novelraw Chapter 391: Heavenly Sword Sect, What a Sect of Penniless Folks
Chapter 391: Heavenly Sword Sect, What a Sect of Penniless Folks
Yu Zhao finally emerged from the Archive Pavilion, half an hour later.
When she went to look for Senior Sister Zhou, she discovered that Zhou had gone out on a mission. Instead, Zhang Jun warmly greeted her.
“Yu Zhao, I heard you just returned from Chaozong Gorge. What’s it like there? Bustling?”
“Recently, it’s been a bit quieter, but still lively.”
The dragon’s roar had echoed four months ago, and some impatient individuals, unable to wait any longer, had already left. They’d reasoned that with most prominent figures in the cultivation world gathered at Chaozong Gorge, any opportunity that emerged would be far out of their reach. Better to leave early and possibly find unexpected gains elsewhere.
Zhang Jun’s face brimmed with envy. “I wish I could go too, but my master won’t allow it.”
Before Yu Zhao could offer any consolations, he switched topics. “Have you been keeping up with the news about Lone Moon Peak lately?”
Lone Moon Peak?
Amusingly enough, Yu Zhao hadn’t followed any Lone Moon Peak updates, but its people had been making quite the scene around her recently. Even if she hadn’t seen them in person, news about them had reached her ears without fail.
Except for…“Lan Zi Yu’s in trouble?”
Zhang Jun’s jaw dropped. “How did you know? Have you already heard?”
“What happened to him this time?”
Yu Zhao recalled their last encounter when Lan Zi Yu had arrogantly stopped her, shamelessly demanding a Longevity Pill. What excuse had he used back then? Something about his cultivation being stuck?
“He’s sick—a strange illness. They can’t find the cause, but he’s inexplicably weakened. He’s been bedridden for some time now, unable to get up and confined to rest every day.”
Zhang Jun spoke with a sigh of pity. Once, Lone Moon Peak disciples had been paragons of talent. Even the disciples of the Main Peak would avoid clashing with them. Who could have imagined that within less than a decade, the tides would turn? The Main Peak flourished while Lone Moon Peak declined.
“A strange illness?”
Yu Zhao pondered briefly and quickly arrived at a conclusion. Lan Zi Yu’s symptoms matched those of individuals whose fortunes had been stolen by Ye Cong Xin in her past life. It seemed likely that Lan Zi Yu had already been ensnared by Ye Cong Xin’s machinations—and this time, the events had occurred even earlier.
“Yes, several senior brothers visited him and said he’s become so thin he’s almost unrecognizable.”
Yu Zhao nodded faintly, showing no further reaction.
Zhang Jun, knowing she had little interest in the matter, didn’t press on. After some casual chatter, he sent her off.
…
The next day, Yu Zhao and Abbot Jie Tan went to the Main Hall again.
When Sect Master Ji Yuan appeared, Yu Zhao couldn’t help but study him closely. Though it had only been a single night, he seemed slightly aged. Feeling a pang of guilt, Yu Zhao lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes when he looked her way.
“Regarding the matter from yesterday, I’ve agreed to it,” Ji Yuan declared, cutting straight to the point as he always did.
Yu Zhao and Jie Tan both lit up with joy, ready to shower him with compliments. But Ji Yuan continued, “However, gathering eight spirit cores will take some time. You should visit the other sects first. Return to me if the total is insufficient, and we’ll think of something.”
Ji Yuan’s proactive stance moved Jie Tan deeply, prompting him to insist on giving Ji Yuan the wooden alms bowl in his hand as a token of remembrance.
Unable to refuse, Ji Yuan ended up holding the bowl and personally escorted Yu Zhao and Jie Tan to the mountain gate.
“Oh, Master! Where did you pick up this wooden basin? Are you planning to throw it away?”
Ji Yuan ran into Zhang Jun on his way back. Zhang Jun, spotting the bowl, eagerly leaned closer to inspect it, even trying to grab it. Ji Yuan smacked his hand away and, with great care, wiped the bowl—no, the alms bowl—with his sleeve.
“What do you know? This is a priceless treasure!”
Eight spirit cores, after all!
“What?” Zhang Jun’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “This is treasure?”
—
“Of course, it’s treasure!”
Abbot Jie Tan sat in the Green Wood Sect’s Great Hall, pointing to the alms bowl as he spoke passionately. Initially, Sect Master Wu Sang had seemed dismissive, but as Jie Tan continued, his expression grew serious. By the end, he was sitting upright, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
Yu Zhao silently rejoiced at having brought the right person. With Jie Tan handling the negotiations, she didn’t even need to speak. Half the task was already done. The remaining half only required a bit of effort from her and her companions to seal the deal.
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to contribute to the cultivation world, but spirit cores are incredibly hard to come by…” Wu Sang hesitated.
If it had been any other resource, he wouldn’t have blinked before agreeing. But spirit cores, capable of generating endless spirit stones, were another matter entirely. The thought alone made his heart ache.
“Harmony Sound Temple, located in the resource-poor Western Region, has pledged five spirit cores to this cause,” Jie Tan said evenly.
As a sect situated in the resource-rich Central Region, the Green Wood Sect’s leader felt as though Jie Tan had pierced him with a sword.
He attempted to resist, but then Jie Tan added, “The Five Elements Dao Sect, a model for the cultivation world, has agreed to provide eight spirit cores.”
“How many? Eight?!” Wu Sang’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
What kind of enchantment had Jie Tan cast to make Ji Yuan agree to such an outrageous demand? Eight spirit cores likely represented the entirety of the Five Elements Dao Sect’s spirit vein reserves. How could Ji Yuan promise such a quantity without worrying about sustaining his sect?
“Sect Master Ji Yuan said that with great power comes great responsibility. As the leader of the Five Elements Dao Sect, he bears an unshirkable duty. He also said that if the total falls short, he’ll find another way to make up the difference. As the head of the cultivation world’s foremost sect, he must lead by example in tasks others dare not undertake.”
Jie Tan’s tone was full of admiration and praise as he relayed this.
Wu Sang sneered. Ji Yuan, it seemed, had grown shameless with age. To utter such brazen words without blinking—what audacity!
But spirit cores? The Green Wood Sect could provide them too!
Caught up in the moment, Wu Sang almost committed to matching the Five Elements Dao Sect’s contribution. But the sight of Jie Tan’s bright, eager eyes and that overly simple wooden alms bowl quickly sobered him. Eight spirit cores were no trivial matter; mishandling this could destabilize the Green Wood Sect’s foundations.
The words on his lips shifted abruptly. “This matter requires careful deliberation.”
Jie Tan smiled serenely. “I trust Sect Master Wu Sang will provide a timely response. We still have a few more sects to visit.”
“And where are you heading next?” Wu Sang probed.
“The Heavenly Sword Sect.”
Wu Sang secretly sighed in relief. The Heavenly Sword Sect? Excellent. That sect was full of penniless cultivators. Surely, they couldn’t provide enough spirit cores either.
“Before coming here, I corresponded with Sect Leader Chong Yang of the Heavenly Sword Sect. He has pledged his entire sect’s strength to provide four spirit cores, driven by a noble sense of duty,” Jie Tan declared with solemn respect.