Chapter 2: The Five Element Stones

When Feng Ruo returned to the bamboo shed, the mountain wind had gradually intensified, and the sound of "woo woo" echoed through the valley, resembling the howls of countless malevolent spirits. Coupled with the pale moonlight, it was truly enough to make one's scalp tingle

As the magical energy entered, the low-grade Five Elements Stone began to gradually emit a fiery glow, and the temperature on its surface rapidly rose. Fortunately, Feng Ruo had already protected her left hand with magical energy; otherwise, she would have certainly been burned by now

Almost simultaneously, a dazzling flash of fire streaked past him, followed closely by the blade of the long knife being completely enveloped in flames. Within just a few breaths, the blade began to gradually shrink, stopping only when it had reduced to one third of its original size

As for the stones of the five elements that are of medium quality or higher, it is said that they can only be found in a specific location. Unfortunately, even someone as knowledgeable as Kong Fei is not very clear about this

The levels of the Five Elements Stones can be categorized into seven grades: low grade, inferior grade, medium grade, superior grade, exceptional grade, celestial grade, and divine grade. Low grade is the most common, followed in order by inferior grade, medium grade, and superior grade. As for the exceptional, celestial, and divine grades of the Five Elements Stones, they are said to exist only in legends

Great! No problem! Kong Fei exclaimed with joy, casually taking out a bead the size of a longan from his storage belt, which was entirely fire-red. At the same time, he unfastened the Qiankun bag at his waist and handed it over as well. This Qiankun bag is used to hold spiritual mulberry leaves. In fact, the space of the storage belt is several times larger than that of the Qiankun bag, and it is extremely convenient to take out or put in items, especially during combat, where it proves to be immensely effective

Feng Ruo actually wanted to join this hunting event very much, as it was his only way to obtain the Five Elements Stones, and also the sole method for him to acquire the mount, the White Feather Crane, and the Snow Silkworm set. After all, he was merely a servant, and it was already quite remarkable that the Qingyun Sect allowed him to stay on Qingyun Mountain; he had no qualifications to receive those superior benefits.

At this moment, Feng Ruo cautiously took out the low-grade fire attribute five-element stone. This five-element stone, the size of a longan, continuously shimmered and radiated a red glow. Holding it in hand, one could more clearly feel a warm and gentle aura.

If Feng Ruo certainly knew what Kong Fei was going to do, it would be under the guidance of the unscrupulous merchant Qu Yun, going out to hunt low-level spirit beasts, and then selling them at the market. The snow silkworm cloak was obtained in this manner

Success! Feng Ruo, disregarding the burden of his immensely heavy body, immediately joyfully brought the refined long knife, which had now become a short knife, before his eyes, carefully examining it under the pale moonlight

What? One season! No way, that's too long! If that's the case, at least two Five Elements Stones are needed!" Feng Ruo decisively refused, jokingly. A season lasts a full ninety days, and the reward is only one Five Elements Stone. Although he was indeed very eager to obtain the Five Elements Stone, he couldn't agree to such terms. It is important to note that raising Snow Spirit Silkworms is an extremely time-consuming task. Eighteen Snow Spirit Silkworms would definitely keep him busy for a long time, and he still had very important matters to attend to!

Generally speaking, there are only five types of elemental stones: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. However, in legends, two exceptional attributes, wind and thunder, also appear.

It can be said that at least 30% of a cultivator's formidable strength is derived from the Five Element Stones; in other words, this realm of cultivation can also be considered a world of the Five Element Stones

"Qu Yun? That unscrupulous merchant?" Feng Ruo thought to herself, "Alright! Just this once. Additionally, you must first give me that Five Elements Stone!"

Time will not be too long, only a season! Kong Fei said lightly

I hate eating rice cakes! Resignedly sitting on the ground with his knees drawn up, Feng Ruo muttered to himself, his face filled with worry as he took out another bag from his bosom, which contained his food for the year, namely the so-called rice cakes

It is not advisable to pressure Feng Ruo too much. To be honest, Kong Fei is considered quite exceptional among all the third-generation disciples he knows. Although somewhat stingy, he is still worth engaging with. In contrast, others either completely ignore him as if he were air or, like the unscrupulous merchant Qu Yun, maintain a consistently disdainful attitude.

Even when it comes to hunting the lowest-level spirit beasts, Feng Ruo lacks the capability. Do not be misled by his impressive skills honed on the battlefield in the past; in this world of cultivation, they amount to nothing. At the very least, his prideful steel long knife cannot even cut through a common green bamboo, let alone hunt those low-tier spirit beasts.

With a call, a flame no larger than a fingertip appeared out of thin air before Feng Ruo. This flame appeared exceptionally delicate and exquisite, seemingly possessing a greater degree of vitality than an ordinary flame

Hey! Feng Ruo, don't be in a hurry to refuse. The reward is a fire-element Five Elements Stone. What do you think? Look at that broken knife of yours; it can't even cut through green bamboo. If you had a Five Elements Stone for enhancement, you wouldn't be at a loss even when facing low-level spirit beasts, would you?" Kong Fei smiled and coaxed, seemingly unafraid of Feng Ruo's refusal.

The Five Elements Stone plays an absolutely crucial role in the world of cultivation. This item can not only be used to trade for most cultivation-related items, but it can also be used to repair damaged weapons and armor. However, the most important aspect is that the Five Elements Stone can enhance the attributes of various weapons and armor, which is known as refinement and strengthening. Furthermore, if it is a high-level Five Elements Stone, there is even a certain probability of an anomalous occurrence.

At this moment, the brilliance on the surface of the Five Elements Stone grew increasingly intense. Through this radiance, one could clearly see a blazing flame burning within, which is the true essence of this Five Elements Stone

After finally swallowing that piece of rice cake, Feng Ruo's already depleted energy was quickly restored completely

However, this is merely the surface of the Five Elements Stone. To truly unleash its inner power, one must guide it with magical energy. Fortunately, after this period of cultivation, Feng Ruo has accumulated a certain amount of magical energy within, although it is still insufficient to activate the Snow Silkworm Set. However, activating a low-grade Five Elements Stone should not pose any problem. This is also the reason why he is so eager to obtain a Five Elements Stone.

What? Feng Ruo was so angry that he almost fell off the Ling Sang tree. He knew that coming over with this kid from the picture book was nothing good. Taking care of Sang Tian? Wouldn't that mean he would be worked to death?

What delighted Feng Ruoxin was that this short knife appeared to be extremely sharp. Under the pale moonlight, a cold gleam could be clearly seen slowly swirling. In a moment of daze, he even had the illusion that this short knife could absorb even the ethereal moonlight.

Low-grade and inferior Five Elements Stones are distributed in many locations across the Seven Realms. They can even be found within certain spirit beasts and demons, although the probability of this occurrence is exceedingly low. It is possible that among tens of thousands of spirit beasts, not a single Five Elements Stone may appear.

"Alright! How long do I need to take care of it?" Feng Ruo fell silent for a moment but ultimately had to compromise. Although he very much hoped to obtain the White Feather Crane mount or the Snow Silkworm set, he preferred to acquire a Five Elements Stone even more.

Hey! This short knife, even in the secular world, can be considered a divine weapon. Therefore, let us call it "Reflecting Moon"

However, it is fortunate that I finally have an attack-type Elemental Stone, which should meet the standards for hunting low-level spirit beasts!" Feng Ruo thought with some emotion. Among the five Elemental Stones representing the attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, the metal and fire attributes are attack types that can be used to refine and enhance weapons. The attack capabilities of the wood and water attributes are somewhat inferior, but they possess some defensive and healing properties. As for the earth attribute Elemental Stone, it is entirely defensive in nature. These three attributes are mostly used to refine and enhance various sets.

However, the Five Element Stone that Feng Ruo hoped to obtain was merely the most basic type. As Kong Fei mentioned, he truly needed a reliable weapon, and using the Five Element Stone to enhance that pitiful long knife, which was full of nicks, was undoubtedly the most suitable choice

After completing all of this, the flames immediately dwindled and then extinguished in a gust of mountain wind

Thus, Feng Ruocai dreamed of refining and enhancing his long sword with a Five Elements Stone. Naturally, the best choice would be to acquire a sword weapon; even the lowest grade, a first-grade sword, would surpass his steel long sword by hundreds or even thousands of times. He had personally witnessed Kong Fei effortlessly severing over a dozen dark green bamboos with that first-grade sword, using just a light and airy stroke.

Hey! I have no choice in this matter either. Stingy as he is, Kong Fei probably also thinks this condition is quite harsh, and he awkwardly chuckled, saying: "I have used all my five-element stones to purchase this snow silkworm cloak, and now I only have one left. How about I owe you that one for now? Rest assured, Brother Qu said that this time we will definitely make a fortune!"

Facing the brisk mountain wind, Feng Ruo hurriedly ran towards his humble bamboo hut. In this back mountain, he was the only one residing there, while the other disciples of the Qingyun Sect each had their own places to live. However, due to the proximity to the Qingyun Sect, there were hardly any low-level spirit beasts roaming about.

Oh, by the way, Feng Ruo, I need to go out to handle some matters recently. Would you mind taking care of the mulberry garden and the rice fields for me?

As this flame appeared, the essence of the Five Elements Stone also turned to ashes with a loud "bang". Witnessing this scene, Feng Ruo did not dare to delay and immediately thrust his long knife into the flames.

After the sun set, Feng Ruo barely managed to finish picking the eighteen snow spirit silkworms' required spirit mulberry leaves for the next day, and even with his strong physique, he found it somewhat exhausting

However, it was precisely because the mountain wind was excessively cold that the elder of the Qingyun Sect made an exception to bestow upon Feng Ruoqing the first layer of the Qingyun Sutra. After all, ordinary mortals could not withstand the chilling mountain wind. With this sutra, although he could not easily perform certain supernatural abilities like Kong Fei and others, it was sufficient for him to resist the mountain wind

Fortunately, Feng Ruo had never expected such a fortunate event to occur, otherwise he might have been misled by this stingy senior brother and ended up spitting out three liters of blood. It is important to note that this complete set of Snow Silkworm gear requires at least 100 low-grade Five Element Stones to purchase, while a single White Feather Crane along with a sealing bracelet that accommodates the White Feather Crane's rest requires 80 low-grade Five Element Stones.

Therefore, apart from impoverished individuals like Feng Ruo, there are essentially no cultivators and *illustrators* who would regard the Qiankun bag as a treasure

It is said that the mountain wind has caused Feng Ruo a great deal of suffering. One cannot help but wonder what peculiarities lie within this mountain wind, as it harbors an incredibly chilling aura that can penetrate through all clothing and reach deep into the bones, a pain that is simply unimaginable

Indeed, this rice cake is not without its benefits; in fact, once consumed, one does not need to eat anything else for an entire day. Often, Feng Ruo finds herself questioning whether those practitioners have a serious tendency towards self-mortification.

Unfortunately, that grade of sword was even more expensive than the Snow Silkworm set, and Feng Ruo could only imagine it in her heart

The current length of this short knife is less than one foot, and its width has also been significantly reduced. In this regard, Feng Ruo can understand, as the material of his long knife is rather ordinary. Even the lowest grade of the Five Elements Stone can completely refine this long knife, so it would be strange if it did not shrink after removing many impurities.

However, Feng Ruo had no choice at all, because he was hungry! In this Qingyun Mountain, even if he wanted to hunt some game, it was impossible. As for gnawing on tree bark, that was even more out of the question. He questioned whether his teeth were even as hard as that long knife.

This item is made from fragrant glutinous rice, but for some unknown reason, this rice cake is extremely unpalatable. When swallowed, it feels as if one is chewing on a piece of soft, wrinkled, and stubborn leather that cannot be bitten through! What is even more unbearable is the terrifying taste of this 'leather,' so dreadful that every time it is consumed, Feng Ruo has to curse in frustration!

With one hand holding the low-grade Five Elements Stone, Feng Ruo then took down the long sword from his back and laid it flat on his knees. Only then did he activate the incantation, channeling the meager amount of spiritual energy from his dantian into the Five Elements Stone.

Feng Ruo was already drenched in sweat at this moment, his entire face contorted, as the amount of magical power he possessed was simply too limited, and it was about to be completely exhausted in just this brief moment

After reiterating some important points, Kong Fei finally took control of the white crane and departed. As she watched his figure disappear, a hint of contemplation flashed in Feng Ruo's eyes