Li Yuanjiao held the mirror for a while, unable to decipher anything. He assumed this person was an immortal descendant of a Golden Core Realm cultivator and that the item on his back was a treasure.
Gritting his teeth, he handed the mirror to Li Qinghong and said softly, "I will go down and take a look... You hold the mirror and observe. If anything happens, activate the Supreme Yin Profound Light immediately."
"All right!"
Li Qinghong strapped the spear to her back and took the mirror, feeling a cool sensation as the white light flowed across its surface, giving it a mystical aura.
"What a fine mirror..." she murmured to herself as she held the mirror, feeling an all-over coolness on her body, her senses becoming sharp and clear. The spear on her back, which had been emitting white light, quickly dimmed and fell silent.
Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao arrived at the foot of the mountain. Inside the hall, Li Yuanping was having a pleasant conversation with Wang Xun. As Li Yuanjiao approached the courtyard, he heard a hearty laugh.
"Brother Yuanping, you must be joking! My Wang Family is limited to Yinghua Prefecture, with just over 200,000 people in the mundane world! Those who attain the Dao enter our family's grotto heaven, avoiding worldly entanglements, so naturally, there are no connections. The lord of my family is one of the Three Gold, and even among the Buddhist Sects, there is constant internal strife, with factions too busy currying favor to dare interfere with us... And so this is how things have been for centuries."
Li Yuanjiao gently knocked on the door before entering. Wang Xun looked up and immediately fixed his gaze on the sharp sword at Li Yuanjiao's waist. Li Yuanping smiled and introduced him to the guest.
"Senior, this is my elder brother, Li Yuanjiao."
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
They exchanged polite greetings. Wang Xun carefully observed Li Yuanjiao before smiling and commenting, "Your brother has quite an impressive presence!"
Li Yuanjiao responded politely to his compliment and then said, "I already know the purpose of your visit, Senior. Our family’s spirit sword contains a preserved sword intent left by our elder, sealed for many years and never used. If you wish to borrow the sword to advance your path, do you intend to take the sword or the intent? And if so, will it damage the sword intent?"
Li Yuanjiao had already thought the matter through and went straight to the point.
"Fellow Daoist..." Wang Xun smiled wryly and replied, "Our Wang Family has plenty of Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifacts—most of them swords. I have traveled far to seek this sword specifically for its intent."
"As for whether it will damage the sword intent..." Wang Xun paused, thinking for a moment, then answered, "I need to examine the sword to determine that."
Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly, removed the sword from his waist, drew it from its sheath, and solemnly presented it.
"Please take a look."
The young man was overjoyed and carefully took the sword, admiring the green-white blade with the elegantly inscribed characters— Qingche .
Wang Xun could not help but praise, "Four che and five cun long, forged from seven che of Qingming Copper... Although the materials are average, the craftsmanship is exceptional. The sword has been nurtured by sword intent for years, making it a fine piece!"
"The sword intent within is as clear as water, as white as the moon, and nurtured for ten years. If this is unleashed... ordinary cultivators would not withstand it."
The Li brothers listened attentively. Wang Xun continued, "I only need a sliver of the intent. Based on my understanding of swordsmanship, it would reduce the sword intent's strength by at most... twenty percent."
He smiled awkwardly and quickly added, "I will not let your family suffer a loss! I can compensate with other items."
The brothers exchanged a glance, and Li Yuanjiao asked, "According to the standards of the Jiangnan Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao, what power would this sword intent retain after the reduction?"
"Hmm..." Wang Xun pondered for a moment and then replied, "This sword intent is potent. Even if I draw a sliver from it, once the sword is wielded, a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator at the early stage would surely die. A mid-stage might escape with their life, but even a late-stage would suffer greatly if caught off guard."
As soon as Wang Xun had finished speaking, he saw the hesitation on the brothers' faces and continued, "Our Daoist tradition mandates minimal worldly ties; we cannot owe favors or intervene for others... However, compensating with spirit items, precious herbs, or pills is acceptable."
"Fellow Daoist, please use this sword to advance your path!"
Given Wang Xun's clear explanation and their inability to offend him, Li Yuanjiao reluctantly agreed. Wang Xun was overjoyed but remained cautious, saying solemnly, "What compensation would you require? Please, do not say anything polite, as it would put me in a difficult position!"
He stared intently at the two, fearing they would make unreasonable demands after he extracted the sword qi. It was evident that without clear terms, he would not proceed.
"Allow my brother and I a moment to discuss this," Li Yuanjiao replied courteously.
"Of course!" Wang Xun nodded, examining the sword as the brothers stepped outside the hall to talk.
Once outside, Li Yuanping and Li Yuanjiao both spoke at the same time.
"Essence Gathering Pill!"
"Spirit root!"
Both were momentarily stunned by each other’s outbursts and then laughed wryly. Li Yuanping had intended to ask for Essence Gathering Pills to help his brother and elder sister break through to Foundation Establishment Realm, while Li Yuanjiao had considered requesting a spirit root, similar to the Snake Dragon Tree, to alleviate their family's annual financial struggles.
Each brother had the family's best interests at heart—one focusing on cultivation, the other on the family's well-being. They shared a knowing smile. Li Yuanping quickly said, "The family can manage; the key is for you and our elder sister to break through! Even though the Essence Gathering Pill only increases the chances of Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough by fifty percent, it's still a big help. Besides, since the Wang Family is descended from Golden Core Realm cultivators, he might have even more powerful pills..."
Li Yuanjiao thought for a moment and hesitated, "I also feel that everything Wang Xun holds is extraordinary... Although the Essence Gathering Pill is precious, it seems a waste to exchange it for a favor from the Wang Family. If he has a spirit root, it would surely be a special one that could sustain our family for centuries to come..."
Given that Wang Xun promised spirit items and precious herbs, and since the brothers had seen many spirit items but not many treasured panaceas, their best bet was a spirit root. With one such root, they could continuously produce spirit items.
After some deliberation, the brothers found themselves in a dilemma. Li Yuanping laughed and said, "Now that we have such an opportunity, it is making us hesitant."
Li Yuanjiao pondered for a moment and then replied, "Let us ask the senior first... We don't know whether he has something better than the Essence Gathering Pill or maybe no spirit roots on hand. With clear options, we can then compare and decide."
"Agreed!"
They then returned to the courtyard and tactfully presented their request to Wang Xun. He nodded in relief as he mumbled thoughtfully, "A spirit root... I do have one, which I found by chance in our grotto heaven."
He retrieved a red-yellow seed the size of an almond from his storage pouch and said softly, "This is called the Wanglin Blossom . A thousand years ago, it was the treasured relic of the Wanglin Upper Sect in Jiangbei. After the spiritual energy waned, it could no longer thrive there, and only a few remain in our grotto heaven. This spirit root blooms every three years and withers in three days, bearing fruit every three hundred years. It is very delicate and requires daily watering with spirit spring water if the spiritual energy is insufficient. Its flowers are a type of spirit item, considered to be of the Foundation Establishment Realm according to the standards of Jiangnan, and can alleviate worries and sustain life."