Time slipped by swiftly, and the grand ceremony for the Heavenly Demon’s advancement to the Nascent Soul stage had yet to commence. Within the Myriad Ghost Cave, however, a smaller rite celebrating Lei Dong’s successful breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage was already underway. Yet, this celebration was confined strictly to those within the Foundation Establishment tier, with only Lei Qing’er standing as an exception.

The apprenticeship ritual was brief and solemn. Lei Dong purified himself by burning incense and bathing, then knelt thrice and bowed nine times before the Myriad Ghost Ancestor, who sat enthroned in the main hall. He personally poured tea, carried it forward, and respectfully hailed the Ancestor as ‘Master.’

In return, the Myriad Ghost Ancestor presented Lei Dong with a genuinely substantial gift package. It contained a mid-grade Spirit Tool storage bracelet, a hefty red envelope holding a thousand mid-grade spirit stones, two hundred Minor Five Elements Pills suitable for initial Foundation Establishment cultivators, and a Minor Heavenly Spirit Pill designed to aid in breaking through the initial bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment stage.

This package was undeniably generous. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, low-grade Spirit Tools were generally not highly valued. In terms of pure function and might, some high-grade Magical Artifacts could rival a low-grade Spirit Tool. Consequently, the worth of a low-grade Spirit Tool often fell below that of a high-grade Magical Artifact. The crucial point, however, was that not every Qi Refining disciple could possess a high-grade Magical Artifact. The Myriad Ghost Ancestor currently held only a few dozen high-grade Magical Artifacts remaining in his stores, testament to their rarity.

Only a direct disciple of a super-sect like Lei Dong would qualify to wield a high-grade Magical Artifact during the Qi Refining stage. Thus, outside, many minor sects, noble families, or rogue cultivators, upon fortuitously reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, would exchange their mid-grade Magical Artifacts for low-grade Spirit Tools.

As for mid-grade Spirit Tools, their power and effects significantly surpassed high-grade Magical Artifacts, reaching the level of peak-grade Magical Artifacts. Therefore, while their value lagged far behind top-tier Spirit Tools, they were considerably more precious than high-grade Magical Artifacts, usually valued between ten thousand and one hundred thousand spirit stones. But by the Foundation Establishment stage, low-grade spirit stones could no longer keep pace with cultivation needs. Exchanges and purchases among cultivators often utilized mid-grade spirit stones as the benchmark.

Hence, the value of a mid-grade Spirit Tool typically fell between one hundred and one thousand mid-grade spirit stones. This particular storage bracelet, being of the highest quality among mid-grade items, was assessed at roughly four to five hundred mid-grade stones. Each Minor Five Elements Pill was equivalent to one mid-grade stone, totaling two hundred for the batch. The Minor Heavenly Spirit Pill was even pricier than the Earth Spirit Pills used by Qi Refining cultivators; though only one, its worth exceeded the two hundred Minor Five Elements Pills combined, estimated to cost around three hundred mid-grade stones, and it was hard to procure even at that price.

Compared to the Qi Refining stage, the resources available—pills and artifacts—were comparatively abundant. The tier of resources accessible to Foundation Establishment cultivators was significantly scarcer. After all, the materials required to forge Spirit Tools or refine elixirs demanded extremely high and rare specifications. Only behemoth sects like the Yin Sha Sect could barely manage sufficient supply.

For many Foundation Establishment cultivators outside, merely possessing a mid-grade Spirit Tool marked excellent fortune. The vast majority remained equipped only with low-grade Spirit Tools. This reality explained why Foundation Establishment cultivators placed greater emphasis on mastering cultivation techniques; a superior technique’s power could not be overlooked. Of course, having fine Spirit Tools to assist was always preferable, but diligently practicing techniques was often a necessary measure born of constraint. Li Chang’an, in his previous life, managed to amass an asset worth millions of spirit stones only by serving as an administrator within the Yin Sha Sect.

However, Lei Dong felt immensely satisfied with his gains this time. The Myriad Ghost Ancestor’s gift was decidedly not light, totaling approximately two thousand mid-grade spirit stones in value. This generosity was partly compensation, stemming from the Ancestor’s initial promise to sponsor Lei Dong’s breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, a promise he ultimately couldn't fulfill as planned.

The small ceremony in the Myriad Ghost Cave was unpretentious but vibrantly spirited. A circle of Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered around a table, initially reserved. But once the Myriad Ghost Ancestor drank a few cups of wine and took his leave, the camaraderie among the fellow disciples erupted wildly. This was understandable; due to its short establishment time, the Myriad Ghost Cave had fewer Foundation Establishment cultivators than Qi Refining ones.

Now, within a mere five years, three new junior martial sisters and brothers had been added, bringing the total number of peers to eight. Even Zheng Yang, the eldest among them, was only just over seventy years old. Yet, thanks to cultivation, his aging was exceedingly slow, making him appear like a robust man in his early forties. Take Ding Wanyan, for example; her cultivation advanced rapidly, achieving Foundation Establishment in just eleven years. Moreover, she diligently maintained her appearance, rendering her exterior to look barely in her twenties. Unless fate intervened, she was set to retain her peak vitality for an extensive period, perhaps only allowing her aura to deepen in maturity. This was one of the benefits of cultivation: not only the promise of longevity but also the maintenance of bodily vigor.

In this world, seniority was often determined by strength. Despite an age gap of over forty years between some fellow disciples, they sat together without any barriers, their harmony profound.

Wang Kang and Wu Di held high regard for Lei Dong and repeatedly toasted him in congratulation for his Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Wang Kang, in particular, boldly invited Lei Dong to accompany him to the Black Tiger Stockade to lend assistance, offering Lei Dong a full ten percent of the eventual spoils. Lei Dong had heard about the Black Tiger Stockade incident a few days prior and was already inclined to participate. That minor spirit stone mine held little appeal for the Myriad Ghost Ancestor, but for Lei Dong, it represented an excellent opportunity to amass wealth.

He had been contemplating how to approach Wang Kang about the matter, only for Wang Kang to issue the invitation directly during the banquet. A ten percent share, given Lei Dong’s current cultivation level, was exceedingly generous on Wang Kang’s part. If successful, the final profit would easily exceed half a million spirit stones. He surmised this was partly due to Wang Kang valuing his combat prowess, and partly Wang Kang acknowledging Lei Dong as someone reliable—a gesture of reciprocal kindness.

Without much hesitation, Lei Dong accepted, planning to head directly to the Black Tiger Stockade after attending the Heavenly Demon’s Nascent Soul celebration. Normally, a Foundation Establishment disciple like Lei Dong could choose whether or not to attend the Nascent Soul ceremony. However, Lei Dong wished both to broaden his horizons—as at his current stage, he couldn't perpetually rely on the Myriad Ghost Cave and compete with fellow sect members for resources—and out of sheer curiosity to witness the Heavenly Demon’s peerless majesty.

Wang Kang seized the moment to invite several other junior martial brothers and sisters to join the fray, offering each a ten percent share, with even Ding Wanyan agreeing to participate. Wang Kang knew the Heavenly Sound Palace was unlikely to dispatch Golden Core cultivators to such a minor skirmish. That would only happen if they wished to provoke a full-scale war with the Yin Sha Sect. Once both sides deployed their Golden Core Ancestors, the situation would escalate beyond a mere spat.

This adhered to the unwritten rules implicitly agreed upon by the great supreme sects of the world: conflict was permitted, but the powerful could not arbitrarily oppress the weak. The world enjoyed a relative peace; though minor frictions constantly flared between the eight supreme sects of Righteousness and Evil, large-scale warfare had been absent for a long time. Through a deliberate, tacit understanding among the factions, even minor clashes were kept within controllable limits, preventing them from escalating needlessly into wars between two massive powers.

This was precisely why Wang Kang could only summon Foundation Establishment cultivators when seeking reinforcements. If the Myriad Ghost Ancestor himself were deployed to bully the Heavenly Sound Palace members, and they suffered a significant loss, they would certainly retaliate, causing the situation to spiral uncontrollably. This was the survival strategy of major sects: if every minor friction led to dispatching Golden Core or Nascent Soul experts to oppress and massacre the lower-tier disciples of rivals, the opposing side would reciprocate in kind. Over time, both factions would suffer crippling losses, leaving them without successors, vulnerable to being supplanted by long-prepared mid-sized sects—potentially leading to the complete annihilation of their lineage.

Nascent Soul cultivators, in particular, served as the deterrent force for a sect and could not be deployed lightly. Once mobilized, it triggered a chain reaction, possibly inciting a cataclysm.

After drinking and laughing merrily with his martial peers for most of the night, Lei Dong finally excused himself. He channeled his internal energy to expel the alcohol’s effects entirely. Just as he considered returning home for further cultivation, Ding Wanyan’s gentle, refined voice transmitted directly into his mind.

Lei Dong nodded. He lightly tapped the ground with his foot, his form transforming into a faint, blurred ghostly shadow that shot out of the Myriad Ghost Cave and soared toward the heavens. Under the moonlight, he caught sight of Ding Wanyan’s ethereal, smoke-like figure gliding past him, drifting forward with the night breeze, leaving behind only a faint, delicate fragrance. Lei Dong’s figure flashed rapidly through the air, closely pursuing her ascent.