Jiang Zuo tidied up the room. He hadn’t been gone long, but if he didn’t teach this duck how to behave like a proper pet, it would tear the house down one day.

Looking at the shattered Vase, Jiang Zuo sighed helplessly. This was one of a pair Su Qi had bought on a whim.

He had even threatened to smash it back then. Well, now one had been smashed for him.

Then his gaze fell upon the remaining Vase. ’Maybe I should smash that one, too?’

’And just blame it on Sweet Potato?’

’Smashing it should feel pretty satisfying, right?’

Jiang Zuo thought the idea made a lot of sense. He could just have Sweet Potato atone with its life afterward.

Of course, Jiang Zuo would be able to detect any outsiders if they approached.

After some thought, Jiang Zuo continued cleaning. Once the room was spotless, he returned to the bedroom to inspect his spoils.

As for Sweet Potato, he had already forgotten all about it.

On this trip to the palace, Jiang Zuo had lost King Qin Wu’s Spiritual Position—the Spiritual Talisman that granted entry to the Ancient Battlefield—but he didn’t consider it a loss.

He had only obtained two items inside: a Hairband and the Battle Spirit Stele.

Jiang Zuo already knew the Hairband’s function. What he was concerned about was whether it was a single-use item or a rechargeable one.

Many Magical Treasures needed to be refined before their specific functions could be known. However, Life-Protecting Treasures generally didn’t require refining; their purpose was simply to protect one’s life.

Besides, most of them were single-use.

Refining a Magical Treasure required Tier Two strength, which Jiang Zuo lacked. However, he possessed the Innate Two Qi. While he couldn’t refine the item, it was no problem for him to understand its function.

He could use the Innate Two Qi to probe its structure, then draw upon his vast knowledge to simulate its effects.

With that thought, Jiang Zuo took out the Hairband and channeled his Innate Two Qi into it.

To Jiang Zuo’s surprise, however, the Hairband was extraordinarily complex—far more so than any ordinary Life-Protecting Treasure.

A long while later, Jiang Zuo withdrew his Innate Two Qi. ’Impressive. This forging technique is simply miraculous.’

Jiang Zuo had studied forging and knew it like the back of his hand, but the Hairband’s construction was far beyond his fundamental understanding.

It didn’t conform to any known forging process.

It was a forging method that spun dross into gold. No wonder it looked like an ordinary hairband.

Jiang Zuo had also confirmed that it was a rechargeable item, but the method for replenishing its energy remained a mystery.

There were no instructions on how to do so within the item itself, and it would take time to figure it out.

However, Jiang Zuo didn’t dwell on it. Recharging could wait. There was no point in researching it now.

After putting the Hairband away, Jiang Zuo took out the Battle Spirit Stele.

Theoretically, the Battle Spirit Stele should be a remarkable item. But the previous Battle Tomb Stele had been merely symbolic, so Jiang Zuo suspected this Battle Spirit Stele might be the same.

He then began to probe the Battle Spirit Stele with his Innate Two Qi.

In a mere moment, Jiang Zuo was stunned. Its construction was similar to the Hairband’s, but on an entirely different scale.

If the Hairband’s complexity was a vast ocean, then the Battle Spirit Stele’s was the boundless cosmos.

Something like this couldn’t have been forged by any ordinary person. Even at his peak, it would have taken him endless eons to replicate it.

Of course, Jiang Zuo was only talking about replicating it. He could create something better in less time, but his forging methods would be completely different.

’Each has its own merits, I suppose.’

He wouldn’t deny the prowess of ancient techniques, but he wouldn’t belittle the forging capabilities of the current era, either.

Inside the Battle Spirit Stele, Jiang Zuo discovered many things, most notably the method to activate it and its initial functions.

Jiang Zuo then stopped his probing. At his current level of strength, it was better to wait and refine it properly later than to continue probing it now.

Coming to his senses, Jiang Zuo held the Battle Spirit Stele and began to carve special Runes on its surface.

These were Runes from the Ancient Battlefield, which actually formed a sentence.

The inscription read: "Pouring the entire race’s power into forging the Human Race Sacred Artifact, the Battle Spirit Stele."

After he carved the Runes, the Battle Spirit Stele floated into the air and began to orbit and rotate around him.

Jiang Zuo then sensed that he could now use the Battle Spirit Stele.

In its current state, the Battle Spirit Stele had two functions for him. The first was amplification—in simple terms, it provided a minor boost to his power.

Such a minor boost was of little significance to Jiang Zuo.

The second function was Zhenling.

Basic Zhenling could disrupt the Cultivation of those at Tier Three and below.

It caused a brief period of instability in one’s Spiritual Qi. The duration was short, but it was enough to decide the outcome of a battle.

In other words, by combining the Battle Spirit Stele, the Innate Two Qi, and Cold Moon, Jiang Zuo might even be able to take down a Tier Three opponent.

But as for its effectiveness in actual combat, Jiang Zuo had yet to test it.

He had initially thought he could eliminate Steward Liu with ease, but he had been wrong. If not for Steward Liu’s poor mental fortitude, Jiang Zuo would not have won so easily.

Jiang Zuo, however, never worried about defeat. If he wanted to escape, what could a mere Tier Two do to catch him?

Jiang Zuo then put the Battle Spirit Stele away. For him, the trip to King Qin Wu’s palace had been a great success.

Although he found no Spirit Medicine, the two Magical Treasures were genuinely formidable.

Moreover, he had unexpectedly discovered that Su Qi was a Holy Land Disciple.

This had truly thrown his thoughts into disarray.

’Good thing I didn’t go ahead and kill those people from the Holy Land. If I had and was discovered one day, things would have gotten complicated.’

By the time Jiang Zuo finished with everything, a good deal of time had passed. He hesitated, wondering if he should call Su Qi now.

But while he was still hesitating, his phone began to ring.

It was a call from Su Qi.

Jiang Zuo was a little surprised. He answered the call, and Su Qi’s pitiful voice came through immediately, "I’m stranded on the road. I don’t have any money for a taxi home." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Several dark lines instantly creased Jiang Zuo’s brow. ’What kind of plot twist is this?’

’Shouldn’t many people from her sect be injured, or even dead? Instead of being busy with that, how did she end up on the side of a major road?’

’With no money for a taxi, no less?’

’What is a great and powerful Cultivator like her even doing?’

"Don’t you still have your phone? You don’t have any money on it either?"

"I do, but today’s been super unlucky. First I get kicked out, then I lose my wallet, and now my phone is about to die. Oh, right, I was about to say, it’s shutting down right now, I’m at—"

And then, there was nothing.

Jiang Zuo looked at his phone. The call had been disconnected.

When he tried to call back, her phone was already off.

Jiang Zuo: "..."

With a sigh, Jiang Zuo gathered his things, grabbed his coins, and headed out.

He could only hope she wouldn’t wander off. Finding her would be a huge pain otherwise.

He hailed a taxi and got into the back seat. "Just drive straight," he said.

The cabbie was taken aback but started driving forward anyway. "Where to, buddy?" he asked.

Jiang Zuo fiddled with a coin. "Just drive. I’ll give you directions."

"..."

The taxi driver was exasperated by such a strange passenger, but he had to admit, the guy’s skill with the coin was impressive.

Before the driver could admire it for much longer, he heard his passenger’s calm voice. "Please watch the road while you drive."