"Senior Sister's right. We only made it back because of Xiao Yue. We even came out of the beast clan's forbidden grounds, so of course we need to pay a passage fee."
Jian Dan grinned as she explained things to Jian Mao.
With that simple clarification, everyone understood. No one objected. Coming back alive was worth more than anything.
"Everyone, Xiao Yue went there because I brought him. I'll prepare a separate thank-you gift for him. As for the one meant for the beast clan, you can all discuss it together."
Jian Dan laid her stance out first.
"Junior Sister's going to spend a lot, isn't she?"
Jian Jing laughed.
"It's fine. Remember that time those Fuhu idiots came to cause trouble and tried to rob me? I beat them down and kept their storage pendants and storage rings."
Jian Dan didn't hide anything. If she suddenly pulled out too much, some people would start guessing things. Being open was better. In the cultivation world, whoever kills takes the other side's belongings, that's the rule.
Hearing her explanation, several people let go of their calculations and started discussing what they should take out. It had to be something substantial, something that genuinely showed gratitude.
"Senior Sister Jian Jun, I think we can record what we learned about that space, plus our guesses about that fallen fragment of the Immortal Realm, and the contents of the jade slip we got before leaving. If we carve all of that into jade slips and give them to the beast clan, it'll be really useful."
Jian Dan offered her idea.
"Yeah, Junior Sister's right. News about the Immortal Realm is the most valuable thing here."
Jian Xu's eyes curved as she smiled, approving the idea.
Hou San and the Bai sisters had been quiet ever since entering the cave residence. They only checked the surroundings and didn't object to anything people suggested.
Now they were whispering about what they should give. They'd stayed in that space for quite a long time and had some decent treasures on hand. After a short discussion, they pulled out a few items, put them into a storage ring, and handed it to Wu Siyuan, who was in charge of recording and organizing everyone's contributions.
The members of the Heavenly Sword Sect were satisfied with the three newcomers' approach. Even if Jian Lu was the one who brought them in, anyone who wanted to enter the Heavenly Sword Sect had to undergo tests. Character came first, cultivation second.
Wu Siyuan finished recording the items, then handed the jade slips over to Jian Chun.
Jian Chun took on the responsibility of communicating with others. She left with a few people from the Purple Sky Sect and the Yin Yang Gate to negotiate, placing all the thank-you gifts together to prepare for the delivery the next day.
Since they were on someone else's land, everyone refrained from chatting too much. They each picked a cave residence to rest in.
Once Jian Dan set down her barriers, she finally had time to check her sea of consciousness. Just as she expected, ever since returning to Lingyun Continent, her divine sense had been suppressed again, pushed down to the peak of Mahayana. The inner space she'd expanded earlier didn't shrink though.
Normally, her cultivation would've broken through the moment she returned, but the lightning explosive struck her hard. anything that could injure someone like her, who cultivated both the demonic and dao paths, was terrifying on its own.
Because of that, she finally understood how Jian Jun's injuries had gotten so bad. She didn't know that Jian Jun had used a forbidden technique, but she could still imagine the price. Being able to retrieve that star map made the entire trip worth it.
She examined her dantian. The Mò Xī Jiàn and the Mó Yuè Zhǎn both floated quietly above the yin yang Taiji disk, absorbing spiritual energy. Jian Dan's divine sense touched the Mò Xī Jiàn first. The sword flipped lightly and sent a message.
"What is it?"
"How's your recovery?"
"Seventy percent."
Jian Dan curved her lips, satisfied, then turned to the Mó Yuè Zhǎn. The artifact spirit Mó Yuè replied,
"Eighty percent. I wasn't damaged much, I just lacked energy."
"That's good."
Feeling confident now, Jian Dan nodded to herself. She'd really gone to the right place this time. Taking the opportunity, she prepared a separate storage ring full of resources for Xiao Yue.
"Chuan, what about the things you're keeping for now?"
She brushed her fingers against the willow-leaf mark on her wrist as she sent the message.
"It's here. Do you want it now?"
Liu Chuan sounded lazy.
"No, keep it for now. We'll handle it after we're back. How's your strength? I saw you take down a Dixian like it was nothing."
"That place was special. I borrowed Xianyuan energy, so I could kill a Dixian in one strike. Once we're back in this realm, I'll be restricted again. So take it easy and don't provoke anyone too strong."
Liu Chuan was honest. Ever since this woman entered the cultivation world, every opponent she'd faced had been stronger than her. She cultivated her way to half-step Mahayana that way. He honestly admired her.
"Got it."
The next morning, after resting well, everyone went to meet the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord. Jian Jun represented them, thanking the beast clan for letting them pass and for all the careful arrangements. Then, as previously discussed, they presented several jade slips and a storage bracelet.
The Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's violet eyes grew brighter. These people had good judgment. The Beast Lord's smile became noticeably more sincere.
She sent her divine sense into the storage bracelet and immediately saw that it was a spatial treasure with no limits. Inside were armor, immortal pills, body-tempering potions, spirit plants suitable for beast cultivation, and at the very bottom was a small mountain of crystalline stones resembling spirit stones, though they were clearly immortal stones.
The jade slips were even more precious, containing detailed intel on the insect race, their threat to the Immortal Realm, and even a copied star map. The Nine-Tails was thoroughly satisfied.
The people below saw the Beast Lord's increasingly charming smile and knew they'd chosen well. They didn't linger. They excused themselves, since they'd been away for years and needed to report back to their sect.
The Nine-Tails smiled sweetly and told Bai Jue to escort everyone out of the beast clan territory, except for Jian Dan, whom the Beast Lord chose to keep behind.
===
I just finished migrating my Xianxia Handbook to AO3. If you haven't read the Webnovel version yet, or if you read it before this announcement, I highly suggest checking it out. I've made some changes and added extra information.
If the Webnovel version felt a bit dense or "full" of narration, this AO3 version might be easier to follow since I included bullet points for clarity.
I don't plan on adding any major new content to the handbook since I think it already covers the core and most important aspects of the Xianxia genre. Future updates will probably just focus on cultivation stages and formal titles.