In the evening, at Zhiwei Pavillion, Wang Rongyuan led Yulou and Yu'an straight up to the second floor after they left Huafeng Residence.
"Let see that Black Jade Oil Bead of yours."
As soon as they sat down, Wang Rongyuan asked Yulou for the mid-grade spiritual artifact that Redbrow had bestowed upon him.
Of course, he did not want to steal the treasure. Uncle Rongyuan was rely unsure of the artifact's true quality.
Yulou naturally would not refuse. He quickly took out the Black Jade Oil Bead and handed it to his clan uncle.
After examining it carefully with his divine sense for a long ti, Wang Rongyuan nodded with satisfaction.
"Four of the restrictions are quite common, and our family possesses them. Of the remaining five layers of restrictions, two seem to be unique to stone-based artifacts, while the final three likely enhance its power and add utility. Zhong Tianshuo truly possesses genuine skill. The Patriarch's judgnt was correct; your apprenticeship fee was not wasted!"
The money had been well spent. Once this was confird, the greatest weight on Wang Rongyuan's mind vanished. The Wang Clan did not fear spending spirit stones; they only feared that Householder Redbrow lacked true capability.
"Study diligently under Redbrow for ten years. Once you return to the family, we will help you further refine this Black Jade Oil Bead. Refining it to fourteen layers of restrictions should not be an issue."
Receiving his very first spiritual artifact, Yulou was sowhat astonished.
"Fourteen layers? Didn't Master say it could only hold thirteen layers of restrictions at most?"
One had to know that a mid-grade spiritual artifact with fourteen layers of restrictions was only three layers short of the upper limit of seventeen layers. It could be considered a peak masterpiece among mid-grade spiritual artifacts!
Wang Rongyuan stroked his beard with pride and said,
"What does he know? Our Wang Clan possesses many secret refinent thods. Fourteen layers are absolutely within reach, and if everything goes smoothly, fifteen layers might not even be impossible! Where is your turtle shell? Co, let take a look at that too."
"It is the Golden-Horned Mud Turtle Shell, not just a turtle shell..." Yu'an muttered, handing his own turtle shell over to Uncle Rongyuan.
Yulou smiled and poured a cup of wine for his clan uncle, remaining silent.
"It's about the sa. Yu'an, this protective treasure of yours is indeed extraordinary."
Feeling Yu'an's turtle shell, Wang Rongyuan remarked with a sigh,
"The strength of a Golden-Horned Mud Turtle ranges from the Qi Drawing realm to the Qi Refining stage. Once it reaches the Foundation Establishnt stage, it transforms into a Golden-Horned Jade Turtle. The golden horn and jade shell of a Golden-Horned Jade Turtle are both materials for refining spirit tools. Unfortunately, yours seems to be a mud turtle shell only from the advanced stage of the Qi Drawing realm. However, if the Patriarch himself steps in, he should be able to help you refine it up to seventeen layers of restrictions. Ultimately, this turtle was only at the Qi Drawing realm. If it had reached the early Qi Refining level, it would have been an excellent base for a high-grade spiritual artifact!"
Yulou could no longer sit still, and he asked, "Is our Wang Family's artifact refining proficiency truly that high?"
Redbrow was already considered the absolute ceiling of the artificing path within the Qi Refining stage, and Huafeng Residence's business was famously successful across several neighboring markets.
Yet Redbrow claid the Black Jade Oil Bead could hold thirteen layers of restrictions at most, while Wang Rongyuan claid fourteen or fifteen layers were possible. Redbrow claid Yu'an's turtle shell could hold fifteen layers at most, while Wang Rongyuan indicated they could push it straight to seventeen layers.
Uncle, if our family's inheritance in the artificing path is so extraordinary, why did we spend so much money to seek out Redbrow?
"Not quite. Redbrow is said to be a dual master of tal and stone, but he does not understand the Earth Nurturing thod. The Black Jade Oil Bead uses black jade, an earth-attribute spiritual material, as its core base. Redbrow calculated that it could not be refined beyond thirteen layers of restrictions. But if I were to personally step in and refine it using our family's inherited Earth Nurturing thod, a fifteen-layer restriction should be possible!"
Yulou nodded thoughtfully. Just then, the waiter of Zhiwei Pavillion brought up the dishes for their dinner, so Yulou rose to pour another cup of wine for Uncle Rongyuan.
Although the Wang Clan was not an imnsely famous clan, it had been passed down for many years and possessed deep foundations.
Uncle Rongyuan, utilizing his earth spirit root alongside the Earth Nurturing thod, could surpass Redbrow and elevate the Black Jade Oil Bead to the level of fifteen layers of restrictions.
He had to curry favor; he absolutely had to curry favor!
Handing the turtle shell back to Yu'an, Wang Rongyuan added,
"The material of this turtle shell simultaneously possesses both tal and bone properties. Redbrow giving it to you ans he knows the Patriarch can refine it. He is extending a favor to our family!"
Yulou and Yu'an looked at each other. Did a simple apprenticeship involve so many hidden calculations behind the scenes?
"Uncle Rongyuan, just how many spirit stones did our Wang Family pay for us to apprentice under Redbrow?" Yulou ultimately could not contain his curiosity and asked aloud.
Seeing the inquisitive gazes of the two boys, Wang Rongyuan pondered for a mont. He took the wine pot and cups from the table and poured a cup for each of the two young lads.
"This is?" Yulou was puzzled.
"Uncle, the clan rules state that disciples of the Wang Clan are not allowed to drink spirit wine before they achieve success in their Qi Refining. Drinking easily leads to trouble—it is written in the clan precepts!"
Perhaps stimulated by Wang Rongyuan's habitual scoldings, the foolish Yu'an was now remarkably adept at rembering the clan precepts.
"I am watching over you. Just one cup each will be fine."
For so reason, Wang Rongyuan did not flick Yu'an's forehead this ti. He raised his wine cup and said,
"As for apprenticing under Redbrow, our Wang Clan did not spend a single spirit stone."
"Huh?"
Seeing the astonishnt of the two teenagers, Wang Rongyuan added with a bitter smile, "We waived twenty years of rent for that man nad Zhong!"
This was a simple multiplication problem, and Yulou calculated it almost within a single second.
Four thousand eight hundred spirit stones!
Four thousand eight hundred... How many lives of Qi Refining cultivators could that amount buy!
Faced with such a staggering sum of wealth, Yu'an was sowhat dazed, rely feeling instinctively that it was too expensive. Yulou, however, already felt a mountain-like weight descending upon his shoulders.
He had to drain Redbrow dry! He had to learn every single one of his thods in the artificing path!
"Co, let us not dwell on that. The three of us, uncle and nephews, shall have a drink together. Let us share a drink. For the next few years, you will be staying here at Qingxi Market. I am bound by clan duties and will find it difficult to co visit you."
Uncle Rongyuan looked at the two young lads of the Wang family with a touch of heartache, sighing with emotion.
There are many turning points in a person's life, and leaving ho to seek knowledge is one of them.
Being sent by the family to study hundreds of miles away at the age of thirteen seed, no matter how one looked at it, sowhat unfeeling.
Yulou had no parents and had been alone since childhood.
Yu'an was far away from his mother and father, and his character was still immature.
Even Wang Rongyuan did not know whether they would successfully complete their studies and return ho.
Redbrow's thods were profound, and Qingxi Market was guarded by a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, so it should be safe. He was originally at ease.
Yet Yu'an and Yulou were children he had watched grow up, so how could Wang Rongyuan not feel a sense of tenderness and concern?
"Uncle Rongyuan, are you about to leave?" Yu'an asked blankly.
"Hahaha, now that I have delivered you safely, of course I have to leave. Furthermore, the Immortal Alliance has issued a decree to every Foundation Establishnt Immortal Clan. Our Wang Clan must send one Qi Refining cultivator every year to the West Sea to participate in the demon hunting campaigns against the beasts. For the next ten years, I will be in the West Sea, thousands of miles away from here. You will no longer have to worry about slapping the back of your head."
For so reason, even though not having to suffer his uncle's physical discipline ought to be a good thing, Yu'an simply could not bring himself to be happy. The boy's nose grew sour, and he nearly burst into tears.
Demon hunting in the West Sea sounded like a grand affair where one could reap great rits, but many ancestors of the Wang Clan had gone there and never returned.
"The rit Hall of the Red Lantern Sect is about to arrive at Qingxi Market. Uncle Rongyuan, can you not wait a bit longer before leaving?" Yulou did not know what else to say. Wang Rongyuan seed to be leaving far too in a hurry.
"In a few days, the Patriarch will arrive with Rongwen. With them present, it is the sa as being here. Co, let us drink. Yu'an, there is no need to pull such a long face. You look as though you are sending off to a funeral; it is bad luck."
Wang Rongyuan glared at Yu'an, and Yu'an hastily raised his wine cup.
The three cups clinked together, and each drank their contents in a single gulp.
This year, Yulou was thirteen, apprenticed to Householder Redbrow at Qingxi Market.
Yu'an was also thirteen, still just a foolish boy with a strange obsession with the family precepts.
Uncle Rongyuan had just turned seventy. With his cultivation accomplished, he accepted the decree of the Immortal Alliance on behalf of the Wang Clan and departed for the West Sea, thousands of miles away, to engage in demon hunting.
It was clearly just a brief, ordinary gathering between an uncle and his nephews, but from that mont onward, they were separated by thousands of miles.
Perhaps this, too, was a part of cultivation.
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