Chapter 611: Killing Two Birds with One Stone_2

“This sword is a gift for your Core Formation. How could a Sword Cultivator like you not have a top-grade Flying Sword?”

After obtaining the Ruo Wood Sword from the Divine Wood Sect, one of his Flying Swords was freed up from his Sword Array, making it the perfect gift for his disciple.

“Thank you for the sword, Master. Xi’er will practice diligently and not disappoint you.”

Ma Ruoxi excitedly accepted the Thunder Sound Sword. She was happy not only because she had received a Tier Three Flying Sword, but also because of Bai Zichen’s promise.

She had been somewhat apprehensive when she spoke, afraid that her meager accomplishments in the Sword Dao would be scorned.

After all, her master was the kind of Sword Immortal prodigy that appears only once every ten thousand years. His talent in the Sword Dao was unparalleled.

He had mastered Refining Sword into Silk during his Foundation Establishment Stage and even attracted a Tier Four Flying Sword to willingly submit to him.

Being his disciple, no matter what one accomplished, a simple comparison was enough to make you feel utterly inadequate.

“Oh, right. Regarding the Geng Metal Spirit you inquired about, we have collected a total of seven catties and three taels over the years. I had the Spiritual Ore Hall seal it all away. Also, the Bamboo Sea on Celestial Thunder Cliff has produced a total of thirteen mutated Thunder Sound Bamboos. This is mainly because the Bai Family disciples have been disappointing recently; it’s been a long time since any new Spiritual Bamboo has mutated to a higher grade.”

After receiving the Flying Sword, Ma Ruoxi recalled these two matters and immediately reported them.

“Well done.”

With the memory of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, a fleeting thought was enough for Bai Zichen to recall discovering a Geng Metal Ore Vein on Golden Light Mountain.

He had casually ordered its collection because refining Geng Metal Spirit into a Flying Sword could increase a Tier Three Flying Sword’s lethality by several tenths.

Even though decades of mining had yielded only a few catties of Geng Metal Spirit, the substance was inherently rare.

From tens of thousands of catties of Geng Metal, one might only find a single, soybean-sized speck of Geng Metal Spirit at the very core.

To have acquired this much proved that the Geng Metal Ore Vein was of a considerable size.

‘I don’t much care for the lethality of a Tier Three Flying Sword anymore. However, a normal reforging only requires a tiny piece. If I were to add several times that amount of Geng Metal Spirit, there’s a small chance the Flying Sword could break through its limits and undergo a spiritual sublimation.’

‘The chance is still slim, but it’s an improvement from absolutely none to perhaps one in ten thousand.’

‘As a Cultivator who hopes to use the Daoist Classic Cantongqi to awaken his Flying Swords and exponentially increase his collection of Tier Three blades, the Geng Metal Spirit now holds extraordinary significance.’

‘This amount is enough to reforge every Tier Three Flying Sword I own.’

‘As for the reduced production of Thunder Sound Bamboo, I can’t blame Ma Ruoxi, nor can I blame the Bai Family disciples for being lazy or inattentive.’

‘With me gone, there was no one to periodically apply the Holy Beast Aura. The Wood God Skill naturally lost its miraculous power and reverted to a common Spirit Plant Technique.’

‘I’d be more surprised if new Thunder Sound Bamboo continued to appear under those conditions.’

“Have the Geng Metal Spirit sent over tomorrow. For the Thunder Sound Bamboo, wait for my instructions. Bring it to the Observatory Pavilion only when I ask for it… By the way, how are my cousins?”

Before leaving Black Mountain, Bai Zichen had personally issued a long-term task: whoever cared for the main hall on Celestial Thunder Cliff would receive fifty thousand Sect Contribution points annually.

The ones who accepted the task were none other than the siblings, Bai Ziying and Bai Ziyu.

Thanks to this long-term task, their Sect’s Salary was comparable to that of a Core Formation True Man.

But their names were not among the Core Formation Disciples Ma Ruoxi had mentioned. Clearly, an abundance of Cultivation Resources had not been enough to overcome their lack of aptitude.

“Ziying passed away peacefully not long ago, at the age of two hundred and twelve… She only ever reached the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment. Aside from her Cultivation of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique, she never took any Life-Extending Elixirs. She told me she had lived a very happy life and had tried everything she ever wanted to see or do. Since she had no chance of reaching Core Formation, she said, why bother clinging to another decade or two?”

Ma Ruoxi found that delivering this report was no easy task, and her voice became flat.

“After reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, Ziyu attempted Core Formation once. He nearly succeeded but failed at the last moment. Fortunately, he pulled back in time, so his Essence loss wasn’t severe. The Spirit Plant Hall allocated him three Apricot Yellow Plums, and he purchased several other Life-Extending Spirit Pills, so he still has several decades left to live. However, I heard he still hasn’t given up and wants to try breaking through again… A second Core Formation attempt is exponentially more dangerous. At his age, if he fails, he will almost certainly never leave his Quiet Chamber.”

“‘I didn’t expect that it would be the dull, foolish Ziyu who would go further, still in pursuit of the Great Dao… I won’t see him. Later, use my authority to allocate one Core Formation Spiritual Object and thirty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones to him. Whether he lives or dies will depend on his own Creation.'”

Despite his words, Bai Zichen made a mental note of the matter, already wondering where he might find a Core Formation Spiritual Object even better than Clear Spirit Jade Marrow.

If he had no ambition, it would be one thing. But since Bai Ziyu still held aspirations to climb to a higher Realm, Bai Zichen would certainly support him.

Ma Ruoxi quickly agreed.

Although she held no official position in the Sect, her dual status as a Core Formation True Man and Ancestor Bai’s disciple commanded a great deal of respect from everyone.

A small matter like this was easy for her to handle.

“By the way, has Brother Ge still not returned?”

Another Tier Four Spirit Land, this one on the summit of Flame Mountain, also lay unused. Bai Zichen asked the question.

“That’s right. Ancestor Ge has not returned to the Sect, nor has any news of him.”

Genggeng slid out of its master’s lap, shook its head, and grabbed two discarded pieces of Artifact Refining Materials, stuffing them into its mouth. Ma Ruoxi hastily scooped up the black-and-white furball and followed closely behind.

Bai Zichen frowned slightly. ‘Brother Ge Cang’s trail has gone cold in the Central Domain as well. Where on earth did he go?’

‘I was hoping to consult him about the Daoist Classic Cantongqi when I returned to the Sect. Looks like I’ll have to study it on my own after all.’

“Later, inform all the Core Formation Cultivators in the Sect to come see me… But do not spread the news of my return. It will be inconvenient to get certain things done if outsiders find out.”

He had already learned the gist of the Sect’s internal affairs from Ma Ruoxi.

However, he couldn’t rely on a single perspective. He needed to hear from the other Core Formation Cultivators as well.

He also needed to get an understanding of the overall situation in the Northern Domain.

Ma Ruoxi held no official post and was absorbed in the Sword Dao; he couldn’t rely on her for outside information.

「Over the next few days.」

Bai Zichen met with every Core Formation True Man currently in the Qingfeng Sect.

His appearance brought joy and encouragement to everyone. The presence of a Nascent Soul True Monarch was simply too important for a sect.

One could say the entire Qingfeng Sect survived on the lingering prestige of its two Nascent Soul Ancestors.

However, each person’s account of the Sect’s current situation and the state of the Northern Domain Cultivation Realm differed.

Analyzing the differences was, in itself, quite an interesting exercise.

But from Bai Zichen’s lofty perspective, he cared little for the petty squabbles and schemes of the cultivators below him, as long as they didn’t disrupt the Sect’s normal operations or obstruct the advancement paths for promising disciples.

‘I’ll set aside the broader situation in the Northern Domain for now. To secure a stable rear area in these chaotic times, we need at least one entire province’s resources dedicated to supporting the Qingfeng Sect. Otherwise, with the current rate of new disciples joining, we won’t be able to maintain the present standard of benefits for more than a few years.’

Bai Zichen stood before a massive map of Liang Country, his finger quickly sliding away from the Ten Thousand Miles Icefield.

It paused for a moment over Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, tapped a few times, and finally settled on Qii Mountain.

‘Four Nascent Soul Major Sects… That’s too many. It would be in the Sect’s best interest if that number were reduced by one, or perhaps two…’

Bai Zichen had already learned from Qi Yue that the two Spirit Plant Masters from the Divine Wood Sect had arrived early at Black Mountain. However, since a location for planting the Spirit Rice had not even been decided, he certainly wasn’t going to hand the Cyan Dragon Spirit Rice seeds over to them.

He had Qi Yue inform them that they would be planting Tier Four Spirit Rice and that they should first scout the Black Mountain Range for a suitable Spirit Field.

Currently, the Qingfeng Sect only possessed Tier Three Spirit Fields and hadn’t yet cultivated a single Tier Four one, mainly because they were loath to use up a valuable Tier Four Spirit Land for that purpose.

As long as they had Earth, there was no strict requirement for Cyan Dragon Spirit Rice to be planted in a Tier Four Spirit Field.

However, this Spirit Rice was far too important. If the best conditions could be provided, he would absolutely ensure it was done.

‘Conquering Qii Mountain would not only gain us a Tier Four Spirit Vein but also resolve the Celestial Principle Sect’s dilemma, allowing them to withdraw from Liang Country smoothly. It kills two birds with one stone.’

Bai Zichen quickly made his decision. He would annihilate Qu Yang and his followers, making the Holy Lotus Sect a thing of the past.

With that, the conflicts within the Liang Country Cultivation Realm would be resolved.

Once their enemies were dead, with sufficient compensation and a clear path for retreat, the Celestial Principle Sect would have no reason to keep fighting to the death at Qii Mountain and bleeding themselves dry.

Of course, he would have to display overwhelming strength to ensure the Celestial Principle Sect wouldn’t dare entertain any foolish ideas.