"My friend, you misunderstand."
However, Ji Yuan shook his head, indicating that was not his intention.
He naturally knew that mere elixirs could not secure the overt support of a powerful sect.
Although these elixirs were expensive, their total value exceeding a thousand Spirit Coins.
This fortune could make a powerful sect ache, but it wouldn't cripple them.
It could be said that for a powerful sect with hundreds of years of heritage, accumulating wealth equivalent to a thousand Spirit Coins.
Would take at most twenty to thirty years.
Not to mention that Sun Wuyi was the one providing this fortune.
Ji Yuan estimated that the other party had likely emptied his entire fortune to procure just over a thousand Spirit Coins.
A cultivator at the peak of the third realm could accumulate such a fortune in decades, let alone an entire sect.
"What is it you want?"
Sun Wuyi asked.
Since it wasn't public support from the Qingfeng Sword Sect, everything was negotiable; it was merely a matter of price.
And to take that final step, to break through to the realm he yearned for.
There were many things he could do.
For instance, acting in a personal capacity, he could fight a few battles, perhaps even kill a few people; it wasn't impossible.
The Qingfeng Sword Sect was not a particularly powerful sect within Luoxia Commandery.
While it ranked within the top ten in unofficial rankings, it was at the very bottom, only slightly above the Shanhe Gang.
Yet, Sun Wuyi could, at the Zhuang family's apprenticeship banquet, firmly hold the foremost position among the various forces.
This was because his own strength made him undeniably the number one person in the third realm in Luoxia Commandery.
At least, as of now, no one had surpassed him, nor had anyone achieved more outstanding results.
"The Qingfeng Sword Sect possesses an item called the Spirit Sinking Fire Stone."
Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow and stated what he wanted.
Upon hearing this, Sun Wuyi's heart relaxed. If it were just the Spirit Sinking Fire Stone, it wasn't a significant trouble.
It was a special spiritual mineral controlled by the Qingfeng Sword Sect, whose very mountain gate was built upon a mining vein.
The Spirit Sinking Fire Stone was so rare that there was only this single vein in the entire Lingyang Prefecture.
Its sole use, similar to Rouge Stone, was to provide extremely high temperatures, beneficial for alchemy and Qi refining.
However, for those with broader knowledge and higher vision, this item had another purpose.
It could serve as nourishment for spiritual fires, used to cultivate and enhance their power.
Since Ji Yuan intended to cultivate his own spiritual fire, such items were essential preparations.
And for the effect of Spirit Sinking Fire Stone on spiritual fires, it was difficult to find a comparable substitute in the entire Lingyang Prefecture.
"Just the Spirit Sinking Fire Stone… it's not enough."
Sun Wuyi pondered for a moment and said quite directly.
One of the Qingfeng Sword Sect's primary sources of wealth was the annual sale of Spirit Sinking Fire Stones to outsiders.
A Spirit Sinking Fire Stone the size of a palm was worth about fifty to sixty Spirit Coins, with slight fluctuations.
With his authority, he could easily obtain about six to seven Spirit Sinking Fire Stones from the sect.
For ordinary cultivators, one would suffice for a long time, and even with special requirements, six to seven should be enough.
But this quantity was insufficient to offset the price of the elixirs.
"I want fifteen pieces."
Ji Yuan shook his head and stated his desired quantity.
He also seriously specified that each Spirit Sinking Fire Stone should be one foot in size.
This way, it wouldn't be that his elixirs were too expensive, but rather the Spirit Sinking Fire Stones themselves.
If Sun Wuyi agreed, Ji Yuan would even have to pay hundreds of Spirit Coins.
Because the larger the volume of the Spirit Sinking Fire Stone, the greater its value.
Furthermore, there was another point: the output of this spiritual mineral could not be controlled; it was whatever size it was mined to be.
After hundreds of years of mining, Spirit Sinking Fire Stones of this size were not non-existent, but they had become extremely rare.
Even the Qingfeng Sword Sect's treasury did not have much stock.
"My authority only allows me to procure five pieces."
Sun Wuyi's mouth twitched, and he tried his best to maintain his composure.
A Spirit Sinking Fire Stone measuring one foot in size, even just five pieces, would require him to expend a significant amount of contributions.
However, Ji Yuan remained silent. Five pieces did not meet his expectations.
Seeing this, Sun Wuyi thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Seven pieces, and I'll cover the difference."
Only then did he nod, agreeing to the transaction.
Once the price was settled, Sun Wuyi immediately got up to leave, intending to return to the sect to gather the required Spirit Sinking Fire Stones.
After he left, Qian Nishang spoke softly from the side, "Actually, you could have traded for an opportunity to have him act for you."
As for the Spirit Sinking Fire Stones, there were plenty of ways to obtain them, as long as there were enough Spirit Coins and the Commandery Governor, Fan Yuqing, made a request.
Although this would incur a small debt of favor, it was still within an acceptable range.
The value of the number one person in the third realm of Luoxia Commandery's intervention, however, far surpassed that.
Especially if he successfully broke through, it would be equivalent to securing the intervention of a Golden Core stage cultivator.
"If these elixirs alone could help him break through, he wouldn't have been stuck at the peak of the third realm for so long."
Ji Yuan shook his head.
As an alchemist, he was well aware of the effects of the elixirs he refined.
When the Song family patriarch broke through after taking the elixirs back then, it wasn't primarily because of the Divine Observation Heart Pill.
It was due to a large quantity of Five Qi Nourishing Yuan Pills!
He had suffered severe injuries in his earlier years, leading to significant depletion of his true essence, which he had been unable to replenish for many years.
Otherwise, with the Song family patriarch's aptitude and other factors, he would have broken through his current realm long ago.
In contrast, Sun Wuyi's stagnation in this realm was not due to insufficient talent or cultivation base.
It was because he had a fixation, which could also be called a inner demon; without overcoming it, he would never be able to advance further in his life.
"The Divine Observation Heart Pill is useful to him, but to achieve a qualitative change, the quantity required would be enough to empty the Qingfeng Sword Sect."
Ji Yuan chuckled, "Unless my cultivation level increases, elevating the grade of this pill further."
Pills were divided into nine grades. Grades nine to seven corresponded to cultivators in the Spirit Infusion realm, while grades six to four corresponded to cultivators in the Dao Illumination realm.
For Sun Wuyi to break through the bottleneck that had troubled him for decades with the help of this pill, he would need to consume at least a grade three or higher Divine Observation Heart Pill.
"Once he sees hope, it will be difficult for him to maintain his state of mind."
"If he cannot find other means, he will have to place all his hope in this pill."
"So, he will eventually come back to find me."
Ji Yuan's eyes flickered, as if he could already foresee the future.
Hearing this, Qian Nishang gave a wry smile. It seemed that from the moment Sun Wuyi visited, he had been completely maneuvered.
"Doing this… isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
She couldn't help but ask.
It wasn't out of feminine compassion, but rather because business wasn't conducted this way.
Ji Yuan's intention was clear: he was certain of Sun Wuyi, and he also intended to drag the Qingfeng Sword Sect into it.
"You don't understand, I have a personal grievance with this sect."
He tapped the table lightly with his finger, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
When the Xuantianguan suffered a great calamity in the past, its heritage was almost severed, and many forces took advantage of the situation to plunder.
The Qingfeng Sword Sect was among them, having stolen several treasures left by the ancestor of Xuantianguan.
Upon hearing this, Qian Nishang said no more, for there was indeed nothing more to say.