nashuaworldcup Chapter 176 - 150: Enhancing the Fire Spirit
Chapter 176 - 150: Enhancing the Fire Spirit
After hosting Yuan Chujun and his entourage, Fang Qingyuan met with Yuan Chujun privately in what was once the Li Family’s reception hall.
Yuan Chujun gazed at the familiar scene. He had visited this place many times before. He still sat in his usual seat, but the person across from him had changed.
Though Yuan Chujun’s cultivation was far superior, Fang Qingyuan remained perfectly composed, not the least bit worried that the man could kill him with a single finger. Behind him stood the behemoth that was the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect.
But the most crucial factor was that Master Heiye had not yet returned to Zhao Liangde’s side. Perhaps having seized a rare opportunity to get out, Heiye was in no hurry to return to Celestial Gate Mountain.
Inside the grand hall, Fang Qingyuan and Yuan Chujun exchanged some pleasantries before gradually moving on to the main topic. Yuan Chujun had only one objective: to ask Fang Qingyuan when he would finally leave the Li Family’s Mountain Gate.
Every additional day Fang Qingyuan’s party remained here was another day of humiliation for Jiuye Square.
Regarding Yuan Chujun’s wish, Fang Qingyuan simply smiled.
"Anxious, Elder Yuan? The moment the three hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones we discussed that day are delivered, I’ll leave."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s reply, Yuan Chujun irritably dumped more than twenty large chests of Spirit Stones from his storage pouch and said:
"Here are one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones, ten thousand Middle-grade Spirit Stones, and one million Low-grade Spirit Stones. Go ahead, count them."
Fang Qingyuan’s heart leaped with joy at the sight of the chests. He opened the most ornate one first and peered inside. There, stacked neatly, were Top-grade Spirit Stones, each the size of a human head. The surging Spiritual Power they emitted was so intense that a single breath made Fang Qingyuan feel intoxicated.
After opening all the chests and sweeping his Divine Sense over them, Fang Qingyuan thanked Yuan Chujun.
"Thank you very much, Elder Yuan. As per our agreement, the Li Family’s Spirit Mountain now belongs to you. To each his own."
That day, inside a sound-proof ward, Fang Qingyuan and Yuan Chujun had come to an agreement. Fang Qingyuan would hand over the Li Family’s Spirit Mountain, and in return, Yuan Chujun would pay the astronomical price of three hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones. Yuan Chujun then played along with Fang Qingyuan’s charade. After he joined forces with the other Foundation Establishment Clans to pick the Zhao Erchang clan’s bones clean, he had each family cough up thirty Top-grade Spirit Stones to meet Fang Qingyuan’s demand.
But even after obtaining the Li Family’s Spirit Mountain, Yuan Chujun’s expression was foul. Fang Qingyuan had essentially extorted most of the Spirit Stones in Jiuye Square. After so many years of hard work, Jiuye Square had suffered a grievous blow, and there was no telling how long it would take to recover. The more Yuan Chujun thought about it, the angrier he became. He finally tossed out a parting shot:
"I hope you keep your word. I won’t trouble you any further."
After saying his piece, Yuan Chujun rose and departed, returning to his own Spiritual Land. Fang Qingyuan paid him no mind. ’It’s only natural for him to be in a foul mood after suffering a loss he can’t even complain about.’
However, looking at all the Spirit Stones before him, Fang Qingyuan suddenly had a problem. Yuan Chujun had used a top-grade storage pouch with fifty units of space, whereas he only had two with ten units each. There was no way he could fit all these Spirit Stones inside at the moment.
With Heiye, a Golden Core Spirit Beast, nearby, Fang Qingyuan didn’t dare to rashly use his Immortal Mansion, lest the creature discover some of its secrets. Thus, Fang Qingyuan only packed the one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones and ten thousand Middle-grade Spirit Stones into his storage pouches. As for the Low-grade Spirit Stones, which took up the most space, Fang Qingyuan summoned Liao Wenlamp and had him and the Liao Family collect them.
Now that the Spirit Stones were in hand, it was time to return home. And so, with his bountiful gains, Fang Qingyuan rode the camel-ray back to Yuanling Mountain after a long absence.
The journey was uneventful; no one foolish enough to be blind to the risks tried to rob him. With the precedent set by the two Foundation Establishment Clans, Fang Qingyuan expected his Yuanling Square Marketplace would enjoy a great deal more peace in the future.
Upon returning to his mountain gate, Fang Qingyuan began to deal with various matters. He first took out a portion of the Spiritual Medicine and Magical Artifacts obtained from the Li Family to reward the She Family. Then, he took out another ten Top-grade Spirit Stones and distributed them among She Xuanyan and his other sect-mates.
Even with such generous spending, the Spirit Stones Fang Qingyuan handed out didn’t amount to fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones. Even when including his prior preparations for the battle—the Five Elements Monster Talismans, Array-Breaking Talismans, a few unused Silver Armor Music Puppets, and various other war supplies—his total cost was barely a hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones.
But when he calculated his total haul, the Spirit Stones alone were worth over three hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones. On top of that were the Magical Artifacts from the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, their personal fortunes, the Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Medicine from the Li Family’s mountain, and the various tomes from their Scripture Pavilion. All told, the value was close to four hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones.
However, these Spirit Stones didn’t belong entirely to Fang Qingyuan. If he tried to keep them all for himself, it would prove he had no political sense whatsoever.
So, after instructing Liao Wenlamp to oversee the relocation of over twenty thousand mortals from the Li Family to Yuanling Mountain and tasking the She Family with opening four new streets in Yuanling Square Marketplace, Fang Qingyuan took Jinbao and followed Heiye to Celestial Gate Mountain.
...
At Zhao Liangde’s estate, Fang Qingyuan’s arrival was different this time. He didn’t have to wait in line at the entrance with everyone else; Zhao Liangde personally ushered him inside.
Zhao Liangde’s smile was more sincere than ever. He sized Fang Qingyuan up and down, as if getting to know him all over again.
Seeing Zhao Liangde’s expression, a shiver went down Fang Qingyuan’s spine. ’Being looked at like this can only mean one thing,’ he thought. ’I’m about to bleed a fortune.’
With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan spoke first.
"The great victory Yuanling Mountain achieved was all thanks to Uncle Zhao’s support behind the scenes. I, Qingyuan, have no way to repay this debt, so I can only offer a small specialty from the Li Family to show a token of my appreciation."
As he spoke, Fang Qingyuan retrieved chest after chest of Spirit Stones from his storage pouch, lining them up before Zhao Liangde. When Fang Qingyuan opened them, the colorful, multi-element Spirit Stones emitted an intoxicating Spiritual Wave.
The light from the Spirit Stones played across Zhao Liangde’s face, making for a spectacular sight. Fang Qingyuan explained from the side,
"These eighty Top-grade Spirit Stones are to honor you, Elder. The other twenty are payment for Master Heiye’s services."
Gazing at the room full of Spirit Stones, Zhao Liangde let out a hearty laugh. This tribute from Fang Qingyuan was the single largest he had ever received. When others sought his help, they usually offered a few thousand Spirit Stones. Even the She Family, when they’d pleaded to be transferred from Celestial Attraction Mountain, had only given him five Top-grade Spirit Stones.
"Good lad! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. You were always sharp. I’ve always considered you one of my own. When you followed Jiang Kui to Yuanling Mountain, I thought you were in for a long, hard road. I never imagined you’d first discover the Crimson Iron Ore, securing a new source of wealth for the sect, then whip up the Yuanling Square Marketplace from nothing, and now even strong-arm Jiuye Square and bring back all these Spirit Stones. Each and every one of those accomplishments... not easy at all."
With the Spirit Stones before him, Zhao Liangde was unstinting in his praise for Fang Qingyuan. Hearing it all laid out like that, Fang Qingyuan himself was struck by the realization of just how much he had accomplished over the past decade.
Once Zhao Liangde’s delight had peaked, Fang Qingyuan seized the opportunity to state his purpose.
"Uncle Zhao, I wish to capture a fire-attribute Spirit Beast. I’ve heard that the ones in the Earth Cave Fire Domain are of a very high grade, and that we have a Beast Taming Sub-Sect there. As you are the Chief of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak for the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, I know you have dealings with them. I was hoping you could put in a good word for me, allowing me to go there and find a quality Spirit Beast."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s request, Zhao Liangde, who was in an excellent mood, chuckled and chided him.
"You little rascal, always looking for ways to benefit from the sect. It’s true, I am on good terms with the branch sect there. Fine. For the sake of all the contributions you’ve made over the years, I’ll grant your request. I’ll send word to the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch and write you a letter of introduction to ensure they give you a warm reception."
Seeing his objective achieved, Fang Qingyuan’s face lit up with unconcealed joy. He flattered Zhao Liangde a bit more and received the letter he desired.
After Fang Qingyuan left the estate, Zhao Liangde spoke to Heiye, who was concealed nearby.
"What’s your take on him? This Fang Qingyuan lad, does he have what it takes?"
Heiye revealed his form, stretched lazily, found a spot to lie down, and recalled the ten Top-grade Spirit Stones Fang Qingyuan had given him as a private gift. He then offered his sincere praise:
"Fang Qingyuan is a good man. He’s grateful and repays his debts, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from, he’s extremely capable, and he’s sharp. A fine junior."
Zhao Liangde was rather surprised. "Quite the glowing review," he asked curiously.
"When did you learn to praise people so well? That’s not like you. Did Fang Qingyuan slip you some Spirit Stones?"
Seeing Zhao Liangde’s suspicious look, Heiye calmly replied,
"Of course not. I just genuinely admire the junior."
Zhao Liangde nodded, temporarily believing Heiye. Then, he started in with a long-suffering tone.
"Heiye, you should let me hold onto your Spirit Stones. I’ll keep them safe for you, save you from spending them recklessly. Besides, what does a black panther even need to spend Spirit Stones on? I’m the one who provides your food, lodging, and cultivation resources, and all of that costs Spirit Stones! Life isn’t easy for me, you know. How about this: take one of these stones as payment for your trouble this time."
Heiye eyed the hundred-plus Top-grade Spirit Stones, licked his lips, fished one out, and swallowed it into his personal pocket dimension. The moment Heiye was done, Zhao Liangde couldn’t wait to start stuffing the rest into his own storage pouch.
...
「Half a month later.」
Fang Qingyuan, taking Jinbao with him, didn’t even return to Yuanling Mountain but went straight to the Beast Taming Sub-Sect in the Earth Cave Fire Domain. His stated reason—to capture a fire-attribute Spirit Beast—was merely an excuse. His true goal was the unique spiritual materials native to the Earth Cave Fire Domain.
Years ago, Fang Qingyuan had spent half a year mining Spirit Ore, gathering over a hundred thousand cubic meters of Spirit Vein Soil in his Immortal Mansion. Through sheer quantity, he had managed to elevate his Earth Spirit Root to a top-grade aptitude. Now, with his cultivation approaching Ninth-Layer Perfection but his Fire Spirit Root still lagging far behind, Fang Qingyuan planned to use the same method to rapidly advance it.
The most potent areas of the Earth Cave Fire Domain were controlled by the local Beast Taming Sub-Sect. If Fang Qingyuan wanted to obtain a large quantity of Fire Spirit Objects, his only recourse was to use his connection with Zhao Liangde to get the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch to give him the green light.
However, when Fang Qingyuan stepped off the Spiritual Boat, he was utterly dumbfounded. ’How is this Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch so different from what I imagined?’