Chapter 040

Chapter 40: Resource Exchange

After a brief consideration, Wei Yun Xi agreed to the Tribe Warrior’s offer. She was curious to see how much these milk fruits would strengthen her body.

From what Tribe Warrior had said, milk fruits were most effective for younglings; their benefits dwindled greatly once consumed as an adult.

Thus, she swiftly made up her mind, replying, “Alright, I agree.”

Soon after, the three parties smoothly completed their resource exchange. Wei Yun Xi traded her manual, Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind, to Survival is Truth for an energy shield and several crystal nuclei. Tribe Warrior then exchanged his milk fruits with Wei Yun Xi for that same energy shield and crystal nuclei. With that, the three-way exchange concluded perfectly.

The other members of the group merely watched from the sidelines, as none of them needed these resources.

Wei Yun Xi gazed cheerfully at the five large baskets of milk fruits piled up inside her space, humming softly to herself. After carefully checking that everything was in order, she bid farewell to the group members and logged out.

Once her consciousness returned, she didn’t rush into cultivating but instead took some time to sort through her recent gains and plan her next steps.

First, she had already reached Qi Refining Level Five, allowing her to practice the elemental techniques her little uncle had provided. She intended to cultivate each thoroughly, building up her strength to protect herself.

Second, now that she had the milk fruits, she essentially had an upgraded version of body-refining pills without the drawback of pill toxins. Strengthening her physique would place her firmly at the entry-level of body refining, solidifying her foundation for future cultivation.

Third, she currently possessed only one advanced technique—Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind. She still lacked suitable lightning and ice-element techniques, which she planned to acquire later from the sect’s exchange hall.

Fortunately, the basic Qi Refining Formula was sufficient at her current stage. Once she reached Foundation Establishment, she could smoothly transition to techniques suited for her spiritual roots, buying her ample time to search.

In her understanding, lightning spiritual root held the greatest offensive power and repelled evil influences. Hence, she aimed to find a lightning-based sword technique for offense.

Meanwhile, her ice spiritual root was ideal for large-scale attacks. She planned to obtain an ice-element spellcasting technique to complement the lightning sword’s limitations.

Fourth, of the Four Arts of Cultivation, she knew she must master at least one as her source of future resources. Alchemy was the most fitting, aligning well with her publicly known roots and her foundational training from the Feng clan.

Talisman crafting had the lowest initial costs, though achieving mastery still demanded effort. She decided she would sit in on talisman lectures in the coming days to test her aptitude first.

As for formations and weapon crafting, she didn’t intend to dive deeply yet but planned to familiarize herself enough to distinguish quality items and materials. Otherwise, she risked wasting precious spirit stones.

Considering the unused resources still stored in her space, Wei Yun Xi was confident these goals were achievable.

As for her hidden trump cards, she had the wooden-token chat group. As her cultivation improved, she could access higher-level resources from the cultivation world through resource exchanges with group members.

Additionally, the silver bracelet from the Feng family concealed her true spiritual roots, allowing her to maintain a low profile. Her floral forehead immortal ornament hid her cultivation and could even shield her in times of danger.

Moreover, the two defensive treasures she carried were sufficient for sect life at her current stage. She planned to upgrade her gear after reaching Foundation Establishment and embarking on journeys outside.

Regarding the boxes of mysterious resources from the chat group, she decided not to open them yet. She feared being tempted into complacency. They would serve as a last resort during desperate times.

Wei Yun Xi carefully reviewed her belongings, feeling satisfied. She wasn’t exactly rich, but she certainly wasn’t starting from nothing. Furthermore, the resources her mother left behind at the Feng clan would unquestionably see her safely to the Spirit Realm—as long as no unexpected trouble arose.

But Wei Yun Qing was still around as a potential troublemaker, so she remained cautious. Thankfully, her steady steps to alter the story had borne fruit. With enough determination, she believed she could rewrite her destined fate.

After quietly encouraging herself, Wei Yun Xi settled down and resumed cultivation.

Later that day, after finishing her practice, she met up with her three sisters. Wei Yun Ting noticed immediately and exclaimed in delight, “Yun Xi, you’ve already broken through to Qi Refining Level Two?”

Her words startled Wei Yun Ying and Wei Yun Qing, who hadn’t expected their younger sister to surpass them so quickly.

Wei Yun Ying said enviously, “Yun Xi, your luck is incredible! It wasn’t long since your last breakthrough, yet you’ve advanced again.”

Wei Yun Qing’s heart twisted with shock and jealousy. Her talent was clearly superior to her younger sister’s—why was Yun Xi always able to keep pace?

Wei Yun Xi narrowed her bright almond-shaped eyes playfully and replied, “Elder Sister Yun Ying, that’s not fair. Ever since we joined the sect, I’ve replaced sleep with cultivation every night. With such rich spiritual energy here and the excellent nourishing pill Little Uncle gave me, it’d be strange if I didn’t progress quickly. I have triple spiritual roots, remember? I must reach mid-level Qi Refining fast so I can start refining pills and share nourishing pills with everyone!”

Her clever explanation immediately dispelled their suspicions. After all, with such high-quality pills from their Little Uncle, rapid advancement was expected. Moreover, Wei Yun Xi had hinted at refining pills for everyone, setting the stage early for future plans.

Wei Yun Ting smiled warmly, saying, “I’ve seen how hard Yun Xi has been working. Her progress comes from diligence. No need for envy—if you keep at it, your breakthroughs will surely come soon.”

“Yun Ting’s right,” Wei Yun Ying agreed cheerfully. She had already touched upon the threshold of Qi Refining Level Two and decided to skip tomorrow’s lunch, aiming to break through in one decisive attempt.

Wei Yun Qing privately vowed she must hurry to reach Qi Refining Level Two, or she’d truly fall behind, harming her reputation and her prospects for finding a suitable master.

After the sisters returned to their quarters, each returned to their room. Except for Wei Yun Xi, who chose sleep, the others continued meditating. Wei Yun Xi had discovered that substituting sleep with cultivation harmed her young body’s growth.

Indeed, after napping for three whole hours in the sect’s richly spiritual cultivation room, she’d effortlessly broken through to Qi Refining Level Five. While the room’s environment certainly helped, her relaxed, happy state of mind also contributed.

Hence, from then onward, she resolved to sleep at least three hours daily, balancing rest with cultivation rather than obsessively chasing breakthroughs. Moreover, having reached Qi Refining Level Five, she felt the need to consolidate her progress rather than seeking another breakthrough immediately.

The next day, all eight members of the Wei family gathered together, noticing everyone’s improvement during their short time apart.

Wei Yun Ting had successfully reached Qi Refining Level Four the previous night, while Wei Zong Han achieved it even earlier that day. They remained the strongest among the group.

Spurred by Wei Yun Xi’s advancement, Wei Zong Hao had broken through to Qi Refining Level Two, while Wei Zong Jin and Wei Zong Yu teetered on the brink of their own breakthroughs.