Eleven Pieces of Low-Grade Spirit Stones

At noon, there was a simple meal of vegetable tofu soup, stir-fried vegetables, and rice.

Although it was plain, Chen An’nian also joined the rice-scraping family.

The five of them finished their meal in less than five minutes.

After eating, Li Shaodian wiped his mouth and asked, “How was your learning today?”

“Master, the three senior brothers taught me very well,” Chen An’nian obediently replied.

“No, I didn’t teach you anything today,” Xia Longque quickly interjected.

“You didn’t spar with me, but you gave me something even more important,” Chen An’nian said with a smile.

“I can’t stand it,” Xia Longque said as he stood up, “It’s not just me, I only... gave two extra pieces.”

“Tomorrow, don’t forget to spar with your junior brother,” Li Shaodian said to Xia Longque as he walked away.

“I know, I’ll definitely kick his ass tomorrow,” Xia Longque waved his hand.

After finishing washing the dishes, Chen An’nian noticed that the master and the three senior brothers were all still in their rooms and hadn’t come out.

Not wanting to disturb them, he took the three porcelain bottles given by his senior brothers and went down the Humble Peak alone.

He thought about returning the pills his senior brothers bought for him..

Humble Peak was so poor, apart from being able to have a full meal, nothing else could be guaranteed.

It would be better to exchange them for something else and slightly improve his life, Chen An’nian thought.

However, when he arrived at the Outer Sect Elixir Hall, Chen An’nian was immediately furious.

“What!?”

“Ten Qi and Blood Pills cost two pieces of low-grade spirit stones when purchased; ten Body Nourishing Pills cost five pieces of low-grade spirit stones; and three Ice Refinement Pills cost six pieces of low-grade spirit stones.”

“And when I returned them, you only gave me six pieces of low-grade spirit stones?”

“It hasn’t even been three hours, and you’ve deducted more than half!?”

Chen An’nian shouted at the Alchemy Peak disciple behind the counter.

The Alchemy Peak disciple scratched his ear.

“Are you a newcomer?”

“So what?”

Chen An’nian’s eyes were about to shoot fire.

Humble Peak was already poor enough, and yet they were being cheated by this unscrupulous medicine shop.

Was there no justice?

“Don’t we, the Alchemy Peak, deserve to make a profit from refining elixirs? Do you expect us to refine them for free?”

“And what about all the miscellaneous expenses? Shouldn’t they be paid for?”

“If you return them now, I can only buy them back at the cost of the medicinal materials. Do you understand?”

The Alchemy Peak disciple explained.

“If I return them to you, you can still sell them to someone else, right? You won’t lose anything,” Chen An’nian argued logically.

The surrounding outer disciples looked over, but Chen An’nian paid no attention.

One piece of low-grade spirit stone was worth five hundred taels of silver.

How many clothes could be bought with that?

How much delicious food?

The master was even wearing a robe with holes in it, and everyone’s meals were worse than those of the factotum disciples.

If they could get one more piece of spirit stone, they could eat and drink well for at least half a year.

“If everyone were like you, how would our Alchemy Peak’s elixir business keep running?”

The Alchemy Peak disciple said impatiently.

“We are already much more conscientious than those outside.”

“You...”

Chen An’nian wanted to shout again but was stopped by someone grabbing his shoulder.

“Sorry, my brother just arrived and doesn’t know any better. Chill, buddy, leave it to me...”

“Who is your brother...!?”

Chen An’nian turned his head and found that the person holding him was a round and chubby guy.

He was slightly shorter than himself, but his physique was twice as big and then some.

“If you want to get more spirit stones, come with me,” the chubby guy whispered in Chen An’nian’s ear.

Upon hearing this, Chen An’nian glanced at the Alchemy Peak disciple and followed the chubby guy out of the Elixir Hall.

“Who are you?”

“Indeed, you’re new here. You don’t even recognize me, Luo Youcai,” the chubby guy let go of Chen An’nian.

“Luo Youcai?”

Suddenly, an image flashed in Chen An’nian’s mind.

During the factotum disciple assessment, there was a person who brought a colorful book to participate.

The person who sold books was an outer disciple with the surname Luo.

Could it be him?

“What’s with that look in your eyes?”

Luo Youcai felt a little uneasy when he saw Chen An’nian’s strange gaze.

In Chen An’nian’s heart, he had already formed an opinion about this guy: shameless and insatiable.

But he still asked while holding the elixirs, “How many spirit stones can you give me for these elixirs?”

Luo Youcai gestured with his hand, “Eight pieces of low-grade spirit stones.”

“Just two more?”

Chen An’nian scoffed, “Have you fallen into a money pit?”

“Just two more?”

Luo Youcai counted on his fingers, “Brother, one piece of low-grade spirit stone is worth five hundred taels of silver. Two pieces are one thousand taels.”

“Do you think spirit stones are as cheap as cabbage?”

“If I take over these elixirs, I can’t sell them at the original price, and I have to bear the risk. Eight pieces of low-grade spirit stones are already a lot!”

Chen An’nian took out the miscellaneous herbs and pills from the cloth bag and asked, “How much do you think we can get for these?”

Luo Youcai glanced at them and replied, “These are all low-quality items, combined they are worth only one piece of low-grade spirit stone.”

“Don’t take advantage of me just because I’m new here and intentionally lower the price,” Chen An’nian said, putting the bag away.

“You can call me fat, but you can’t insult my expertise,” Luo Youcai patted his chest.

“Ask around the the six peaks and seventy-two mountains of the Outer Sect. My reputation, Luo Youcai, is more genuine than gold.”

“Otherwise, how do you think I’ve made it this far...”

Chen An’nian raised his hand to stop Luo Youcai from boasting further and said, “Let’s not waste time. These pills, along with this pile of items, amount to ten pieces of low-grade spirit stone.”

“If you can take it, take it. If not, let’s not waste words,” Chen An’nian added.

Luo Youcai stared at Chen An’nian and remarked, “You’ve got some skills, young man.”

“Alright, ten pieces of low-grade spirit stone. Consider me your friend,” Chen An’nian concluded, taking out ten pieces of low-grade spirit stone from his waist pouch.

Chen An’nian decided not to exchange the silver notes and silver fragments for spirit stones.

He wanted to keep them to buy some things and improve the conditions at Humble Peak.

“These pills were bought for you by your elders, right?”

Luo Youcai asked as he carefully put away the pills.

“Yes,” Chen An’nian nodded.

“Why don’t you use them yourself? It’s a big loss to buy and then return them,” Luo Youcai said.

“You just entered the Outer Sect, and this is the time to use these things.”

“My seniors are facing some difficulties...”

Chen An’nian cautiously tucked the spirit stones into the cloth bag and then into his embrace.

Luo Youcai seemed to realize something.

“Are you... are you Chen An’nian!?”

Surprised, Chen An’nian asked, “How do you know?”

“Who doesn’t know you? A three-star factotum disciple who chose the neglected Humble Peak after all these years,” Luo Youcai exclaimed.

“You, young man, are quite famous!”

Luo Youcai looked at Chen An’nian again and said, “If it was someone from Humble Peak who bought these pills for you, then it must have been very difficult.”

“They can barely heal their own injuries, let alone scrape together spirit stones to buy pills for you. It’s truly remarkable,” Luo Youcai sighed.

“What do you mean? Their injuries? What kind of injuries?”

Chen An’nian hurriedly asked.

“They probably didn’t tell you,” Luo Youcai casually found a stone to sit on.

“Among the six main peaks of the Outer Sect, why do you think Humble Peak is the most desolate?”

“In fact, back then, Humble Peak was known as the strongest peak in the sect. Even the Inner Sect’s Heavenly Capital Peak didn’t dare to claim superiority over it.”

“The disciples of Humble Peak at that time were only six, each one a top-notch expert. The younger generation had almost no rivals. The peak master of Humble Peak, Li Shaodian, was the strongest among the elders. Many female elders in our sect were attracted to him...”

“Anyway, Humble Peak was incredibly powerful back then, to the point of being terrifying.”

Luo Youcai spoke with great enthusiasm.

Chen An’nian was deeply shaken by what he heard.

Are my master and three senior brothers really that strong?

They could be considered the best in the entire Green Mountain Sect!?

“What happened?” Chen An’nian asked.

Shaking his head helplessly, Luo Youcai replied, “That was eight years ago, and no one knows the exact details.”

“According to rumors, all the disciples of Humble Peak left the sect at that time. When they returned, the peak master was half-crippled, and only three of the six disciples remained.”

“No one knows the reason.”

“Since then, Humble Peak has been completely desolate, and for the past five years, no one has entered there.”

“You are the first person to choose Humble Peak in these five years,” Luo Youcai praised Chen An’nian with a thumbs-up.

“Let’s see how long you can endure...”

With that, Luo Youcai shook his head and left, leaving Chen An’nian lost in thought.

...

As the sun was about to set, Chen An’nian hurried back with a large bag of items.

His master and three senior brothers were all sitting at the dining table, waiting for him.

When they saw him return, all four of them stared at him in silence, their expressions not very pleasant.

“Master, senior brothers,” Chen An’nian respectfully greeted them with a bow.

“You finally decided to come back?”

Xia Longque asked sarcastically.

“I heard someone went to the Elixir Hall to return the pills, almost causing a scene,” Xia Longque’s face turned sour.

These pills were hard-earned by them, and each one was precious.

They had thought that Chen An’nian choosing Humble Peak meant he didn’t despise it here.

So they tightened their belts and didn’t want to make things difficult for him.

But now, he wanted to return the pills as soon as he got them.

It was as if he didn’t value the pills or them.

Chen An’nian scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“It’s true that those disciples from the Elixir Hall were too unscrupulous.”

“How many did you return?” Shen Chunqiu asked coldly.

“Eleven... I spent one to buy some things for daily expenses,” Chen An’nian chuckled.

“How much?”

Li Shaodian’s gaze slightly narrowed.

“Eleven,” Chen An’nian took out the ten low-grade spirit stones from his embrace.

Once again, Chen An’nian reached into his sleeve and took out the remaining silver pieces.

He then opened the cloth bag, revealing a pile of food and four new garments.

“Everything is here,” he said.

Chen An’nian continued, “Although I lost two pieces of low-grade spirit stones, I don’t feel the urgency to use these elixirs yet, as I haven’t reached the Qi and Blood Realm.”

“With so many spirit stones, we should use them sparingly and improve our lives for several years,” he added.

“In any case, when I reach that stage in my cultivation, we might even become wealthy...”

The coldness in the eyes of the four disciples gradually dissipated, replaced by a warm current.

However, it was quickly replaced by anger.

Did this brat take them for children?

Did he think they were unaware of the value of elixirs?

Eleven pieces of low-grade spirit stones?

That’s a difference of five pieces!

Did he think they were fools, or was he considering himself one?

“Let’s eat,” Li Shaodian interrupted Chen An’nian’s rambling in a stern tone.

The others quickly began to dig into their food.

Chen An’nian was dumbfounded.

He hadn’t even sat down yet, and they couldn’t wait for him.

Moreover...

“I also bought a lotus leaf roasted chicken...”

Chen An’nian took out a lotus leaf package from his pocket and slowly opened it, revealing the steaming roasted chicken inside.

“Gulp.”

The dining table fell silent once again.

All four of them stared at the roasted chicken in Chen An’nian’s hands.

“Why aren’t you taking it already!?” Xia Longque roared.

Chen An’nian shrugged and quickly placed the lotus leaf-roasted chicken on the table.

The five of them continued to eat voraciously, but no one competed with Chen An’nian for the chicken legs.

After dinner, Li Shaodian patted his belly as usual, ready to leave.

“Master, here are the spirit stones for you, and the clothes too. You should try them on,” Chen An’nian mumbled with the aroma of the chicken leg still lingering, somewhat unclear.

Li Shaodian didn’t accept the spirit stones but instead picked through the four garments.

Finally, he chose a dark blue robe.

“Those elixirs were bought for you. Since you don’t want them, keep the spirit stones for yourself.”

Shen Chunqiu quickly took the plain white silk robe.

Xu Shouqiao happily tucked the gray shorts into his pocket.

In the end, there was a light blue flowing cloud garment left, which Xia Longque picked up with a knife.

While Chen An’nian was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, he caught a glimpse, illuminated by the lamplight, of his master and the three senior brothers trying on the clothes, examining them with occasional murmurs of approval.

...

The night was slightly chilly, and Chen An’nian’s door was gently knocked.

It was his eldest senior brother.

Chen An’nian put on his robe and opened the door.

“Eldest Senior Brother, is there something you need?”

“Come, accompany me for a walk,” Xu Shouqiao said with a smile.

The two of them walked to the Overlook Pavilion where Shen Chunqiu often stayed.

Xu Shouqiao spoke first, “Thank you for the clothes today, Little Junior Brother.”

“Eldest Senior Brother, you’re too polite. I was just running errands. The spirit stones were Master and other senior brothers bought the elixirs with,” Chen An’nian replied, somewhat confused.

Xu Shouqiao shook his head with a smile, not dwelling on the matter.

“Today, Master smiled, and I’m also very happy.”

Chen An’nian didn’t understand.

“Why did Master smile today? I’ve been here since yesterday, so why did he only start smiling today? Isn’t the reaction a bit delayed?”

“Eldest Senior Brother, I heard others say that our Humble Peak used to be glorious. What happened now?”

Chen An’nian finally voiced his doubts.

Xu Shouqiao patted Chen An’nian’s shoulder.

“Tonight, I want to talk to you about the history of our Humble Peak.”

"Forty years ago, the Green Mountain Sect arrived here. Since then, Humble Peak has been the top Outer Sect of the Green Mountain Sect!”

“All the disciples who left Humble Peak became the pillars of the sect, with many of them becoming elders.”

“But eight years ago, Master discovered a treasure and wanted to take another step forward. A great battle broke out, but unfortunately, the enemy had superior numbers and managed to hold us back.”

“As a result, three senior brothers were gone forever. Master risked his life to protect the three youngest ones and escaped back to the Green Mountain Sect...”

Xu Shouqiao sighed, gazing at the moon in the sky, filled with countless emotions.

Back then, he was only in his early twenties, and now he was already in his thirties.

“Eight years ago, were those senior brothers still very young?” Chen An’nian asked.

“Yes, eight years ago, I was twenty-two, your second senior brother was nineteen, and your third senior brother was only thirteen,” Xu Shouqiao replied.

Chen An’nian was astonished.

Twenty-two and nineteen were understandable, but thirteen years old and already going out to battle?

And it was a life-or-death one.

Wasn’t that too extreme?

“Third Senior Brother was only thirteen at that time?”

Xu Shouqiao, rarely showing a proud expression, said, “Yes, Longque was only thirteen at that time.”

“A Martial Formation Realm cultivator at thirteen!”

“Throughout the history of the Green Mountain Sect, even during its most glorious period, such a genius never appeared!”

“Martial Formation Realm?” Chen An’nian looked at Xu Shouqiao.

Xu Shouqiao explained, “The Martial Formation Realm is the third stage of the Opening Aperture Realm.”

“The Three Opening Apertures consists of three stages: the first stage is the Open Energy Realm, the second stage is the Connect Meridians Realm, and the third stage is the Martial Formation Realm.”

No wonder the third senior brother is so arrogant; turns out he’s that powerful.

Xu Shouqiao let out a long sigh, “Unfortunately, after that great battle, we all suffered severe injuries, injuries that affected our essence.”

“I am currently barely at the level of Gang Power Realm, your second senior brother is also similar, while the third junior brother is slightly better, but still stuck at the Gang Power Realm.”

“Moreover, as time goes by, once we lose control over the injuries within our bodies, our strength will only weaken further.”

“So, the reason why Humble Peak has fallen into such a state is largely due to healing. We have almost exhausted all our reserves.”

Chen An’nian finally understood why Humble Peak, once glorious and prosperous, had fallen overnight.

“Eldest Senior Brother, what exactly did you discover back then?” Chen An’nian asked.

“A...spirit stone mine!”

Gulp.

Chen An’nian swallowed hard, looking at Xu Shouqiao as if he had seen a ghost.

After a long silence, Chen An’nian finally recovered from the shock.

Oh my goodness.

So, you guys discovered a spirit stone mine even more extravagant than a gold mine.

Truly astonishing.

Just these three words made Chen An’nian feel the dominance of Humble Peak back then.

To think that with the power of only seven people, they wanted to claim a spirit stone mine.

How could they have such disregard for others?

Even the current Green Mountain Sect doesn’t have a spirit stone mine.

Are they joking about this strategic resource?

They must be insane!

A bunch of lunatics!

Even thirteen-year-old Xia Longque went to battle with a sword.

Chen An’nian couldn’t even imagine the scene back then.

“Eldest Senior Brother, are your injuries healed now?”

Chen An’nian suddenly thought of something.

“Injuries that affect our essence are basically incurable,” Xu Shouqiao chuckled, “but don’t worry, the three of us can hold on until you grow up.”

“We have a tradition at Humble Peak, where the senior brother always stands in front of the junior brother.”

After pondering for a moment, Chen An’nian asked a mischievous question:

“Eldest Senior Brother, if there was a kind of elixir that could heal without any side effects, even mending the hidden injuries within the body, do you think anyone would buy it?”

Xu Shouqiao paused for a moment, then said, “If such an elixir truly existed, it would definitely be in high demand. Everyone would scramble to buy it.”

“Every elixir has toxicity; it’s just that higher-grade elixirs have less toxicity.”

“But even with the best elixirs, toxicity accumulates in the body. The more elixirs you consume, the greater the toxicity, leading to resistance and diminishing effects...”

Chen An’nian’s eyes lit up; he thought of a way, perhaps to earn spirit stones.

And not just a few, but a lot of spirit stones!