When it came to spirit refinement, thanks to the Turtle-Wrinkle Cauldron, Bai Xiaochun was already paying close attention. He had long known that there was an elder at Purple Cauldron Mountain within the sect who specialized in spirit refinement.
Disciples of the sect would often visit him, offering a certain amount of contribution points in exchange for his help. A single attempt or two was fine, but after that, the success rate would sharply decline.
Now seeing that these two magical treasures already had three spirit refinements within them, Bai Xiaochun was relieved—it would save him from using his own tricolored flame, and more importantly, he wouldn't have to hide them. He could now use them openly in front of others.
Returning to Fragrant Cloud Mountain, Bai Xiaochun quickly began practicing with the Golden Crow Sword and the Divine Crane Shield—especially the Golden Crow Sword. When infused with his spiritual energy, it immediately emitted intense heat.
"This is a real treasure!" Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and pointed forward. With a loud hum, the Golden Crow Sword transformed into a golden ray of light and shot into the distance, emitting scorching heat along the way, creating visible distortions in the air.
He once again formed a hand seal and poured a large amount of spiritual energy into the sword. Suddenly, its glow expanded severalfold, and it began to faintly take the shape of a Golden Crow bird.
Although the bird's form was indistinct and only an outline, the moment it appeared, a powerful pressure burst forth. The surrounding temperature rose instantly, and even Bai Xiaochun felt his spirit shake under the oppressive aura.
Breathing heavily, he stared wide-eyed at the Golden Crow Sword, the gleam in his eyes growing brighter and brighter, until he finally burst into joyful laughter.
"This sword is way better than my little wooden sword. Having a master is really great!" With a flash, Bai Xiaochun leapt into the air and landed on the illusory Golden Crow.
Even though the Golden Crow was hazy, stepping on it felt like walking on solid ground. The sword was driven by his own spiritual energy, making it feel like a part of his body.
Riding the Golden Crow, he pointed forward and zoomed off through the sky above Fragrant Cloud Mountain. His speed was incredible, and when he flew over crowded areas, he slowed down and puffed out his chest, causing gasps of admiration from below. Only then would Bai Xiaochun smugly pick up speed again.
"I, Bai Xiaochun, can finally fly!" With shining eyes and a heart full of excitement, he left the Medicine Pavilion and was just about to explore other mountain peaks when suddenly, the Golden Crow beneath his feet dimmed and disappeared. The Golden Crow Sword plummeted, and Bai Xiaochun, caught off guard, screamed as he tumbled from the sky.
Fortunately, he landed not in a chasm but on a sect path. Though the fall was fast, he managed to steady himself upon landing. Looking at the base of Fragrant Cloud Mountain, which was still quite far down, he paled.
"That was too dangerous!" he muttered, shivering as he picked up the Golden Crow Sword. Sensing that his spiritual energy had been completely drained, he understood the reason for the fall.
Flying on a sword consumed an enormous amount of energy for a Qi Condensation cultivator. For most disciples at the seventh level of Qi Condensation, they could barely manage ten or so breaths before needing to stop. Even though Bai Xiaochun's spiritual energy was exceptionally refined, he couldn't last a full hundred breaths.
Afraid of falling to his death, he dared not try again right away. Glancing around nervously to see if anyone had witnessed his embarrassing fall, he soon noticed a burly man nearby, staring at him with his mouth agape, clearly stunned by what he had just seen.
"Ah, isn't that Junior Brother Wolf?" Bai Xiaochun's eyes widened as he quickly ran over.
The burly man snapped out of his daze. Hearing the words "Junior Brother Wolf," he shivered and hastily cupped his fists.
"Disciple Liu Ergou greets Elder Bai... I-I didn't see anything just now." This Liu Ergou was the same person who had once called himself "Lord Wolf" while selling outer sect quotas at the fire kitchen.
Bai Xiaochun harrumphed a few times, intimidated him a bit, and after making sure Liu Ergou wouldn't spread the story, patted his shoulder and promised some benefits before walking off.
Liu Ergou wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly left the scene.
Bai Xiaochun felt relieved that only Liu Ergou had seen his blunder. "If this had happened at the Medicine Pavilion while I was showing off, my whole reputation would've been ruined..."
"Sigh, a man just can't be too famous. Fame brings its own troubles," he mused philosophically, hands behind his back as he returned to his courtyard.
After some thought, his eyes grew resolute.
"No, I must cultivate more. Otherwise, running out of spiritual energy mid-flight is no big deal, but if one day I'm fleeing for my life and end up dead from a fall, that would be the real tragedy." Glancing at the Golden Crow Sword and Divine Crane Shield again, he made up his mind.
"And also, for future safety, I'd better disguise these two treasures a bit. That way, if I pull out other spirit-refined artifacts in the future, no one will think too much of it." He pulled out some colorful plant liquids he'd long prepared and smeared them onto the sword and shield.
After covering up the faint spirit patterns and testing their movements, he looked quite pleased.
"In the future, once I advance in alchemy, I'll make better concealment potions myself—just to be safe." Bai Xiaochun was always cautious. Even now, with the prestigious status of the sect leader's junior, though he walked proudly, a boundary in his heart always kept him grounded.
"Too bad my cultivation isn't strong enough. That Zhou Xinqi seemed to be at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. Only with higher cultivation can I fly longer." Determined, Bai Xiaochun recalled the bloody events at the Chen clan and the harsh realities of the cultivation world. He deeply understood how crucial escape speed could be.
"If I had been able to fly back then—even while carrying Du Lingfei and Hou Yunfei—the Chen clan wouldn't have been able to catch us so easily."
"I must focus on pill refinement!" His eyes shone with determination. With his current status, although the sect wouldn't provide him herbs for free, many pill recipes were now available to him without needing contribution points. So in the following days, Fragrant Cloud Mountain fell quiet. Bai Xiaochun became almost impossible to spot.
He acquired a large number of pill recipes and used the spirit stones and items he'd taken from the Chen clan to trade for herbs in the mountain's market. Then, heading to the Pill Refining Pavilion, he entered seclusion to focus on refining.
Time passed. In the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by since Bai Xiaochun's return. During this time, the entire South Bank had experienced what it meant to "fear the name of Bai." Now that peace had returned, many people felt oddly unaccustomed to the quiet.
Meanwhile, news of Bai Xiaochun's identity as a *Glory Disciple* had gradually spread, not only throughout the sect but also across all of *Eastwood Continent*.
The continent was home to countless cultivation clans, all of which had ties to the Spirit Stream Sect—like the Hou Clan and the fallen Chen Clan.
To the sect disciples, "Glory Disciple" was indeed a lofty title, but to them, it didn't seem as impressive as being the sect leader's junior.
However, for the cultivation clans, it was quite the opposite. They placed immense importance on the title of Glory Disciple—far beyond that of sect leader's junior. To them, Bai Xiaochun was nothing less than a living goldmine—a *Living Glory Seedling*.
Any cultivation clan that could marry into Bai Xiaochun's bloodline would gain unimaginable potential. Their descendants would have a limitless future. And with the support of the Spirit Stream Sect, such a clan would flourish for generations.
As for the assisting clan, their future would also be transformed—rising like a fish leaping over the dragon gate.
Currently, there were only *nine Glory Clans* in the Spirit Stream Sect. These nine had enough influence to sway some of the sect's decisions—a testament to how significant the title was.
They were giants among clans, causing others to envy them to the extreme. Until now, the only way others could hope to join their ranks was by dedicating themselves to the sect and earning massive merits.
But now\... *Bai Xiaochun had appeared.*
And best of all? He didn't belong to any cultivation clan. He came from the mortal world. And... *he didn't have a Dao partner.* This made him the walking invitation to become the *Tenth Glory Clan*—and the entire Eastwood Continent's cultivation clans went wild with excitement.
"Bring me all the most beautiful girls of the Zhou Clan. We're going to visit Fellow Daoist Bai!"
"Fei'er, you're the jewel of the Zhao Clan. You *must win over Bai Xiaochun! If he takes a liking to you, our Zhao Clan's crisis will be resolved overnight!"*
"Our Sun Clan girls may not be the prettiest, but we have resources! Prepare a generous gift—we're going to visit Fellow Daoist Bai!"
Countless cultivation clans mobilized. Some used every method at their disposal. Others activated disciples already within the sect to get close to Bai Xiaochun. Even the *North Bank* started to stir. In no time, Bai Xiaochun's name resounded across the entire Eastwood Continent.
Even the *Hou Clan* was no exception.
"Yunfei, you and Bai Xiaochun are close friends. This matter… you must help our clan. As for your sister, I can tell her heart has long favored Bai Xiaochun. Find a chance to bring them together." The Hou clan patriarch, a middle-aged man, spoke sincerely as he summoned Hou Yunfei and his younger sister.
Hou Xiaomei blushed crimson and ran away with a shy squeal.
Hou Yunfei sighed and nodded, albeit with some reluctance.
A few days later, cultivators from these clans began arriving in waves. Many gathered outside Bai Xiaochun's residence on Fragrant Cloud Mountain. Some who were better informed even went straight to the Pill Refining Pavilion—eagerly waiting for Bai Xiaochun to emerge from seclusion.