Chapter 79 - Registering the Gains

Cui Chengen stood at the front of the transportation slip.

The fog passed by them quickly, and the ground beneath them looked as if it was spinning.

Unlike when they went to Feiliu Valley, where no one talked to Chen Jingzhai, he was now surrounded by other disciples.

Among the disciples were Sun Changrong, Li Yifei, and two other disciples of Daoxuan Peak, who were there to guard the entrance to the ruin.

Chen Jingzhai took two Essence Power Pearls out and handed them over.

“Master-Uncle?” Both of them were surprised.

“Take them.” Chen Jingzhai gently smiled. “Even if you guys didn’t do anything, you still wasted your precious time guarding the entrance. You two were also troubled by others because of me. So just think of these as a reward for your hard work.”

“That’s what Master-Uncle said. Accept them.” Sun Changrong grinned.

“Thank you, Master-Uncle!” The two disciples bowed.

Their eyes were filled with gratitude at how generous their Master-Uncle was.

No one would’ve said anything even if Chen Jingzhai had not rewarded them.

The other disciples looked at the two enviously as they had finally fully accepted Chen Jingzhai as their Master-Uncle.

No one could be as generous as he could because an Essence Power Pearl was just too valuable.

Just the pearl was more than enough to replace all the gains they had made from the secret zone.

Although inner disciples in the Foundation Establishment Plane had masters teaching them, they still needed to rely on themselves to break through.

To be more precise, they had to spend their own money on resources.

That was why Chen Jingzhai was able to make everyone trust him just by giving out two Essence Power Pearls.

He immediately became the center of attention.

They started to discuss what had happened in the secret zone, making the trip back livelier.

Cui Chengen didn’t join the conversation, but he could barely hide the smile on his face.

Before heading to the secret zone, he was worried that his Master-Uncle would not be able to lead the disciples as he was still young.

What Cui Chengen did not expect was that although Chen Jingzhai was still a boy, he was meticulous, crafty, and generous.

Even Li Yifei, known for being arrogant, submitted to their Master-Uncle.

The Golden Core Sage was shocked at how mature Chen Jingzhai was compared to kids his age.

It seemed to him that Daoxuan Peak had just welcomed an amazing Master-Uncle.

About 15 minutes later, Daoxuan Peak was finally in sight.

Sage Cui activated a spell technique and led the group back onto the peak.

Once they had landed and Cui Chengen had put the slip back into his pocket, he led Chen Jingzhai, Sun Changrong, and Li Yifei toward the palace to meet the Peak Master.

There were three matters they still had to settle. One was to report the situation to the Peak Master. The second was to grade the spells they had obtained. Finally, the third was to hand in the storage bag and compile them into a register.

Inside the Heaven and Earth Palace, Peak Master Yang couldn’t stop smiling after hearing the report from Sage Cui.

“Well done!” he exclaimed. “Our Daoxuan Peak finally took the first spot after so many years!”

“It has been more than 200 years.” Cui Chengen smiled. “The last time was your eldest disciple.”

“Let’s not talk about that first!” The Peak Master waved his arm and turned to look at Chen Jingzhai. “Junior brother, did you really get your hands on the Small Heavens Cloud Forbidden Restriction? That’s something that was passed down by the celestial being!”

“Yes, that’s why I would like to ask for an empty slip from you.” Chen Jingzhai grinned.

The Peak Master waved his arm again, and a slip appeared in front of the boy.

It was clear that he came prepared, as no one would carry an empty slip with them all the time.

Without hesitation, Chen Jingzhai carved the contents of the technique into the slip.

Cui Chengen could not avert his gaze away from the slip. He wasn’t the only one looking forward to the result—Sun Changrong and Li Yifei were as well.

Even though the Small Heavens Cloud Forbidden Restriction was not a celestial restriction, it was still very well known throughout the cultivation world.

The Soaring Clouds Clan even used the technique as their foundation. And as their foundation, it was something that had never been leaked to the outside world.

That was why formation masters from other clans had always wanted a chance to take a peek at the technique.

It was understandable for one to be unable to calm down when they finally had the chance to inherit the whole technique.

As soon as Chen Jingzhai was done, he sent the slip back to the Peak Master.

The latter started to read the contents and remained silent for more than a quarter of an hour.

“Amazing!” Peak Master Yang exclaimed. “Just as I had expected, it’s different from the Restrictions we have nowadays. There are traces of celestial patterns, and it’s actually very close to the formation patterns we are trained in. This is a huge gain!”

“Senior brother, how are we going to handle this technique?” Chen Jingzhai asked curiously.

“Daoxuan Peak will be in charge of keeping it for now!” Peak Master Yang laughed. “Then, after 100 years, the Tianzhu Peak will take on that role. But, we still have to discuss it with the Soaring Clouds Clan first. We might even need to invite a Spirit Plane Grand Elder from the Soaring Clouds Clan over.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because no one at Daoxuan Peak, to be more precise, no one at the Luo Sheng Sword School can unseal the Hongdu Immortal Abode.” Peak Master Yang sighed. “To inherit the technique, we’ll need the help of the Soaring Clouds Clan.”

“But, don’t we have a Spirit Plane cultivator with us?” Chen Jingzhai frowned.

“We do. We even have three Grade 5 formation masters. Unfortunately, however, the heritage of the Hongdu Immortal conflicts with us.”

“Because of the celestial scripture?”

“That’s right. We have inherited the Luotian Celestial Scripture, while the Soaring Clouds Clan has the heritage of the Hongdu Immortal. That is why they are the only clan that can unseal the abode. There are a few other reasons too. One is that the Soaring Clouds Clan and us go way back, and the other is that we might have the chance to take a peek into their techniques. Our Spirit Plane cultivators and Grade 5 formation masters could also use this chance to exchange techniques with them. We might benefit a lot from them. If one of our Spirit Plane cultivators managed to advance, we’d gain something better than the immortal abode.”

Not just Chen Jingzhai but even Sun Changrong and Li Yifei suddenly realized why the Peak Master would choose such a route.

The relationship between the two different clans was based on the foundation they were built on.

It was also how a huge celestial clan was separated from the small ones.

Since both the Soaring Clouds Clan and the Luo Sheng Sword School had inherited the teachings of a celestial being, they remained on friendly terms.

Even if a conflict were to arise, it would be dealt with swiftly.

That was the understanding that the two clans had achieved.

No matter how wonderful the Small Heavens Cloud Forbidden Restriction was, it still belonged to another system they weren’t used to.

It wasn’t as if the formations used by Daoxuan Peak were weak.

Unlike the Soaring Clouds Clan, which were known to create other techniques through their foundation, Daoxuan Peak would only use the Small Heavens Cloud Forbidden Restriction as a reference.

The difference in their heritage caused the two vastly different systems.

That was why, to Daoxuan Peak, the value of the Small Heavens Cloud Forbidden Restriction wasn’t as high as it seemed. Therefore, it would be better for them to discuss it with the Soaring Clouds Clan so that both of them would benefit from the discovery.

There was another thing that the Peak Master did not mention.

If a clan that did not inherit the Hongdu Immortal’s teachings tried to open the immortal abode by force, it would cost a considerable amount of energy and even leave a dent.

There was more than one abode of the Hongdu Immortal, and other clans had tried to unseal them through force. Unfortunately, the outcomes weren’t in their favor.

It had proven to the Peak Master that inviting the Soaring Clouds Clan was the best option.

“Peak Master, everything we have obtained from the secret zone is here,” Cui Chengen said as he handed the storage bag to Peak Master Yang.

The other disciples who had entered the secret zone handed in their bags as well.

Peak Master Yang came prepared and immediately summoned Sage Hao to sort the inventory.

After that, they registered everything that was obtained.

The Peak Master even personally appraised the spells that they had obtained.

“There is nothing wrong with the spells. The only problem is the difference in the power consumption,” Peak Master Yang said after testing all the spells. “We’ll keep all the spells in our library. The disciples will have to pay spiritual stones if they want to read them, and you guys will get a portion of the spiritual stones.”

Grins immediately appeared on Sun Changrong’s and Li Yifei’s faces as that was great news to them.

They were worried that the spells might not be good enough to be kept in the library, as that happened quite often.

Either the library already had the same spell, or it wasn’t good enough or compatible enough.

Now that the spells were kept in the library, even if they didn’t earn many spiritual stones out of it, they would be known for contributing to the peak.

“This white lotus seed is an amazing find,” Peak Master Yang said as he looked at Chen Jingzhai. “How about it? Do you want to sell it to us? Then, we can save one of the Lotus Potions we can make from the seed for you to use when you have gathered your core.”

Sun Changrong and Li Yifei both turned to look at Chen Jingzhai.

Since Li Yifei did not go to the river, it was natural that he didn’t get a seed.

Sun Changrong did get one, but he had to hand it to the peak.

The only seed that was left in personal possession was Chen Jingzhai’s.