Chapter 103: New Spirit Site

Bang!

Elder Sang unceremoniously smacked him on the head. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Have you reached the Xiantian realm? Have you left the Spirit Palace? Have you seen the outside world? You're so presumptuous! I just told you to cultivate diligently and genuinely be a chess piece, and now you're talking big? Give you an inch and you'll take a mile, won't you!" Elder Sang grabbed Xu Xiaoshou's ear, making him wince with pain and almost tear up.

"Let go! Let go!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by the blow. This must be revenge for his previous attack! It definitely was! He had finally felt so spirited and ambitious for once; why was this the outcome? Shouldn't a master encourage their disciple to have lofty aspirations and pursue them relentlessly? How could anyone constantly tell their disciple to simply be a humble chess piece! How in the world was that possible?! Was he, Xu Xiaoshou, the kind of person content with mediocrity?

"I'm sorry, please let go of me." After all, when under someone's roof, one must bow their head. Xu Xiaoshou conceded.

Elder Sang said sternly, "Keep such words to yourself from now on; don't ever utter them!"

"I only said it once..." Xu Xiaoshou grimaced, his eyes narrowed in pain, pointing to his ear. "Let go."

Elder Sang finally released him, patting his head. "Once is enough to get you killed. Remember that."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking rice.

"Upon returning to Tianxuan Gate, what you said isn't entirely without merit. Fundamentals are indeed crucial. So, after you enter Tianxuan Gate, go deeper and find a place called 'Blackfall Cliff.' It should help solidify your foundation, though the process..." The old man gave his familiar chuckle. "It might be a bit painful."

Xu Xiaoshou shivered. "What in the world is 'Blackfall Cliff'?"

"Tianxuan Gate is a small mystic realm with many trial locations, and 'Blackfall Cliff' is one of them. The water from the Blackfall Waterfall there is incredibly heavy and contains terrifying sword qi. It's quite suitable for you; it just depends on whether you can endure it. Of course, there's no compulsion. After entering Tianxuan Gate, you can cultivate anywhere you like." Elder Sang was clearly using a provocation tactic.

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned. This old man found the place terrifying, so he didn't dare make any guarantees. "I'll consider checking it out."

Elder Sang rolled his eyes. Who was it that just spoke of aiming for the Five Domains? And now he's scared off? With a flick of his hand, an exquisite jade slip appeared. He handed it over, saying, "If you go to Blackfall Cliff, this item should be beneficial for your cultivation there. Of course, don't forget the most fundamental goal: breaking through to the Xiantian realm. Otherwise, I won't be able to find resources for you once you come out."

Xu Xiaoshou carefully took it. He wasn't entirely keen on cultivating anything this old man gave him. One move of "Ashfire Heavenly Incineration" had already put him through hell. What kind of torment was in store this time? However, as he placed the jade slip on his forehead, he froze.

"'Ten-Stage Sword Finger'?"

"And a complete version?"

He looked at Elder Sang in shock. "Where did you get this?"

This was the incomplete scroll that had intrigued him so much in the Spirit Repository that day. If Elder Sang hadn't appeared later, this was what he would have cultivated. But for an incomplete scroll to become a complete version, that was quite incredible. Xu Xiaoshou was well aware of the value of "Ten-Stage Sword Finger." Besides anything else, the unique concept of imbuing sword intent into one's body was not something an ordinary person could conceive. If this item had originally been an incomplete scroll, it would be difficult for anyone to restore it, unless they found the creator. Seeing how new the jade slip looked, could it be that Elder Sang actually knew the original owner of this technique?

Without a word, Elder Sang gave the young man another smack on the head; he seemed to be growing fond of the sensation. "These aren't things you should worry about. Just cultivate diligently, refine your pills obediently, and don't cause any more trouble for me. That'll be enough to satisfy this old man!"

"Oh." Xu Xiaoshou put away the jade slip and looked towards the large bathtub flipped on its side. "So, shall we start refining pills? I might be able to refine the raw liquid after a few more tries." He spoke with great confidence. Refining the raw liquid was simply a matter of controlling the heat. After acquiring "Master Chef," the biggest obstacle had been removed. All that remained was familiarizing himself with the process.

Elder Sang, upon hearing this, twitched his lips. "Don't refine it yet. Go find a spirit vein location and refine it yourself slowly!"

"No, I'm almost successful!" Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the sky; dusk was falling, and night was about to settle. He could get all of this done in just one night. How could he give up now? How could Elder Sang allow him to mess around any further?

"Go refine it somewhere else."

"Why?" Xu Xiaoshou was puzzled. He looked at the large red bead above his head. "It's cool here."

Elder Sang remained silent. Why? Don't you have any sense of self-awareness? I truly can't understand why a Spirit Refinement Ninth Stage like you possesses such destructive power, but I must admit now, Xiao Qixiu indeed had foresight. You little menace! I was only gone for a short while, and you almost blew up the Spirit Repository just compressing a fire seed. If you actually started refining... I can't even imagine.

Of course, Elder Sang would never voice these thoughts; he wouldn't let the kid get too cocky. "Go find a new spirit vein location in the inner court and tinker around there yourself. Once you've refined the raw liquid, then come find me."

These words indeed caught Xu Xiaoshou's attention. He keenly picked up on the keyword: "Inner court?"

"Precisely! However, officially you're not an inner court disciple yet, so you wouldn't have an inner court disciple token. Finding a suitable location would be an issue... Well, just take mine for now!" As Elder Sang spoke, he turned around, rummaging on the table for his token. "Huh, where did it go? I'm sure I left it on the table..."

Xu Xiaoshou awkwardly pulled out a black and red token from his ring. He had instinctively thrown it in there earlier. "Is this it?"

Elder Sang turned around, surprised. "How did that get into your hand?"

"The wind blew it onto the floor, didn't you see?" Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, quickly changing the subject. "By the way, is this really okay? Isn't this abusing your authority?"

Elder Sang chuckled dryly. "And what if it is abusing my authority? I'm the Vice Dean of the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace. Can't I even let my disciple cultivate in the inner court? Honestly speaking, being a direct disciple of an Elder is far more distinguished than being an inner court disciple! What's more, I even got you a spot in Tianxuan Gate, and now you're talking to me about abusing authority?"

"You're right..." Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his head, intimidated by the old man's domineering aura. Sure enough, in the eyes of those in power, these matters were truly insignificant!

"Then... I'll need a cauldron for alchemy, right? I think this one looks pretty good, can I use it?" Xu Xiaoshou stepped towards the large three-legged bathtub.

"You're dreaming!" Elder Sang instantly appeared in front of the bathtub with a whoosh, immediately stowing it away. Only then did he slowly take out a smaller bathtub from his ring. "Here, take this."

Xu Xiaoshou's face fell. "What grade?"

"Eighth-grade."

"What about that big bathtub?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"You've heard of famous swords, right?" Elder Sang chuckled. "Some alchemy cauldrons don't need a grade."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Damn it! That three-legged bathtub was actually that powerful? He should have claimed it earlier... Indeed, one cannot judge a cauldron by its appearance!