In front of the Purple Gold Grand Hall on the main peak, dozens of Qi Refining disciples, all clad in identical blue robes and holding horsetail whisks, arrived in haste, lining up neatly before the hall, standing firm with vibrant energy.
To one side of the hall hung a massive, ancient bronze bell. This bell was solemn and imposing, its surface etched with ancient Sanskrit runes, its body mottled and bearing the patina of immense age.
An old Daoist held a striking mallet and struck the bell: "Dong, Dong, Dong!" Three tolls. The sound was deep, not harsh, yet resonant and lingering, spreading far and wide, clearly audible even a thousand li away.
Among the towering mountain ranges, countless Qi Refining disciples looked up in shock, not understanding what was happening. This ancient bronze bell before the main hall was only ever struck during celebrations or when a major event occurred.
Three tolls were reserved for summoning the Deputy Sect Masters of the Seven Peaks to the Grand Hall for deliberation.
Soon, streaks of light from various magical artifacts appeared in the sky; cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage from each peak descended, riding their artifacts, landing before the Purple Gold Grand Hall. Their attire varied, but all wore white robes embroidered with different insignia.
In the Azure Pill Sect, green robes signified miscellaneous Qi Refining disciples, and blue robes marked core Qi Refining disciples. Gray robes denoted Foundation Establishment disciples in secluded cultivation, while white robes designated Foundation Establishment supervisors. The hierarchy was strictly enforced, instantly visible even in their clothing.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered before the hall now were all the Peak Masters of the Six Peaks. The Azure Pill Sect had one Sect Master, and six Deputy Sect Masters. The Sect Master resided on the main peak. The Peak Masters of each respective peak were, in essence, the Deputy Sect Masters of the Azure Pill Sect.
The six Deputy Sect Masters exchanged greetings before the hall, all puzzled as to why the Sect Master had summoned them. They entered the Purple Gold Grand Hall in turn, one after another. The Qi Refining disciples standing guard before the hall bowed respectfully to welcome them.
Inside the Grand Hall.
Wu Ruiyang, the current Sect Master of the Azure Pill Sect, was already seated upon the Sect Master’s throne with a grim expression, his brow deeply furrowed, seemingly deep in thought. When the six Deputy Sect Masters entered, he merely inclined his head in acknowledgment, making no move to rise in formal greeting.
Another young Foundation Establishment cultivator stood nearby, bowing respectfully to the assembled Deputy Sect Masters.
The six Deputy Sect Masters could not help but show looks of surprise. The Sect Master Senior Brother was always thorough in his conduct; to hold the position of Sect Master over such a grand immortal cultivation sect required exceptional ability. They rarely saw the Sect Master look so serious. Observing his worried countenance, it seemed he faced a trouble beyond easy resolution.
They subsequently took their seats separately on the lower tier.
All other disciples remained outside the hall, forbidden to enter without express permission.
The atmosphere within the hall was heavy.
After a long silence, Sect Master Wu stood up, gazing up at the towering hall, sweeping his eyes over the six Deputy Sect Masters, and stated in a deep voice, “I have summoned the six Junior Brothers and Sisters here today because there is a critical matter that needs to be conveyed to you all. A few days ago, I audited this year's spiritual stone income for the sect and discovered that the output from the North Camp Mountain mine shaft has sharply decreased by nearly one-tenth. Considering the quality and output of the North Camp Mountain mine shaft have always been exceptionally stable, this matter is highly peculiar. Therefore, I specifically dispatched Junior Brother Zhang Yang to investigate.”
He pointed to the young Foundation Establishment cultivator standing beside him, continuing, “Junior Brother Zhang Yang conducted a full investigation inside the North Camp Mountain spiritual stone mine shaft and discovered that the mine is nearly hollowed out, with very few spiritual stones remaining. Junior Brother Zhang roughly estimates that the remaining residual ore will only last us three or four years of mining, and the output will sharply decline each year until exhaustion.”
“What? The spiritual stones in the North Camp Mountain mine shaft are almost depleted?”
“Isn’t the North Camp Mountain mine shaft supposed to be a medium-sized vein? How could it be dug out so quickly?”
“Junior Brother Zhang Yang, is your investigation absolutely certain? This matter is of monumental importance, and we absolutely cannot afford any carelessness. If handled poorly, it could bring a great calamity upon our Azure Pill Sect.”
The Deputy Sect Masters all displayed looks of shock.
This astonishment was understandable.
The North Camp Mountain mine shaft was located about two thousand li from the Azure Pill Sect and was one of the five spiritual stone mines controlled by the sect. It had been actively mined for several centuries—a period almost longer than the combined ages of the assembled Peak Masters and Deputy Sect Masters.
None of the Deputy Sect Masters had given serious thought to the North Camp Mountain mine shaft ever running dry. Even Sect Master Wu only recalled the mine having been worked for centuries because of the sudden drop in spiritual stone yield, hastily sending a Foundation Establishment disciple to investigate.
The young cultivator named Zhang Yang maintained a solemn expression and swore an oath on the spot that his findings were entirely accurate. He had spent dozens of days within the North Camp Mountain mine shaft, carefully assessing the spiritual stone density in every area to form an accurate estimate.
Sect Master Wu waved his hand, quieting the assembly, and smiled bitterly, shaking his head: “The Azure Pill Sect has two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators and eight thousand Qi Refining disciples. Our monthly consumption of mid-grade spirit stones exceeds one thousand, and low-grade spirit stones soar past one hundred thousand. The North Camp Mountain mine shaft is only a medium-sized mine, and it has been exploited for several centuries; calculating it out, it is indeed nearing exhaustion. If I had paid closer attention in previous years, I might have discovered this situation much sooner. Junior Brother Zhang Yang’s investigation has merely confirmed this fact. Precisely because of this, I have summoned you all to the hall to deliberate countermeasures. Esteemed Junior Brothers and Sisters, what are your insights on this matter?”
Wu Ruiyang only mentioned the consumption of low-grade and mid-grade spirit stones, deliberately omitting any mention of high-grade spirit stones. The Deputy Sect Masters understood this perfectly and made no comment either. High-grade stones were items reserved for the few Core Formation Ancestors of the Azure Pill Sect. Why stir trouble?
Immediately, an elder in white robes pondered aloud, “Our Azure Pill Sect currently possesses five mine shafts. The North Camp Mine is the largest; the others are all small mines. With the North Camp Mine depleted, we instantly lose one source of output. Within the next three years, our sect’s spiritual stone supply will become increasingly strained. We must proceed with caution.”
This white-robed elder spoke extensively about the importance of the situation but offered no countermeasures, essentially saying nothing practical.
The Deputy Sect Masters nodded in agreement. “We still have several other backup small mines we can utilize; even if the North Camp Mountain mine runs dry, we won't be without spirit stones for several decades. However, we must find a solution quickly.”
Of course, some among them did offer suggestions.
“As for solutions, there are many. It’s just a matter of which one is most suitable. We could reduce the number of disciples recruited into the sect; if the population decreases, the spiritual stone consumption will naturally lessen.”
Sect Master Wu’s face darkened instantly. “No, that is unacceptable. We have already reduced recruitment to only thirty new disciples per year. If we cut further, in one or two hundred years, the Azure Pill Sect might cease to exist.”
“If we cannot reduce the number of disciples, then we must reduce the spiritual stone supply allocated to each disciple! Cutting just one or two stones per person per month could cover the deficit.”
The other Deputy Sect Masters exchanged glances, nodding secretly, though their faces betrayed nothing. This method was feasible, but it would undoubtedly provoke fierce protests from the disciples. Who would announce such a thing?
“If we neither reduce personnel nor the quantity of spiritual stones supplied, the only remaining option is to find new sources of minerals and open new mine shafts to maintain the spiritual stone supply for the disciples of the Azure Pill Sect.”
“Seventy percent of the spirit stones are in the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range, with concentrated and high-quality deposits. Ten percent are in the Great Spiritual Mist Canyon, though that canyon was largely emptied thousands of years ago. The remaining twenty percent are scattered among hundreds of nations surrounding the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range, of poor quality and difficult to mine and utilize collectively. The mineral sources in the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range are the most abundant; we need to dispatch more disciples to search everywhere.”
Several Deputy Sect Masters immediately shook their heads.
“Finding new spiritual stone sources is extraordinarily difficult! Over tens of thousands of years, the easily exploitable spiritual stone mines in the Spiritual Mist Mountain Range have almost all been discovered and divided up among the various sects.”
One Deputy Sect Master pondered for a moment and cautiously proposed, “We still have a few reserve mines; in case of absolute necessity…”
Sect Master Wu flatly refused: “Absolutely not! Reserve mines are not to be touched unless the sect faces a major crisis. Otherwise, a thousand years from now, our sect might truly face annihilation. Furthermore, without the consent of the Martial Uncles, no one can touch those reserve mines. Which of you dares to approach the Martial Uncles about using the reserve stores?”
That Deputy Sect Master flinched, drew back his head, and said no more.
The Azure Pill Sect had nine remaining Core Formation cultivators, all in secluded cultivation across the various peaks, rarely emerging. Unless it was a matter of utmost importance, these Martial Uncles were not easily disturbed. Decisions regarding the reserve mines touched upon the very foundation of the Azure Pill Sect, and the Martial Uncles would certainly not agree. This proposal ended fruitlessly.
Yet, the Deputy Sect Masters argued amongst themselves regarding various proposals.
Sect Master Wu sighed in resignation, “The method we adopt to solve this concerns the lifeline of our Azure Pill Sect for the next several centuries. We should let Martial Uncle Huangfu make the final decision. Martial Uncle Huangfu briefly exited his seclusion recently and has not yet entered the state of isolated meditation. Now is the time to seek his counsel.”
“Only Martial Uncle can settle this matter,” the others conceded.
The Deputy Sect Masters exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. They exited the Purple Gold Grand Hall through a side door, entering an underground passage, descending thousands of zhang beneath the main peak to a secret chamber deep within the heart of the Azure Pill Sect's main mountain. Wu Ruiyang took out a communication talisman and sent a message to Martial Uncle Huangfu, who was in his closed-door cultivation chamber.
Afterward, everyone could only wait anxiously.
Not long after, a golden streak of light shot out from the vicinity of the cultivation chamber and landed before them. A hoarse, authoritative voice rang out: “The reserve mines are not to be touched. Deliberate on the rest yourselves.”
The Deputy Sect Masters looked at each other; this problem still fell to them to resolve.
Sect Master Wu saw that although Martial Uncle Huangfu had offered no specific advice, he had given them license to act, which gave Wu Ruiyang a firm direction. He considered the situation for a moment, his expression resolute. “Since Martial Uncle Huangfu has sent his decree, we have no choice but to comply.
I, the Sect Master, now issue my decree: The spiritual stone allocation for Foundation Establishment disciples remains unchanged. The spiritual stone supply for the miscellaneous Qi Refining disciples will be reduced by two-tenths, and these resources will be concentrated to support the core Qi Refining disciples closest to achieving Foundation Establishment.
Furthermore, the matter concerning the North Camp Mountain mine must be strictly kept secret; no leakage is permitted. If other sects learn that the North Camp Mountain spiritual stone mine under my charge is depleted, they will certainly take the opportunity to artificially inflate the prices of spirit materials, dealing us a heavy blow!”
With that, Sect Master Wu instructed the Deputy Sect Masters to carry out the orders.
As for how to develop new sources of spiritual stones—this had been a significant dilemma for major immortal cultivation sects for tens of thousands of years, and it was not something Sect Master Wu could easily resolve immediately. That matter would require further contemplation later.