Chapter 782: Zifu's First Consideration

'About 180 ren long, 3 zhang 2 chi in radius!' Li Zhou-luo calculated that the main hall on the island was 318 chi long. This one 【Purple Geng Vast Valley Mountain-Piercing Profound Nail】 was as long as four main halls, and standing up, it was taller than twelve Chengqing Gates...

And a radius of 3 zhang 2 chi was as big as a small house... Not to mention that this 【Purple Geng Vast Valley Mountain-Piercing Profound Nail】 certainly didn't use ordinary iron, but had to be mixed with spiritual objects. The material usage had reached a terrifying level! Li Xuan-xuan was obviously also taken aback. He took the scroll with both hands, looking at the dense list of spiritual objects on it, only feeling cold in his heart, but still calm on the surface, and asked: "These thirty-two mountain-piercing profound nails... what is the main body? What is the value?"

Wen Wu bowed and replied:

"The main body only uses iron essence and copper essence. The East Sea has plenty of these things. My Ziyan has East Sea markets and also several small islands for mining. They will be sent in batches, Old Senior need not worry."

"As for the cost, it is not expensive. Iron essence and copper essence use manpower, and your clan can burn them yourself. The runes, formation patterns, and construction are all done by my family for your clan. Only other spiritual materials need to be purchased by your clan. It is estimated... at about 90 spirit stones."

He paused before saying:

"One piece."

Li Xuan-xuan flipped through the scroll, picked out several spiritual objects with large usage to ponder, and said in a hoarse voice:

"It is not necessary to trouble the Blessed Land for everything. As for spiritual materials, many of them are available on the lake."

"Green Crow, Wu Hui Spiritual Molybdenum, and Nie Water Cold Iron are all minerals produced in abundance at the bottom of the lake. Their output and reserves are extremely large. They have been excavated frequently over the years. Shuchu Copper, Fufu Glazed Iron... these eight kinds are produced on the west bank, and there are Cuiyuan Copper Essence and other things on the east bank. Most of them can be used as substitutes."

The inventory of these things was more or less. Li Xuan-xuan had not been in charge for a long time and only knew the list, not the specific quantity. In fact, there was also 【Ye Cai Stone】, which was also produced on Zongquan Island, but the usage was not large, and Zongquan Island was not on the surface, so Li Xuan-xuan did not tell him.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhou-luo had already calculated it, nodded slightly, and replied: "These things are produced in the family, and the remaining cost can be reduced to 60 to 70 spirit stones. Also... please wait a moment, two Great Lords."

He took a jade slip from the case, read it against the purple-gold scroll, and his expression was slightly strange. He replied: "Some... legacy of the predecessors, and some spiritual objects collected from the wilderness, these can match, exactly right. I will hand over the list to the Great Lord in a moment..."

Wen Wu nodded happily, seemingly not surprised at all, and saluted:

"These thirty-two 【Purple Geng Vast Valley Mountain-Piercing Profound Nails】 are very troublesome, especially the materials. Large-scale procurement will cause prices to rise, and it cannot be too urgent. Three or five years are probably not enough. Please ask the Family Head to designate a place for rest for the cultivators of my Blessed Land on the island. Many cultivators in the sect will travel around or return from the sect, so it will trouble your clan."

"But please rest assured, the people in the sect have all taken spiritual oaths and are all elites. They will definitely keep it secret. Not only are the formation patterns drawn separately, but the parts are also built separately. They don't even know the names of all the parts and the formation."

"What are you talking about? It is Wangyue that should thank the Blessed Land."

The two were polite for a while. Wen Wu also brought spiritual objects and pills to see Li Que-xi's family. The Ziyan cultivators on the island were not arranged, so they retired early. The door of the main hall closed tightly. Li Xuan-xuan frowned:

"Zhou-luo, what legacy of predecessors and spiritual objects from the wilderness? How can one or two pieces be used for the mountain-piercing profound nails that require a huge quantity? And how much can be saved?"

Li Zhou-luo's strange expression on his face could no longer be hidden. He said in a low voice:

"Old Master, this... can save at least 20 pieces of expenditure! 20 pieces per root, 640 pieces for thirty-two roots!"

Li Xuan-xuan was shocked and asked:

"Where did this come from!"

Li Zhou-luo looked a little embarrassed and replied in a low voice:

"This thing... Old Master doesn't know. As early as when Xuan-yue declined and Kong Gu-xi moved the mountain into the wilderness, he was afraid of being raided and emptied by the Bai Ye Daoist path, so he deposited a lot of spiritual objects in my family..."

"Later... the wilderness was gone, and Kong Gu-xi packed up his belongings and came to the east bank. The things were still stored in my family. Finally, the Xuan-yue orthodoxy disappeared. Kong Gu-xi didn't want to take back a large number of Embryonic Breath and even Qi Refining spiritual materials, only packed up precious medicines... The rest of the things were either gifted or sold cheaply, giving a lot of favors to forces..."

"And most of the things were huge in quantity. Selling them suddenly would make the price extremely cheap. Selling them in batches would not be finished in five or ten years... After all, no family was willing to accept them. He half-gifted and half-sold them, all giving favors to my family."

Li Xuan-xuan's expression was suspicious. He said in a low voice: "Now, I read the scroll and compared it, and found that eight or nine out of ten things on it are Xuan-yue's output and inventory. This is still the result of Xuan-yue's mountain gate being lost and Kong Gu-xi taking back a batch of spiritual materials. If we could get Xuan-yue's resources completely, it is said that we wouldn't have to spend a single spirit stone to build these thirty-two profound nails!"

Li Xuan-xuan finally understood. He hesitated and sat down in the hall, raised his head and said: "This matter was arranged by the True Person in advance. Xuan-yue's current situation is probably clear, otherwise where would a formation array suddenly come from..."

This old man's expression suddenly had more doubts. He said in a low voice: "The matter of 【Purple Geng Vast Valley Mountain-Piercing Profound Nail】 must be kept secret. This name must not be exposed. Since Ziyan has kept it secret, it is better for us to handle it. Don't mention the mountain, don't mention Geng, it is best not to mention Xuan. If someone really asks, just say it is called 【Thirty-two Mansions Purple Vast Spiritual Needle】."

Li Zhou-luo promised respectfully. The old man coughed and continued: "The matter of spiritual objects and the Blessed Land should be handled by Jue-yin. He has profound cultivation and acts clearly, better than anyone on the island."

The old man gave instructions and went out of the hall. He took out the carp-like wooden box from his sleeve, arrived at the empty side hall, sat down, and opened it to look.

The first box was Li Que-xi's. This child had obviously worked hard in the sect. The handwriting was much more handsome. She generally asked about the family's affairs and cared about Li Xuan-xuan's health. It was three pages in total, and she finally mentioned: 'There are many strange spiritual objects in Ziyan. The junior won rewards in the competition, and there is a quota for seeking. If there is anything the family is short of, you can ask the junior.'

The old man put down the letter. Li Que-yi's letter was obviously much thicker. Compared to Li Que-xi, who had Wen Wu send a family letter alone, she piled up the letters for everyone here. Li Xuan-xuan picked his own to read. The girl asked for peace, and specially asked if her father Li Zhou-fang was still asking for protection all day long. The rest of the space was tactful for a long time, asking if the family could send three kinds of resources over.

Li Xuan-xuan looked for a while. He had two of these three kinds of resources in his storage bag, and the rest were not difficult to collect. He supplemented them himself, took back a lot of pills, packed them together, and wrote a reply for someone to send back.

He separated the remaining letters and sent them to everyone, put the letters of the two sisters into his sleeves, and returned to Qingdu from the side corridor alone, thinking: "This world is upside down. Que-yi is diligent and cultivated to Qi Refining early, but entered Purple Qi. If she had been lazy when she was young and slowed down a step, the Shepherd Seat would definitely have wanted her... Que-xi is noble and self-respecting, her talent is not obvious, and she was born two years later, but entered the Shepherd Seat."

"Wen Wu is good at teaching and willing to teach, and Que-xi looks like she is willing to learn... The shortcomings of temperament are made up for, and from resources to background, it is like clouds and mud, and she is going to soar into the sky..."

Li Xuan-xuan was old and had seen many things. He vaguely had a premonition about future events. Seeing the letters of the two sisters, his heart was extremely complicated.

Li Xuan-xuan returned to Qingdu. The Pingya Island was very lively. Li Zhou-luo quickly arranged things, sent the Ziyan Sect cultivators to the island, and lived in the east. He instructed to call Cui Jue-yin over. For a time, it was brightly lit and noisy.

The courtyard on the west side was very quiet and dark. Ding Wei-qian was driving the wind back to the courtyard. The big man with a swallow chin and tiger beard looked a little anxious. Seeing the maid at the door, he asked: "How is the Madam?"

This maid lowered her head and said:

"The Madam has had no appetite these past few days and often says her stomach hurts..."

Ding Wei-qian's wife, Ma, was married in Jiangbei. At that time, Ding Wei-qian was just a small Qi Refining cultivator. Later, he joined the Zifu Immortal Clan, and his status rose with the tide. Often, Wang surnames offered female relatives, but Ding Wei-qian refused them all and still lived with Ma.

It was not easy for cultivators to have children, let alone when both parents were cultivators. It was only after a lot of effort that they got this one heir, three months pregnant. This man cherished it very much.

He went in to visit his wife, recuperated her body, and was about to return to Qingdu, but saw his nephew come up to report: "Wang Qu-wan asks to see you."

Ding Wei-qian was stunned. There was no task from the clan at the moment. His current duty was to patrol the lake and guard Li Zhou-ming and his son. His whereabouts were uncertain, so it was reasonable to say that he wouldn't bump into him. He immediately suspected: "So coincidental?"

The nephew replied:

"Lord Wang has come every day during this period, but you said you wouldn't see anyone, so this news hasn't been presented. Lord Wang seems to have something urgent and has been waiting for you on the island."

"So that's it."

Ding Wei-qian didn't want to participate in the struggle between factions and had always seen no one. However, Wang Qu-wan was an exception. This person was also promoted by Li Xi-ming and was very important. He said:

"Then let him come up."

Not long after, a middle-aged man stepped out of the courtyard. His bearing was extraordinary, and he was tied with a blue-gold treasure sword at his waist, looking heroic. Ding Wei-qian smiled: "Daoist Wang is here! I haven't had time to congratulate you... This 【Jingxi Clear】 has made the cultivators of Funan in Jiangbei envious! Now everyone respects you as the head of the Jiangbei sword cultivators!"

"Senior, you are flattering me... It's just that I was favored by the True Person... I took the lead... and won the first prize."

Although Ding Wei-qian had to call him Daoist now, Wang Qu-wan was still very polite and performed the junior's ceremony, saying respectfully:

"Senior's affairs are important. Qu-wan doesn't want to delay clan affairs too much, but I really encountered a tricky and confusing matter, and it is related to Jiangbei, so I specially came to ask Senior for advice."

Ding Wei-qian also didn't want to waste time. He made a gesture of invitation. Wang Qu-wan said in a deep voice: "The junior broke through to Foundation Establishment and visited many seniors on the lake, then received orders from the clan to go to Jiangbei to guard. I passed the Funan boundary, but heard that the cultivators below were quite restless. After carefully inquiring, there were rumors... rumors that an opportunity will appear in Jiangbei..."

"Haha, I thought it was what."

Ding Wei-qian shook his head and smiled, explaining: "No matter where... as long as there is spiritual energy, which one doesn't have rumors every three days? What news did Qu-wan hear?"

Ding Wei-qian was also a figure from Jiangbei, so he was naturally very familiar with his hometown. Too many cultivators had fallen in Jiangbei during the North-South struggle. When he was young, there were rumors of some cultivator getting some human orthodoxy every ten days or half a month, which was not uncommon. Wang Qu-wan was very reliable. If there was no solid evidence, he wouldn't take it out to say. When asked, he really saw Wang Qu-wan say tactfully:

"The Wang family has moved to Jiangbei since the Ning Kingdom. The clan is widely distributed. Although the junior's family is in decline and born in poverty, I also have two relatives in the north..."

Ding Wei-qian heard his eyes become sharp and interrupted: "Gengjin Sect or Duxian Dao?"

Wang Qu-wan said in a low voice:

"Chengyun Sect!"

Seeing Ding Wei-qian nodding thoughtfully, Wang Qu-wan continued: "I heard... two cultivators from overseas defected to the Chengyun Sect and brought a message. There was a palace of the 【Wanling Upper Sect】 in Jiangbei, right under the Chengyun Lake. This palace is complex and has many entrances... They have three Xuan Stone tokens in their hands, which are the key to opening this formation..."

"Oh?"

Ding Wei-qian looked at him deeply and only asked one sentence. Wang Qu-wan took something from his sleeve and said in a low voice:

"This was obtained by the junior killing demonic cultivators."

Wang Qu-wan looked down and saw that he was holding a small and exquisite token, showing black and white patterns like ink, with the two ancient seal characters 【Wanling】 engraved on it. Turning it over gently, the back was written with three characters: 【South Seventh】

He presented this token into Ding Wei-qian's hand with both hands. The big man picked it up and looked at it, only feeling cold to the touch. His five fingers exerted force suddenly, but the token remained motionless.

This token didn't look like any powerful magic tool, but it couldn't be figured out what grade it was, secretly containing the brilliance of supernatural powers. It was extremely sturdy. Ding Wei-qian placed this token on the case gently and said in a low voice: "My position cannot be moved, so naturally I have no chance to get away. If Qu-wan wants to find me to go together, then I will disappoint you... I don't know what Qu-wan means is..."

Wang Qu-wan stood up and saluted, saying respectfully: "Please ask the Senior to hand it over to the main family and let the Great Lord handle it!"

Ding Wei-qian was stunned and frowned:

"This is your opportunity..."

Wang Qu-wan shook his head and replied:

"How much ability to do how much work. I am just a small character who has just broken through to Foundation Establishment. How can I participate in the game of these ancient orthodoxies? I only hope to offer it to the main family and occupy more advantages in the game of the families, which is considered making the best use of it."

This remark made Ding Wei-qian noncommittal. Wang Qu-wan was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a sword cultivator, promoted by the True Person himself. As long as he didn't want to touch any Zifu-level interests, it was not difficult to make a lot of money. He was afraid that he was retreating to advance. He replied: "Wangyue is not a harsh main family. If it is really your opportunity, no one in the lake will snatch it... It is just me asking for you to ask about the situation, so that it is convenient for you to go north."

This remark was beyond Wang Qu-wan's expectation. After all, he was just an attached Foundation Establishment cultivator. He didn't think that this opportunity would be for any young master or Ding Wei-qian. He was stunned and replied:

"This..."

"What this."

Ding Wei-qian held the token and smiled:

"Wangyue has always been the most fair to outsiders, guests, and protectors... You don't often stay on the island, so you don't know. Even if it is a direct descendant of the Zifu, they dare not humiliate a Qi Refining guest for no reason, and I have no intention of taking your opportunity... Let's go to the hall together, so you don't have to worry!"

Characters appearing in this chapter

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Li Xuan-xuan 【Qi Refining Level 9】 【Direct descendant of Bo branch】

Li Zhou-luo 【Qi Refining Level 8】 【Family Head】