“Saintess?”
“That’s right, an existence similar to a Sect Leader Candidate.”
“Saintess, Saintess…” Granny Ji counted seriously on her fingers.
“Although the Seven Stars of Tianhe include both men and women, it seems none of them are actually referred to as a ‘Saintess.'”
“However, Master Nan Xi, if you are referring to Sect Leader Candidates, the Seven Stars of Tianhe are likely the closest to that position. Once they become Elders, they start directly as Second-class Elders, and their promotion speed is much faster than that of ordinary disciples…”
Granny Ji started rambling again, but unfortunately, Nan Xi was no longer listening.
His attention was stuck on Granny Ji’s previous sentence.
The Tianhe Sect… had no Saintess.
‘Then who was that person who had been pitting themselves against me all these years!?’
It had been nearly twenty years since Nan Xi joined the Wuxing Sect to begin his cultivation.
Although he had lived in seclusion and cultivated diligently during those twenty years, rarely meeting outsiders, it did not mean he never went out to perform sect missions.
And during those missions, a certain person appeared time and time again.
Not only did she try every possible means to obstruct Nan Xi from completing his tasks, but she also targeted the Wuxing Sect at every turn.
And that person’s title was exactly the [Saintess of the Tianhe Sect]!
Incidentally, Nan Xi’s title was the [Holy Son of the Wuxing Sect].
Of course, that was not important.
The important thing was that there was actually no such person as a Saintess of the Tianhe Sect.
‘Then who am I supposed to vent my anger on!?’
‘That wretched woman!’
Bang—
Nan Xi suddenly stood up, startling the talkative Granny Ji.
“Master Nan Xi, what is it?”
“Ahem, I’ve been sitting for too long and feel a bit stifled. I’m going out for a walk.”
Nan Xi would never admit he was infuriated by that “Saintess of the Tianhe Sect.”
Halfway out, he turned back to look at Granny Ji.
“Granny Ji, come with me. I want to learn more about the current situation of Tianquan Peak while we’re at it.”
“Ah, alright, Master Nan Xi.”
…
Compared to the previous two days, the weather on Tianquan Peak was much better today.
Yesterday’s wind and snow had already dyed Tianquan Peak pure white, draping the land in silver.
Only the frequently traveled paths revealed the clear bluestone ground, though a few mischievous disciples still stepped onto the side snow, leaving a trail of clear footprints as they played.
Most of the buildings on Tianquan Peak were concentrated halfway up the mountain. From the disciples’ residences and training grounds to the lecture halls where Elders taught, everything was present.
The main hall they had just left was where most First-class Elders and even the Peak Master conducted their daily work.
Aside from that, the Elders and disciples all had their own residences. This, of course, included Nan Xi’s residence.
As the Peak Master, his residence was not only more luxurious than the others but also closer to the summit of Tianquan Peak.
According to Granny Ji’s introduction, the summit was actually the convergence point of the Tianquan Peak Spirit Vein. Cultivating there could yield twice the result with half the effort.
Of course, ordinary people had no chance to go to the summit to cultivate. Being able to cultivate near the summit was already of great benefit to them.
“What is that building over there that’s emitting smoke?” Nan Xi asked, pointing at a tall workshop in the distance.
Amidst the ancient and elegant architecture of Tianquan Peak, it looked somewhat out of place.
“Which one… oh, that is the Sword Furnace of Tianquan Peak,” Granny Ji explained patiently.
“Tianquan Peak follows the lineage of Sword Arts cultivation within the Tianhe Sect, so it naturally has its own Sword Furnace. Aside from a small number of swords forged here for the daily practice of Tianquan Peak disciples, the vast majority are sent to other Spirit Peaks.”
“For most sword cultivators, Spirit Swords are consumables. Therefore, the blacksmiths of Tianquan Peak forge new Spirit Swords every day.”
“Naturally, if there are any Spirit Swords left over at the end of the month, we also sell them in the markets outside the Tianhe Sect to supplement the daily expenses of Tianquan Peak.”
‘So they maintain their balance by selling swords.’
Nan Xi nodded thoughtfully.
“Master Nan Xi, please do not look down on our Tianquan Peak. Aside from the common-grade Spirit Swords used for daily consumption, our craftsmen are also capable of forging heirloom-grade Spirit Swords.”
“Oh?”
Nan Xi’s interest was piqued instantly.
In reality, Nan Xi was also a sword cultivator.
Although he already had his own sword, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t interested when high-grade Spirit Swords were mentioned.
“Yes. Right next to the Sword Furnace is the Sword Repository of Tianquan Peak. The high-grade Spirit Swords forged by our craftsmen over thousands of years are preserved inside. For the sword-cultivating disciples of the Tianhe Sect, if they make an outstanding contribution to the sect, they are eligible to enter the Sword Repository and obtain a Spirit Sword of their own.”
“Of course, what grade of Spirit Sword they can actually get depends entirely on their own luck.”
That was reasonable.
It was no wonder the reputation of the Tianhe Sect in Hongze Prefecture had been rising steadily over the years; one could see why just by looking at the reward system they established for their sword-cultivating disciples.
But who was Nan Xi? He was here as a mole!
‘I’ll take note of this for now. It might be useful later when I destroy the Tianhe Sect.’
“If Master Nan Xi is interested, I can take you closer to have a look later.”
“Then I’ll trouble you, Granny Ji.”
“Don’t mention it. We are all hoping you will lead Tianquan Peak to reclaim its former glory.” Speaking of this, Granny Ji could not help but sigh. “In recent years, life on Tianquan Peak hasn’t been very good.”
“By that, you mean…”
Nan Xi frowned and pondered for a moment before finally asking, “Granny Ji, can you brief me on the income and expenditure of Tianquan Peak?”
“Eh?” Granny Ji was stunned for a moment. She then began rummaging through her Storage Bracelet and, after a short while, pulled out a scroll that was at least one foot thick.
Clearly, this was likely the ledger of Tianquan Peak from the past few years.
“Stop—” Nan Xi raised his hand to interrupt Granny Ji’s intent to recite the detailed accounts.
He turned around, facing the magnificent architectural complex of Tianquan Peak. “I will point at something, and you will tell me about the income and expenditure of those places.”
“Understood, Master Nan Xi!” Granny Ji stood at attention to receive her orders.
“First, the expenditure for disciple training.”
“According to the records, Tianquan Peak currently has 573 disciples. Among them, 510 are outer sect disciples, and the average annual training cost per disciple is about ten Spirit Stones. The cost for inner sect disciples is even higher, reaching more than three to five times that of an outer sect disciple.”
“Second, the salaries and allowances for the Elders.”
“As for the Elders, Tianquan Peak currently has fifty-four Elders. Excluding the Supreme Elders…”
“…”
Granny Ji reported the expenditures of Tianquan Peak over the years to Nan Xi word by word. The more he heard, the more solemn Nan Xi’s expression became.
Until finally—
With a clap, Granny Ji closed the thick scroll.
“The above is the first volume of Tianquan Peak’s expenditure situation.”
“The first volume? How many volumes are there in total?” Nan Xi was suddenly stunned.
“Reporting to Master Nan Xi, there are forty volumes in total.”
“And the income situation?”
“Wait a moment, let me look for it. I don’t know which corner it was put in.”
Granny Ji lowered her head and began rummaging through her Storage Bracelet in earnest. This time, it clearly took her much longer than before.
It wasn’t until noon, when Nan Xi was so bored he had almost drawn a painting of “Seeking Plum Blossoms in the Snow” on the ground, that Granny Ji finally looked up. She held up a pitifully thin little notebook toward Nan Xi.
“Master Nan Xi! This is the total income of Tianquan Peak for the last thirty years!”