Chapter 195: Lingbao Pavilion

However, unexpectedly acquiring a cultivation ground with a high-grade second-tier spiritual vein was also a pleasant surprise.

"Junior Brother Chen rarely visits Shenmu City. Junior Brother Teng, please show him around. I'll go handle the transfer procedures for Xiaoyang Ridge and the nearby medicinal and spiritual fields."

After Lu Jun finished speaking, he immediately left.

Teng Jie extended a warm invitation, and Chen Mobai, who coincidentally wanted to visit the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, left the Spiritual Plant Department Hall with him.

The Shenmu Sect comprises Three Halls and Twelve Departments.

Among these, the foremost is naturally the "Shenmu Hall," where the Sect Master resides. Following that is the "Punishment Hall," responsible for discipline, laws, and warfare, and the "Reward Hall," which manages the distribution of sect resources and contributions.

The Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, in turn, serves as the Shenmu Sect's mission hall.

Nominally, the Shenmu Hall oversees the issuance of missions, while the Reward Hall reviews and disburses mission rewards, such as spirit stones and contribution points.

Under Teng Jie's guidance, Chen Mobai visited the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion for the first time.

He held his identity token before a large jade tablet. A ray of light descended, instantly completing the authentication and displaying Chen Mobai's account.

It showed a balance of 458 sect contribution points and 77 spirit stones.

The Shenmu Sect distributes spirit stone welfare to disciples every month, with the amount based on their cultivation realm.

As Chen Mobai was at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, he received 7 low-grade spirit stones each month.

Unbeknownst to him, he had been a member of the Shenmu Sect for almost a year. Previously, he had been too busy farming, and having ample spirit stones in his storage bag, he had never come to the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion to collect them.

"Junior Brother Chen, the Spiritual Plant Department distributes 100 spirit stones annually, which comes directly from our department. It's almost the end of the year, so you're quite lucky," Teng Jie added.

The Spiritual Plant Department's annual welfare distribution was due, and while Chen Mobai had only recently joined, the timing was perfect.

This was indeed another piece of good news.

Chen Mobai withdrew the 77 spirit stones from his account and then surveyed the list in the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion, which displayed various elixirs, magical artifacts, array plates, and other items available for exchange using contribution points.

He spotted familiar items such as the Blazing Sword Talisman and Blackwater.

At the very top of the list, naturally, was the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"This Foundation Establishment Pill is listed here. Could there be a surplus?" Chen Mobai couldn't help but ask Teng Jie.

"Certainly not," Teng Jie replied. "No matter how many of these there are, they are instantly exchanged as soon as they are listed. The reason it's displayed there is to give all sect disciples hope. As long as you have 10,000 contribution points in your account, you can join the queue. However, the order of exchange after queuing depends on one's personal means."

After Teng Jie finished speaking, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Both he and Lu Jun had already passed their sixtieth year limit and had not cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, so there was certainly no hope for them to establish their foundation in this lifetime. Now, they could only hope to accumulate enough spirit stones to see if any disciple or descendant with outstanding spiritual roots could emerge to continue their path of immortal cultivation.

"Among the twenty-four true disciples of this generation, I wonder if any would be willing to part with a Foundation Establishment Pill?" Chen Mobai couldn't help but ask. His father had less than half a year before reaching his sixtieth year limit, and even if he didn't reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining perfection by then, he would certainly attempt Foundation Establishment.

As a son, he still hoped to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill for his father.

"It would be easier to kill them than to make them part with a Foundation Establishment Pill," Teng Jie replied, saying something that left Chen Mobai speechless.

Cultivators in this Tianhe Realm valued the Foundation Establishment Pill even more than their own lives.

"However, there's someone who isn't a true disciple but has a spare Foundation Establishment Pill," Teng Jie said. "If you have the right connections and can approach them, you might be able to acquire it." This made Chen Mobai's eyes light up, just as he was about to give up.

"Senior Brother Teng is referring to..."

"That Junior Sister Yin with the Heavenly Spiritual Root."

Chen Mobai remembered that Qi Rui had once mentioned this. However, this person had already been designated by Grand Ancestor Fu as his direct disciple. Although she was currently only at the Qi Refining realm, she was cultivating in a fourth-tier spiritual vein, making her inaccessible to ordinary people.

"Senior Brother Teng, do you have a way to contact her on my behalf?"

"I'm just an ordinary disciple of the Spiritual Plant Department. How could I possibly connect with such a favored daughter of heaven? In our Spiritual Plant Department, perhaps only Senior Brother Liu, who was formerly a true disciple, might have some connection."

Liu Guilong.

Chen Mobai was completely unfamiliar with Liu Guilong. However, speaking of true disciples, he actually knew two.

"Senior Brother Teng, do you know Senior Brother Yuan Chiye and Senior Sister Ding Ying?"

"Senior Brother Yuan is a true disciple of the Array Formation Department, and Senior Sister Ding Ying is a true disciple of the Talisman Creation Department. Why, do you know them?"

Chen Mobai did not hide anything, explaining that it was those two who had introduced him to the Shenmu Sect.

"I see. If you want to find them, you can purchase a communication talisman here at the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion for one spirit stone. It ensures delivery to any Shenmu Sect disciple in Giantwood Ridge who has their identity token on them." Teng Jie instructed Chen Mobai on how to communicate with fellow disciples within the sect. This was the first time Chen Mobai had learned about such talismans, which were similar to the pagers used in the Immortal Sect.

Since he wasn't short on spirit stones, he decided to send a communication talisman not only to Yuan Chiye and Ding Ying but also to Qi Rui, Wang Yuanwu, and Qi Hou, whom he knew from Qingguang Island.

However, two talismans were immediately returned.

This indicated that these two people's identity tokens were not in Giantwood Ridge.

Chen Mobai checked and saw they belonged to Yuan Chiye and Wang Yuanwu.

"Senior Brother Yuan might have already gone to Yunmeng Marsh to oversee matters. As for Wang Yuanwu, could he have..." The worst possible outcome, of course, was that he had already died in battle, and Chen Mobai didn't dare to think further.

However, good news soon arrived.

Both Qi Rui and Qi Hou replied. Both of them were within the sect, but not in Shenmu City.

Lastly, there was Ding Ying's reply, containing only three simple words: "Who are you?"

Chen Mobai could only force a bitter smile and shake his head.

This senior sister truly had a short memory.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed another line of text on the back.

"Block B, Talisman Street, Courtyard Number 127! Come here to see me."

This was an address. Chen Mobai considered it for a moment and thought it best to go, so he asked Teng Jie about the location.

After arriving at the location, he sent in a sound transmission talisman.

A short while later, the large gate opened.

A voluptuous woman with a fiery figure, dressed in a long red dress, walked out.

She had almond eyes, rosy cheeks, and a beautiful face. Standing at the entrance, she was as tall as Chen Mobai, her entire presence exceptionally imposing.

"So you're Chen Guixian," the woman said. "I can confirm I don't know you. Why did you contact me with a communication talisman? Don't you know this is a big taboo?"

When Chen Mobai heard the woman in front of him claim to be Ding Ying, he couldn't help but gape, utterly at a loss.

When she was in Nanxi Market, she had clearly been just a young girl of thirteen or fourteen. How had she suddenly matured?

However, Chen Mobai immediately realized that this Ding Ying was not the same person he had met in Nanxi Market.

He vaguely guessed a possibility. Seeing the red-clad woman at the entrance becoming increasingly impatient, he dared not hesitate any longer and immediately explained the entire situation.