Chapter 994: Joint Council
The Fenglin campaign had entered its closing phase. However, Zhang Yuelu and the others had not returned, as they had to sort out loose ends, leaving no room for carelessness.
Qi Xuansu found himself idle in Jade Capital. While he was sorting through his spoils from Fenglin, he realized that he had mostly gained merits and not many tangible items.
The main item he gained was Pure Bodhi, in which he had used 2.5 semi-immortal objects to trade for. He had initially gained quite a sizable amount of divine power. However, the ordeal with the demonic fire consumed most of it, leaving him with only 2,000 marks. Fortunately, he had acquired a new mystical ability from the demonic fire, which he jokingly named Izanagi’s Left Arm.
As for Taiping coins, nothing more needed to be said. Though he was promoted and given higher stipends, Madam Qi had pulled some strings to siphon off his future salary using the excuse of purchasing this house for him, leaving him coinless. Thankfully, at his rank, he no longer had to worry about food, clothing, and shelter, so there was little real need to spend.
Besides this, Qi Xuansu had also gained Class-C access for the Jianxiu Mountain creation project, personally bestowed by the Earthly Preceptor. Though far less powerful than Class-A or Class-B, it was a long-term access that might prove useful in unexpected situations in the future.
Qi Xuansu had even asked Madam Qi why possessing the Longevity Stone Heart allowed him to wield this access directly without external items. To which Madam Qi explained, “The Longevity Stone Heart itself is an external object. Back when you strayed into the Ghost Kingdom, you gained the ability to open the portal and summon the Three Yin Beings, which is a kind of access. The Earthly Preceptor merely extended that access from that foundation. If it were someone else, they would never enjoy such convenience.”
Qi Xuansu felt she had only explained half of it, so he pressed further. “Last time, I only had access to the Ghost Kingdom because I absorbed divine power from the Pingtian Crown above the Emperor Willow. Summoning the Three Yin Beings was by pact, not compulsion. So how could the Earthly Preceptor transmit divine power across space to grant me such access?”
Madam Qi became evasive. “Then you should ask the Earthly Preceptor, not me! I’m not the Earthly Preceptor, nor can I grant anyone whatever-class access. How should I know?”
That ended the discussion. Naturally, Qi Xuansu could not ask the Earthly Preceptor about this, as it involved the Quanzhen Sect’s core secrets. Besides, he had no relationship or the clearance to meet the Earthly Preceptor.
Even if granted an audience with the Earthly Preceptor, Qi Xuansu would only be able to listen to instructions and not pose questions. In truth, aside from the Heavenly Preceptor, who seemed approachable, both the Earthly Preceptor and Imperial Preceptor were famously daunting figures and not easy to speak with.