h 95 Part 3 – Kindred Spirits (III)
January 27, 2022January 25, 2022By koffeam
“Meng Qiqi…” Xue Jinwen lowered her voice and asked anxiously: “How many spirit points do you need to borrow a single book?”
“Ten points,” Meng Qi replied.
“Ten points?!!!” Xue Jinwen stared into the blue-robed girl’s clear and bright eyes. Her first reaction was wondering whether Meng Qi had been cheated or not.
But……
Xue Jinwen then thought about it again. Spirit points were controlled by Beyond The Heaven, and underhanded transactions were not allowed.
“Next time, take me to that bookhall.” Xue Jinwen made up her mind. She must not let Meng Qi suffer!
“Okay.” Meng Qi agreed.
“How many books have you…borrowed?” Xue Jinwen asked again. She quickly guessed that Meng Qi should have gained the spirit points from the Beiming Pill transaction, just like her. The point reward should only be ten points at most. Fortunately, the loss was not very great.
“A lot.” Meng Qi said: “A few dozens, I think.”
Xue Jinwen: “!!!”
“Let’s go today. Take me there.” The more Xue Jinwen listened, the more she felt this shop was a scam. Although she didn’t know who opened this Heaven And Earth Bookhall, there must be something weird here! A few dozens of books, meant that hundreds of spirit points had been exchanged. How could Meng Qi have that many?!
“Meng Qiqi, don’t spend your spirit points casually.” Xue Jinwen took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “It is very useful. You can redeem some rare things and even opportunities in Beyond The Heaven.”
“For example?” Meng Qi asked with interest. She glanced at the staff who was still busy preparing her orders…why did it take so long?
“For example, even if you are not invited, you can redeem your spirit points for the opportunity to participate in the auction held by Heaven Auction House.”
“I’ve been there.” Meng Qi said.
Xue Jinwen: “…”
“The last time, I needed a Blazing Feather, so I went to Heaven Auction House to bid for it.” Meng Qi explained with a smile.
Alright.
Xue Jinwen felt a little dizzy again and was unsure how to react. She regretted having that drink! Her alcohol tolerance was not so good, but her mood was a bit uncalm, so she went to drink alone in Ruyi Inn’s lobby.
Xue Jinwen shook her head and said, “Also, do you know that there are a lot of grotto-heavens1 hidden in the mountains around Beyond The Heaven?”
“Yes.” Meng Qi said, “At the auction I attended, the last lot is the tokens needed to enter the mountain and join the expedition.” She smiled embarrassedly: “I heard because the tokens were so precious, all the large sects were anxious to get one, so no one bid the Blazing Feather with me.”
Meng Qi was very happy to share her good luck with Xue Jinwen: “It took me only a few hundred eighth-grade spirit stones to buy the Blazing Feather.”
Xue Jinwen: “…”
How did she feel that the Beyond The Heaven she knew and Beyond The Heaven that Meng Qi said were two different worlds?
“That…” Xue Jinwen was stunned for a while before she said in a dumbfounded voice: “Do you know that even if you have no entry token, you can still participate in the expedition as long as you have enough spirit points…” She paused and then said in a very low voice: “Those tokens allow the sects to send five people at most. However, anyone can exchange their spirit points for a right to participate without any limits. Moreover, if the owner of Beyond The Heaven sends people to participate, the ones who participate using their spirit points would also be regarded as his people and will receive his protection.”
Meng Qi was slightly startled and asked, “How many spirit points do I need to exchange for this opportunity?” She was not very interested in grotto-heavens. But knowing that the owner of Beyond The Heaven might also participate immediately attracted her attention. The last time she checked, she had a few thousand spirit points. Considering that the price to borrow a book was ten points, such a precious opportunity must cost much more, probably in the range of a few hundred thousand.
Xue Jinwen answered: “I don’t know, but it must be a lot. If you are curious, I can help you ask the next time I go to Beyond The Heaven. In fact, there are quite a few people who know about this, but so far, no one has been able to accumulate so many spirit points. So Meng Qiqi…” She urged with solemn tone: “If there are shops in Beyond The Heaven that insist you can only buy their wares with spirit points, don’t.”
“If you carefully save your spirit points, there will be much better opportunities in the future.”
“Okay.” Meng Qi obediently nodded.”
“Do you know how to check the number of spirit points you have?” Xue Jinwen asked again.
“I can see it by holding my nameplate.” Meng Qi said, “Sister Xue, you forgot. I have used it to change books in Heaven And Earth Bookhall.”
“I see.” Xue Jinwen also nodded, “How many spirit points do you have? If it is more than fifty, you can use it to exchange with something of a great benefit, whether now or in the future.”
“…There should be a few thousand.” Meng Qi was not sure either. The number might have been increased again. “The last time I went, there were a few thousand. I’m not sure whether it has surpassed ten thousand or not.”
Xue Jinwen: “…”
Of course she did not suspect that Meng Qi was lying to her. But it was too shocking! That was not spirit stones, but spirit points, ah!
Probably all those sects — including Xue Clan and Feng Alliance, including other large sects across the four realms — didn’t have that many spirit points combined, despite having their disciples work hard to their bones. After all, so many opportunities exclusive to Beyond The Heaven had to be obtained using spirit points, such as establishing and operating a store, entering Heaven Auction House without receiving an invitation, participating in the grotto-heaven explorations without a token…with such expenses, who could accumulate so many spirit points?
Xue Jinwen took a deep breath, but couldn’t help but ask: “Are you sure those are spirit points?”
“Yeah.” Meng Qi nodded affirmatively.
Xue Jinwen felt dizzy again. It seemed that Beyond The Heaven, which was a mysterious and powerful place in the eyes of all cultivators of Three Thousand Worlds, was just like a playground for Meng Qi!
Grotto-heavens (Chinese: 洞天; pinyin: Dòngtian) is a type of sacred Taoist site. Grotto-heavens are usually caves, grottoes, mountain hollows, or other underground spaces. In a cultivation setting, it’s akin to a secret realm that provides experiences and opportunities for cultivators.
