"I've been suppressing the Devil's Cave outside and haven't returned to the sect for sixteen years. Why is it that I'm greeted by such filthy air as soon as I return? It looks like I'll have to meet the Sect Master and raise the morale of the younger generation of disciples. "
A cultivator with a strange appearance and a pair of pupils floated in the air a thousand feet above the ground, looking down.
He wore a purple-gold Daoist robe and held a green bamboo branch in his right hand, leaning against his shoulder. At his feet lay a lazy spirit beast that looked like a cat but wasn't a cat, like a tiger but wasn't a tiger. Its body was covered in gorgeous gold and red stripes.
He looked at it a few more times and committed Zhang Yan's appearance to memory before flying away.
On Spirit Page Island, Zhang Yan waved his hand and the twelve bamboo baskets containing the Inkstone Chi flew into the air and onto the flying boat.
After gathering Mei Ji back, he flew into the air and closed the restriction before driving the flying boat back to Ying Luo Island at full speed.
In less than two hours, the huge bluestone screen wall came into view. However, after a few glances, he discovered that the island was already empty. The disciples who had been sitting and listening to the Dao had all been dismissed, leaving only the two elders and the accompanying Daoist children.
A meaningful smile appeared on Zhang Yan's face. No wonder the two of them had sent him away. It turned out that they had this plan.
Although he had defeated Feng Ming on the spot, he hadn't confirmed the ownership of the Star Sword Orb. Moreover, he had hurriedly gone to capture the Inkstone Chi after exchanging a few words with Elder Chen and Elder Xun, so no one knew what the outcome was. Naturally, he could minimize the negative effects of this matter on Feng Ming.
As for the disciples wandering around in the future, if it was Zhang Yan himself, he only needed to give Feng Ming another sword orb and find an opportunity to display it in front of everyone. That way, no one would look down on him.
Seeing that Zhang Yan had returned so quickly, Elder Xun and Elder Chen on the stone platform looked at each other, a hint of surprise in their eyes.
Originally, they wanted to make things difficult for Zhang Yan. Now, it seemed that they had really succeeded.
Zhang Yan controlled the flying boat to slowly descend from the sky. Before it reached the ground, he pushed out his sleeve, and a burst of spiritual energy surged out, overturning the twelve bamboo baskets. Over a thousand lively Inkstone Pythons instantly fell from the sky, splashing onto the stone platform in front of the two elders like rain.
At the same time, he said in a clear voice, "Elder Xun, is the number correct?"
Elder Xun laughed loudly, his vigorous laughter resounding through the clouds. His tall and sturdy body flashed as he stood up and said, "We can't miss such a delicacy."
He raised his neck and opened his mouth, creating a huge white tornado out of thin air. Before those Inkstone Pythons could even land on the ground, they were sucked in. There seemed to be countless tiny cyan cyclones swirling and dancing in the tornado, and there were even fiery red sparks swimming around.
The Inkstone Pythons only spun once in the tornado before all the scales on their bodies were peeled off. After another spin, the white and tender flesh of the fish sizzled, as if there was an invisible flame continuously roasting it. In an instant, it turned into a golden color, giving off a wonderful fragrance. When it came to the third spin, the flesh of the fish was actually separated from the bones, before finally being tossed into Elder Xun's seemingly bottomless mouth.
When the Sky-Encompassing Fish Feast ended, a tall pile of fish bones was piled up under Elder Xun's feet. Every fish bone was in perfect condition, and there was not the slightest bit of minced meat left on them. Even the smallest parts were pure white and exquisite, shining like crystals, as if they had been polished by the most meticulous craftsman.
There was only the thick fragrance of roasted fish left in the air.
Zhang Yan understood that this was Elder Xun showing him his control over Core Fiendish Qi, and also secretly giving him a warning, telling him not to overstep his boundaries.
However, he did not care. On the path of cultivation, he would fight when he had to, and take when he had to. As long as he did not break the rules of the sect, and followed the rules that were laid out in the open, no one could find fault with him, and there was nothing they could do to him.
At this moment, the flying boat landed on the ground, and Zhang Yan stepped out. He raised his hands in a salute and said, "Elder Xun, I wonder if the number of Inkstone Pythons is correct?"
Elder Xun laughed and said, "There are a total of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. Not only is the number correct, it's even more than that. Zhang Yan, I've still underestimated you. If that's the case …" He turned around and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Chen, what belongs to him will belong to him, and what doesn't belong to him will not be taken away."
Elder Chen coughed and said, "Zhang Yan, this is your opportunity. Keep this Stars Sword Sphere well, and I hope you know what to do." With a flick of his finger, a speck of blue light flew out.
Zhang Yan stretched out his hand to catch it, and felt a cool object fall into his palm.
He opened his palm to take a look, and found that this sword sphere was the size of a fist. It was surrounded by spiritual Qi, and there were stardust revolving around it. Carefully feeling it, he found that it was full of vitality, and there seemed to be the sound of breathing. It was a water element sword sphere. He nodded and put it into his sleeve, preparing to go back and refine it.
Elder Xun took out a jade scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Zhang Yan as well, saying, "This is the technique of 'creating something from nothing'. Destroy it after you look at it, and do not teach it to others. Otherwise, the sect rules will not forgive you!" At the end of his sentence, his voice was like thunder, shaking the entire island to the point that the grass and trees on it rustled, and his power was extremely ferocious.
Zhang Yan, on the other hand, was calm and unmoved. He clasped his hands together and said, "Zhang Yan understands. Elders, I'll take my leave."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step forward, and a cloud appeared and lifted him up, and he floated away.
Elder Xun's eyes widened, and he said in surprise, "Riding on the cloud? This Zhang Yan is only at the second level of Clear Qi, and he can already do this. Could it be that he cultivates Junior Nephew Sun's' Hidden Book of Waves Clouds'? "
Elder Chen frowned as well, and he tugged at his beard as he said, "Could it be that this kid is a hidden pawn that Junior Nephew Sun set up? Why have I never heard him mention this?"
Elder Xun shook his head and said, "I don't understand, I don't understand. However, this Zhang Yan revealed his ability today, and it tells us that he isn't without foundation. Nevermind, I originally intended to find an opportunity to temper him, but now it would seem like I should forget about it, so as to avoid spoiling Martial Nephew Sun's plans and taking it out on us like he did the last time."
Elder Chen sighed. "Alas, only four of the ten great disciples in the sect belong to the same line as us, yet we're still on guard against each other here and can't unite as a group. How would we go against the clans? There's another two years before the sect competition, and if we're unable to foster a few capable disciples, then we'll sooner or later be suppressed by the clans and be unable to rise again. "
Elder Xun nodded, and then he seemed to have thought of something and slapped himself on the head as he said, "I heard that Zhuang Bu Fan will be returning to the sect soon. With him holding down the fort, he'll surely be able to suppress the arrogance of all the disciples of the clans."
"Oh?" Elder Chen's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard as he said, "Martial Nephew Zhuang is returning to the sect? Good, good, good. In this way, our line of master and disciple will have a greater chance of winning the competition two years from now, and if we foster a few capable disciples, then it won't be impossible for us to suppress the clans. "
Elder Xun nodded, and then he withdrew an object from his sleeve and said, "We have to deal with Feng Ming properly, so as to prevent him from forming an inner demon. That would be bad. Since my Eldest Brother has already refined a Star Sword Orb for me, then the sword orb I used earlier is useless. Why don't you pass it to him on my behalf so that he can cultivate in peace and have fewer distracting thoughts? His natural talent is superb, and if he's able to live up to my expectations, then he'll surely be able to fight for a place in the competition."
Actually, this was an action that had no other choice. Feng Ming was one of the disciples that they all thought highly of, and they intended to support. It would be fine if he didn't live up to expectations, but it just so happened that it wasn't his fault this time, and if there was a fault, then it was related to their arrangements.
Elder Chen stretched out his hand to receive the sword orb, and he muttered, "I noticed that he was depressed when he left, and there was a knot in his heart. Senior Brother's good intentions, I hope he can understand it."
Elder Xun laughed heartily and said, "Fate is determined by the heavens, and the Great Dao is determined by the heart. If he can't even overcome this obstacle, how will he be able to compete with the disciples of the clans in the future? This change will allow us to see exactly what his temperament is like, and whether he's worthy of the praise of the elders! "
Elder Chen nodded in agreement, "That's right."
Zhang Yan returned to Spirit Page Island, and after returning to his cave abode, he deactivated the island's restrictions. When he saw Luo Xiao walking in, he took out the sword orb in his hand and showed it to her, asking her to appraise it.
When Luo Xiao saw the sword orb, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she held it in her hand to take a few more glances. She praised, "Congratulations, Old Master. Not only is this sword orb filled with spiritual Qi, it also contains a trace of spirituality. Only a Yuanying expert can refine it, and its quality is superb. What's more precious is that it's still an unpolished piece of unpolished gold. If you refine it with your blood essence, and then place it in your chest to nourish, it will be able to improve along with your cultivation. If you can nurture spirituality and give birth to a sword spirit, it will become a transcendent artifact with infinite power."
However, Zhang Yan shook his head and smiled, "Sword spirit? It's easier said than done. It can be called a 'profound artifact'. My Stars Sword Orb can at most be called a transcendent artifact. In my opinion, even if I use a nurturing technique to strengthen its spirituality, it will still take a hundred years to see results. "
Transcendent artifacts were also divided into high and low grades. For example, the flying sword and copper spear Zhang Yan had were all 'transcendent artifacts'. When it was activated, it completely depended on the cultivator's cultivation. Without the support of spiritual Qi, it would be like an ordinary object.
As for the Destiny Pen, the Soul Suppressing Inkstone, the Gold Magnetic Copper Mirror, the Ruyi Divine Shuttle, and the Heart-striking Hammer, they were all high-grade spirit artifacts. Because they already possessed a bit of intelligence, after being refined with Blood Essence, one only needed to use a small amount of True Essence Qi to injure the enemy.
Only when a transcendent artifact became a 'true artifact' could it give birth to its own consciousness. At this moment, the transcendent artifact would have a trace of spirituality, and if it could take a step further and become a 'profound artifact', it would be able to transform into a human. With its own consciousness, it could cultivate and achieve the Dao like a cultivator.
Therefore, there were often some transcendent artifacts in the world that had cultivated a dharma spirit and hid in the deep mountains and great lakes to avoid being captured and refined into slaves by cultivators.
He heard that above the 'true artifact', there was still the mysterious' Dao artifact '. This was not something he could speculate about.
However, it was best to refine the flying sword himself. Only then could his mind and spirit truly be in perfect harmony. It was just that his Xuan cultivation had not reached that level yet; he could only use the things refined by others.
Zhang Yan held the Stars Sword Orb in his hand and was about to use his blood essence to refine it. However, at this moment, he had a sudden impulse. The Qi in his body throbbed, as if there was some force behind him urging them. He couldn't help but smile, "The time has come. Today is the day to break through the third realm of Clear Qi!"
…
…
PS: My elders went to celebrate the birthday and I came back late. Sorry.
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