Yiyuan went with the elder to the treasury, which was only a bit outside the clan hall.
It wasn’t large but rather small, like just another courtyard among the many in the central clan area.
On the way, Yiyuan greeted many clan members. They smiled when they saw him, some even complimented him.
He had already gained a reputation in the family for his extraordinary talent.
In front of the treasure, an old man was sitting on a rocking chair-like chair, his eyes drooping.
But when Yiyuan approached, he could see a tiny glint of light in the elder’s eyes, as if they were observing him.
He bowed down, "Greetings, clan elder. I am Lin Yiyuan of the Yi generation. I have been tasked by the clan head to participate in the coming competition. For this, I am supposed to receive an offensive weapon and a defensive one."
The elder smiled slightly, "Yiyuan? I have heard of you. Your talent is indeed one of the best in the past years, with the talent to reach the Foundation-Building stage!"
He then looked over to the elder leading Yiyuan. Seeing the elder nod, he knew this matter was correct.
With a move of his hand, a door on the side appeared. Unlike the one leading further into the courtyard, this one on the side seemed smaller and a bit dark, like a hidden room.
"Just choose them on your own. I have some things to do," the elder accompanying Yiyuan said, bowing one last time to the guardian of the treasury before leaving.
Yiyuan also bowed to the elder before entering the dark room.
Upon entering, the door behind him closed while a light appeared above the door.
The guardian’s voice came through the door, "Just choose the two treasures and tell me when you are done."
Yiyuan nodded and walked into the room.
It was rather small, with shelves on the left and right.
As far as he could see, there were several weapons, mostly early and mid stage, with a few in the late stage of qi refining.
’Is this the treasury only for weapons? It seems the clan doesn’t hold other treasures together.’
He felt a bit of pity, having hoped to see whether he could find other materials for his continuous progression.
Putting away his thoughts, he focused on the weapons on the left side, which were mainly offensive weapons.
There were over twenty. In the end, he chose three from them, all suitable for his situation –
Fire Spirit Pearl: a mid-stage magic weapon, the one with the best fit for him. It enhanced the effect of all fire spells.
Sharp Fire Blade: a late-grade magic weapon, with a sharp blade that could be enhanced with fire-element spiritual power.
Burning Fire Needle: a late-grade magic weapon, it could attack enemies and had a certain fire poison which could injure the enemies deeply.
He looked at them and contemplated, "Among all, the fire spirit pearl would be best for me, since it enhances my inherent power and spells. Unfortunately, my cultivation art has rather mild spiritual power.
It’s not very suitable for a weapon that only enhances its effects. Rather than taking this, the other two would be better."
Even though he said this, he knew at heart that he simply preferred a stronger weapon of a high grade. Since the clan head didn’t restrict him, he should take this chance.
Anyways, after this competition, he would likely advance. By then, a weaker weapon would be useless to him.
Looking at the remaining two weapons, he didn’t hesitate and chose the blade, "Although it’s not a sword, which is the best weapon for fighting other people, a blade is still very good. In this case, I will take this blade and win the competition!"
As most cultivators, he had a reverence for those sword wielding heroes who fought with a single sword in their hand. Although he couldn’t be like them, with a blade in his hand and his fire in the other, he would be sure to win this competition.
Turning around, he saw that among the defensive weapons, there was only one fire defensive weapon.
A small shield, mid-grade fire shield that could create a fire barrier around him, protecting him from incoming projectiles.
"With this shield, I won’t have to fear enemies from afar. Once they are close to me, I can simply fight them with my blade!"
Having chosen those two, he walked to the door and called, "Elder, I have made my choice!"
The light suddenly dimmed and only a small path opened in front of him, the light from outside clearing the darkness.
"These two are good choices. I will write them down.
The competition is in just three days. Hurry up and refine them before the competition. If you’re ready, just go to the central area of the clan."
Yiyuan nodded and bowed once more in thanks before leaving the treasury. On his way, he put his two treasures into his spatial bag.
He walked back to his courtyard. This time, he was in a rush and didn’t greet the clan members he passed.
Once back, he instantly focused on refining them with his spiritual power.
Previously, it was very easy for him.
This time, when he tried to do so, he felt a sense of rejection.
It wasn’t that the weapon was unsuitable for him, but rather that it was higher than his stage.
Because of this, it took him more time to refine it.
...
Soon, three days passed and Yiyuan was in the central area of the clan, standing in front of the clan hall.
To the side were eight other cultivators. Two of them were his elders whom he had greeted.
A short while later, the clan head came out, looking at their energetic faces.
"The clan is fortunate to have all of you participate in this competition for resources!
To give you a better chance, we have prepared several items for you."
As he said this, he threw a small bag to each one, a normal bag containing a few items –
"Inside are three talismans: one offensive and two defensive. In the battle, don’t focus on winning but on your own protection. In addition, there is a spirit replenishment pill and a spirit boosting pill, which slightly enhance your spirit power’s activity, making it more explosive.
We have agreed in the competition that three talismans and two pills were the most we would give to the competitors, nothing else."
Yiyuan and the eight others all bowed to the clan head, "Thank you, clan head, for your care!"