"How long do you think Senior Brother Wu will take to defeat his opponent?" Lin Miaoyi couldn't help but ask after half an incense stick's time.
Upon hearing this, the others glanced at Wu Chengqing with peculiar expressions, unsure how to comment. They could only say that he was perhaps... too cautious.
Despite his strength, which was more than enough to easily defeat the young man with the dark green hair, even if he was being cautious to prevent a last-ditch counter-attack, a little prudence would have sufficed. Yet, Wu Chengqing, despite holding the advantage, had spent half an incense stick's time grinding down the opponent, depleting most of his spiritual power.
"Fellow Daoist Wu seems to be using this person as a sparring partner," Ji Yuan had seen through this early on but only spoke up now. The other party was not only suppressing the enemy but also honing his skills, experimenting with his learned combat techniques and addressing any shortcomings. Such an opportunity was rare in normal times, and even sparring with fellow disciples wouldn't yield such results. Therefore, one couldn't blame Wu Chengqing for not ending the fight sooner.
If it were him, and there were no pressing matters, he would also wish to prolong it to gain more combat experience.
After another half an incense stick's time, Wu Chengqing finally concluded the battle, clearly not having had enough. He forcefully waved his large banner, a gust of wind dispatching his opponent on the spot. After collecting the spoils and magical artifacts left by the young man with dark green hair, he turned to face the others.
"Fellow Daoist Wu truly possesses profound spiritual power!" Ji Yuan exclaimed sincerely, feeling a hint of envy. Although his own spiritual power was far more abundant than that of cultivators of the same realm, his few magical treasures, when activated, would be significantly depleted within a short time. If not for the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda, which could absorb incoming attacks during combat and convert them into pure spiritual energy to replenish himself, he too would have struggled to maintain his power.
Just as he did a little over a month ago, facing three mountain bandits in the center of the lake, and ultimately defeating the cultivator in the middle stage of the second realm, he relied heavily on the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda's abilities. Otherwise, despite his abundant spiritual power, it would have been difficult to sustain himself, let alone have any energy left.
"My cultivated techniques happen to focus heavily on spiritual power," Wu Chengqing said with a smile. "However, in terms of sheer volume, I'm only slightly ahead of cultivators in the same realm. My ability to last this long is mostly due to careful management."
His words immediately invigorated everyone, their gazes expectant as they waited for him to continue. Seeing this, Wu Chengqing held nothing back and shared all his insights. This wasn't some profound technique; as cultivation deepened, most cultivators would begin to explore how to exert the greatest effect with the least amount of spiritual power. This even included how to reduce spiritual power consumption when casting spells, divine abilities, and activating magical artifacts.
After all, a cultivator's spiritual power was finite. If used without restraint, it would be quickly depleted. At that point, any unforeseen circumstances could lead to an irrecoverable situation. For an ordinary cultivator in the early stage of the second realm, recovering their spiritual power to its fullest, without external aid, would take at least three to four days of mere meditation and breathing. Even with spiritual stones, pills, and other aids, it would take at least half a day, or up to a full day.
"These are some insights I've gained during my leisure time. If you don't mind, please take them as reference." Wu Chengqing retrieved several jade slips from his Qian Kun Bag and distributed them to everyone present.
Upon seeing this, Ji Yuan looked at him curiously and couldn't help but ask, "You don't frequently give away your insights to others, do you?" Otherwise, why would he have them copied and readily available, and act so proficiently?
After receiving the jade slip, Lin Miaoyi couldn't help but mutter, "I've long heard that Senior Brother Wu from the inner sect often shares his insights, but I didn't expect it to be true..." Her tone suggested a hint of regret for not having met him sooner.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan's lips twitched slightly. He chuckled heartily at Wu Chengqing, silently labeling him a "good old man."
Not long after, the group sat down again, meditating on the profound principles of the Dao patterns in the area. Since there had been an attack, they decided not to deactivate the defensive formations and entrusted Wu Qingfeng with their management. Ji Yuan, meanwhile, approached the bodies, formed a hand seal, and conjured several millstone-sized fireballs, incinerating them to ashes.
As a Talisman Master, he naturally possessed some basic elemental spells, though he rarely used them. He hadn't put much effort into them, finding talismans to be more convenient.
"How was the harvest?" Wu Chengqing asked casually after Ji Yuan finished dealing with the bodies and returned to the formation.
Ji Yuan looked at the few silver notes in his hand, along with three bags of silver ingots and copper coins, and could only shrug helplessly. The three mountain bandits combined had only a few dozen taels of silver, and the rest of their possessions were of no value to him.
"Here are a few scrolls of alchemical books and formulas. This is your reward for assisting me earlier." Wu Chengqing produced three jade slips and tossed them to Ji Yuan. The reason he could recklessly use his enemy as a training tool was not only because his combat prowess suppressed the opponent but also because Ji Yuan was keeping watch. Ji Yuan did not refuse, calmly accepting them and storing them in his jade ring. Maintaining focus for the duration of an incense stick, with spiritual power constantly circulating and prepared to act at any moment, was indeed arduous work.
"Focus on recovering your spiritual power. I'll watch over everything; nothing will go wrong." He said this after taking over the three formation plates.
Wu Chengqing nodded, not being overly polite. He immediately took out a Qi-replenishing pill and began to recover the spiritual power he had consumed. Regardless of his skill in conserving spiritual power, fighting for the duration of an incense stick had indeed depleted a significant amount.
After surveying the surroundings, Ji Yuan also closed his eyes, recovering his mental state while simultaneously extending his spiritual sense to constantly monitor the surroundings.
An hour and a half later, he suddenly opened his eyes and gazed in the direction they had come from. Simultaneously, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of spiritual power burst forth from his fingertip. Although the disturbance was not significant, it was just enough to awaken the others beside him.
As everyone looked in that direction, within moments, several streams of light were seen approaching at extreme speed, flying through the air. Soon, as the streams of light landed on the ground, several figures appeared before them. In addition to Zhao Yuansong and the other two, there were five men and women dressed in the elder robes of the Nine Xuan Sect.
The five elders comprised three elderly individuals and a middle-aged couple. The weakest among them was at the mid-stage of the third realm, while the strongest was at the peak of the third realm. Within the Nine Xuan Sect, only Legacy Elders were required to possess peak third-realm cultivation; other inner sect elders could be appointed as long as they reached the third realm.
"Greetings, Elders!" Wu Chengfeng, leading the group, bowed respectfully to the five, performing the disciple's禮.
The elder at the forefront nodded, then scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the giant trees with their shattered bark. A contemplative expression flickered in his eyes.
"Indeed, these are Dao patterns," the elder nodded slightly, confirming the faint golden patterns appearing on the trunks of the giant trees. Behind him, the middle-aged couple stepped forward. With a wave of their arms, they unleashed streaks of spiritual power that struck the surrounding giant trees. As pieces of bark fell, only five or six of the more than twenty giant trees exhibited faint golden Dao patterns.
In the following half-hour, the five elders flew their artifacts, conducting a general survey of the stone forest. However, apart from the area where the group was located, they found no other giant trees nurturing Dao patterns. In the end, the vast stone forest yielded a total of thirty-six giant trees nurturing Dao patterns, perfectly matching the number of Heavenly Stars.
"This is a token of merit, recording your achievements. Upon returning to the sect, you may exchange it for rewards." The Legacy Elder, who possessed peak third-realm cultivation, took out a jade tablet from his Qian Kun Bag. After imprinting his spiritual power onto it, he handed it to Wu Chengqing. Within this jade tablet, the elder had inscribed their contributions during this expedition with his own spiritual power, even recording each person's life. Upon returning to the sect, they could use this to claim their rewards.
"Thank you, Elders!" The group expressed their thanks with joy and then bid farewell, turning to leave the stone forest. As for the five elders, they had to remain to move all thirty-six giant trees nurturing Dao patterns back to the Void Crossing Battleship with their immense spiritual power.
After the group left the stone forest, Wu Chengqing suddenly stopped and held out the jade tablet the elder had given him earlier.
"What are you doing?" Ji Yuan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.
Wu Chengqing smiled faintly. "It will be more reassuring if you keep this item on you." In terms of strength, Ji Yuan was the highest among them, so keeping it with him would be the most secure. Although they hadn't encountered any truly life-threatening dangers yet, who knew what might happen in the future? If this jade tablet were lost, they might not be able to claim their rightful rewards even after returning to the sect. Furthermore, Ji Yuan was the core of this team. Without him, they wouldn't have come together and thus wouldn't have found this opportunity.
Seeing everyone else nod in agreement, he pondered for a moment before accepting the jade tablet.
"Speaking of which, with this single opportunity alone, our trip has already been worthwhile, hasn't it?" Zhao Yuansong said with a smile. A total of thirty-six giant trees nurturing Dao patterns, their value far exceeding that of several magical treasures. Even if divided equally among ten people, each would receive a reward of astronomical proportions.
"Don't celebrate too early. What ultimately reaches our hands will be far less than we imagine," Wu Chengqing shrugged. He was the most knowledgeable among them regarding such matters. Generally, if a disciple reported a discovered opportunity, the sect would not convert its full value into rewards for that disciple. Once you report it, it implies you lack the means to acquire it yourself. When the sect intervenes, they will naturally cut at least half of the original value, with several elders determining the final amount based on the situation at the time.
"And I estimate that the sect will ultimately prioritize contribution points," Wu Chengqing informed everyone. Generally, in such situations, the sect wouldn't directly distribute excessive wealth but rather grant a large number of contribution points, allowing disciples to exchange them for what they need. However, almost no disciple would complain about this, as contribution points were more important to them than mere wealth. These were things that no amount of spiritual stones or coins could buy, yet they could be used to exchange for powerful magical artifacts and treasures, and even various rare insights, with minimal wealth. Furthermore, if one wished to cultivate in certain important areas within the sect, contribution points would be required to secure a spot.