Chapter Fifty-Four: Lavish Rewards

Jiang Yan looked gloomily at the two tattered blue-clad talisman soldiers before him, his face clouded with distress. At last, he hesitated and asked, “Junior Brother Nan, are you certain these were really destroyed by that scoundrel Meng Lu?”

A look of utter helplessness crossed Nanmen Luochou’s homely face as he replied, rather vexed, “Yes, Senior Brother Sect Leader, you’ve already asked me eight times now. Junior Brother Mu was present at the time, and when the second talisman soldier was broken, Senior Sister Wan was there as well. Even Little Junior Sister can vouch for it.”

Jiang Yan sighed inwardly. These were sixth-grade talisman soldiers, capable of rivaling a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. If the core of the talisman soldier was powered by a high-grade spirit stone, no—if someone had simply been there to command it, felling a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refinement would have been as easy as slicing melons. But now… Jiang Yan’s heart ached with loss.

Gazing at the ruined blue-clad talisman soldiers on the ground, Jiang Yan summoned the transparent information interface. His heart was truly pained; despite the countless times the Sect Leader System had confirmed these two talisman soldiers were destroyed, he still called up the interface, hoping against hope: Sect Leader System, let my talisman soldiers not be broken…

Spiritual Artifact: Blue-Clad Talisman Soldier—damaged
Grade: Sixth grade—damaged
Attached Functions: Spiritual Qi Sword, Spiritual Qi Illusion

Jiang Yan stamped his foot and swore, “I must become a Talisman Master.”

Nanmen Luochou was momentarily stunned, thinking, The Sect Leader is angry again; best to slip away quickly.

A cheerful, squint-eyed smile spread across Mu Yun’s plump face. If Senior Brother Sect Leader wanted to become a Talisman Master, he must have found a way. Mu Yun resolved to have a proper talk with him—he had no interest in becoming a Talisman Master himself. He wanted to become a renowned merchant and open his Huashan shops wherever the sun set.

After venting his frustration, Jiang Yan reached out his right hand and stroked the Sect Leader’s Ring, collecting the two damaged blue-clad talisman soldiers into it. Then, with a flip of his wrist, four cultivation manuals appeared in his palm. With a wave, he tossed them, and they landed neatly on the meditation cushions in the sect hall.

This time, Tang Wan and the others had made significant contributions during the sect’s crisis. Jiang Yan decided to grant them rewards. Turning to Tang Wan, he said, “Junior Sister Wan, junior brothers, you’ve all broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, and your Green Wood Archery is nearly mastered. You each played an important role in this sect battle. As a reward, I have recently acquired several cultivation manuals, all top-tier first-grade. Take a look and see which suits your constitution best. I will bestow spirit artifacts suited to your aptitudes later.”

Tang Wan’s beautiful brows knitted slightly. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, my Green Wood Art is quite sufficient. I don’t think I need to practice another manual.”

However, Nanmen Luochou’s eyes lit up. He shuffled on his knees over to the meditation cushion, grinning, “Senior Brother Sect Leader, I’m rather fond of the gold-element manual, ‘Unstoppable Advance.’ Do you have a good gold-element manual, Senior Brother?”

“The top-tier first-grade ‘Golden Flame Art’?” Nanmen Luochou leapt up from the cushion in shock, staring wide-eyed at the manual in his hands. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, you didn’t rob the Golden Flame Sect, did you? Such a high-grade Golden Flame Art—within Linqing Prefecture, only the Golden Flame Sect possesses one!”

Five-element cultivation manuals were very popular among cultivators, though the most basic were not especially valuable. Huashan’s previous lower first-grade ‘Green Wood Art’ was widely practiced among unranked and first-grade sects. Middle first-grade manuals were common in second-grade sects, such as the now-destroyed Violet Robe Gate and the rising Tianshan Sect, both of which used middle first-grade manuals.

Only top-tier first-grade manuals were found in third-grade sects. In the entire Linqing Prefecture, there was only one top-tier five-element manual: the Golden Flame Sect’s ‘Golden Flame Art.’ No other sect was known to possess such a manual. As for second-grade manuals, those might occasionally appear in third-grade sects, but the Golden Flame Sect certainly did not have any.

Thus, when Nanmen Luochou saw the top-tier first-grade ‘Golden Flame Art,’ he exclaimed in astonishment. In his mind, it wasn’t impossible that Senior Brother Sect Leader had robbed the Golden Flame Sect. He remembered that before leaving, the Sect Leader was only at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, yet upon returning, he’d become a seventh-level expert. Nanmen Luochou was filled with envy.

Mu Yun, after rummaging through the basic manuals for a while, suddenly looked up with curiosity. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, these are just cultivation manuals. Are there any attack techniques?”

Seated on the sect leader’s cushion and enjoying the spiritual qi enhancement of the main hall, Jiang Yan lazily opened his eyes at Mu Yun’s question. “Naturally. Once you’ve chosen a cultivation manual, I will grant you the corresponding attack technique.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Yun’s chubby face blossomed into a smile. He flipped through the basic manuals a few times before finally making his choice. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, I’ll choose this ‘Thick Earth Art.’ Ever since I took the Bone Transformation Pill, I’ve felt a closeness to the earth. I reckon my constitution must be earth-aligned.”

Jiang Yan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the Bone Transformation Pill to have such an effect—helping cultivators attune to the spiritual qi best suited to their constitution. But thinking it over, it made sense; the pill’s purpose was to alter one’s foundation, and with an altered foundation, cultivation speed increased and affinity for certain spiritual qi grew.

With a flick of his wrist, Jiang Yan produced the ‘Yellow Earth Axe Technique’ and the ‘Golden Current Sword Qi.’ Enveloping the two manuals in spiritual power, he sent them to his two junior brothers, smiling. “Since you’ve chosen, I’ll pass on these two second-grade attack techniques. Be diligent in your cultivation and strive to reach the seventh level of Qi Refinement soon and achieve Foundation Establishment.”

“Foundation Establishment!” Nanmen Luochou and Mu Yun were both stunned. They glanced at each other, then replied in unison, “Understood, Senior Brother.”

Jiang Yan’s gaze swept over the disciples in the hall, his tone dignified. “In this time of crisis, you have all contributed greatly. Therefore, I have decided to grant each of you ten Qi Gathering Pills and a first-grade spirit artifact.”

Suddenly, Yun Ying leapt out from Tang Wan’s embrace and landed beside the manuals in front of Mu Yun and Nanmen Luochou. She grabbed a manual with her small white hand and darted back into Tang Wan’s arms, piping up, “Senior Brother, Ying’er wants one too! Third and fourth senior brothers both have one—Ying’er wants one as well, Ying’er wants to reach Foundation Establishment too.”

Mu Yun made a funny face at Yun Ying, smiling, “Little Junior Sister, what do you need it for? You haven’t even taken the Bone Transformation Pill yet. Wait until you do, then come ask Senior Brother for a manual.”

Wan’er pouted, her voice crisp with indignation. “No! Third Senior Brother has one, Fourth Senior Brother has one—I want one too!”

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but smile. Just as he was about to speak, the voice of the Sect Leader System suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Ding! New disciple has entered the sect.”

“There’s a new disciple?” Jiang Yan was startled. Normally, the Sect Leader System only announced tasks and rewards, remaining silent at other times. What was this about—a notification for a new disciple entering the sect?