Chapter 125: The Ancient Mountain Talisman

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
Su Che set aside the five most important items separately before reporting, “During this treasure hunt, I obtained a total of five treasures. However, I’m afraid I’m not skilled enough to identify the functions of two of them…”
These five items were: a piece of immortal crystal, two top-grade ancient materials, an unknown black stone, and a brown wooden talisman.
In truth, Su Che simply didn’t know the true value of the wooden talisman. As for the unknown black stone, it was just a broken rock he picked up casually in the Xiao Mi Immortal Realm.
Su Che deliberately brought out such a worthless rock to prove his honesty—even something like this was handed over without reservation.
Of course, to justify this rock, Su Che had to invent a story: claiming it was placed on an altar alongside several ancient magical artifacts. Those artifacts shattered at the slightest touch and turned to ashes, but this rock remained intact, so he kept it as a treasure…
The several Yuan Ying ancestors glanced at the rock indifferently, shook their heads slightly, and laughed, “Kid, it’s just a worthless rock. It was merely placed on that altar for some unknown reason.”
“Oh.”
Su Che imitated Old Hei’s gesture, scratching his head with a slightly flushed face, looking ashamed.
But then, the ancestors noticed the wooden talisman. After a quick inspection, their eyes lit up, and the Supreme Patriarch even showed clear surprise.
“This is a true treasure!”
Whoosh!
The Supreme Patriarch raised his hand and took the talisman, carefully examining the faintly carved character “Zhen” on it. After some thought, he confirmed, “Indeed, it’s the Ancient Mountain Talisman. Brothers, please take a look too…”
With that, the Supreme Patriarch handed the talisman to the nearest Grand Elder.
“It’s indeed the Ancient Mountain Talisman!”
The four Grand Elders agreed unanimously.
Grand Elder Zi Xiao smiled at Su Che and said, “You’re quite lucky, kid. To find such a treasure. Though this mountain-stabilizing talisman isn’t a magical artifact, its value is comparable to top-grade spiritual treasures, second only to Dao artifacts.”
What?
Su Che was shocked—this wooden talisman, made from a warehouse door panel, was actually a treasure second only to Dao artifacts?

“Ah!” In the Immortal Prison, Lao He was filled with pain and regret. “I’ve ruined my own eyes! Such a valuable treasure, and I just gave it away!”
As Zi Xiao had said, this wooden talisman was not a magical artifact, so Lao He couldn’t sense its quality, which led Su Che to underestimate its value. Thus, Lao He felt immense guilt, believing he had failed to live up to his master’s complete trust.
Su Che was also deeply remorseful, furious with himself. He thought, “Indeed, ignorance is the greatest fear! I thought it was just a door to a storage room, preserved only because it was connected to that immortal estate… Who would have thought it was such a precious treasure!”
Fortunately, the words spoken by the Supreme Patriarch later relieved Su Che’s worries.
The Supreme Patriarch said with a kind smile, “Su Che, just by having this Mountain-Stabilizing Talisman, you have already done a great service.”
“Don’t think the term ‘Mountain-Stabilizing Talisman’ sounds unimpressive and underestimate it. You must know that ancient cultivators didn’t name their treasures with much care or complexity—they were quite casual about it.”
The Supreme Patriarch raised the wooden talisman and said cheerfully, “It can stabilize not just one mountain, but an entire mountain range. Even our Tianxuan Mountain Range could be held in place by it!”
Su Che was secretly astonished. The Tianxuan Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of miles, with countless mountains… Could such an unassuming wooden talisman really stabilize such a vast area?
The Supreme Patriarch added, “However, such treasures are of little use to individuals. Using them merely to protect a residence is a waste. Only a large sect like our Tianxuan Sect, combined with a protective array, can make full use of their power.”
Only then did Su Che understand that this kind of Mountain-Stabilizing Talisman was not very useful for individuals, which eased his earlier regret. In that case, handing it over to the sect in exchange for credit was quite appropriate.
Elder Zi Xiao nodded and said, “Indeed, with this Mountain-Stabilizing Talisman, the protective effect of our sect’s array can be increased by at least 30%. Such a treasure is even more valuable than several spiritual artifacts. Su Che, you have truly done a great service this time!”
“Thank you, all my elders. I feel extremely honored to be able to contribute something to the sect,” Su Che said humbly.
Su Che also realized that Elder Zi Xiao was quite protective of him. By saying that this wooden talisman was more valuable than several spiritual-grade artifacts, he was clearly helping Su Che gain credit.

The Supreme Patriarch also nodded in agreement: “Indeed. For an individual, such a mountain-stabilizing talisman isn’t very useful; but for a sect, its value truly exceeds that of several magic artifacts of the same grade. Su Che, your merits will be recorded for now, and we’ll discuss rewards later. Next, let’s talk about the other three treasures you’ve obtained.”
“Reporting to the Supreme Patriarch,” Su Che knelt on the ground and said respectfully, “Everything else doesn’t matter, but this Immortal Crystal is the most precious treasure I’ve gained. I wish to offer it to my master and ask the Supreme Patriarch for permission.”
Hearing Su Che’s words, Xuanji’s heart rate accelerated uncontrollably, and he was deeply moved. This Immortal Crystal was extremely important to him, for decades ago he had realized that the key to advancing to the Yuan Ying stage lay in such a crystal—there was no other way.
The Supreme Patriarch smiled slightly and then turned to Xuanji, asking, “Xuanji, what do you think?”
“The disciple will follow the arrangements of the Senior Patriarch,” Xuanji replied respectfully with a bow.
“Then that’s settled,” the Supreme Patriarch chuckled. “If I refused, wouldn’t that hurt this child’s sincere loyalty?”
The other four Supreme Elders also nodded with smiles. The eldest elder with gray hair said kindly, “Xuanji, with this Immortal Crystal, it won’t be long before we have to address you as a junior brother.”
“I dare not,” Xuanji quickly bowed. “The disciple dares not.”
“What’s there to be afraid of!” The Supreme Elder Zixiao said proudly. “Seventy years ago, I too had to address them as senior uncles. Now, aren’t we of equal status? In a cultivation sect, rank is determined solely by strength.”
Seventy years ago, Zixiao was still Xuanji’s senior brother. After he successfully advanced to the Yuan Ying stage, he became the youngest Supreme Elder in the sect.
Thus, in front of the several Yuan Ying-level elders, Su Che solemnly handed the Immortal Crystal to Xuanji.
As he received the crystal, Xuanji’s hands trembled visibly, and he even said in public, “Disciple, your teacher thanks you.”
These words of thanks made Su Che’s eyes fill with tears.
What kind of status did his master have to thank him, a disciple still in the Qi Cultivation stage, in front of all the patriarchs? It was truly…
“Master, what are you saying…”
Su Che’s voice trembled with genuine emotion.
“It’s only right, only right,” Xuanji chuckled, also filled with heartfelt joy and gratitude.

The several elders also felt deeply moved: a disciple actually bestowed a bright future upon his master… The mystery lay in this—having a good disciple meant gaining great fortune! Even now, Su Che still wasn’t fully clear about what significance a fairy crystal held for cultivators at the Golden Core stage or the Nascent Soul stage. A fairy crystal, or the spiritual stone of the immortal realm, contained an aura of immortality that simply did not exist in the mortal cultivation world. Only by chance would a few such crystals drift from the immortal realm, most of which were collected by the highest leaders of various sects. They would only be taken out at critical moments when breaking through realm barriers to sense the aura of immortality and thus comprehend higher-level power attributes. It could be said that even the four Supreme Elders were extremely covetous of such a fairy crystal. Next, everyone composed themselves, and the sect leader waved his hand and said, “Su Che, keep those two materials for yourself. If you don’t need them, hand them over to the sect to exchange for contribution points, or you can use them for other purposes as well.” “Thank you, Sect Master.” After some thought, Su Che decided to keep the two materials. Although he didn’t yet have the ability to use such ancient top-tier materials to craft artifacts, it would be a shame to exchange them for contribution points. He would keep them for later. “Well, then let’s talk about the rewards you deserve…” The sect leader pondered for a moment before continuing, “Your contributions will definitely be recorded with a large amount. Besides that, Su Che, you can mention any needs you have right now.” Su Che had already made up his mind, but he pretended to think for a while before tentatively saying, “Sect Master, I need a large quantity of pills—preferably those of grade six or higher that aid in cultivation. The more, the better.” “Oh?” The sect leader grew curious and reminded him, “Su Che, don’t underestimate this reward.” What he meant was that the reward was quite substantial. Even if all of it were converted into pills, it would still be too much for one person to consume. Su Che knew the sect leader meant well, but he didn’t realize that his own cultivation method allowed him to ignore the negative effects of pills—he was truly invulnerable! So, Su Che used his family as an excuse, explaining, “My family has been weak and powerless over the years, with all their hopes resting on me, so…”

Only then did the Supreme Patriarch realize that he needed high-grade pills—not for his own use, but for the good of his entire family. So, he discussed the matter with the four Supreme Elders via telepathy, and they settled on a plan. “Fine, let it be pills,” the Supreme Patriarch finally decided. “But I can’t give them all at once. Such a large reward, if given to you in one go, could actually harm you. If word gets out, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep it safe.” “The disciple understands this principle and is willing to follow the arrangements of the Patriarch,” Su Che replied with a bow. From this moment on, Su Che truly realized that Tianxuan Sect, this super sect in the cultivation world, also had a touch of humanity in it.