Although the Song Clan no longer enjoyed its former glory, there were still many valuable items left in the family treasury.
However, the family had its own rules. Even as the Young Clan Leader, Song Changsheng couldn't come and go from the treasury as he pleased, let alone take things freely. Everything had to be exchanged for contribution points.
But he had made so many achievements that even Song Changsheng himself had no idea how many contribution points he had accumulated. That said, redeeming a Tier-3 talisman was more than within his means.
"Young Clan Leader," a steward from the elder generation followed behind him respectfully, "the clan currently has five Tier-3 talismans left: three are lower-grade, and two are mid-grade. Are you looking for an offensive or defensive talisman?"
"Only five left?" Song Changsheng frowned slightly, but soon relaxed. The clan had once produced a Tier-3 talisman master, but that was several hundred years ago.
They had been living off those old resources for years now. The fact that anything was still left in stock was impressive in itself.
"How many lower-grade offensive talismans do we have?"
The steward immediately replied, "Only two offensive ones remain: Wind-Cutting Soul Talisman and Blazing Fire Heaven Incineration Talisman. Which one would you prefer, Young Clan Leader?"
"Just those two, huh?" Song Changsheng was a bit disappointed. He had always preferred the Skyquake Thunder Talisman; now that was a real showstopper.
Casually, he said, "I'll take the Blazing Fire Heaven Incineration Talisman then."
He glanced around and noticed that the treasury seemed more stocked than before. That was probably thanks to the spoils collected after the last big battle.
His interest piqued, he turned to the steward beside him and asked, "Got any good materials for crafting lately?"
His cultivation had already reached mid-Foundation Establishment, and his skills in formation techniques had advanced to mid-tier level 2. By comparison, his crafting skills were lagging a bit; it was about time he caught up.
The steward smiled slightly. "You haven't looked over the list of battle spoils we submitted, have you?"
"Uh… been pretty busy lately. Haven't had the chance." Song Changsheng looked a little embarrassed. The list had indeed been delivered to his desk, but he'd been slacking off and hadn't even glanced at it.
The steward understood but didn't call him out. Instead, he spoke proudly, "This time we brought in quite a haul. The largest share is crafting materials; you'll be satisfied."
Under his guidance, Song Changsheng arrived at the southwest corner of the treasury, where over a hundred purple sandalwood chests were stacked. The steward opened them one by one. "You're just in time. These items were just added to the inventory. Most haven't even been sorted yet. Take a look for yourself."
Seeing all the crafting materials piled up, Song Changsheng was momentarily stunned. "All Tier-2 materials?"
"There are a few Tier-3 materials as well; they've already been stored separately. There are just too many Tier-2 items, and we haven't had time to sort them yet," the steward said in a modestly boastful tone.
Since Song Changsheng could remember, the clan had never been this well-off. No wonder they say war brings wealth; those ancient sayings never lie.
"You can go ahead with your work. I'll choose on my own." Song Changsheng waved him off, clearly excited by what he saw.
The steward looked a bit conflicted. This wasn't in line with regulations. But considering who he was dealing with, he chose to trust Song Changsheng's integrity.
Once the steward left, Song Changsheng dove eagerly into the chests.
"Woodspirit Stone, Thousand-Year Thunderstruck Wood, Yin-Yang Twin Jade, Meteoric Cold Iron, Violet Flowing Sand…"
As he identified each rare material, his eyes lit up. In over twenty years, he had never fought a war that made him this rich!
He busied himself for over two hours, selecting over a dozen rare Tier-2 materials before finally heading out, fully content.
As he passed a yellow pearwood shelf, something suddenly caught his eye: a magical artifact that looked like a face, thin as cicada wings.
"A human-skin mask?" Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected to find something like this in the treasury. It was probably part of the recent spoils.
This item was an actual demonic artifact, made from real human skin. The crafting process was brutal, too cruel to describe. Just thinking about it gave him chills.
But Song Changsheng had to admit: in terms of disguise, nothing beat a human-skin mask. Considering he'd have to pass through Lieyang Sect territory on his way to Heavenly Sword Sect, this mask would come in very handy.
He took the mask from the shelf and, along with the materials and the Blazing Fire Heaven Incineration Talisman, settled everything using his contribution points. Then he headed off toward Little Azure Mountain. Those two little ones were probably getting impatient…
Riding his sword over Mirror Lake, he saw schools of spirit fish swimming below. As he passed, a particularly large one surfaced and blew a stream of bubbles happily.
Mirror Lake now looked nothing like it had when Song Changsheng first arrived. Back then, he had discovered a hidden water spirit vein beneath the lakebed. The clan had sent people to relocate it to Mirror Lake.
As a result, the water spiritual energy in the lake had surged, nurturing many water-element spirit herbs. But the biggest beneficiaries were the spirit fish living within.
Led by the lake's only Tier-2 spirit fish, the population had multiplied several times over, becoming one of the clan's most important economic resources.
Thanks to these spiritual fish, the cultivation progress of the siblings Song Qingxi and Song Qingxing had been unusually rapid.
The island in the middle of the lake remained largely unchanged, except that the spiritual fields were more fertile than before, and the Mistveil Tea Trees he had transplanted had grown noticeably taller, almost reaching the threshold for second rank.
What surprised Song Changsheng the most were the green plum trees. They had originally been nothing more than ordinary fruit trees, but after years of absorbing spiritual energy, a faint trace of spiritual essence had emerged within them.
Although the fruits they bore contained a bit of spiritual energy, they were of no real use to cultivators, only good for satisfying the palate.
But now, the tallest among them had successfully evolved into a first-rank, low-grade spiritual plant. Its fruits could now be considered true spirit fruits.
Although first-rank low-grade spirit fruits weren't particularly valuable, the tree's high yield made up for it. It could bring in at least a few hundred spirit stones per year, and once it advanced further, its value would only increase.
Landing on the island, Song Changsheng glanced around and was slightly surprised that the two youngsters were nowhere to be seen. That was unusual.
After a moment's thought, he crouched by the lakeside. In no time, a large spiritual fish poked its head out of the water, its round fish eyes gleaming with intelligence.
"Looks like you've had a good life these past few years; you've even grown chubby. Do you know where those two kids went?" Song Changsheng gently patted its smooth head and asked with a smile.
He knew the Fish King could understand human speech. After all, it had already developed intelligence back when it was still a first-rank creature. Now that it had broken through to the second rank, its intelligence would be even greater.
The Fish King excitedly blew a string of bubbles, then flicked its tail and pointed its head in a specific direction.
"Southwest, huh? Thanks." Song Changsheng smiled, tossed a pill into its mouth, and then flew off in the direction it indicated.
Flying over a hundred li toward the southwest, a waterfall finally came into view. Beneath it lay a massive green boulder, smoothed over the years by constant flowing water.
At this moment, a young man in a tight-fitting black outfit stood proudly atop the stone. The waterfall cascaded from a cliff over a thousand zhang high. The force of impact it carried was unimaginable.
Yet the young man stood there as if unaware, letting the thundering water crash over him. His feet didn't budge, and he was calmly practicing his sword techniques even under the fierce onslaught.
"To use this method to temper the body, quite the bold choice," Song Changsheng's eyes held a trace of surprise. There were thousands of ways to forge the body, but this one was among the most direct and brutal and certainly one of the most dangerous.
Of course, the results were also impressive.
Scanning the area, Song Changsheng soon spotted Song Qingxi not far away. She was sitting cross-legged beside the waterfall, immersed in cultivation.
"To be able to meditate in such a noisy environment… not bad. These two kids are working harder than I expected," Song Changsheng nodded in approval.
To be fair, he had trained diligently in his youth as well, but compared to these two, he had to admit he was a little lacking. That thought filled him with comfort.
After pondering for a moment, he took out a mask he had exchanged from the treasury and pressed it onto his face. It felt cool to the touch, and in no time, the human-skin mask merged seamlessly with his features.
Walking to a pool of water nearby, he looked at his reflection, and an utterly ordinary face stared back at him, with no sign of the mask's presence. His expression looked completely natural.
Satisfied with the result, he then pulled out a gray robe and put it on, concealing his aura, and slowly approached Song Qingxi.
Suppressing his cultivation to the peak of the Qi Refining stage, he crept within twenty zhang of the girl. Suddenly, Song Qingxi's eyes flew open, and she shouted sharply, "Who's there?"
"She noticed that quickly?" Song Changsheng was slightly surprised, but didn't answer. Instead, he drew a long sword and charged straight toward her.
"How dare you!"
Song Qingxi's pretty face turned cold. Her delicate hands danced swiftly as she formed several hand seals. In an instant, vines erupted from the ground, winding toward Song Changsheng.
"Quick to react, but there's no killing intent. This girl's temperament is still too soft."
That thought flashed through Song Changsheng's mind as his sword spun and unleashed a wave of sword energy, slicing all the vines to pieces.
"Peak Qi Refining stage!"
Song Qingxi's expression shifted. She quickly leapt back like a fluttering butterfly, landing gracefully on a large boulder beside the pool. A jade-green sword had also appeared in her hand.
Shiiing
Song Changsheng closed in. The sound of his sword cutting through the air was shrill and sharp.
"Water Dragon's Roar!"
A resounding dragon's roar echoed through the air as a spectral flood dragon materialized behind Song Qingxi, vivid and lifelike.
This was one of the Song Clan's most powerful water-element spells. The sonic waves it released could shake an opponent's very soul, often catching enemies off guard in real combat.
Unfortunately, her opponent was Song Changsheng, someone intimately familiar with this technique. His body shifted slightly, almost entirely unaffected, and in a flash, he was already in front of Song Qingxi.
Just then, a sharp wave of sword energy slashed in from the side. The timing of this strike was impeccable. Fortunately, Song Changsheng's reflexes were extraordinary; he twisted his waist and swiftly retreated.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a shadowy figure shot out from the waterfall, unleashing a dazzling barrage of sword light in the blink of an eye.
Gazing at the radiant sword glimmering, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. With a surge of spiritual power, he swept out a massive wave of sword qi, instantly shattering the attack.
Song Qingxing stood cold and emotionless, brandishing his sword as he clashed head-on with Song Changsheng. Countless streams of sword energy whirled around them, and anything that came into contact was reduced to dust.
The sword qi between the two was far too fierce; with Song Qingxi's cultivation, she simply couldn't intervene.
She quickly formed a series of hand seals and pressed both palms onto the ground. A flash of green energy briefly flickered and vanished.
Suddenly, Song Changsheng's instincts screamed in alarm. With a tap of his foot, he launched himself into the air just as a thick vine burst through the soil, latching onto his ankle.
At the same moment, a sword strike charged toward him, brimming with murderous intent.
"Screech!"
Song Changsheng reversed his grip and slashed down, severing the vine. With a flourish, he spun his sword in a graceful arc, dispersing Song Qingxing's sword qi in an instant.
"Incredible…"
Seeing their combined attack easily neutralized, Song Qingxi's expression grew grim. This was the strongest opponent she had ever faced.
Song Qingxing remained composed, stepping protectively in front of Song Qingxi, his gaze cold as he demanded, "Who are you?"
"Hah. Does it matter?" Song Changsheng replied casually, utterly at ease.
"To a dead man, it doesn't," Song Qingxing retorted, and with that, his aura suddenly sharpened. Even Song Changsheng felt a trace of pressure.
"Whoosh!"
In the blink of an eye, Song Qingxing vanished. The very next instant, the tip of his sword scraped against Song Changsheng's skin. If not for his quick reflexes, blood would have been spilled.
"So you're using your full strength now?" Song Changsheng grew slightly more serious. Song Qingxing possessed a Wind Spiritual Root and practiced the Way of the Swift Sword. Up until now, he hadn't been going all out.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
When the cold and stoic man got serious, he became terrifying. His speed reached a supernatural level. What seemed like a simple sword strike contained over a hundred waves of sword energy.
His footwork was as fast as the wind. Without using his [Flickering Shadows], Song Changsheng couldn't keep up; he could only defend passively.
"If it were an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, they'd probably already be shredded by now," Song Changsheng thought, feeling more and more pleased. "Perhaps the clan might truly produce an immortal sword one day."
"Let me see where your limits lie!" Song Changsheng finally stopped holding back, unleashing the full extent of his power within the Qi Refining stage.
A heavy pressure surged toward Song Qingxing. Yet, his expression remained indifferent like a dead, still lake, unshaken by storm.
"First Sword."
In that moment, the world fell into utter silence. Only Song Qingxing's cold voice echoed through the heavens.
As that soundless sword energy approached, Song Changsheng felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. This sword… it was terrifying already beyond the limits of Qi Refining. It could even pose a threat to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Clang!"
Sword qi clashed, and the top-tier flying sword in Song Changsheng's hand, crafted from meteor iron, snapped in two. The robe he wore was shredded in an instant, and a thin line of blood appeared on his shoulder.
Staring at the bead of blood welling from the shallow cut, surprise flickered in Song Changsheng's eyes. His physical body was as tough as a spiritual artifact, yet Song Qingxing's sword had drawn blood.
A ripple finally appeared in Song Qingxing's gaze. That sword… and it only nicked him?
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