Chapter 45: Cultivation Miscellany

Humming, humming, humming, humming…

A flash of white light before his eyes!

He Pingsheng felt his whole body go dizzy, and when he opened his eyes again, everything around him had changed.

Before him stood dozens of teleportation arrays, neatly arranged in rows.

Behind the arrays lay a vast square, and beyond that rose a towering grand hall.

The hall was enormous—even several times taller than the ancestral hall of the Founding Master of Xiuzhu Peak.

Above its entrance hung four gilded characters: Grand Void Palace.

He Pingsheng knew this was the most sacred place in the Grand Void Gate, the palace of the Grand Elder, and the very heart of the sect.

The Grand Elder!

He was the master of Xiuzhu Peak’s Founding Master, the grandmaster of his own master Yu Ning—a terrifying Nascent Soul cultivator.

He Pingsheng glanced twice, then quickly looked away and asked the disciples guarding the array: “I need to go to Yulong Peak— which array do I take?”

“Senior brother… this way!” An outer disciple led He Pingsheng to another teleportation array.

Humming, humming, humming…

A flash of white light—the same sensation, the same dizziness.

He Pingsheng now stood atop Yulong Peak.

From Yulong Peak, clouds obscured all surroundings—he could see nothing.

So he had no idea where in the Grand Void Gate he was, nor which direction Xiuzhu Peak lay.

“Excuse me, where is the Scripture Repository?” He Pingsheng asked the outer disciple.

The outer disciple guarding the array stood up and bowed respectfully: “I heard it’s behind Yulong Peak, but I’m not authorized to go there—Senior Brother, go find it yourself!”

“Understood!”

He Pingsheng walked from the teleportation array toward the rear of Yulong Peak, asking along the way, and soon spotted the Scripture Repository.

The Scripture Repository was also guarded.

Two outer disciples stood at the first-floor entrance; He Pingsheng showed his identity plaque and was allowed inside.

Inside the first floor sat an old man, like a shopkeeper, with white hair and beard, his cultivation base impossible to discern.

“Young man!” The old man looked up at He Pingsheng: “Didn’t your master teach you? Scanning your elders with your spiritual sense is impolite!”

Elder?

He Pingsheng was instantly startled and bowed quickly: “Disciple apologizes!”

“Hmm!” The old man did not press further, only nodded and asked: “Which peak? Whose disciple are you?”

He Pingsheng replied: “Xiuzhu Peak. My master is True Person Yu Ning.”

“Oh…” The old man nodded. “So you’re Yu Ning’s disciple… Very well, young man, call me Senior Brother from now on!”

“Yes, Senior Brother!” He Pingsheng’s heart trembled.

The old man said: “With your current realm, you may only browse the first floor. Go ahead… if you find anything to buy, bring it to me.”

He Pingsheng bowed in thanks, then walked forward.

The first floor was large.

But it was empty except for a single bookshelf in the center.

The bookshelf was about thirty feet long, divided into several tiers.

Closer inspection revealed most items were cultivation manuals for Qi Refining disciples.

All five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—were represented.

Besides manuals, there were also texts on alchemy, artifact forging, talisman crafting, and array formation.

Some spells and divine techniques as well.

Each book had its price marked beneath it.

Most manuals were low-grade, priced between one hundred and three hundred spirit stones.

The cheapest was the Basic Breathing and Qi Absorption Method—only thirty spirit stones.

He Pingsheng scanned the shelves and finally found the [Cultivation Miscellany].

A thick volume.

Price: ten lower-grade spirit stones.

Not expensive at all!

He Pingsheng glanced around; nothing else here seemed useful, so he returned to the old man with the [Cultivation Miscellany].

“Chosen?” The old man glanced at the book and smiled: “Ten spirit stones.”

“Right!”

He Pingsheng paid ten spirit stones, then left the Scripture Repository clutching the [Cultivation Miscellany].

Why buy the [Cultivation Miscellany]?

Because He Pingsheng lacked too many basic cultivation truths.

And he urgently wanted to know what his Treasure Basin had strengthened the spirit stones into—and their true value.

After leaving the Scripture Repository, He Pingsheng looked further back.

Behind it stood another building.

Name: Treasure Repository!

What was this for?

Was it like the outer sect hall’s second floor—a place to buy various items?

Curious, He Pingsheng walked to the entrance of the Treasure Repository and asked the outer disciple guarding it.

Indeed, this place was just like the outer sect hall’s second floor—a shop selling all kinds of cultivation items.

He Pingsheng showed his identity plaque and entered effortlessly.

The Treasure Repository was far busier.

Disciples came and went constantly, unlike the silent Scripture Repository.

He Pingsheng stepped inside and began browsing with interest.

Elixirs!

Spirit herbs!

All kinds of materials!

Talismans!

Paper cranes!

Magic artifacts!

And more!

Everything available.

A Qi Refining talisman cost roughly dozens of spirit stones.

A low-grade Qi Refining magic artifact cost only fifty spirit stones.

Mid-grade: about one hundred.

High-grade: two hundred.

Supreme-grade!

Sorry, no supreme-grade items here.

The truly expensive items were for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

For example: Spirit Artifacts!

A mid-grade Spirit Artifact cost over a thousand spirit stones.

A second-grade talisman for Foundation Establishment cultivators cost hundreds.

Of course, such talismans were devastating—any single one could pose a serious threat to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

If used against a Qi Refining disciple, it would kill instantly.

He Pingsheng considered, then selected one lower-grade magic artifact: [Flying Sword], one lower-grade magic artifact: [Green Wood Shield], and two talismans: [Fireball Talisman] and [Ice Needle Talisman].

The [Flying Sword] cost fifty spirit stones; each first-grade talisman cost sixty.

The most expensive was the Green Wood Shield: one hundred spirit stones.

Total: two hundred and seventy spirit stones.

He Pingsheng paid, then walked out of the Treasure Repository with a pained expression.

He retraced his steps.

He returned to his courtyard just before noon.

He Pingsheng hung the plaque marked [Seclusion] outside his door again.

Back inside, he eagerly opened the [Cultivation Miscellany].

Quickly, he turned to the section on spirit stones.

Spirit stones are divided into four grades: lower, mid, high, and supreme.

The text described: lower-grade spirit stones are the size of jujubes; mid-grade, the size of chicken eggs; high-grade, the size of a fist; supreme-grade, the size of a human head.

“This… is only mid-grade?” He Pingsheng instantly sneered.

For three years, every item he strengthened became supreme-grade.

Why, with spirit stones, did he get only mid-grade?

Is it really that hard to give a top-grade one?

I want to see what this top-grade spirit stone actually is!