Chapter 89: Informing The Sect
First, Han Cai wrote a letter.
Then he called one of his gray-robed subordinates. He handed the letter to him and asked him to go to Cloud Mountain City and give this letter to Yongnian, who was with his father.
After the first gray robe left with the letter
Han Cai called the second gray-robed subordiante and asked him to go to the sect hall to inform disciples working there to notify his master that he would be visiting him tomorrow, he wanted to discuss something urgent.
The next day, Han Cai visited the sect hall. When he entered, he saw that, besides his master,Elder Dongmei was also present. Han Cai was not surprised that the moment he sent gray robes to inform the sect master that he had something urgent to discuss, the dark hall might have reported to Palpatine.
They were both sipping tea.
How much tea do people consume in this world? Han Cai thought so.
Proudly ignoring the fact, he spent most of his days in his cave abode, sipping tea and sleeping in a Jacuzzi.
Han Cai went ahead and bowed to the sect master and elder Dongmei.
They both nodded, then the sect master asked, "Han Cai, what happened? You asked to meet me urgently."
Han Cai nodded and spoke, "Master, I have been facing challenges with my cultivation. I finally found the solution, but I need your help."
Hearing this, elder Dongmei's ears perked up. Dark Hall would always inform him about Han Cai's activities, and he knew Han Cai had made no growth in cultivation in the last ten months.
Elder Dongmei was worried that he was the cause of it. He let this child experience the harsh realities of the world too soon.
Only after that incident did Han Cai's cultivation stop growing. Elder Dongmei assumed that because of that traumatic situation, maybe Han Cai's cultivation journey got stuck at a bottleneck. Or maybe he lost his Dao heart from seeing suffering. In the beginning, he thought it was a good thing for a child to experience some setbacks, but when he saw there was no growth month after month, he started to get worried. He had promised Han Cai he would leave him alone for two years, so he did not say anything.
But yesterday, when the dark hall alerted him that Han Cai had something urgent to discuss with sect master, elder Dongmei couldn't help it.
He immediately came to the sect hall the next day. He was planning to probe and find out why Han Cai's cultivation had halted. But Han Cai brought up this topic himself.
Elder Dongmei couldn't help it, and he blurted, "What's the challenge you are facing with your cultivation? We will help any way we can."
Han Cai spoke, "Elder, When my cultivation reached level four of Qi condensation, I thought I could cultivate celestial energy with the same speed. I used all the spirit stones provided to me by the sect every month. But then I realised celestial energy requires much more spirit Qi than I expected. The problem was that there were not enough spirit stones, which led to a bottleneck."
Elder Dongmei sighed in relief. So it was just spirit stones. He was worried about it for no reason.
Elder Dongmei spoke again: "Don't worry, Han Cai. Our dark hall will take care of you. How many spirit stones do you need?"
Han Cai gave a thoughtful look and spoke, "Sixty thousand spirit stones."
Hearing this sect master almost spilled his tea, and elder Dongmei almost had a coughing fit. Han Cai looked at elder Dongmei with an amusing smile. Palpatine had shot himself in the foot.
The sect master finally calmed his nerves and spoke: " Han Cai, that is too many spirit stones. Are you sure you need that many spirit stones to break through level 5 qi condensation?"
Han Cai shook his head and spoke, "Master, not level five Qi condensation but foundation establishment. Because of this bottleneck caused by a lack of spirit stones, my cultivation foundation has been greatly strengthened. Once I have enough spirit stones, I will be able to reach the foundation establishment directly."
Sect master and Elder Dongmei contemplated Han Cai's words seriously. It was not that the sect treasury did not have sixty thousand spirit stones; in reality, the sect treasury had more than enough, but giving sixty thousand spirit stones at once would be a big setback for the sect's economy. But this was the sect's celestial talent. They were raising a dragon that indeed comes with a cost.
Finally, the sect master spoke: "Han Cai, it is not that we are not ready to help you with spirit stones, but sixty thousand stones are too much, even for me, the sect master. If we take that many spirit stones out at once, it will hamper many businesses and activities of the sect."
Han Cai shook his head and said," Master, you misunderstood. I do not want to burden the sect with my spirit stone needs. I have finally found a solution to my bottleneck."
This time elder Dongmei spoke: "What do you mean?"
Han Cai continued, "Uncle Mathers, I could not burden the sect or dark hall with such a heavy price. That is why I did not come to ask you or Master for the last few months, even though I understood the cause of my bottleneck. But recently, I found another solution."
They gave Han Cai a curious look, and the sect master spoke, "What is the solution that you have found?"
Han Cai raised his hand. The silver whisperer flew out from his fingertips and started floating around Han Cai.
Looking at Han Cai's actions, Elder Dongmei asked, "Fairy Chang's earthen treasure is the solution?"
Han Cai nodded and spoke, "When I was cultivating recently, the spirit of the flute interacted with me. I informed the treasurer about the difficulties I was facing. When I told it about the problem of a shortage of spirit stones, the flute spirit informed me that fairy Chang had found a medium spirit stone mine long ago. The mine is located 100,000 miles west of our sect, near the Green River Mountains. The flute spirit told me that this mine was located in treacherous terrain. Fairy Chang did not inform the sect at the time because there were many greedy spies in our sect; nevertheless, I would suggest that unclemaster send someone to check it out. The flute spirit warned me, "If someone below the core condensation realm visits this mine, they might not return alive."
Han Cai had already asked about dangers near this mine from the system. Even if he was not planning to explore a medium-sized mine, it was not like he was not curious.
Hearing this, the sect master and elder Dongmei were stunned for some time. This was massive news. After some time, their eyes lit up. This child really liked giving them surprises. If the sect could find a medium-sized mine, then it would benefit the sect greatly.
It was a very significant thing for the sect. The impact of such a discovery would be tremendous and far-reaching.
The 100 million spirit stones found in the mine could provide the sect with a huge influx of resources. The spirit stones can be used to cultivate, refine pills, and make magical artefacts. This will increase the strength of the sect and allow it to compete with other powerful sects in the region.
With access to 100 million spirit stones, the sect can increase allowances for all disciples and elders, which can greatly enhance their cultivation. They can use spirit stones to break through faster and reach higher levels of cultivation.
An increase in the allowance for sect disciples and elders will attract talented cultivators from around the region. Cultivators are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve their cultivation, and the spirit stones will be a powerful attraction for them.
This could change the status of the sect in Yin country.
Elder Dongmei spoke first, "A medium-sized mine, you say? If it is true, then it is the most excellent news I have heard in months. It will not only solve your problems, but a lot of the sect's problems will be solved too."
The sect master interjected, "If it is true, this is a very rare opportunity for our sect. Medium-sized spirit stone mines are not easy to come by. If we can locate it and extract the spirit stones, it will significantly increase our sect's power."
Elder Dongmei nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the spirit stones from a medium-sized mine can be used to improve our cultivation techniques, refine our weapons, and strengthen our defensive formations. We must explore this mine at all costs!"
The sect master added excitedly, "We should prepare for this exploration carefully. It will not be an easy task. We will need to assemble a team of skilled cultivators, make the necessary arrangements for supplies, and equip ourselves with the best tools for extraction."
Elder Dongmei shook his head and said, "No need. We have a lot of spies in our sect. Fairy Chang's concerns were legit. Core elders and my dark hall elders should handle this personally. It would be better if only a few people knew about it. Once the mining starts, people who are sent to the mine will have their senses blocked before they reach the location, so they cannot find the mine. We will need a strong illusion array so they cannot identify the mine's location when they return."
Han Cai watched these two excited kids amusingly plan to find the mine and extract spirit stones. He was not a kind or good person; he rarely cared about anyone, but seeing these two so excited did make him feel good for some reason.
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Author's Note:
To participate in WSA, I am working on one more book. Please take a look at it and let me know your thoughts.