81 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

With a slow exhale, Qi Xiu finally felt a sense of relief. After days of recuperation, he had managed to repair the damages to his essence, and he sensed that the gate to the second threshold of Qi Refinement had now been opened. All that remained was to accumulate enough cultivation power, and reaching the sixth level of Qi Refinement should follow naturally. This marked the second piece of good news since the Battle of the Nameless Valley; the first, of course, was from He Yu, who had also experienced a breakthrough from the battle and was now in the eighth level of Qi Refinement, officially entering the ranks of late-stage cultivators. The extreme environment of a life-and-death duel allowed for profound insights and understanding, as one's potential was intensely tapped into. Techniques and spells aligned seamlessly, proving it was indeed a shortcut to rapid cultivation advancement. Had it not been for the deaths of Gu Ji and Huang He, this journey to Mount Shandu would have been a perfect one. Thinking of Gu Ji, Qi Xiu's mood sank suddenly. He took out the half-copied "Ape's Agility" from his storage bag, gently caressing its cover. Memories of that carefree boy, who traveled with him to Heihe at the age of fourteen, surged back, making it hard for him to let go. "Sigh..." He sighed softly, placing the book carefully on the bedside table next to the frequently read "Huang Ting Jing". It was then he noticed several storage bags, confiscated by Yu Denuo, were still quietly sitting there. Over recent days, preoccupied with healing and handling miscellaneous aftermath tasks, he hadn't had the chance to examine them. Opening them one by one revealed mostly common, low-level items used by basic cultivators, not particularly valuable. However, in one "Ten Directions Storage Bag", he discovered a wealth of spirit stones, talismans, and even magical artifacts and daoist texts, along with dozens of women's garments, all in purple. This bag presumably belonged to the Purple-clad Female Cultivator whom Yu Denuo had dispatched with a single strike. Judging by these findings, her strength likely surpassed that of Si Wenyu. If Bai Muhan hadn't chosen to eliminate her first, the outcome for the Chu Qin faction might have been even direr... A shiver of fear washed over Qi Xiu, but it was quickly replaced by joy. The Chu Qin Sect's resources were nearly depleted now, and these items were truly timely relief for the sect. Carefully sifting through the items, he found over thirty third-tier spirit stones, five first-tier magical tools, more than thirty books on various first-tier daoist and magical arts, about seventy first-tier talismans, copious amounts of blank talisman paper, and low-level material elixirs. Among them was even a second-tier daoist art, a second-tier spell, and a second-tier magical artifact, which delighted Qi Xiu immensely. The Purple-clad Female Cultivator must have held a significant status within the Shandu Sect, judging by her wealth. The second-tier daoist art was the "Frigid Jade Flame Technique", paired with the spell "Jade Phosphorescence Slash" and the magical artifact "Jade Flame Phantom Blade"—a complete set. Although the Jade Phosphorescence Flame lacked the power of more conventional flames, if properly aligned with one's life essence, the combined power of this set could be formidable. Unfortunately, no one in the Chu Qin Sect could utilize it effectively due to the lack of compatible fire-element life essence. "How many pigs and fish would we have to sell, how many bowls of spirit tea would we have to serve, how many cultivators would we have to accommodate, to amass these treasures? It was always a mystery why some people are so drawn to killing and conflict, but looking at this now, war truly seems like a shortcut to wealth..." However, such specialized sets, requiring specific life essence compatibility for cultivation, were currently of little use to the Chu Qin Sect. Pondering this for a while, Qi Xiu called for Zhan Yuan, entrusting these items with him and asking him to find a good price for them at the Heihe Market. Unexpectedly, Zhan Yuan appeared troubled. "Master, you might not know, but after the Shandu Sect's destruction, the prices for such magical items and daoist arts have plummeted. Selling now, we probably wouldn't get much spirit stones. We might as well wait it out." Qi Xiu hadn't foreseen how a sect's annihilation could impact market prices so dramatically, so he asked Zhan Yuan to explain from the start. "Certainly." Zhan Yuan thoroughly described the current market conditions, "Firstly, the death toll among lower-level cultivators has greatly reduced demand. Secondly, after the Shandu Mountain battle, many cultivators looted a wealth of items from the Shandu Sect. While spirit stones are universally desired, miscellaneous items are not, resulting in oversupply, which drives prices down. Moreover, after the war, Patriarch Wei's Wei family is no longer covertly purchasing war resources, and many predict there won't be significant conflicts soon. Prices were already somewhat inflated before, and with a normal market correction plus overwhelmed supply, anything other than spirit stones and large formations is exceedingly cheap now, making it a bad time to sell." "Given the circumstances..." With extensive experience, Qi Xiu swiftly understood the cause and effect. Recognizing the current market abundance, he decided to take out over twenty third-tier spirit stones, giving them to Zhan Yuan to purchase a large stock of affordable lower-tier daoist and magical books. This would be an excellent opportunity to establish a library for the Chu Qin Sect. Previously, their collection barely filled a large bookshelf, inconvenient for access and mostly comprised of leisure readings like travelogues, insufficient for the sect's future growth needs. The remaining ten third-tier spirit stones, combined with income from pigs and fish, should comfortably cover daily expenses and emergency needs for several years. Zhan Yuan agreed, taking the spirit stones to proceed, and Qi Xiu, confident in Zhan Yuan's competence and efficiency, had no reason to worry. Next, Qi Xiu gathered everyone for a merit evaluation, using the harvested lower-tier talismans, magical tools, and elixirs as rewards. Bai Muhan, with her adept command and calm demeanor, was unsurprisingly recognized as having contributed the most; He Yu, having repelled Si Wenyu and fought two Shandu Cultivators alone, came second; Zhang Shishi's heavy shield had blocked much of Si Wenyu's suicidal blast, and his heavy tower inflicted significant damage, placing him third; Yu Denuo's instantaneous slaughter of the late-stage Purple-clad Female Cultivator secured him fourth. Qi Xiu distributed the rewards, ensuring everyone involved received something, albeit with varying richness based on their contributions, effectively wrapping up reflections on the Nameless Valley battle. After evaluation, the sect entered a period of tranquility, and the Zhao family's beast ship arrived unexpectedly, heralding the time for Zhao Liangde to honor his commitment... It was the same "Silver-backed Hovering Manta". The Zhao family cultivators refused Qi Xiu's request to bring others along, allowing only his presence, supposedly to attend Patriarch Wei's inauguration ceremony at Shandu Mountain. For this grand ceremony, Wei Tong-laozu had widely invited sect leaders as observers, and others had no right to participate. Qi Xiu dared not protest and obediently boarded the giant manta. Upon entering the great hall, he found it already filled with sect leaders, including Zhao Liangde, but everyone sported expressionless faces, devoid of any discussion. The losses from the Shandu Mountain battle far exceeded those of the Chu Qin Sect. Although Qi Xiu was mindful of the territorial promise Zhao Liangde had made, it was inappropriate to mention it in such a setting. He quietly found a distant seat, assuming a modest demeanor with his eyes downcast. Upon reaching Shandu Mountain, in stark contrast to Zhao Liangde's somber group, the mountain was adorned festively, with auspicious rainbows ascending, with not a hint of past bloodshed present. The Shandu Siwen family seemed never to have existed in this world, all traces erased within a short span. In a grand, newly erected hall atop the mountain, with Patriarch Wei yet to appear, the main seat remained empty. The hall thrummed with laughter and exchange among sect leaders, linking connections. Qi Xiu and his group followed Zhao Liangde in, the discouragement of their party sharply at odds with the jovial atmosphere, drawing curious or mocking glances. "Hmph!" Zhao Liangde snorted softly, his face growing darker, leading the others to seats near the front, sitting in the first row himself, instructing Qi Xiu and the others to sit behind him. "Brother Zhao..." A Qi Refinement greeter from the Beast Taming Sect approached with a humble smile and an apologetic demeanor, whispering to Zhao Liangde, "Brother Zhao, uh... Your seat isn't here. It's over there..." He pointed discreetly to the very last seat in the first row.