“Hm? A talisman?”
Su Twelve had read about talismans in the sect manual. Though startled for a moment, he quickly understood.
His gaze turned cold as he looked toward the menial disciple.
The menial disciple had already collapsed to the ground in fright. Seeing Su Twelve’s sharp gaze sweep over him, before Su Twelve could even speak, a first-grade Light Escape Talisman appeared in his hand.
The talisman was activated. In the next second, the Menial Disciple vanished without a trace.
Su Twelve frowned but did not give chase.
Sect rules strictly forbade disciples from fighting among themselves. This Waste Pill Room was remote and quiet; making a move here would go completely unnoticed.
But if he chased him outside, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t run into others.
“Forget it, I’ll deal with him next time! After this incident, they probably won’t return anytime soon.”
“It’s just a pity about my thirty High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills!”
“This sword is pretty good. It looks like the Low Grade Magical Artifacts described in the books. I wonder how much it’s worth. It may not be as valuable as those Essence-Nourishing Pills, but it should come close.”
Muttering to himself, Su Twelve looked down at the treasured sword in his hand. This two-foot-long blade was entirely dark cyan, forged from some unknown material.
Two small characters were engraved on the hilt: White Mist.
The blade flickered with a cold light; one look was enough to tell it was incomparably sharp.
Both its appearance and materials confirmed it was a Low Grade Magical Artifact.
Magical Artifacts were treasures meant for cultivators, and only a cultivator’s True Essence could activate them.
Above Magical Artifacts were Spirit Weapons, Dharma Treasures, and so on… but those were far too distant for Qi Condensation cultivators.
Whether Magical Artifacts or Spirit Weapons, both were divided into four grades: Low, Middle, High, and Top.
Recalling the descriptions from the sect manual, Su Twelve tried channeling a thread of True Essence into it.
Upon receiving the infusion of True Essence, the long sword trembled slightly, and a flash of light bloomed across its blade.
Struck by a sudden flash of inspiration, Su Twelve raised his hand and swung the sword.
“Bang!”
A sharp, invisible streak of sword qi shot out, carving a conspicuous mark into the ground.
“Not bad, not bad at all. It really is a good sword! With this treasured sword, my offensive power will increase quite a bit!”
Having witnessed the might of a Low Grade Magical Artifact, Su Twelve was overjoyed.
His disappointment over losing the Essence-Nourishing Pills vanished in an instant.
Returning to his room, Su Twelve sat cross-legged on his bed and pulled a pill bottle from his robes. Seeing the empty bottle, he finally remembered that the Qi Gathering Pills he had tempered last time were already used up.
He reached aside and took out a bottle of waste Qi Gathering Pills and the mysterious pill furnace. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Just as he was about to toss the waste pills in, his gaze landed on the mysterious pill furnace. Su Twelve suddenly recalled how he had activated the Low Grade Magical Artifact earlier.
“This pill furnace is definitely a treasure. What would happen if I channeled True Essence into it?”
Su Twelve’s eyes flickered with thought. Holding the mysterious pill furnace in his hand, he began to mobilize the True Essence within his body.
The moment his True Essence touched the mysterious pill furnace, Su Twelve’s expression drastically changed. In an instant, a terrifying suction force emerged. The True Essence within his body drained away at an extremely rapid pace, as if his entire being was about to be hollowed out.
This felt just like the first time he had cast the Fire Control Art.
Fortunately, this state only lasted for a brief moment. The instant his True Essence was exhausted, the pill furnace flew from his hand.
The moment it left his grasp, the pill furnace doubled in size. In the blink of an eye, it became a full two feet wide.
Su Twelve tilted his head, sizing up the pill furnace before him. To his eyes, aside from being a bit larger, it looked no different from usual.
It was just as ancient and worn-out, without the slightest fluctuation of aura.
Had he not personally watched the pill furnace grow larger, he would have assumed it was always this size.
“Uh… it just got bigger? Or does it have other uses? Still, with a size this large, it can hold quite a lot!”
“I just wonder… can this pill furnace temper other things as well?”
Su Twelve muttered to himself, his gaze falling upon the long sword beside him.
“Should I try it?”
His brow lifted. He placed the flying sword into the enlarged pill furnace.
The moment the flying sword entered, it was enveloped by a layer of azure light. In the next second, the flying sword rapidly shrank.
In the blink of an eye, it became just a little over a foot long.
“This…”
Su Twelve felt a jolt of shock. Just as he was about to pull the flying sword out, he looked closer and was instantly filled with wild joy.
“This… in just a moment, the flying sword actually became a High Grade Magical Artifact?”
“If I continue tempering it…?”
Su Twelve’s eyes lit up. He stared unblinkingly at the pill furnace.
But after transforming into a High Grade Magical Artifact, the treasured sword underwent no further changes.
Instead, a few minutes later, the pill furnace began to shrink.
Seeing this, Su Twelve quickly retrieved the flying sword.
Tucking the pill furnace, which had now returned to its original size, back into his robes, his gaze fell upon the flying sword.
“It can only be refined to the level of a High Grade Magical Artifact? Does that mean this flying sword’s potential goes no further?”
After examining it for a moment, Su Twelve reached a conclusion he considered fairly reliable.
At that same moment, down at the foot of Cuihuan Mountain, two figures were huddled together.
The moment he saw the Menial Disciple, the sword-carrying youth who had lost his blade marched up and began violently punching and kicking him.
“Fatty Huang, is this the pushover waste you were talking about? A Mixed Spirit Root? Easy to deal with?”
The sword-carrying youth grew angrier as he spoke, and his blows landed heavier with every word.
The menial disciple curled up on the ground and was beaten black and blue in moments.
“Zhao… Senior Brother Zhao Yu, spare me! I… I didn’t expect that kid to be so strong either!”
The Menial Disciple clutched his head, feeling immensely wronged inside.
From his perspective, Zhao Yu was a second-layer Qi Condensation Cultivator who couldn’t beat a first-layer Qi Condensation Cultivator. What did that have to do with him?
“Spare you? That White Mist Sword was a Low Grade Magical Artifact! I spent a full fifty High Grade Essence-Nourishing Pills to trade for it. How am I supposed to spare you?!” Zhao Yu stepped on Fatty Huang’s body, grinding his teeth in hatred.
His furious eyes glinted with a murderous intent.
Fatty Huang’s heart skipped a beat. He shuddered and hurriedly shouted, “Senior Brother, don’t be hasty! There’s something strange going on here!”
Zhao Yu stared coldly at Fatty Huang. “What’s strange?”
“That kid definitely has a Mixed Spirit Root. The Peak Master said so himself, so there’s no mistake. Otherwise, the Peak Master wouldn’t have assigned him to guard the Waste Pill Room.”
“But he actually managed to cultivate to the first layer of Qi Condensation in such a short time, and he even wields that kind of strength. I suspect he must have some kind of wondrous treasure on him!”
Fatty Huang’s eyes darted around as he spoke rapidly.
“A wondrous treasure?!” A flash of sharp light crossed Zhao Yu’s eyes.
“Exactly! Otherwise, how could a piece of trash with a Mixed Spirit Root be so powerful? Why don’t we gather a few more people and quietly finish him off? When the time comes, won’t the treasure be ours?” Fatty Huang nodded repeatedly. His gaze turned cold as he raised his hand, making a slicing motion across his neck.
“Hm… your guess isn’t entirely unreasonable. But for now, don’t breathe a word of this! Everything can wait until I return!” Zhao Yu’s eyes shifted, and he lifted his leg, releasing Fatty Huang.
When it came to a wondrous treasure, he was unwilling to let anyone else reap the benefits so easily.
“Senior Brother is leaving?” Fatty Huang breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked.
“Indeed! Elder Song of the Instruction Hall has gathered twenty disciples for focused training ahead of this year’s Newcomer Trial. I have to report in tomorrow morning—I’m one of them.” Zhao Yu narrowed his eyes, speaking with evident pride.
“Focused training for the Newcomer Trial? Aren’t former Menial Disciples forbidden from participating?” Fatty Huang was stunned, somewhat confused.
“I don’t know the specifics either, only that the rules have changed this year. Aside from newcomers, Menial Disciples who were previously eliminated can also sign up. As long as we complete the trial, we can also obtain Official Disciple status.” Zhao Yu explained with some impatience.
“So that’s how it is. Congratulations, Senior Brother! With your Potential, your strength will surely soar after focused training! As for this year’s newcomers, they’ll be under a lot of pressure!”
Fatty Huang quickly cupped his hands and smiled. Hearing this news, his own heart stirred.
Although his strength was poor, there were still several years until his Newcomer Trial deadline. According to what Zhao Yu said, he actually had a chance to complete the trial and become an Official Disciple.
“Alright, spare me the congratulations. You should sign up too. Once the trial begins, I’ll call on my older brother Zhao Yan to come along.” Zhao Yu curled his lip.
“Senior Brother Zhao Yan? He’s the strongest among us Menial Disciples. If he participates, it’ll definitely be foolproof. But… you want to make a move during the Newcomer Trial?” Fatty Huang’s spirits lifted as he asked.
“Indeed! Elder Song’s training won’t end until the Newcomer Trial begins. Besides, what place is more suitable for making a move than the Newcomer Trial?” Zhao Yu’s gaze turned cold. With that, he turned and walked away.