"Elder Wei, you flatter me. Among the sect’s predecessors, there were surely those more formidable than I. It’s just that they didn’t have the same opportunities. Besides, I was just lucky this time; the Foundation Establishment Demon from the Stone Demon Sect was careless."

Hearing these words, Wei Tiexin knew that Fang Yun was very self-aware.

This trait was particularly rare and commendable.

If he himself had killed a Foundation Establishment Demon during his Qi Refining Stage, he would have been so conceited he wouldn’t have known which way was up.

It was only after reaching Foundation Establishment and becoming a Sect Elder that he had settled down and gained more perspective.

In this regard, Fang Yun had already surpassed him while still in the Qi Refining Stage.

Of course, Wei Tiexin would never say these thoughts aloud; his words to Fang Yun were filled only with satisfaction.

"Elder Xiong, how about you let me have Fang Yun?" Wei Tiexin suddenly joked as they chatted.

Upon hearing this, Xiong Xingfeng’s expression changed faster than one could flip a page.

"Get lost!"

"A joke, a joke! I was just kidding," Wei Tiexin explained.

"Elder Wei, you can make any other joke you want, but that one isn’t funny. Don’t do it again." Xiong Xingfeng’s expression softened slightly. If Fang Yun hadn’t been there, he would have thrown Wei Tiexin out the moment he heard those words.

The next time Wei Tiexin wanted him to repair a Spiritual Artifact or something, without someone to mediate, he would be turned away at the door several times at least.

Wei Tiexin was well aware of Xiong Xingfeng’s temper.

He had just been in a good mood this time and, getting caught up in the conversation, couldn’t help but voice his true thoughts as a joke.

Even though this was his first time meeting the disciple Fang Yun, he genuinely liked him.

He had gotten a very good impression of Fang Yun last time, when he eliminated a Qi Refining Influence controlled by a Demon. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the chance to meet him then.

For him, an Elder of the Evil Extermination Hall, to seek out a disciple—and the apprentice of another Elder at that—would sound inappropriate.

"By the way, Fang Yun, you haven’t been to the Evil Extermination Hall since you got back, have you?" Wei Tiexin’s gaze rested on Fang Yun.

Fang Yun hesitated for a moment before answering.

"No."

The reason for his hesitation was that he had been momentarily stunned.

He had only heard rumors before, but today he had finally witnessed another side of his master. In his memory, he had never seen Xiong Xingfeng look angry before this.

"If not, just give me the proof of killing the Foundation Establishment Demon. I can give you the corresponding Contribution Points reward right here. Not only that, but I’ll also give you a twenty percent bonus."

As he said this, Wei Tiexin looked at Xiong Xingfeng. Although this was mostly due to his fondness for Fang Yun, it was also his way of making amends to Xiong Xingfeng.

"Now that’s more like it." Xiong Xingfeng’s expression immediately brightened.

Fang Yun, for his part, said, "Thank you, Elder Wei."

After Wei Tiexin recorded it, Fang Yun presented his proof and got his Identity Token back. The Token now showed an additional three thousand six hundred Contribution Points.

For killing a Demon not from the Celestial Demon Sect at the early Foundation Establishment Stage, the reward was three thousand Sect Contribution Points.

The extra six hundred Contribution Points had to come out of Wei Tiexin’s own pocket.

Fang Yun didn’t stay long at his master Xiong Xingfeng’s cave residence. He had only come this time to report his return and let his master know he was back.

If the other Elder hadn’t been there, and they hadn’t started talking about him, he would have stayed for an even shorter time.

When he left, his master, Xiong Xingfeng, and Elder Wei Tiexin had resumed their previous conversation. As long as Wei Tiexin didn’t bring up the earlier matter, their chat would likely proceed without any further issues.

After leaving Artifact Casting Peak, Fang Yun immediately went to Dan Cloud Pavilion on Dan Cloud Peak to accept an Alchemy mission, then made a trip to the Evil Extermination Hall.

He had already collected the Contribution Points reward for the Foundation Establishment Stage Demon from Elder Wei Tiexin, but not for the Qi Refining Stage Demons.

These were all Qi Refining Demons from the Celestial Demon Sect.

In total, they provided Fang Yun with nine hundred forty Sect Contribution Points.

「The next day.」

In his house, not long after waking up, Fang Yun heard a knock on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK— 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Coming."

Fang Yun opened the door to see Bai Qinying standing outside.

"Elder Bai."

"Mm." Bai Qinying nodded with a smile, walked into the house, found a seat, and sat down. Only then did she speak. "I say, Junior Brother Fang, don’t you think you ought to thank me properly? If it weren’t for my tip, you never would have run into that big fish."

Closing the door, Fang Yun sat down directly opposite Bai Qinying.

"That wasn’t a big fish, that was a beast of prey."

Fang Yun corrected her, though he knew Bai Qinying was right. To him now, early Foundation Establishment Stage Demons really were just big fish.

"Even if it was a beast of prey, didn’t you still take it down, Junior Brother Fang?"

"That is true." Fang Yun nodded, then asked, "Elder Bai, how would you like this disciple to thank you?"

Bai Qinying smiled and shifted her posture. "That depends on you, Junior Brother Fang."

"Let me think..."

Fang Yun actually began to think, and he soon had an idea.

"...How about this? When I’m able to refine a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact that is effective against Demons, I’ll refine the very first one for you, Elder Bai. Not only that, but I won’t charge a refining fee; you’ll only have to pay for the materials."

"So you really have an offer!" Bai Qinying didn’t refuse. The promise of the very first artifact was an irresistible temptation. "Then it’s a deal!"

"It’s a pity the wait will be a bit long."

Bai Qinying recalled what Fang Yun had said before—that it might take him twenty years to refine that kind of Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.

"Recently, I’ve had some new insights into the path of Artifact Refining. If things go well, I might be able to refine one in five years."

"Five years! That’s wonderful."

Bai Qinying seemed to already be imagining the scene of herself easily slaying an early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon after getting the corresponding Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact from Fang Yun.

"Possibly. It’s just a possibility," Fang Yun emphasized.

’According to my estimates, a six-star Artifact Refining talent should already be enough to allow me to refine this type of Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.’

’But I can’t be one hundred percent certain.’

’I’ll have to wait until my Artifact Refining talent is promoted to six stars to know for sure.’

Afterward, Bai Qinying asked him to tell her about killing the early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon.

This was the real reason Bai Qinying had sought him out this time. She had just been teasing Fang Yun earlier, not expecting him to actually make an offer—and one she couldn’t refuse, at that.

If Fang Yun had offered Spirit Stones or something similar, she would have definitely refused on the spot.

As for the story of him killing the early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon...

...there wasn’t much to tell. He only killed the early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon because it was careless, so the process was undoubtedly quick.

The support from the Zeng Family’s ancestral Grand Array was also an indispensable part of it.

After hearing the story, Bai Qinying’s interest waned considerably. On second thought, it made sense; if the battle between Fang Yun and the early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon had been spectacular, the Foundation Establishment Demon wouldn’t have been careless in the first place.

Besides coming to hear the story, Bai Qinying also shared some information she knew with Fang Yun.

From this information, Fang Yun could tell one thing: the Celestial Demon Sect had increased its support for the Stone Demon Sect.

「Two days later.」

Artifact Casting Peak.

Inside High-Grade Artifact Refining Room Number Three.

Upon arriving, Fang Yun first began to sort through the Demons’ Storage Pouches.

He first opened the Storage Pouch of the early Foundation Establishment Stage Demon.

"There’s actually a Demon Spirit Cyan Crystal!"

For Fang Yun, this was a truly unexpected delight.

The Demon Spirit Cyan Crystal was a Second Tier, Lower Grade Spiritual Material, a rare sight even in the Demons’ own Earth Realm.

Demons normally didn’t use Demon Spirit Cyan Crystals in their Artifact Refining. However, if one wanted to refine a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact to counter Demons, a Demon Spirit Cyan Crystal was essential as a regulating agent in the combination of materials he had in mind.

This piece of Demon Spirit Cyan Crystal, though not very large, was more than enough to be used as an auxiliary material in refining two Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts for dealing with Demons.

Among the other materials, some were needed by Fang Yun, while for others, even he couldn’t think of a use.

He kept any material that seemed even slightly useful and disposed of the rest.

After going through the Foundation Establishment Demon’s Storage Pouch, he moved on to the Storage Pouches of the Celestial Demon Sect’s Qi Refining Demons.

Inside these Storage Pouches was a large quantity of Demon Stones.

’As expected of Demons from the Celestial Demon Sect. Compared to the Demons from the Gu Family, they’re truly wealthy.’

Putting everything else aside, these Demon Stones alone were enough for him to exchange for a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.