Chapter 118: Supreme Quality

Jiang Yu immediately stepped back: "Master, go ahead and cut."

"Pay attention: I'll make the first cut, then you take the second; you can use water spirit energy instead of wood spirit energy." Although Sui Lv Zhenjun was also cutting a prime spirit stone by hand for the first time, he cared more about his disciple being able to learn firsthand than about the stone itself.

Jiang Yu stared at Master's movements and saw his wood spirit energy hovering over his palm, instantly forming a thin blade shape.

She tried it herself; the water spirit condensed blade moved several breaths slower than Master, so she will need more practice.

While she thought that, Sui Lv Zhenjun also sliced off a side of the prime spirit stone.

Jiang Yu promptly spoke: "Master, please cut two more faces; I didn't watch closely enough earlier."

Sui Lv Zhenjun allowed only one more cut, giving the rest to her, "Keep the speed moderate—not too fast, not too slow."

Jiang Yu gathered her whole body, and when she heard Master tell her to start, she let out a silent sigh and began.

After her water spirit blade solidified, Master's key instructions rang in her ears; she listened while sensing the resistance and push as the blade cut through the spirit stone and its cross‑section.

When one face was finally cut cleanly, a quarter of an hour later, she reached the next face and could slice through smoothly in one go.

Once the prime spirit stone was extracted, she presented it with both hands to Sui Lv Zhenjun.

"Jiang Yu, you hold it; later you'll break through to form a Dan…"

"Master, I can still harvest later; this one is a gift of thanks to you."

It was discovered by Jiang Tu; the disciple offers it as a humble tribute, and asks you not to reject the disciple's sincere devotion.

"If this thing stays on me, I can't protect it." Prime spirit stones are rare; a good Master is even rarer. Jiang Yu had long wanted to give a gift to her senior brother.

Sui Lv Zhenjun shook his head, "I'll keep it."

"Find another one—no, two. We'll each take one." Jiang Tu, without waiting for a reply, flew to the stone wall they had passed earlier.

Moreover, this time it didn't use its front claws; a portion of its magical force surged to its forelimbs, Bang—Bang—Bang, smashing down a huge slab of stone skin.

Unfortunately, there was only a large chunk of high‑quality spirit stone, no more prime ones.

"In the mortal realm, obtaining even one is already the limit." Sui Lv Zhenjun flicked a bamboo fan, and in an instant lifted a piece of high‑quality spirit stone.

Jiang Yu and Jiang Tu flew close to the spirit stone, overjoyed, because they didn't know how long they'd have to cut it apart to separate the clumped high‑quality spirit stone.

The happy time passed quickly; after cleaning the mine cave, Sui Lv Zhenjun led them into a formation.

Without the Flame Bird's interference, the road ahead was still not a smooth plain; ice‑wind terrain kept launching attacks.

Jiang Yu stayed hidden within Sui Lv Zhenjun's protective aura shield, thus avoiding the attacks, listening as Master explained each formation—its origin, how to dispel it—and she truly felt grateful for such a good Master.

While she studied and harvested spirit stones here without delay, outside by the emerald Spring River, several Dan‑forming cultivators from the four major sects had already arrived.

Disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect were trapped inside; their Dan‑forming cultivators humbly sought advice from Xue Qi Zhenjun.

However, Xue Qi Zhenjun said not a word, merely released a flying boat that landed on the river surface and drifted downstream.

And Xue Miao, likewise unaware of his elder's thoughts, kept spouting grand words: "Grandfather, look, everyone from the mortal realm came, yet Sui Lv Zhenjun doesn't show you any formation diagrams at all."

"What good is such a friendly sect for interaction?"

"Ignoring the Grand Void Sect, rushing to curry favor with the Profound Heaven Sect?"

"Miao Miao, why have you become so irrational?" Xue Qi Zhenjun seized her wrist to check her pulse, seriously suspecting that someone surnamed Dai had used love poison on his granddaughter.

"Grandfather, what are you doing? I'm perfectly healthy."

"Don't you think continuing to bind with the southwestern minor sects is detrimental to the Falling Moon Sect?" Xue Miao tried to break free, but her grandfather locked her with spiritual energy.

After a moment, Xue Qi Zhenjun withdrew, staring at his granddaughter: "If the Falling Moon Sect stops cooperating with the southwestern sects and instead partners with the Profound Heaven Sect, internal chaos will erupt immediately."

"Then, who knows if they might annex us."

Continuing, Xue Miao bluntly expressed her true thoughts: "How could that be? Between us lies a distance of over a million li, plus the Taiyi Sect and the Tian Nan Mountains."

"Grandfather, I'm not just daydreaming; since the Guiyuan Sect and Ten Thousand Swords Sect achieved full cooperation to jointly defend the Demon Court, several Nascent Souls have emerged in the past few hundred years."

"Then cooperating with the Taiyi Sect would be even more convenient." Xue Qi Zhenjun naturally wanted more Nascent Souls in his sect; relying on others is not as good as having them oneself.

He said earnestly, "Miao Miao, do you know that over the past several thousand years, the Profound Heaven Sect has absorbed many medium and small sects."

"Have you ever wondered why only the area just west of the Tian Nan Mountains and to its south harbors many medium and small sects?"

"North of the mountains, near the Profound Heaven Sect and Lingxu Sect, there isn't even a single small sect, let alone medium ones."

"Of course the Profound Heaven Sect is powerful; it has more than ten Nascent Soul cultivators."

"They are so close that they get annexed; we are far, so cooperation is more advantageous." Everyone in the world covets strength, and Xue Miao is no exception.

Xue Qi Zhenjun wanted to say more, but didn't know what; his granddaughter was already lost in a trance, unresponsive to others' calls.

Thus, unfazed, he sent her to the adjacent boat storage and released his spiritual consciousness to search for Sui Lv.

Sui Lv Zhenjun didn't realize he hadn't taken his granddaughter away.

At this moment, Sui Lv Zhenjun was even more astonished than Jiang Yu beside him.

After passing through several formations, they unexpectedly arrived at a massive cavern strewn with stars; aside from the ceiling, the rest was vast and empty.

"Is this the Zhou Tian Star Great Formation? How could anyone set a formation here?" Jiang Tu sensed something odd.

Jiang Yu felt otherwise, "Master, could it be the formation core?"

While speaking, she already produced the jade tablet of the cultivator surnamed Qian and examined the formation diagram again.

Suddenly she felt her eyes blur; the formation diagram on the jade tablet contracted to a point, then shattered into powder in her hand.

Sui Lv Zhenjun wore a stunned expression, "The jade tablet had a seal; how did I not notice it when I read it?"

"Master." Jiang Yu performed several dust‑clearing techniques, clearing her own powder.

"I think I just saw the formation diagram shrink into a star‑shaped pattern, pointing to a single spot." She raised her hand, pointing at the "stars" overhead; they weren't real stars but formation eyes forged from spirit materials.

Speaking, she gathered her energy and rose, the clouds supporting her as she approached a star.

But as soon as she got close, countless beams of light shot at her like arrows.

At the same moment, Sui Lv Zhenjun swooped down from the air, snatching her before the light arrows could hit, "Be careful."

"Jiang Yu, you're too fast and reckless."

"A Foundation Establishment cultivator's evasion speed and body technique are far insufficient, and they cannot fly in midair." Jiang Tu was the first to jump out and tease her, worried she'd be scolded by Sui Lv Zhenjun.

「Master, there is something on that star, it's too dazzling to see clearly. 」

「But, it seems to be a Taiji shape. 」There are many magic treasures that stimulate the eyes and divine sense in cultivation; Jiang Yu covered her eyes and circulated spiritual power around her eyes.

「Drop this in the eyes. 」Sui Lv Zhenjun handed over a bottle of clear-eye spiritual liquid.

Jiang Yu quickly applied the drops; a refreshing sensation instantly took effect on her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she only saw her master soaring upward.

And before the light arrows shot down, he caught the thing that fell from the "star", he laughed heartily, "An unexpected joy, Jiang Yu, you are an Officer of Blessings."