Su Ning: “Holy crap!”
Yan Chuan: “My goodness!”
Murong Zhuo: “Th-this is…”
Gu Chenguang’s voice floated with disbelief: “A-A Supreme-Grade Advancement Pill…”
Even the people from the Beast Taming Sect gathered around.
Li Bufan drew in a sharp breath: “The Qingyun Sect is truly rich… Refining a single cauldron of this pill would make our Beast Taming Sect poor for three years.”
Qing Liuliu added in a low voice: “The ingredients are too expensive. The cost for a single batch alone is one hundred thousand high-grade spiritual stones, and the success rate is under ten percent.”
Another disciple nodded: “Refine one batch, go bankrupt; refine two batches, the sect closes down.”
Holding the box, I felt the fiery, fervent gazes of everyone around me.
One hundred thousand high-grade spiritual stones.
Less than a ten percent success rate.
Which meant that Situ Che from the Qingyun Sect casually threw me something worth over a million high-grade spiritual stones?
I looked at Shen Qingchen.
Then looked at Gu Chenguang.
Shen Qingchen spoke first: “I have no use for it.”
Gu Chenguang froze for a moment, then waved his hands: “Eldest Senior Brother, you’re right on the verge of breaking through, this is perfect for you…”
“Already broke through,” Shen Qingchen interrupted him.
Everyone fell silent.
That silence hung like a solid wall, suffocating everyone present.
Su Ning asked timidly: “When?”
Shen Qingchen: “Last night.”
Yan Chuan confirmed with a trembling voice: “Mid Nascent Soul stage?”
Shen Qingchen nodded.
Everyone fell silent once again.
This time, the silence was laced with a storm of complex emotions:
Shock, admiration, jealousy, and a tiny urge to hit someone.
Li Bufan and Qing Liuliu exchanged a look, silently taking two steps back.
First out of awe for a genius.
Second out of sheer fear of a monster.
A Mid Nascent Soul cultivator at one hundred and ten years old.
In all recorded history of the cultivation world, that ranks in the top five.
Su Ning swallowed hard with difficulty: “Eldest Senior Brother, do you know what level a normal person is at when they are one hundred and ten years old?”
Yan Chuan answered for him: “Anyone who can reach the Late Golden Core stage by then is already considered a genius.”
Murong Zhuo nodded: “According to average data in the cultivation world, reaching the Nascent Soul stage within five hundred years counts as a genius. But most people remain stuck at the Golden Core stage until they die.”
Shen Qingchen said nothing.
However, that slight curl at the corner of his mouth was unmistakable.
Gu Chenguang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back down.
Even so, he pushed the box toward Shen Qingchen: “Eldest Senior Brother, you should still hold onto it for when you charge into the Late stage later.”
Shen Qingchen glanced at him: “You’re Early Golden Core.”
Gu Chenguang froze.
Shen Qingchen added a sentence: “The weakest in the entire sect.”
Gu Chenguang’s smile froze on his face: “B-But Junior Sister…”
Shen Qingchen interrupted: “She’s different.”
Gu Chenguang: “…”
I stuffed the box directly into his arms: “Eldest Senior Brother has no use for it, and I have even less use for it. It’s yours.”
Holding that priceless Advancement Pill, Gu Chenguang’s hands trembled.
“Junior Sister… this is far too precious…”
I patted his hands: “It’s not precious. Sixth Senior Brother is good to me, so I give Sixth Senior Brother good things. Very fair.”
Gu Chenguang’s eyes turned red.
He cradled that box as if holding the entire world.
Beside him, Su Ning whispered softly: “Sixth Junior Brother don’t cry, it’s embarrassing.”
Gu Chenguang sniffled: “I’m not crying, sand just got into my eyes.”
Yan Chuan: “There’s no sand here.”
Gu Chenguang: “Then spiritual stones got into my eyes.”
Everyone: “…”
Even so, Gu Chenguang accepted the pill.
He carefully tucked it into his storage bag and even patted it lightly.
His movement was as reverent as if he were worshipping ancestral tablets.
……………………
We waited near the exit of the secret realm for half a day.
To be precise, we waited for 6 hours (3 double-hours).
Because the opening time of the secret realm exit was fixed, and we had arrived early.
During these 6 hours, my senior brothers took turns meditating and cultivating.
I ate four spiritual fruits, took two naps, and had three dreams.
In my dream, my dad was counting spiritual stones in the Demon Realm, and as he counted, he started crying, saying he had too many spiritual stones and couldn’t finish spending them all.
Then I woke up laughing.
The reality was that I was still lying on a rock near the secret realm exit, with blue sky and white clouds overhead, and the meditating figures of my senior brothers beside me.
Gu Chenguang was keeping the accounts, his pen tip making swishing sounds.
“Once we get out, we can sell these spiritual herbs and make another fortune.”
“How long will this money last for Junior Sister’s cultivation? Let me calculate…”
“Based on Junior Sister’s absorption speed, probably… half a month?”
He put down his pen and fell silent for a long time.
Then he continued keeping the accounts.
I pretended not to see.
…
The secret realm finally opened.
Our group filed out one after another.
Outside, the sunshine was bright and the air was fresh.
After staying in the dim forest for 10 days, suddenly seeing the sun made our eyes feel a bit unaccustomed.
Su Ning rubbed his eyes: “Finally out.”
Yan Chuan stretched: “The air outside is still the best.”
Murong Zhuo blinked at the sun: “Nice sunshine, just right to sunbathe my eyes.”
Gu Chenguang pulled out his little notebook and wrote down:
—— Secret Realm Survival Record:
—— Duration: 10 days
—— Encounters with Qingyun Sect: 3 times
—— Spiritual Stones Earned: 1,600 High-Grade.
—— Mental Losses: Unquantifiable.
—— Note: It’s good to be alive.
I also squinted my eyes and took a deep breath.
Ah~ The taste of freedom!
And… the smell of grilled skewers.
Not far away, there was a grilled skewer stall.
My legs moved uncontrollably in that direction.
However, I was blocked by Li Bufan and Qing Liuliu.
Li Bufan rubbed his hands together, smiling like a fox: “Sister Fupin, those few low-tier demon beasts of yours, are you willing to sell them?”
I was taken aback: “You want to buy them?”
Li Bufan nodded: “In our Beast Taming Sect, what we lack the most are spiritual beasts. Although they are low-tier, with proper training, they can still become decent combat assets.”
Qing Liuliu added from the side: “And the ones you caught are all of good quality, especially that little fire fox—its fur color is very pure.”
I looked at Su Ning.
Su Ning looked at Shen Qingchen.
Shen Qingchen nodded.
And so, the deal was struck.
100 medium-grade spiritual stones per beast.
Five beasts in total.
500 medium-grade spiritual stones credited to our account.
Gu Chenguang’s hand keeping the accounts was trembling once again.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t seen money before.
It was that I had never seen money made so easily.
After Li Bufan paid, he pulled a token out from his chest pocket and handed it to me with both hands.
“Junior Sister, this is our Beast Taming Sect’s Guest Elder Token. With this token, you can come to the Beast Taming Sect to visit anytime—free room and board, and unlimited spiritual beasts to pet as much as you want.”
I took the token, turning it over and over to inspect it.
“Brother Bufan, how many people can this token bring along?”
Li Bufan froze for a second: “Uh… in theory, only yourself.”
I blinked: “Then can I lend the token to my senior brothers?”
Li Bufan: “…”
Qing Liuliu whispered from the side: “Senior Brother, she’s trying to use one token as if it were seven.”
Li Bufan gritted his teeth: “You can bring them along. But only them—you can’t bring anyone else.”
I nodded: “Deal.”
Qing Liuliu whispered again: “Senior Brother, you look like a child trafficker.”
Li Bufan: “Shut up.”
After the people from the Beast Taming Sect left,
We didn’t leave yet.
My senior brothers pressed me down to sit on a rock.
Then they set up a street stall.
Selling spiritual herbs.
They only sold herbs that were a hundred years old or several decades old.
The ones that were several hundred years old were all stashed away, intended for refining pills once Second Elder returned from working his job outside.
Su Ning was in charge of hawking.
“Come one, come all! Take a look, take a peek! Freshly picked spiritual herbs and medicines! A hundred-year-old herb for only fifty medium-grade stones!”
…
Yan Chuan was in charge of displaying the goods.
Holding up a stalk of ganoderma, he smiled like a fake-medicine peddler.
“Fellow Daoist, look at this ganoderma—vibrant color, overflowing with spiritual energy! Steeping it in water and drinking it can prolong your life!”
The fellow Daoist he pulled over took a glance, nodded, and bought it.
Yan Chuan’s smile looked even more like a fake-medicine peddler’s.
…
Murong Zhuo was in charge of using his captivating peach-blossom eyes to attract customers.
The results were remarkable.
Several female cultivators gathered around the stall asking about everything under the sun, even though they didn’t buy anything.
Every time Murong Zhuo blinked once, their faces blushed red.
Blinked twice, and they clutched their hearts, unable to walk away.
Blinked three times, and one of them nearly fainted on the spot.
…
Eldest Senior Brother was in charge of… standing off to the side to intimidate the entire crowd.
A 110-year-old Mid Nascent Soul cultivator standing right there was the absolute best billboard.
No one dared to stir up trouble.
No one dared to haggle over prices.
No one even dared to steal a second glance.
…
I was in charge of eating.
Because there were still spiritual fruits left over from the Beast Taming Sect.
I munched on the spiritual fruits with loud crunching sounds, watching my senior brothers hustle as I ate.
Business was booming.
In four hours, we made 500 medium-grade spiritual stones.
Su Ning’s throat went completely hoarse, leaving him able to communicate only through hand gestures.
Yan Chuan’s face froze from smiling so much that his facial muscles went out of control, making him look like he was twitching.
Murong Zhuo’s peach-blossom eyes blinked so fast they nearly cramped, the muscles around his eyes twitching repeatedly.
Gu Chenguang counted money until his hands cramped, his fingers trembling non-stop.
Only Eldest Senior Brother hadn’t moved a single muscle from beginning to end.
Yet everyone passing by took a wide detour around him.
This billboard worked way too well.
And then, we ran into a familiar customer again.