novelnext Chapter 327 - 264: Public Display of Sanctity
Chapter 327 - 264: Public Display of Sanctity
「Half a month later.」
Fang Qingyuan watched Tuoba Ye enter a Secluded Cave Mansion on Golden Dawn Mountain. This cave mansion was a place the Iron Wind He Family rented out for cultivators to break through. Over the past few centuries, countless metal-attribute Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been born from it.
There was more than one such cave mansion on Golden Dawn Mountain. Following the layout of the Spirit Veins, the He Family had carved out over a dozen cave mansions on the mountain suitable for breakthroughs. Fang Qingyuan had only rented one of them.
But even though the one Fang Qingyuan rented wasn’t the best, the daily cost was still staggering: three Middle-grade Spirit Stones per day.
A Qi Refining Cultivator’s attempt to reach Foundation Establishment could take anywhere from a few months to a year. Assuming half a year, that would require a base of five to six Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Adding in the Foundation Establishment Pill and various other Breaking Through Elixirs, a single attempt at Foundation Establishment would cost no less than ten Top-grade Spirit Stones.
This was a sum that an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator couldn’t possibly afford. Even though Tuoba Ye had made a small fortune over the past year, it was still not nearly enough.
According to Tuoba Ye’s own plan, he wouldn’t have attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm for another three years, but Fang Qingyuan couldn’t wait that long.
So, Fang Qingyuan temporarily paid the fee for Tuoba Ye in exchange for his gratitude and an additional twenty years on his employment contract.
According to the contract, if Tuoba Ye successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he would have to serve on the *Changqing* for ten years, and then remain at Fang Qingyuan’s beck and call for another twenty.
And what Fang Qingyuan had paid was less than half the profit from a single bottle of Blood Life Pills. Back in his Immortal Mansion, thirty-two more bottles of Blood Life Pills lay waiting.
’After thirty years, I doubt Tuoba Ye will be able to escape my control. No one else can provide him with such resources.’
’And if Tuoba Ye fails to reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll just have to find a new first mate for the *Changqing*.’
After seeing Tuoba Ye off into his seclusion, Fang Qingyuan returned to his own residence and entered his Quiet Chamber, where he submerged his soul into the Immortal Mansion.
Jinbao was still hammering away at the forge. He and Nanli worked in perfect harmony, the two Companion Beasts so focused they didn’t even notice Fang Qingyuan’s arrival.
Only when Fang Qingyuan spoke did the two of them bound over to him.
"Master, this is the Windmill Iron I’ve forged. See if it’s enough. If not, I’ll keep at it."
Jinbao’s resonant voice rang in Fang Qingyuan’s mind. It seemed that as his body grew, Jinbao’s voice had also become somewhat rough.
’Could it be puberty?’
’I miss his cute, childish voice from before.’ Fang Qingyuan glanced at the finished Windmill Iron, then casually put a portion of it away.
Then Fang Qingyuan pushed the remaining Windmill Iron toward Jinbao.
"This is your reward. You’ve worked hard these past days. Keep it and eat it slowly."
Jinbao possessed the Talent to devour gold and chew iron, and this second-tier Windmill Iron was perfect for boosting his growth.
When it came to metals, the more Jinbao ate, the stronger he would become.
After patting Jinbao’s head, Fang Qingyuan looked at Nanli, thought for a moment, and offered a few words of encouragement as well.
Nanli’s cultivation was currently too low. Even in his mind, it couldn’t gather its thoughts to form coherent sentences. Sometimes, it could only emit short, repetitive words. For instance, this time it said:
"Master, hungry."
’Birds seem to have a straight-shot digestive system. They eat fast and get hungry just as fast. It hasn’t even been that long since it last ate.’
Fang Qingyuan retrieved some dried meat from a corner of the Immortal Mansion, tore it into strips, and fed it to Nanli.
After eating the dried beast meat, Nanli gave a satisfied burp, flapped its wings, and flew up into the air.
Looking at Nanli’s frame, Fang Qingyuan shook his head. ’With Yinbao gone, I need a temporary mount, but Nanli’s body is still too small.’
’I’ll have to wait for it to grow bigger. So, Nanli, you need to eat a lot more.’
With this wish for Nanli, Fang Qingyuan went to see Yinbao. In a vast pool, Yinbao was submerged, continuously sinking and floating.
The water rippled with the rhythm of Yinbao’s breathing. Fang Qingyuan quieted his mind and could hear its steady heartbeat.
"It’s already a fifth larger than when it first entered the pool. And this is just the beginning. If Yinbao reaches Foundation Establishment, I can’t imagine what it’ll look like."
On the shore, Fang Qingyuan muttered to himself. A Foundation Establishment Manta Ray could probably carry a palace on its back.
He thought of Zhao E Lian’s Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray, and his heart stirred. ’It would be great if Yinbao could be that majestic in the future.’
After checking on Yinbao’s condition, Fang Qingyuan left the Immortal Mansion without visiting the Bee Queen.
’The Bee Queen is busy with Alchemy, so I’d better not disturb her. Besides, she’s accumulated a lot of Blood Qi Pill points, and I still haven’t figured out how to trick her out of all of them.’
Inside the Quiet Chamber, Fang Qingyuan contemplated his plans for the coming year: collect Demon Summoning Soil, explore Fire Melt Island, go out to sea to scout locations, and continue fishing to launder his Spirit Stones.
With so much to do, Fang Qingyuan felt spread too thin. He also needed to cultivate and didn’t have the energy to handle everything personally.
He reminisced about his days as the head of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. A single command from him would have hundreds of Cultivators obeying, which was time-saving, labor-saving, and, most importantly, not dangerous.
But now he was all alone. Wan Sancai wasn’t capable enough, and relying on just Tuoba Ye meant he was short-handed.
’Looks like I’ll have to build up my own forces to handle the dangerous tasks for me.’
’Of course, I can’t use the Jia Changqing identity for this. I’ll need a new alias.’
This new alias couldn’t be linked back to Jia Changqing, because the things this persona was about to do were anything but clean.
The identity of a heretical practitioner would be best. In the Outer Sea, a place where the Great Zhou Academy’s influence was weak, unorthodox and evil cultivators were most numerous.
A Land Realm like this would also be the perfect place to finally display the Soul Dao Divine Techniques he had painstakingly cultivated for many years.
Yindu, Black Law, and Soul Binding—these three Divine Techniques were enough for a Soul Dao Cultivator to make a name for himself around Iron Wind Island and attract Loose Cultivators who were drawn to power.
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan quietly left Iron Wind Island. On a remote island, he transformed, becoming a Foundation Establishment Soul Cultivator shrouded in a sinister, terrifying soul aura.
He took out a sea chart, determined his bearing, and then fully unleashed his spiritual sense as he flew in one direction.
After more than half a day, a small island became faintly visible in the distance. This was an island that Shen Wan Jun had recorded as being run by a Cultivator Clan.
However, over half a year ago, it had been sacked by pirates and turned into a dead land. Later, it was occupied by some Loose Cultivators and became a lawless place.
Fang Qingyuan had chosen to come here now to establish his might. He intended to borrow the heads of a few Loose Cultivators.
Arriving before the island and seeing it was unprotected by a Mountain Protection Array, Fang Qingyuan shook his head. He unleashed his Spiritual Power and announced:
"Listen up, you Cultivators inside! Come out and bow to me, or die immediately."
His words caused an immediate uproar. The dozen or so Loose Cultivators on the island looked at each other in dismay. They emerged from their respective cave mansions and gathered before Fang Qingyuan, assuming a defensive posture.
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the crowd, who seemed to be their leader, stepped forward and asked:
"Fellow Daoist, would you state your name so that we may know who you are?"
Fang Qingyuan spoke nonchalantly.
"Heh heh heh... I am Xiao Sanyan, an Elder of the Soul Hall. You see me and still you do not kneel?"
"Xiao Sanyan? Never heard of him."
"Must be some big shot from out of town, talking so big like that."
Fang Qingyuan’s new alias naturally had no reputation, so as soon as he announced it, the crowd looked down on him.
Furthermore, the cultivation level Fang Qingyuan was currently displaying was only Early-stage Foundation Establishment, while across from him stood two Foundation Establishment Cultivators.