Chapter 4, Alternative Methods of Spiritual Energy

This time, Jiang Mu was very angry and, in his capacity as the sect leader, placed Xu Yi under house arrest for six months, and, well, did not dare to blame him too much

Jiang Mu is a capable individual, not relying on others in his cultivation endeavors. The disciples he mentors are also quite competent. Together, they engage in their daily cultivation with diligence, while in their leisure time, they mine for jade, refine mysterious iron, manage spiritual fields, and raise spiritual birds and exotic beasts

Once he left, there was no further news.

Therefore, the master did not pass the position of the sect leader to the second senior brother, solely because the numerous trivial matters that the sect leader had to handle would interfere with cultivation

The problem lies in the fact that this time, the Second Master Pig has finally succeeded in forging his life-bound flying sword, which is why he has gone on a long journey

This is the simplest way to handle it, otherwise, he will have wasted these ten precious years in vain

At this thought, Jiang Mu recalled another very important matter

Therefore, many cultivation sects in the previous life were searching for powers that could replace spiritual energy during the period of their closed gates. Unfortunately, before they could find a solution, they were affected by the great chaos

Do not say there are no spirit stones; even if there are, one cannot escape the pursuit of the Demon Catching Division

If my predictions are correct, in another six months, this second brother will return with serious injuries, having even damaged his foundation

Jiang Mu thought this way, and a fleeting thought of killing passed through his mind

Second Senior Brother Xu Yi is considered the most talented among the four disciples and is also the one most valued by the Master, who believes that he will inevitably advance to the Nascent Soul stage in the future. Once he becomes a Nascent Soul, he will have even greater qualifications to protect the growth of the Floating Cloud Sect, as the lifespan of a Nascent Soul is a full one thousand years

In the fifty-fifth year of the surge of spiritual energy, Jiang Mu married and had children, willingly choosing to live as a mortal

The Second Senior Brother is not particularly cunning, but he possesses a certain pride and a combative nature. In recent years, he has been in seclusion at the mountain gate, and now he has reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm. Therefore, for the past few years and in the coming years, he will be honing his skills in the outside world

During these seven years, Jiang Mu has been quite worried, especially missing that scoundrel Ji Yao.

As a result, both individuals are gone and will not return.

In his previous life, Jiang Mu lived for another 80 years after the tide of spiritual energy, but he never heard any news of his second senior brother, who most likely had died

While other cultivators undergo trials by slaying demons and monsters, traversing mountains and rivers, this second senior brother often invites others to engage in combat.

After seven years, I have unexpectedly accumulated a fortune of twenty thousand spirit stones

However, looking back now, it always leaves a bitter taste in my heart; fortunately, the senior brother is about to die soon

One day, an old beggar fainted at the door. Jiang Mu revived him, and after a conversation, he learned that the old beggar was once the leader of the Divine Sword Sect. Before the surge of spiritual energy, he was a cultivator at the Transformation Stage. In his quest to find a power to replace spiritual energy, he had exhausted not only the reserves of the Divine Sword Sect over the course of more than fifty years but also nearly all of his own magical power.

Out of respect for the esteemed one, let us not discuss matters from twenty years ago

Certainly, relying solely on this is insufficient; he also has disciples and followers that require protection. Especially after the mortal dynasty forms a marriage alliance with the five major super sects, the situation will take a sharp turn for the worse. At that time, he will either become a hound for the mortal court, losing all moral integrity by hunting down the remaining cultivators, or he will have to resist this overwhelming trend.

This departure lasted a full seven years

Now that he has been given a second chance at life, Jiang Mu reflects deeply on his past pains; he can no longer afford to be neglectful.

However, now that Jiang Mu has been reborn ten years ago, he has sufficient time to transform the sword essence power, and to continue optimizing, enhancing, and improving this method

Just as he found a method to replace spiritual energy, he was discovered by the Demon Catching Division of the mortal dynasty, which located the entrance to his sect. In one night, the Divine Sword Sect was annihilated, leaving only him and a few disciples to escape. However, in the end, the disciples either died or fled, and he became a wandering old beggar.

What can be done, after all, he is still a second disciple!

But this is just the beginning

This sword's elemental force can replace magical power to propel flying swords, and it can also substitute magical power to cast certain compatible divine spells. The most critical point is that, for the same level of attack intensity, the consumption is reduced by more than half compared to magical power.

The result came in the third month of confinement, when this second senior brother ran away again, leaving a letter and departing with flair. He also stole the sect leader's jade token and, using his own elder's key, took away three treasured items from the sect's grand treasury. The ancestral wealth left by the ancestors of the Floating Cloud Sect has nearly been exhausted.

It is a pity that thoughts are merely thoughts. In the circumstances at that time, it was already difficult to survive as a mortal, let alone the possibility of becoming a cultivator again.

This will be his most important support after the arrival of the end of the Dharma age

Master Yao Cheng, Second Master Xu Yi, and Junior Sister Ji Yao, if these three malignant tumors of the Floating Cloud Sect are not eradicated, a tragic fate will still befall us when the surge of spiritual energy erupts in ten years

In order to save him and his foundation of cultivation, Jiang Mu had no choice but to sell a treasured item of the sect, spending approximately thirty thousand spirit stones in total.

In his previous life, Jiang Mu did not find anything inappropriate about this; he merely believed that his senior brother had worked hard for the sect his entire life, and this was what he deserved

The reason why the era of decline is both terrifying and sorrowful lies at its core in the absence of spiritual energy, rendering cultivators utterly worthless

In just a few short years, he has already earned the reputation of a relentless fighter

Alive, one sees no person; dead, one sees no corpse

Unfortunately, although this method is good, it is not timely, because the source of magical power is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Without sufficient spiritual energy from heaven and earth, there will naturally be insufficient magical power to convert into sword essence.

Since the passing of the Master, in these twenty years, just for the eldest senior brother, Yao Cheng, the annual expenses for practicing, consuming elixirs, refining magical artifacts, and other matters, if converted into spirit stones, would average around 5,000 pieces each year

When the elder brother passed away, the second brother announced a year of mourning. Perhaps due to his melancholic mood, he secretly descended the mountain. Within just a few days, someone sent a message stating that your disciples had injured several of my disciples, and now they have been captured by my Yuan Ying ancestor. Considering the respect for your elders, bring 20,000 spirit stones to redeem them.

At that time, Jiang Mu was like an ant on a hot pan, hastily selling a treasured item from his sect and even selling off a piece of property belonging to the Floating Cloud Sect in the secular world. Only then did he manage to gather 20,000 spirit stones, working day and night to redeem Xu Yi.

In recent years, things have been relatively well, as I have been traveling in Qinge County near the Floating Cloud Sect. Although some incidents have occurred, everyone has been lenient, considering the reputation of the Floating Cloud Sect.

Therefore, he still has many things to do

Then, the Second Master returned, having left in a hurry and arriving just as hastily. He shared a jar of wine with Jiang Mu at the mountain top and spent the entire night boasting. The next morning, he was set to leave without the slightest hesitation, taking with him the 20,000 spirit stones.

Half a day later, Jiang Mu stood on the summit of Floating Cloud Mountain, watching the figure of that wretched woman, Ji Yao, disappear into the vast sea of clouds, his expression indifferent as he contemplated many matters

This is damn it

However, some cultivation sects have still found ways to cope, such as the Divine Sword Sect, which creatively transformed magical power into sword essence.

Before parting, the leader of the Divine Sword Sect informed Jiang Mu of the method to transform sword essence and instructed him that if he had the opportunity, he should pass it on to other fallen cultivators, as it would at least serve as a source of hope