ended his cultivation, letting the Law Power that had been coursing ceaselessly through his limbs and countless acupoints gradually settle and return to his Dantian.
Suddenly, a cry sharp enough to pierce metal and split stone rang out from outside the cave abode.
A snow-white shadow flashed past outside, followed by the rustling of a strong wind through the branches and leaves of the lush trees at the cave abode's entrance.
Chen Shuangbai walked out of the cave abode. On a thick spiritual pine by the entrance, above the flat ground outside, stood a great eagle about the size of a wolf cub, covered in snow-white feathers and extraordinarily majestic in appearance.
"Feiguang, how many times have I told you? Stop plucking the same pine tree bare!"
Chen Shuangbai looked at the trunk beneath Feiguang's sharp talons, where several patches had been plucked bare, exposing the blue-gray bark underneath. Then he looked at the unharmed spiritual pines nearby and shook his head helplessly.
Feiguang gave a few coos, seemingly pretending to be pitiful. In truth, the fellow was full of tricks and an expert actor.
Chen Shuangbai paid no mind to his acting. Put another way, the very fact that he could act meant he was quite intelligent.
That was exactly what Chen Shuangbai needed.
Chen Shuangbai took a Beast-Nurturing Pill from his Storage Bag. After a moment's thought, he took out four more, making five in all, and tossed them into the air. A white shadow seemed to flash past, and the pills vanished.
Feiguang returned to his original perch and tilted his head back, gulping down the pills with a gurgle. A gleam of delight flashed through his sharp eagle eyes.
Chen Shuangbai stood beneath the tree and beckoned. Feiguang obediently spread his wings and landed gently, then pressed his head into Chen Shuangbai's hand, letting out a string of contented coos.
The closeness brought by their Blood Pact was comparable to that of blood relatives. Together with Chen Shuangbai's attentive care in the days after Feiguang's birth, their bond could be said to have been maxed out.
As Chen Shuangbai stroked the enormous eagle head, he looked at Feiguang's snow-white feathers, which gleamed faintly metallic in the sunlight. With his sharp eyes and imposing bearing, Feiguang already showed the beginnings of a snow-mountain king's grandeur.
But what drew even more attention was the faint moon-shaped marking on the fellow's forehead.
Chen Shuangbai had gone to ask the Book Spirit about it.
The Book Spirit had said the little fellow was fairly lucky: his bloodline had undergone a tiny bit of atavism, so this outward trait was a positive sign.
Feiguang was now at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement. If nothing unexpected happened, he should reach the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining or the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining when he matured. With further careful nurturing, it was not impossible for him to strive for the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining or even the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.
By then, Chen Shuangbai would have a demon bird at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.
That would be quite rare in the outer sect.
But... looking at the fellow's appetite, which grew larger by the day, Chen Shuangbai could not help feeling a little rueful.
If he had not made some initial progress in pill refining and learned to make Beast-Nurturing Pills, and if the little fellow had not also been skilled at hunting for himself in the Rime Forest, keeping him might really have left Chen Shuangbai struggling to make ends meet.
After he finished petting the eagle, Chen Shuangbai gave the little fellow another warning. "Don't go into the inner reaches of the Rime Forest, understand?"
After several reminders, Feiguang understood and nodded emphatically. With a beat of his wings, he soared into the sky, off to who knew where to play wildly again.
Chen Shuangbai shook his head slightly at the sight.
In any case, the fellow wore a Jade Spring spirit beast jade tag and was naturally protected within the range of the sect's grand formation. As long as he stayed within Sunken Jade Valley, Chen Shuangbai let him play as wildly as he pleased.
He was a child, after all; it was only natural for him to love playing.
As Chen Shuangbai thought this, he formed a seal for the Clothes-Cleansing Technique, removing the smells and stains from his clothes. Then he used the Wind Control Technique and rode a gentle breeze, gliding gracefully through the mountains.
He had now reached the middle stage of the Qi Refining Realm. His modest success in pill refining had also allowed him to save up a batch of Merit Points, and he was thinking of going on a spending spree.
If he saved Merit Points without using them, he might as well not save them at all.
Chen Shuangbai believed in using them when needed and earning more if he ran short. He intended to spend his Merit Points on cultivation, which was a reasonable use for them.
About an hour and a half later.
Chen Shuangbai wanted to buy two Law Artifacts.
There were two places in the sect that sold Law Artifacts: the Cloud Peak Small Market and the Expenditure Hall.
Chen Shuangbai decided to visit both places. He had plenty of time today anyway, but what he had not expected was to run into an acquaintance halfway there-
Lu Zhiyuan of the Expenditure Hall, Senior Brother Lu.