High above Wang Family Mountain, Wang Yulou was taking Wang Yu'an to look at donkeys.
No, to admire them. Admiring donkeys.
If flowers could be admired, why couldn't donkeys?
Just how much pressure was Wang Yulou under?
Put it this way: sotis, he daydread about being a brainless dumb donkey.
From birth to death, it would be a happy life, with only a single instant of pain at the end.
A dumb donkey's life was dull and tasteless, but it was satisfying.
A lifeti of satisfaction, a mont of suffering, and completely unburdened by mories of hardship.
How was that not a form of liberation?
It was a pity that Wang Yulou was not a dumb donkey. He looked too far ahead, severely tornted by those distant hardships and pressures.
In absolute rationality, distant fears shouldn't affect the present. But Wang Yulou wasn't an immortal yet. Even though he worked hard to live in the present, he was still occasionally left breathless by the powerlessness that ca with his awareness.
According to Bai Xiaoyu, this was also a part of cultivation.
If one couldn't withstand the cruelty of the cultivation world, they had no right to climb higher and fight for true, absolute freedom.
Furthermore, from the perspective of seeking aning, the difficulty of the process reinforced the extraordinary nature of the result. In the act of escaping the sea of suffering, the significance of the escape itself beca increasingly apparent.
"Brother, what are you looking at?"
Yu'an didn't understand Wang Yulou's thoughts. His perspective was limited to that of an inner disciple of Hidden Dragon Abbey, roughly equivalent to Wang Yulou fifty-four years ago—the Wang Yulou who hadn't yet left Dripdrop Cave.
At that ti, Wang Yulou genuinely hoped he could attain the Dao by following Mang Xiang, mooching a bit of the Purple Mansion opportunity.
It was endearingly foolish.
"There are more dumb donkeys again. I wonder if Dumb Donkey Plain can undergo another promotion in our hands."
The promotion of spiritual objects was a slow, grinding process. The ti scale was asured in decades, and the costs were astronomical.
The Wang Clan had only three Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the 'Xian' generation, but later saw an explosive increase to nearly ten. This was precisely because Wang Xianhe had presided over the promotion of Wild Donkey Plain to Dumb Donkey Plain, which consud far too many resources.
That explosive promotion was an overdrawing of the clan's foundation and accumulation, forced out by the ancestor's Great Favor Distribution.
Many things revealed their problems in hindsight.
For example, the ancestor's beastly nature was all-encompassing.
First, through the Great Favor Distribution, he mass-produced the "Foundation Establishnt baby boom." Then, he used the great war to wear down the number of Foundation Establishnt cultivators in both the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and the Sky Serpent Sect, using endless blood to reduce heaven and earth's restrictions on cultivators opening their Purple Palaces.
Next, relying on the at grinder of the great war, he allowed the Purple Palace cultivators of the Behemoth Lineage to erge like eggs being laid. Even a piece of trash like Guo Baichi had opened the Purple Palace.
Calling Mang Xiang a beast was an insult to beasts; even beasts weren't as ruthless as Mang Xiang.
"Brother, you agree to let stay in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect?"
Yu'an was delighted. The clan was closely tied to the ancestor, and as a young general under the tutelage of the ancestor, Wang Yulou was charging at the very front lines of the war between the two sects, facing imnse pressure.
As Wang Yulou's younger brother, Wang Yu'an hoped to stay by his side and do sothing for him.
This wasn't the sa as wanting to borrow Wang Yulou's influence to achieve a higher cultivation base. After all, Wang Yu'an clearly saw the danger surrounding his brother.
Whether it was Guo Chengtai leading a team to escort him, or Wang Yulou sending a voice transmission to warn him, it all revealed the complexity of Wang Yulou's situation.
Staying by Wang Yulou's side might offer better cultivation prospects, but crisis ant both danger and opportunity; the danger he would have to face was also imnse.
"It's not ti yet. Although I hope it doesn't happen, just thinking about it makes it clear that the ancestor might not be able to smoothly attain the Golden Core."
Mang Xiang had already successfully suppressed the dissatisfaction within the sect, but what about the dissatisfaction outside the sect?
A newly ascended Golden Core would definitely encounter obstruction. If they weren't obstructing him now, it was perhaps because they were waiting.
When Mang Xiang was being blasted by the Heavenly Tribulation until he howled, perhaps the Frog Emperor and Tianshe would jump out together to let Mang Xiang know what kind of dogshit the rules of the Immortal Alliance were.
Of course, Wang Yulou was more inclined to believe that Mang Xiang already knew the Immortal Alliance's rules were dogshit to the Golden Cores who made them; the ancestor had probably already made preparations in secret.
But Wang Yulou couldn't exactly stand in front of Mang Xiang and ask about this—it would be inappropriate no matter how he phrased it.
Therefore, he couldn't let Wang Yu'an co back right now.
After the eye-opening reminder from Di Shui Xianzun, Wang Yulou realized that dividing the clan was a mistake, but it wasn't a complete mistake.
The branched-off lineage of the Wang Clan might not be able to advance further, but there was still a slight chance that, after Mang Xiang dragged the Wang Clan down to ruin with him, they could preserve a shred of hope for the clan's legacy.
"There shouldn't be any problems... An existence like the ancestor should have calculated everything."
This viewpoint of Wang Yu'an's was once again similar to Wang Yulou's back in Dripdrop Cave.
This allowed Yulou to completely confirm his younger brother's level of awareness. He looked at Chen Luwan, who had flown up to greet the two of them, and said,
"You and Aunt Luwan haven't seen each other in years. I won't disturb you two."
With that, Wang Yulou flew toward the center of Dumb Donkey Plain.
Situated there was a sparse grove of trees. Calling it a grove was a stretch, as only three trees remained today, though each one was massive.
Abandon Body, Transform to Tree, a flawed, secretly inherited divine ability of the Wang Clan. It was flawed because the founder was influenced by the genetic traits of the Wang Clan's direct lineage; this divine ability could only be cast by the most central core of the direct lineage.
Its effect allowed a cultivator to transform their lifelong cultivation base into a great tree. This tree possessed extraordinary innate quality; growing just a little bit would give it the standard of an eighth-grade spiritual material.
Growing for a few more years, it could reach the threshold of the seventh grade. Paired with appropriate artifact refining techniques, it could be refined into a spiritual artifact.
Back when Wang Rongjiang first reached the Foundation Establishnt realm, he claid a high-grade spiritual artifact-level great tree as his initial spiritual artifact, and even rode that great tree spiritual artifact to Dripdrop Cave to back up Wang Yulou.
Wang Xianmao stood right there, flanked by Wang Xianhe and Wang Enyan. Compared to his oldest brother and seventh uncle, the old patriarch's branches appeared much thinner and weaker.
As for the earlier great trees, they had already been claid and used by the Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the clan.
'Yulou, why have you returned?'
Seeing Wang Yulou approach, Wang Xianmao subconsciously wanted to stand up and welco him.
But he had already turned into a tree, so the act of standing up to greet him rely turned into a swaying of branches.
It had no effect, however. Wang Yulou knew it was the old patriarch expressing his welco and joy.
Knowing that Wang Xianmao couldn't even see Yu'an returning to the clan grounds, the sourness in Wang Yulou's heart suddenly swelled. He walked up to the great tree, stroked the trunk, and whispered,
"Yu'an has returned with Hongi. Can you still undo the Black Vine Soul-Locking Art on Hongi's body now?"
Wang Xianmao had thought about this question. After all, having transford into a great tree, it was hard for him to even move. Like an old man unable to walk, every problem he pondered was related to the past.
Fortunately, as a cultivator, Wang Xianmao had a long life, giving him plenty of past to reminisce about.
Yu'an, a junior he valued deeply, naturally appeared in his mories quite often.
'It's a bit difficult. A bit difficult...'
Wang Xianmao's tone was sowhat powerless. Yulou understood; he nodded and said,
"In that case, I won't let Hongi return to Hidden Dragon Abbey. I'll arrange a place for him to retire in peace."
Dividing the clan was a mistake, but the Wang Clan's branch in Hidden Dragon Abbey still had to be maintained for now. He couldn't let Hongi go back carrying resentnt.
The great tree's branches swayed; Wang Xianmao still wanted to try.
'Let try, Yulou. Bring Hongi here, let try. After all, Yu'an has married Ningyao.'
Wang Yulou understood the patriarch's intentions, but he had his own thoughts.
"If you try and it still doesn't work, Hongi will die—die in an attack by the Sky Serpent Sect's evil cultivators."
Hongi was very unfortunate. He had made a mistake that was neither big nor small, but it had neatly gambled away his entire life.
'Good. You've finally grown up, Yulou. In the past, I was afraid your heart was too weak, making you hesitant and overly cautious. Looking at it now, you have truly grown up.'
At this point, both fell silent, not speaking again for a long ti.
Wang Yulou had certainly grown up. If Wang Yuque, who dominated the front lines of the two-sect battlefield, couldn't be considered grown up, then that would probably be a horror story.
But this didn't an Wang Xianmao was wrong. It was just that the old patriarch also had a hard ti facing his current self, even if he had already adapted for fifty years.
Wang Yulou sat down, leaning against the great tree. The tree roots trembled slightly, transforming into a natural chair under Wang Xianmao's manipulation.
Sitting at the old patriarch's feet, with the genial scenery of Dumb Donkey Plain before him, Wang Yulou zoned out for a mont.
People would always reach a stage where they started to miss their childhood, without exception.
Counting it up, Wang Yulou was already over eighty years old in this life.
An octogenarian, yet still the youngest among those who could be called 'Young General Mang'—not just anyone had the qualifications to be called that.
'Child, what are you thinking about?'
The great tree's branches swayed, shifting to block the direct sunlight for Wang Yulou.
"I really want to return to when I was twelve. Back then, I was full of anticipation and worry about testing my spirit root.
"Anticipating that I had a spirit root and could step onto the path of cultivation.
"Yet fearing that I didn't, and that my years of study in the clan school would turn into a waste. That despite catching a glimpse of the cultivation world's scenery, I would have to live out the rest of my life as a mortal.
"Back then, the anticipation was genuine, and the worry was also genuine.
"If I were a mortal, I would be about ready to pass away by now. The monstrous floods of the future wouldn't have anything to do with either.
"Perhaps it would have even been a smooth and prosperous life. Co to think of it, departing like that wouldn't be too bad."
The Wang Clan's early cultivation of its younger generation was perfectly fine from the perspective of overall efficiency. It just seed a bit too cruel for those children without spirit roots.
The great tree wanted to speak, but then realized that Wang Yulou was no longer a child.
'Yulou, there is a problem with your Dao Heart.'
Of course there was a problem with Wang Yulou's Dao Heart. It wasn't just covered in dust; it had been ravaged to the point of near collapse.
"Yes, there's a problem with my Dao Heart.
"Perhaps it started when Shen Guang smashed Western Sea Immortal City.
"Perhaps it started when True Person Gua roared to death tens of millions of mortals on the front lines.
"Or perhaps, it started slowly over the past few decades."
Wang Yulou raised his hands. They were slender and pristine white; these were the hands a Foundation Establishnt cultivator should have, untainted by a speck of dust or mud.
"Old Ancestor, my hands are actually red. They are stained with blood.
"Over the years, I've helped Mang Xiang kill many people. Countless people."
Under the ravages of systemic violence, an individual's conscience had little room to survive.
Compared to now, Wang Yulou's forr 'hypocrisy' didn't even seem that far off from true kindness.
For Mang Xiang to attain the Dao, he had to kill Foundation Establishnt cultivators to supplent the Purple Palace cultivators, thereby locking in heaven and earth's 'limit quota' for himself.
And even White Li had confird it: if Wang Yulou wanted to attain the Dao, the fastest path was to ride Mang Xiang's coattails.
Xuanzhuan's high regard for Wang Yulou, as well as Wang Yulou's age, were both very cleverly stuck on a delicate boundary.
Naly, once the ancestor truly achieved the Golden Core, Wang Yulou—who was currently busying himself everywhere and loudly proclaiming his absolute loyalty day in and day out for decades—had a high probability of smoothly becoming a genuine Purple Palace cultivator, rather than becoming a power bank for Mang Xiang's breakthrough to the Golden Core.
'Are you in pain?'
The great tree didn't know what to say. How Wang Xianmao wished he could continue to shelter Wang Yulou from the wind and rain! His branches could block the sun for Wang Yulou, but he was no longer that old patriarch who could protect him from the storms.
He wasn't willing to bla Wang Yulou for walking too fast; he only blad himself for walking too slow.
"No, I'm not in pain, I'm just lost.
"I've thought of a self-consistent logic.
"Patriarch, you see, a cultivator's lifespan easily starts at several centuries, while a mortal's lifespan is only a hundred years.
"The awareness and value judgnts of a life are constructed based on the individual's own experiences, their environnt, and the network of interests they are situated in.
"Under these premises, does it an that cultivators absolutely cannot follow the moral standards and common sense of a mortal's ruling order, like mortals do?
"I'm afraid so. Those who cultivate while holding onto ideals shaped by a re dozen or so years of life are often rapidly eliminated after reaching Qi Refining.
"Only those who adapt to the rules have the chance to reach Foundation Establishnt with the help of luck and their own efforts.
"Then what kind of person can reach the Purple Palace?
"Or even beco a Golden Core?"
'You are not lost, Yulou. You are not lost.'
"I am very lost. You know, in the West Sea, I made two friends.
"Yunshu and Jianxian. Jianxian is already dead, and Yunshu is not permitted to reach Foundation Establishnt.
"They lived very true to themselves, but far removed from the rules of the cultivation world.
"In my view, being oneself can often lead to inner fulfillnt, but it might not align with reality."
"Which is more important: achieving inner fulfillnt but leaving with regrets, or adapting to reality and enduring for a long ti with an unfulfilled heart?
"If immortality is the aning of it all, is pursuing inner harmony not a aning as well?
"Of course, it varies from person to person, but—"
'Stop right there, Yulou. Do not think about such empty things.
'This world has no space for idle clouds and wild cranes. You know full well that True Person Gua roared tens of millions of mortals and tens of thousands of cultivators to death.
'When the strong still act like bandits, the consequences of wanting to live freely as an idle cloud and wild crane are obvious.'
"I understand. It's just that after going around in such a massive circle, the purpose is still rely to climb higher.
"Once I get up there, will there truly be what I want?
"I am so tired, Old Ancestor.
"Yi Zouri won't let go. Even Guo Baichi managed to reach the Purple Palace, and Yi Zouri nearly shattered his teeth in hatred over it.
"But he couldn't do anything about those new Purple Palace cultivators, so he turned around and spent every day figuring out how to tornt .
"Zou Tianxing has now beco the sect master, and he also cooperates with Yi Zouri to tornt .
"They drag down from within the sect, while I still have to lead the Middle Front to fight the Sky Serpent Sect on the front lines, and I must constantly ask the Loyalty Squad for people.
"This is just the beginning, yet I am already so very tired.
"I'm afraid. Afraid that I won't be able to make it to the end."
Zou Tianxing becoming the sect master was another consequence of the expanding warti economic system centered around the Special rit Hall.
The Behemoth Lineage couldn't monopolize all the advantages. The people under Zhuzhao's tutelage had also grown much more prominent over the years.
Overall, it was roughly a standoff between Mang Xiang and Zhuzhao, and the Fuyan Faction was the first to buckle.
'Yulou, you must know that there aren't many cultivators in all of Wunan who can be like you—not worrying about their cultivation, sitting here and wondering if they can make it to the end.
'Don't think so far ahead. Focus on the path in front of you first.
'Moreover, you aren't actually lost. It's just that you always fantasize about there being so better solution.
'In the cultivation world, without power, any number of grand concepts are rely illusions.
'Your opponents, like Yi Zouri and Zou Tianxing, have re Foundation Establishnt cultivation bases, yet they can bring you so much trouble.
'Once you reach the Purple Palace, the opponents you face will only be more ruthless, more heartless, and more brutal.
'Do not be soft-hearted. Survive first; otherwise, the Wang Clan will be buried alongside you.
'Only when you step above the high heavens will you have the qualifications to change the current landscape.
'Rember your original intentions at this mont, Yulou. As long as you are not completely changed, you are still you.
'Enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens is not a problem. Even Feng Jianxian knew how to endure; it's just that he failed to endure it for a single mont back then, and imdiately lost his life.'
"Your thoughts are very different from Ancestor Jingyi's. Ancestor Jingyi is dismissive of original intentions."
'Yes. For many years, she and I have appeared united while actually being divided in heart, all for the sake of the clan.'
"Old Ancestor, I actually agree with her more. In fact, you also agree with her more, right?"
The great tree fell silent. Xiao Wang's words cut a bit too deep.
However, Wang Xianmao was still a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator with an iron will. Naturally, he wouldn't spiral into strange thoughts just because Wang Yulou spoke a difficult truth.
'Right. Original intentions are important, but not that important.
'In my view, having a belief can make your journey forward less painful.
'It's just that I might just be sowhat incompetent. I don't have such great ambition; I only hope to be a good patriarch for the Wang Clan and develop the clan better.
'Lacking the ability to realize myself, I use the clan's developnt to console myself.
'You really should listen to Second Sister too. She's right: only the most incompetent people will cling to the original intentions of their youth, blindly treating them as golden rules.
'Just like you said, cultivators absolutely cannot follow the moral standards and common sense of a mortal's ruling order like mortals do. That's unrealistic.
'When Pi Lingxiu started the Loyalty Squad a few years ago, he grabbed people on one hand while running "Protect the Sect, Love the Sect" propaganda within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's territory on the other, specifically to mold the original intentions for those reckless youths who had just entered the cultivation world.
'Looking at it now, it has had an effect. Many people embrace those manufactured original intentions as their own, taking their worthless lives onto the battlefield.'
Pi Lingxiu was able to beco a Purple Palace cultivator precisely because he ran his Loyalty Squad well.
Wang Yulou was thinking more about the distinction between a cultivator's individual interests and collective interests.
Amidst fierce competition, cultivation itself was a path of individual transcendence.
In the very beginning, perhaps because the number of cultivators wasn't high, everyone could eat their fill.
But after eating their fill, the high-level cultivators no longer wanted to fight, and a stable hierarchy would erge.
In that stability, the grand cultivators could only extract benefits from below. Consequently, after the two-sect war had been fought for decades, rogue cultivators barely existed within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect anymore.
Under this squeezing of interests, if your opponents upped the ante, you had to follow suit. If your opponents acted inhumanly, you had to stop acting human as well.
This path seed hard to walk, and in reality, it was indeed difficult, because the system had developed to its current state precisely to weld the doors shut behind them.
Welding the doors shut wasn't enough. To pursue higher efficiency, they still needed to trick those cultivators who wanted to get on board into becoming fuel.
The grand cultivators of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect took ninety percent of the benefits, yet they encouraged their subordinates to trick the low-level cultivators within the sect's order into throwing their lives away, making them bear the cost on their behalf.
This matter carried a strong sense of dark humor.
Those low-level cultivators whose minds had been infiltrated by the "Protect the Sect, Love the Sect" propaganda thus beca fuel without ever understanding why.
"Old Ancestor, you are not incompetent."
Wang Xianmao fell silent, and the great tree grew still.
Wang Yulou simply leaned against the great tree's trunk, resting quietly for a long ti.
'Yulou, do you know why the bone thod of artifact refining is inferior to tals and stones in refining offensive magical artifacts, and inferior to the wood thod in refining functional magical artifacts, yet can still beco a major branch of the artificing path?'
Wang Xianmao suddenly spoke, posing a question to test Yulou.
Wang Yulou knew the answer, but he chose to feign ignorance.
"Old Ancestor, I don't really understand the bone thod of artifact refining."
The great tree extended a branch and patted Wang Yulou's head.
'You even try to lie to . Wouldn't I know perfectly well whether you understand it or not?
'I've only turned into a tree; it's not like I've gone stupid.
'You've sold so many spiritual artifacts you refined yourself in the Special rit Hall, and many of them were high-grade spiritual artifacts made from bone materials.'
Unsure of who had told the patriarch about his artifact refining skill, Wang Yulou sighed.
"I'm not very good at it. I was just refining blindly..."
'Alright. Be a bit more ruthless, a bit more selfish. Only then can you go far. A man-eating world has no room for so much kindness.
'Co on. These hundred-plus large bones of mine can be separated to refine three sets of spiritual artifacts.
'The ribs, spine, leg bones, and arm bones can make one set.
'The other scattered, broken spirit bones can make another set.
'Finally, taking out the skull separately, that can make one more set.
'Hahaha, when it cos to being worthy of the clan, I, Wang Xianmao, lose to no one.'
As the old patriarch sent the voice transmission, he simultaneously pushed out all the bones of his original body from within the great tree's trunk.
The bones of a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator—how could they not be pri bone materials?
If demonic beast bones could be refined, why couldn't cultivator bones be refined?
This was the core reason why the bone thod of artifact refining endured without declining.
The heartlands of the various provinces in the Immortal Alliance didn't have that many demonic beasts. In those places, what the bone thod artificers refined were "immortal bones"!
Breaking his entire body's bones down into three spiritual artifacts!
Just as the old patriarch had said, he was different from Wang Jingyi; he had poured too much of his heart's blood into the clan.
Even though he would teach Wang Yulou to be a bit selfish, he himself couldn't do it.
'Why are you standing there in a daze? Catch them.'
Seeing Wang Yulou standing there blankly, his eyes entirely red, Wang Xianmao spoke in dissatisfaction.
'Stop dilly-dallying, show so spirit. Just treat them as demon bones.
'Moreover, there isn't much more I can do for the clan. If Hongi's Black Vine Soul-Locking Art cannot be undone, give two of the three spiritual artifacts you refine to Yu'an and Ningyao.'
Wang Xianmao wasn't dead yet, but he had already begun settling his affairs. He didn't want to be the kind of old geezer who got cursed at, so he wanted to resolve his guilt toward Yu'an early.
At least, to get past it in his own heart.
"Old Ancestor, I..."
Logically speaking, Wang Yulou was already an eighty-sothing-year-old man himself. Having experienced so much over the years, his heart had long since grown incredibly hard. He only showed this vulnerability in front of the old patriarch.
But despite this, Wang Yulou still shed tears. He truly didn't know how to face this scene.
The deepest emotions in the mortal world were nothing more than this; words were hard-pressed to describe it.
'Refine! Wang Yuque, open the furnace!'
The great tree trembled its trunk, expressing his inner resolve.
There wasn't much he could do for the clan anymore. These were the final few matters, and he couldn't rest easy asking anyone else.
'You have cultivated the artificing path for seventy years. Today, you must refine them well and strive to successfully refine all three!'
Having cultivated the artificing path for his entire life, to think that today he actually had to refine the bones of the old ancestor who had always cared for and protected him.
Wang Yulou shook his head. Shook his head. Firmly shook his head.
"We aren't lacking these three, Old Ancestor. We aren't lacking these three."
'Are you saying I'm useless?'
Even moral kidnapping was used. At this mont, Wang Xianmao harbored a desire for self-realization, a belief in sacrificing his small self to fulfill the clan, and the free-spiritedness of breaking free from inner restraints.
He was about to die anyway. In the face of death, even his own bones were nothing more than worldly possessions.
"I'll refine them."
Taking a deep breath, Wang Yulou decided to fulfill the old ancestor's wish.
His current artifact refining equipnt was already at a level beyond the imagination of ordinary artificers.
A spiritual artifact refining furnace with ninety-nine layers of restrictions—its value was more than a dozen tis higher than sothing considered priceless.
The Red Lantern with its eighty-eight layers of restrictions acted as the source of spirit fire. It was clearly the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's most precious and representative spiritual artifact, yet here, it didn't seem nearly as outstanding.
That was because today's main attraction was the bones of Wang Xianmao's entire body, ready to be used for spiritual artifact refinent.
The black hexagonal profound green furnace, which inherently carried two divine abilities to assist in artifact refining, was an artificing path treasure Wang Yulou had commissioned Li Haikuo to find for him.
The Red Candle Spirit Fire rose from the Red Lantern. Under Wang Yulou's exquisite control, it road through the profound green furnace like a dragon or snake.
Refining a spiritual artifact, of course, couldn't be done with just a few bones. But since Wang Xianmao sought out Wang Yulou to refine them, he naturally knew that Wang Yulou wasn't lacking the relevant spiritual materials on hand.
The old ancestor cultivated wood thods, so it needed to be supplented with water and earth spiritual materials.
It would be best if they were spiritual materials possessing dual attributes of both water and earth, such as Clear Stream Spirit Soil.
But the inherent characteristics of the Clear Stream Spirit Soil were too functional, and it wasn't overly powerful.
Therefore, Clear Stream Spirit Soil was ruled out.
Then what should be used?
The remnant shell of the Stone Ancestor!
Back when Wang Yulou arranged for the Stone Ancestor to intercept Ancestor Jingyi, Ancestor Jingyi eventually returned to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. On her escape route, she conveniently slashed the Stone Ancestor twice, leaving behind three pieces of the Stone Ancestor's remnant shell.
A spirit turtle, yet the Stone Ancestor was a divine ability great demon with dual attributes of water and earth. Its specialty material paired perfectly with Wang Xianmao's bones.
However, combining bone material with bone material was too redundant in terms of properties. Other materials had to be added.
With the three attributes of wood, water, and earth present, why not add the remaining two attributes to complete the five elents and create a mixed-elent artifact?
Mixed-elent was good. As long as the restrictions could be inscribed well, its attributes could flawlessly adapt during magical combat, easily dealing with different enemies.
But mixed-elent was also difficult. One just had to think about it: if cultivating mixed-elent thods was hard for cultivators, attempting to achieve a mixed-elent effect on a spiritual artifact through restrictions during artifact refining directly elevated the difficulty by two magnitudes.
This kind of thing belonged to the artificing path techniques that only an extrely, extrely rare minority of Foundation Establishnt stage Master Artificers could grasp.
Extrely difficult.
Silently chanting a phrase about also having to repay Xuanzhuan's favor, Wang Yulou already had a fixed plan in mind.
Having an inheritance or not made a world of difference on the artificing path.
There were three keys to refining mixed-elent spiritual artifacts.
First, balancing the five elents.
But this balance wasn't the kind of balance where everything was exactly identical; rather, it was a state of equilibrium.
There might be differences in quality and power among the materials, but through inscribed restrictions and ticulous adjustnts, a balance of nine parts wood and one part for the rest could be achieved.
The balance of nine parts wood and one part for the rest referred to wood-attribute spiritual materials taking up ninety percent of the spiritual artifact, while the remaining four types of spiritual materials accounted for ten percent. And under such conditions, a balance of the five elents would be realized.
Of course, Wang Yulou's level wasn't that high yet. He could currently only achieve a fifty-fifty split.
Fifty percent for a single spiritual material attribute, and fifty percent for the other spiritual materials combined.
Second, the control of mutual generation and overcoming during the refining process.
Controlling mutual generation and overcoming required a clear understanding of the specific characteristics of different materials to arrange suitable refining sequences and techniques. This allowed the artificer to execute either a five-elent mutually generating refinent technique or a five-elent mutually overcoming refinent technique.
Neither thod was inherently superior. Most artificers chose a mutually generating sequence to refine artifacts because it was the least complicated. Today, however, Wang Yulou decided to use a mutually overcoming sequence.
The reason was simple: Wang Xianmao's spirit bones possessed too strong of a wood attribute. Since wood generated fire, Wang Yulou couldn't bear to let their spirituality burn away.
By starting with a mutually overcoming sequence, he would refine the earth and water elents first. This not only suited the unique characteristics of the Stone Ancestor's remnant shell, but also allowed him to embed the property of tal overcoming wood in the final stage.
Once the five elents were embedded into one another, the wear and tear of wood generating fire would be stabilized by the five-elent balance.
This was a clever trick of the artificing path, adapting to local conditions and practical reality. He had to account for the unique properties of both the Stone Ancestor's remnant shell and the old ancestor's spirit bones.
Third, the selection of the spiritual artifact's spiritual rhythm.
Mixed-elent spiritual artifacts possessed a certain degree of versatility in magical combat and general use, making them quite powerful. However, this versatility ca at a manifold cost.
For instance, their spiritual rhythm could not belong to a single attribute. Yet, mixed-elent spiritual rhythms were as rare in this world as fifth- or sixth-grade spiritual materials. Therefore, ordinary spiritual rhythm artifact refining thods could not be used.
He needed to use a soul as an artifact spirit to help the cultivator control the spiritual artifact's complex restrictions, allowing them to engage in magical combat using non-attributed spiritual rhythms.
Because mixed-elent spiritual artifacts were so difficult to refine, both the artificer and the materials required were usually extraordinary. As a result, the finished products were always considered premium among high-grade spiritual artifacts.
Consequently, most mixed-elent spiritual artifacts retained the potential to be upgraded into magic treasures in the future.
On one hand, the mixed-elent trait itself naturally possessed room for advancent. On the other hand, preparing the magic treasure's artifact spirit in advance allowed for early nurturing and fusion.
In short, Wang Yulou had chosen the most difficult refinent path for the old ancestor's spirit bones.
It seed like a blind gamble, but he was fully prepared.
Jade Ruyi, add points!
After exploring the Jade Ruyi's functions over the years, Wang Yulou could now achieve the effect of using it while simultaneously not using it.
'Using it' ant relying on it only when his control over the spirit fire was on the verge of collapse during artifact refining.
'Not using it' ant reducing the Jade Ruyi's rate of consumption whenever his normal control over the spirit fire encountered no problems.
Naturally, this reduction also ca with a discount to the Jade Ruyi's guaranteed success rate.
However, Wang Yulou was no longer an amateur artificer. Having refined over forty high-grade spiritual artifacts, he had plenty of experience in this domain.
'Yulou, how is your artificing path level even higher than mine?'
Wang Xianmao observed Yulou's artifact refining techniques with so surprise, but more than that, he felt delight.
In the past, he had been the Wang Clan's most formidable bone-thod Master Artificer. But looking at it now, Wang Yulou's level was clearly above his own.
With this, Wang Xianmao no longer had to worry that no one would be able to handle the clan's bone-thod artifact refining workload after he passed away.
After all, with so many spirit donkeys, the Wang Clan had a massive demand for the bone thod of the artificing path.
"Ah, it's not like that. I'm still far off, still far off."
Seeing that the kid wouldn't admit it, Wang Xianmao subconsciously sighed in helplessness, only to belatedly realize he couldn't even sigh anymore.
He fell silent to avoid disturbing Yulou. In truth, with Wang Yulou's current level, it wouldn't have affected him even if Wang Xianmao led a group of female cultivators from the Moon Splendor Sect to dance in front of him.
The reverse five-elent balancing process was extrely slow. Wang Yulou spent a full two days and two nights refining. During this period, Wang Yu'an and Wang Rongjiang each ca by once, but seeing him hard at work, neither disturbed him.
When the reverse five-elent balancing was finally complete, Wang Yulou let out a long breath.
"Patriarch, help inscribe Limitless Spiritual Opportunity!"
For a spiritual artifact's divine ability, the best-case scenario was for the artificer to know the ability themselves. That way, the inscription process would go smoothly.
However, this was difficult to achieve in reality. Artificers often lacked the right spiritual materials, so the majority of the spiritual artifacts they refined did not match their own divine abilities.
But Limitless Spiritual Opportunity was different. Because this divine ability was so widely spread, one could grab almost any seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator to help inscribe it.
'I will do my best!'
Saying he would do his best actually ant he was putting his old life on the line.
Although the Patriarch's current state was poor, he was still an existence with profound mastery over the artificing path. With his careful assistance, Limitless Spiritual Opportunity was steadily inscribed into this special set of mixed-elent spiritual artifacts.
"Hahaha, all that's missing now is an artifact spirit. We'll wait. Once I find a suitable artifact spirit, I'll seal it inside."
Non-attributed spiritual rhythms were easy to find. But the restrictions within mixed-elent spiritual artifacts were complex, involving the transformation of power between five different attributes. They were also difficult to control during magical combat, making an artifact spirit a necessity.
Finding a suitable artifact spirit was difficult. For a high-grade mixed-elent spiritual artifact to retain the potential to break through into the magic treasure realm, it had to be paired with a Great Demon soul. Furthermore, the Great Demon soul had to be willing to act as an artifact spirit.
Otherwise, it might work against the controller. In critical monts, this would directly determine life and death.
'There are still two left. My skull is harder to match. You can make an outer shell and use the layered inscription thod to refine a mid-grade dharma orb.
As for the remaining spirit bones, I estimate their upper limit is only at the level of mid-grade spiritual artifacts. A high-grade one is impossible.'
"Those aren't urgent. Old Ancestor, how about you na this set of mixed-elent spiritual artifacts?"
Naming it... The base material for this spiritual artifact was primarily his own spirit bones. It might be the very last mark he ever left on this world.
Thinking of this, Wang Xianmao didn't decline. He said,
'Just call it the Five Elents Flourishing Core. It holds the aning of a formation array and possesses the power of a spiritual artifact. Used well, it can play a huge role.
The flourishing of the five elents. I hope it can help our Wang Clan develop better and better.'
This set of mixed-elent spiritual artifacts used Wang Xianmao's ribs, spine, arm bones, and leg bones as its core base materials. After it was refined, it looked like an irregular cylinder.
However, it would definitely be placed in a Spirit Nurturing Box to be nourished in the future, so calling it the Five Elents Flourishing Core was perfectly fitting.
"A good na. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will definitely refine it into a magic treasure!"
Xiao Wang was a sensible, good child.
Wang Xianmao had no destiny with the Purple Palace throughout his life. After his death, having a spiritual artifact forged from his spirit bones refined into a magic treasure could be considered achieving a special kind of Purple Palace realm.
It could be said that Xiao Wang's words ward Wang Xianmao's heart imnsely.
The great tree's branches swayed, and the old ancestor said in a soft tone,
'Don't talk big. Refine the remaining two artifacts first. Do you want to rest for a day before continuing?'
"There's no need, I'll continue refining. I am confident I can refine the skull into a high-grade spiritual artifact as well. But those remaining scattered spirit bones will be a bit troubleso. My plan is to add a few more materials and separate them into three mid-grade artifacts."
The skull and the main spirit bones would be refined into two high-grade artifacts, while the scattered spirit bones would beco three mid-grade artifacts. This was Wang Yulou's plan.
This did not an Wang Yulou was so heartless as to calculate the value of the old ancestor's bones in terms of spirit stones.
From the old ancestor's perspective, he simply hoped to make one last contribution to the clan. Wang Yulou rely wanted to help him fulfill this wish to the best of his abilities.
When Wang Yulou first stepped into the cultivation world, the master who taught him the artificing path was Hongi. Hongi had exerted a huge influence on Wang Yulou.
Simplify when necessary. Simplified version spiritual artifacts weren't easy to use, but as long as they were refined well, they still had a chance to play a major role within specific situations.
Wang Yulou was always very careful when using the Jade Ruyi during normal artifact refinent. After all, the golden radiance was not easy to accumulate. It wasn't a fixed value, but rather a relative experiential one. Often, it still required Wang Yulou to have a solid foundation of his own to bring out its maximum effect.
Even though he used it cautiously, the re existence of the golden radiance gave Wang Yulou a sense of supre confidence: Even if the refinent is about to fail, I have nothing to fear.
It was exactly because of this confidence that Wang Yulou's mastery of the artificing path could pull far ahead of ordinary artificers and those with minor talent like Wang Yu'an.
"Sure, how about I call Yu'an over to be your assistant?"
Although Wang Yu'an had matured, his understanding of spiritual artifacts on the artificing path was akin to having nine of his ten apertures unblocked—aning his final aperture was still completely blocked, leaving him clueless.
What kind of help could he provide Wang Yulou by coming here?
Therefore, the Patriarch's true intent was to have Yu'an and Yulou settle his final affairs together. In terms of timing, the transition started today. This was an implicitly conveyed passing down of clan responsibility.
Although it was heartbreaking, Ancestor Xianmao didn't believe Wang Rongjiang's aptitude was enough to shoulder the clan's heavy burden. Following Wang Rongyuan's death, Wang Rongjiang would highly likely only serve as a transitional patriarch.
The clan's future burden had to be shouldered by either Wang Yulou or Wang Yu'an. Realizing that dividing the clan was a dead end, Wang Yulou had already admitted his past mistake.
"Alright, I'll call him over right now."
It didn't take long for Yu'an, having received his older brother's ssage, to fly up to Dumb Donkey Plain.
After understanding the specific details of Wang Yulou's artifact refinent, even though Yu'an was already at the Foundation Establishnt stage, he still found it difficult to soothe his surging emotions.
At this mont, the heavy weight of legacy beca incomparably concrete in his heart.
In truth, Wang Xianmao didn't an to pressure these two kids. When he told Wang Yulou to refine his spirit bones, he had certainly used a bit of moral kidnapping, but prior to that, he had explicitly advised Yulou to be absolutely selfish—advice that completely contradicted his identity as Patriarch.
The inherent complexity of a cultivator never vanished at any point throughout their entire life.
The old ancestor hoped Wang Yulou would be a bit more selfish, harbor fewer scruples and restraints, and climb a little higher and farther, precisely because he, along with his brothers Xianhe and Xianzhou, carried far too many regrets and unreconciled feelings.
The old ancestor hoped Yulou could lead the Wang Clan to thrive and prosper because he had dedicated his entire life to the clan, willingly trapping himself within his original intentions.
Accompanied by Yu'an and the old ancestor over the next few days, Wang Yulou continuously consud multiple bottles of spiritual pills to boost his focus and vitality. Miraculously, in just three short days, he refined another high-grade spiritual artifact dharma orb, two mid-grade spiritual artifacts, and one low-grade spiritual artifact.
He rushed the work because he couldn't leave the frontlines for too long and had to return as soon as possible. As for the low-grade spiritual artifact, it turned out that way because the Jade Ruyi's golden radiance had been depleted, leaving him with no way to fully salvage the refinent into a mid-grade artifact.
...
However, despite one piece failing to et expectations, Wang Yulou's mastery of the artificing path still left the Patriarch and Yu'an in awe.
The two brothers left Dumb Donkey Plain side by side. On the way, Yu'an spoke to Wang Yulou about his impressions.
"Brother, I feel like I might not be able to catch up to you in this lifeti..."
Wang Yu'an spoke dryly. Looking at Wang Yulou, he felt like a mayfly gazing up at the vast azure sky.
One must rember, Wang Yulou was the exact sa age as him—not even ninety yet!
"That's going too far. This isn't the Wang Yu'an in my heart. Wait until you've roughly filled in the gaps of your relevant inheritances and your level allows you to refine mid-grade spiritual artifacts.
Then I can assign you an order under the na of the Special rit Hall. You can slowly train yourself up."
This wasn't Wang Yulou illicitly transferring benefits. With those two beasts, Yi Zouri and Zou Tianxing, staring at him, he didn't dare act recklessly.
Only when Yu'an could stably refine mid-grade spiritual artifacts without losing money—or only losing a little—could Yulou compliantly provide him with an opportunity without being caught and interrogated by others.
"Is that true? An older brother doesn't lie to his younger brother, right?"
Glaring at Yu'an, Wang Yulou retorted in laughing anger,
"With you saying that, I kinda want to make a joke out of it now~"
"Ah, brother, my own dear brother, you..."
The two of them left Dumb Donkey Plain laughing and joking around, while Ancestor Xianmao swayed his trunk.
He wanted to shout, but he knew the words he wanted to say shouldn't be shouted out.
As a great tree, he truly couldn't speak anyway, so he could only use the swaying of his trunk to express the joy in his heart.
Within Wang Yulou's confusion, Wang Xianmao saw the posture that a true cultivator should possess.
That was a posture of constant exploration. That was a posture of forever looking toward the distance. Hidden within it was ambition, alongside reverence and humility.
Although Wang Yulou botched the refinent of one spiritual artifact, even if he had blown them all up, it wouldn't change a single fact.
Our clan's Yulou has the aptitude of a Golden Core!
With his branches and leaves swaying, Wang Xianmao shouted in the silence. He shouted.
User Comments
0 comments from readers