Bamboo Mound

"If these three families have been manipulated for so long based on an unconfirmed 'rumor,' then they really aren't much of a threat."

Ning Chang was stunned after saying that. "Wait a minute!... Haha, it actually works a little. I was tricked into it just now!"

"If there really is a force that knows about this 'rumor' and sees that the three major families have only done this once in twenty years, they might actually stop paying attention to them!"

A hint of admiration flashed in Xiahou Yi's eyes again, "Junior brother, I'm completely outmatched by your brain!"

"Even if I had another head, I might not be as smart as you!"

Ning Chang humbly replied, "Senior brother, you flatter me. I could only guess this much. Who would have thought that these three families, after twenty years of planning, would only have this much to scheme for?"

Xiahou Yi laughed heartily, "There's no need for such modesty between us, fellow disciples."

Xiahou Yi paused for a moment and then said, "If Junior Brother has no questions, then this matter is over."

Ning Chang thought about it and realized that everything was indeed alright, so he nodded.

At this moment, Xiahou Yi suddenly thought of something and asked Ning Chang, "Junior Brother Ning Chang, do you know how much the three major families paid in bounty fees this time?"

Ning Chang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Xiahou Yi to ask this question so suddenly, but he didn't know either. So he shook his head and waited for Xiahou Yi's answer.

"A full two thousand spirit stones! Just for the bounty of killing three mortals!" Xiahou Yi said proudly.

"How does this compare to your current treatment within the sect? Now you understand why we don't want to return to the sect!"

Ning Chang calculated that his personal disciples only received fifteen spirit stones per month, and it would take about eleven years to accumulate two thousand spirit stones by simply receiving them!

"It's so much better! Compared to this, the resources within the sect are like a mosquito's leg!"

Xiahou Yi waved his hand, "This is nothing. Once we have the strength, if we can get our hands on a small spirit stone mine, that's worth at least a hundred thousand or a million spirit stones!"

"As expected!" Hearing Xiahou Yi mention the spirit stone vein confirmed his previous guess: spirit stones are produced in the form of mineral deposits, and are even relatively inexpensive!

"It seems we need to consider leaving the sect in advance. The nature of a sect is probably like a kindergarten or primary school; once you've guided someone into the sect, it's not very useful anymore."

At this thought, Ning Chang recalled Xiahou Yi's voice calling him over.

"Senior Brother Xiahou, when you called me just now, did you use a sound transmission method?"

“Exactly.” Xiahou Yi nodded.

"This method of transmitting sound was given to me by my mentor when I left the sect. It allows me to use spiritual power to send my voice to a designated location."

As for the specific method, there are no restrictions, as long as you can locate it. I'll simply place my spiritual energy on you to locate it.

"If you are curious, junior brother, you can ask your mentor after you return to the sect. I threw away my copy after I finished reading it."

Xiahou Yi replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Ning Chang nodded, thinking to himself, "It seems that this sound transmission technique is not so rare after all; it may just be a skill."

He then asked, "Is there anything else, Senior Brother Xiahou?"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yi immediately understood what Ning Chang meant.

He flipped his hand and took out a cloth bag. "These one hundred spirit stones are a gift from your senior brother."

If you have no further questions, junior brother, let's part ways here. When you leave the sect and we meet again, please help your senior brother out of trouble.

He thought that Ning Chang was so intelligent that he would surely achieve great things in the future, so it would be good to make a good connection with him now.

Ning Chang knew that these spirit stones were not much to Xiahou Yi, so he gladly accepted them.

Although it's only a hundred, it will last him a long time now.

After all, he can utilize it 100%, which is more than the 10% or 20% utilization rate of others at the same stage. It can be said to be bug-level!

"Then I will accept your offer without hesitation. Brother Xiahou, if you need anything in the future, please don't stand on ceremony with me."

Then he nodded, got up, and left the restaurant.

After wandering around for a while, it was almost evening when I finally bought a snack and returned to Yi'an Inn.

"It feels so fast. You can leave the sect when you are in the Spirit Platform Realm, and I am already at the third level of Spirit Fusion."

"Seven more levels and I can leave. Judging from how I leveled up two levels using only five spirit stones before..."

Although it also absorbed a considerable amount of spiritual energy gathered in the spirit-gathering array at that time.

But even if each subsequent level requires at least five spirit stones, plus the capacity increase at each stage...

At most, fifty or sixty are enough to establish a spiritual platform!

Ning Chang stroked his chin and calculated.

"I probably can't refine so many spirit stones at the same time. If I divide it into ten batches, five or six stones each time, it will only take about half a month."

"But then what? Once I get to the Lingtai, what am I supposed to do?"

Ning Chang put down the snack she was eating halfway through and fell into a daze.

He transmigrated here alone a year ago, with no one to rely on.

Having lived in Lintou Village for a year, it's highly likely that the village has now been massacred by people suspected to be from the Bloodthirsty Sect.

Only one person remained whom he had never met before, possibly Lin Ping'an, the son of Village Chief Lin, who might be within the Qingyun Sect.

Although he didn't feel anything about it, he felt that this situation probably made him want to avenge Lintou Village.

So he made a note of this matter and arranged to leave the sect after Lingtai Realm.

He joined the Qingyun Sect a month ago and became a direct disciple. So far, he only knows one master and one person named Wang Yan.

Moreover, Ning Chang was leaving in less than two months and didn't want to get to know any more people he would likely never see again.

Ning lay in bed, contemplating her future.

He thought that things wouldn't be so boring here, but it turned out to be just as boring as the simple and easy-to-understand problems that the teacher had explained many times in school.

After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, Ning Chang suddenly thought of:

"If it were a world of cultivation, there would inevitably be sects at various levels!"

Once I reach the Spirit Platform Realm, I can travel around and then find a higher-level sect, right? I won't have to figure it out myself.

Although resources certainly won't be distributed in large quantities, it's best to earn some on your own before that happens.

Ning Chang thought about it more and more and felt it was feasible, and he felt much more relaxed.

I lay in bed like that and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

The next day, as Ning Chang passed through a small alley near a residential area, he inadvertently noticed a square table set up in the shadows of the alley.

He stopped and turned to look.

Behind the table, a gaunt old man was leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes closed.

A tattered cloth banner hung in front of the table, with the words "fortune telling" written on it.

Ning Chang's heart stirred, and he stepped into the alley.

Hearing the noise, the old man slowly opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said nothing.

Ning Chang walked to the table and sat down, saying, "Old sir, could you please tell me where I am going?"

The old man nodded slightly, gesturing for Ning Chang to extend a hand.

Ning Changyi extended his right hand as instructed, and the old man then told him to retract it, closing his eyes and remaining still.