Chapter 435: Chapter 264: Congratulatory Gift

The Chief Manager Lai took out a water sack from behind his waist and handed it to Li Shiming after Yin Shilan accepted the greeting gift with a smile.

“Brother Shiming, this is the congratulatory gift I’ve prepared for you!” the Chief Manager Lai said with a hint of pride.

Li Shiming curiously received the water sack. This water sack was a lowest-level magic artifact, and its effect of locking away spirits could be seen from the patterns on its surface.

Of course, the water sack itself couldn’t possibly be the congratulatory gift. It must be what was inside the sack.

When he opened the water sack and swept his divine thought inside, he discovered two tiny fish swimming around.

“Are these Spirit Cleansing Carps?” he asked, somewhat uncertain.

Among the sentient beings in the world, besides humans and spirit beasts, there were many special spirit creatures.

Spirit Cleansing Carp was one such spirit creature, a benign being whose sole purpose was to improve water quality.

Normally, Spirit Cleansing Carps were kept in a Spiritual Spring, capable of enhancing the quality of the spring by one grade.

Given that the naturally rare and self-growing Spirit Cleansing Carp did not require any contract to be bound to a master, imposing no mental burden, its various benefits made it extremely popular amongst high-level cultivators.

Not to mention anything else, using a Spirit Cleansing Carp to enhance the quality of a Spiritual Spring for either entertaining guests or personal enjoyment was an excellent practice.

For Li Shiming, the Spirit Cleansing Carp had another use, that of facilitating the growth of the Third Grade Golden Lotus.

Since the Third Grade Golden Lotus relied on the Spiritual Spring to thrive, the higher the quality of the spring, the more beneficial it was for its growth.

Li Shiming had by now learned of the Third Grade Golden Lotus’s enhancing effect on cultivation, making the Spirit Cleansing Carp the most suitable gift, clearly showing the thought the Chief Manager Lai had put into selecting it.

Of course, the current use of the Spirit Cleansing Carp for Li Shiming was limited, but he was very aware that as his realm increased, even with his status as an Alchemy Master, he could not guarantee a constant supply of Spirit Pills. At that time, the combined effect of the Third Grade Golden Lotus and the Spirit Cleansing Carp would become particularly important.

Whether a Nascent Soul Cultivator had Cultivation Assistance Spirit Pills was something he naturally didn’t know, but he did know one thing. He had never seen Elder Ma concoct a Fourth-grade Spirit Pill, which suggested that even Nascent Soul Cultivators rarely had Cultivation Assistance Spirit Pills.

By the Nascent Soul Stage, he estimated that cultivation would still mainly rely on personal practice.

His thoughts were far-reaching, not yet a Golden Core cultivator, but already considering matters of the Nascent Soul Stage.

“Brother Shiming has a good eye, these are indeed a pair of Spirit Cleansing Carps. If Brother Shiming raises them well, maybe one day I’ll have the pleasure of viewing swarms of them in your abode!” the Chief Manager Lai answered with a laugh.

This was clearly a joke–the Spirit Cleansing Carps were still in their fry stage.

Given the growth rate of Spirit Cleansing Carps, it would likely take more than a decade for them to mature, and even then, the chance of them spawning offspring was slim.

“Brother Lai truly understands my needs, I am very fond of this gift!” Li Shiming said sincerely.

Seeing Li Shiming’s appreciation, the Chief Manager Lai couldn’t help but smile happily.

He was about to engage in more conversation with Li Shiming when he saw Li Shiming’s expression turn solemn as he looked into the distance. The Chief Manager Lai turned to look and saw a bright yellow Flying Boat slowly approaching.

“Brother Shiming, Qianye Temple is a major sect. It is better to resolve enmities than allow them to fester!” the Chief Manager Lai advised in a soft voice through a transmission of sound.

“I understand,” Li Shiming nodded in acknowledgment.

He was certainly aware that he couldn’t afford to truly fall out with Qianye Temple, a sect with profound resources. Clashing with such a powerful sect given his current strength would bring no benefits.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he said after exchanging a smile with the Chief Manager Lai, then turned to Yin Shilan and smiled, “Lan’er, go accompany your master and Liang Yexuan.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Yin Shilan said softly but resolutely, leaving Li Shiming without room for further persuasion.

Yin Shilan was fully aware of the conflict between Li Shiming and Qianye Temple. Because Li Shiming purposefully escalated the situation, the event of their discord spread through the three major Righteous Path sects, and even some well-informed forces heard about it.

Yin Shilan understood that Li Shiming wanting her to leave temporarily meant he didn’t wish to have her face a potential enemy with him.

On the other side, Elder Su and Elder Ma exchanged glances and waved towards Li Shiming. With no choice, Li Shiming, followed by Yin Shilan, made his way over.

Three monks descended from the bright yellow Flying Boat: Zhi Kong Arhat, Zhi Ming Arhat, and Zhi Xin Arhat. Seeing this lineup, many of the cultivators present were slightly startled, these three monks being among the most influential Arhats in Qianye Temple.

Their presence attested to Qianye Temple’s high regard for Li Shiming’s celebration as an Alchemy Master, sending three influential Arhats at once.

“Welcome, esteemed Masters!” said Elder Su, who, as the host and an Elder of equal status from the Shushan Sect, stepped forward with a smile to initiate a greeting.

Elder Ma, holding an even higher position, also wore a smile. Neither had any intention of creating foes, whether for the well-being of the two major sects or for Li Shiming’s sake.

Li Shiming and Yin Shilan followed suit, bowing to welcome the arrival of the three Arhats as hosts.

If these influential Arhats had come here, it was to resolve their previous grievances; otherwise, creating trouble at such a time would mean a feud to the death.

Resolving the enmity at such a celebratory event meant that Qianye Temple was indeed giving Li Shiming tremendous respect.

“Amitabha, the three of us monks have come at the invitation to congratulate fellow Li Shiming on becoming an Alchemy Master!” Zhi Kong Arhat said with a smile, offering a monk’s bow to the people across from him.