After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 27

The first rays of dawn dispelled the silence of the night on Yundan Peak.

Ye Li concluded her night of cultivation. Although she had deliberately suppressed the devouring power of the Imperial Sutra of the Abyssal Void, the thread of icy spiritual power within her had still grown slightly, becoming more condensed and refined. She maintained the simulated spiritual energy fluctuations of the Cloudwater Art on her body, like a light, water-colored gauze, to conceal the overly domineering nature of her core aura.

Pushing open the bamboo door, the crisp mountain air, mixed with an increasingly strong fragrance of herbs and wood, rushed into her lungs, instantly refreshing her. Today, she needed to quickly gain a deep understanding of the Xuan Yun Sect’s operational system to pave the way for her future cultivation.

She strolled down the mountain to the more bustling area halfway up. A few disciples were already moving in and out of the Scripture Pavilion and the Hundred Refinements Hall, most walking briskly, either holding classics or carrying refining materials.

She did not rush into these two places but first headed towards a smaller hall next to the Scripture Pavilion that had a constant flow of people—the Merit Hall.

The hall was quite spacious. Dozens of large jade tablets hung on the walls, densely covered with countless scrolling text messages that shimmered with spiritual light. Many disciples were gathered in front of the jade tablets, studying them carefully and discussing in low voices. One side of the hall housed several windows where attending disciples were responsible for handling affairs.

Ye Li’s gaze swept across the jade tablets.

At the very top of one tablet, “Sect Mission Release Area” was conspicuously written. The information below was categorized:

“Herb Collection: Collect ten hundred-year-old Purple Cloud Ganoderma, Location: Black Wind Ridge southeast of the Sect, Contribution Points: fifty/stalk.”

“Mineral Mining: Assist in mining refined iron ore for one month, Location: West Mountain Mine Pit, Contribution Points: ten points daily.”

“Escort Mission: Escort a caravan to the nearby Chi Shui City, Duration: half a month, Contribution Points: two hundred.”

“Monster Hunt: Clear out water demons causing trouble in the Azure Wave Pool, Estimated Strength: Meridian Condensation initial stage, Contribution Points: five hundred.”

…

The difficulty of the missions varied, and the rewards in Contribution Points also differed significantly. High risk often came with high reward.

The adjacent jade tablet was the “Resource Exchange Area.”

“Low-grade Yellow-tier cultivation method Thick Earth Art, Exchange requires Contribution Points: one thousand.”

“First-grade medicinal pill ‘Qi Gathering Pill’, Exchange requires Contribution Points: five/pill.”

“Low-grade magic tool ‘Azure Edge Sword’, Exchange requires Contribution Points: eight hundred.”

“Second-tier talisman ‘Fire Serpent Talisman’, Exchange requires Contribution Points: one hundred/sheet.”

…

The items were dazzlingly numerous, ranging from cultivation methods and medicinal pills to divine weapons, talismans, and array plates, and even some rare treasures and seniors’ cultivation insights. Almost everything was included, but the required Contribution Points were all astronomical figures. Ye Li’s initial fifty Spirit Stones monthly stipend could barely buy anything decent here.

Contribution Points! The core of everything!

She instantly understood the Xuan Yun Sect’s model: the Sect provides the platform, resources, and a relatively safe environment, while disciples must earn Contribution Points by completing various missions to exchange for everything needed for cultivation! This was an extremely efficient mechanism for competition and selection; the capable gain more, and the weak are eliminated.

She looked at the other jade tablets, which included the “Sect Regulations Announcement Area,” the “Sect News and Notices Area,” and even a “Disciple Private Trading and Seeking Area.” The entire Merit Hall was essentially a fully functional information and exchange center.

“Is this Senior Sister a newly inducted junior sister?” a gentle voice sounded beside her.

Ye Li turned and saw an inner-sect male disciple with a smiling face and a scholarly demeanor, whose cultivation was roughly at the initial stage of Meridian Condensation and who was wearing the Tianshu Peak uniform.

“Indeed, Ye Li of Yundan Peak,” Ye Li slightly nodded.

“So it’s Junior Sister Ye Li! I’ve long heard of you!” The disciple’s eyes flashed with surprise, and his smile immediately broadened, “I am Zhou Ming of Tianshu Peak. Seeing Junior Sister observing here, are you perhaps confused about the Sect’s contribution point system?”

“I’d be grateful for Senior Brother Zhou’s guidance,” Ye Li readily replied.

Zhou Ming enthusiastically began to explain: “Junior Sister must already know the importance of Contribution Points. The main way to obtain them is by completing the missions on the Mission Wall. Missions are posted by the Sect or individuals, reviewed by the Merit Hall, and then displayed. When accepting missions, one must gauge one’s own capabilities; the Sect is not responsible for failure or injury. Additionally, making special contributions to the Sect or breaking through major cultivation realms can also earn Contribution Point rewards.”

He pointed to the exchange area: “As for these resources, Junior Sister doesn’t need to feel they are unattainable. Work diligently on missions and accumulate points little by little, and you will eventually be able to exchange for what you need. Furthermore,” he lowered his voice, “within each peak, there are sometimes master-disciple missions and rewards, which are often easier than those in the Merit Hall.”

“Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother Zhou,” Ye Li thanked him sincerely. This information, though basic, was very important.

“You are too kind, Junior Sister. It is only right for fellow disciples to help each other,” Zhou Ming smiled, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then excused himself.

Leaving the Merit Hall, Ye Li had a plan in mind. Missions had to be done, but they needed to be chosen carefully, with safety as the priority. The most urgent task was to first go to the Manual Transmission Pavilion.

The Manual Transmission Pavilion of the Xuan Yun Sect did not refer to a single building but was distributed across various peaks. The one on the main Qingyun Peak was the largest, cataloging an extensive range of cultivation methods, but the Contribution Points required for exchange were also extremely high. Each peak also had its own subsidiary Manual Transmission Hall, which mainly collected cultivation methods and secret texts related to the peak’s specialty.

Yundan Peak’s subsidiary Manual Transmission Hall was on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Ye Li ascended the stairs. The second floor was quite large, with rows of jade slips neatly suspended within light screens, each with a brief introduction below. There were few disciples here, only a handful immersed in selecting cultivation methods.

The one responsible for guarding the place was a drowsy old attendant.

Ye Li’s gaze swept over the light screens.

Basic Alchemy Techniques, Primary Talisman Arts Compendium, Spiritual Herb Cultivation Essentials, Cloudwater Art (subsequent chapters), Gentle Water Sword Technique…

As expected, the vast majority were auxiliary cultivation methods and secret texts related to pills, talismans, and medicine. There were very few combat-oriented methods, and those were not high-grade, with the highest being only Mid-grade Black-tier.

This suited her perfectly. She had no need to search for a primary cultivation method here.

She carefully browsed and finally selected one Breath Concealment Technique (High-grade Yellow-tier), one Basic Array Analysis (Ungraded, but systematic), and the complete version of the Cloudwater Art (cultivable up to the Spiritual Sea Realm). These three items perfectly used up her initial fifty Contribution Points.

The Breath Concealment Technique was for better hiding her true cultivation and aura; the Basic Array Analysis was for systematically learning array knowledge, laying the foundation for deciphering the ancient notebook and setting up arrays in the future; the complete Cloudwater Art was to ensure her superficial efforts were thorough.

She took the three replicated jade slips to the old attendant for registration.

The old attendant sleepily glanced at them, saw the complete Cloudwater Art and the Breath Concealment Technique, mumbled, “The new disciple is quite diligent…” and then completed the registration, deducting the Contribution Points.

Leaving the Manual Transmission Hall, Ye Li then went to the Hundred Refinements Hall.

The Hundred Refinements Hall was a hive of activity, with earth fires blazing. Each stone chamber door was tightly closed, the runes on the door flashing, indicating they were in use. The air was filled with various medicinal aromas, the scent of metal smelting, and a faint smell of scorching.

Using the earth-fire chambers here required paying Contribution Points, and the price was not cheap. Clearly, whether it was alchemy or artifact refinement, both were extremely expensive auxiliary professions.

Ye Li merely got a general sense of the environment and then left. At this stage, she did not have enough Contribution Points or materials to support practice.

Finally, she made a trip to the “Myriad Phenomena Hall” located at the foot of the main peak. That was the Sect’s large external marketplace, much larger than the small markets within each peak. It not only housed Sect shops but also many disciples setting up stalls, and even caravans from other sects came to trade. It was a mixed bag, but also offered more opportunities.

After this round of exploration, Ye Li’s understanding of the Xuan Yun Sect’s structure was clear.

It was a vast machine, strictly hierarchical, fiercely competitive, yet full of opportunities. Contribution Points were the blood that drove everything. To obtain resources, one must integrate into this system, take missions, and strive.

Returning to her small courtyard on Yundan Peak, the sky was already approaching dusk.

Ye Li activated the array in her quiet room and first picked up the Breath Concealment Technique jade slip. Her spiritual consciousness sank into it, and in less than half an hour, she had a preliminary grasp. She attempted to circulate it, and the aura around her quickly retracted. The simulated Cloudwater Art fluctuations also became faint, making her look like an ordinary disciple who had just stepped into the Spirit启蒙境 (Enlightenment Stage) not long ago. The effect was quite good.

Next, she began to study the Basic Array Analysis, using it to verify the contents of the ancient notebook. Many previously vague points gradually became clear.

After finishing these superficial tasks, she truly settled her mind and began to focus on the Imperial Sutra of the Abyssal Void.

She carefully controlled the amplitude of the cultivation method’s circulation, like a trickling stream, guiding spiritual energy into her body, tempering her meridians, and condensing spiritual power. Although the speed was limited, the grade of the cultivation method was too high, and the purity of the spiritual power cultivated far exceeded imagination.

She could feel that the barrier to her breakthrough to the Meridian Condensation Realm was not far off. But before that, she needed more accumulation and meticulous control over her power.

In addition to her main cultivation, she also used a divided mind to circulate the Cloudwater Art, letting the light blue water-attributed spiritual power flow in several secondary meridians, familiarizing herself with its characteristics to make it look more like her primary cultivation method.

Night deepened. Inside the quiet room, there was only the faint humming sound of spiritual energy circulating.

Ye Li was like the most patient hunter, quietly accumulating strength, honing her fangs, and waiting for the moment to truly show her edge.

Life in the Sect had fallen into a rhythm. Yet, the undercurrents often surge beneath the surface of tranquility.