"Bai Bai did really well this time, and your reactions were fast. I'm giving you some good rewards," Jian Dan said. She smiled as she rubbed Bai Bai's little ears, feeling the soft fur beneath her fingers. The small mouse chirped happily in response to her touch, and the sight of her pride made everyone else in the room curl their lips in amusement.
Since it was a reward for her quick thinking, she didn't hold back her generosity. She gave her a bottle of Beast Spirit Pills, which could help raise her cultivation level significantly. She was already at the late third rank, so if she worked a bit harder and refined the medicinal energy, she would definitely break into the fourth rank.
She also handed over a small storage pouch filled with various spirit fruits she had collected. As long as they were things she had growing in her space and not too eye-catching for outside observers, she put two of each variety inside for her. She could keep them herself and eat them whenever she wanted, nibbling on them as snacks during her leisure time.
So happy that she flipped a little somersault in the air, Bai Bai quickly stored everything into her own space, her tiny paws moving with joyful efficiency.
Jian Dan then took out another storage pouch and handed it over to Yu Zongfan.
"Zongfan, this contains some refining materials. They're leftovers from my previous projects, but they're more than enough to make Bai Bai a set of personal armor. Put some thought into the design and find a skilled refiner in our sect to forge a custom set for her.
Bai Bai is, after all, a treasure-seeking mouse, so combat strength is her biggest weakness. This time, she caught them off guard and ruined their scheme, but it won't always be like this. You need to watch over her more carefully in the future and ensure her safety."
Yu Zongfan accepted the pouch with both hands and cupped them toward her. "This disciple is ashamed. Master's thinking is far more thorough than my own."
Bai Bai also clasped her little paws together properly and squeaked, thanking her for her care.
"As your Master, it's my duty to point out what you might not think of in time," Jian Dan replied.
After that, she took out a newly made life-saving jade talisman that shimmered with spiritual light. She raised her hand and sent it into Yu Zongfan's dantian with a steady flick of her wrist. The previous jade talisman was taken out of his body and returned to him as well.
"The new jade talisman seals late Mahayana divine sense and three powerful sword strikes. Keep the old one as a backup for emergencies."
"Yes."
Another storage ring flew over toward him next, and the contents inside were the same as what Jian Feng had received earlier.
"These are items I brought back from exploring the spatial rift. You senior and junior siblings each get one set. Use them well to increase your strength."
After receiving the gift, the young man immediately bowed respectfully to her.
"Thank you, Master. This disciple humbly asks Master to bestow a Dao name."
She laughed as soon as she heard that request. So this was the honor he had been waiting for all this time.
"You have an earth spirit root, so I bestow you the Dao name Jian Chong. May you be like towering mountains, steadfast and unmoved through countless turns of the world."
Yu Zongfan immediately bent his waist and accepted the name. A trace of joy appeared on his handsome face, and he was clearly pleased with the Dao name she had given.
At that moment, the communication talisman in Jian Chong's storage pouch trembled with a low hum. He quickly took it out and checked the message. It was from Xue Ru, saying that she had also encountered an attack from members of the same team on the road back. With Jade's help, she had already killed the attackers and was now on her way back to the sect safely.
Hearing this, she raised an eyebrow slightly. Knowing the girl hadn't suffered any losses or injuries, she didn't ask further. Once they met in person, everything would be clear.
"Your Senior Brother has already chosen his own peak and opened a cave abode. You're also at the Nascent Soul stage now, and I have given you a Dao name. Jian Chong, you should go choose a peak as well. As for whether you take disciples, that is up to you."
Jian Dan had always treated her disciples equally, so she followed the same process she had used with Jian Feng.
Jian Chong understood his Master's temperament and had already heard from his Senior Brother about opening a separate abode, so he wasn't surprised by the suggestion. He bowed and said,
"Master, I would still like to receive your guidance for a few more days. For now, I don't plan to take disciples. Maybe after the insect race war ends, I will consider it."
"Good. As long as you have thought it through, I won't interfere with your choice."
She then tossed over another storage pouch. With a quick glance, he saw that it was filled with various items for setting up a cave abode. Every piece was refined and dignified, made of quality materials and very suitable for male cultivators.
"You male cultivators set up cave abodes more simply than the ascetic monks of the Buddhist sect. It's like I have been mistreating you, even though I give you plenty of things usually."
She took a sip of fragrant tea after speaking for so long and joked lightly with them.
"Hehe, Master is laughing at us," he replied with a laugh.
Jian Feng, standing to the side, also smiled awkwardly, knowing she was talking about his simple living quarters too.
After that, the two senior and junior brothers withdrew together to look for Steward Lü Se, preparing to arrange the new cave abode for Jian Chong as well. Since their Master had returned, they definitely wouldn't be going out recently. After such dangerous schemes, the sect wouldn't allow them to take risks again either.
Since she had promised Jia Zhēnzūn to replant Yushu's spirit root, she naturally had to make extensive preparations for the delicate process.
After returning to her cultivation room and setting up protective restrictions, she finally used her divine sense to search the first floor of the bamboo building in her space. On a shelf filled with various treasures, she found a wooden box. Inside was a Chaos Pearl that Jade had exchanged for while training in Buddhist lands, in a town beneath Wind and Cloud Ridge.
With the outer shell removed, the Chaos Pearl now emitted a faint chaos aura that swirled around it like mist. Five colored halos of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth flashed across the bead in turn, representing the five elements.
"I don't know if it's your luck or Jade's luck, but even something this rare ended up in your hands."
Liu Chuan sensed a chaos aura different from hers. With a brief probe of his perception, he discovered that his partner was playing with a Chaos Pearl about the size of a red date.
"Jade is my contracted spirit beast and personally trained by me. She has her Master in her heart, so rounding it up, it's naturally my good luck," she said it without the slightest hint of modesty.
"As long as you're happy," he replied.
Liu Chuan couldn't be bothered to argue with her and asked instead,
"You're planning to plant the Chaos Pearl and let it form a spirit root. How confident are you in this endeavor?"
"That is my plan. Since I have already agreed, I will follow through. Besides, I'm a Chaos Spirit Root myself, with all five elements complete. With me nourishing it, there shouldn't be a problem."
As she spoke, Jian Dan first injected a strand of chaos energy into the Chaos Pearl to awaken its vitality. Then she spent the entire night nurturing it, making the chaos energy within the pearl grow increasingly full.
===
剑崇 (Jiàn Chóng)
崇 means lofty, towering, reverent, or to uphold something as supreme. It is often used for mountains, ideals, or principles that stand high and unshaken.
剑崇 conveys the idea of one who holds the sword as something elevated and steadfast, someone whose cultivation is like a towering mountain that does not bend despite countless turns.
This aligns with Jian Dan's explanation, likening him to massive peaks that remain unmoved through twists and trials, and it also matches a soil spirit root's symbolism of stability, endurance, and accumulation rather than sudden change.