Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 506 - 501: The Nature of the Wolf and the White Mouse, Crisis and Resources_1

Chapter 506: Chapter 501: The Nature of the Wolf and the White Mouse, Crisis and Resources_1

"Sect Master Cloud Tiger, I am an Artifact Refiner. Do I also have to participate in the competition?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The speaker was indeed an Artifact Refiner. Those who entered the Source Treasure Cave Heaven Secret Realm were all Lingbao Sect’s Fire Seeds, the hope for the future, and it was impossible to do without Artifact Refiners. This time, a total of ten Spirit-level Refiners had come, each very young and outstanding among their peers. Resources also had to be fought for with martial might, competing for them through magic duels, which was somewhat unfair to Spirit-level Refiners. Artifact Refiners devoted their energy to Artifact Refining and were not skilled at magic duels, always ending up at the bottom when they participated. No one was willing to accept a reduction in resources and then have to compete in magic duels with fellow sect members.

Sect Master Cloud Tiger, with a smile, explained, "The Lingbao Sect is an Artifact Refining sect, and Spirit-level Refiners have privileges. They can obtain dual cultivation resources for both combat and Artifact Refining."

Dual resources? The Artifact Refiners fell silent; the dual resources were far better than what ordinary Artifact Refiners received. Even if they gave up the magic duels, they wouldn’t lose much. The Lingbao Sect Cultivators did not object; after all, Spirit-level Refiners had always been held in high esteem within the Sect and enjoyed their privileges. They would be staying in the Source Treasure Cave Heaven for a long time, and no one would provoke an Artifact Refiner. Moreover, since Spirit-level Refiners were not skilled in combat, they wouldn’t gain many resources from it anyway.

"Artifact Refiners have their own sequence; the higher the level at which one can refine Spiritual Treasures, the more resources one can obtain," Sect Master Cloud Tiger continued. "The Sect will not let you suffer losses. Each time you refine a Spiritual Treasure for the Sect, you will receive an additional reward of cultivation resources. The Artifact Refining competition lasts longer than the magic duels. After the magic duels conclude, the Artifact Refiners’ competition will follow. Magic duels are held every three years. During this period, you are free to challenge the sequence, but it must be reported to the Sect first and adjudicated by Sect Disciples. Artifact Refining competitions are held once every hundred years. During this period, you can challenge the Refining sequence, and it also needs to be reported to the Sect. Those who do not participate in the assessments are considered to have forfeited their corresponding cultivation resources."

The Second Spirit Treasure Sect stimulated Cultivators with rankings and resources, striving to enhance their strength as much as possible. This place was unlike the previous Lingbao Sect, which had been stable and harmonious; here, competition was everywhere.

Jia Ren faced the gazes from the Second Spirit Treasure Sect Cultivators. Their eyes were not as gentle as those of ordinary Lingbao Sect Cultivators, holding an undisguised aggressiveness. They gave off a wolfish aura.

After explaining the Sect rules, Sect Master Cloud Tiger said, "Duels among fellow disciples are not enough. The Main Sect will send a group of Demon Cultivators into the Source Treasure Cave Heaven every year to serve as your trial subjects..."

Are they trying to train us to death?

The disparity between the Sect’s Fire Seeds and ordinary Lingbao Sect disciples was huge. This was an attempt to nurture them into top Cultivators, capable of shouldering the responsibility of rebuilding the Lingbao Sect after its destruction. The trial involving Demon Cultivators was a world away from the safety they had anticipated.

The Artifact Refiners turned somewhat pale upon hearing this. However, when they heard Sect Master Cloud Tiger’s next words, they finally looked relieved. "Spirit-level Refiners do not need to participate in this trial."

The dual rewards hadn’t caused much change in expression among the Lingbao Sect Cultivators, as the Artifact Refiners wouldn’t have significantly more cultivation resources than them. But the fact that Artifact Refiners didn’t have to participate in the trials against Demon Cultivators unsettled the others, and their faces showed envy and jealousy.

Is it still possible to become a Spirit-level Refiner now?

Jia Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought that upon entering the Source Treasure Secret Realm, he would have to cultivate both combat techniques and Artifact Refining, constantly experiencing battle. It would have been even more dangerous than staying in the Lingbao Secret Realm. Thankfully, that fate was only for others; for Spirit-level Refiners, things remained the same.

"The Source Treasure Cave Heaven is vast, and all domains within it belong to the Lingbao Sect," Sect Master Cloud Tiger elaborated. "You can choose to stay within the Sect Array, or you can carve out a Cave in the outside world. Any cultivation resources you discover will belong to you."

Many eyes brightened at this, and people began entertaining the idea of venturing outside to establish their own Caves. Having spent a long time in the mild environment of the Lingbao Sect, they naturally resisted combat and competition, not wanting to be restrained. If they couldn’t obtain resources from the Lingbao Sect itself, they could still find cultivation resources within the Source Treasure Cave Heaven. The Source Treasure Cave Heaven was unlike ordinary Secret Realms; it was a Cave Heaven-level Secret Realm, where finding Spiritual Materials, even Heavenly Spirit Materials, would not be an issue.

"A reminder: the Source Treasure Cave Heaven is not like the Mysterious Realm. The Sect has retained its primordial state, without a massive culling of powerful Magical Beasts. Although there are no Eighth-order Demon Beasts, if you’re lucky, you might encounter a few Seventh-order Demon Beasts."

Seventh-order Demon Beasts? Those who had just been thinking of leaving the Sect immediately extinguished the idea. Of course, this included Jia Ren. Seventh-order Demon Beasts were comparable to Body Integration Realm Cultivators—not beings he could afford to provoke.

Upon hearing of Seventh-order Demon Beasts, Jia Ren’s eyes flickered with a hint of excitement. Perhaps the Divine Beast Legion plan can be realized in the Source Treasure Cave Heaven.

The Second Spirit Treasure Sect had at least two Body Integration Realm Cultivators, along with the Sect Protection Array; only then could this place be considered relatively safe. Intentionally preserving the primordial state of the Source Treasure Cave Heaven also served as a trial for the Lingbao Sect Cultivators. Unlike other realms teeming with Profound Beast Cultivators, where resources had long been picked clean, many areas in the Source Treasure Cave Heaven undoubtedly still held abundant cultivation resources. "To forge good iron, one must be strong." Whether they could obtain resources from the outside world depended entirely on their own abilities.

Deputy Sect Master Cloud Tiger discussed other matters requiring attention within the Source Treasure Cave Heaven, then began to register each Lingbao Sect Fire Seed, create new Identity Tokens, and assign Caves. After finishing the explanation of the rules, he did not linger and quickly departed.

"Will you stay in the Sect, or venture out and build a Cave?" After each person’s identity was registered, they were routinely asked this question. The result was unanimous: everyone chose to stay within the Sect.

"A bunch of cowards!"

"Are these the elites of the Main Sect? I thought we’d be getting a batch of strong cultivators, not a bunch of softies!"

"The Main Sect’s approach to cultivating talent is flawed; it fails to produce any Mahayana Stage Cultivators capable of truly shouldering responsibility."

Without Sect Master Cloud Tiger’s presence to suppress them, some Cultivators from the Second Spirit Treasure Sect began to provoke the newcomers. Although both groups were Lingbao Sect Cultivators, their lifestyles and cultivation methods differed vastly. The Second Spirit Treasure Sect espoused a ’wolfish’ philosophy and looked down on these newcomers as if they were mere lab rats. Of course, the primary reason for this attitude was... resources. The arrival of the Lingbao Sect’s Fire Seeds meant an increase in population, which in turn signified a major reshuffling of resource distribution. If others consumed more, they themselves would receive less. Competition and friction naturally arose.

"Hmph, by what means does the Second Spirit Treasure Sect select its cultivators?" one of them sneered. "Surely none of you lack even a Top Grade Spiritual Root!"

I feel offended, Jia Ren thought.

The criteria for selecting Fire Seeds by the Lingbao Sect had become increasingly stringent. Out of the hundred newcomers, apart from Jia Ren, who possessed a ’Middle-grade Spiritual Root,’ all other cultivators uniformly had Top Grade Spiritual Roots. Any one of them would be considered a peerless genius in other Sects. The Source Treasure Cave Heaven harbored a large population of mortals living and multiplying, many of whom were descendants of Lingbao Sect Cultivators. However, their methods for selecting talented individuals ultimately had limitations. Those born with Top Grade Spiritual Roots were few. The number of cultivators in the Second Spirit Treasure Sect possessing Top Grade Spiritual Roots could be counted on one hand. What pressured them the most was that, at the same age, the cultivators from the Main Sect clearly possessed higher Cultivation Levels.

"They’re nothing but infants who grew up relying on the Main Sect’s resources! I alone could take down ten of you!"

The two sides confronted each other, a clear line drawn between the Main Sect’s Fire Seeds and the members of the Second Spirit Treasure Sect, an almost tangible hostility filling the air. The Second Spirit Treasure Sect did not forbid dueling, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a major battle broke out between them.

Jia Ren had no interest in such matters and silently retreated to the back of the crowd. Using the Mirror Flower Divine Moon and the Bewildering Spirit Bead, he silently activated an illusion, creating the false impression that he was still present, then slipped away to a corner to watch the conflict unfold.

Even if you all bash each other’s brains out, it won’t affect me in the slightest, he mused.

"You’re clearly scared!" one of the Main Sect disciples retorted.

"If you could handle things here, why would we have been sent?!"

This remark struck a nerve with the cultivators from the Second Spirit Treasure Sect, and they became infuriated. A major battle could erupt between them at any moment. The Artifact Refiners, not wanting to get involved in the conflict or be dragged into a fight, quickly interjected, "The sequence battles will be held in a month! Surely you can all wait that long? At that time, we’ll see who truly has the stronger capabilities."

Both sides were quite heated. However, since they couldn’t accurately gauge the gap in their cultivation realms or the combat strength of the other side, a melee did not erupt. In a month, after they had a better understanding of each other’s strength, it would be time for a fierce contest.

"These are your Transmission Master Instructors for Divine Skills and secret techniques. Each of you can learn one Divine Skill or secret technique for free every year to enhance your combat capabilities."

Once both sides had calmed down and dispersed, three Void Refining Stage Cultivators emerged, their gazes sweeping over the Lingbao Sect’s Fire Seeds. With their extraordinary cultivation talent, and with proper mentoring, they are sure to become pillars of the Sect, one of them thought.

"Artifact Refiners, follow me."

One of the Void Refining Stage Cultivators led the newly arrived Artifact Refiners to the Refining Palace. Its scale was much smaller than that of the Main Sect’s, and it was similarly divided into an inner and outer hall. The outer hall was mostly populated by apprentices and Artifact Refiners capable of crafting Magical Treasures; the highest Refining Level there was Magical Treasure grade. The number of Spirit-level Refiners in the inner hall was not large, totaling only five.

"This is Elder Qing, the Refiner Hall Master. If you wish to advance to become Heaven-reaching Refiners, you will need to learn from him." So he’s a Heaven-reaching Refiner, Jia Ren noted. "This is Elder Liu, the Deputy Master of the Refiner Hall. He mainly teaches the methods of refining Spiritual Treasures. If you have any questions, you may consult with him."

Besides the two Hall Masters, there were three other Spirit-level Refiners, presumably the ordinary Artifact Refiners of the inner hall.

Elder Qing and Elder Liu’s gazes swept over the ten individuals. Elder Qing smiled, "So many years have passed in a blink since we entered the Source Treasure Cave Heaven. I truly miss those days."

Both elders had been dispatched to the Source Treasure Cave Heaven from the Main Sect. Becoming a Spirit-level Refiner required extremely high talent in Artifact Refining. Over the past millennium, only three Spirit-level Refiners had emerged here, and their skills were barely satisfactory. In their lifetimes, none of them had any chance of becoming Heaven-reaching Refiners. If the Lingbao Sect were to fall, these existing refiners wouldn’t be capable of shouldering the future of Artifact Refining. Hence, these ten young Spirit-level Artifact Refiners had been sent to the Source Treasure Cave Heaven.

Elder Liu added, "We’re just old bones with not many years left, still hoping to see a Heaven-reaching Refiner emerge from among you here. Any questions you wish to ask, we will teach you everything we know, holding nothing back."