"You've come to the right place. All the other Magical Artifacts are listed in the Artifact Refining Hall, but the Flying Swords are kept here in the storeroom."
"The Patriarch wouldn't dare entrust the Spiritual Bamboo to the few Artifact Refiners we have in the clan. Each time, he seeks out a Tier Two Refiner he's on good terms with to handle the job."
The old man gestured with his hand, and three ink-green flying swords shot over, circling in a Three Talents Array.
Even though they were forged from a Spirit Plant, they looked incredibly sharp and radiated waves of killing intent. Just standing near them sent a faint chill down one's spine.
As expected of Flying Swords, the ultimate offensive weapon, peerless among artifacts of the same tier.
"An Ink Bamboo Sword costs five hundred clan contribution points. But with your aptitude, it won't be long before the clan bestows one upon you. There's no need to spend your points on it now."
"Thank you for the advice, elder. I was just asking."
Bai Zichen stared at the Ink Bamboo Swords. For a fleeting moment, he was tempted to return two bottles of elixirs and trade them for a Flying Sword.
But his rational mind held him back.
'An Ink Bamboo Sword would be nice, but I'm not the only one who can use the Purple Ginseng Pills. Uncle needs them too. I can't give them up.'
His uncle, Bai Jiu'an, was limited by his Spiritual Root. Despite being known throughout the clan as a dedicated ascetic, he had only managed to reach the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation.
Crucially, Bai Jiu'an was already forty-eight. In just two years, he would reach the critical milestone of fifty.
With the help of the Purple Ginseng Pills, he might have a chance to push his cultivation a little higher.
'I'll send two bottles of Purple Ginseng Pills to Uncle first... As for the Qi Replenishing Pills, I'll take one a month for now. I can speed up the refinement process once my body adapts.'
Bai Zichen estimated that he should be able to reach the peak of Fifth-Layer Qi Refining by the end of the year.
'Bai Ling has less than half my clan contribution points... She must have run out of elixirs. This is ridiculous. My goal is Foundation Establishment. Why am I competing with a young girl?'
Leaving the storeroom, Bai Zichen hummed a little tune as he went to find Bai Jiu'an.
If he recalled correctly, his uncle, Bai Jiu'an, had taken the post of guarding the clan's ore vein last year to accumulate cultivation resources.
Aside from the income from Spirit Plants, this Cold Iron Ore Vein was the Bai Family's main source of Spirit Stones.
As a Tier One Mid-Grade Ore, Cold Iron could be used to refine Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts, or serve as a supplementary material in Top Grade and even Top-Grade Magical Artifacts.
Its value wasn't exceptionally high, but its strength lay in its size—the Tier One Vein stretched for dozens of miles. Moreover, a large amount of Cold Iron was exposed on the surface, making it relatively easy to mine.
The monthly yield of Cold Iron exceeded two hundred pounds.
Around five to six hundred mortal miners and seven or eight clansmen were stationed at the ore vein year-round. The miners excavated the ore and transported it to a warehouse, while the clansmen were responsible for the initial refinement—removing common iron impurities to produce the Cold Iron that could be sold in the Cultivation Realm.
As one of the Bai Family's few Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, Bai Jiu'an was stationed there to guard against Demon Beasts and deter wandering Loose Cultivators.
...
"Sis, don't give me any more of the elixirs Master gives you. If I hadn't taken two of your Qi Replenishing Pills, you might have already reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!"
Bai Wei, once a boy with a chubby, innocent face, had grown into a sturdy young man with a Fourth-Layer Qi Refining cultivation.
"The Qi Refining Sixth Layer... it's not that simple."
Over the past few years, Bai Ling had blossomed, growing even more radiant. Her skin was as flawless as jade, and her raven-black hair was so glossy it could reflect one's image.
"The Taiyin Su Yun Xuan Shui True Skill lets me cultivate much faster than my old technique. It's a shame your Spiritual Root isn't compatible, little brother, or I would have begged the Clan Leader to pass it on to you as well."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Bai Wei's face before vanishing. "Sis, I've taken a few clan missions in your name over the past two months. With Master looking out for us and other clan members helping, I finished them quickly. All told, that's another sixty contribution points. Added to what you had left, it's enough to trade for another bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills!"
Clan missions naturally varied in difficulty.
As they were assigned by people, there was always room for favoritism. With Honggu as a clan Elder and her disciple, Bai Ling, being the Bai Family's designated Foundation Establishment Seed, Bai Ling often received preferential treatment when it came to mission assignments.
Even if others disapproved, the most they could do was grumble in private; it was never enough to cause a stir.
For instance, a notoriously inefficient clan mission like the one Bai Chongwu had taken—gathering flower nectar—required traveling to five different locations across Black Mountain County to collect five types of nectar, all for refining a single type of Tier-Entry Sandalwood incense.
The travel time alone would take over a month.
And the reward was a mere ten contribution points.
The missions assigned to Bai Ling, however, were usually close to the clan's estate. With Honggu arranging for her people to help, they could be finished within a month for a reward of no less than twenty points.
"Good. I've been out of Qi Replenishing Pills for months. It's the perfect time to go get a new bottle."
The two siblings walked side-by-side to the storeroom and asked to trade for a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills, but they were refused.
"Grandmaster Mo, why? I remember the Clan Leader said I could trade for any item in the storeroom, with no restrictions on frequency!"
A hint of coldness entered Bai Ling's spring-clear eyes. Perhaps due to her cultivation of the Taiyin Su Yun Xuan Shui True Skill, she already possessed a cool and aloof aura despite her young age.
But she was a frequent visitor to the storeroom and knew the old man was a Cultivator from the same generation as the Clan Leader, so she kept her tone respectful.
The old man had once been a promising candidate for Foundation Establishment, but on a hunt deep within Black Mountain, he had encountered a Tier Two Demon Beast. Most of his companions were killed. He barely escaped with his life, but his meridians were shattered, and his cultivation had been stagnant ever since.
After that, he had guarded the ore vein for the Bai Family for many years, a long and thankless service. He had only returned to the clan estate last year due to his advanced age.
"It's not that I won't let you have them, you're just too late!"
The old man shook his head, a sharp glint appearing in his murky eyes.
"Someone came and took ten bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills in one go. There are only two loose pills left in the storeroom. If you want more, you'll have to wait for next month's caravan to bring a new shipment from the Market."
"Old man, you're not pulling my leg, are you? Who would trade for ten bottles at once? Even if someone could hoard that many clan contribution points, why would they still need Qi Replenishing Pills?!"
Bai Wei lost his temper and yelled.
"Little brother, be polite. Ten bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills... Grandmaster Mo, was it Bai Zichen who took them?"
Bai Ling first quieted Bai Wei, then fell into thought. A person she hadn't heard from in a long time came to mind.
A Cultivator in the clan with enough contribution points who also had a great need for Qi Replenishing Pills... it seemed there was only one person who fit that description.
The old man ignored them. He unfolded his bamboo chair, lay back, and covered his face with a scroll.
"Sis, that punk Bai Zichen took so many Qi Replenishing Pills. Is he trying to stage a comeback? Judging by his cultivation speed these last few years, he obviously burned out his potential early. In another two years, I might even catch up to him!"
Bai Wei had never liked Bai Zichen. Now that Bai Zichen had snatched up the Qi Replenishing Pills right before they could, his animosity deepened.
How much of this animosity was on Bai Ling's behalf, and how much was jealousy stemming from the belief that Bai Zichen had stolen his own opportunity years ago, only Bai Wei himself truly knew.
A Spirit Dove fluttered down and landed on Bai Ling's shoulder. She fed it a few grains of Spirit Rice before untying a small note from its leg.
"Sis, what is it?"
"Master's letter says the Clan Leader sent a message via Flying Sword. This year, the clan's Spirit-Guiding Envoys will be me and Bai Zichen."
These two events, both happening at once and both involving Bai Zichen, sent a ripple across the placid surface of Bai Ling's heart.
The hazy memory of the young man who had outshone the disciples of the Sects and the major clans at Five Mountains Temple suddenly became sharp and clear once more.