'Thinking about it further was pointless.' Fang Qingyuan stepped into the Grand Precepts Hall. The hall was sparsely populated, with only a few fellow disciples conducting business.
Behind a counter, a Cultivator was speaking to an Inner Sect Disciple.
"Zhang Yuan, you guarded the medicinal garden for three months. Your evaluation is Grade A. You've earned twenty merit points and thirty Spirit Stones. Please take them, Senior Brother."
After speaking, he first counted out thirty Spirit Stones and pushed them toward Zhang Yuan. Then, he took out a token and touched it to the one in Zhang Yuan's hand, completing the transfer of the merit points.
Zhang Yuan nodded in satisfaction. After toiling in the medicinal garden for three months, every bit of today's reward was precious.
Just as Zhang Yuan was about to turn and leave, he looked back and saw Fang Qingyuan entering. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward to greet him.
"Senior Brother Fang, are you here to turn in a mission too?"
Seeing it was Zhang Yuan, Fang Qingyuan smiled politely and replied,
"I'm here to take care of something. What's this? Are you not taking on another mission?"
Zhang Yuan scratched his head. "I'm going to rest for a few days first. Thirty Spirit Stones will last me a while."
Fang Qingyuan couldn't help but laugh. Zhang Yuan was a real character. Everyone else trained diligently and meditated tirelessly, but this kid was different. Every time he received Spirit Stones, he had to take a few days off, only accepting a new mission when he was completely broke.
Fang Qingyuan had even heard that Zhang Yuan had once pawned his Daoist Robe. If Spirit Beasts weren't forbidden to be sold, he'd probably have gotten rid of his too.
But the frustrating part was, despite all that, Zhang Yuan's cultivation was higher than his own. Zhang Yuan was currently at the Fifth-Layer Qi Cultivation, one level higher than him, even though Fang Qingyuan was a year his senior in the sect.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Zhang Yuan, Fang Qingyuan watched him leave. Only then did he step up to the counter and address the Cultivator behind it.
"Outer Disciple Fang Qingyuan. I wish to apply for a promotion to Inner Sect Disciple today."
The Cultivator inside chuckled.
"Well, congratulations in advance, Senior Brother Fang. Unfortunately, Elder Wang hasn't been at the villa for the past few days. You'll have to wait a few more days for your assessment mission."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan's eye twitched. He then asked,
"Do you know where Elder Wang has gone? And when he might be back?"
The Cultivator thought for a moment before saying hesitantly,
"I believe Elder Wang went to the Endless Forest. He said something about catching some kind of bird. He's been gone for five days, so he'll probably be back in another five."
Fang Qingyuan sighed internally. 'Things never go according to plan. I don't want to waste a single moment, but the examiner is busy and can't make it. Who can I even complain to?'
Recalling the dangers of the Endless Forest, Fang Qingyuan had a malicious thought: 'I hope the Elder doesn't end up dying out there.'
According to Fang Qingyuan's memories, this world was boundless. The lands occupied by humanity were but a tiny corner, with much larger territories covered by endless forests.
Every hundred years, humanity had to launch a war of expansion, carving out the lands needed for habitation from the forests.
Two hundred years ago, Celestial Gate Mountain was also part of that untamed wilderness. A war of expansion led to the death of the Nascent Soul Demon Beast that had originally occupied the area. As a reward for their merits in that war, the Wei Family of Celestial Gate Mountain was established.
Later, the Beast Taming Sect took a fancy to the area's unique natural environment, which was perfect for raising various Spirit Beasts. They purchased a piece of land from the Wei Family of Celestial Gate Mountain, and thus, Tianshan Villa was born.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred years had passed. Tianshan Villa had firmly established itself here.
Elder Wang was a Steward of the Grand Precepts Hall and one of the three most powerful figures in Tianshan Villa. At only fifty years old, he had already reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Furthermore, he had tamed a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast—the kind that was just a step away from reaching the Golden Core realm.
'He probably went on this expedition to find an opportunity for his Spirit Beast to break through to the Golden Core realm.'
Fang Qingyuan understood the reasoning, but he couldn't help feeling frustrated. Every day his promotion to Inner Sect Disciple was delayed meant a day's worth of Spirit Stones lost. That was real money!
But there was nothing to be done. After asking a few more questions, Fang Qingyuan turned and left the Grand Precepts Hall.
On the way home, Fang Qingyuan tried to console himself. 'It's just a few Spirit Stones. I have an entire Immortal Mansion, am I really going to worry about a few stones?'
.....
As it turned out, Fang Qingyuan really was short on Spirit Stones.
In the courtyard, Fang Qingyuan looked at the pile of Red Lotus Fruits on the ground, felt his pocket, and said to Lao He in a negotiating tone,
"Lao He, these one hundred and twenty Red Lotus Fruits come to a total of twenty Spirit Stones. I already gave you one, so I still owe you nineteen. I have ten on me right now. For the remaining nine, I'll cover them with a bottle of Yellow Bud Pills."
He had used up half a lifetime's savings to open up the Immortal Mansion last night, leaving him short on funds. But it was fine; he still had an unused bottle of Yellow Bud Pills issued by the sect, and those counted as currency too.
Yellow Bud Pills were First-rank Spiritual Pills. Consuming one could temporarily increase a Cultivator's Spirit Root sensitivity. The effect varied from person to person. For example, the sensitivity of Fang Qingyuan's Wood Spirit Root was twenty-three. After taking a Yellow Bud Pill, it would increase to twenty-eight.
With increased sensitivity, one could absorb more Spiritual Power during each meditation session, allowing a Cultivator to advance faster. Naturally, something this good didn't come cheap.
A bottle of Yellow Bud Pills had a market price of ten Spirit Stones. Each bottle contained thirty pills, enough to last a Cultivator for one month.
Even if Lao He didn't use the pills himself, he could easily resell them and net a profit of one Spirit Stone. Of course he would agree.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, you're too kind. There's no rush for the Spirit Stones. I trust your character. Please, take back the Yellow Bud Pills."
Lao He spoke politely, but his eyes were glued to the bottle of Yellow Bud Pills. Fang Qingyuan was secretly amused and simply thrust it into his hand.
"How can I accept this? Fellow Daoist Fang, if you need anything in the future, just come find me. I, Lao He, might not be good for much else, but when it comes to running errands and making deliveries, I'm your man."
Lao He put the Elixir Pills away, took the Spirit Stones from Fang Qingyuan, and made his grand promise. His demeanor was completely lacking the gravitas expected of a Cultivator; he was more like a common street peddler.
Fang Qingyuan smilingly saw Lao He off, then circulated his Magical Power to move the Red Lotus Fruits from the courtyard into his house.
One hundred and twenty Red Lotus Fruits took up a surprising amount of space, nearly filling Fang Qingyuan's entire living room. Once all the fruits were inside, Fang Qingyuan closed the door and began sending them into his Immortal Mansion.
Fang Qingyuan took a Red Lotus Fruit, closed his eyes, and focused. In just a brief moment, the fruit vanished without a trace.
At the same time, within the Immortal Mansion inside Fang Qingyuan's body, a fruit as large as a bushel basket descended from the sky, landing gently on the Black Land.
Sensing the fruit had entered the Immortal Mansion Space, Fang Qingyuan wanted to smile, but looking at the room full of fruits, he couldn't quite manage it.
By the time all one hundred and twenty fruits had been sent into the Immortal Mansion Space, Fang Qingyuan felt a dull ache in his head—a sign of over-exerting his Divine Sense.
Every time he activated the mark of the Immortal Mansion, he had to use his Divine Sense. Poor Fang Qingyuan was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level, and his Divine Sense wasn't strong enough. If there had been any more fruit, his head would have been splitting.
In any case, this first deal was a good start. Fang Qingyuan closed his eyes and rested for a moment before going out into the courtyard. He scooped up two Pig Fish and said to the Flying Manta Ray in the Beast Cage,
"Dinner time, old pal! After you eat, we're heading to work."
The Flying Manta Ray shook its head, its eyes filled with desire for the Pig Fish. But as soon as it heard the word "work," it began to dawdle, unwilling to come over.
The food was tempting, but it came with the price of labor. The working manta ray was suddenly overcome with a bout of laziness and refused to move.
Fang Qingyuan chuckled at the sight. As a Third-Layer Qi Cultivation demon beast, the Flying Manta Ray had the intelligence of a ten-year-old child; it just couldn't speak.
Seeing the manta ray dawdling, Fang Qingyuan didn't get angry. He couldn't afford to get angry. In the sect's eyes, this manta ray was probably more valuable than he was.
Left with no choice, Fang Qingyuan could only try to coax it with kind words, upping the offer from two Pig Fish to three. Only then, after gobbling them down, did the manta ray shake its body and rise up to face the wind.
Fang Qingyuan stood on the manta ray's head, gazed at the clouds floating above, and pointed forward.
"Let's go. Time to find some passengers."