The Three-Colored Deer was already at the early stage of Rank 3 when Qi Ping first purchased it. The Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger was of an even higher demonic grade, its bloodline reaching the late stage of Rank 3.
As for the Small Stone Spirit, Qi Ping currently had no way to judge its exact bloodline rank. However, based solely on the strength of its Golden Stone Physique, it was certainly not inferior to the Gold-Flame Physique provided by the Crows or the Monarch of Waters status provided by the Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger.
Furthermore, as a special type of primordial being, the Small Stone Spirit could continuously improve as long as it had enough ore to consume. Once Qi Ping went out to retrieve all the ores from his battle spoils, the creature's strength and bloodline would likely see a significant leap.
"By the way, would it be possible to give all the spirit tools from the spoils to the Small Stone Spirit to swallow?"
In the cultivation world, with the exception of a small minority, most spirit tools were forged from metal. Swallowing them shouldn't be too difficult for a Stone Spirit.
"Moreover, spirit tools are essentially crafted from incredibly precious ores and tempered with various spiritual materials and special techniques. In terms of spirituality and rarity, they are far superior to ordinary ores!"
"There is also the unique spirituality, killing intent, and Dao-residue found on spirit tools... Perhaps they could cause the Small Stone Spirit's bloodline to undergo an even more unique and powerful transformation."
After careful consideration, Qi Ping felt the feasibility was high and that it was well worth an attempt. However, in the records of most ancient texts, Stone Spirits were usually documented as being used to create spirit tools; there were no records of what would happen if a Stone Spirit swallowed a large quantity of weapons.
This was largely because the Stone Spirit race was naturally non-combative, making it almost impossible for them to enhance their strength through large-scale weapon consumption. Furthermore, the price of spirit tools was ridiculously high; the cost of swallowing them in bulk to increase strength was simply more than the average person could bear.
"It is definitely worth a try!"
After some thought, Qi Ping made his decision. Using the unique spirituality of spirit tools might truly allow him to nurture an incredibly formidable Stone Spirit. For a primordial being like this, the possibilities were vast. At most, he would only consume a portion of his spoils, and he currently had enough spirit stones for his needs.
Besides, Qi Ping did not have a massive amount of other resources dedicated to the Small Stone Spirit at the moment.
With his preliminary decision made, Qi Ping called the little Immortal Tiger over. He wanted it to perform a simple divination to determine the fortune or calamity of letting the Small Stone Spirit swallow spirit tools. Since it involved expensive equipment and the future development of the Stone Spirit, he felt it was better to be safe.
"Just a simple calculation will do. Don't go into too much detail. Try to keep it within the limits where it won't damage your lifespan or origin," Qi Ping urged.
"Roar... (I know, Boss. Don't worry. With the Bai Ze bloodline, an occasional simple calculation won't trigger a backlash from the heavenly secrets!)"
The little Immortal Tiger patted its chest, signaling for Qi Ping to relax.
Soon, as a golden light flashed in the tiger's eyes, a general result was reached.
"Roar... (Great Luck!)"
Great Luck!
Upon hearing the result, a genuine smile spread across Qi Ping's face. Was there any need for further hesitation?
At the same time, a sense of anticipation rose in his heart. Just how far could the Small Stone Spirit grow and transform after swallowing a massive amount of spirit tools and weapons?
"Now, the short-term cultivation issues for almost all my animal companions are resolved. Only the bees remain."
The Golden Marrow Bees were the animal companions that had been with Qi Ping the longest, and they were the hallmark of the Bee Daoist. However, they were currently only at the early stage of Rank 2, making it difficult for them to provide significant help in high-end battles.
Currently, the bees were mainly responsible for clearing out ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, stashing loot, and scouting for enemies. Their role in the territory was primarily farming, and their effectiveness in reconnaissance and early warning had diminished significantly.
"Next, I must focus on raising the bees!"
In Qi Ping's heart, the bees were still his most useful assets. This was reflected not just in combat, but in farming and utility mechanics. When utilized properly, their scouting, transformation-based stealth, and loot-hiding abilities were immense.
"Once I head out, I'll first see if I can gather enough materials for the Rank 2 Mutation Potion from the spoils. If it's truly not enough, I'll buy the rest from the Mysterious Black Market."
At the Rank 2 stage, evolution was no longer as simple as it had been at Rank 1. To evolve the bees to the middle or late stages of Rank 2, he first had to use "Larvae Potion" to nourish the bodies of the bee species. Only after their bodies had undergone a preliminary transformation and absorbed enough resources could he use "Blood Spirit Dew Potion" to induce the final mutation.
However, Qi Ping was quite confident. The Golden Marrow Queen Bee had successfully ascended to the early stage of Rank 2 several years ago and had already bred the Balanced Bees intended for the evolution. All that was left was to gather the spirit herbs needed to refine the mutation potions.
With the Beast King's Grace to increase the success rate and Potential Ignition to spark their latent power, the probability of a successful evolution would be much higher than normal.
And once the Queen and the swarm reached the late stage of Rank 2 and produced the highest quality Balanced Bees, the swarm would see a true leap in power! Once they successfully swallowed the corpse of the Demon Insect King, the swarm's bloodline would surely ascend to an incredible level!
With the comprehension of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm concluded, Qi Ping began planning to reclaim the battle spoils left over from the destruction of the Celestial Alliance's subordinate forces.
Qi Ping needed those resources now: reference manuals for creating his dual-attribute Water-Fire technique, weapons and ores for the Small Stone Spirit, and spirit herbs for the bees' evolution. He could also think about purchasing his eighth animal companion.
To upgrade the Natural Sanctuary, he also needed to purchase and contract new spirit trees.
"Seven or eight years have passed. It should be safe now!"
Moreover, Qi Ping was confident that his current methods for cleaning tracks and preventing tracking were far superior to what they had been the first time. The likelihood of running into trouble was slim.
Nonetheless, true to his cautious style, he set up a high-level Rank 2 array that harmonized Water and Fire and prepared multiple contingency plans before he began retrieving the massive hoard of loot.
Perhaps because his methods had indeed improved, the recovery process went quite smoothly. He did not encounter any late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators tracking him like last time.
Due to the sheer volume of the spoils, it took Qi Ping over two months to finish inventorying everything. He sold all the items he didn't need to the Mysterious Black Market. Even the remaining twenty percent of the spoils from the previous haul and the items from the Foundation Establishment cultivators he had slain were fully processed and converted into charming spirit stones!