"This sword contains a special spirit?"
Upon hearing Little Stone Essence's words, Qi Ping's heart was filled with disbelief. With his divine sense, he had been unable to detect the slightest trace of spirituality within it.
It seemed that if not for Little Stone Essence, anyone would have mistaken it for a piece of scrap metal.
"Clang, clang... (Yes, Boss. It's extremely faint, but Little Stone is confident I can nurture it back to life!)"
"Clang, clang... (As long as I have enough ores, I can even make it stronger than before!)"
In Little Stone Essence's view, the spirit within this sword was extraordinary. If properly cultivated, it would undoubtedly become a supreme divine weapon!
"That's perfect. We've already discovered two Rank 2 mineral veins during our exploration, and there will surely be more in the future. We might even find a Rank 3 vein. Since they're all for you, you can arrange it yourself—just don't let your own strength fall behind!"
Hearing Little Stone Essence's confirmation, Qi Ping was delighted. He happened to lack a handy divine weapon himself. Once Little Stone Essence finished its cultivation, he could make use of it.
Little Stone Essence had devoured countless thousands of weapons, yet it had shown little interest in the Sky-Flame Seal or the Rank 3 peak demonic blade, treating them merely as tasty snacks. This was the first time it had taken a genuine liking to a weapon. It was clear that the potential of this blade was non-negotiable. With the nurturing of the Master of Weapons, its upper limit would surely be elevated.
"Clang, clang... (Mm-hmm, Little Stone will handle it. My sword-dao power and Dao-runes are currently my strongest attributes, so this sword arrived at the perfect time.)"
"Clang, clang... (Boss, give this sword a name!)" Little Stone Essence said happily.
"A name? Let me think..."
"Let's call it 'Sin-Burner'!"
Recalling the life and will of the sword's former owner, Daoist Sin-Burner, Qi Ping couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration. Perhaps the reason this sword had birthed such extraordinary spirituality was closely linked to Daoist Sin-Burner's Slaughter Dao-Heart and his intent to slay evil.
The lingering regrets of Daoist Sin-Burner could be partially mended through this sword, which served as Qi Ping's way of repaying the karma for receiving the inheritance.
Whether it was the internal traitors or the enemies from the Immortal Alliance, Qi Ping could settle the score with this Sin-Burner Sword in the future...
...
After completely resolving the demonic blade's suppression and absorption of the spirit spring, waves of dense, pure fire spiritual energy and lava power began to birth once more.
When the Lava Beast tribe outside learned of this, they were so overjoyed that lava actually erupted from their bodies!
"Awoo... (Most respected friend of the Lava Beast tribe, you shall forever be our most honored guest...)"
Nearly all the Lava Beasts expressed their immense gratitude to Qi Ping at this moment.
Qi Ping, of course, told them it was unnecessary.
"No need for such—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Power of Living Beings within him grew once again.
"Power of Living Beings?"
What shocked Qi Ping the most was that this power actually originated from the group of Lava Beasts before him!
Furthermore, the intensity of this Power of Living Beings seemed even stronger than that of human cultivators!
'How can I obtain the Power of Living Beings from these Lava Beasts?'
'Is it because I gained the recognition of the tribe? Or is it because I solved the crisis of the demonic blade that was disrupting their ecology and reproduction?'
'It seems there is now another path to acquiring the Power of Living Beings!'
Discovering this made Qi Ping exceptionally excited. If there was anything he cared about as much as breaking through to the Golden Core stage, it was the Druidic power represented by the Power of Living Beings. This power was even more formidable and mysterious than that of a Golden Core cultivator!
Moreover, the subterranean world of the cultivation realm contained many tribes. With steady accumulation, there would surely be more groups providing him with the Power of Living Beings!
Once the Lava Beast tribe became stronger, they would inevitably provide even more potent energy.
"You shall also be my friends forever..." Qi Ping responded to the Lava Beasts.
...
After bidding farewell to the Lava Beasts, Qi Ping, Little Stone Essence, and the Little Immortal Tiger resumed their exploration of the underground world.
However, it wasn't long before Qi Ping received a message from Wang He, stating that matters within the sect had been partially resolved.
[Junior Brother Lin Ya, I have secured 320,000 contribution points for you in advance!]
[As for the resource allocation associated with the 'Mainstay of the Sect' evaluation, I have secured the status of a Core Disciple for you. Medicinal resources will also be tilted in your favor, though I suspect you might find them lacking...]
[Furthermore, I am still fighting for the exchange rights of the Sect Treasury. There are many interests and relationships involved, and I need more time to handle it. Please wait patiently for a while, Junior Brother!]
...
"320,000 contribution points!"
"Core Disciple status!"
Seeing the message from Wang He, Qi Ping was shocked and moved.
Such a massive amount of contribution points from a single mission was incredibly rare in the Qingyuan Sect. Many disciples couldn't earn even half that amount in one or two hundred years; this was enough to exchange for many items.
But compared to the contribution points, the Core Disciple status was several grades more difficult to attain.
Within the Qingyuan Sect, the status of a Core Disciple was even higher than that of a personal disciple!
In the entire vast sect, there were only five Core Disciples, each representing a massive backing and immense interests.
Wang He's ability to secure this identity for Qi Ping showed that his authority in the sect was already quite significant. With Wang He's support, Qi Ping could now practically walk sideways in the Qingyuan Sect, whether in terms of strength or connections.
If Elder Zong, who controlled the Sect Array behind Wang He, also supported him, then even the Nascent Soul Grand Elders would not dare to move against him within the sect.
Compared to his previous miserable situation, Qi Ping had truly stood tall this time.
But for Qi Ping, the truly important part was the elevation of his permissions within the Manual Pavilion!
[Core Disciples may read most cultivation manuals and books within the Manual Pavilion without restriction!]
[Core Disciples may exchange for certain Golden Core techniques and knowledge regarding breakthroughs!]
Wasn't this the core reason Qi Ping had entered the Qingyuan Sect? All his previous schemes had been for this very purpose!
"The goal is finally achieved!"
The excitement Qi Ping felt upon seeing this news was palpable!
Furthermore, he had an extra harvest: he could request the Golden Core Elders of Wang He's faction to share their experiences of breaking through. For Qi Ping, this was an extremely joyous gain, as such things could almost never be bought with Spirit Stones.
Thus, upon receiving the news, Qi Ping immediately ended his subterranean exploration and rushed back to the Qingyuan Sect.
At the same time, he instructed Little Stone Essence and the Little Immortal Tiger to continue their search. The most important task was to find soil-attribute colony-dwelling spirit beasts...