Chapter 469: Chapter 468: Probing (Second Update)
"The Pill Treasure Hall, although named as a great hall, was actually a place within the Spirit Meridian of Qingxu Mountain where Earth Fire was abundant.
There were a total of eighteen mountain peaks, each with a specially developed Earth Fire linkage beneath them.
*Given your current status as an alchemist above Third-Grade, you were qualified to choose one of these eighteen mountain peaks as your own palace. Within the entire Spirit Meridian of Qingxu Mountain, you did not need to worry about a lack of Spiritual Qi.*
However, once you moved in, aside from enjoying the conveniences of elder status, you also needed to take on certain sect duties.
The sect assigned specific tasks annually, and while not mandatory, all of this was related to merit points, directly determining how many benefits you could exchange within the sect.
Moreover, Hall Master Dan Chen once said that every alchemist above Third-Grade in the Pill Treasure Hall must assemble an alchemy team, managing alchemy affairs with a focus on one peak.
In other words, a team of alchemists would be allocated to the mountain peak you chose, under your command, and the number of Spirit Pills they could refine was closely tied to the merits you received.
It’s worth mentioning that if any alchemist in this team advanced through your guidance, there would be generous rewards.
If you could guide someone to become a Third-Grade Alchemist, the rewards would be comparable to the merits of ten years spent refining Spirit Pills."
Dongfang Ming finally led Bai Ziyue to the Pill Treasure Hall and began speaking.
"It seemed that teaching disciples to advance was the fastest way to earn merits."
Bai Ziyue nodded slightly, staying composed.
The decline of the Pill Treasure Hall, with a scarcity of alchemists above Third-Grade, worried not just the sect but also Daoist Monarch Dan Chen as the Hall Master of the Pill Treasure Hall. Hence, such a reward system was established to hopefully foster the growth of a group of high-level alchemists.
*However, the advancement in alchemy had never been simple.*
Even though Daoist Monarch Dan Chen was esteemed as a Fourth-Grade Initial-Stage Alchemist, with his innate alchemy strength ranking among the top five in the Cloud-Piercing Mountain Range, he had always been solitary and was not adept at teaching disciples.
The only Third-Grade Alchemist disciple he trained had unfortunately perished in an accident.
This resulted in the gradual decline of the Pill Treasure Hall...
Nevertheless, this turned out to be a good thing for Bai Ziyue.
His alchemy skills had advanced through the consumption of Soul Energy via the Attribute Panel.
Although in terms of total quantity of refined pills, he was even inferior to some apprentices who had been learning alchemy for just over a year, his wealth of experience and comprehensive understanding of various aspects of alchemy had actually reached the limit of a High-tier Third-Grade Alchemist.
The most crucial part was his versatility.
For ordinary Third-Grade Spirit Pills, regardless of their difficulty or the complexity of required techniques, as long as he possessed the corresponding pill formula, he could refine them smoothly without lacking experience.
Ordinary Third-Grade Alchemists might excel in Spirit Pills that restore True Essence or Divine Thought but always had some shortcomings, often performing worse than some Second-Grade Alchemists in areas outside their expertise.
Thus, they found it difficult to comprehensively guide disciples for advancement.
This was not an issue for Bai Ziyue.
Of course, he was not overly concerned, and the thought passed quickly as if inadvertently, "I once heard Master Fushui mention that the sect has an Innovation Hall, where past masters created techniques, containing numerous records related to creative cultivation?"
He had not forgotten his true goal upon joining the Qingxu Sect.
Now that he was officially a disciple of the Qingxu Sect, holding the position of Qingxu Sect Elder, he naturally wished to prioritize his creative cultivation endeavors.
The recorded inspirations in the Innovation Hall would undoubtedly offer great assistance.
"Has Elder Kunlun already reached the stage of needing creative cultivation?"
Dongfang Ming was taken aback before he began to speak, "Indeed, there is an Innovation Hall within the sect, but entry for secluded creative cultivation requires a considerable expenditure of merits.
Within, not only the numerous creative cultivation records and inspirational accounts you mentioned, but the most crucial element is the environment generated after its activation.
In that unique environment, not only would your thoughts and inspiration greatly increase as if guided by a divine force, but numerous techniques evolved by previous masters would appear before you to attest.
Borrowing wisdom from the past naturally increased the efficiency of creative cultivation."
Bai Ziyue nodded thoughtfully, noting that such auxiliary effects seemed akin to Enlightenment, although certainly not as effective as actual Enlightenment.
"So, how many merit points might be generally required?"
He asked again immediately.
"On average, a day of seclusion costs at least a thousand merit points while higher demands can increase to consuming as much as ten thousand points a day.
Such costs may seem minimal, but the indefinite duration of creative cultivation may accumulate rapidly, making it difficult for anyone to bear.
However, since you hold a Purple Gold Token, you automatically receive certain discounts, requiring only about seventy percent of the usual cost for such amenities."
As he spoke, admiration flickered in Dongfang Ming’s eyes involuntarily.
He held a Golden Elder Token, which also offered certain discounts, but not of the magnitude Bai Ziyue enjoyed.
Moreover, he was very clear that the true benefits of the Purple Gold Hall Master Order were not just this.
Not only did it carry greater privileges and status compared to ordinary elders like him, but certain special treasures could only be accessed and exchanged by cultivators who held the Purple Gold Token.
Those items were the real treasures that made people envious.
For instance, certain spiritual objects that could prolong one’s life, precious items that helped break through realms, and protective objects that could greatly enhance one’s power and survival capabilities...
"I wonder, can merit points be exchanged for spirit stones?"
Bai Ziyue pondered for a moment and couldn’t help but ask again.
"It’s possible, you can directly exchange them at the Internal Affairs Hall, one merit point for ten low-grade spirit stones.
However, if you want to exchange spirit stones for merit points, it requires thirty low-grade spirit stones to redeem one point."
Dongfang Ming replied knowingly.
"Three times?"
Bai Ziyue furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that this price difference was rather steep.
Dongfang Ming chuckled and said, "The most important use of merit points is to exchange for resources within the sect.
Many of the sect’s resources are scarce in the outside world, or even nonexistent.
The sect also does not encourage disciples to exchange merit points through spirit stones.
However, if you have the need, there are actually disciples within the sect who are willing to trade privately, which is often much cheaper than doing so from the Internal Affairs Hall. Generally, twenty low-grade spirit stones can redeem one merit point."
Bai Ziyue silently nodded and glanced at the one hundred and fourteen thousand merit points on his Identity Token, suddenly realizing that the amount of these merit points was actually quite substantial.
Of these merit points, one hundred thousand were awarded to him as an entry-level reward for being a special talent needed by the sect, and fourteen thousand were given as a reward for eliminating extremely dangerous demon cultivators on his journey back... the fact they were recorded was evidently a gesture of goodwill from the Qingxu Sect towards him.
At least, he shouldn’t worry too much about merit points for the time being.
...
Then, Bai Ziyue chose a mountain peak named Fire Spirit Peak among the eighteen peaks of Pill Treasure Hall to serve as his cultivation residence.
Fire Spirit Peak already had cultivation palaces and various large or small alchemy rooms that could be directly used after some tidying up.
Bai Ziyue didn’t delay; he refined the Palace Control Stone that very day and officially settled in.
"Peak of the Fifth-Grade Initial-Stage Spirit Meridian, Starlight Gathering Spirit Array, Purple Gold Token, Pill Treasure Hall, Innovation Hall, seven or eight Golden Core Realm True Monarchs, over a hundred Divine Realm Masters... this is indeed Qingxu Sect, worthy of being one of the Four Great Immortal Sects in the Cloud-piercing Mountain Range."
Bai Ziyue sat cross-legged in his cultivation palace, his thoughts stirred as he recounted the events he experienced today.
While his eyes were opened, he couldn’t help but feel some awe.
Here, he truly felt the atmosphere of an Immortal Family and sensed the brilliance of Immortal Cultivators.
Especially after observing up close the demeanor of Hall Master Lingjiu, Hall Master Jiwu, and Sect Leader Ren Feixian, three Golden Core Realm True Monarchs, which made his heart full of limitless yearning.
Of course, at the same time, he faintly perceived the formidable power belonging to these Golden Core Realm powerhouses.
Though they appeared naturally Daoist, calm, and indifferent, inwardly they all harbored an explosive force that could create a terrifying impact the moment they moved.
*He believed that his power was formidable, but in the presence of such beings, he was truly left with no room to resist.*
"This is the Golden Core Realm.
Divine Thought, Primordial Power, Soul... turning infinite power into a single point to form a Golden Core of the Golden Core Realm True Monarch."
Bai Ziyue sighed, *a sense of urgency rose in his heart, a strong desire to quickly create the subsequent cultivation technique and enhance his Immortal Technique Realm.*
"But it’s soon.
As long as I translate that Demon Race Technique, and then go to the Innovation Hall, I will definitely be able to deduce my Divine Realm Level technique.
At least, I could deduce it to mid-stage or even late-stage Divine Realm."
Bai Ziyue’s eyes burned brightly as he showed a faint smile.
Then, with a moment’s thought, he waved his hand, and four storage bags appeared before him.
These four storage bags belonged to the four demon cultivators who died at his hands.
With a thought, his Divine Thought transformed into the Ten Thousand Flames Melting Furnace, landing on these storage bags, where the restrictions, traps, and even certain countermeasures, upon touching the five-colored flames, turned into wisps of black smoke, completely wiped out.
Next, with a ’pop,’ the restrictions on the four storage bags were completely broken by him and opened wide.