“Luck?”

Qin Yi smiled, slowly walking to the edge of the cold pool. He reached out and gently fiddled with those few formation flags. “The formation layout is rigorous, the nodes precise. This is not luck. And…”

He turned around, his gaze burning as he stared at Su Ming. “I observed the positions where you set up the formation, junior brother. It seems you intentionally avoided the ‘startle point’ most sensitive to the young snakes. Even someone who doesn’t understand formations can see that when this formation operates, those three snake eggs not only don’t reject it, but actively draw in spiritual energy. Junior brother, you seem to have a unique sensitivity to spirit beast auras as well?”

The hairs on Su Ming’s back instantly stood on end.

When he had set up the formation, he had indeed used Lin Yu’s “observation micro state” perspective to see the fluctuations inside the snake eggs. He then adjusted the frequency of the spiritual energy flow to synchronize it with the breathing of the eggs.

Such a minute detail was actually seen through by Qin Yi at a single glance?

“Senior brother, you misunderstand.”

Su Ming’s expression remained unchanged, his mind racing as he gave the safest explanation. “The Repair Hall usually repairs miscellaneous items for various peaks and has dealt with many damaged beast pens from the Spirit Beast Peak. This junior brother noticed that spirit beasts prefer tranquility over movement, gentleness over harshness. Therefore, when setting up the formation, I deliberately chose the mild variant runes of ‘returning wind’ and ‘moistening things’. These are just rigid principles from books. This junior brother was merely copying them mechanically.”

“Rigid principles from books, huh…”

Qin Yi looked deeply at Su Ming for a moment but did not pursue the matter further.

With a flick of his wrist, an exquisite porcelain bottle flew towards Su Ming.

“This is ‘Beast Spirit Elixir’,” Qin Yi said casually. “It greatly benefits the growth of spirit beasts. I see you carry a faint scent of plants and grass on you, junior brother. You must frequent the Spiritual Plant Garden often? If you ever have the fortune to obtain a spirit pet in the future, this elixir can help it gain intelligence.”

Su Ming caught the porcelain bottle. It felt warm and smooth to the touch.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Qin, for bestowing this medicine.” Su Ming bowed again, his posture impeccable.

Qin Yi nodded, then took a communication jade slip from his sleeve and handed it over. “The formations on the Spirit Beast Peak are mostly related to living creatures, complex and ever-changing. Those junior brothers from the Formation Peak often only understand static formations, not living beings. If you encounter any thorny problems in the future, I might still need Junior Brother Su’s assistance. This is my communication imprint.”

This was a formal gesture of friendship.

Su Ming received it with both hands and solemnly put it away.

Only after walking a long way from the Spirit Beast Peak did Lin Yu whistle in the consciousness sea. “This Qin Yi is a perceptive person. What he saw wasn’t just your formation skill, but your philosophy of ‘acting according to the momentum’.”

…

Back in the stone chamber, Su Ming withdrew his thoughts and also took out that bottle of “Beast Spirit Elixir”, placing it together with the “Beast Spirit Milk”.

“Senior Brother Qin giving this elixir… there was more to his words.”

Su Ming lightly tapped the table with his finger. “He said I ‘currently have no spirit pet’, yet he gave me an intelligence-opening elixir. Master, do you think he noticed something?”

“Noticed what? Noticed your master’s handsome and dashing soul body?” Lin Yu snorted with laughter. “Don’t scare yourself. At most, he thinks you are meticulous. Since you can take good care of snake eggs, raising a cat or dog in the future probably won’t be a problem either. This is a long-term investment.”

“I hope so.” Su Ming put away the elixir.

Regardless of Qin Yi’s deeper meaning, this connection had been established. But the most urgent matter at hand was still the issue of his Dao foundation.

“How is the intelligence gathering going?” Lin Yu asked.

Su Ming took out a stack of grass paper filled with writing from his storage pouch.

Over the past few days, using opportunities like going to the Spiritual Plant Garden to fertilize or to the Formation Peak to exchange materials, he had made indirect inquiries. He even spent contribution points at the Administration Hall to check publicly available medicinal herb charts. Finally, he had pieced together some intelligence regarding “repairing meridians and Dao foundation”.

“The situation is not optimistic.”

Su Ming pointed to the first line on the paper. “First is ‘Earth Vein Spirit Milk’. This substance is produced from tens of thousands of zhang deep beneath the sect’s main peak, condensed from the essence of the earth veins. It has miraculous effects on repairing meridian damage.”

“Sounds good. What’s the ‘not optimistic’ part?”

“This thing is considered a strategic resource of the sect.” Su Ming smiled bitterly. “Only inner sect core disciples who have rendered great merit, or Golden Core elders, are qualified to apply for it. If using contribution points to exchange… one drop requires fifty thousand contribution points. And you have to queue. It’s said the current waiting list is already five hundred years long.”

“Five hundred years…” Lin Yu clicked his tongue. “You probably won’t live that long. Next.”

Su Ming pointed to the second line. “Aquamarine Jade Marrow. This is a heavenly treasure born in the extreme cold depths of the sea. Its nature is extremely gentle, capable of reshaping the Dao foundation and nurturing the Qihai. Its effect is better than Earth Vein Spirit Milk, and the side effects are smaller.”

“Sounds reliable. Where can it be found?”

“Auction houses, or secret realms.” Su Ming sighed. “This thing isn’t under sect control, but precisely because of that, it’s extremely scarce on the market. The last time it appeared was three years ago at the ‘Myriad Treasures Pavilion’ annual auction. A piece only the size of a thumb fetched a sky-high price of three thousand mid-grade spirit stones.”

Three thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

Converted to low-grade spirit stones, that’s three hundred thousand.

A suffocating silence fell over the stone chamber.

Su Ming looked at that string of numbers and felt his teeth ache.

All his current assets combined amounted to only a few hundred low-grade spirit stones. The gap between them was simply an insurmountable chasm.

“This is cultivation.”

Lin Yu’s voice sounded somewhat distant, carrying a trace of self-mockery. “Wealth, companionship, methods, location—wealth comes first. Without money, even your life isn’t your own. Disciple, it seems our previous money-making speed was still too slow.”

Su Ming silently nodded.

Relying on repairs, watering the Spiritual Plant Garden, even adding in refining waste materials… wanting to gather such a huge sum would take until the monkeys grow old and the horses grow horns. By then, the grass on his grave would probably be taller than a person.

“We need to find a way to open up new sources of income.”

Su Ming’s gaze fell on a corner of the stone table.

There, several tightly sealed ceramic jars were placed.

They were precisely the “waste soil” mixed with Heavy Water and fire poison he had brought back from the Spiritual Plant Garden a few days ago.

“Master, that ‘Yin Thunder Pellet’ you mentioned before…” Su Ming’s voice was very low, his eyes flashing with a light called “ambition”. “If we could refine them in batches, what level of power could they achieve?”

“That depends on your craftsmanship.”

Lin Yu perked up, floating above the ceramic jars like a chemistry professor guiding an experiment. “The stuff in these jars right now is the rough form of ‘Thunder Fire Sand’. The fire and water spiritual energy inside are in a delicate balance, like a tightly stretched rubber band.”

“If…” Lin Yu extended a finger and drew a circle in the void. “…you use the penetrating force of the ‘Like Water Art’ to remove another thirty percent of the impurities inside, making the spiritual energy structure even purer. Then, carve an unstable ‘burst’ character rune at the core. For the outer shell, use the Red Essence Copper you refined to make a ‘fragmentation’ structure…”

Lin Yu chuckled, his smile carrying a mischievous, trouble-stirring slyness. “One pellet going off would shatter the protective spiritual shield of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. A Qi Refining Perfection cultivator would be shaken for a good while. If you throw three or five together… hehe, below Foundation Establishment, all beings are equal.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep