Elder Jing Yuan had just left.
When another person fell from the sky once again.
This time, it was a chubby monk~
No, not a monk—just a middle-aged man wearing a monk’s robe.
Shaved head, but no ordination scars.
Buddhist robes, but with a wine gourd hanging at his waist.
And in his hand, he clutched a broom.
The senior brothers gathered around him yet again.
“Third Elder!”
I thought to myself: Oh, so this is Elder Wangji, the one sweeping floors over at the Zen Sect.
He looks very Buddhist—kind-faced and benevolent—yet heavy with the air of an exhausted worker, because he resembles an enlightened high monk.
Third Elder descended from his sword~ Wait, no, he flew down riding a broom.
He hopped off the broom and spotted me immediately.
Then he parted the crowd and walked up to me.
Squatted down.
Examined me.
His eyes gradually turned excited.
“Let me take a look.” He took my hand and sent a trace of spiritual energy into me.
Three breath-counts later, his eyes lit up.
Five breath-counts later, his smile stretched from ear to ear.
Then he let go of my hand and slapped his thigh: “It really is a Chaos Spirit Root! Our Heavenly Sword Sect is going to rise!”
Me: “…”
Three elders, three identical sets of routines…
Did they discuss this beforehand?
Elder Wangji pulled out a bracelet from his robe and slipped it onto my wrist.
The bracelet was wooden, warm, and smooth, densely carved with Buddhist scriptures.
“A meeting gift. It will automatically defend you in times of danger, capable of blocking a single strike from a Soul Formation cultivator! It also seals a Heart-Calming Mantra inside to help stabilize your cultivation!”
Then he pulled out a stack of neatly folded Buddhist robes and threw them to Su Ning.
“Issued by the Zen Sect—couldn’t wear them all. Take them to alter, there’s enough for everyone.”
He pulled out another cloth bag and threw it to Yan Chuan.
“Specialties of the Buddhist order—wooden fish, sandalwood incense, Buddhist scriptures, and consecrated talismans. Take them to exchange for money.”
He pulled out another pile of bottles and jars and threw them to Murong Zhuo.
“Spiritual tea, grown on the back mountain of the Zen Sect. Drinking it calms the mind and focuses the spirit—great for cultivation.”
Finally, he pulled out a Sumeru bag and threw it to Gu Chenguang.
“The wages I’ve saved up—take it to raise our junior sister.”
After that, Elder Wangji clapped his hands and stood up.
He looked at the senior brothers, then back at me.
“Take good care of Junior Sister,” he said. “A Chaos Spirit Root is a rare sight once in a million years. This is Heavenly Sword Sect’s good fortune.”
The senior brothers nodded.
Holding the bracelet, I looked up at him: “Third Elder, is sweeping floors at the Zen Sect hard work?”
Elder Wangji paused for a moment, then smiled.
His smile was very gentle, his eyes squinting into slits.
He said, “It’s not hard work. Sweeping calms the mind. As you sweep, you eventually sweep your own mind clear.”
He paused, then added, “Besides, the Zen Sect provides room and board, and they even hand out robes. What I’ve saved up will be enough for you all to wear for ten years.”
Me: “…”
I thought to myself: Is Heavenly Sword Sect’s tradition just working odd jobs everywhere to hoard supplies?
Elder Wangji gave a few more instructions, nothing more than “keep it a secret,” “keep a low profile,” and “don’t let anyone know.”
Then he straddled his broom, waved goodbye, and flew away.
Leaving behind a faint scent of sandalwood.
After Elder Wangji left, I asked my senior brothers, “Are Soul Formation realm cultivators common?”
The senior brothers exchanged glances.
Su Ning cleared his throat: “Junior Sister, to answer this question, we have to start from the beginning.”
Yan Chuan brought over a rock for me to sit on.
Murong Zhuo pulled out a tree branch and began drawing on the ground:
“The realms of cultivation are divided into: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Refining, Integration, Great Vehicle, and Tribulation Transcending / Ascending to Immortality.”
He read them aloud as he drew, leaving trailing marks on the ground with the branch.
Gu Chenguang flipped open a book: “The further you go, the harder it gets to cultivate. Out of ten thousand Qi Refining cultivators, it’s already impressive if one can reach Golden Core; and out of ten thousand Golden Core cultivators, it’s impressive if one reaches Nascent Soul.”
He closed the book: “Cultivators at the Soul Formation stage are powerful enough to be Sect Masters. Yet in our Heavenly Sword Sect, all three of our elders are at Soul Formation!”
Finally, he stood up, his face full of pride: “And what’s even more impressive is that our Sect Master is at the Integration stage! The highest-cultivated Sect Master among the Five Great Sects!”
I counted on my fingers.
My dad is over three thousand years old and is a Demon Lord.
What realm in the cultivation world does a Demon Lord correspond to?
I didn’t know.
But I figured it must be higher than Soul Formation!
After all, the three elders are all at Soul Formation, and if they met my dad, they’d have to call him senior.
I pulled my thoughts back and continued listening to the lesson.
Su Ning said, “The defensive artifacts the three elders gave you can block a single blow from a Soul Formation cultivator, which means their own cultivation base and essence blood were poured into them.”
Yan Chuan added, “Crafting this kind of artifact takes a tremendous amount of effort, mental energy, and isn’t cheap at all.”
Murong Zhuo nodded: “Most importantly, it costs at least a hundred years of cultivation.”
I looked at the wooden bracelet on my wrist, then touched the jade pendant and talisman in my robe.
Suddenly, they felt a bit heavy.
It wasn’t the physical weight of the artifacts.
It was the weight of their sentiment.
The three elders had sacrificed at least three hundred years of cultivation combined.
Just to make meeting gifts for a three-year-old child.
I gripped the bracelet tightly: “I will definitely cultivate hard.”
My voice was very soft.
But extremely earnest.
The senior brothers looked at each other and smiled.
Gu Chenguang patted my head: “We know.”
After the elders left, our lives returned to normal.
Although the money and supplies given by the elders were enough to tide us over for a while, for my constitution, it was still just a drop in the bucket.
What does “a drop in the bucket” mean?
It means thirty high-grade spirit stones absorbed completely in three days.
Thirty high-grade spirit stones were enough for an ordinary cultivator to cultivate for ten years.
Yet I drained them in three days.
The way Su Ning looked at me was like looking at a walking bottomless pit.
The way Yan Chuan looked at me was like looking at a breathing Spirit Gathering Array.
The way Murong Zhuo looked at me was like looking at a gold-devouring beast.
The way Gu Chenguang looked at me~
He didn’t dare look at me; he only looked at the ledger.
The numbers on the ledger grew smaller day by day.
His brows knitted tighter day by day.
After that, I could only do body tempering and couldn’t continue absorbing spiritual energy.
Body tempering doesn’t cost money.
Body tempering only requires sweat.
Body tempering only requires gritting your teeth.
Body tempering only requires~
— “Junior Sister, lower your horse stance a bit more!”
— “Junior Sister, swing your sword another thousand times!”
— “Junior Sister, run ten laps around the Main Peak!”
…
Every day, I was exhausted like a dog.
But I didn’t complain.
Because my senior brothers were even more exhausted than I was.
To take care of me, they couldn’t accept dangerous escort missions.
They had to figure out ways to make money, yet couldn’t let me know they were worrying.
Every day, they smiled and told me, “It’s okay,” “Take your time,” “It’ll get better”…
But the anxiety in the depths of their eyes—I could see it.
…………………………
On this day, I finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“How about,” I raised my hand and suggested, “we go to the Phantom Beast Ruins too?”
The senior brothers were eating, and upon hearing this, they all raised their heads at once.
Su Ning dropped his chopsticks.
Yan Chuan spilled his soup.
Murong Zhuo choked.
Gu Chenguang’s hand holding his notebook gave a sudden tremor.
Su Ning was the first to object: “No way. It’s too dangerous!”
Yan Chuan nodded: “It’s way too big inside, and there are far too many monster beasts!”
Murong Zhuo: “Junior Sister has only just reached Foundation Establishment—going in there is just delivering yourself as a snack!”
Gu Chenguang was already scribbling in his notebook: “Reasons for objection: 1. Dangerous; 2. Very dangerous; 3. Extremely dangerous.”
I blinked: “But aren’t monster beasts worth a lot of money?”
The senior brothers exchanged looks.
Su Ning sighed and began giving me a crash course on monster beasts:
— “So-called ‘monster beasts’ and ‘spirit beasts’ are actually the same thing.”
— “Those that haven’t been tamed are called monster beasts; those that have been tamed and contracted are called spirit beasts.”
— “Just like the difference between a wild dog and a pet dog.”
— “Except wild dogs bite people, while pet dogs guard the house.”
I nodded: “I know all that. So how much are they actually worth?”
Su Ning counted on his fingers: “Low-tier monster beasts correspond to the Qi Refining through Foundation Establishment stages of cultivators. They can sell for fifty to a hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”
My eyes lit up.
Yan Chuan added: “Because monster beast meat can be eaten, monster beast blood can be made into medicine, monster beast bones can be used in weapon refining, and monster beast hides can be made into clothing.”
Murong Zhuo: “They’re covered in treasures from head to toe—they’re just not easy to take down.”
Gu Chenguang: “Monster beasts generally have their own innate talent abilities as well.”
I nodded: “What about mid-tier ones?”
Su Ning paused for a moment: “Mid-tier monster beasts correspond to us Golden Core cultivators. They’ve already gained intelligence and possess monster cores.”
My eyes grew even brighter.
Yan Chuan: “Monster cores are great stuff! They can be used in medicine, in weapon refining, and are extremely beneficial for advancing a cultivator’s cultivation base. A single core can sell for a hundred high-grade spirit stones.”
Stars were practically popping out of my eyes!
A hundred high-grade spirit stones!
Isn’t that ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones?
A million low-grade spirit stones?
How many Nourishing Essence Pills could that buy!
How many Spirit Gathering Arrays could that build!