After exchanging a few words with Elder Jiang, it was evident from his demeanor that he was quite intrigued by the prospect of my breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.
Seeing this, Lu Ping decided to speak frankly.
"The reason Iâm setting up this Tier Five Array is so that I can use it for my daily cultivation once I break through to the Nascent Soul Stage."
"As you know, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator requires at least a Tier Five Spiritual Vein to maintain their cultivation, so itâs best to plan early."
"Do you have a Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array here?"
Lu Ping inquired.
Not only the Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array but in the future, a Tier Six Spiritual Vein will also be needed to sustain a Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator.
The further you progress in cultivation, the more you need higher-grade spiritual veins.
Once your cultivation reaches the limits supported by the world, cultivators seeking an exit and better development will strive to ascend to the Upper Realm in pursuit of the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao.
"Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array..."
Elder Jiang murmured softly upon hearing this.
Lu Ping had not mentioned that Liu Qiumei had asked him to beseech Elder Jiang to craft the array.
However, given Elder Jiangâs astuteness, with just a bit of thought, he could deduce the reason behind this.
It could be guessed that Lu Ping must have first inquired with his beloved disciple Qiumei, and only after gaining nothing from her did he come to visit Nine Cold Mountain.
Upon this thought, a faint smile appeared on Elder Jiangâs face as he replied, "Although I donât have a ready-made Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array here, since youâve asked, I can refine one for you soon, as long as you prepare the materials."
Upon hearing Elder Jiangâs response, it seemed that his array crafting skills had indeed improved significantly in recent years, and such a Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array seemed to pose no challenge for him.
Elder Jiangâs agreement to refine it bestowed a favor, so there was no need for further pleasantries.
"Of course, Iâll provide the materials myself. Thank you for your effort."
Lu Ping readily reached an agreement and discussed the details with Elder Jiang.
Many practices circulate in the cultivation realm, such as when inviting an alchemist to create pills, you must provide the medicinal ingredients yourself, often in multiple sets. If pill refining succeeds, the remaining ingredients also belong to the alchemist.
This is also true for artifact refining, talisman making, and array crafting.
With array crafting, Lu Ping was also aware of this rule and naturally adhered to it.
However, Lu Ping was uncertain about what materials were needed to refine a Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array and still needed to consult Elder Jiang.
Regarding the refinement of the Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array, Lu Ping wasnât knowledgeable.
"Iâll provide you with a list of array materials."
Elder Jiang, not withholding any information, immediately drew up a detailed list of array materials and handed it to Lu Ping.
Glancing casually over the list, Lu Ping noted it contained materials like Spirit Gathering Stones, Star River Sand, and Profound Spirit Array Plate, among others.
These materials numbered more than a dozen, out of which Lu Ping was encountering half for the first time.
In the area of arrays, it had to be said that this was indeed a weak point for Lu Ping, with little understanding of it.
Even with the materials list, Lu Ping had to consult Elder Jiang thoroughly to avoid purchasing the wrong materials.
"Based on the current market prices in Lingxi Stateâs cultivation realm, gathering all the materials on this list would cost around a million Spirit Stones."
Jiang Lao introduced, "Of these, the largest purchases would be the Spirit Gathering Stones and Star River Sand. These two are crucial and cannot be substituted. Securing the best possible quality is ideal."
A million Spirit Stones is no small sum.
Looking closely at the Spirit Gathering Stones and Star River Sand, Lu Ping noted.
The former required over ten thousand, while the latter needed five thousand.
"Alright."
Lu Ping, with a calm expression, nodded.
A million Spirit Stones for creating a Tier Five Spiritual Vein seemed like a worthy investment.
It was worth mentioning that when inviting an array master to craft an array, they usually charge 20% to 30% of the arrayâs value as remuneration.
For a Tier Five Spirit Gathering Array, with array materials costing around a million Spirit Stones, the completed arrayâs value could easily reach two million Spirit Stones.
Elder Jiangâs compensation, calculated this way, would require at least four hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
Even among siblings, business must be conducted clearly.
Lu Ping, in need of Elder Jiangâs help, naturally wouldnât be stingy with the compensation.
At the same time, Lu Ping was aware that for a Golden Core Ancestor, forty thousand Spirit Stones was a trivial amount.
If it werenât for Lu Pingâs sake, Elder Jiang wouldnât have been willing to help for a mere forty thousand Spirit Stones.
Elder Jiang wouldnât refuse when Lu Ping asked.
After discussing some finer points with Elder Jiang, Elder Jiang said, "Iâm familiar with the Cyan Lotus Mountain Spiritual Vein, just purchase the materials listed and once you have them all, Iâll begin crafting the array for you."
Knowing the size and environment of the Cyan Lotus Mountain Spiritual Vein thoroughly with a deep impression, there was no need for Elder Jiang to conduct another on-site investigation at the Cyan Mountain Sect, allowing for an accurate estimation of the approximate amount of array materials needed.
"By the way, are the materials on this list something your Nine Cold Mountain canât gather quickly?"
Contemplating the size of the Cyan Lotus Mountain Spiritual Vein and referencing the materials list, out of curiosity, Lu Ping asked.
If the materials could be gathered at Nine Cold Mountain, it would save a lot of hassle.
"They can be gathered, but it will take some time."
Elder Jiang said earnestly, "At least two years, at most tenâthis is why I ask you to collect the materials yourself."
Adding, Elder Jiang didnât forget to elicit agreement.
"Just the Tier Five Spirit Gathering Stones from the list are challenging to find within the Chu Kingdom; youâll need to source them in the Qi Kingdom. Several years ago I used many Tier Five Spirit Gathering Stones to upgrade a spiritual vein, leaving insufficient reserves to craft another array,"
After chatting with Elder Jiang for a while, Lu Ping left Nine Cold Mountain to start gathering array materials.
Meanwhile, at Cyan Lotus Mountain, inside the sect hall, Lu Yuanshan received the Immortal Sword and Nine-leaf Golden Lotus refined by Liu Qiumei and was familiarizing himself with these new magical artifacts.
The Nine-leaf Golden Lotus was simple to master; just a drop of blood to recognize the owner and a brief ritual would suffice.
As for the Immortal Sword, it was crafted from Primordial Magnetic Divine Wood, capable of being refined into a Lifebound Magical Treasure.
Every cultivator who advances to the Golden Core Stage refines an artifact to serve as their Lifebound Magical Treasure.
"I havenât named this Immortal Sword yet. Since marrying you, Iâve never gifted you a decent magical artifact. Today, I present it to you; you can spend some time refining it into a Lifebound Magical Artifact."
Liu Qiumei, with a gentle expression, said, "I noticed your Taiyi Celestial Ruins Sword is also a Lifebound Magical Artifact, so I crafted another Immortal Sword for you. I hope you like it."
"Hmm... Immortal Sword!"
Observing the Immortal Sword Liu Qiumei handed over, Lu Yuanshanâs eyes lit up. The sword had a silver-white hue; its hilt etched with exquisite, ancient totems of auspicious beasts, including Taotie and Qilin, making it remarkably beautiful.