The amount of Magical Power is certainly important, but you can’t just look at that one advantage.

This is especially true for Cultivators with a Celestial Spirit Root. It makes no sense for them to ignore other, better legacies. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

So, Liu Feng was puzzled. How could Shao Mingyou wield five Top Grade Magical Artifacts?

This time, it was Zhu Hui’s turn to give a wry smile. "It’s not exactly a secret. For one, with his family background, I heard he took an Inner Core long ago, increasing his total Magical Power by twelve streams."

"Of course, that’s still not enough."

"His main advantage is that the Shao Family’s patriarch passed down their ancestral Top Grade Five Elements Robe to Shao Mingyou ahead of time."

Hearing this, Liu Feng understood.

A nearby Cultivator who had never heard of the Five Elements Robe asked curiously.

Elder Feng explained, "That Magic Robe came from a famous auction many years ago. There were even rumors about it back in our Li State."

"I heard you can embed Spirit Stones into the hem to provide Spiritual Power. The Cultivator only needs to expend three streams of Magical Power to activate the Five Elements Spiritual Light Body Protection."

Xiao Chen found this a bit familiar. ’Isn’t that similar to my handkerchief?’

His could also be activated with just three streams of Magical Power, though he rarely used that function.

’But from the sound of it, something like this is quite rare?’

The other Cultivators were astonished to hear this. A Top Grade Magical Artifact that could be activated with only three streams of Magical Power meant that even Qi Refining Cultivators could use it with ease.

"As expected of a great family. Their foundations truly run deep."

"Whoa, a Top Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact like that? That’s the first I’ve ever heard of one."

"An artifact like that could be a family heirloom. Even if your descendants’ Cultivation is lacking, having an extra Top Grade Magical Artifact for protection would at least let them triumph over other Cultivators of the same level."

As they spoke, someone inquired, "If it came from an auction, it must have a price."

"Elder Feng, do you know how many Spirit Stones this Five Elements Robe is worth?"

Elder Feng extended his thumb and pinky, making a "six" gesture. "It’s been a while. This old man only remembers the rumors saying it cost this much."

’How much?’

Xiao Chen was a little surprised. ’Is it really that expensive?’

Steward Chen, however, nodded. "That’s about what I would have estimated. After all, Defensive Spiritual Artifacts are generally more expensive than Attack Spiritual Artifacts."

"This Magic Robe also has the Five Elements Spiritual Light, which adds at least another twenty thousand Spirit Stones to its value. Furthermore, the Magical Power-saving feature alone is worth another twenty or thirty thousand Spirit Stones."

"Since it went to auction, selling for sixty or seventy thousand Spirit Stones is quite normal."

HISS...!

Xiao Chen thought back. By that logic, his Fringed Tassel Brocade Handkerchief should also be worth around sixty thousand Spirit Stones.

The crowd’s discussion instantly grew more animated.

"If only I could bring a Treasure like that back from this trip to Hezhou."

"In your dreams. I just want to save up for a Top Grade Magical Artifact, even the cheapest one will do. The day I have enough points, I’m heading straight back to Li State."

"My standards are even lower. I’ll be happy if I can just trade for two Foundation Establishment Pills on this trip."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen glanced over. The high-bridged nose Cultivator who claimed he only wanted Foundation Establishment Pills had a glittering jade belt around his waist, with a long whip of the Top Grade Magical Artifact level coiled around it.

’Yeah, right!’

「The first two days passed quietly amidst these varied gatherings.」

People shared strange tales and anecdotes with one another, getting familiar with the other Cultivators in the process.

Xiao Chen followed Steward Chen every day, drinking and discussing the Dao with various Cultivators, enjoying a rare two days of relaxation.

By the third day, they had more or less exhausted all topics of conversation. Some stories had even been told three times over.

The direction of the discussions gradually shifted toward comparing Combat Power.

The most popular topic was: between the Divine Fire Sect’s Four Directions Wanderers and the Ten Heroes of Li State, who was truly stronger?

Some Cultivators even wanted to rank all fourteen of them, which led to two more major, endlessly debated questions.

Namely, who was the strongest among the Ten Heroes of Li State, and who was the strongest among the Four Directions Wanderers?

Who would rank first, and who would be relegated to last place?

This was no small topic. They argued about it for five straight days, yet everyone stuck to their own opinions, and no one could convince anyone else.

What surprised Xiao Chen was that many Cultivators actually thought the Eastern Wanderer was formidable.

"Back then, the Eastern Wanderer was ambushed by five late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators and still managed to escape using the Nine Heavens Blood Transformation Technique. That Escape Technique alone makes him incredibly difficult to deal with."

"Exactly. Magical Combat isn’t about fighting to the death on the spot. The one who survives in the end is the strongest."

"Didn’t they reveal the Soul-breaking Needle before? The Eastern Wanderer is a master of the Blood Dao. I’m sure he has access to such insidious methods."

Every time he heard such comments, Xiao Chen would just smile faintly, offering no opinion.

「On the evening of the eighth day, as they were about to cross the Gobi Desert.」

The Spiritual Boat suddenly came to a halt, descending directly to the ground.

Before the Spiritual Boat could stabilize, a black wind howled past.

It was followed by flying sand and rolling stones, which pattered against the boat’s hull.

Xiao Chen and the others each used their own techniques to protect themselves, then went up to the deck to observe the situation.

Not far away, they saw over a hundred Spirit Birds, shaped like giant eagles with black feathers, circling above the Spiritual Boat.

With every flap of their wings, a black wind would blow, stirring up sand and dust.

This flock of black eagles was no ordinary one. The smaller ones were at the late stage of Qi Refining, the slightly larger ones had Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and the auras of the largest few were in no way inferior to those of Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

If any passing Loose Cultivators happened to encounter them, they would likely end up as food.

However, aboard the Spiritual Boat, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators far surpassed that of the black eagles in the sky.

If a fight were to truly break out, even if the number of black eagles doubled, they would just be serving themselves up on a platter.

Many of the Cultivators were eager for a fight, just waiting for someone to take the lead so they could all charge forward.