Chapter 517 Choosing Treasures, Fire Vein(TERM) Quota

It was precisely for this reason that Maris the Sea Steader (Person Name) was willing to incur a personal favor to secure an advance reservation with Eldrin (Person Name) for future shares of A Millennium of Dao Comprehension (Time & Distance) tea.

At this thought, Eldrin felt a slight sense of relief. He had actually been worried that the Sect Master of Heavenly Abode Sect might take away this Fire Source Divine Jade.

Seeing Eldrin take the Fire Source Divine Jade, Lyra gave a slight nod before turning her gaze toward the remaining treasures.

Among the remaining treasures, the 4 superior-grade spirit treasures were the most precious, with the Crimson Flame Shield and the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) Lotus being the most valuable among them.

These 2 treasures were both superior defensive spirit treasures, their value could be said to be on par with each other.

After a moment's contemplation, Lyra recalled the Snow Lotus of the Celestial Mountains she had retrieved from the underground ice veins of the Frostpeak Pavilion. Without hesitation, she exchanged it for the Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) treasure lotus.

Eldrin knew her all too well. With a faint smile, he transmitted his voice: "Refining a fifth-grade, superior Snow Lotus of the Celestial Mountains together with this Crimson Flame Qi treasure lotus into a spiritual artifact might just yield something truly astonishing."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Lyra said with a gentle smile, "Let us draw inspiration from the Divine Light of Water and Fire and the Divine Thunder of Water and Fire, while also referencing the Dual-Polarity Divine Aura we obtained from Senior Qing. Perhaps we can refine an unparalleled spiritual treasure."

"It's worth pondering a bit."

Eldrin nodded upon hearing this. The 2 Forms Divine Aura was a supreme sixth-rank pure yang divine ability, its defensive power could truly be called peerless in the world. Despite cultivating it for many years, he had only just begun to grasp its fundamentals and had yet to fully master it.

Yan Ziji was the third to make her selection. After a moment of contemplation, she ultimately chose the Scarlet Gold War Spear. As a cultivator with a fire spiritual root, this treasure would be of immense use to her.

Seeing this, Ethereal Void Fairy took the last black-red crown, obtaining her first superior-grade spirit treasure in both past and present lives.

When it was Lila's turn, there were no superior spirit treasures left, so she simply took 2 vials of Pure Yang True Blood.

The old clan leader has great use for this item. It can help him mend part of his foundation and increase his chances of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage by 10 percent.

Although this item cannot compare to the Heavenly Dao Pill (Spiritual Object) which increases the probability by 20 percent, its advantage lies in providing permanent enhancement, and it can also stack effects with the Heavenly Dao Pill (Spiritual Object).

Watching 2 drops of Pure Yang True Blood being exchanged, Celestial Xuan immediately traded for 2 drops as well, clearly acquiring these treasures for the sake of the Heavenly Abode Sect Master.

Only 3 drops of the Pure Yang True Blood remained, a treasure so exceedingly rare it surpassed even mid-grade spirit artifacts in scarcity.

Thus, there was naturally nothing more to be said. Though Chen Changxuan and Elara (Person Name) had contributed fewer merits, they each exchanged for 1 as well, intending to preserve it as a foundational treasure for their clans.

The 3 remaining cultivators from Tianluzong had all formed Mortal Dao Nascent Souls. By the time it was their turn, the high-tier treasures were already gone, but there were still plenty of fifth-tier spiritual objects. Each of them managed to acquire some valuable items.

Given the unexpected circumstances and the fact that Mo the Ancient 1 and others had contributed significantly to the battle against the Blaze Demon Monarch, the group deliberated and decided to allocate 1 spiritual entity each to Mo the Ancient 1 and Qiu Daoyi.

Both of them were holding fifth-tier treasures for the first time, and they could hardly contain their exhilaration. With reverent care, they tucked the insights they had gained securely within their robes.

After the treasures were divided, only 3 Eldrin Nascent Souls remained in the arena.

In this battle, they slew 6 Eldrin True Monarchs. As for the Eldrin Emperor and Eldrin Kings, their power was far too formidable; the group simply couldn't afford to hold back and had no choice but to utterly annihilate their Nascent Souls, leaving not even ashes behind.

Of the remaining 4 Nascent Souls, 1 was inadvertently destroyed by the crowd, leaving only 3 Flame Demon Nascent Souls remaining.

That day, the Luzu Sect Master glanced at Eldrin and couldn't resist speaking up: "I've heard your alchemy skills are exceptional, Fellow Daoist. Might I trouble you to refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill?"

"Of course it is possible."

Eldrin nodded thoughtfully, then said with measured gravity, "Although this Flame Demon isn't an otherworldly evil spirit, it was born from contamination by diluted demonic energy. The demonic aura within its Golden Core is likely extremely difficult to purge."

"The demonic energy, being suppressed by the flames, had long been mostly refined by the earth fire. These flame demons were only tainted by a small amount."

Lingxu Xianzi suddenly spoke up, and after a moment of contemplation, added, "If we use the Purifying Heart Spirit Liquid for cleansing, each Eldritch Demon would require 3 to 4 drops to be completely purified."

"Excellent." Eldrin smiled faintly. "Since you mentioned it, Ethereal Mistress happens to be skilled in concocting Serene Heart Elixir. I shall entrust this matter to your care."

With that said, the group had already divided all their gains completely.

At this moment, Eldrin finally spoke, "Let us deliberate on the distribution of shares for this underground fire vein."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned serious. Compared to the gains from this venture, shares in the Flaming Prison Fire Sea were the true key to the long-term profits of the major factions.

At this thought, the long-bearded True Monarch hastily spoke up, "Our Tianlu Sect discovered this place first, and with 5 True Monarchs present, we are entitled to 50 percent of the proceeds."

"Fellow Daoist, you are far too greedy."

Eldrin (Person Name) furrowed his brow slightly before speaking, "In this great war, our Chen Clan has contributed the most. For you to take 50 percent is simply excessive."

Seeing Eldrin frown, the long-bearded Taoist felt an inexplicable panic and promptly fell silent.

The 2 of them, Eldrin and Lyra, possessed formidable combat prowess. Eldrin alone had demonstrated strength close to 80% of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s power in this battle. With Lyra fighting alongside him, even an average late-stage Nascent Soul expert might struggle to match them.

The strength of either 1 of them far surpassed that of Daoist Tianlu. If the 2 joined forces, even the combined might of the 5 True Lords of Tianlu Sect would likely be no match for them.

Not to mention Lila, the old clan leader, and Elara were all formidable combatants whose strength far surpassed that of the Celestial Venerables from their Tianlu Sect.

Seeing the Long-Bearded Taoist remain silent, Eldrin then spoke unhurriedly, "The emergence of the Flame Demon Monarch as a formidable enemy in this battle is fundamentally due to flaws in your intelligence."

"But I haven't made any fuss, honoring our agreement by letting you choose treasures first. If you grow greedy over the shares of this underground fire vein again, I'm afraid you'd be like the serpent trying to swallow an elephant—utterly overreaching."

Seeing Eldrin frown, the Lord of the Heavenly Abyss Sect realized he had gained an advantage by taking the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and quickly added with an apologetic smile, "The matter concerning the Flame Demon Monarch was indeed our fault."

"In this matter, I offer you my sincerest apologies. Let us follow Fellow Daoist Guixu’s suggestion. How do you propose we allocate the shares this time?"

Seeing how slick he was being, Eldrin finally nodded and declared, "Regarding the allocation of the underground fire vein, the Chen Clan shall take 50%, the Tianlu Sect 30%, while Fellow Daoist Zi Ji and Fairy Lingxu will each receive 10%."

"How about it?"

Upon hearing this, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Abode Sect felt a slight stir in his heart. He then nodded and said, "This distribution seems quite reasonable. Our Heavenly Abode Sect has no objections."

Yan Zi and Lingxu Fairy had no objections upon hearing this. After all, each had come alone this time, and being allotted a 10 percent share was purely out of respect for their formidable combat prowess.

Seeing that no 1 had any objections, Eldrin smiled and said, "Then it's settled."

"Let us pool our resources according to our shares and cultivate a Fifth-Order Spirit Vein here."

"In the days to come, Fellow Daoist Mo and Fellow Daoist Qiu shall be stationed here. Each of our families will then take turns dispatching a True Lord to guard this place."

Chapter 1: The Discarded Prodigy The biting north wind swept across the training grounds, carrying with it the chill of late autumn. The setting sun cast its final rays upon the stone platform, where a youth in blue robes stood trembling, his face as pale as parchment. "Lin Xuan, Foundation Establishment failed. Cultivation base regressed to the fifth level of Qi Refining. No longer qualified for inner sect discipleship!" The law enforcement elder's voice echoed across the square, cold and merciless. A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd of onlookers. "From the genius who reached the ninth level of Qi Refining at 15 to this... What a fall from grace!" "They say his spiritual roots were damaged during his last secret realm expedition." Lin Xuan bit his lip until it bled, the metallic taste filling his mouth. He made no attempt to wipe away the blood trickling from the corner of his lips. 3 years—3 years of relentless cultivation, only to watch his hard-earned progress vanish like smoke. He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces in the crowd—some pitying, some mocking, others utterly indifferent. Among them, he caught the eyes of his former master, Elder Mu Yun, who quickly averted his gaze. "According to sect rules," the law enforcement elder's voice snapped him back to reality, "you are to hand over your identity token and vacate the inner sect premises by nightfall." Lin Xuan's fingers trembled as he removed the azure token from his waist. The character "Inner" carved upon it seemed to mock him. Just as he was about to surrender it, a clear voice cut through the air. "Wait!" A young girl in moon-white robes stepped forward, her features exquisite as if carved from jade. The crowd parted for her, whispers following in her wake. "It's Senior Sister Su Mingyue!" "The number 1 beauty of our sect, and she actually defended that waste?" Su Mingyue paid no mind to the murmurs. She bowed respectfully to the law enforcement elder. "Elder, Junior Brother Lin Xuan may have fallen from grace, but he once brought great honor to our sect. I beg you to allow him to remain in the inner sect for 3 more months—until the annual assessment." The law enforcement elder frowned. "Sect rules are absolute." "Then..." Su Mingyue hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I am willing to offer 10,000 spirit stones from my personal allowance in exchange for this exception." Gasps filled the air. 10,000 spirit stones—that was enough for an entire year's cultivation resources for an ordinary inner sect disciple. Lin Xuan's heart clenched. He looked at Su Mingyue, memories flooding back—how they had discussed cultivation techniques together, explored ancient texts, and shared their dreams beneath the moonlight. But that was before his fall. The law enforcement elder pondered for a long moment before finally nodding. "Since the sect leader's daughter speaks on his behalf... very well. 3 months. Not a day more." As the crowd dispersed, Su Mingyue approached Lin Xuan. "Junior Brother Lin," she said softly, "this is all I can do for you." Lin Xuan took a deep breath. "Why?" A complex emotion flickered in Su Mingyue's eyes. "Call it... repayment for saving my life in the Black Wind Valley 3 years ago." With those words, she turned and left, her white robes fluttering in the wind like a blossoming lotus. Lin Xuan stood alone on the training ground as night began to fall. Just as he was about to leave, a sneering voice reached his ears. "Well, if it isn't the great genius? Still clinging to false hopes?" A young man in brocade robes approached, flanked by several followers. Lin Xuan recognized him immediately—Zhang Hu, the young master of a cultivation family who had always been jealous of his talent. Zhang Hu circled Lin Xuan slowly. "Even if you get 3 months, what difference does it make? A cripple will always be a cripple." Lin Xuan clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "What I do is none of your concern." "Oh?" Zhang Hu's smile widened. "I heard you've been frequenting the Scripture Library lately. Looking for a way to restore your spiritual roots?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Give up. Damaged spiritual roots can never be healed. You'd be better off leaving the sect and becoming a mortal." With a contemptuous laugh, Zhang Hu and his group swaggered away. Lin Xuan stood frozen in place for a long time before finally turning toward the Scripture Library. The setting sun stretched his shadow long and lonely across the ground. He knew better than anyone the truth about his condition. But what others didn't know was that during his last attempt at Foundation Establishment, he had vaguely sensed something unusual within his dantian—a mysterious light that appeared just as his spiritual roots were shattering. Perhaps... this was his final hope.