Starting Cultivation During a Trip
Chapter 478 - 240: Pure Yang Treasure! Sitting and Forgetting the Void
Because of this, Zhang Fan concluded that although this black iron plate didn’t have much use, it was probably a fragment stripped from some magical treasure.
"You really managed to dig up a goodie. That 150 yuan was well spent." Fang Changle clicked his tongue in amazement.
"But it’s already broken into pieces like this, so it’s useless now—just keep it as a collectible."
No matter how precious a treasure is, once it’s this ruined, it’s only worth collecting for its value as a relic.
Of course, even collectible value varies.
"In my opinion, this just might be a fragment from a Cyan Feather Treasure." Fang Changle speculated.
"Cyan Feather Treasure!?"
Zhang Fan was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he’d ever heard such a term.
"You don’t know?"
Fang Changle scrutinized Zhang Fan doubtfully, giving him a weird look.
"Aren’t you a disciple of Zhenwu Mountain? Already at the Mahayana Realm, and you don’t know what a Cyan Feather Treasure is?"
"Uh..." Zhang Fan curled his lips, momentarily at a loss for words.
Honestly, counting from his Primordial Spirit Awakening at Zhenwu Mountain to now, he had cultivated for not even a full year yet.
"I focus on cultivation, I don’t really know much about these things." Zhang Fan said quietly.
"Impressive. Don’t rely on material things, huh."
Fang Changle rolled his eyes at him, then said, "Daoist Sect magical treasures aren’t like in TV shows and novels, where you gather Treasures of Heaven and Earth, enter seclusion, and just forge one out."
The real magical treasures are painstakingly refined by generations of a Dharma lineage, worshipped with incense, and ritually cultivated with magic before gradually developing power.
Generally speaking, anything refined within less than a hundred years is just called a magical artifact.
Only those offered and ritual-cultivated for over a hundred years can be called magical treasures.
"In the mountains, Feathered Mages refine exotic treasures—in the passing years, spirit treasures are made..." Fang Changle intoned slowly.
"White Crane Temple once classified the Daoist magical treasures of the world by feather color and age..."
"Magical treasures over a hundred years and less than three hundred are Yellow Feather Treasures—yellow signifying Later Earth." Fang Changle said solemnly.
Among worldlier cultivation clans, having one or two decent Yellow Feather Treasures is already extremely impressive.
Take the Shen Family that once specialized in refining talismans; they couldn’t even come up with a single Yellow Feather Treasure.
The Xiong Family of Yin Mountain had two Yellow Feather Treasures, but Xiong Sanqi took them both and sold them off years ago.
"Those between three hundred and eight hundred years are Cyan Feather Treasures—cyan for the azure sky."
At this point, Fang Changle paused slightly, glancing at the black iron plate in Zhang Fan’s hand.
"By the time a magical treasure reaches this age, it’s a rare wonder even among all the Daoist Sects—generally, none would be allowed to leave the mountain gate."
Cyan Feather Treasures start at three hundred years and top out at eight hundred; apart from the Ten Great Daoist Sects, many sects don’t even have that long a history, let alone have worshiped a treasure for generations.
"What about Purple Feather Treasures?" Zhang Fa pressed further.
"Purple Feather Treasures are those magical treasures over eight hundred years, with purple representing Purple Qi." Fang Changle replied gravely.
In ancient times, vermillion and purple were honored above all; Daoist Sects especially revered Purple Qi. When Laozi went west through Hangu Pass, it was said that Purple Qi came from the east.
"Such treasures are registered at the Daoist Alliance Headquarters. You can count their number." Fang Changle whispered.
Purple Feather Treasures represent the very foundation, history, and lineage of a Dharma sect.
At this level, magical treasures are not only recorded at the Daoist Alliance, but are also allocated annual special maintenance stipends.
"Magical treasures get stipends?" Zhang Fan asked with a strange expression.
"What do you think? These treasures all have special status. Each one is worshipped like an ancestor by its sect..." Fang Changle shot him a glance.
Maintenance stipends for treasures of this level start at seven figures every year—the perks are obvious.
"I’m not even as good as a magical treasure." Zhang Fan curled his lip.
The biggest windfall of his life was when he... extorted—er, claimed compensation from Black Rat for eight hundred thousand; plus his own savings, he had just over nine hundred thousand. Later, buying the Fire Character Sticker and Centenarian Ginseng King took more than three hundred thousand.
Now, the balance left in Zhang Fan’s account was fifty-eight thousand, which wasn’t enough to cover six months of maintenance for a Purple Feather Treasure.
"Of course you’re not as good as a magical treasure." Fang Changle couldn’t help but say.
The status of a Purple Feather Treasure at Maoshan was absolutely that of an ancestor. On ordinary days, he couldn’t even get a glimpse of one.
"So is the Purple Feather Treasure the most powerful kind?" Zhang Fan asked again.
"Of course not." Fang Changle’s gaze sharpened. He spoke with emphasis.
"Whether yellow feather, cyan feather, or purple feather, they’re all collectively called Feather Stream Treasures. Anything under a hundred years is just a magical artifact; over a hundred, it becomes a Feather Treasure."
In the mountains, Feathered Mages refine exotic treasures—in the passing years, spirit treasures are made.
Feather Stream Treasures, enriched and tempered by the years, always have the chance to advance, step by step.
However, above the Feather Stream Treasures, even time itself can’t forge that kind of creation.
"Those are Pure Yang Treasures!" Fang Changle declared in a low tone.
"Pure Yang Treasures!" Zhang Fan’s heart stirred, as if he’d guessed something.
"Those are the Supreme Treasures refined by those who’ve entered the Pure Yang Wuji Realm. Each one wields earth-shattering might, enshrined by the great sects for generations, only emerging in times of tribulation."
There was a trace of longing in Fang Changle’s eyes. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
As one of the Ten Great Daoist Sects, Maoshan naturally also enshrined a Pure Yang Treasure.
But for treasures at that level, only the sect leaders of generations are ever privileged to see them—other disciples have no chance whatsoever.
"Even reaching the Realm of Pure Yang Wuji, you still need time, fate, and good fortune to forge a Pure Yang Treasure." Fang Changle said with emotion.
That is the real heritage of a sect, the true foundation of a mountain’s lineage.
"So there’s all this to it." Zhang Fan finally showed an expression of realization.