Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 172: Chapter 170: Jade Spirit Spring

Ning Daoran was slightly tempted.

Not only by the Third-tier True Feather, but also by the Jade Spirit Spring of Xiyu Pavilion, which was famous throughout the world.

It was said that the Jade Spirit Spring had existed since the Ancient Era and had the ability to purify the turbid qi of demon beasts and temper their bodies. Long-term refinement could even improve the aptitude of spiritual beasts and promote their advancement!

Just right, both the White Deer and Little Blackie could be tempered, in hopes of advancing yet another step.

Moreover, in Ning Daoran’s plan to travel the world, the Jade Spirit Spring was a must-visit place. Going there now was simply a bit earlier than planned; it definitely wouldn’t be a wasted trip.

“Fellow Daoist Chen.”

Ning Daoran smiled faintly, “I’ve heard that there is a Jade Spirit Spring on the back mountain of Xiyu Pavilion, capable of tempering the bodies of spiritual beasts. May I ask if I could use this Jade Spirit Spring?”

“You joke, Daoist.”

Chen Ping’er covered her mouth and chuckled lightly, “Fellow Daoist Ning is a distinguished guest of Xiyu Pavilion; you naturally have access to the Jade Spirit Spring. As for tempering the bodies of spiritual beasts, that’s a minor matter.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Ning Daoran then inquired, “About that Third-tier Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, may I know its price? Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Chen, so I have an idea and don’t embarrass myself by making an offer too low when I arrive at your pavilion.”

“Well…”

Chen Ping’er pursed her red lips, pondering, “A Third-tier Mid-grade True Feather, this item is regarded as one of the rarest materials in our pavilion. If you really desire it… I estimate the price would be around fifty thousand Spirit Stones.”

“Fifty thousand?”

Ning Daoran couldn’t help but inhale sharply, feeling quite pained.

In his Storage Bag, he only had a little over eighty thousand Spirit Stones, and that included what he obtained from the Storage Bags of Old Monster Jinxia and Lay Practitioner Bai Ming.

“However.”

Chen Ping’er continued, “After the beast tide battle a few years ago, many treasure weapons were severely damaged, and Xiyu Pavilion is in dire need of Spiritual Artifacts to enrich its foundations. If Fellow Daoist truly wants the Third-tier True Feather, it could be exchanged for Spiritual Artifacts.”

“Spiritual Artifacts for exchange?”

There were more than twenty Spiritual Artifacts inside Ning Daoran’s Storage Ring, all looted from Storage Bags of various Great Cultivators while exploring secret realms, yet to be disposed of—his reserves were quite substantial.

“That’s right.”

Chen Ping’er smiled lightly, “In my opinion, if you have about ten Spiritual Artifacts, plus supplementing them with one or two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, exchanging for the Third-tier True Feather wouldn’t be a difficult task.”

“Fellow Daoist speaks lightly.”

Ning Daoran said helplessly, “I am but a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. Where would these dozen or more Spiritual Artifacts come from? I’m afraid I’d have to scrape them together from my fellow sect brothers and seniors.”

Chen Ping’er burst into laughter, “I believe Fellow Daoist Ning could collect these items. If you have already made up your mind… I’ll send a word to our Main Altar to prepare a guest room to welcome the distinguished guest?”

“Good.”

Ning Daoran replied, “If all goes well, I will journey to Xiyu Pavilion with you in three days.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Chen Ping’er laughed lightly, “I’ll also arrange some affairs for Xiyu Pavilion, ask the managers to take extra care, and take the opportunity to relax a bit during the days accompanying you to the Main Altar.”

Ning Daoran bowed and took his leave.

…

Three days later.

Dressed in the Foundation Establishment Elder robes of Chaotic Sect, Ning Daoran, along with Big Stupid Deer and after a brief chat with a Foundation Establishment senior brother from Wind Stopping Tower, stepped into Xiyu Pavilion.

This action was nothing more than to inform Xiyu Pavilion that his visit to the Main Altar was approved by his sect, and that if he didn’t come back, Chaotic Sect would not let the matter rest.

Although this seemed superfluous, as his own means of escape were extraordinary, not even a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator from Xiyu Pavilion might be able to detain him.

But to err on the side of caution, he would habitually prepare and fill in the gaps.

“Fellow Daoist Ning.”

Chen Ping’er, dressed in a white gown and holding a treasure sword, looked stunning today.

Ning Daoran glanced at her and thought to himself, are you trying to be Lu Xueqi?

“Aw, aw~~”

Big Stupid Deer nudged Ning Daoran’s shoulder, indicating that the lady looked particularly nice today.

Ning Daoran patted the deer’s face, signaling it to stay calm and not to act as if it had never seen the world.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, shall we depart now?”

“Yes.”

Chen Ping’er nodded and smiled, “The Flying Boat is ready in the backyard; just follow me.”

Soon after, a huge Flying Boat, nearly thirty feet long, rose into the sky from the backyard of Xiyu Pavilion, piercing through the clouds and heading deep into the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range, northeastward.

Inside the cabin, private rooms were available, and Ning Daoran sat opposite Chen Ping’er.

Through the glazed windows, strands of clouds scattered, presenting an enchanting view.

“You’re visiting Xiyu Pavilion’s Main Altar for the first time, right?” Chen Ping’er asked with a smile.

“Indeed.”

Ning Daoran nodded, “I’m a stranger in a strange land, so I’ll have to ask for Fellow Daoist Chen’s care.”

“Of course.”

Chen Ping’er’s dimples showed as she smiled gently, “The journey to the Main Altar will take about two days of flight. Would you like two maids to accompany you?”

“No need.”

Ning Daoran shook his head, “I practice the True Yang Furnace Technique and would rather not disrupt my cultivation early.”

Chen Ping’er laughed softly, “In that case, let me keep you company then.”

“Very well.”

And so, they passed the time with tea and meditation, quite leisurely.

On the way, nothing untoward happened; they encountered neither robbery cultivators nor any sect skirmishes, nor did they come across any high-level demon beasts that could damage the Flying Boat.

Everything went remarkably smoothly.

…

On the evening of the third day, they arrived at Xiyu Pavilion.

Ning Daoran walked onto the deck and saw the evening glow casting a layer of gold over the mountains and rivers. Among the peaks, a continuous expanse of buildings stretched out — the legendary Xiyu Pavilion’s Main Altar, doing business across Qingzhou, Ningzhou, and Yizhou, now lay before him.

“Fellow Daoist Ning, we’ve arrived.”

Chen Ping’er stood by his side, her beautiful eyes admiring the scenic mountains, visibly enjoying the view.

Before long, the flying boat descended in an open area.

Chen Ping’er led Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer to the front of a courtyard and said, “This small courtyard named ‘Small Qingxin Building’ is one of the top courtyards of the main altar. Fellow Daoist Ning, it would be good for you to stay here during your time at Xiyu Pavilion. Xiangling, you must attend to him well.”

“Yes!”

A maid dressed in a red dress respectfully greeted them and said, “Xiangling has met the young master. Whatever you need, please feel free to tell Xiangling.”

“Alright, thank you very much!”

Ning Daoran nodded with a smile.

“The sky is already dark today, and the Supreme Elder is still in seclusion.”

Chen Ping’er smiled and said, “Let’s leave the matter of the transaction until tomorrow, and later, I will bring wine and dishes to the Small Qingxin Building to give you a feast to cleanse the dust of travel.”

“If so, I’ll trouble you, Fellow Daoist.”

“No need to be polite.”

Some time later, Chen Ping’er indeed arrived, bringing with her a member of the main altar’s management surnamed Wu, a fat man with a figure-eight beard, who was very respectful knowing that Ning Daoran was an honored guest.

After a satisfying meal, Ning Daoran glanced at the distant mountains and said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, since we’ll discuss the transaction tomorrow, today I’d like to take Old Lu to the Jade Spirit Spring. Is that convenient?”

“Of course.”

Chen Ping’er said, “Manager Wu, you are familiar with the locale of the Jade Spirit Spring. How about you take Fellow Daoist Ning there to refine the physical body of the spiritual beast?”

“It’s a minor matter; I’ll take care of it.”

Manager Wu said, “Senior Ning, shall we set off now?”

“Hmm.”

“Then, please follow me.”

Saying this, Manager Wu gently patted his storage bag and took out a flying artifact, immediately wobbling into the air.

It turned out he was a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and considering his weight of a few hundred pounds, his ability to fly with a royal artifact was quite remarkable.

Ning Daoran smiled and, along with Big Stupid Deer, turned into a tunneling light and soared into the sky, following Manager Wu from neither too far nor too close.

…

In the back mountain, a stretch of spirit land, all of which is the property of Xiyu Pavilion, spans thousands of miles.

Looking down at the land, Ning Daoran saw herds of spiritual sheep, spiritual deer, and spiritual bulls racing across the earth, while at the foot of the mountains, there were patches of spirit fields with huts where spirit farmers lived, connected to each other in a row.

This Xiyu Pavilion is ultimately too wealthy!

Ning Daoran frowned slightly. When Lay Practitioner Bai Ming explored the secret realm last time, the storage bag he carried was so poor. Could it be that this fellow had already been robbed by Soul-devouring Demon before my arrival?

It couldn’t be ruled out as a possibility.

Otherwise, with the foundation of Xiyu Pavilion, Lay Practitioner Bai Ming should at least have one or two magical treasures by his side.

After all, at that time, he was the Supreme Elder of Xiyu Pavilion, no different from the Supreme Emperor, and he could freely dispose of everything of Xiyu Pavilion.

An hour later.

In a dense forest, the spiritual energy became increasingly richer.

There must be a spirit vein deep within the earth, likely around a Second-stage Lower Grade. If this were outside, it would have long attracted the contention of those Foundation Establishment families.

Yet here, Xiyu Pavilion simply let the second-order spirit vein nourish the land, enriching the soil and water of the region.

“Senior Ning,”

Manager Wu stretched out his hand and pointed ahead, smiling, “The Jade Spirit Spring is just in front.”

“Good!”

Shortly after, Manager Wu piloted the artifact to land. Up ahead, a large hall appeared, from which a Foundation Establishment cultivator and two Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivators emerged, all guardians of the Jade Spirit Spring.

“Elder Zhou, this Senior Ning is an esteemed guest of our Xiyu Pavilion and wishes to use the Jade Spirit Spring to cleanse and refine the body of a spiritual beast. Here is the token.”

“Oh~~~”

The Foundation Establishment cultivator glanced at the token and then his gaze briefly lingered on Ning Daoran, noting that he too was at Early-stage Foundation Establishment, and immediately the respect in his eyes diminished slightly.

“Please come in, Fellow Daoist Ning.”

The two Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivators input mana into the jade talisman, and instantly a “hum” rippled out, opening a gap in the outer prohibitions of the Jade Spirit Spring.

“Thank you!”

Ning Daoran took Big Stupid Deer and floated through; behind them, the prohibitions closed.

…

Before them was a pool of azure-blue spring water. Without even invoking his divine sense, Ning Daoran could see the crystal-clear bottom of the spring just with his own eyes.

“Old Lu.”

He smiled slightly, “It has been ten years since your last bath, hasn’t it?”

“Ao ao~~”

Aside, Big Stupid Deer grumbled, indicating that in fact, it had only been eight years.

“The Jade Spirit Spring is right in front of you, go on and wash.”

Ning Daoran smiled faintly, “Little Blackie, come out and bathe!”

“Squeak squeak~~”

Suddenly, a white deer and an Ink Jiao dragon rushed into the Jade Spirit Spring, playing extremely joyfully.

Ning Daoran then sat by the pool, turning his divine sense to explore the Jade Spirit Spring. Soon he discovered that the reason for the formation of the spring here was the presence of a cluster of blue mist lingering underground, appearing like a mass of blue jade.

With the strength of Ning Daoran’s divine sense, it was easy to see through it—it was actually a spirit vein curled up together.

…

In the water, Big Stupid Deer and Little Blackie rushed back and forth, allowing the spiritual energy of the Jade Spirit Spring to refine their bodies. This process was very long, and the muscles of the two spiritual beasts visibly became more and more firm.

With nothing else to do, Ning Daoran entered the Spirit Garden Cave Heaven to check on the growth of the spirit grass and plants.

But not long after, Ning Daoran suddenly sensed an extremely powerful aura of a spiritual beast speeding towards them from beneath the earth.

He hurried out of the Spirit Garden Cave Heaven with a cold look in his eyes, “Old Lu, Little Blackie, come up quickly!”

Big Stupid Deer leapt ashore; it never liked bathing anyway.

“Squeak squeak~~”

Little Blackie still wanted to play a bit longer, but just in the next second, suddenly a tremor came from underground.

“Boom~~~”

A splash of water shot up, followed by a thick, scale-covered claw emerging from the water, viciously pressing Little Blackie’s head into the water!