Pure Nine Gates Lantern
"Xuan'er, take four of these Immortal Peach fruits."
After Fu Zongjue and Zhou Shengqing left Xiaonanshan, only Chen Mobai and his two disciples remained. Chen Mobai looked at the basket full of peaches in Zhuo Ming's hand and gestured for her to pick some herself.
"Thank you, Master!"
Luo Yixuan had long coveted the Immortal Peach fruits, but due to her special physical condition, she needed to suppress her cultivation progress. Therefore, Chen Mobai had never allowed her to consume them.
Now that she was a Core Formation cultivator, with Granny Ming acting as her external avatar providing support, she could manage even a sudden breakthrough in spiritual power to the Core Formation realm.
Thus, consuming the Immortal Peach fruits posed no problem.
"Ming'er, you take two more as well."
Zhuo Ming had already consumed two, and the effect of taking more would be greatly diminished, but since there were many peaches available now, Chen Mobai naturally prioritized his own disciples.
"Master, what about Senior Disciple Brother?" Zhuo Ming asked again after picking one.
"Wenbai's foundation and talent aren't as good as yours two, so I had him refine his spiritual power and solidify his foundation to prevent failure during his future Core Formation due to these hidden issues. However, it's almost time now; inform him later to come and get four as well."
Liu Wenbai had been at Foundation Establishment for almost twenty years. He was most obedient to Chen Mobai's words, diligently working and cultivating all these years. He also encountered a bottleneck the year before last, and after two years of refinement, it was time for a breakthrough.
"And Junior Disciple Brother, he's only taken two." Zhuo Ming asked again, increasingly taking on the demeanor of a matriarch.
"When he comes over at the end of the year, give him two as well. I'll leave this matter to you."
Although consuming a fifth Immortal Peach fruit could still increase liquid spiritual power by one drop, it no longer enhanced spiritual roots. Therefore, Chen Mobai wasn't overly wasteful. Four fruits per disciple was just right!
Moreover, Zhuo Ming had already communicated with the newly ascended Immortal Peach tree. Apart from the Fourth-Grade Immortal Peach fruits, which required thirty years to mature, the Third-Grade Immortal Peach tree could mature one extra fruit each year without affecting the nutrition of the Fourth-Grade peaches.
Furthermore, with Zhuo Ming's assistance using her Primal Qi of All Things and Tai Sui liquid, this maturation speed could be further reduced.
Chen Mobai was unsure of the effect the Fourth-Grade Immortal Peach fruits would have on him, as this was the first documented Fourth-Grade Immortal Peach tree in the entire history of the Eastern Barrens. Thus, he was quite looking forward to it.
"Master, what about the remaining seven?" Zhuo Ming counted the peaches in the bamboo basket and asked again.
These fruits could only be preserved for a few years after being picked. If not consumed, she could use them to make wine, but comparatively, it was best for cultivators to consume them.
"I'll take one for my grand-niece Gu Yan. You send one to my grand-niece Yin Qingmei as well. The remaining five will be listed in the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, priced at five thousand spirit stones or equivalent contribution points, to give some motivation to the sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators."
The latter half of Chen Mobai's sentence somewhat perplexed Zhuo Ming, but Luo Yixuan understood, though her attention was entirely on the first half.
Gu Yan, Yin Qingmei!
She silently repeated their names in her mind. During the ten years she was trapped in the Underworld, these two had occupied the position that rightfully belonged to her.
It was she, after all, who had served and handled gift-giving for Chen Mobai when he was previously at Xiaonanshan!
During this period, the cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect were all discussing the sect master Chen's Immortal Peach tree advancing and undergoing tribulation.
Even though they were now the largest sect in the Eastern Barrens, witnessing a heavenly tribulation firsthand was a first for many disciples. Amidst their exclamations of awe, everyone was also inquiring about the Immortal Peach tree.
"According to Minister Shi of the Spiritual Plants Department, only spiritual plants of the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root level would trigger such a powerful heavenly tribulation when ascending to the Fourth Grade."
"This Immortal Peach tree was personally transplanted by Sect Master Chen from Black Cloud Mountain after his Core Formation. If it weren't a Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root, the Sect Master certainly wouldn't have bothered with it!"
"May I ask, Senior Disciple Brother, what is so extraordinary about this Immortal Peach tree that it could prompt the Sect Master to go to such lengths, mobilizing the sect's power to assist its advancement?"
"I don't know about anything else, but I heard from a true disciple of the Spiritual Plants Department that consuming one of the fruits from that Immortal Peach tree can increase a Foundation Establishment cultivator's liquid spiritual power by twenty drops. You should know that some early Foundation Establishment cultivators with weak foundations only have that much spiritual power in total."
As Qi Condensation cultivators were discussing animatedly, many Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect could no longer sit still.
This was because they discovered that the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion had suddenly listed five Third-Grade Immortal Peach fruits.
They had heard of this Immortal Peach tree before, when it was in Yuan Hongyuan's possession. Unfortunately, due to the low-grade spiritual vein on Black Cloud Mountain, the Immortal Peach tree had difficulty bearing fruit. Yuan Hongyuan had always treasured it, only selling it at a few private trade gatherings.
Now that it had fallen into Chen Mobai's hands and was successfully cultivated, there were even five extra fruits after being distributed to his four disciples and adopted daughter/maid.
Because of the Immortal Peach tree's tribulation, almost all cultivators in the Divine Wood Sect now knew the efficacy of the Immortal Peach fruits. Therefore, virtually every cultivator with aspirations for their own cultivation wanted to exchange for one.
After all, these Immortal Peach fruits were purely natural, with no worries about pill toxins. Especially those cultivators who had reached a bottleneck eagerly wished to use this opportunity to break through.
Although five thousand spirit stones was a large sum, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect, having survived several major wars over the years, had generally accumulated considerable wealth.
Furthermore, these Immortal Peach fruits could also be exchanged using sect contribution points, and by combining spirit stone contributions, every Foundation Establishment cultivator could potentially exchange for one.
Consequently, Foundation Establishment cultivators who received the news almost wore out the threshold of the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion.
"Senior Disciple Brother Yi, I have registered you. I will notify you immediately once there's any news."
The Spiritual Treasure Pavilion's rotating deacon elder for this month was Liang Lingzhen from the Hall of Rewards. He politely registered Yi Shaoqing, the head of the Array Formation Department, in a ledger and then bade him farewell.
"Junior Disciple Brother Liang, aren't things listed in the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion usually exchanged on a first-come, first-served basis? Why this new arrangement now?"
Yi Shaoqing was quite puzzled, but Liang Lingzhen explained with a smile.
He said that the Immortal Peach fruits were precious, and the Sect Master, delighted by the peach tree's advancement, had brought them out so that all Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect would have a chance to exchange for one.
Therefore, cultivators outside the sect also needed an opportunity. After all, the Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed in the Six Nations and Yunmeng Marsh would undoubtedly receive the news much later than those within Giant Wood Ridge, so they needed to wait for them.
"But there are only five Immortal Peach fruits! Every Foundation Establishment cultivator in the entire sect wants one. Who will they be exchanged to?" Yi Shaoqing quickly identified the problem and asked.
However, Liang Lingzhen remained silent at this point.
As the head of the Array Formation Department, Yi Shaoqing quickly understood. He looked up at the sky, his expression one of sudden realization.
Having understood, he stopped asking questions, bid farewell to Liang Lingzhen, and left the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, immediately trying to find a way to visit Chen Mobai.
However, all visitors were blocked by Gu Yan. She stated that Sect Master Chen was at a critical stage in his cultivation technique and was currently in secluded meditation.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shaoqing could only clasp his hands in greeting towards the elegant and charming junior disciple sister before him, then regretfully turn and depart.
Gu Yan looked at the head of the Array Formation Department before her, naturally understanding why he had come.
This was the fifth department head-level sect elder. Besides him, even the deputy hall masters of the other two halls had come to visit the day after the Immortal Peach fruits were listed.
She instinctively touched her storage bag, which contained an Immortal Peach fruit Chen Mobai had given her. When she first received it, although she knew that a gift from a Core Formation cultivator would not be ordinary, she never imagined it would be so precious.
Now, seeing the open and secret struggles among the deputy hall masters and department heads of the sect—all except Core Formation cultivators—because of these Immortal Peach fruits, she realized they were far more valuable than she had imagined.
At this moment, Gu Yan was immensely pleased to have become a direct descendant of the Sect Master.
After blocking Yi Shaoqing, Gu Yan seized the time to continue refining the Longevity Tree sap. She clearly understood that this was the key to her establishing herself in the Sect Master's Longevity Wood cultivation ground.
However, soon after, Gu Yan realized she didn't have the time at all. This was because Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside the sect, upon hearing the news about the Immortal Peach fruits, all started finding excuses to return.
After registering at the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, many realized that to exchange for these, they would need Sect Master Chen's approval. However, they were still very taciturn, not all rushing over at once. Instead, they came one by one.
This greatly annoyed Gu Yan, who was guarding the door; every time she was halfway through refining the Longevity Tree sap, someone would knock. Although she was nominally Chen Mobai's respected maid, Gu Yan was not the type to bully others by relying on power. Moreover, she was one of the last few people in the sect to achieve Foundation Establishment, so everyone who came was a senior disciple brother or sister, deserving of respect.
While Gu Yan was troubled, Yin Qingmei, to her great surprise, received an Immortal Peach fruit from Zhuo Ming.
"Senior Disciple Sister Yin, Master asked me to bring this to you. He said you were a bit weak after exhausting your spiritual power cultivating a great art, and this fruit could help you recover."
"Thank you, Junior Disciple Sister Zhuo."
Although Yin Qingmei had been diligently cultivating the Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture on Qingdai Mountain, the recent heavenly tribulation phenomenon from Xiaonanshan had startled her. Afterwards, she inquired with someone from the Punishment Hall and learned about the Immortal Peach tree and its fruits.
Although she possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, she also greatly desired such rare and precious fruits. After they were listed in the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, she immediately went to register as well.
She had originally thought of secretly asking her adopted father if one could be exchanged for her, but unexpectedly, her adopted father had already made arrangements.
"Thank you, Sect Master..."
After taking the vibrant red Immortal Peach fruit from Zhuo Ming, Yin Qingmei held it with both hands, respectfully bowed deeply towards the Longevity Wood where Chen Mobai resided, thinking inwardly, "Adopted father is so good to me. I must not disappoint him!"
After Zhuo Ming shared some insights on consuming the Immortal Peach fruit, she bid farewell and left.
Soon after, several heavyweight Foundation Establishment cultivators finally returned to Giant Wood Ridge.
These included Zhou Wangshen and E Yun, who were stationed in the Six Nations, as well as Xie Yuntian and Kou Canzhi, who headed powerful departments overseeing Yunmeng Marsh!
However, they also couldn't get past Gu Yan. Chen Mobai maintained ostensible fairness, treating everyone equally.
Among them, E Yun was remarkably calm, spending his days either drinking tea in his courtyard or reminiscing with old friends like Yue Zutao.
In contrast, Zhou Wangshen, knowing he wasn't Chen Mobai's direct line, was somewhat uneasy. He asked his niece to inquire with those closest to Sect Master Chen.
"Senior Disciple Sister Zhuo, long time no see."
Zhou Bingyan, carrying Zhou Wangshen's entrustment, came to Xiaonanshan to visit Zhuo Ming.
[1 minute ago] Chapter 819: Light Miracle
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[16 minutes ago] Chapter 669: The Sky Curtain and Earth Network
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