System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 584: The Ledger of a Titan

The main courtyard of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion’s outpost was completely illuminated by floating spiritual lanterns as a dozen panicked clerks frantically waved their abacuses, their brushes flying across sheets of high-grade parchment. The process of auditing, weighing, and categorizing the massive mountain of resources was an absolute logistical nightmare.

The azure-robed outpost captain and the friendly guard leader stood right beside the grand copper scales, their eyes bulging further with every single calculation. The baseline value of the Spiritual Web Spiders was already infinitely superior to the Mist Monkeys they had processed the previous day; the sheer density of rare alchemical and forging components on these arachnid predators existed on a completely different tier of cultivation economics.

The head clerk, an old man with thick spectacles whose hands were visibly shaking, stepped forward with a golden ledger, coughing slightly to clear his tight throat.

"M-Master Ethan, the final tallies have been compiled and verified through the sect’s spiritual matrix," the old man stammered, his eyes darting toward the massive numbers inked on the paper. "We have categorized the materials strictly by specimen maturity, component rarity, and structural purity. Here is the official breakdown"

"Six pairs of common mandibles and fangs, minimal chipping," the appraiser chanted, a clerk instantly dipping his brush into ink. "At four hundred mid-grade stones per pair, that brings us to 2,400 mid-grade stones."

He moved his hand to a tray of venomous barbs. "Six common venomous stingers, reservoirs completely intact. Three hundred and fifty apiece... 2,100 mid-grade stones."

He leaned over a crate containing smaller, glassy spheres. "Twenty-four pairs of juvenile compound eyes. They still retain their optical focus, perfect for tracking arrays. One hundred and fifty per pair, totaling 3,600 mid-grade stones. And the raw juvenile silver silk? Weigh it! One hundred and twenty kilograms. At eighty stones per kilo, that adds 9,600 mid-grade stones to the pot."

The appraiser walked over to the larger sledges, his eyes lighting up with genuine professional excitement. He struck one of the massive, adult carapaces with his knuckles, listening to the dense, metallic ring. "Now, for the adult veterans. This is where the true quality begins."

"Forty pairs of heavy armored mandibles," the old man called out, his voice rising with enthusiasm. "The chitin is incredibly dense, ideal for high-tier defensive forging. One thousand two hundred mid-grade stones per pair... that is 48,000 mid-grade stones."

He carefully lifted a long, dripping spike. "Forty high-grade venomous stingers. One thousand one hundred stones each, giving us 44,000 mid-grade stones. Next, the eyes. One hundred and sixty pairs of pristine adult compound eyes. Look at the clarity! Four hundred and fifty per pair... 72,000 mid-grade stones."

He ran his gloved hand over a massive, shimmering spool of thread that looked like woven starlight. "And the refined adult silver silk... eight hundred and fifty kilograms! The tensile strength is phenomenal. At two hundred and twenty mid-grade stones per kilogram, we have a staggering 187,000 mid-grade stones."

The courtyard grew completely quiet as the appraiser approached the fifth sledge, where the remains of the queen’s personal guard rested. The air around these pieces was visibly distorted by residual spiritual energy. The old man’s hands trembled slightly as he ran his fingers over the massive, jagged weapons of the elite beasts.

"The Elite Queen’s Guards," the appraiser whispered, his voice carrying a reverent echo. "True treasure tier. Three pairs of titanic alpha mandibles, thick with concentrated aura. Eight thousand five hundred mid-grade stones per pair... 25,500 mid-grade stones."

"Three peak-grade venom stingers, completely unmarred by combat. Seven thousand stones apiece... 21,000 mid-grade stones."

"Twelve pairs of deep-abyssal compound eyes, still burning with residual spiritual energy. Three thousand per pair... 36,000 mid-grade stones. And their high-density elite silver silk? One hundred and eighty kilograms of absolute premium grade. At nine hundred mid-grade stones per kilogram, that adds 162,000 mid-grade stones."

Finally, the old appraiser stepped before the colossal, six-meter-wide body of the decapitated spider matriarch. He stared at the massive, bloated abdomen and the giant severed head, swallowing hard as he looked up at Ethan’s unbothered, calm silhouette.

"And now... the Sovereign Royal Tier. The Tyrant Matriarch herself," the appraiser announced, his voice trembling with a mixture of awe and terror. "One pair of Sovereign Calamity mandibles, completely wrapped in active, unexploded toxin reservoirs. A master alchemist’s dream. 45,000 mid-grade stones."

"One Sovereign stinger, marrow-piercing tier, entirely pristine... 38,000 mid-grade stones."

"Four pairs of true Royal compound eyes, fully retaining their optical spiritual energy. Thirty-two thousand mid-grade stones for the set."

The appraiser reached into the final crate, pulling up a handful of silk so fine it looked like liquid silver running through his fingers. "And the crown jewel. True Royal spider silk. Grandmaster webbing of the highest caliber. Two hundred and twenty kilograms of pure, unadulterated essence. We cannot price this by common standards. The market value is an astronomical five hundred mid-grade stones per single kilogram... bringing the silk alone to 110,000 mid-grade stones."

The old man took a deep, ragged breath. He violently shook his abacus, his fingers executing a final, complex mathematical calculation before he slammed the wooden frame onto the counter, looking at Ethan with eyes full of absolute, profound shock.

"The final audit is complete!" the appraiser shouted, his voice cracking under the sheer weight of the numbers. "Grand Total Compensation: 838,936 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!"

A suffocating, absolute silence descended upon the immediate area. In the brutal economic hierarchy of the northern frontier, mid-grade spirit stones were the exclusive currency of high-ranking sect elders and powerful merchant syndicates. Converting that astronomical sum into the common low-grade currency used by ordinary citizens and slum-dwellers yielded an absolutely staggering figure.

It was nearly 84 million low-grade spirit stones....!!!

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??