C74 Five Hundred Lowergrade Mediumgrade Spirit Stones as Ransom
If the Ma family were to lose their Family Head, they would simultaneously lose their Six-star Human Rank expert. Consequently, the advantageous position they had painstakingly carved out among the numerous families of Renkang City would vanish in an instant.
The Great Elder hurried to the inn with Lower-grade Spirit Stones in tow. "My lady, these are the Spirit Stones we've gathered for your inspection," he said, his eyes filled with hope as he presented them to Lin Qingshan.
As a fellow Human Rank expert, the Great Elder was on equal footing with Lin Qingshan and wouldn't ordinarily address her as his senior. However, given Lin Qingshan's superior strength, he respectfully referred to her as "my lady."
Lin Qingshan examined the stones, her expression souring immediately. "You expect to redeem your Family Head with these? Do you take me for a beggar?"
The Ma family's Great Elder's face twisted in embarrassment. Before he could muster a response, Lin Qingshan extended her hand, fingers splayed. "Forget those worthless Lower-grade Lower-class Spirit Stones. It'll take five hundred Lower-grade Medium-class Spirit Stones to exchange for your Family Head!"
The color drained from the Great Elder's face. Han Feng, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but stick out his tongue. The Han family themselves would struggle to produce such an amount, and the Ma family even more so.
With a grimace, the Great Elder admitted, "We can't produce five hundred Lower-grade Medium-class Spirit Stones."
"Then forget about getting your Family Head back," Lin Qingshan stated flatly, her hand emitting a purple glow as she pointed at the Ma Family Head's forehead, now silenced and eyes wide with fury and fear.
The Great Elder gestured frantically, "Please, my lady, don't! I will procure them immediately."
"Weren't you just saying you couldn't?" Lin Qingshan retorted icily.
With a rueful smile, the Great Elder found himself at a loss for words. His gaze shifted to his Family Head, knowing full well that if it weren't for his status as a Six-star Human Rank expert, they would never have considered yielding.
With a heavy heart, the Ma Family's Great Elder turned and departed.
When the Ma Family acquired Lower-grade Spirit Stones, three-quarters of them would be allocated to the Family Head, the elders, and select high-ranking members for cultivation. The remaining quarter was set aside for emergencies, to help them weather any future crises.
At present, the Ma Family's Great Elder was forced to dip into these reserved Lower-grade Medium-grade Spirit Stones to secure the Family Head's release. Despite this, amassing the full five hundred required stones was an insurmountable task.
With resolve, the Great Elder, after conferring with his fellow elders, initiated loans from other families. They took a hard line with the less powerful clans, managing to secure some stones, but at the cost of alienating them and pushing them into the arms of rival families. In no time, the Ma Family found itself ostracized.
For those families of comparable or greater strength, the Ma Family had to cede significant assets, including businesses. Though they eventually secured the needed Spirit Stones, the Ma Family's profits were severely diminished.
Given their current predicament, the Ma Family's future looked bleak without the protection of a Six-star Human Rank expert. The loss they faced in redeeming their Family Head was substantial.
"We just need to redeem our Family Head, and once he advances to the Late Period of Human Rank, these troubles will seem insignificant," the Ma Family elders consoled themselves.
Lin Qingshan surveyed the pile of Lower-grade Medium-grade Spirit Stones before her with a contented smile. "It appears my request was quite reasonable after all."
The Great Elder's complexion paled. Reasonable? He wondered if there had been a steeper ransom, whether he might have been compelled to forsake the Family Head.
With a dismissive gesture, Lin Qingshan tossed the Family Head back to the Great Elder. "Be on your way. Don't cross me again, or else..." A chilling glint flickered in her eyes.
The Great Elder, a mere Four-star Human Rank in strength, trembled, unable to utter a word. He hastily escorted the Family Head out of the inn, eager to escape Lin Qingshan's intimidating presence.
"Here, take these Spirit Stones, brother. I'm a bit short on them myself right now, so let's split them—I'll take a hundred, and you can have four hundred."
Han Feng's heart swelled with joy. Four hundred lower-grade, medium-grade Spirit Stones would last him a very long time, and he certainly wouldn't turn them down.
Having resolved the Ma family issue, the day had grown late, and the pair decided to head back to their rooms to continue their cultivation practices.
Out of the blue, Lin Qingshan seemed to recall something. "Brother, aside from that Chain Martial Skill, do you possess any other Human Rank Martial Skills?"
Han Feng shook his head. The legacy of the Nine Flames Heavenly Fire Tower included four formidable complementary Martial Skills: Skyfire Seal, Skyfire Battle Body, Skyfire Battle Fist, and Skyfire Armor. Each skill was categorized into twelve tiers, with even the first tier rivaling the top medium-class Human Rank Martial Skills, and the twelfth tier on par with the top Heaven-rank Martial Skills.
However, all these Martial Skills required Fire attribute Spirit Creatures for cultivation. Much like the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art, mere diligent practice wasn't enough to make a breakthrough.
Upon seeing Han Feng's negative response, Lin Qingshan presented two Martial Skills. "I recently acquired these two Martial Skills, but they're of no use to me, so I'm passing them on to you."
Gratefully accepting the Martial Skills, Han Feng expressed his thanks with earnest. "I appreciate it, Sister Lin!" His cultivation foundation had just advanced to Human Rank, and without the ability to cultivate the Inherited Martial Skills, he was indeed in need of new ones.
Lin Qingshan offered a gentle smile. "Given the bond between us, there's no need for formalities. Now go on and cultivate."
A thought struck Han Feng, and he couldn't help but ask, "Sister Lin, do you have any Fire attribute Spirit Creatures by chance?"
Lin Qingshan paused, a bit taken aback. "Fire attribute Spirit Creatures?"
She shook her head after a moment's thought. "No, my True Qi is of the Thunder attribute, so I haven't kept up with information on Fire attribute Spirit Creatures."
Disappointment washed over Han Feng's face, but just then, Lin Qingshan had a flash of memory. "Wait, I just remembered—there might be a Fire Crystal in my Storage Belt."
Fire Crystal!
Han Feng's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Spirit Stones, harvested from spirit veins, were the purest form of spiritual energy, undifferentiated by any specific attribute.
Fire Crystals, however, were sourced from unique locations such as volcanoes.
The efficacy of Fire Crystals varied depending on their region of origin.
For instance, those from volcanoes could only modestly enhance the potency of mortal fire, offering limited utility.
In contrast, Fire Crystals from perilous territories or secret realms possessed significantly greater effects.
Generally speaking, the more treacherous the fire-attributed area, the stronger the Fire Crystals it yielded.
Lin Qingshan produced a Fire Crystal, which radiated a surge of fire attribute energy.
Sensing these vibrations, Han Feng realized that this Fire Crystal was merely a common variety.
Despite a tinge of disappointment, he acknowledged that having it was better than not.
Lin Qingshan handed the Fire Crystal to Han Feng before departing.
Alone, Han Feng retreated to his room to resume his cultivation.
There, he spread out the two Martial Skills Lin Qingshan had gifted him: "Wild Flame Hit" and "Sun Nine Steps."
"Wild Flame Hit" was an attack-focused Martial Skill.
"Sun Nine Steps," on the other hand, was a movement-based Martial Skill.
Both Martial Skills were far from your run-of-the-mill Human Rank techniques.
