Chapter 10

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Chapter 10: A Wasteful Expenditure

Spiritual crystals were stones naturally formed by heaven and earth, brimming with abundant spiritual energy. Compared to the ambient spiritual energy in the world, that contained within spiritual crystals was purer and denser, aiding practitioners in accelerating their cultivation speed. Thus, they became coveted essential items for everyone.

Spiritual crystals were also graded based on the amount of spiritual energy they held. The grades ranged from the lowest to the highest, a total of nine tiers. However, due to their limited quantity, and the fact that higher-tier spiritual crystals were even rarer—the highest grade discovered so far being only the seventh tier—their price was exceedingly steep. Forget ordinary people, even within large sects, few could afford to use them.

Lou Yun naturally knew the preciousness of spiritual crystals, but he truly hadn’t expected that his fifteen years of savings—three hundred gold coins—had bought him only three pieces of second-tier spiritual crystals. It had to be noted that three hundred gold coins were enough for a family of three to live for a hundred years. At this moment, he looked at the spiritual crystals in his hand and shook his head with a bitter smile.

In fact, Lou Yun didn’t need to spend money to buy spiritual crystals at all. The Lou Family itself possessed spiritual crystals, and having secured the three-year mining rights to a spiritual crystal mine, they would even sell a portion of them for profit. Firstly, however, Lou Yun didn’t want others to know he was purchasing them, and secondly, he didn’t want to rely on the power of his family.

Just as Lou Yun was about to begin absorbing the spiritual energy from the crystals, his ears twitched as the sound of footsteps approached slowly. He hurriedly stashed the spiritual crystals away. Simultaneously, the voice of Second Uncle Lou Tianzhi came from outside the door: “Yun’er, are you in the room?”

“Second Uncle, I’m here!” Lou Yun answered while walking over to open the door.

Lou Tianzhi entered with a smile. After finding a chair and sitting down, he looked at Lou Yun and said, “Yun’er, I’ve been very busy recently and haven’t found time to see you. How have you been lately?”

Lou Tianzhi was telling the truth. Having just become clan head, he needed to familiarize himself and gain control over all aspects of the family’s affairs, naturally leaving him with little free time.

Lou Yun smiled and replied, “I’m quite well. Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle.”

“Ha! Still so formal with your Second Uncle? By the way, your father hasn’t woken up yet, but I had someone examine him. He’s out of life-threatening danger, and it shouldn’t be too long before he regains consciousness.”

“Truly?” This was naturally another piece of excellent news for Lou Yun. “That’s wonderful!”

Suddenly, Lou Yun keenly noticed a distinct flicker of hesitation cross Lou Tianzhi’s face. Clearly, he seemed to have something he wanted to say but found it difficult to broach.

After a pause, Lou Tianzhi asked further, “Yun’er, have you made any progress in your cultivation recently? Have you started cultivating a common weapon?”

Lou Yun hesitated briefly before answering, “Yes, I’m preparing to cultivate a common weapon and have made a little progress. Second Uncle, is there something you wanted to tell me?”

Lou Tianzhi froze momentarily, then gave an awkward chuckle. “You saw through me? Actually, it\’s nothing much. I heard you went to Xu Yangteng’s shop, and he gave you a common weapon?”

Lou Yun had been immersed in cultivation day in and day out. Naturally, he didn’t know that the news of Xu Yangteng calling him ‘brother’ had already been spread all over Lingjiang City by someone fond of gossip. Consequently, everyone’s attention was focused on Lou Yun once more, which was why Lou Tianzhi had specially carved time out of his packed schedule today to confirm the matter.

After all, if it were true, forging a friendship with a skilled weapon maker would be an enormously beneficial thing for the Lou Family.

Lou Yun didn’t conceal it and briefly recounted the events of that day. Lou Tianzhi nodded repeatedly as he listened. Only after Lou Yun finished did he say, “Yun’er, though cultivating a common weapon might be seen as a lesser path, one can indeed become strong through it. Persist in it. If you need anything, just say so. Second Uncle supports you!”

He pondered for a moment, then added, “Yun’er, though you’re still young, some things you should understand. Our Lou Family needs to build good relationships with prominent figures like Xu Yangteng very much, so…”

Given his innate intelligence, Lou Yun naturally caught the implied meaning in Lou Tianzhi’s words and interjected, “Second Uncle, don’t worry. I know what to do.”

Lou Tianzhi visibly let out a long breath. To be honest, he was truly unwilling to leverage his nephew to curry favor with Xu Yangteng. However, there was no helping it; now that he was the clan head of the Lou Family, everything he did had to prioritize the welfare of the entire clan.

After exchanging a few more casual words, uncle and nephew parted amicably. Lou Tianzhi got up to leave. Pausing at the doorway, he suddenly turned back and said, “Ah, yes, Yun’er. In two months, it’ll be your hunting trial. Are you… confident?”

Hearing this, Lou Yun’s heart thudded with alarm. How could he have completely forgotten about the hunting trial?

Children of the Lou Family underwent a changing ceremony at sixteen, signifying their coming-of-age. However, a half-year before this ceremony, they were required to participate in a hunting trial.

On the Spirit Weapon Star, besides humans, there existed demon beasts in numbers no less than humans themselves. These demon beasts, much like humans, could cultivate. Moreover, endowed with innately superior innate conditions—such as immense strength, or skin like steel—they were formidably powerful.

Within the bodies of these demon beasts resided something called a beast soul, which contained their own energy. Beast souls were exceptional supplementary materials for cultivating magical weapons or refining alchemical pills. Magical weapons masters, alchemists, and skilled weapon makers all coveted them greatly. Consequently, beast souls were extremely precious commodities. Beast souls, too, possess their respective five-element attributes.

However, since demon beasts were both powerful and cunning, bloodthirsty creatures, they similarly existed in different tiers. For convenience, humans categorized demon beasts into ten levels and five-star distinctions. Thus, successfully hunting them was no simple feat for humans.

Demon beasts and humans existed as mutually incompatible species. Humans resided in their designated areas, while demon beasts inhabited their own specialized realms.

The so-called hunting trial involved traveling into these demon beast territories to hunt them and retrieve the beast souls from their bodies. The higher the tier of the beast soul you could obtain, the higher the honors conferred during the subsequent coming-of-age ceremony.

Since the participants were fifteen-year-olds, measures were taken for their safety. Firstly, they were only allowed to hunt the lowest-tier demon beasts. Secondly, the Lou Family would secretly assign experts as shadow escorts. This protection, however, was not absolute; its sole purpose was to ensure their survival. Whether they sustained injuries, managed to kill a demon beast, or secured a beast soul—these outcomes fell outside the scope of the safeguard.

Lou Yun, having been wholly absorbed in his cultivation, genuinely had forgotten all about the hunting trial. Only now, prompted by Lou Tianzhi’s question, did he suddenly remember.

Lou Yun had no idea how strong he currently was.

He only knew the time left for him was growing shorter.

Could he kill a demon beast within two months?

Regardless, he decided to focus on training without delay!

Lou Yun took out a second-grade spiritual crystal, sat cross-legged, pressed his palms tightly against it, closed his eyes, and concentrated on absorbing the spiritual energy stored within.

Spiritual crystals were indeed essential for speeding up cultivation.

The energy in the world wasn\’t pure spiritual energy; it contained many impurities.

During the absorption, one needed to take the essence and discard the dross.

Lou Yun clearly sensed that the spiritual energy in this second-grade spiritual crystal was much purer than what he directly absorbed from the environment.

Lou Yun absorbed the spiritual energy from the crystal intensely, like a whale gulping water.

Soon, he entered a state of self-forgetfulness.

Chang Xiang appeared in the room then, crossing his arms over his chest.

Watching Lou Yun, who was immersed and wore a satisfied expression, he muttered to himself: \"Hunting? That sounds intriguing. A great chance to give this kid some battle experience. But two months is rather short; he definitely won\’t master this \’Fierce Sword.\’ I\’ll teach him a simpler weapon technique first, spar with him, so he doesn\’t get devoured by a demon beast later!\"

Suddenly, Chang Xiang flashed a mischievous grin and lightly tapped his head: \"Hmm, I think I forgot to tell him—without a magical weapon inside, he has no proper place to store this spiritual energy. But it\’s not my fault; he should\’ve realized it himself. Heh heh!\"

…

It took Lou Yun three full days to absorb all the spiritual energy from three second-grade spiritual crystals.

Staring at the three crystals, now dull and ordinary stones,

Lou Yun sighed longingly.

Though not a miser, spending fifteen years of savings in three days felt utterly wasteful.

Clearly, boosting cultivation required decent wealth.

Still, he had absorbed energy from three crystals.

So he hurriedly tried to perform the \"Human Fierce Sword\" technique again.

But the outcome caught him off guard.

The spiritual energy inside him could still only flow through eight meridians.

It seemed unchanged from before absorbing the crystals.

What was happening?

Lou Yun pondered hard for ages but found no answer.

Helpless, he called out to Chang Xiang: \"Brother Chang!\"

Chang Xiang had been waiting for this; he appeared casually and asked lazily: \"What is it?\"

\"Brother Chang, I clearly absorbed the spiritual energy from three spiritual crystals, but why hasn\’t mine increased?\"

Chang Xiang spoke slowly: \"Do you know what a magical weapon does?\"

\"The function of a magical weapon?\"

\"Yeah. Besides being a weapon, its core role is to hold, store, and compress spiritual energy.\"

\"You have no magical weapon, so absorbed energy merges into your body.\"

\"And your body just finished the first stage of body refinement.\"

\"Though that expanded capacity, it has limits.\"

\"So, your spiritual energy hasn\’t grown much.\"

A magical weapon was another vessel,

and superior to the body as a container.

Its capacity could expand endlessly with a cultivator\’s cultivation level,

most importantly, it compressed spiritual energy,

making it purer and stronger.

Normally, most absorbed energy stored in the magical weapon.

When needed, it supplied it on demand.

But the body couldn\’t do that.

Especially Lou Yun\’s body now during body refinement—it needed energy for forging, not storing.

Hence, all energy merging in his body got fully consumed.

After a stunned silence, Lou Yun burst into a furious roar: \"What! So you mean I wasted money on these three second-grade spiritual crystals? I absorbed the energy but practically threw it away because my body\’s capacity is limited?\"

\"Yes, exactly that!\"

As he spoke, Chang Xiang thought to himself: \"Wasted? Hardly. Though just second-grade spiritual crystals, they filled me up nicely.\"

Lou Yun glared intensely at Chang Xiang, teeth grinding: \"Then why didn\’t you tell me earlier!\"

Chang Xiang shrugged indifferently: \"Seeing you rush to buy the crystals, I didn\’t want to dampen your spirits!\"

Noticing Lou Yun nearing rage, Chang Xiang decided it was time to stop and cleared his throat: \"But don\’t fret. As compensation, I\’ll teach you a basic weapon technique.\"

\"I promise in two months you\’ll master it.\"

\"And if you train it fully, its power will surpass what you can imagine.\"