The imposing, upright youth swept a severe gaze over both parties, hearing the dispute that had erupted between them. He scoffed immediately. "Is a single jar of Spirit Wine worth arguing over like this? Besides, two or three people can hardly finish a whole jar. Why don't you just split it? Hand over the Spirit Wine, we’ll divide it evenly!" As the Senior Disciple of the sect, he prided himself on his fairness and impartiality, refusing to allow such pointless conflict to occur in his presence.

The female disciple who had brewed the wine, clutching the jar, was at a loss until she heard this. She quickly presented the Spirit Wine.

Under the superintendence of the imposing youth, the seven blue-robed disciples who had been fighting dared not continue their quarrel. They each took out a wine gourd, preparing to divide the jar of Spirit Wine equally.

"Hold on!"

From the group accompanying the Senior Disciple, a young disciple with an affable, smiling face suddenly stepped forward and spoke up, stopping the proceedings. He approached the imposing youth and transmitted his voice, "Senior Brother, the Sect Master for the last half a month..."

Upon hearing this, the imposing youth's expression shifted instantly. He turned and asked, "Is this matter true?"

A young woman in a blue robe among them stepped forward gracefully with her sword, stating coolly, "Senior Brother has been away inspecting outside these past few days, so he is unaware of the situation. This Spirit Wine simply cannot be divided."

The imposing youth's face went through several subtle, fluctuating expressions.

The smiling youth had mentioned something that compelled him to consider the matter seriously.

In the minor competition three years prior, although he had obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, he had failed to successfully establish his foundation. This year was the grand competition for Foundation Establishment stage disciples, meaning the minor competition was automatically canceled, and no Foundation Establishment Pills would be distributed. The next minor competition would not be for another three years.

This delay effectively meant losing one opportunity to establish a foundation. Delaying the consumption of the Foundation Establishment Pill for three more years did not guarantee success on the first attempt. Procrastination upon procrastination—this was something that severely depleted one's lifespan. Every chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill could not be missed.

Although these individuals were all core elite disciples of the Azure Pill Sect, the sect's rules were strict. The distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills was decided solely by the sect’s Golden Core stage Martial Ancestors. Even the Sect Master or Vice Sect Master could not make arbitrary decisions.

If he could not win in the minor competition, even as the Sect Master's son, he would not receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Of course, there was another method to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill: by accepting the menial task of "Searching for Spirit Stone Veins" from the General Affairs Hall. If a significant discovery was made that greatly benefited the sect, a reward of at least one Foundation Establishment Pill, or even multiple, could be granted.

This menial task was always available; anyone could accept it.

He had previously accepted this task and accompanied a group of fellow disciples outside for over a month. Alas, although the Spirit Mist Mountain Range was vast, Spirit Stone Veins were not so easily found. They searched everywhere, killed many demonic beasts, but failed to find even a trace of a Spirit Stone Vein. They could only return in defeat.

"The Sect Master and the Vice Sect Masters have decided to join forces with other sects to open an ancient spirit mine from millennia ago, sending a batch of Qi Refining stage disciples inside to clear out demonic beasts as a trial. The reward for this trial task is a Foundation Establishment Pill. This will likely be announced within the next half month. This Spirit Wine is scarce, but it will be of great use in this trial mission; it absolutely cannot be divided."

The youth pondered the words of the smiling youth, his face gradually darkening. He glanced with malice at the Monkey-like youth, Zou Yu, and the others, secretly annoyed. It turned out they were fighting over this Spirit Wine to prepare for this trial mission. Only he had been kept in the dark, nearly becoming the sucker. If this Spirit Wine were divided, it would equate to handing an opportunity away for free to other disciples.

His expression changed. "Hmph, unauthorized private fighting and destruction of palace structures—you are all punished with three days of confinement and restricted from leaving! This jar of Spirit Wine shall be kept by Junior Brother Zhang." He casually stuffed it into the smiling youth's hand. "Let's go!"

The imposing youth paid no further attention to the crowd, took out a small sword, and flew away on his sword.

The smiling youth chuckled, tossed the jar of Spirit Wine into his storage bag, and then pulled out a small pouch of spirit stones from the bag, tossing it to the wine-brewing female disciple. Together with a few companions, he followed the imposing youth, departing on their swords. The jar of Spirit Wine, naturally, was theirs to divide.

The skinny, monkey-like youth, Zhao Qiankun, and Zou Yu, along with the other seven or eight people, stared blankly as the children of the Sect Master and Vice Sect Masters took the jar of Spirit Wine. After a long silence, they found themselves unable to utter a word.

The surrounding green-robed disciples whistled and made a ruckus. Finding no more entertainment, they dispersed. There is always a higher mountain; these disciples of Vice Sect Masters and sons of Elders were forced to swallow their defeat when confronted by even more domineering high-level disciples.

Ye Qin observed the scene and could only shake his head.

He had spent the last few years cultivating in seclusion at North Camp Mountain, knowing very little about the sect's affairs. Only today did he realize how high-handed the blue-robed elite disciples acted, openly competing and seizing things without restraint.

As for why these high-level disciples suddenly wanted to snatch the Spirit Wine, he had already guessed some of the reason.

It was likely for that mission. These blue-robed disciples easily obtained inside information and had begun preparing in advance, fighting amongst themselves. Spirit Wine would certainly be of considerable help in completing the mission, so it was naturally listed as one of the items to seize.

As for the ordinary green-robed disciples like himself, they were simply unqualified to participate in such a scramble.

This unexpected incident had cost him a significant amount of time.

Ye Qin pondered for a moment and did not linger on Azure Pill Mountain. He rented a flying beast from the Beast Hall and traveled to the other main peaks to the locations where sect disciples gathered, seeking to exchange for spiritual herb seeds from his peers.

Over several days, he managed to collect quite a few seeds. Along the way, he also bought several specialized Spirit Wine Yeast needed for brewing spiritual wine, shelled the small pile of Flame Berries and Frost Berries in his Purple Mansion, took the seeds, and brewed them all.

Currently, Spirit Stones were scarce within the Azure Pill Sect, and the prices for spiritual herbs, elixirs, and seeds sold by many disciples had begun to drop.

Although Ye Qin had stayed in the abandoned mine tunnel in North Camp Mountain for three years, he did not possess many Spirit Stones.

It was difficult to excavate Spirit Stones in the abandoned mine; he could barely dig out twenty pieces a day. Cultivating spiritual herbs consumed a large number of Spirit Stones, and cultivating mutated thorns consumed quite a few as well. After mining, he needed time for alchemy and meditation, leaving him insufficient time to chip away at the hard rock.

Over three years, he had accumulated barely a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. These stones were all used to plant spiritual herbs, transforming them into higher-value spiritual herbs, which were finally refined into Qi Refining level Spirit Pills.

Over half a month, Ye Qin frequented the markets on the seven peaks daily, exchanging Spirit Pills for seeds, successfully gathering over ten kinds of spiritual herb seeds required for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

He lacked only the final six or seven types of extremely precious spiritual herb seeds: "Three Treasures Fungus, Dark Jade Spirit Grass, Thousand Pearl Fruit." Ordinary Qi Refining stage disciples never had seeds for these few medicinal materials; they could only be cultivated successfully in the sect's Grand Medicine Garden. Obtaining these seeds from the heavily guarded Grand Medicine Garden presented considerable difficulty.

Ye Qin thought for a moment and came up with an idea. He headed towards the small market. In recent days, he had made the acquaintance of several disciples specializing in commerce at the small markets across various peaks; these commercial disciples had wide connections.

Green Mountain Peak, a Grand Medicine Garden spanning several hectares atop the peak.

A disciple dressed as a farmer, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and another disciple dressed as a plump merchant, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, were whispering under the shade of a tree.

The farmer, holding his hoe, asked doubtfully, "Fatty Qian, why do you need the seeds of the Three Treasures Fungus?"

Fatty Qian replied, "Don't worry about that; just tell me how many Spirit Pills it will take for you to do this favor. We've known each other for over a decade; you wouldn't refuse to help with such a small thing, would you?"

The farmer hesitated, "A Martial Uncle inspects the medicine garden every day; this might not be too easy."

"Don't try to fool me; I know the situation. The Martial Uncle only checks the quantity of spiritual herbs, not the seeds. I'm not asking you to take the medicinal herbs, just the seeds. It’s not easy to discover if one seed is missing or extra. Even if it is discovered, you can just say an insect ate it; what can he do to you over a single seed? At most, a half-month of self-reflection, it's worth it."

"You're asking for the seeds of a fourth-tier rare herb; the Martial Uncle won't be fooled so easily. The risk I'm taking is quite high. For one seed, five Qi Gathering Pills. I won't do it for less than that."

"What a steep price you name. Fine, I need them right now; hurry up and get them!"

A while later, the merchant disciple named Qian took several seeds from the farmer and stuffed them into his embrace, quickly leaving the medicine garden with excitement. Soon after, Fatty Qian arrived at a private compartment in a pavilion on Green Mountain Peak, waiting, a hint of anxiety showing on his slightly plump face. This transaction held considerable profit for him; taking a little risk was worthwhile.

Half a day later.

Ye Qin met the merchant disciple in the private compartment of a pavilion on Green Mountain Peak.

Payment exchanged for delivery.

The merchant disciple weighed the pouch filled with ten low-grade Spirit Stones and a bottle containing seven Qi Gathering Pills, secretly delighted. He said ingratiatingly, "This Senior Brother is truly straightforward. Next time you wish to buy anything, come find Old Qian. On Green Mountain Peak, there are few things I cannot accomplish."

Ye Qin examined the single Three Treasures Fungus seed; it was identical to the descriptions in the spiritual herb books. He said flatly, "We'll see. I hope you don't mention this matter to anyone."

The junior brother merchant named Qian patted his chest, guaranteeing, "Rest assured, Senior Brother. Old Qian has been doing business for over ten years and is always tight-lipped. No one knows where they came from, nor where they are going. Since Senior Brother seems to be a disciple of Green Mountain Peak as well, there is even less need to worry about the elders of Green Mountain Peak chasing after you for a single seed."

Ye Qin nodded coolly and left the private compartment.

If he had just arrived, at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he would absolutely never have used Spirit Pills and Spirit Stones for such a transaction. At that time, his cultivation was near the bottom of the Azure Pill Sect; he had no standing, and any ill-intentioned fellow disciple could crush him like an ant.

But now it was different. As a disciple at the ninth level of Qi Refining, already at the apex of the Qi Refining stage disciples, even possessing a small amount of Spirit Stones and several dozen high-grade Spirit Pills was nothing; no one dared casually scheme against him. That Junior Brother Qian at the seventh level of Qi Refining didn't dare utter a single complaint in front of him. If it were three years ago, who knew what might have happened.

Having obtained the Three Treasures Fungus seed, Ye Qin left Green Mountain Peak and continued to other peaks, using the same method to acquire the seeds of seven or eight other rare medicinal herbs separately. By collecting them one by one like this, no one knew what he was gathering these seeds for.

After acquiring all the spiritual herb seeds, he returned to his residence on Green Spring Peak and planted the medicinal herbs within his Purple Mansion.

While Ye Qin was collecting the medicinal herb seeds, a major event that the Azure Pill Sect had been brewing for a long time—or rather, a major event that the cultivating sects in the Spirit Mist Mountain Range had been brewing for a long time—was finally announced.

Including the Azure Pill Sect, the seven major cultivating sects and the twelve minor cultivating sects simultaneously announced a trial mission: The Withered Wastes Ridge, Cave Trial.

As soon as this trial mission was announced, it immediately caused a fierce stir among the Qi Refining stage disciples of the various major sects.

Withered Wastes Ridge was located in the central area of the Spirit Mist Mountain Range, rife with demonic beasts and possessing an extremely harsh environment. Originally, no one paid attention to such a place.

However, three thousand years ago, a disciple from a minor sect called the "Flame Sect" stumbled upon a small patch of spiritual stones in Withered Wastes Ridge by chance. Excited, he dug downwards and surprisingly discovered that this was a large-scale Spirit Stone Vein, enough to support a major cultivating sect for thousands of years.

The disciple of the Flame Sect immediately sent this valuable intelligence back to his sect. Unexpectedly, there was a traitor who defected to a major cultivating sect with this information. A minor sect absolutely could not compete with a major sect.

The Flame Sect, enraged by the theft of their intelligence, publicized the news of the mine so that the major sect could not monopolize it. The major sects of the Spirit Mist Mountain Range received the news sequentially and immediately led large numbers of Qi Refining stage disciples and Foundation Establishment stage disciples to Withered Wastes Ridge en masse.

Such a massive spirit mine related to the rise or fall of a cultivating sect—no one was willing to yield.

To contend for ownership of the mine, the first few sects to arrive engaged in fierce battles, suffering heavy casualties. However, as dozens of major and minor sects flooded in, they realized that no single sect could monopolize such a vast Spirit Stone Mine.

Ultimately, under the mediation of the Core Formation stage Old Ancestors from the major sects, the sects were forced to compromise, quelling the fighting. They decided that all cultivating sects would jointly excavate for spirit stones there.

But the matter did not end there. Although they decided to cooperate in mining, there were serious disagreements over the division of mining tunnels allocated to each sect. Some sects advocated for dividing the number of tunnels based on strength, while others proposed dividing them based on the order of arrival.

No one could persuade the other.

In the end, when negotiations failed, all the sects simply went ahead together, sending their disciples to dig caves everywhere, frantically excavating Withered Wastes Ridge. Whoever dug up Spirit Stones belonged to that sect. How much one could mine depended on one's own ability.

Once the mining tunnels of two sects accidentally connected, bloody battles would inevitably erupt between the miners over the Spirit Stones in the dark underground tunnels. The high-ranking members of the major sects also turned a blind eye to the fights within the tunnels.

This kind of continuous, chaotic mining lasted for several years.

Just as the major sects were frantically digging tunnels and seizing Spirit Stones, they failed to notice that the demonic beasts of Withered Wastes Ridge were not easy to provoke.

The numerous mining tunnels, dense and dug deeper and deeper, accidentally broke through into the lair of a large swarm of demonic beasts entrenched beneath the Ten Thousand Peaks Mountain.

Overnight, the swarm of demonic beasts whose lair had been invaded went into a rage, rampaging through all the tunnels, launching ferocious attacks on the low-level Qi Refining stage disciples within. Dozens of major and minor sects suffered the loss of over ten thousand disciples—almost the most tragic loss suffered by the major cultivating sects since arriving at Withered Wastes Ridge.

The sects had been constantly scheming against each other and were not united. Suddenly facing a massive demonic beast assault, they were completely unable to resist. They focused only on preserving their own strength while blaming other sects for not trying hard enough to repel the beasts.

Within a few short months, Withered Wastes Ridge was retaken by the demonic beasts.

The major sects suffered heavy losses, lost all fighting spirit, and were forced to painfully abandon Withered Wastes Ridge. This mine, containing a huge amount of Spirit Stones, has now been silent for three thousand years. (To be continued. For future events, please visit www**com for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!) First published