"It’s no big deal. Actually, not completing the task doesn’t really come with any punishment, just the loss of some privileges. In any case, they’re not worth much in terms of Spirit Stones, so it’s not worth taking the risk," Jin Yuanbao whispered cautiously.
Chen Jiuge was speechless. Was this a trivial matter? It was quite significant! One must know that Direct Disciples could, for the most part, freely select Cultivation Techniques and Divine Skills from the Scripture Pavilion of their Inner Sect Mountain. They could also exchange items from the treasury at a twenty percent discount, not to mention receiving an annual stipend and other benefits. All these amounted to a considerable fortune.
"I plan to cultivate some Spiritual Beasts first. As for the task, I’ll decide when the time comes." Chen Jiuge didn’t keep Jin Yuanbao in the dark, as Jin Yuanbao seemed quite familiar with the place.
"Spiritual Beasts? Easy! Just tell me what kind you want, Senior Brother, and I’ll give you a ten percent discount," Jin Yuanbao said with a beaming smile.
"The kind with strong combat abilities, I suppose. Spiritual Beasts like that should be quite popular right now," Chen Jiuge pondered.
"Okay, no problem. How many are you thinking of, Senior Brother?"
"Let’s start with three or four types, a thousand of each. I’ll also take some Low Rank Spiritual Beasts—the ones that breed quickly would be best. Get me a few tens of thousands of those, with a variety of types. I’ve brought many Spiritual Beasts with me this time, and feeding them is also an issue," Chen Jiuge roughly calculated.
Upon hearing these quantities, Jin Yuanbao winced. "Senior Brother, can I take back that ten percent discount?"
"Never mind, I was just kidding. But Senior Brother, with these quantities, you’re going to need a hefty sum of Spirit Stones."
"This is the deposit," Chen Jiuge said, taking out a Storage Bag.
Jin Yuanbao swept it with his Divine Sense. "HISS... Three million Top Grade Spirit Stones?!"
After paying the deposit, Chen Jiuge and Jin Yuanbao carefully discussed the most popular types of Spiritual Beasts. After an hour, they finally decided on the specific kinds.
"Senior Brother Chen, I’m here! Do you have any Earth Dragon Beasts left?" Jin Yuanbao wiped the sweat from his brow and plopped down onto a wooden chair, which let out a ’CREAK, CREAK’ under his weight.
Chen Jiuge said calmly, "There are still a hundred ready. Junior Brother, why has your demand for Spiritual Beasts been increasing so much lately?"
"It’s because of that damn Demon Clan! They’ve sent several freaks to the Nascent Soul Hunting Ground, each one unbelievably ferocious. Earth Dragon Beasts have thick hides and flesh; they can take a beating, buying time to escape," Jin Yuanbao said, his expression a mixture of anger and wry amusement.
The business has been booming because of the Demon Clan, which should be something to celebrate, but this is war. I’ve heard that some Direct Disciples have even perished in the Nascent Soul Hunting Ground. It’s a tragic situation.
"Alright, don’t make that face. By selling Spiritual Beasts, we’re also increasing our side’s chances of victory. It contributes all the same," Chen Jiuge reassured.
"You’re truly insightful, Senior Brother Chen," Jin Yuanbao said admiringly.
"Mhm. Besides the Earth Dragon Beasts, I’ve also enhanced the danger-perception abilities of the Light Spiritual Mice. They should prove quite useful. Take some of them with you as well."
"Are they as good as the Earth Dragon Beasts?" Jin Yuanbao asked expectantly.
"Senior Brother, you’re a true genius!" Jin Yuanbao cheered.
Holding up a hand to stop the excited Jin Yuanbao from pouncing on him, Chen Jiuge hesitated for a moment before asking, "Yuanbao, does one have to enter the Hunting Ground in person? Or would it work if only the Spiritual Beasts went in?"
"Are you thinking of entering the Hunting Ground, Senior Brother? Sending in just the Spiritual Beasts is possible, but it’s very prone to accidents. Especially with Lifebound Spirit Beasts, it’s best not to send them in."
"Alright, I understand. Go ahead and take the Spiritual Beasts first," Chen Jiuge said.
Leading Jin Yuanbao to a small Secret Realm, Chen Jiuge had the batch of Spiritual Beasts ready.
One hundred Earth Dragon Beasts and three hundred Light Spiritual Mice.
After stowing away the Spiritual Beasts, Jin Yuanbao didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he turned and went to where Yue Meng was performing Alchemy.
"Fatty Jin, you’re here! Just in time, I’ve finished refining this batch of Elixirs." Yue Meng directed two Medicine Rabbits to hand the freshly refined Elixirs to Jin Yuanbao.
"Sister Yue Meng, your craftsmanship is as exquisite as ever," Jin Yuanbao praised after a brief glance at the Elixirs.
Yue Meng simply chuckled at Fatty Jin’s flattery. No matter how sweet his words are, a discount is out of the question.
After reluctantly paying a significant sum of Spirit Stones, Jin Yuanbao once again turned and headed towards Da Bai’s Artifact Refining site.
Da Bai, who was originally Yue Meng’s Fire Burning Boy, had finally negotiated the freedom to tend the fires one day and practice Artifact Refining the next, after promising a hefty sum in return.
"Da Bai, how much stock do you have this time?" Jin Yuanbao’s attitude towards Da Bai was different. In terms of Cultivation, the two were comparable. However, Da Bai was poor when it came to Spirit Stones and had only recently advanced to become a Fourth Rank Artifact Refiner. Previously, when Da Bai was merely a Third Rank Artifact Refiner, Jin Yuanbao hadn’t even wanted to take his wares, only doing so out of respect for Senior Brother Chen.
"Brother Jin, Brother Jin, you’re here! Please, sit, sit! Have some tea!" Da Bai immediately dropped the defective Magic Artifact he was holding and put on a fawning expression.
"I’m in a rush. How much stock do you have? Just give it to me. Rest assured, I won’t shortchange you on Spirit Stones."
Jin Yuanbao frowned. That’s it? Only about a hundred Third Rank Magic Artifacts and a dozen or so Fourth Rank Magic Artifacts? That’s less than half of what you used to provide!
"Well, I’ve been focusing on Fourth Rank Magic Artifacts recently and wasted quite a bit of time," Da Bai admitted sheepishly.
"Alright, alright. Da Bai, some brotherly advice: you should focus on refining more Third Rank Magic Artifacts for now. Don’t try to aim too high too soon," Jin Yuanbao kindly advised.
Da Bai nodded perfunctorily. In the past ten years, whether as a Fire Burning Boy or an Artifact Refiner, my debt hasn’t lessened at all! If I don’t refine more Fourth Rank Magic Artifacts and earn more, when will I ever get ahead?
"Senior Brother Chen, I’ll be going now." Jin Yuanbao hesitated for a moment before adding, "Senior Brother, if you really plan to go to the Hunting Ground, whatever you do, don’t let Yue Meng go in. A Spiritual Beast capable of independently refining Sixth Rank Elixirs is incredibly precious."
"Alright. Thanks, Junior Brother," Chen Jiuge nodded.
After Jin Yuanbao left, Ming Yujing and Bali emerged.
Looking at the two beasts before him, Chen Jiuge still felt hesitant. Although Ming Yujing and Bali were not his Lifebound Spirit Beasts, his affection for them was just as strong.
"Master, let us go," Ming Yujing said, its tone firm.
Chen Jiuge looked at Ming Yujing, who was brimming with fighting spirit, and Bali, who was eager to leap into action. The words he wanted to say caught in his throat. Finally, he sighed. "You may go, but survival is your top priority. I don’t want any accidents happening to you."
"We will," Ming Yujing and Bali replied in unison.