I step outside to take in the morning sun.
Periodically on my rest days, I've been giving my spirit crane mid-grade element stones so it can maintain its rich blue coloration and water the fields.
Today, as it swoops down, I toss it another and watch it happily eat and absorb the energy off the backside of my courtyard.
I have no soul bond with this crane, and it is technically owned by the Beast Mastery Peak elder and can be taken back at any time.
This bird's capabilities of transferring its memories or experiences back to the sect are unknown to me.
It is 49 years old and has served the sect all its life.
It is making some progress, now sitting at the perfected stage of level 5. The high grade water stone I gave it once contributed heavily to this rise, but it gives me no direct benefits. I do not plan on giving this crane any perfect-grade water stones any time soon.
Its current abilities are more than enough to keep this plot running.
The 122 acres have been split into two halves. One half is for churning out inferior-grade rice.
I've called Shen Dehai up the hill to give me updates a few times.
They managed to already harvest the field, making the current turnaround on these fields three times faster than average.
The other half of the plot is being cultivated to attempt a large batch harvest of low-grade spirit rice in a few months.
My quest hall account is being automatically credited with contribution points.
In the presence of this steward, whenever I step outside, I maintain my Illusory Demon's Concealment Art to keep my cultivation at the publicly known 3rd level of qi refining, with a mid-stage physique.
So today is just like any other day.
I look out over the bright green fields and breathe in the midday breeze, awaiting a visitor.
When Lan Xin arrives on her flying vessel today, she's surprised to see me outside. She stows away a one time use communication talisman. It appears she was preparing to leave it for me as my courtyard is usually unattended.
"Is there something important you need today, or did I just catch you in between training?" She questions while stepping off her vessel, and hands me a silver tier-2 ring.
"Nothing important, today is like any other day." I reply with a calm smile and crack open the ring to see three more milk fruits, 650 thousand spirit stones, and a small white porcelain jar with a thick cork in its top.
I pull out the small jar. It fits in my hand but feels extremely heavy for its size. It's even hot to the touch.
The cork is extremely tough to remove.
I have to stimulate the full power of my physique and feel my body heat up from the pressure before it finally pops off.
Inside, there's a thick white and pale yellow substance. I sense very weak vibrations coming off it, like it holds a barely present enchantment, even lower than initial stage mortal grade.
Its the raw qi that bursts out that makes my eyes widen.
None of my natural senses tell me this is an edible substance; it's extremely dangerous.
It feels like dozens of foundational crystals' worth of tier-2 density qi are inside.
I quickly cork the porcelain jar with my full strength and stow it away.
"What is that…?!"
Lan Xin smiles and shrugs. "It was the prized item in last night's spirit peak auction. I spent over 70 foundational crystals on it. Congealed Spirit Ox Fat, its a small amount left over from a mid stage foundational livestock specimen raised and butchered in the inner sect."
I raise an eyebrow, as given the price, she's spent her own supply of foundational crystals on this item.
"You said you wanted anything enchantment-related, so I had to go for it. I've never seen it for sale before. It's often used during foundation establishment breakthroughs. A cultivator covers their skin in this fat, and it creates a much safer internal breakthrough experience. The auctioneer claimed this ox was raised on those milk fruits you've been making good use of. It doesn't have an enchantment, but I could feel subtle fluctuations, and thought it would be something you'd like."
She bows her head politely and takes a step back.
My gaze tightens.
"Yes… You guessed correctly, it is something I'd like. Though, what do you mean I'm making good use of the milk fruits? How can you tell…? My strength should be concealed to what it always is, and I never said I was the one eating them."
Lan Xin lifts her head and eyes me up and down.
"Whatever technique you use to hide your qi cultivation and the stage of that Martial Physique, it definitely still works… Though your muscles and bones are thicker and stronger…. Far stronger than even most late-stage cultivators. Even with your qi concealed, my instincts can sense the increase in danger. You're consuming the entire outer sect's growth output of these fruits alone. I've never heard of a qi refiner eating more than one or two of them before, clearly there are lingering benefits past just helping with breakthroughs."
She pauses, then matches my gaze, "Also, your eyes are sharper, like you've been through another war or something…"
"Interesting…" I mutter back.
I'll have to take this into account and raise my perceived cultivation soon. Walking around at the 3rd level of qi refinement will become more suspicious than just flying under the radar at this rate.
Though if I raise my outward cultivation to the mid-stage to compensate for my growing body, I also need a reasonable excuse for how I managed such a feat with five 9th-grade roots.
"How much of your own foundational crystal supply did you use? I'll compensate for the difference."
Lan Xin starts to fidget nervously, and her soul twists like there's something she's hesitant to ask.
"There's no need. It's a gift."
My gaze tightens and a series of system updates ring in my inner ear.
[Ding!]
[A more valuable secret within the target has been located. Old data overwritten.]
[After breaking multiple weapons and never being able to release her full potential in battle, she decided to use the enlightenment talisman the host gifted her on weapon forging. After a month of practice, using her physique's flames and a unique self-made forging method, she's capable of consistently crafting mid-grade tier-1 artifacts, and has successfully crafted a single high grade sword. Her unique forging technique leaves an innate enchantment within each craft.]
A faint grin forms on my face, as I start to understand what's happening a little more. "Nothing in this world is free. You've brought me a gift, I'll accept it. Now, there's obviously something you want to ask. What is it?"
She lets out a breath of relief, "I-just wanted to request a few weeks off, and maybe another one of those enlightenment talismans. I need to really focus on practicing for the combat peak tournament; it's going to be held in three weeks."
Kang Yelang's remark about this tournament comes to mind. Though, I never made the time to ask the Quest Hall for more details. It sounded like entering it had far more risks than rewards.
"What is the combat peak tournament even like? Is there some kind of valuable prize if you win?"
"Kind of. It's held every year by the combat peak to test the nearby peaks' raw strength and talent. Anyone can show up and enter. I ranked high in the main event a few times over the years, to gain my named disciple token, and raise my beauty ranking in the sect. Though, that isn't what I plan to enter this year. There are a lot of other smaller competitions held on the same day. The Alchemy Peak, Forging Peak, and Beast Mastery Peak all have their own side competitions hosted the same day, so I was thinking about entering one of those. Their prizes all vary, but they're usually direct gifts from the peak masters."
She bites her lip and lets out a sigh. "It's because of what you said before… I've had a bit more time to think about it, so maybe I need to try something new. To find a… passion or whatever."
Her heart rate spikes, but I just wave my hand.
"Very well. Do it because you want to. There's no need to explain anything more to me. Sometimes it's best to keep these things to yourself until you've given it time to blossom on its own."
I disappear before her eyes and come back a few seconds later with three fire stones and another enlightenment talisman inside a silver ring to toss her way.
"Whatever competition you're practicing for, you better win. I want a cut of the prize."
She catches the ring with her mouth left open a small amount.
Clearly, she's had quite the mental battle about bringing up this topic, and never expected it to go so smoothly.
I turn around to head back to my abode without giving her any time to reply.
"Don't worry about the weekly spirit stone collection, focus on your enlightenment. I'll find someone else to fill in while you're busy."
Lan Xin gives a deep bow of respect, and leaves once I step inside out of sight. She cannot restrain a smile from forming on her face while disappearing off into the sky.
—
I rest for the remainder of the day, thinking about this new development.
With this week's dropoff of spirit stones, and the buffer I already had in my storage, I have almost a million spirit stones sitting unused.
I spend a hundred thousand on another enlightenment talisman, and send it off to the Alchemy Peak to Chen Yilin with instructions to enter any of the combat tournament's side competitions that have to do with pill concocting.
At such close range, the swallow comes back in a matter of hours with a confirmation that he will ask the quest hall on his peak for more details, and vows to not waste the gifts I'm granting him.
A few weeks ago, during one of my off days, I sent my swallow out to the servant camps of this peak too to check on the progress of the young steward Wei Ping.
He managed to hatch the mutated armored boar egg, and has felt his bottlenecks loosening because of it, but I've decided not to contact him any further yet.
I plan to invest more into him once he either nears his mid stage qi refining bottleneck, or once he finally achieves the initial stage of that heavy mountain physique I granted him.
For now, he's a seed that does not need much more water, just time to grow.
My focus returns to the immediate future.
Winning competitions myself would definitely bring me far too much unnecessary attention, especially that main combat tournament that is used for prestige promotions.
I'm in no hurry to become an official named disciple, the title would not benefit me at all right now.
Though, entering one of the side competitions would give me an opportunity to interact with far more disciples of other peaks.
It is a perfect place to find more talents that need a backing. I can afford to spread my influence much further now.
I spend the rest of the afternoon contemplating the benefits and drawbacks.
The sun eventually sets, and in the middle of the night, I feel the sensation of one of my long range communication talismans trembling.
Wang Ruze's voice comes through.
"Senior Li, I am calling to tell you the Mu Patriarch has returned. The goods you ordered from Lingshi City have arrived. Both of the Patriarchs are currently resting atop our Wang Clan's Peak. I can apply to deliver them directly to the sect if you wish."
I walk outside with excitement and imprint the communication talisman back to reply.
"There's no need. Let them know I'll come directly to the Wang Family Estate to pick it up."
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Author's Note:
One chapter of Five Element Overlord will be posted every weekday: M,T,W,TH,F.
If you'd like to support me, and read 45+ chapters ahead of the public release schedule, my patreon is linked in my bio:)
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