Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Choosing a Spiritual Artifact

Transmission Hall.

"Senior Brother Pei, I’ve come to freeload... I’ve racked up a mountain of debt for my Foundation Establishment. There’s no way I can afford a Spiritual Artifact on my own in the next few years."

Bai Zichen said with a cheeky grin, putting on the airs of a junior.

In terms of age, Pei Dongyong was more than old enough to be his great-grandfather.

"You rascal... Inspired by you, another three people have gone into seclusion to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. I wonder how many will succeed."

With a wave of his sleeve, Pei Dongyong placed three Spiritual Artifacts, each with a unique glow, on the table.

"I had these ready for you long ago. These three Low-Grade Spiritual Artifacts should all be suitable for you. Pick one..."

"The Broken Jade Celestial Sound Drum. I used this Spiritual Artifact for a long time back in my Early-Stage Foundation Establishment... It has a special percussion technique that uses the drum’s sound to bewilder the mind."

Pei Dongyong caressed a small wooden drum inlaid with dozens of sparkling jade fragments, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

"Sound Element Magic is impossible to guard against; most defensive measures are useless against it. In Combat, this Spiritual Artifact is a first-rate weapon."

"A fine Treasure."

Bai Zichen nodded in agreement. This was evident from the Cultivation Techniques collected in the Transmission Hall.

The Qingfeng Sect only had a paltry two or three of these obscure Sound Element Cultivation Techniques, and all of them had limited potential.

However, the choice of a Spiritual Artifact also needed to complement his own Cultivation Technique, combat style, and other Treasures.

Bai Zichen’s gaze turned to the next Spiritual Artifact.

"The Eight Directions Profound Spirit Banner. Once deployed, it protects you with eight different layers of Spirit Light... Its advantage is that it’s extremely difficult to counter. No matter the attack, one of the Spirit Lights is bound to be effective."

This Banner Flag was as light as a spiritual breeze. It lay there with a clear light flowing around it, looking as if it might float into the air at any moment.

"As a newly promoted Foundation Establishment Cultivator, your refined Liquid Magical Power is limited, and you can easily be at a disadvantage in Combat... A Defensive Magical Artifact will give you at least one more way to save your life."

Pei Dongyong’s meaning was direct: as a newcomer, even with an offensive Spiritual Artifact, he wouldn’t be a match for those veteran Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

It was better to choose a Defense Spiritual Artifact, which would provide a more significant boost to his capabilities.

"The Colorful Cloud Robe. It was seized from the Fire Phoenix Mo Family’s treasury, and I only got my hands on it a few days ago. It was my reward for helping to exterminate the Mo Family."

Pei Dongyong pointed to the last Spiritual Artifact: a mass of swirling white cloud that contained colorful stripes.

As if sensing Bai Zichen’s thoughts, he added another sentence.

"I know you practice Swordsmanship and rely heavily on your Flying Sword. You’ll definitely do your best to acquire a Tier Two Flying Sword in the future, but you must not treat a Flying Sword as a simple tool for travel."

"Back in the Qi Refining Stage, you didn’t feel it as keenly, but a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s horizons can’t be limited to a single commandery or province... When you start traveling far and wide, making journeys of tens of thousands of miles, you’ll understand just how important a Flying Spiritual Artifact is."

Bai Zichen grew pensive. ’It’s true. When I first saw the Colorful Cloud Robe, I subconsciously ruled it out.’

’With my Flying Sword, I can perform Sword Flight and soar through the Cyan Nether.’

’What could be more exhilarating? Why would I even consider an ordinary Flying Spiritual Artifact?’

’Besides, after Foundation Establishment, my Magical Power has undergone a qualitative change. My Sword Light is so condensed I can even bring one or two people along with me.’

’Of course, anyone being carried by the Sword Light shouldn’t expect a comfortable ride.’

But Senior Brother Pei’s reminder brought Bai Zichen to his senses. A Flying Sword was indeed unsuitable for long-distance travel.

Before Foundation Establishment, his travels had been confined to the Black Mountain region, where a few hundred miles was considered an extreme distance.

But the Cultivation Realm was vast. The Liang Country alone had five provinces and Seventy-Two Commanderies, spanning well over hundreds of thousands of miles.

And that was to say nothing of the boundless lands outside the Liang Country, which contained at least ten or twenty other nations of similar size.

Then there were perilous domains like the Bitter Cold and Desolate Land and the Qingqiu Death Sea, each as vast as several countries combined.

Thinking about the grueling experience of using Sword Flight for tens of thousands of miles on his future travels, Bai Zichen suddenly felt that Senior Brother Pei’s words were very reasonable. They were truly the words of a seasoned elder.

Because of its nature, Sword Flight consumed a great deal of Magical Power, making it more suitable for short sprints and urgent journeys.

Flying Spiritual Artifacts are refined with a singular purpose in mind: flight. They are superior to Flying Swords in both comfort and Magical Power efficiency.

After all, a Flying Sword is fundamentally a deadly weapon, born for Combat.

The Colorful Cloud Robe, for instance, even had an internal core with a slot for embedding Spirit Stones.

With enough Spirit Stones, the Colorful Cloud Robe could fly without consuming a single drop of the user’s Magical Power.

"Of these three Spiritual Artifacts, just pick the one you find most suitable."

After speaking, Pei Dongyong took a hands-off approach and offered no further opinions.

Bai Zichen’s gaze drifted back and forth between the three Spiritual Artifacts. He fell silent, not making an immediate decision.

He could see that Pei Dongyong hadn’t just casually picked three Spiritual Artifacts to fulfill a promise made in jest.

Each artifact had been thoughtfully selected with Bai Zichen’s situation in mind, ensuring he wouldn’t be left with a gift he couldn’t use.

’The Broken Jade Celestial Sound Drum’s attack is unpredictable, and cultivators who encounter it for the first time are easily caught off guard... But against someone who has a countermeasure, or a Cultivator with a strong Divine Sense like me, its effects would be limited.’

Bai Zichen tapped his thigh, privately analyzing the pros and cons of the three Spiritual Artifacts—or rather, how well they suited him.

’And my own combat strength and future path will definitely be centered around being a Sword Cultivator. A Sound Element Spiritual Artifact feels a bit out of place.’

’The Eight Directions Profound Spirit Banner is good, but I already have the All Living Beings Bell, and the Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella’s defensive power isn’t much weaker than an average Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact... Adding one more probably won’t make a huge difference.’

Bai Zichen’s gaze fell upon the Colorful Cloud Robe, and he hesitated.

’Could it be that the most suitable one for me is actually the Colorful Cloud Robe... the one I dismissed at first glance?’

Seeing Bai Zichen’s continued hesitation, Pei Dongyong spoke up. "Just follow your heart. With your talent, do you really think you’ll be stuck in the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment for decades like an ordinary person?"

"Senior Brother Pei, I choose the Colorful Cloud Robe."

No longer hesitating, Bai Zichen chose the Low-Grade Flying Spiritual Artifact.

"The instructions are in this Jade Scroll. Take it back and study it at your leisure."

Pei Dongyong’s expression remained unchanged as he tossed the swirling white cloud and the Jade Scroll over to him.

"Thank you for the gift, Senior Brother Pei."

Bai Zichen put away the Spiritual Artifact, stood up to give a bow, and then sat down again.

"Junior Brother Bai, what are your plans now?"

Pei Dongyong leaned back in the large mahogany chair, which made his frame seem even smaller.

"Newly promoted Elders get ten years of leisure time, but with the reclamation war approaching, it’s best you don’t travel too far."

"So let’s forget about a long journey for now. You can visit a few of the commanderies under the Righteous Dao Alliance’s jurisdiction. If you really want to get out and see the world, I suggest you take a trip to Zengguang Immortal City in the future."

"Zengguang Immortal City?"

This wasn’t the first time Bai Zichen had heard the name. He had seen it mentioned by his predecessors in various records.

"A true Immortal City. Only by going there can you understand what the real Cultivation Realm is like..."

A look of yearning appeared in Pei Dongyong’s eyes, and his voice was thick with admiration.

"It’s an Immortal City built on a Tier Four Spirit Vein, three thousand miles south of the Liang Country, at the intersection of four nations!"

"The City of Ten Thousand Immortals... No, there are far more than ten thousand Cultivators there. Even the Holy Lotus Sect’s Wanlian Square isn’t one-ten-thousandth as prosperous as Zengguang Immortal City."

"Any Treasure you can imagine—or can’t imagine—can be found in Zengguang Immortal City!"

"Such a treasure trove... which Sect founded it?"

Bai Zichen added Zengguang Immortal City to his list of future destinations, but since the journey was so long, it would be best to advance his Cultivation first.

He would wait until he at least had enough power to protect himself during the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"It wasn’t founded or managed by a single Sect... When you go there in the future, you’ll understand."

"It sounds magnificent. I must go someday."

Thinking of another pressing matter, Bai Zichen quickly asked.

"However, I still need to choose a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique and re-refine my Magical Power... so I don’t think I’ll be traveling anytime soon."

"Senior Brother Pei, you’re very knowledgeable. Could you recommend a couple of suitable ones?"

"You were practicing a basic Qi Refining Technique before? Every Cultivation Technique on the second and third floors of the Transmission Hall has its merits."

Pei Dongyong’s eyes lit up, his desire to play the role of a teacher taking over.

"Let me see... with your Spiritual Root, why not just choose the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture..."

To practice the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture, a Cultivator needed a Fire Spiritual Root. The Cultivation speed was astonishingly fast—thirty percent faster than other techniques of the same level—but Breaking Realm was difficult.

Another drawback was that it produced Fire Poison during Cultivation, which would accumulate in one’s body.

Over time, this could clog the meridians and even affect one’s temperament.

One had to constantly consume Tier Two Heart Purifying Fire Removing Elixirs throughout the Cultivation process.

"This Cultivation Technique has nine layers. At the fourth layer, you can transform into a Fire Flood Dragon and consume Spirit Fire. At Perfection, you can transform into a Fire Dragon and produce Pure Yang True Fire to incinerate all things."

"However, no one in our Sect has ever cultivated this technique to the Perfect Realm... so we have never had the chance to witness the might of the Fire Dragon."

The Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture led directly to the Nascent Soul Realm, meaning only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could transform into a Fire Dragon.

"Or there’s the Thick Earth Five Virtues Skill. It’s suitable for Cultivators with an Earth Spiritual Root. Cultivation is slower, but your Magical Power will be far more profound than that of your peers."

"It also comes with its own method for refining a Lifebound Magical Treasure. If you practice this technique, once you reach Core Formation and find a suitable Magical Treasure, you can nurture it in your Dantian with the Five Virtues Qi. You’ll be able to refine it into a Lifebound Magical Treasure in one-fifth of the time it takes other Core Formation True Men!"

"Unfortunately, the Transmission Hall only has the upper and middle volumes; the lower volume is missing... so you can only cultivate up to the Late-Stage Core Formation with it."

The two Cultivation Techniques Pei Dongyong mentioned were the most powerful and difficult to practice in the entire Qingfeng Sect.

He wouldn’t normally recommend them to a newly promoted Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

But when it came to Bai Zichen, the Sect’s upper echelons had reached a consensus: the boy must possess some kind of Spirit Body and have extremely high Comprehension to have achieved such a Cultivation speed.

Therefore, the Sect’s leadership considered his aptitude to be second only to a Celestial Spiritual Root, a monstrous talent on par with an Abnormal Spiritual Root.

’They’re both amazing Cultivation Techniques...’

Just hearing the descriptions made Bai Zichen’s heart pound with excitement.

These two Cultivation Techniques were far more powerful than any he had previously known.

Fortunately, he hadn’t switched Cultivation Techniques back in the Qi Refining Stage, so re-refining his Magical Power now would be a simple matter.

Otherwise, those techniques that only went up to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment would seem inadequate by his current standards, and he would once again be faced with the dilemma of whether to switch techniques and re-refine his Magical Power.

"Senior Brother Pei, I saw an annotated edition of the Daoist Classic Cantongqi by True Monarch Shangyang in the Transmission Hall. It said this is the Fundamental Great Method of the Qingfeng Sect, passed down by True Monarch Shao Yang... Why didn’t you recommend it?"

Bai Zichen suddenly recalled another Cultivation Technique on the second floor of the Transmission Hall that seemed to have a very grand origin.

"To be honest, you don’t need to pay too much mind to the Daoist Classic Cantongqi..."

Pei Dongyong was taken aback and said with some embarrassment.

"As far as I know, aside from Ancestor Ge, no one in the entire Sect has ever truly mastered the Daoist Classic Cantongqi. Everyone just treats it as an Auxiliary Cultivation Technique for reference. They basically all get stuck on the first layer."

"But since Ancestor Shao Yang personally dictated this Cultivation Technique and called it the Fundamental Great Method, it holds a revered status."

"The Sect has a rule that any Cultivator with a Foundation Establishment Cultivation can obtain the Daoist Classic Cantongqi without any contribution. If you’re interested, Junior Brother Bai, you can go to the second floor of the Transmission Hall and read the first volume yourself."

"Even Ancestor Yangg couldn’t master the Daoist Classic Cantongqi?"

Seeing Pei Dongyong’s silent nod, Bai Zichen was stunned. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of curiosity.