Chapter 528 - 528: Mutually Beneficial

Three thousand Saint Extreme Points.

A sum sufficient to make an Inner Sect Disciple like Zhou Jianxiong ecstatic.

Yet Chu Qingyun, who had just joined the Saint Extreme Sect, had received ninety-four thousand, four hundred Saint Extreme Points. This was simply unheard-of!

As for the remainder of over fifty thousand, they gave it to Chu Qingyun directly in Primordial Spirit Liquid.

As for Qi Hao, because he was involved with the reward for Chu Qingyun's Secret Manual and Secret Technique, Zhou Qian and the others conferred and decided to give him three thousand Saint Extreme Points as well.

After all, Chu Qingyun had received over ninety thousand Saint Extreme Points from the exchange. It wouldn't seem right to give Qi Hao too little, so they simply gave him the same amount as Zhou Jianxiong.

An increase from three hundred to three thousand—a full tenfold jump—naturally left Qi Hao overjoyed.

Zhou Jianxiong, however, was absolutely fuming.

He had intended to target Qi Hao and put him down, but he never imagined it would turn into a blessing in disguise, allowing Qi Hao to obtain even more Saint Extreme Points!

"Alright, that's all for this matter. The existence of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sacred Form must be kept absolutely confidential. No one is to tell anyone else."

"Qi Hao, take Chu Qingyun to Elder Zhu Zhijing. Tell him I sent you, and ask him to provide some guidance for Chu Qingyun's cultivation."

"As for the rest of you... Zhou Jianxiong, escort these two to the Outer Sect."

Once the matter was settled, Zhou Qian made his arrangements, and the disciples dispersed.

After they had all left, Zhou Qian looked at Elder Fang and the other two elders, who still looked pained by the expense, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

For many years, Elder Fang and the other two had been in charge of the Inner Sect's finances and the distribution of Saint Extreme Points. They handled all their duties meticulously.

However, staring at Primordial Spirit Liquid and Saint Extreme Points all day had imperceptibly narrowed their perspective.

"Alright, stop looking like you're attending a funeral. It was only a little over ninety million in Primordial Spirit Liquid. Putting that aside, why don't you try going out and buying a manual for the Ten Thousand Spirits Sacred Form?"

Zhou Qian said with a scoff, looking at the three elders.

"But, Dean, that's over ninety thousand Saint Extreme Points... given to him just like that. With this one transaction, Chu Qingyun has probably become the disciple with the most Saint Extreme Points in the entire sect."

One of the Inner Sect Elders lamented.

But Zhou Qian just shook his head. "How shortsighted. By staring at Primordial Spirit Liquid and Saint Extreme Points all day, your perspective has become far too narrow."

"What are Saint Extreme Points? They merely represent the number of days one can cultivate inside the Saint Extreme Tower."

"Chu Qingyun is a genius I personally recruited into the sect. Is using Saint Extreme Points to nurture our own genius a loss for the sect?"

"The entire purpose of Saint Extreme Points was only ever to limit the number of people entering the Saint Extreme Tower and to give the disciples some motivation to compete."

"Giving Chu Qingyun Saint Extreme Points strengthens the sect, and him turning in the Secret Manual and Secret Technique also strengthens the sect."

"From the sect's point of view, it's all upside and no downside, no matter how you look at it."

Zhou Qian explained his perspective to them.

Realization instantly dawned on the three Inner Sect Elders.

Their previous thinking had indeed been too narrow and shortsighted.

"So, Dean, you're saying we came out ahead?" one of the elders asked.

Zhou Qian shook his head. "Since Chu Qingyun has joined our sect, he is a part of the Saint Extreme Sect. There's no 'coming out ahead' to speak of."

"You could say this matter resulted in a happy outcome for all involved. It was simply a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Besides, even if that boy had hoarded all those Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques, they would have been useless to him. He wouldn't have dared to sell them."

The four of them chatted casually for a while longer.

However, Zhou Qian could still faintly sense that Elder Fang held a significant amount of animosity toward Chu Qingyun.

There was nothing Zhou Qian could do about this.

The Saint Extreme Sect had stood in the Northern Domain for several thousand years. The sect had long ago formed various factions, with a web of intricate, intersecting relationships.

These were deep-rooted issues that even the Sect Leader was powerless to change, let alone someone like Zhou Qian.

Meanwhile, Qi Hao led Chu Qingyun, hurrying through the Inner Courtyard toward the residence of Elder Zhu Zhijing, whom Zhou Qian had mentioned.

"Junior Brother Chu, Elder Zhu doesn't usually go out, so we should be able to find him this time."

Qi Hao was grinning from ear to ear the whole way.

Chu Qingyun smiled and replied, "It's no problem. If Elder Zhu isn't here, we can come back next time. I'll just have to trouble you again, Senior Brother Qi."

"Haha, it's no trouble, no trouble at all!"

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother Chu, you really gave me a huge surprise this time! Ninety-four thousand Saint Extreme Points... that number is enough to scare someone to death if it got out!"

"I even rode on your coattails and snagged three thousand Saint Extreme Points," Qi Hao said, his voice full of excitement.

Evidently, even for a reasonably strong Inner Sect Disciple like him, witnessing such a massive transaction was incredibly exciting.

Chu Qingyun smiled, then asked, "By the way, Senior Brother Qi, what exactly is the use of Saint Extreme Points? And why did the Dean help me convert my reward into them?"

"The Dean definitely did it for your own good."

Qi Hao replied without a second thought, "The sole purpose of Saint Extreme Points is to enter the Saint Extreme Tower. Cultivating inside the tower is many times more efficient than outside. Plus, the higher you go, the stronger the supportive effect."

"Of course, Saint Extreme Points are also tradable. Junior Brother Chu, you exchanged for them at a one-thousand-to-one ratio this time. You definitely got a fantastic deal."

"You need to be careful about that, don't let anyone scam you. In private trades, Saint Extreme Points go for a minimum ratio of two-thousand-to-one."

"Still, I'd advise you not to trade your Saint Extreme Points for Primordial Spirit Liquid."

"As an Alchemist, it's incredibly easy for you to earn Primordial Spirit Liquid."

"Saint Extreme Points, on the other hand, are very difficult to obtain. Aside from the fixed monthly stipend for Inner and Outer Sect Disciples, the only way to get more is by completing missions or buying them from others."

Qi Hao added a few more words of caution.

He had mentioned the Saint Extreme Tower again, which couldn't help but make Chu Qingyun even more curious about it.

'Just the ability to enter the Saint Extreme Tower for cultivation makes Saint Extreme Points so valuable that it takes two thousand Primordial Spirit Liquid to trade for a single point!'

Before long, the two of them arrived at Elder Zhu Zhijing's residence.

As luck would have it, Elder Zhu Zhijing happened to be in.

Elder Zhu Zhijing appeared to be a middle-aged man, slightly plump, with a serious face and a stern, taciturn demeanor.

After Qi Hao explained the reason for their visit, Elder Zhu Zhijing dismissed him and had Chu Qingyun stay behind.

'He didn't know why the Dean would issue a special order for him to guide a mere sixth-level Martial Spirit.'

However, since Zhou Qian himself had given the order, he would not refuse.