Lining His Own Pockets
Item: Clear Spirit Rice Grade: Cyan, refined Type: Spirit rice Effect: Fortifies the soul and consolidates the spirit, accelerates magic power condensation, Soul Refining cultivation +7% Description: Grown by drawing on morning dew and moonlight, it is often used by sect disciples to temper their foundations. After being washed in clear spring water and cooked slowly over a low flame, the grains give off a pale cyan mist. Eating it leaves one refreshed and clearheaded.
There were ten units of Clear Spirit Rice in total. Cultivators ate less, so those ten units were enough to feed the ten or twenty cultivators in Peach Blossom Spring Village for over half a year.
But compared to the spirit rice, what was truly valuable was the formation set issued by the monastery, along with two hundred Spirit Stones to set it up.
Item: Mirage Dazzling Light Formation Grade: Blue, refined Type: Formation Effect: Connects to the Earth Vein to create the Mirage Dazzling Light Formation, which can bewilder enemies' minds. Description: A formation inherited by Xuanwei Monastery, it uses illusions to bewilder the mind and defeat enemies. Once the formation is complete, illusions arise one after another, making truth and falsehood hard to distinguish. Those with weak wills become trapped in the illusion, wearing down their souls to no avail.
Lin Xu looked at the formation compass and command flags, frowning slightly. He glanced at Wang Yue, who stood beside him, and only then did he realize, That's right, he knows how to set up formations. That's why he was sent to lead the team supporting Peach Tree Village.
Name: Wang Yue Race: Human Identity: Inner disciple of Xuanwei Monastery Class: Daoist Level: 4 Strength: 9 Agility: 8 Constitution: 10 Spirit: 16 Intelligence: 13 Charisma: 10 Health: 105/105 Magic power: 195/195 Talent: [Formation · Blue] Formation learning speed +25% Skills: Lampwick Spirit Refinement Method (Advanced) · Blue (Advanced), Formation Mastery · Blue (Advanced)... Equipment: Dao Rhyme Bright Light Lamp, Profound Light Eight Trigrams Robe, Five Elements Spirit Gathering Formation Evaluation: An inner disciple of Xuanwei Monastery, skilled in formations.
An NPC had actually mastered an advanced formation skill. Even with his talent bonus, it was clear that Wang Yue was extraordinary.
Even Lin Xu was tempted, though he did not act on it.
Unlike Chen A'niu and Liu Jiayao, Wang Yue was a bona fide disciple of the monastery. If Lin Xu made a move against him, he could not be sure he could bear the consequences.
What was more, this NPC's cultivation was a stage higher than his own.
What a pity. I can't scoop him onto my own plate just yet... Lin Xu turned his head regretfully. Monastery master, when will you finally pass your position on to me?
He looked at the remaining carts of goods.
Spirit rice was a bulk commodity, and a small amount wasn't worth much. The formation compass and flags were for the great formation protecting the village; Lin Xu would have to be insane to dare take them away.
But the many other items supplied by the monastery made his heart burst into bloom.
The Dao Rhyme Bright Light Lamp, the Profound Light Eight Trigrams Robe, the Soul-Nourishing Pagoda, the Dazzling Light Mirror, the Cloud-Treading Shoes, the Azure Blade Soul-Pacifying Sword...
Lin Xu could say with confidence that once the battle for Peach Blossom Spring Village was over, as long as he survived, his equipment would be no worse than that of the True Disciple Li he had seen before!
Besides the artifacts, there were consumables such as talismans and Dharma Coins, as well as pills and spirit water held in jade bottles.
Item: Yin Dew Grade: Cyan, common Type: Consumable Effect: Fortifies the soul and consolidates the spirit. Can increase the solidity of a soul body. More effective when used to refine soul-nourishing pills or talismans. Description: An essence formed by the Yin Locust Tree gathering the Yin Qi of heaven and earth on the night of the new moon. Slightly cool to the touch, it gives off a faint, delicate fragrance. Cultivators often use it to temper their souls or blend spirit medicines.
This was the cultivation resource Lin Xu had previously discovered in the Yin Locust Forest. Clearly, the wealthy Xuanwei Monastery had no shortage of it.
There were twenty full jade bottles of Yin Dew, adding up to a total of two hundred drops.
Item: Peach Heart Dew Grade: Cyan, refined Type: Material Effect: Repairs damage to the soul when consumed and aids the cultivation of spiritual sense techniques. Soul power recovery +30% Description: A spirit liquid produced by a century-old peach tree, condensing the essence of peach blossoms and the Qi of moonlight. Its fragrance is cool and pure, like a flowing spring stream.
He had used Peach Heart Dew before, having made a special trip to the old peach tree to collect the spirit liquid for his evening cultivation.
It truly lived up to its reputation as spirit water produced by a century-old spirit peach tree. His soul body felt as though it had been through a sauna, the impurities buried deep within it expelled, leaving it so light it almost wanted to soar into the air and dance.
A single drop of this spirit liquid cost 100 merit points, and if he went too late, the Merit Hall would have none left in stock.
But aside from these two spirit waters, Lin Xu had never even seen the remaining types of pills:
Item: Soul-Refining Pill Grade: Cyan, refined Type: Pill Effect: Refines and tempers the soul. Strengthens the soul body and wards off external evils when consumed. Soul Refining cultivation +20%, maximum soul power +15 points Description: Refined using yin spirit grass and soul stamen flowers as the main ingredients, supplemented with Yin Dew. When the pill is formed, a dim light circulates over it, and a strange fragrance fills the air for three days without dispersing. Item: Blood Soul Pill Grade: Cyan, refined Type: Pill Effect: Nourishes Qi and blood and repairs internal and external injuries when consumed. Significantly aids the cultivation of body-refining techniques. Body-refining cultivation +20%, Qi and blood recovery speed +50% Description: Refined using crimson yang vine and blood ginseng fruit as the main ingredients, supplemented with yang fire. When the pill is formed, it resembles blood jade, with a radiance held within and a rich, lasting medicinal fragrance. Item: Treasured Light Soul-Crossing Pill Grade: Blue, refined Type: Pill Effect: Stabilizes the soul body and protects against the intrusion of heart demons when consumed, keeping the soul from dispersing during a tribulation. Adds the "clear spiritual platform" effect during a Soul Refining breakthrough. Realm breakthrough success rate +30% Description: A high-grade pill commonly used as a key supplementary medicine for breaking through realms and facing tribulations. Extremely difficult to refine.
Lin Xu looked them over. These pills and spirit waters were all related to cultivation. There were Blood Soul Pills intended specifically for Dao soldiers to refine their bodies, as well as Soul-Refining Pills allocated to Soul Refining cultivators.
But the most precious of them all was the blue, refined-grade Treasured Light Soul-Crossing Pill.
Although there were only three, they could save him a great deal of cultivation time.
"Not bad. These resources are enough for me to cultivate to the Day Wandering Realm and become a true disciple." Lin Xu picked up the jade bottle, a brilliant smile on his face.
Cultivation came down to nothing more than techniques, wealth, companions, and a place to cultivate. What Lin Xu needed most now was cultivation resources, and this time he had them all.
Besides the pills and spirit waters, the caravan also carried an ancient bronze chest, its surface engraved with intricate runes over which spiritual light faintly flowed.
The chest was heavily sealed. Following Wang Yue's instructions, Lin Xu took out his identity token and pressed it against the chest. Spiritual light flashed, and the seals opened at once.
Inside the chest were dozens of exquisite jade slips, each bearing the name of a different cultivation technique and its inheritance information.
From the basic Spirit Eye Technique, Body-Leaping Technique, and Fire-Attracting Technique to the profound Qi-Control Art and Spirit-Concentrating Art, the jade slips contained a dazzling variety of inherited techniques, covering body refinement, Soul Refining, talismans and formations, concealment, and more.
Lin Xu had been short of funds before and had exchanged for only a few of the most basic techniques. Now, all these secret sect teachings lay before his eyes, as though the gates of a treasure trove had opened, making his heart pound.
Of course, these resources were not his alone, but were meant to support Peach Tree Village through the coming defensive battle.
First he had to win the war; only then could he consider lining his own pockets.
He arranged for the militiamen who had come as reinforcements to join the work, while the cultivators, at Lin Xu's request, assisted Wang Yue in setting up the Mirage Dazzling Light Formation.