“Ha! The wager has been settled, so I will uphold it. From now on, the five elders will follow your lead in everything,” Patriarch Qingxuan declared with a laugh.
The other four elders’ faces changed along with Elder Jin Jue’s. They would now be Sun Yi’s subordinates, a step down in standing.
Qingxuan looked over the five of them, his expression turning stern. “A wager is a wager. Any objections?”
“We will follow your arrangements, Patriarch,” they said. They were unwilling, but they accepted the result.
“Thank you, Patriarch.” Sun Yi cupped his hands.
Qingxuan waved him on. “Now tell me what other functions you can add.”
His attention was fixed on the microwave detector. He wanted to know what else Sun Yi could make it do.
“If we link the detector to the identity tokens of our disciples, it will be able to locate fellow sect members within ten li,” Sun Yi explained.
“Can you do that?” Qingxuan asked.
“Yes. It will take some time, but it is not difficult. Once I have modified it, Qingyun Sect disciples will appear as green dots, and everyone else as white dots.”
“That would make it easier for disciples in an area to support one another,” Qingxuan said with a smile.
“I can also enter the shapes of various precious materials into the detector. Then it will identify them anywhere within its detection range.”
“It can do that too? Would that not be even better than a Treasure-Seeking Mouse?” Elder Han Yun exclaimed. Such spirit beasts were rare and priceless; the Qingyun Sect had owned none even at its height. Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
Sun Yi smiled proudly. “This is only the most basic model. In the future, I can make detectors with ranges of a hundred li, perhaps even a thousand.”
“A thousand li?” The sect leaders’ eyes lit up. Even Qingxuan, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, could extend his divine sense only a hundred li. A detector with ten times that range would be immensely useful.
“There is more. In the future, two people carrying detectors within range will be able to speak to each other directly.”
“Directly? Can you really give it all those functions?” Qingxuan asked, more excited than he had been in years.
“I can, but I need time.”
With cultivation materials and methods combined with what he knew of Earth’s technology, Sun Yi thought he could build a powerful walkie-talkie. A mobile phone was still beyond what he could manage any time soon.
Qingxuan took a deep breath. “I leave the sect’s affairs to you. I will take this detector to the Myriad Demon Forest to test it.”
“While I am away, cooperate fully with Sun Yi. His words carry my authority. Do not question him,” he told the elders. All five nodded; Sun Yi had won them over. They understood what his device could mean for the sect.
Qingxuan summoned the detector from Sun Yi’s hands and flew out of the Qingyun Sect in a streak of light.
“Sect Master, what should we do next?” Elder Ye Luo asked eagerly. As head of the Miscellaneous Arts Hall, which had produced the device, he knew what this meant.
“Elder Jin Jue, spread word that we plan to revive the Refining Hall. Keep encouraging disciples to challenge the Battle Tower and improve their strength.”
“We will make the arrangements,” Jin Jue said.
“Elder Qin Chu, compile a catalogue of the appearances of all known precious materials and demon beasts. Bring it to me when it is ready.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Leave it to me,” Qin Chu said.
“Elder Han Yun, gather every book on the miscellaneous arts in the Scripture Library and put them together in one place.”
“I will see to it, Sect Master,” Han Yun replied.
“Elder Li Tai, arrange missions for disciples traveling outside the sect and missions to collect materials. Once the upgraded detector is ready, we will send disciples into the Myriad Demon Forest to gather resources.”
“I will prepare the missions as soon as possible,” Li Tai said.
“And Elder Ye Luo, issue a sect announcement awarding each of the fifteen refiners in the Refining Hall one thousand points for their outstanding contribution.”
“I will handle it at once,” Ye Luo replied. Sun Yi wanted to raise the refiners’ standing in the sect.
After the elders left, Sun Yi flew toward the Scripture Library. Over the past six months he had spent most of his time reading, but he had still practiced the essential art of flight. He was not very skilled yet, though he could use it.
Back at the library, he immersed himself in its books. He would address the upgraded detector once the Refining Hall had more people.
The library held centuries of the Qingyun Sect’s accumulated knowledge, perhaps nearly a thousand years’ worth. Sun Yi estimated that reading it all would take at least five years.
Word of the award soon spread through the sect. The disciples were stunned that the refiners had each received a thousand points for their contribution. Most Qi Refining cultivators did not possess that many points in total.
Curious and envious, disciples asked what the refiners had done. Rumor soon spread that the Sect Master intended to revive the Refining Hall, improve its members’ treatment, and make it the sect’s best-rewarded department.
Many disciples who practiced refining as a secondary art flocked to the hall. Before long, it was packed.