"What exactly is lacking?"
Li Qingyi opened her eyes, temporarily interrupting the breakthrough process. In this one month of seclusion, she had polished her current realm to the point where there was no room for improvement.
Fortunately, Li Qingyi's cultivation level was now solid and complete. With her strength, she could hold her own against Nascent Soul stage cultivators for a period of time, which was not without its gains.
The only regret was her clothes.
Li Qingyi looked at the torn fabric exposed from her robe. During the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, she had been too hasty, causing her sword intent and sword qi to surge uncontrollably from her body. While the outer robe, a magical treasure, remained unharmed, the inner garments suffered.
Especially the silk stockings made from snow silkworm silk, which were now tattered and unsightly. It seemed impossible to go out and meet people like this.
Fortunately, Li Qingyi had spare silk stockings. She took off the damaged white silk and set it aside to be discarded later. However, when she changed into the new undergarments, she realized that the freshly changed white silk was missing.
"It was here just now."
Li Qingyi furrowed her delicate brows, immediately checking the restrictions and barriers in the small bamboo building. However, there was no trace of any abnormalities.
This meant that someone had taken away her changed silk stockings without triggering the restrictions. She hadn't noticed a thing.
If this person dared to make a move during her next seclusion...
"I can't continue this seclusion."
...
"Nine purple demonic crystals and one blue demonic crystal, totaling one hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones. Please verify, Senior Brother."
A young Qi cultivation disciple behind the counter finished counting the demonic crystals in his hand and handed a bag of spirit stones to Xu Sui.
Luofu Mountain, located on the border between Xiao Shui Country and Yun Meng Marsh, often faced troubles caused by demonic beasts escaping from Yun Meng Marsh. Therefore, Luofu Mountain occasionally issued tasks to eliminate demonic beasts, which could be taken by sect disciples or wandering cultivators in exchange for rewards based on demonic crystals.
As for demonic crystals, they were similar to spiritual roots but different. The quality of spiritual roots determined a cultivator's talent, while the grade of demonic crystals only depended on the realm of the demonic beast.
The lowest-grade demonic crystals, from the bodies of the lowest-level demonic beasts, were purple. As cultivation progressed, they transformed into blue, cyan, green, and so on, until reaching the pure and flawless white.
Xu Sui accepted this task not only for the rewards but also as an excuse for the items picked up by the system. The encounters during the mission could serve as a reasonable justification.
[The system is now picking up items. Please wait, Host...]
[Item picked up successfully. Host has obtained the item "Snow Silkworm White Silk (Damaged)," stored in the storage space.]
[Snow Silkworm White Silk (Damaged): Silk stockings discarded by a female cultivator torn by sword qi during her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. The stockings carry the sword intent left by an Nascent Soul cultivator and are suitable for the Host's cultivation insight. All tracking techniques and restrictions on the stockings have been erased. Host can use them with confidence.]
"System, that's enough."
Due to the existence of the law of conservation of energy, Xu Sui did not expect the system to provide him with treasures like spirit communication jade every time. However, this time felt a bit ridiculous.
Tattered magical treasures, incomplete techniques, raw spirit stone materials—although they had little use, they could still be exchanged for spirit stones in the market. However, how was he supposed to sell these torn silk stockings?
Even if they contained the sword intent of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Xu Sui dared not use them openly; people would definitely think he was a pervert. Discarding them was also a waste.
Fortunately, the items picked up by the system would be stored in a special storage space. As long as Xu Sui didn't take them out, there was minimal risk of being discovered.
Suppressing the thought of scolding the system for a while, Xu Sui took the spirit stones and went to the market to purchase some cultivation resources.
Originally, Asking Sword Peak had only two people, and the allocated resources were meager but sufficient. With the addition of the genius junior sister Xie Yushu, and Senior Sister Li Qingyi still in seclusion, the shortfall in resources for these two people had to be made up by Senior Brother Xu Sui.
After a short time, the newly acquired one hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones were spent.
"Are you a disciple of Luofu Mountain?"
Just as Xu Sui finished organizing his storage bag and was about to return to Asking Sword Peak, a young man with a Luofu Mountain disciple token called out to him. Behind him were several other Luofu Mountain disciples.
"Senior Brother from Asking Sword Peak, Xu Sui."
"I'm Zhang Jing from Dan Ding Peak. Please accept this small token of appreciation."
Zhang Jing took out a bottle of pills from his storage bag and handed it to Xu Sui, seeming to want to give it as a gift. However, Xu Sui politely declined, citing the principle of receiving rewards for merits.
At the same time, Xu Sui sighed in his heart. Dan Ding Peak was indeed the richest peak on Luofu Mountain, second only to the main peak. Disciples of Dan Ding Peak were not good at fighting, but they excelled in alchemy. In addition to the annual tribute to the sect, they traded the remaining pills for other resources or favors from various peaks.
This led to the disciples of Dan Ding Peak being accustomed to offering pills as gifts when meeting others, similar to the practice in the mortal realm where some people would casually give out cigarettes.
If it were a normal day, Xu Sui might have accepted it, considering the establishment of future connections. However, at this moment, he saw that Zhang Jing had gathered quite a few people behind him, all of whom were Foundation Establishment cultivators.
For a task that required so many Foundation Establishment cultivators to act together, it seemed a bit difficult for Xu Sui at his current stage. Therefore, he dared not accept easily.
"You are quite straightforward."
Zhang Jing didn't expect the usual method of striking up a conversation with gifts to fail. He put away the pills, explaining his purpose. He wanted to hire a few Foundation Establishment cultivators as bodyguards to venture deep into Yun Meng Marsh to find a rare medicinal herb for alchemy. The Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him were the bodyguards he had recruited.
Xu Sui was the last person he wanted to invite.
The scene before Xu Sui made him realize that this might be a bit difficult. He smiled awkwardly and left, seemingly embarrassed.
After Zhang Jing left, Xu Sui shook his head with a wry smile. Luofu Mountain was really lively recently, with many disciples looking for allies or hiring helpers for various reasons.
For Xu Sui, resources were more important than the cultivation experience provided by the mission. The reason he took on the mission was to earn spirit stones to invest in resources for his junior sister, Xie Yushu. These resources could play a role in the upcoming sect competition, as the results would determine the distribution of resources among the peaks.
After settling everything at the market, Xu Sui returned to Asking Sword Peak.
In the bamboo building, he saw Xie Yushu, who had reached the third level of Qi cultivation, cultivating diligently. She had just received a legacy from him, allowing her to learn profound techniques.
Seeing her focused on cultivation, Xu Sui felt relieved. He walked in and said, "Junior Sister Xie, I've returned. How's your cultivation progress?"
Xie Yushu stopped her cultivation and greeted Xu Sui, saying, "Senior Brother Xu, I've reached the third level of Qi cultivation. Thanks to your guidance, I also managed to comprehend the Luofu Seed Jade Scripture."
Xu Sui nodded with satisfaction. "That's good. Cultivate diligently, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. By the way, I have something for you."
He took out a jade pendant with spiritual energy fluctuations and handed it to Xie Yushu. "This is a spirit communication jade. It contains some cultivation techniques and experiences that will be helpful to you. Take your time to comprehend them."
Xie Yushu took the jade pendant with gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xu. I will definitely make good use of it."
Xu Sui smiled, seeing the determination in Xie Yushu's eyes. "Good. Remember, the sect competition is approaching. As the representative of Asking Sword Peak, you need to shine. This legacy is just a small help. The real key is your hard work and talent."
Xie Yushu nodded, feeling grateful for Xu Sui's guidance and support. She knew that the upcoming sect competition was crucial for the fate of Asking Sword Peak, and she was determined to do her best.
As Xu Sui observed Xie Yushu's earnest expression, he believed that he had made the right decision. With her talent and his guidance, Asking Sword Peak might have a chance to change its current situation.
The evening at Asking Sword Peak continued quietly, with the sound of cultivation and the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind. In the bamboo building, Xu Sui and Xie Yushu continued their cultivation journey, preparing for the challenges that awaited them in the upcoming sect competition.