When Fang Qingyuan opened his eyes, the wood-attribute Spiritual Qi that had gathered around him slowly dissipated, returning to the world around him.
After a session of cultivation, Fang Qingyuan felt the Spiritual Qi within his body grow a bit denser, leaving him feeling satisfied and content.
The moonlight was as gentle as water. Bathed in its glow, Fang Qingyuan walked into his courtyard and gazed at the mountain peak before him.
This mountain peak was situated on a Tier Two Spirit Vein, an offshoot of Celestial Gate Mountain, which was about ten miles away.
A Tier Two Spiritual Land could support the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but it was far from enough for a Golden Core Cultivator.
Only the Tier Three Spirit Vein at Celestial Gate Mountain was suitable for a Golden Core Cultivator's practice. Zhao E Lian and Le Jin had likely schemed against Wei Tong because they coveted his land.
Gazing at the summit, Fang Qingyuan felt discontent. The Spiritual Qi at the foot of the mountain was, after all, inferior to the peak's. If he could become an Inner Sect Disciple, he could move halfway up.
If he lived halfway up the mountain, a breakthrough that would have originally taken him more than two years might only take two.
However, the Golden Core Cultivators Lechuan and Zhao E Lian hadn't appeared at all recently, as if they had forgotten this place entirely.
Without their approval, the leadership positions of the Precepts Hall and the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall remained vacant, with a few Core Disciples barely keeping things running.
The Villa Head had also stopped managing affairs, leaving the Head of the Inheritance Hall to prop things up alone. There was no telling when these days would end.
Tianshan Villa, once renowned throughout Celestial Gate Mountain, was now on the verge of collapse.
With all the recent chaos, Fang Qingyuan hadn't gone to receive his assessment mission. Even if he had, he wouldn't have known who to ask.
The sect's affairs were a complete mess, and Fang Qingyuan had no mind for it. He only hoped for a few more years of peace to earn more Spirit Stones.
His reflections over, Fang Qingyuan went to the Beast Cage to check on the Camel Beast. Seeing the creature sleeping soundly, he let out an amused curse and returned to his room alone.
...
Time passed uneventfully, and in the blink of an eye, winter arrived. The temperature had dropped sharply over the past few days, and even the Camel Beast flew sluggishly.
Fang Qingyuan, protected by his Daoist Robe, paid the mere cold wind no mind. The Camel Beast, however, was originally a sea beast and was somewhat affected.
Taking pity on it, Fang Qingyuan decided to let it rest a few extra days each month. 'The Camel Beast will probably be thrilled when it finds out,' he thought.
After dropping off a customer, Fang Qingyuan headed to the Spiritual Material Store in Black River Square. The eleven units of Spirit Wood he'd purchased last time had already been completely absorbed by his Immortal Mansion.
However, his Wood Spirit Root's quality was still at twenty-four, without the slightest increase.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan mused, 'My Spirit Root's quality must have originally been twenty-three point something. Absorbing that bit of Spirit Wood just rounded it up to an even number.'
To increase it any further, however, the amount of Spirit Wood he'd bought before was insufficient. He had been short on cash, so he hadn't rushed to buy more. Only after saving up some Spirit Stones over time did he finally return.
His daily ferrying work earned him about fifty to sixty Spirit Stones for a month of hard labor. Two trips a month to Old Fan's shop to deliver Red Lotus Fruit brought in another fifty.
Adding in the monthly Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills from the sect, after selling the pills, his total monthly income reached a staggering one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.
This level of income was something that even some Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators couldn't match. And that was with Fang Qingyuan being cautious and not going all-out to rake in money.
He could make a profit transporting anything with his Immortal Mansion, but doing so too often would attract unwanted attention. For now, Fang Qingyuan had only established the Red Lotus Fruit route.
'As for other moneymaking schemes,' he thought, 'it won't be too late to explore them after I become an Inner Sect Disciple.'
Upon entering the store, he found the owner looking as lazy as ever. The man looked at Fang Qingyuan and began his usual sales pitch:
"Tier One Locust Spirit Wood is three Spirit Stones a unit, Tier One White Spirit Wood is four..."
Before he could finish, Fang Qingyuan cut in.
"Don't you recognize me?"
His spiel interrupted, the shopkeeper sat up and looked at Fang Qingyuan in confusion.
"Do we know each other? Or do I owe you Spirit Stones?"
'Great,' Fang Qingyuan thought. 'Looks like I bought too little last time; the owner doesn't remember me at all.' So he simply said:
"Thirty units of Tier One Locust Spirit Wood and ten five-year-old Spiritual Bamboos. Have them delivered to the docks."
Seeing he had a big spender on his hands, the shopkeeper's enthusiasm instantly ignited. He shouted:
"Xiaowu! Xiaowu, get over here! Go get thirty units of Tier One Locust Spirit Wood and ten five-year-old Spiritual Bamboos, and take them all to the docks!"
It was the same young girl as last time. Hearing the owner's order, Fang Qingyuan frowned slightly and asked:
"That's no small amount. Are you planning to make Xiaowu deliver it all by herself?"
The shopkeeper said with a laugh:
"Don't let Xiaowu's age fool you, she's stronger than she looks. She'll just have to make a few trips, that's all. It won't wear her out."
Fang Qingyuan's expression darkened, and he said angrily:
"I don't care if she gets tired or not. What I care about is you wasting my time. That's not happening."
The shopkeeper's smile vanished instantly. With a pained expression, he asked the neighboring shop owner to watch his store, then he and Xiaowu began huffing and puffing as they transported the Spirit Wood.
Throughout the process, Fang Qingyuan merely stood by and watched, showing no intention of lending a hand. Interestingly, Xiaowu secretly gave him a smile.
Once all the Spirit Wood and Spiritual Bamboo had been moved to the warehouse, Fang Qingyuan counted out one hundred Spirit Stones and handed them to the shopkeeper. The man accepted them with an expression that was equal parts happy and pained.
Fang Qingyuan paid him no mind. After they left, he moved twenty units of Spirit Wood and all the Spiritual Bamboo into his Immortal Mansion Space, leaving ten units behind for the Camel Beast to carry as a cover.
This way, even if someone grew suspicious, they would only assume he had a rather large storage pouch and think nothing more of it.
With Spirit Wood loaded on its back, the Camel Beast couldn't carry passengers. Fortunately, there were other Camel Beasts for hire in Black River Square; as long as the price was right, you could get a ride anywhere.
Three hours later, Fang Qingyuan was back in his small courtyard. His mind and spirit relaxed the moment he arrived.
Inside his Quiet Chamber, Fang Qingyuan began burying all the Spirit Wood in the soil of his Immortal Mansion, spacing it out to allow for faster absorption.
At the same time, he also planted the ten Spiritual Bamboos. He wanted to see whether the Immortal Mansion would absorb them or let them grow normally.
Based on his observations, Fang Qingyuan theorized that Spirit Wood released all of its stored Spiritual Qi into the Immortal Mansion Space in one go. If the Spiritual Bamboo took root, however, it could release Spiritual Qi continuously.
The Spiritual Bamboo's function within the Immortal Mansion seemed analogous to photosynthesis. It would convert things like sunlight and heat, releasing more Spiritual Qi in the process.
Spirit Wood was a source like a raging river: a powerful, surging torrent that was gone in an instant.
Spiritual Bamboo, on the other hand, was like a trickling stream: small, but endless.
'If the Spiritual Bamboo can survive, it will definitely save me a huge amount of Spirit Stones.'
Just as Fang Qingyuan finished these tasks and was about to begin his daily cultivation, he suddenly heard bells tolling outside.
The bells tolled nine times in total. At this sound, Fang Qingyuan's expression changed drastically. He summoned his flying sword, stepped onto it, and shot toward the summit.