Chapter 427 - 323: Lechuan’s Reaction
The journey was smooth sailing. Fang Qingyuan returned from the Barbaric Territory to the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. Though the three-thousand-li journey wasn’t entirely without incident, for someone of Fang Qingyuan’s current Cultivation Realm, such minor setbacks were nothing out of the ordinary.
It wasn’t that Fang Qingyuan was arrogant, but in the White Mountain Land Realm, aside from the fewer than one hundred Golden Core Cultivators, cultivators of any other realm could no longer pose a real threat to him.
Even if he encountered a Golden Core Cultivator, Fang Qingyuan’s status alone was enough to make them dismiss any hostile thoughts. As for the occasional White Mountain Golden Core Loose Cultivators, firstly, it wasn’t worth the trouble of trying to rob a Cultivator with a powerful background like him. Secondly, if a fight did break out, Fang Qingyuan had no reason to fear them.
As someone who practiced a High-Grade Beast Taming Technique and possessed numerous trump cards, Fang Qingyuan’s combat strength was inherently greater than that of Loose Cultivators at the same realm. It was common knowledge that Loose Cultivators were generally no match for disciples from major, prestigious sects.
The ferocity of the White Mountain Loose Cultivators might be enough to intimidate the meditative-type Golden Core Cultivators from the tranquil sects of the Qi Yun Territory, but other sects weren’t afraid of them in the slightest. In fact, if they provoked a sect, it might well issue a kill order, gather its allies, and hunt them down.
Without a sect for backing, although they lived freely, their status was far inferior.
In a real confrontation, a sect disciple could call upon friends and summon reinforcements, and other sects would give them face, whereas a Loose Cultivator might not even have close friends to turn to.
Therefore, whenever a territorial war broke out, these Golden Core Loose Cultivators, like cats that had smelled fish, would flock to join the fray. They fought desperately, all in an attempt to secure a foundation for themselves.
Take the Yan Gui Sect for example. Yan Nanxing’s original home wasn’t in this area; only after he earned the right to establish a sect did he move most of the Yan Family here, intending to put down roots.
His mind began to wander as he traveled. He took a moment to check on the changes within his Immortal Mansion. A few days prior, after Bear Wind had injured him, he’d felt guilty and transferred a stream of Gold Spirit Power to Fang Qingyuan to help him heal. But when faced with such a treasure, Fang Qingyuan had secretly opened his Immortal Mansion and siphoned off a large portion of it.
Now, the Immortal Mansion had finished absorbing the power. Inside, the body of the Golden Spirit White Tiger had grown considerably. This also meant that the aptitude of Fang Qingyuan’s Gold Element Spirit Root had risen another notch in just a few short days.
Fang Qingyuan inspected his Five Elements Spirit Root aptitudes and found that each one had grown significantly after so many years of nurturing. His Metal Spirit Root had seen the most growth of all.
Currently, his Five Elements Spirit Root aptitudes were: Metal, thirty-nine; Wood, thirty-seven; Earth, thirty-six; Fire, thirty-six; and Water, thirty-eight.
Each element had increased by three to four points. This rate couldn’t be considered slow, because the higher a Spirit Root’s aptitude, the more resources were required to raise it, with the cost growing exponentially for every point.
After absorbing the Gold Spirit Power from Bear Wind, his Metal Spirit Root was now on the verge of advancing to an Earth-grade Spirit Root. If he could just break through to forty points, then at least one of his Five Elements Spirit Roots could finally be considered genius-level.
He recalled how back then, his best aptitude, his Wood Spirit Root, was a mere twenty-three. Looking at his Five Elements Spirit Roots now, he saw that ninety years of hard work and resource investment had finally allowed him to grasp at the hem of genius.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, aside from witnessing a few skirmishes between human Cultivators. Fang Qingyuan soon arrived at the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect and headed straight for Lechuan Mansion.
After being announced, Fang Qingyuan was led in to see Lechuan, who was in the middle of splashing ink with a flourish of his brush, attempting to paint a Mountain and River Flow Map.
Fang Qingyuan leaned in for a closer look. The painting was clearly a simplified map of the ten-thousand-li region connecting White Mountain and the Barbaric Wilderness. However, it was done in such an impressionistic, free-flowing style that if he hadn’t been intimately familiar with the area, Fang Qingyuan might not have recognized it at all.
He waited quietly for Lechuan to finish painting. Watching his master’s profoundly tranquil appearance, Fang Qingyuan began to laugh to himself.
A moment later, Lechuan set down his purple-haired brush, washed his hands, and gestured for Fang Qingyuan to sit for some tea. He picked up his cup and blew gently on the surface a few times—a perfectly refined gesture—before asking in a slow, deliberate tone:
"Qingyuan, what brings you to see me today? Is there something you need from your master?"
Fang Qingyuan offered a well-intentioned warning:
"Master, what I’m about to say is rather important. You might lose your composure when you hear it. Perhaps you should put your teacup down first?"
Lechuan chuckled softly, shot Fang Qingyuan a sideways glance, and said with confidence:
"What could be so important? Go ahead, I’m listening. I refuse to believe you could say anything that would shock me. Your master has weathered countless storms over the years—what is there left to see? You can drop this little dramatic act of yours."
Seeing how stubborn Lechuan was being, Fang Qingyuan thought, ’Alright, I warned you. Don’t blame me when your jaw hits the floor.’
And so, just as Lechuan took a sip of tea, Fang Qingyuan slowly spoke:
"Master, I found you a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast to be your Companion Beast!"
PFFT.
A mouthful of Spirit Tea sprayed through the air. Fang Qingyuan, having anticipated this, had already activated his Spiritual Power Protective Shield, blocking the spray. He waited until a stunned Lechuan was staring at him, then continued:
"A Mid-stage Nascent Soul one, at that. And it’s on the verge of breaking through to the late stage."
Lechuan stared at Fang Qingyuan, the expression on his face a priceless spectacle. It shifted from disbelief to suspicion, and finally, to dawning joy—though it was all still laced with a healthy dose of shock.
It was like watching a kaleidoscope of emotions, a scene that perfectly met Fang Qingyuan’s expectations. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug.