Desolate Ancestor Tribe, Redstone City.
Before Tianyu, countless Shamans jostled and shoved against one another, their roars, bellows, and shouts intertwining into a raucous clamor. They tossed immortal silver, ores, beast bones, and various medicinal herbs into the empty carts, then hauled away bolt after bolt of Ning brocade.
Tianyu remained expressionless, watching cartload after cartload of Ning brocade disappear at astonishing speed as the empty carts steadily filled with goods and wealth. It was not until the last cart of cloud brocade was carried off that the tribesmen finally dispersed.
Tianyu suddenly slapped himself hard across the face. Now, at last, an expression could show on his face.
Hauling the carts, he made his way to the ancestral temple in the city, and moments later knelt before an old shaman whose skin was as wrinkled as tree bark.
Though the shaman was old, his skeletal frame was astonishingly massive; a single large hand could easily envelop Tianyu's head. Were he to stand, Tianyu likely would not even reach his shoulder.
A young shaman hurried over and whispered something beside the elder.
The old shaman nodded, reached out, and kneaded Tianyu from head to toe. Then he reached for a golden jar beside him, poured out three egg-sized pills, and set them before Tianyu.
Tianyu was stunned. Overwhelmed with emotion, he kowtowed repeatedly.
The old shaman said slowly, "Your devotion is sufficient. These three Great Desolate Pills will suffice for you to cross that indistinct boundary and perceive the power of the Desolate Realm. Go, child."
Returning home, Tianyu set the three Great Desolate Pills on the table and stared at them silently for a long time.
The Great Desolate Pill was a sacred medicine for Power Shamans. Three were enough to enable even an ordinary Power Shaman to perceive the power of the Desolate Realm, thereby opening the path toward becoming a Great Shaman.
Tianyu had always regarded himself as a genius, and those around him thought the same. His family background was respectable as well. Yet a Great Desolate Pill was something he previously could never afford; he had not dared even dream of possessing a single one.
And now, three whole pills lay before him.
***
In Qingming, Wei Yuan was scrutinizing the spoils of this western expedition item by item, examining those of unknown purpose with particular care. However, the inspection yielded little of note; aside from a small box of black crystals obtained from the priest's quarters in Rain Maple City that seemed to have come from the Nether Cold Realm, there were no other items from that realm.
Wei Yuan still remembered that the Nether Cold Realm contained treasures capable of enhancing one's Dao Foundation, but after entering only a few times, he had run into the matter of the Yin-Yang Maiden.
One of Wei Yuan's objectives in meticulously planning the surprise attack on Rain Maple City had been to find treasures from the Nether Cold Realm. Unfortunately, it seemed the Shamans of Rain Maple City were not of high enough standing; in the entire city, only this small box of black crystals appeared to be from the Nether Cold Realm.
Wei Yuan left one of the crystals for Yu Zhizhuo, then departed Qingming and headed once more for the Northern Mountain Gate.
By now, the Palace of Grand Beginning's center of gravity had shifted to the Northern Mountain Gate, with most True Monarchs stationed there. The journey passed without incident, and several days later, Wei Yuan arrived at the Northern Mountain Gate once again.
Wei Yuan first paid his respects to Patriarch Xuanyue, then presented the black crystals and the storage magical treasure obtained from Longying. But Xuanyue was only slightly versed in artifact crafting and could not identify what the black crystals were either.
Furthermore, True Monarch Xuanyue unexpectedly could not open that storage magical treasure either, merely detecting that it was sealed by immortal power, which surprised Wei Yuan considerably. Fortunately, the Master of the Hall of Heavenly Craft was also at the Northern Mountain Gate; if even he could not open it, then no one in the Palace of Grand Beginning could.
Thus, after taking his leave of Xuanyue, Wei Yuan went to pay his respects to the Master of the Hall of Heavenly Craft.
The Hall Master was titled True Monarch Jinshi. Happening to be between forging sessions, he received Wei Yuan. He was dignified in appearance, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, radiating an upright, steadfast air from head to toe that matched Yu Zhizhuo to a tee.
Upon seeing Wei Yuan, he first inquired about the situation regarding Yu Zhizhuo and the other disciples who had gone along, chatting for a solid half hour.
Hearing that Yu Zhizhuo had obtained the essence of metal nature, True Monarch Jinshi finally showed a faint smile and said, "Zhizhuo is naturally stubborn and previously lacked adaptability, but this makes up for it perfectly. His future Dao path is paved at last; perhaps he will succeed me in my position one day. This is a matter of great consequence, and I must thank you properly."
Only then did Wei Yuan state the purpose of his visit.
Upon seeing the black crystal, the Hall Master showed a flicker of emotion. With a flick of his finger, he peeled away a speck smaller than dust from the crystal. Then, with a shift of his Dao power, he actually sliced this minuscule grain into a thousand portions. Straining his vision to the utmost, Wei Yuan could only faintly discern that each portion was a neat, square block.
Then, a cluster of multicolored flames flared up, incinerating all thousand samples.
Even with Wei Yuan's current eyesight, he could only tell that the flame actually contained forces of many different natures—some blazing hot, some freezing cold, with over a hundred varieties of acid alone. Wei Yuan merely knew there were differences between each acid, but could not tell where those differences lay.
Had Wei Yuan still been at the Dao Foundation stage, he would only have seen a burst of flame appear, extinguish, and thought that the fire was quite pretty.
After the colored flames died out, the Hall Master pondered briefly and said, "Just now, this old Daoist conducted a rough test of this material's properties. Barring any surprises, it should originate from the Nether Cold Realm and is a Nether Soil crystal. A single piece can equal a fang of Nether Soil. Ordinarily, this would be a priceless treasure. However, not long ago, you donated a massive amount of Nether Soil, enough to supply the palace for over three hundred years, so for now, this item isn't worth much.
"Still, this old Daoist has only performed a rough test. To truly understand it, a detailed inspection is needed."
True Monarch Jinshi took a small piece of the black crystal and said, "A piece of this size is enough for the detailed inspection."
Wei Yuan asked what a detailed inspection entailed. Currently, the study of material properties was becoming increasingly important in Qingming, and even mortals had begun researching material properties, so Wei Yuan was eager to learn and ask about everything.
True Monarch Jinshi explained that they would divide the black crystal into countless minuscule fragments and test them with various methods, synthesizing the results to derive exhaustive material properties. His demonstration just now had been a rough test, which tested nine hundred and ninety-nine material properties in total. The detailed inspection, on the other hand, currently comprised ten thousand and eighty-six tests.
Only then did Wei Yuan realize that every trade had its specialists; for the Hall of Heavenly Craft to stand unrivaled in artifact crafting, the effort they poured into material properties was indeed second to none.
Admiring as he was, Wei Yuan also abandoned any high hopes for the black crystals—after all, Nether Soil was something he had in abundance.
As for the storage treasure, the Hall Master studied it carefully for a quarter of an hour before finally discerning a clue. Frowning, he said, "This item is an ancient immortal treasure and quite troublesome to handle. One misstep, and the contents inside will be destroyed along with it. Do you still have its owner's soul?"
Wei Yuan felt a headache coming on and shook his head.
Had Longying not been a True Dragon scion, it might have been manageable. But the issue was that he was, and his entire being had transformed into a dragon guard—effectively another form of soul dispersal that left not even a shred behind.
Sensing Wei Yuan's difficulty, the Hall Master said the item could be left with him for now. Ancient immortal treasures were merely arcane rather than inherently insurmountable; they simply required some immortal spiritual qi as an aid, and with some time, it could be opened.
This time, Wei Yuan also needed to exchange for a batch of robes, armor, and storage magical artifacts suitable for the Dharma Idol stage from the palace. On one hand, Wei Yuan still held fifteen thousand heavenly merits; on the other, his compensation for training Dao soldiers for the Palace of Grand Beginning had not yet been settled. Thus, the Hall Master led Wei Yuan directly to the treasure vault to take his pick.
In the end, Wei Yuan chose an inner armor offering True Monarch-grade defense, capable of withstanding three strikes from a True Monarch, along with a storage jade pendant of the same True Monarch grade. The rest were ordinary Dharma Idol-grade magical treasures, completely replacing his entire outfit and gear.
Now, at last, Wei Yuan would not have all his clothes blasted away and be left stark naked whenever he encountered a True Monarch.
After his advancement to the Dharma Idol stage, Flawless Transmigration was also falling somewhat behind, so the Hall Master simply took it as well, telling Wei Yuan to return in seven days to collect it.
Having finished his business, Wei Yuan went to Zhang Sheng's courtyard.
Having not seen her for some time, Zhang Sheng's aura had declined imperceptibly once more. Seeing Wei Yuan, she was somewhat surprised and said, "Why are you here again?"
"A single day apart feels like three autumns."
Zhang Sheng raised the scroll in her hand, feigning a strike, and said, "Be serious!"
Chapter 419