Chapter 317: Chapter 317: The Stain Sect Was Holding Back After All

Upon seeing the Token Lü Yang produced, Master Qi He, who had been perfectly composed, narrowed his eyes. He then rose with a solemn expression and bowed.

“I am Qi He. Greetings, Daoist.”

Then, a thoughtful look crossed his face before he shook his head. “My apologies, Daoist… There has been no recent news of any Heavenly Stems or Earthly Branches appearing.”

Lü Yang’s brow furrowed at these words. After his deal with Great Undertaking, he had been blessed with great Fortune. He could clearly sense that the opportunity for the Shen Metal Qi was right here in the Mass Grave. This meant the Earthly Branch had to be within the Mass Grave, and by all rights, it should have already manifested.

However, he quickly regained his composure.

“In that case, I’d like some Upper Grade Spiritual Materials. Help me gather them.” After speaking, Lü Yang produced a long list.

Although he hadn’t yet obtained the Shen Metal Qi, it didn’t stop him from planning ahead.

Most of the Spiritual Materials on the list were Shen Metal Spiritual Objects for nourishing his Immortal Spirit Body. The rest were for his Heavenly Qian Totalizing All Manifestations Dharma Body.

“This…”

Master Qi He glanced at the list and his eyes narrowed again. “These Spiritual Materials… It’s not that they can’t be found, but I can’t just hand them over to you for free, Daoist.”

Lü Yang nodded. That was understandable.

In fact, if Master Qi He had offered them for free, Lü Yang would have been more suspicious. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch with the Stain Sect. If there was, it was definitely a trap.

“How long will it take you to gather them?”

“Three days should be sufficient.”

At this, a kindly smile appeared on Master Qi He’s face. “The South is brimming with talent. Gathering Spiritual Objects is much more convenient here than in the Stain Sect.”

Lü Yang’s eyebrow rose at his words. “…Oh?”

Master Qi He seemed to grow more animated. He stroked his beard and said, “Under the Stain Sect’s rule, there are actually some unwritten customs.”

“When it comes to talented disciples, while we can use them, there are limits. You can’t just kill them all off. The Stain Sect isn’t shy about cultivating truly outstanding individuals. Because of this, many Perfected Persons in the Sea of Clouds find their hands tied, afraid to take things too far.”

“…Is that really so?”

Lü Yang’s mouth fell open. He recalled the hardships of his previous nine lives and was left speechless. ’So the Stain Sect’s system for handling talent is actually the *restrained* version?’

’What other crazy stunts could you possibly pull?’

As they spoke, Master Qi He led Lü Yang into the back of the shop. With a wave of his hand, dozens of Jade Tokens instantly flew up to hover in the air.

Each Jade Token bore a name.

“I personally selected all of these. They are ’children of fortune,’ created by manipulating karmic links with the help of Foundation-Stage Cultivators who’ve opened shops here on Secret Gallery Street.”

“…Oh?”

This method immediately reminded Lü Yang of Perfected Yin Shan, who had once used the same technique on him to lure out the Wu Ghost Secret Realm.

However, the cost of doing so was immense. The children of fortune created this way could only exist for a single lifetime, as it meant diverting all their future Fortune into the present.

At this thought, Lü Yang seemed to reach a realization. “Daoist, you use these children of fortune to gather Spiritual Objects?”

“Correct!”

Master Qi He nodded. “Basically, whenever someone places an order, I use these Jade Tokens to manipulate the karmic links and have those children of fortune do the collecting.”

At this, Master Qi He began to introduce them with the pride of a collector showing off his treasures. “This one inherited a Sword Cultivator’s legacy; if a Daoist wants Metal Element Spiritual Objects, I use him. This one is from the Water Race, making him the top choice for Water Element Spiritual Objects. And this one here… hmm, he’s quite good too…”

From his explanation, Lü Yang quickly understood how the entire “supply chain” worked.

First, a client finds Master Qi He, states their needs, and places an order.

Then, Master Qi He manipulates karmic links. Whatever Spiritual Object is requested, they custom-create a “favored one of Heaven” to go and retrieve it. Once the favored one obtains the item, they are harvested.

The method of harvesting was also quite simple.

“It’s my Secret Gallery Street. When these children of fortune get their lucky break, they need a place to unload their goods. I simply guide them here, and just like that, it’s home delivery…”

’Damn!’

Lü Yang clicked his tongue in amazement. It was a complete, one-stop sourcing operation. Using this method, Master Qi He could easily gather vast quantities of Spiritual Objects without ever leaving his shop.

’The Stain Sect really *is* holding back!’

As far as Lü Yang knew, no one in the Stain Sect would mass-produce children of fortune indiscriminately just for Spiritual Objects, unless it directly concerned their own cultivation.

“That’s not even the best part,” Master Qi He said with a hint of pride. “The truly ingenious thing is, when you cast a net this wide, some fish are bound to slip through.”

“Oh? And how do you handle them, Daoist?”

Lü Yang immediately understood what he meant. After all, with so many children of fortune, it was inevitable that some would strike it big and successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage to become a Foundation-Stage Cultivator.

“Why handle them at all?”

Master Qi He shook his head. “Anyone who can reach Foundation Establishment is a talent worth cultivating. Our Stain Sect has always put people first; we would naturally not turn them away.”

“And given the power and prestige of the Stain Sect, what Loose Cultivator would ever refuse our invitation?”

“Thus, not only do I gather Spiritual Objects and make a hefty profit, but I also cultivate new Foundation-Stage Cultivators for the Stain Sect. It kills two birds with one stone!”

“I see.”

Though Lü Yang had already guessed what came next, he couldn’t help but ask, “But after they reach Foundation Establishment… they don’t mind what you did, Daoist?”

“They’re far more ruthless than I am!”

Master Qi He grinned. “With such massive profits at stake, who’s going to argue with Spiritual Objects? At least I’m willing to give these children of fortune a sliver of a chance to survive.”

“They’re the ones who don’t give any chance at all!”

“After all, Secret Gallery Street is only so big. They opened their shops by carving a piece out of others. If they let new people open up shop, it’ll be their turn to get carved up.”

At these words, Lü Yang couldn’t help but shake his head.

’What a bunch of animals…’

But he quickly caught on to something. “But Daoist, you said you could gather the Spiritual Objects I want within three days. Can the children of fortune really be that fast?”

“Of course not.”

At this, Master Qi He gave a meaningful smile. “That brings me to another service I offer here on Secret Gallery Street.”

“This service, however, is only offered to a Saint Sect Zhenren.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Master Qi He took out an Array Plate and, right in front of Lü Yang, began to lay down one Array after another inside the shop.

“My Secret Gallery Street isn’t very large.”

“If a new Foundation-Stage Cultivator opened up a shop here every so often, Secret Gallery Street would have been packed to the brim long ago. How could anyone do business then?”

“So, every once in a while, it needs… a cleanup.”

As he said this, a murderous glint suddenly appeared in Master Qi He’s eyes.

Lü Yang heard this and understood his unspoken meaning. It was true that relying on the children of fortune alone would make it impossible to gather the Spiritual Objects he needed in just three days.

But if they were targeting Foundation-Stage Cultivators, that was a different story.

Especially the Foundation-Stage Cultivators who had shops on Secret Gallery Street. If not dripping with wealth, they were at least well-off. And most importantly, they were all Loose Cultivators.

And in the North, everyone knew: Loose Cultivators were the easiest targets to rob.

“I have already selected two Foundation-Stage Cultivators from Secret Gallery Street. When they arrive and fall into my Arrays, you and I, Daoist, will join forces to capture them.”

“At that point, we will have gathered all the Spiritual Objects you require!”

After hearing Master Qi He’s plan and seeing the Arrays that now sealed the entire shop, Lü Yang let out a heartfelt sigh. “Truly worthy of an Elder First Saint…”

Then, he looked at Master Qi He.

“So, is this the reason you want to ambush and kill me, Daoist?”

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