"Spirit stones?"
Hearing this, everyone was stunned once more, trading glances as they found it entirely unexpected.
The disciples of Ru Peak did not care for books, yet they wanted spirit stones instead?
That made no sense at all.
"Alright, you fellow, stop trying to fleece them."
Grand Elder Li Sihai stepped out from the side, then handed over a storage bag. "Here. These are the spirit stones you haven't collected on a monthly basis throughout your six years in seclusion. I've brought them all to you at once. One hundred spirit stones a month, twelve hundred a year, making a total of seven thousand two hundred spirit stones for six years."
"Many thanks, Grand Elder!"
Jiang Yan was ecstatic, his face brimming with emotion. "I wish you a long and prosperous life!"
In the current Dao Sect, only a few people knew that this fellow was definitely not cut out for scholarship; he was a thoroughgoing miser.
The reason he joined Ru Peak in the first place was because the master of Ru Peak back then, Zhang Yuanshu, had literally dragged him through the gates by force. To this day, no one knew the reason why.
Yet Jiang Yan himself knew very well that Zhang Yuanshu had brought him in solely because of his special physique.
The Heavenly Tribulation Physique.
When Jiang Yan first learned from Zhang Yuanshu about this physique of his, he had assumed it would be one of those ill-fated constitutions that constantly got struck by lightning.
Zhang Yuanshu took him on as a disciple and brought him to Ru Peak to cultivate, which deeply moved Jiang Yan, who believed the man possessed boundless virtue and had come to avert disasters and resolve tribulations for his disciple.
Only later did Jiang Yan realize what utter nonsense boundless virtue and disaster-averting were; it was all just him moving himself to tears over nothing.
The so-called Heavenly Tribulation Physique was indeed an ill-fated constitution prone to lightning strikes.
Jiang Yan clearly remembered that during his very first month at Ru Peak, a heavenly tribulation appeared—not his own tribulation, but Zhang Yuanshu's.
That night, Zhang Yuanshu suddenly achieved enlightenment, triggering a heavenly tribulation. Yet instead of descending upon Zhang Yuanshu, the tribulation struck Jiang Yan, who was still fast asleep on Ru Peak.
Only then did he understand that his Heavenly Tribulation Physique actually had the effect of intercepting tribulations for others.
In short, whenever anyone underwent a tribulation within a radius of one kilometer from him, the heavenly tribulation would be attracted by Jiang Yan's Heavenly Tribulation Physique and crash down upon him instead.
Upon learning this, Jiang Yan had been filled with anxiety for a time, terrified that he might one day fall asleep and be inexplicably blasted to death by lightning.
Later on, Zhang Yuanshu achieved enlightenment repeatedly, summoning heavenly tribulations over a dozen times, all of which were warded off by Jiang Yan.
During those years on Ru Peak, apart from handing him a vast number of ancient texts to peruse, Zhang Yuanshu had never taught him any cultivation methods whatsoever.
In Zhang Yuanshu's words, Jiang Yan's physique was extremely special; every time he blocked a tribulation for someone, the tribulation might would remain inside his body, and only by reading books could he gradually absorb and digest that tribulation might, converting it into his own cultivation.
Naturally, Jiang Yan did not believe his absurd tales, but after a series of subsequent events, what Zhang Yuanshu said was indeed verified.
In the first four years after he arrived at Ru Peak, he had warded off over a dozen tribulations for Zhang Yuanshu, and indeed, by reading books, he had converted the lingering tribulation might within his body into his own cultivation.
By the age of ten, before entering seclusion, Jiang Yan had used this method to elevate his cultivation to the Ninth Layer Peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
What kind of concept was that?
Take the current Grand Elder Li Sihai, for instance. Having cultivated in the Dao Sect for his entire life, his current cultivation had only just managed to step into the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm, still leaving a considerable distance to the Ninth Layer Peak.
Yet ten-year-old Jiang Yan's cultivation had long since far surpassed his.
Most importantly, that was still under the condition that Jiang Yan had not completely absorbed all the tribulation might within his body.
During these six years in seclusion, Jiang Yan did not sit in meditation, practice cultivation, or inhale the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth like ordinary cultivators.
He simply read books.
Over the past six years, Jiang Yan had finally absorbed all of the tribulation might that Zhang Yuanshu had left inside him.
Because of this, he had emerged from seclusion at this very moment.
And having absorbed all the tribulation might, Jiang Yan's cultivation at this moment had advanced by leaps and bounds compared to six years ago. As of now, he had reached the Great Perfection of the Return to Void Realm, a mere step away from Dao Severing.
On the path of cultivation, Qi Refining is the beginning, followed by Vein Condensation, Spirit Transformation, Return to Void, Dao Severing...
Furthermore, each realm is divided into one to nine layers.
As one of the six major sects within Xuan Province, Li Sihai—occupying the position of Grand Elder in the Dao Sect—had only just reached the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm. One could easily imagine how terrifying it was for Jiang Yan, who was merely eighteen years old at present, to possess the strength of the Great Perfection of the Return to Void Realm.
To put it without exaggeration, not only in Xuan Province, but even looking across the entire Northern Region, Jiang Yan's current cultivation was undoubtedly enough for him to dominate an entire region.
"A long and prosperous life? Is that a blessing or a curse you're wishing upon me?"
Li Sihai, who had just turned ninety-eight this year, was laughed into fury. Still, he didn't lower himself to argue with Jiang Yan. Waving a hand, he said, "Alright, sect affairs are pressing, and I have many matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you here any longer. Sleep when you ought to sleep, and read when you ought to read."
With that, he intended to lead the group of disciples away from Ru Peak when Jiang Yan suddenly asked, "Oh right, Grand Elder, back when Master went out on his travels, did he ever mention when he would return?"
Hearing this, Li Sihai was slightly startled, then shook his head. "You are Peak Master Zhang's personal disciple; if he didn't even inform you, it's naturally even more impossible for me to know."
"That's true." Jiang Yan nodded, though his brow furrowed involuntarily.
Over the years, he had gained a thorough understanding of everything in the Dao Sect.
Across the five peaks of the entire Dao Sect, even the cultivation of the current sect master did not match a fraction of Zhang Yuanshu's capabilities.
For any cultivator, only when their cultivation reached the Dao Severing Realm would the breakthrough of every minor realm summon a heavenly tribulation.
As far as Jiang Yan knew, the current Dao Sect Master, Nangong Ao, had seemingly only just stepped into the First Layer of the Return to Void Realm six years ago. Yet back then, Zhang Yuanshu was already capable of summoning heavenly tribulations, showing that he must have possessed at least the cultivation of the Dao Severing Realm.
Now that Zhang Yuanshu had gone traveling and had not returned for a long time, it meant that during his absence, not a single person within the entire Dao Sect possessed a cultivation level capable of triggering a tribulation.
In other words, until Zhang Yuanshu returned, Jiang Yan had no heavenly tribulations to absorb!
What was to be done?
At this thought, Jiang Yan could not help but begin to worry.
He had been counting on absorbing one or two more heavenly tribulations after leaving seclusion, and then using the method of reading to digest the tribulation might, thereby allowing his cultivation to break through the barrier of the Great Perfection of the Return to Void Realm and step into the Dao Severing Realm in one fell swoop.
Now it seemed that was hardly likely.
"Oh right, Disciple-nephew Jiang Yan, there is one matter I almost forgot to mention to you."
Just before leaving, Li Sihai suddenly remembered something. He turned back toward Jiang Yan and said, "In the second year after you entered seclusion, a young woman arrived at our Dao Sect named Liu Ruyan. She is older than you by about two or three years, and she is a disciple accepted by Peak Master Zhang while traveling abroad, making her sort of your junior sister."
"However, she did not come to cultivate on Ru Peak, but instead joined Sword Peak. Nominally, though, she is still Peak Master Zhang's personal disciple, and her mastery of swordsmanship is quite exceptional. Since you have now emerged from seclusion, if you have free time, you could go ask her when Peak Master Zhang will return; she might know."
"Junior sister?"
Jiang Yan was slightly startled, then nodded. "Understood, Grand Elder. I know. Be careful on your way back."
"Careful of what?" Li Sihai asked, puzzled.
"You're getting old; make sure you don't trip or fall."