73: Resource freedom

"Sect secret?!"

Su Qingyue's cold, emotionless, yet incredibly authoritative question struck Zhao Wuji's heart like a hammer!

His old face, already twisted by greed, turned ashen white the moment he heard the five words: "The Sect Master already knows."

He had thought Lin Ye was just a lucky fat sheep he could easily manipulate.

But he never expected that behind this "fat sheep" stood... the Sect Master?!

"No... I wouldn't dare!"

Under that purple-gold token radiating a Supreme Aura, all of Zhao Wuji's pride and dignity as a Peak Spirit Body Realm expert were utterly shattered at this moment!

He released the hand clutching the perfect Medicinal Pill, and his entire being, as if all his spirit and energy had been drained, staggered back two steps.

Su Qingyue didn't spare him another glance.

She slowly retracted the Sect Master's token, and her beautiful face once again returned to its eternally cold expression. She turned and looked at the young man who had remained calm and unruffled throughout, and her clear, cold voice slowly echoed through the main hall.

"Let's go."

After speaking, she didn't linger for a moment, her white robes fluttering as she walked directly out of the Pill Hall.

Lin Ye calmly cupped his hands to the already distraught Zhao Wuji, then, under the complex gazes of awe, fear, and fanaticism from the thousands of Pill Hall Disciples around him, he unhurriedly followed... The aftershocks of this event, however, were far from over.

Pill Hall Elder Zhao Wuji was personally ordered by the Sect Master to be stripped of his Elder position and to face the wall in contemplation for a hundred years, for the crimes of "forcibly seizing a Disciple's Legacy and attempting to investigate Sect secrets"!

His Personal Disciple, Zhou Kai, for "framing a fellow Disciple and deceiving superiors and subordinates," had his Cultivation abolished and was expelled from the Sect!

And Han Meng, though he escaped severe punishment due to his serious injuries, was ordered to be confined to his Immortal Cave for one year, forbidden from leaving!

With this series of thunderous punishments, the entire Inner Sect of Qingyun Sect fell into complete silence.

Everyone understood that the young man named Lin Ye was no longer the "Outer Sect Genius" who could be easily manipulated.

Behind him stood the Sect Master, stood Su Qingyue!

He had become an existence in the entire Inner Sect that no one could afford to offend!

After this incident, no one dared to openly show any disrespect to Lin Ye, let alone withhold his Cultivation resources... Black Rock Peak, Immortal Cave number seventy-three.

Lin Ye sat cross-legged, and before him lay over a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, emitting a soft white glow and rich Spiritual Qi!

These were all his assets, exchanged after he anonymously placed the twelve perfect "fire spirit pills" in the Sect's internal market!

A single perfect "fire spirit pill" actually fetched the exorbitant price of a hundred contribution points, which was ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones! Moreover, it was a commodity that was in high demand but short supply, instantly snatched up by those Inner Sect Geniuses stuck at a Bottleneck!

"Medicinal Pill... freedom!"

He finally, relying on the System's Heaven-Defying ability, carved out a glittering path of wealth for himself in this dog-eat-dog Inner Sect!

He no longer needed to worry about resources!

He could finally put his insane AFK plan into practice without any reservations!

"System!"

With a thought, the light blue panel appeared.

"Set 'Heaven Burning Heart Sutra', 'Wind Chasing Sword Technique', 'Golden Bell Shield', and 'Basic Alchemy Art' to... high-speed parallel AFK!"

[Command confirmed! Sufficient Spirit Stone resources detected, AFK task automatically adapted...]

[The four Cultivation Techniques will enter high-speed parallel AFK mode! Estimated consumption: one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone per hour.]

"Start!"

Lin Ye didn't hesitate, piling all the Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in front of him next to his body!

Buzz!!!

As he issued the command, the hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, as if drawn by some mysterious force, simultaneously burst forth with dazzling light!

Streams of pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, visible to the naked eye and refined to the extreme, converged like rivers flowing into the sea, transforming into white currents that surged madly into his body!

His entire Immortal Cave, at this instant, was completely filled with dense Spiritual Qi, transforming into an... ocean of Spiritual Qi!

And deep within his consciousness, the four progress bars representing different Cultivation Techniques, as if injected with stimulants, began to advance madly at a visible speed!

The progress bar for the "Heaven Burning Heart Sutra" steadily climbed. The deep red Heaven Burning True Fire within his Dantian, under the infusion of this massive Spiritual Qi, became increasingly condensed and domineering! His Cultivation Bottleneck, which had been stagnant at the Third Layer of Qi Refining Realm, began to show signs of loosening!

The progress bar for the "Wind Chasing Sword Technique" flickered rapidly. Countless Profound Truths about "wind" and insights into the "sword" flooded his mind like a tide! He seemed to see an invisible small sword, deep within his Divine Soul, practicing those lightning-fast, peerless sword moves over and over again!

The progress bar for the "Golden Bell Shield" was as solid as a mountain. His Physical Body, which had long reached the "Bone Forging" Realm, began a new round of transformation under the nourishment of this pure Spiritual Qi! Every inch of his bones emitted a faint precious glow, steadily advancing towards the legendary "Treasure Body"!

And the progress bar for "Basic Alchemy Art" was like a rocket, with various long-lost Pill Formulas and miraculous Alchemy techniques being force-fed into the depths of his memory by the System!

This feeling was so... wonderful!

Lin Ye was completely immersed in the extreme pleasure of his strength soaring like a rocket, forgetting himself and everything else... Time flew by as Lin Ye tirelessly AFK'd.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

When Lin Ye had consumed the last Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, his tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

Boom!!!

A terrifying Aura, several times stronger than a month ago, erupted from his slender body!

The entire dim stone chamber seemed to brighten momentarily under the impact of this Aura!

He slowly stood up, and from within his seemingly slender body, there came a powerful sound of surging Qi and blood, like a rushing river!

With a thought, he brought up the System panel.

The refreshed data on it was enough to make any Genius despair!

[host: Lin Ye] [Cultivation: Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Realm (Great Perfection)] [Cultivation Techniques:]

["Heaven Burning Heart Sutra" (Earth Rank Low Grade) (Incomplete): Beginner (Proficiency 950/1000)]

["Golden Bell Shield" (Mortal Rank Medium Grade) (Incomplete): Third Layer Bone Forging (Proficiency 850/1000)]

["Wind Chasing Sword Technique" (Profound Rank Medium Grade): Minor Achievement (Proficiency 350/1000)]

["Basic Alchemy Art": Perfection]

One month!

In just one month, his Cultivation had broken through from the Third Layer of Qi Refining Realm all the way to the Great Perfection of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining Realm! He was only one step away from the Spirit Body Realm!

His sword technique had reached Minor Achievement!

His Alchemy, even more, had directly reached... Perfection!

"Is this the power of resources...?"

Lin Ye slowly clenched his fists, feeling the surging, powerful force within his body that threatened to burst out, and sharp light flickered in his dark eyes!

Because he knew very well what a terrifying consumption of resources this rocket-like improvement came at!

A hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, completely depleted within a month!

This rate of burning money was something even the top ten Geniuses in the Inner Sect could absolutely not afford!

He slowly walked out of the Immortal Cave where he had been in seclusion for an entire month.

He looked up, his gaze passing over the Qingyun Sect's continuous mountain-protecting formation, looking towards the wider world beyond the mountain gate, a world full of endless unknowns and... Opportunities!

"It's time."

He knew that although the Sect could provide him with a relatively stable sanctuary.

But, this was, after all, just a beginner village.

True powerhouses are forged in the crucible of blood and fire!

True Opportunities are fought for in the vast Heaven and Earth!

A new, bolder goal slowly took root and sprouted in his heart.

"Descend the mountain... for experience!"