Chapter 621 427: The 3-Month Period Is Up

On the rear side of Celestial Eagle Mountain, in the area where the High-Tier Cave Mansions were located, Tu Dai'Er was meditating peacefully in her own Cultivation Cave Mansion.

As a guest of honor of the Qingyuan Sect, Tu Dai'Er enjoyed the absolute highest standard of treatment the sect had to offer.

Of the only five High-Tier Cave Mansions available, one had to be set aside for Tu Dai'Er's use. The remaining four were not nearly enough for the Qingyuan Sect's own Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

But even for a High-Tier Cave Mansion like this, the concentration of Spiritual Qi it contained felt somewhat lacking to Tu Dai'Er.

If the Spiritual Qi concentration of a Third-Order Lower Grade Spirit Land were to be converted into a precise numerical value, it would fall somewhere between one hundred and three hundred.

The standard for a Third-Order Middle Grade Spirit Land was three hundred to six hundred, and for a Top-grade Spirit Land, it was six hundred to one thousand.

Bear Wind's earth-attribute Fourth-rank Middle-grade Spirit Land had a Spiritual Qi standard of three thousand to six thousand. From this, one could see just how much of a boost a High-level Spiritual Land could provide to a Cultivator's training.

To use a simple comparison, ten days of cultivating in the Qingyuan Sect was equivalent to just one day of cultivating in Bear Wind's underground cave mansion. Assuming the Cultivation Technique was identical, the difference was that stark.

Of course, one also had to account for the absorption rates of different Spirit Roots for various Spiritual Qi attributes, as well as one's Cultivation Technique, constitution, auxiliary Magical Artifacts, and even state of mind during cultivation. All of these factors could determine the efficiency of one's training with Spiritual Qi.

But no matter how you calculated it, cultivating in a High-level Spiritual Land was faster than in a low-level one. This was an indisputable fact.

As long as a sect possessed a High-level Spiritual Land, it was guaranteed to be able to nurture Golden Core Cultivators. This was also why Bear Wind could take his descendants with him, but the Spiritual Land had to be left behind.

Returning to Tu Dai'Er's experience, her sensitive Divine Sense was surprised to discover that, starting just a moment ago, the Spiritual Qi concentration in her cave mansion had been steadily increasing.

Normally, this wouldn't be unusual. The Spiritual Qi concentration in a Spiritual Land was never constant; it might be one hundred and seventy today, rise to one hundred and eighty tomorrow, and then drop to the one-sixties the day after.

After all, Spiritual Qi surged from the depths of the earth's ley lines without any discernible pattern. Fluctuations of ten or twenty points were normal phenomena. As long as it wasn't a continuous decline, there was nothing to worry about.

But the sensation just now was completely different for Tu Dai'Er.

The natural rise and fall of Spiritual Qi concentration in a Spiritual Land was a slow process, measured in days.

But in just the last few minutes, the concentration had risen by about seven or eight points. For a base level of just over one hundred and seventy, this was a nearly seven percent increase—a very noticeable change for a Golden Core Cultivator.

Spiritual Qi was a Cultivator's second life, the very thing they pursued for their entire existence. Thus, their craving for it was a constant throughout their lives.

A Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Sense was powerful enough to perceive this change clearly. However, the several hundred other Cultivators living in the Qingyuan Sect only felt that their cultivation today was exceptionally smooth and pleasant. After they finished meditating, their condition was also slightly better than before.

Let us pull back our perspective. On the vast Celestial Eagle Mountain, below the sparsely populated area of High-Tier Cave Mansions, were as many as thirty Middle-Tier Cave Mansions. Further down, at the foot of the mountain, Low-Tier Cultivation Cave Mansions were densely packed, numbering at least a hundred or two by a rough count.

According to the Spiritual Qi distribution standards set by the Qingyuan Sect, the High-Tier Cave Mansions received the full, standard Spiritual Qi of a Third-Order Lower Grade Spirit Land. In other words, whatever the concentration of Spiritual Qi surging from the belly of Celestial Eagle Mountain was, it would be funneled into these High-Tier Cave Mansions without dilution.

The Middle-Tier Cave Mansions, however, received only half the concentration of the high-tier ones, and the low-tier ones received a mere one-fifth.

But one shouldn't underestimate this one-fifth concentration. One-fifth of a concentration level of one-seventy or one-eighty was still over thirty. Out in the world, that was equivalent to possessing a Tier Two Lower Grade cave mansion.

Outside the Qingyuan Sect, what kind of person would be able to enjoy a cave mansion of this level?

Certainly not an ordinary Qi Cultivation Disciple. Only the core members of a small power—for instance, a promising young cultivator on the verge of Foundation Establishment—would be qualified for such a privilege. It was nothing like the Qingyuan Sect, where one or two hundred Low-Tier Cave Mansions were available for use as long as one had enough merit points.

And even without using merit points, members were granted a certain amount of free cultivation time each month based on their status. If you didn't use it yourself, you could even sell it for Spirit Stones.

This was one of the basic benefits of being a Qingyuan Sect disciple, and part of the foundation that made the Qingyuan Sect a major power.

Therefore, a High-level Spiritual Land was a fundamental asset that a power would fight for with their lives. An important factor in the Spirit Wood Alliance's constant retaliation against the Pill Alliance was that the Pill Alliance had seized Silver Elephant Mountain, a fourth-rank top-grade Spiritual Land.

...

In the central hub that controlled the Qingyuan Sect's overall Spiritual Qi flow, Fang Qingyuan silently removed his hand from the core channel Array.

Just a moment ago, he had released some of the Spiritual Qi from his Immortal Mansion into the channel before him, using the Void Array he had constructed himself.

In terms of quality, the Spiritual Qi from the Immortal Mansion was absolutely superior to the local Spiritual Qi.

Spiritual Qi was something where quality mattered. It was like crude oil; it wasn't just about the volume of the gush, but also the quality of the output. If the Spiritual Qi contained too many impurities, no one would want it, no matter how high the concentration.

Thus, this hub Array of Fang Qingyuan's, which controlled the flow of Spiritual Qi, had another function: to remove as many impurities as possible from the Spiritual Qi that surged up from underground.

Compared to the impure qi contained in this Third-Order Lower Grade Spirit Land, the Spiritual Qi transmitted from the Immortal Mansion seemed clean and pure.

One was like the water of a great river—abundant but turbid. The other was like a mountain stream—clear and transparent.

Based on the consumption just now, Fang Qingyuan relied on his powerful divine soul to immediately reach a conclusion: if he were to pump Spiritual Qi from the Immortal Mansion into the Qingyuan Sect's territory without regard for the cost, this place could be elevated to a Third-Order Top-grade Spirit Land in just a few days.

But if he did that, the cautious and low-profile principles Fang Qingyuan adhered to would be shattered.

'So, I need to prepare on two fronts. On one hand, I need a public explanation. Whether it's a Gathering Spirit Array or acquiring an Innate Spirit Root, as long as everyone accepts it, I'll have an excuse for the sharp rise in the Spiritual Land's Spiritual Qi.'

'On the other hand, I must go all out to collect Spatial Attribute Spirit Stones. During the experiment just now, the consumption of these Spatial Spirit Stones was not slow at all.'

Spatial Spirit Stones were the most critical material for the Void Array that connected the two realms, and the Qingyuan Sect did not have a large reserve of them.

'There are two ways to open the gate, each with its pros and cons. If I use the Divine Puppet technique, I won't need to activate the Void Array, and I won't consume any Spirit Stones. The Divine Puppet contains my Divine Sense, and opening the Immortal Mansion consumes my divine soul, which can recover automatically.'

'But the Divine Puppet operates on a small scale and can't compare to the Void Array. One is a single-unit approach that can be enhanced as my cultivation realm improves.'

'The Void Array, however, is like an industrial assembly line. The consumption is massive, but so are the returns. For the ever-expanding Immortal Mansion, this is more suitable.'

'So for now, I'll choose the Void Array route and collect as many Spatial Attribute Spirit Stones as possible as a strategic reserve.'

After calculating in his mind for a moment, Fang Qingyuan made up his mind. For the time being, he could activate the Void Array for a few hours each day to slowly increase the overall Spiritual Qi concentration of the Qingyuan Sect.

And what Fang Qingyuan needed to do now was simply to give everyone a public excuse for the unprompted increase in Spiritual Qi concentration.

Whether the excuse was crude or not would have no impact on the grand scheme of things.

...

「Nearly three months later」

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, nearly three months had passed. On this day, Fang Qingyuan led a hundred disciples of the Qingyuan Sect into the Barbaric Wilderness, arriving at the edge of the Bear Wind Territory.

Today was the day of Bear Wind's formal affiliation. During these three months, Fang Qingyuan had been in constant contact with Bear Wind. The two powers had dispatched personnel to each other's territories, communicating and coordinating every day, every hour, both busy with preparations for this event.

Fortunately, a massive, chaotic battle was currently raging within White Mountain. Otherwise, even with the Beast Taming Sect's permission, the Qingyuan Sect's actions would have drawn interference from other sects.

A hundred disciples in Qingyuan Sect attire stood together solemnly. No one felt like speaking at such a moment.

Tu Dai'Er was the same. As Tu Wuzhao's representative, she was naturally here to bear witness. But right now, she was looking at Fang Qingyuan with suspicion, unable to understand how the Qingyuan Sect's Spirit Land Grade could have risen so much in just three short months.

Tu Dai'Er, of course, scoffed at Fang Qingyuan's public excuse. But remembering his previous ruthlessness, a memory that still made her feel a little weak, she lost the nerve to question him to his face.

Not far away, besides the hundred-odd people from the Qingyuan Sect, the Beast Taming Sect had also sent a powerful contingent to observe the ceremony.

The leading Cultivator was the Nascent Soul Ancestor Di Yuanpu. Beside him stood a resentful-looking Xiong Youde, as well as an exceptionally beautiful Nascent Soul Female Cultivator with a serpentine posture and chilling eyes.

That made for three Nascent Soul Cultivators. If you added the soon-to-arrive Bear Wind, it would be four individuals with Nascent Soul Battle Power. Such a formidable lineup made Fang Qingyuan's heart pound in his chest.

He wasn't thinking about anything else, just silently praying in his heart, 'Old Lion, you must continue your deep slumber. This little matter isn't worth you making a trip in person.'

With this uneasy feeling, Fang Qingyuan couldn't help but glance at the group of Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect. 'Damn whoever came up with this handover ceremony. Why insist on making such a scene? Are they nuts?'

'It would've been fine to just get it done quietly. As an Ancient Beast of the Wilderness, Bear Wind doesn't care for such formalities. I'm afraid of the Old Lion, so of course, I don't want all this fuss either. Only that group of Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect would deliberately make trouble for everyone.'

Behind the three Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect was a cultivator army formation of nearly two thousand people. These were the ones waiting for Bear Wind's party to withdraw so they could immediately move into his former territory—in other words, seizing the nest.

And among this crowd, Chunyu Hua's figure was clearly visible.

Fortunately, Di Yuanpu knew about the feud between Chunyu Hua and Bear Wind and didn't have Hao Shi make an appearance. Otherwise, Fang Qingyuan couldn't guarantee that Bear Wind wouldn't fly into a rage on the spot upon seeing Hao Shi.

'Still, this is pretty disgusting,' Fang Qingyuan thought, suppressing the urge to punch Chunyu Hua as he waited patiently.

'Huh? Wait, where's Elder Ya? Isn't he usually inseparable from Chunyu Hua?'

'Did he see all the Nascent Soul Cultivators here, figure there wouldn't be any danger, and confidently head back?'

In any case, Elder Ya was not here at the moment. An idea sparked in Fang Qingyuan's mind. He gave Tu Dai'Er a meaningful look and pulled her along with him toward the Beast Taming Sect's army formation.