Chapter 8: Gathering Spirit Fruit

Gunner’s death didn’t greatly impact Raelyn and the others, as he had instigated the conflict. The group continued on their journey, with Titus and Raelyn leading the way, while Isaac and Zoey followed behind. Raelyn chatted casually with Titus, stealing glances at him and then quickly looking away. Isaac and Zoey, trailing behind, noticed Raelyn’s subtle interest in Titus and exchanged knowing smiles without pointing it out. "Who would have thought that Xenos is actually a Blade Cultivator..." Isaac exclaimed. Blade Cultivation was extremely rare, and he had never seen it before, only heard of it in rumors. Upon witnessing it today, Blade Cultivation was indeed formidable. With only a cultivation level of Qi Refining Seventh Stage, Titus managed to severely wound Gunner, who was at the pinnacle of Qi Refining Eighth Stage, with a single strike of his blade. “Unfortunately, Xenos’s Sea of Qi is only at thirty percent of its capacity,” Zoey remarked sadly, prompting a sigh from Isaac. A damaged Sea of Qi not only affects one’s strength but also hinders advancement to higher realms. For Titus, advancing to the next stage would be much harder than for a Martial Cultivator with an intact Sea of Qi. The journey continued smoothly without incident. At the Heavenly Ultimate Hall’s External Affairs Pavilion. Raelyn handed in the mission token. “A Silver-rank mission?” The steward of the External Affairs Hall looked at Raelyn with some surprise. Tasks issued by the Heavenly Ultimate Hall’s External Affairs Hall were rare, and copper-level tasks were few, let alone silver-level ones. Nevertheless, the steward of the External Affairs Hall meticulously verified the token and the task. It indeed was a silver-level mission issued by the Heavenly Ultimate Hall’s External Affairs Hall. What surprised the steward was that the mission was personally assigned by the master of the Heavenly Ultimate Hall. A so-called assigned task was one specifically designated for a certain individual. The steward of the External Affairs Hall looked at Raelyn intently, his previously indifferent attitude shifting to become much more respectful. “Your mission is completed. You have earned a total of twenty thousand contribution points. How would you like them to be distributed?” “I suggest allocating eight thousand contribution points to Xenos, senior Isaac, and Sister Zoey. What do you think?” Raelyn turned to Isaac and the others. “No problem.” “Let’s distribute it as you proposed.” Isaac and Zoey quickly agreed. “Let’s just split it evenly,” Titus interjected. “Xenos, if it weren’t for you, we might not be able to stand here now. We would all feel uneasy if you refuse to accept it,” Raelyn hurriedly added. “Yates is right. If it weren’t for you, Brother Xenos, we would have been long dead,” said one disciple. “Brother Xenos, this is what you deserve,” Isaac and another disciple added. “Since that’s the case, I won’t hold back.” Titus accepted without further refusal, as he too needed contribution points to exchange for items. Seeing Titus accepting the items, Raelyn felt relieved. “Steward, we’ve completed a Silver-level task. Can we exchange for items from the second layer now?” Raelyn asked the steward of the External Affairs Hall. The second layer? Isaac and the other disciple looked puzzled. Only Titus was slightly surprised, for he had previously entered the Inner Sect and knew that the External Affairs Hall had three layers for exchange. The first layer was accessible to all Outer Sect disciples, offering common items like Gold Wound Medicine and Spirit Stone fragments, and occasionally, Spirit Liquid for cultivation. The second layer, however, was different. It was available only to Inner Sect disciples and stewards, offering much better items than the first layer. “Yes, but only those who complete Silver-level tasks can make exchanges,” the steward nodded and opened the cabinet of the second layer. Inside the opened cabinet lay various items, including Yatesllow-grade Lower Rank Martial Techniques, healing potions, and low-grade Spirit Stones. “Is that Spirit Medicine?” Isaac pointed at a red fruit resembling a red jade at the end of the cabinet. “Yes, that’s a Gathering Spirit Fruit. It was damaged during harvesting and retained only about ten percent of its medicinal properties, so it’s placed in the second cabinet. Despite its diminished potency, the Gathering Spirit Fruit is still valuable, requiring 7,500 contribution points to exchange,” the steward explained. “So expensive?” Zoey exclaimed. Their annual task earnings amounted to around eight hundred to a thousand contribution points. This time, earning four thousand was equivalent to four years’ worth of tasks. And this damaged Spirit Medicine required 7,500 contribution points... “Expensive? Spirit Medicines are extremely rare, emerging only once among a million similar herbs. Moreover, they require at least ten years to mature naturally. Furthermore, the Qi contained in a complete Gathering Spirit Fruit could potentially propel a Martial Cultivator at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Stage to the Element Integration Stage,” the steward remarked, explaining more than he usually would, given Raelyn’s special status. “Please get it for me,” Titus requested. “Brother Xenos, are you sure you want to exchange? It’s 7,500 contribution points,” Isaac hurriedly advised, fearing Titus was being impulsive after hearing the steward. A complete Gathering Spirit Fruit could help a Martial Cultivator approach the Element Integration Stage, but this damaged one, retaining only a tenth of its potency, would hardly offer any significant advancement. With those 7,500 contribution points, it would be wiser to exchange for Qi Refining Liquids, which could help advance to the Eighth Level of Qi Refining Stage. “Are you sure you want to exchange?” the steward asked Titus. “Yes, let’s do it,” Titus affirmed with a nod. Seeing Titus’s determination, Isaac and others refrained from further objections, as it was his decision. After the steward handed over the Gathering Spirit Fruit, Titus carefully stored it. Meanwhile, Isaac and the others exchanged for Qi Refining Liquids and other items. Surprisingly, Raelyn didn’t exchange for anything. “Why aren’t you exchanging?” asked Titus. "Nothing for now, and these Qi Refining Elixirs are not of much use to me," Raelyn smiled and then motioned for Titus to follow her. She whispered, “Xenos, come with me. I'll take you somewhere." "Somewhere?" Titus raised an eyebrow. "You'll see when we get there," Raelyn replied mysteriously, leading the way. Titus didn't feel inclined to refuse and followed along. After a while, Titus arrived at a large entrance with two burly guards at the entrance. He was surprised because he had been here a few days ago. This was the main mansion of Heavenly Ultimate Hall. When Titus was promoted to an Inner Sect disciple, he had completed the promotion ceremony here. On normal days, it served as the main hall master's residence. There were eight hall masters in the Outer Sect, and each hall master held an important position in the Skynet Sect, just below the elders. Each of them was responsible for managing one hall. “Yates, why did you bring me here?" Titus asked. “Xenos, you're a rare Blade Cultivator in our Heavenly Ultimate Hall, and it would be a waste to have you buried in the Outer Sect. So I want to introduce you to someone," Raelyn said with a smile. "Who would you like me to meet?" Titus frowned. "You'll find out when we get inside," Raelyn teased, tugging on Titus's sleeve and leading him inside. The two guards didn't stop Raelyn and seemed to recognize her, not questioning her entry into the main mansion.