Chapter 737: 737 Decision
The next day, Tan Shaoting went to the Duobao Pavilion. The shopkeeper there knew why he had come.
"Fellow Daoist, there’s still no news about the Water Spirit Pearl. This item is too precious. No one would sell or trade it."
"Please keep helping me, Shopkeeper."
"Alright, I’ll let you know if there’s any news."
After returning from outside, he continued his cultivation, making those who were trailing him feel quite bored.
Tan Shaoting calculated the time; the three children should have finished their tasks. So he first went to Sword One Peak to pick up Qi Yan, and then the two of them went to Spirit Plant Peak to fetch Qi Hong and Qi Wen.
The three children had grown a head taller than last year. This time, when they submitted their tasks, people could really see them.
Points and spirit stones were in hand; the three children were quite delighted as these were spirit stones earned through their own efforts.
"Dad, let me treat you to a meal," Qi Wen said with a beaming smile.
"Sure. If it’s not enough, I’ll add more."
"Dad, Qi Hong and I are here too," Qi Hong said.
The father and his three children went back to the workshop market, still stopping by Duobao Pavilion to inquire. There was still no news of the Water Spirit Pearl, but they brought in ten Thunder Spirit Stones from another branch.
Tan Shaoting exchanged for them anyway. Now he didn’t have many spirit stones left, so he made arrangements with the shopkeeper for some Wood Spirit Stones and Water Spirit Stones.
They should be able to earn mid and lower-grade spirit stones, while the high-grade ones are to be kept for future use.
"Dad, we still have quite a few spirit stones on hand."
"Alright, let’s exchange all of them for high-grade spirit stones before we leave. For now, keep them; earning spirit stones is my responsibility."
"Dad, the quickest way to earn spirit stones should be going to the border to hunt demon beasts, right?" Qi Wen truly wanted to see the border.
"Do you all really want to go to the border?"
"Dad, can we go?"
"Alright, when we return, we’ll take up the task."
He knew his children well. Although they were young, they wouldn’t overestimate their abilities. Going once is just going once.
The four of them had a hearty meal, and Qi Wen hurried them back to the sect’s Task Hall to take up the mission.
Initially, Tan Shaoting didn’t want to go to the border again; it must be particularly chaotic and the most dangerous there.
Currently, the sect also encourages disciples to go to the border. The situation over there hasn’t been contained at all, as the barrier from the demon realm has already been completely broken.
In the sect now, there’s only a Nascent Soul Ancestor in charge, the Sect Leader is still there. There are five Golden Core cultivators left, while the other thirteen Peak Masters have all gone to the border.
It’s not just Shushan Sect like this; all sects across the continent are the same. The battlefield has expanded a lot now.
The Mortal World has already been isolated. No matter what, they have to preserve the last bit of hope.
The four of them still traveled by flying boat, slow but safe and inconspicuous. They feared being robbed midway, but seeing such a flying artifact, others could tell they were just poor cultivators.
This time, more than fifty people were also going, but Tan Shaoting didn’t want to be with them. After all, it would attract too much attention.
He was traveling with his children so that in case of any sudden situation, he could quickly put the children away, allowing himself to take action without reservations.
Their reclusive behavior made many fellow disciples dissatisfied, thinking they hadn’t gotten rid of the loose cultivator mentality.
Tan Shaoting didn’t care about others’ opinions. This speed couldn’t compare to the sect’s flying boat. This way, the children could also see the outside world.
At night, they stopped, "Dad, don’t you think the Spiritual Energy here is quite dense?" Qi Wen asked.
Tan Shaoting felt it for a moment. Initially, he indeed hadn’t noticed.
Qi Hong and Qi Yan did the same as their father.
"Indeed, the Spiritual Energy is a bit denser." The young woman’s sensitivity to Spiritual Power was keen.
"Dad, I feel the most concentrated Spiritual Energy is below," Qi Wen continued.
Tan Shaoting lowered his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t sense anything.
The more things were like this, the more suspicious they felt.
"Dad, I have an Earth Escape Talisman with me. Should we go down and take a look?"
The Array Plate was already placed at the cave entrance, actually
going down to take a look wasn’t impossible.
"Coat yourself in the Vajra Talisman, activate the Spiritual Power Shield, and let’s go down for a look."
Tan Shaoting was now trying not to let the children enter the space; otherwise, he feared they would develop a dependency.
Since this was a mountain, the Earth Escape Talisman wasn’t too effective, but they had plenty of talismans in hand.
The farther they went, the more abundant the Spiritual Energy felt; its density far exceeded that of the outside.
Tan Shaoting’s speed was certainly faster than the three children. Though they were now in the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, he didn’t worry about them running out of Spiritual Power.
The rush of Spiritual Energy made the father and three children stop comfortably. The Spiritual Energy here was even more plentiful than in the space.
Tan Shaoting speculated this might be a Spirit Stone Mine, and the reason it had never been found was likely due to the Absolute Spirit Stone on the surface layer.
They had already seen the spirit stones; this was a Five Elements Spirit Stone Mine, not just a single type.
Tan Shaoting took out his sword and began digging without a word.
Qi Yan and the others did the same.
The quality of this Spirit Stone Mine was quite high; they were harvesting Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
They didn’t know how long they’d been working, but now they had cleared a space big enough for the four of them to rest.
"Dad, our luck is really good; these are all Mid-grade Spirit Stones." Qi Hong said with a gleeful smile.
"Your sister’s carefulness and sensitivity to Spiritual Energy helped; otherwise, we would have missed them."
"It should be daylight now; let’s mine for another day and night, then leave."
The father and three children were ultimately just passing by. Everyone craves good things, but being too greedy can lead to losing blessings, so everything must be done in moderation.
After having their fill, the four of them continued. Actually, their plan was pretty simple: just to exchange for high-grade spirit stones. It would be much more handy for future use. Once they climbed back up, breathing in the Spiritual Energy in the cave made them feel uncomfortable, as if lacking oxygen.
It was already daylight. "Let’s set off; whatever happens, we’ll discuss along the way."
The three children, despite not having rested for a day and a night, were not tired at all due to their excitement.
Aboard the flying boat, the three children happily began to inventory their haul.
"Dad, I have over thirteen thousand here," Qi Wen quickly reported to her father, showcasing her treasure.
"I have over fifteen thousand here as well," Qi Hong said with a beaming smile.
"I also have over fifteen thousand."
Tan Shaoting extended his Divine Sense into the Storage Bag, "I have more than forty thousand pieces here."
"Dad, this is probably more profitable than hunting demon beasts," Qi Wen said with sighing admiration.
Tan Shaoting was also happy to see the children’s joyful and vibrant faces. As long as they were fond of it, he would try to satisfy them.