Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 532 - 527: Source Spirit Water Formula, Half-Master_1
Jia Ren had consumed too much Yuanling Water; this terrifying rate of consumption was something the Lingbao Sect could not afford to supply. The best solution was to replace it with other resources and kick this scourge out.
"One year of usage rights in exchange for one piece of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material. For five years, we will compensate you with five pieces of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material."
Supreme-grade Spiritual Materials were good, but they were incomparable to the Origin Spirit Pool in rapidly improving one’s Cultivation Level. Even if they were refined into Spiritual Treasures, the increase in Cultivation Level after the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art devoured them still fell far short of that from the Origin Spirit Pool.
Resources must always be fought for; the squeaky wheel gets the grease, Jia Ren thought.
He did not have an extended conversation with the Steward, who was just a messenger and had no decision-making power. He headed straight for the Lingbao Sect’s main hall and found Cloud Tiger.
Cloud Tiger already knew Jia Ren’s purpose and said with a smile, "Vice Hall Master Jia, you are indeed a rare visitor."
Without wasting time, Jia Ren got straight to the point. "As fellow Lingbao Sect Cultivators, how can the Sect Master treat us differently? Why can’t I use the Origin Spirit Pool? I have shed blood... made great contributions to the Sect."
Cloud Tiger looked helpless. If Jia Ren weren’t consuming so much, why would I even consider kicking him out? The resources of the Origin Spirit Pool, even if supplied to Jia Ren alone, are not enough to satisfy him. Aren’t other Lingbao Sect Cultivators supposed to cultivate? Jia Ren is no Ma Tianbao. If he could reach the Mahayana Realm, what would be the harm in supplying the Origin Spirit Pool’s resources to him alone? I’m willing to be the villain and bear the blame. Unfortunately, Jia Ren only has a Middle-grade Spiritual Root Aptitude. Such rapid consumption of the Origin Spirit Pool must mean he’s using a Spatial Spiritual Treasure to siphon it away. Taking while consuming—his blatant greed is too unsightly.
It was true that Jia Ren had made great contributions to the Sect. The matter of Ma Tianbao was inextricably linked to Jia Ren. The Lingbao Sect’s victory against the Xuantiandao Sect and the discovery of the Jiao Dragon Secret Realm were largely thanks to him. Without the Great Divine Power Law, Heaven and Earth, and without the Azure Dragon Spiritual Treasure Array, the Xuantiandao Sect’s crisis could not have been resolved, and the Lingbao Sect would have been destroyed long ago.
"The Lingbao Sect’s resources cannot be supplied to you alone. We can’t prevent others from using the Origin Spirit Pool," Cloud Tiger said. "How about this: we will compensate you with one piece of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material every half year, for a total of ten pieces. Is that acceptable? I will also give you the formula for Source Spirit Water. If you want to use more Source Spirit Water, you can refine it yourself."
Having lived for thousands of years, Cloud Tiger saw through Jia Ren’s true intentions at a glance. He’s seizing the opportunity, now that he knows he can’t use the Origin Spirit Pool, to demand more benefits. Ten pieces of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material and the Source Spirit Water formula—quite a haul for playing the victim.
Jia Ren, having obtained a satisfactory outcome, knew when to quit while he was ahead and quickly left the main hall.
The ingredients for refining Source Spirit Water were not simple; it required a large number of ancient Spiritual Medicines and many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
These were not issues for Jia Ren. Inside his Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl was a huge Medicinal Garden, meticulously cared for by his Xuan Beast Avatar, which produced more than enough for one person’s use.
Only the Essence of Spirit Source was hard to find; this was what limited the quantity of Source Spirit Water. This item was unique to the Source Treasure Cave Heaven, a rare treasure of the Cave Heaven that appeared only once every thousand years. Appearing with it was the Source Treasure Celestial Bloom, which could enhance the chances of advancing to the Lianxu Stage and the Body Integration Realm, its value even exceeding that of the Essence of Spirit Source.
Every thousand years, its appearance would attract numerous High-Rank Demon Beasts to converge and compete for it. To obtain the Essence of Spirit Source, one had to snatch it from the jaws of Seventh-order Demon Beasts.
The Lingbao Sect had acquired a substantial amount of Essence of Spirit Source, but when spread out over a millennium, the quantity was insufficient for a large supply. This was also why the Second Spirit Treasure Sect within the Source Treasure Cave Heaven had an Origin Spirit Pool, but the Main Sect did not.
This is too exploitative! Jia Ren’s expression darkened like the bottom of a pot after he obtained the Source Spirit Water formula. He felt Cloud Tiger had done this deliberately. The formula was bait, meant to lure him into action when the Source Spirit Water and Source Treasure Celestial Bloom appeared in a hundred years. Cloud Tiger couldn’t force me into the Combat Law Sequence, so now he’s trying to entice me with resources. Facing Sixth Rank Demon Beasts and Void Refining Stage Cultivators, I might still consider acting. But Seventh-order Demon Beasts? And likely far more than one? Better to give up! My cultivation will just be slower. Compared to that, safety is more important. If all else fails, in 1,100 years... after I advance to the Mahayana Realm, I can use my Mahayana Realm Cultivation Level and bring two Divine Beasts to fight for them.
Thinking this, Jia Ren abandoned any thoughts of adventure.
Since I can’t refine Source Spirit Water, I’ll have to let the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower handle my cultivation. There are many things to do next. First, refine the Second-Generation Ultimate Gold Puppet and develop puppets centered around Qilin Scale Armor. Second, find a safe place to open the Bizarre Realm gate, increase the number of Bizarre Demons inside the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower, and improve the supply of Sacrificial Fire. Eighty years to elevate a treasure from Virtual Refining Stage Completion to Combined Body Perfection—it’s too long. If the efficiency of the Sacrificial Fire could be further increased, the time could be at least halved, or even more. This means the number of Bizarre Demons inside the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower needs to double.
The Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower is the core of my strength; the more powerful it is, the more benefits there will be. A higher-grade Lifebound Spirit Treasure absorbs and transforms Heavenly Treasure Spirit Power more efficiently, thus speeding up my own cultivation rate. Killing Bizarre Demons produces more Sacrificial Fire, which improves the enhancement efficiency of treasures and puppets. The latter is of utmost importance. Compared to that, researching the Second-Generation Ultimate Gold Puppet and the Qilin Series composite material can wait a while longer.
My half-finished Birthless Killing Sword is a half-step Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure. It possesses remarkable power and may prove useful. However, its quality hasn’t been improved yet. Capturing Bizarre Demons takes a long time, and there’s a risk of encountering Seventh-order Demon Beasts. Without a major weapon, staying outside the Sect for long periods isn’t safe. The thought of playing it safe is taking over. It’s better to wait until the Birthless Killing Sword reaches Combined Body Perfection and has withstood its Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure Tribulation before I venture out again. I can wait eighty years at most.
Having come to this conclusion, Jia Ren focused on researching the Second-Generation Ultimate Gold Puppets and the Third Generation Peerless Gold Composite. The Qilin Series composite material could also be scheduled.
Jia Ren entered the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl and found Mo Lin.
"Mo Lin, your Master has not had it easy for your sake!" Jia Ren began. "There are people outside looking for you, wanting to kill a Qilin and refine it into a treasure.
"In order to protect you, your Master has faced many dangers."
Mo Lin stood stunned, a look of shame flashing in its eyes.
A golden dragon head peeked out from a distance, eavesdropping quietly. After the Qilin’s arrival, Jin Sheng felt he had ’fallen out of favor’ and wanted to enhance his presence. Upon hearing the familiar words, he felt as if the Absolute Golden Dragon Scales protecting his body were about to grow wings and fly away, so he decisively made his escape.
Only the unbothered Mo Lin was left.
Jia Ren continued, getting to the core of the matter, "To help protect your Master, would you be willing to offer some of your scales?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Lin shook its head, its crisp voice ringing out, "Without my scales, I won’t be beautiful anymore."
What the—? Jia Ren thought, exasperated. You’re just a Qilin, and you’re nearly as fat as a pig! Worry about losing weight before you think about being beautiful!
After several unsuccessful attempts to persuade Mo Lin, Jia Ren had to use his trump card. "Double the amount of delicious food!"
A large quantity of tasty food was served. The rich aroma wafted into Mo Lin’s nostrils, making its eyes gleam brightly. All of its Yuan Shui Moscales, except for its lifebound ones, detached from its body and flew into Jia Ren’s hands.
From a distance, Jin Sheng poked his head out again, a thoughtful look on his face. Sigh, that kind of persuasion probably won’t work on me anymore...
Seeing the increasingly ’shrewd’ Jin Sheng from afar, Jia Ren felt a headache coming on.
Now that he had obtained the new Divine Beast material, he couldn’t wait to delve into its research.
The Yuan Shui Moscale differed from the Absolute Golden Dragon Scales. Though both were Divine Beast materials, their properties were poles apart. One repelled all metals, rendering it immune to gold-elemental damage. Puppets refined using Absolute Gold material were the bane of metal, impervious to damage from gold-elemental powers, Magical Treasures, and Spiritual Treasures.
The Yuan Shui Moscale, on the other hand, was the source of all waters, capable of absorbing various kinds of water and converting them for its own use, provided they did not exceed its tolerance limits. The properties of the Yuan Shui Moscale were more aligned with spells, particularly targeting Water System Magic, making it the bane of all waters.
Can these two types of Divine Beast materials be fused to create a new Peerless Gold Composite? Jia Ren pondered. Going forward, their fusion would become the focus of his research.
In the following period, Jia Ren delved into his research, focusing on refining puppets and Spiritual Treasures, as well as the composite material from the two types of Divine Beast scales. Periodically, he would draw Heavenly Treasure Spirit Power from the Demon-Sealing Spirit Tower to enhance his Cultivation Level. In this state, he could cultivate, refine artifacts, and create puppets without hindrance.
「Twenty years later.」
Elder Liu successfully refined his Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure and smoothly passed its tribulation, making him another Heaven-reaching Refiner in the Lingbao Sect.
"Master Jia, I owe it all to you! Without your experience in refining Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures as a reference, I could never have passed this critical step," Elder Liu exclaimed. "You should consider me half your disciple!"
After his promotion to Heaven-reaching Refiner, Elder Liu immediately rushed to thank Jia Ren, even addressing him with the term "half-disciple." Jia Ren’s influence on him becoming a Heaven-reaching Refiner was profound; otherwise, Elder Liu would not have called a junior "half-master."
"The honor of ’half-master’ is too great," Jia Ren said, having been reminded by Elder Qing. He still felt it was too much and decisively refused.
"No! In the Dao of Artifact Refining, accomplishment dictates seniority," Elder Liu insisted. "Without your guidance, I would never have crossed this hurdle in my lifetime."
Elder Liu’s attitude was firm, and his tone resolute; he showed no signs of changing his mind. After several refusals failed, Jia Ren had no choice but to accept.
As a result, his reputation in the Second Spirit Treasure Sect soared even higher.
The Artifact Refiners were not surprised; they had received more guidance from him, and most importantly, they now saw a clearer path forward. The Cultivators of the Combat Law Sequence didn’t feel much, as Artifact Refining was too far removed from combat. The only good news for them was that the quality of subsequently refined Spiritual Treasures showed a noticeable improvement.
Cloud Tiger of the Second Lingbao Sect, upon hearing the news, grew anxious, pacing and fretting. As far as I know, Jia Ren displayed Grandmaster-level Communication Treasure Art right after joining the sect. Within decades, he modified the Ji Kong Palm into Jikong’s Finger, and the several secret techniques and Divine Skills he mastered have all reached an extremely high level. All of this proves his talent in spells... is no less than his talent in Artifact Refining! If he became a Combat Law Sequence Cultivator, possessed formidable combat power, and researched powerful spells and Divine Skills, the Lingbao Sect could secure a much longer future. The sect now has a successor for its Heaven-reaching Refiners. I must find a way to shift Jia Ren’s focus. I wonder if the Yuanling Water and Source Treasure Celestial Bloom can entice him to invest more effort in spells and seize the opportunity that appears once every thousand years?
