79: Chapter 79 Cloud Shuttle

Lin Xuan turned his head to see Chen Hao walking over from the other end of the street.

He was wearing the crimson robe of Flame Peak, the small hammer emblem on his cuffs more refined than it had been a year ago, and his face was smudged with a few spots of soot, making him look travel-worn.

"Chen Hao? Why are you here?" Lin Xuan was somewhat surprised.

Ever since Chen Hao had become the apprentice of the Artifact Refiner Han Lie, he had spent most of his time immersed in the Artifact Refining workshop at Flame Peak, rarely coming to the market.

"Running errands for Master, purchasing a batch of fire copper ingots." Chen Hao patted the bulging Storage Pouch at his waist. "The fire copper in Flame Peak's warehouse isn't enough; the front lines are demanding too many Magical Artifacts, and Master and the others have been working non-stop for a month."

He looked Lin Xuan up and down and smiled: "What about you? What are you here to buy?"

"Buying some Medicinal Pill." Lin Xuan glossed over it and changed the subject, "How is the situation on the front lines? I heard that the conflict has eased up a bit recently?"

Chen Hao nodded and lowered his voice: "It has eased a bit. It is said that both sides have reached a tacit understanding near the 'Ancient Cultivator's Ruins' and are resting. The Sect is preparing to transfer some Disciples for rotation, allowing the Senior Brothers who have been fighting on the front lines for over a year to come back and rest."

He paused, his expression suddenly turning serious: "However, don't be careless. My Master says that the people of the Xuanyin Sect are accustomed to using underhanded tricks; they ease up on the surface, but continue their little schemes in the dark."

"The Outer Sect hasn't been peaceful lately; just to my knowledge, there have been six incidents of Disciples going missing while on missions, with neither hide nor hair of them found."

"The General Affairs Hall has already issued a notice, advising Disciples below the Late Stage of Qi Refining not to accept missions too far from the Sect recently."

Lin Xuan's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of people went missing?"

"Two at Qi Refining Stage 5, three at Qi Refining Level 6, and one at Qi Refining Stage 7." Chen Hao's voice dropped even lower, "They all disappeared while performing gathering or scouting missions within a few hundred li of the Sect, and there weren't even any obvious signs of struggle at the scenes. Some say it might be a high-level Yao Beast that excels in concealment and ambush, while others say..."

He looked left and right, "It could be the Xuanyin Sect's hidden agents clearing out our scouting Disciples."

Lin Xuan was silent. Whichever possibility it was, it meant danger.

"In any case, be careful." Chen Hao patted his shoulder, "Try not to go far recently. If you really must accept a mission, choose one near the Sect where there are more people."

"Thanks, I will be careful." Lin Xuan thanked him sincerely, then remembered something, "By the way, do you know anything about flying Magical Artifacts? I plan to save up to buy one, but after looking around today, the prices have risen sharply."

Chen Hao scratched his head: "Flying Magical Artifacts... I don't really know much about that. But I heard Master mention that the Liufeng Pavilion acquired a decent top-grade flying Magical Artifact a while ago, seems to be called something like the cloud-piercing shuttle, very fast, and it even has concealment formation patterns. But the price certainly won't be cheap; I estimate it must be around 1,600 or 1,700."

cloud-piercing shuttle... Lin Xuan noted the name.

The two chatted a bit more about their recent situations. Chen Hao excitedly told Lin Xuan that his Master, Han Lie, was tailor-making a fire-attribute offensive Magical Artifact for him, with the main material being a piece of Red Flame Iron Essence, which was expected to be completed next month.

"Once the Magical Artifact is refined, I'll find you to spar!" Chen Hao chuckled.

"Alright." Lin Xuan also smiled.

After parting ways, Lin Xuan walked straight towards the "Liufeng Pavilion".

The storefront of the Liufeng Pavilion was more elegant than the Tiangong Pavilion, and the shop mostly displayed flying Magical Artifacts and auxiliary Magic Treasure related to speed.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a round face and a slightly chubby build; seeing Lin Xuan enter, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Junior Brother, what would you like to see?"

"I heard your shop has a cloud-piercing shuttle?" Lin Xuan went straight to the point.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up: "Junior Brother is well-informed! We indeed have one, please come this way."

He led Lin Xuan to an inner room and took out a long wooden box from a cabinet.

Opening the lid, a silver flying shuttle, only about a foot long and with a streamlined body, lay quietly inside.

The body of the shuttle was covered in fine cyan wind patterns, the tip was sharp, and the tail had three small tail fins.

"A first-rank top-grade cloud-piercing shuttle, the main Materials are wind-patterned silver and light space stone, and two core formation arrays, swift wind and concealment, were added during refining."

The shopkeeper introduced, "After activation, it can grow up to a zhang in length, and it has simple spatial expansion inside, capable of accommodating several people."

"When driven at full power, its speed is comparable to a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage 9 flying on a sword, and it comes with a 'flowing wind concealment' effect during flight, which can significantly reduce spiritual energy and wind noise fluctuations."

He paused and stated the price: "The listed price is 1,670 contribution points."

Lin Xuan calculated in his mind. The earth fiend bell was 1,560, the barrier-breaking pill was 120, totaling 1,680. The cloud-piercing shuttle was 1,670... He only had 1,193 points left, not enough.

"Is the price negotiable?" Lin Xuan asked.

The shopkeeper smiled bitterly: "Junior Brother, to be honest, this price is already the bottom price from before the war. Now that material costs are soaring and refining difficulty is high, this cloud-piercing shuttle is still stock from an Artifact Refiner in our pavilion refined years ago; if it were to be refined again now, the cost would increase by at least 20%."

Seeing Lin Xuan pondering, he added: "However... if Junior Brother sincerely wants it, you can pay a 30% deposit to reserve it. We will hold it for Junior Brother for three months, and you can pick it up once the full payment is made within three months. During this period, if others offer a price, as long as it doesn't exceed 10% more, we will still prioritize Junior Brother."

A 30% deposit... that would be 500 points.

Lin Xuan calculated quickly: he could save 500 to 600 per month, plus the 1,000-plus he had left now.

In a month, he would have enough for the full price of the cloud-piercing shuttle.

And three months was enough time for him to break through to Qi Refining Stage 4, and perhaps even push the Thunder Body Refining Technique to the third level of body refining.

By then, wielding the cloud-piercing shuttle, whether for traveling, exploring, or fleeing, would provide an extra layer of security.

"I need to consider it." Lin Xuan did not make a decision on the spot, "I will give you an answer in three days."

"Of course." The shopkeeper handed over a communication talisman with a smile, "Once Junior Brother has considered it, feel free to contact me at any time."

Leaving the Liufeng Pavilion, it was already the time of Wei.

Lin Xuan walked on the mountain road back to Emerald Bamboo Peak; the spring afternoon sun felt warm, but he felt somewhat conflicted inside.

In just one day, he had spent nearly 1,700 contribution points—1,560 for the earth fiend bell, 120 for the barrier-breaking pill.

He had two solid guarantees for survival and Breakthrough in his possession, but his savings had also been reduced by more than half in an instant.

With the remaining money, he still had to consider the cloud-piercing shuttle...

"Wealth, Companions, Technique, and Land; Wealth comes first." Lin Xuan smiled bitterly.

On the path of immortal cultivation, resources are the Foundation. Without contribution points, one cannot afford Medicinal Pills or Magical Artifacts, cannot exchange for Cultivation Techniques or Spells, and cannot even make progress in Cultivate.

Fortunately, he now had a stable source of income, his talisman-making skills were becoming more mature, and the spiritual plants in his space were also growing steadily. As long as he took it step by step, life would only get better.

Returning to his small courtyard, Lin Xuan first set up a simple sound-insulation array in the Quiet Room, and then took out the earth fiend bell.

Following the method in the Jade Slip for the artifact nurturing technique, he bit his fingertip and squeezed a drop of blood essence onto the bell.

The blood essence was quickly absorbed by the bronze bell, the bell body became slightly hot, and the runes on the surface lit up one by one.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, holding the bronze bell with his hands, and circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art.

Pure Thunder Spiritual Energy was slowly injected into the bell, flowing along the trajectory of the runes to nurture it.

The refining process lasted for a full hour.

When the last trace of spiritual energy was withdrawn, Lin Xuan felt a subtle connection established between himself and the earth fiend bell.

With a thought, the bronze bell vibrated gently in response; within the range covered by his Divine Sense, the protective range of the bronze bell was clearly perceptible.

"It's done." Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and stored the earth fiend bell in his Dantian to nurture it.

Next, he took out the jade bottle containing the barrier-breaking pill and poured one out into his palm.

The Medicinal Pill was pale gold, with three clear cloud patterns on the surface, exuding a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

Just by smelling the medicinal fragrance, Lin Xuan felt the spiritual energy in his Dantian become slightly active.

"No rush, wait until I cannot progress any further before making the Breakthrough." He put the Medicinal Pill away and carefully stored it.

Night fell, and Lin Xuan took a concentration pill to begin tonight's Cultivate.

The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art circulated, and the Thunder Spiritual Energy surged through his Meridians. He could clearly feel that the Bottleneck for Qi Refining Stage 4 was close at hand, like a thin layer of window paper that would break at a single poke.

The barrier-breaking pill in his pocket gave him full confidence.

But the "Disciples going missing incidents" mentioned by Chen Hao were like a dark cloud, faintly hanging over his heart.

"I will absolutely not leave the Sect anytime soon." Lin Xuan made up his mind.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

Bamboo shadows swayed, rustling.

In the Quiet Room, the youth closed his eyes and focused, with lightning faintly appearing on his skin.