Chapter 336 - 327: Spirit Beast Breakthrough, 13 Years of Cultivation in Seclusion

Chapter 336: Chapter 327: Spirit Beast Breakthrough, 13 Years of Cultivation in Seclusion

Those who reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage were all heaven-gifted prodigies with naturally immense combat power.

But even so, with his Corpse Puppet and Spirit Beasts, he was capable of fighting a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator.

Of course, he wouldn’t do so unless absolutely necessary. It was simply too risky.

If his opponent was in a similar situation, with numerous trump cards and formidable combat power, he would be in grave danger.

After that, Zhang Chi resumed his regular cultivation and found his progress was just as he had expected.

In the blink of an eye, three years passed, and Zhang Chi was now two hundred twenty-six years old.

Not much had changed in that year; Zhang Chi’s Alchemy and Artifact Refining had still not broken through to the next level.

But one morning, a Golden Core Cultivator from Canglan City came to pay him a visit.

The visitor had a fiery figure and was dressed in red, looking quite enchanting. It was none other than Zheng Hongping.

The moment she saw Zhang Chi, Zheng Hongping delivered a piece of news, causing him to let out a soft sigh.

"Wei Wei failed his Nascent Soul Formation and perished? He didn’t have enough Spiritual Objects, not even a Vein-Protecting Pill? Alas, what a pity!"

’And here I was, thinking of following the Canglan City Lord’s example and investing in him. Looks like that failed spectacularly. Then again, it’s to be expected. After all, Nascent Soul Formation is incredibly difficult to begin with. Without a Vein-Protecting Pill and sufficient Spiritual Objects, success is purely a matter of luck.’

"Yes. Before Junior Brother Wei went into seclusion, he told me that if he failed and perished, I was to give this Beast Hide Map to Junior Martial Uncle Wu and you, Junior Martial Uncle Chen. It’s to repay your kindness. I came this time to deliver this hide."

Zheng Hongping was also filled with regret, and even great sadness.

For Wei Wei to attempt Nascent Soul Formation, their small team had expended enormous resources; it could be described as an all-or-nothing gamble.

If Wei Wei had succeeded and become a Nascent Soul Cultivator, he could have helped the others with their own Nascent Soul Formation.

Gathering Spiritual Objects would have become much easier that way.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Wei Wei’s chances of success were over fifty percent, yet he still perished. Because of this, their hopes were utterly crushed.

It would clearly be a long time before they got another chance.

As for the Vein-Protecting Pill, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to acquire one, but they were short on funds and simply couldn’t get their hands on it at the time.

Of course, Wei Wei had also been spurred on by Zhang Chi’s own success.

Otherwise, if he had waited a few more decades, he definitely would have had a chance to obtain a Vein-Protecting Pill, and perhaps even more supplementary Spiritual Objects for Nascent Soul Formation.

But Zheng Hongping clearly didn’t dare to mention this part.

"Are there two identical copies of this beast hide?"

Zhang Chi’s curiosity was piqued as he accepted the black Beast Hide. He saw that it depicted some patterns, seemingly the internal layout of a palace.

"No, I made a special imprint of Junior Martial Uncle Wu’s copy onto a blank Jade Scroll. Also, this is something Junior Brother Wei acquired by accident. It should be a map to some Secret Realm, but he could never find the actual location."

"Since you and the other junior martial uncle have higher cultivation and greater abilities, perhaps you’ll be able to discover something. Plus, Junior Brother Wei didn’t have anything else of value, which is why he did this. I hope you won’t find it lacking, Junior Martial Uncle."

Zheng Hongping answered respectfully, feeling a little apprehensive.

"Why would I find it lacking? Even if this turns out to be useless, it doesn’t matter. After all, helping him back then was no trouble at all. I wouldn’t have minded even if he offered nothing in return, and I believe Senior Brother Wu feels the same," Zhang Chi said, shaking his head slightly as he casually put the Beast Hide away.

He had originally thought Wei Wei was a bit arrogant and prone to jealousy, but now his impression of the man had improved somewhat.

At least the man knew how to repay a debt of gratitude.

His death couldn’t help but make Zhang Chi reflect on how incomparably cruel the path of Immortal Cultivation truly was.

Hearing this, Zheng Hongping couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat moved.

After that, Zheng Hongping chatted with Zhang Chi for a while longer. Seeing that he seemed to be losing interest, she tactfully took her leave.

’I wonder how many of them will succeed. But that has nothing to do with me. At most, I’d invest some of my breakthrough insights. After all, my own resources aren’t exactly plentiful.’

’If I go around casually helping people I have no connection with, I’ll sooner or later end up in the same predicament.’

Zhang Chi immediately cast aside these stray thoughts and continued his cultivation in seclusion.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed. Zhang Chi’s Alchemy and Artifact Refining Technique had finally broken through, one after the other.

Since Zhang Chi already possessed a good number of Tier Four Spirit Pills, the long delay in advancing his Alchemy hadn’t hindered his Cultivation.

Of course, it was only Zhang Chi who considered it a long time.

If other cultivators knew he had achieved breakthroughs in both Alchemy and Artifact Refining in just over a decade, they would surely exclaim that he was a monster.

’Good. It’s time to refine the Nascent Soul Pills and Lifespan Extension Pills.’

Without further delay, Zhang Chi immediately fired up his pill furnace to begin the alchemy process.

His Tier Four Alchemy was truly extraordinary. He successfully refined three Nascent Soul Pills at once. Although they were all of ordinary quality, this was still an astonishing result.

’No wonder the Sect offers an exchange service. The skill level of the Sect’s senior Tier Four Alchemists must be even higher than mine.’

’Even without the aid of the Divine Refining Technique and the Hundred Herbs Spirit Fire, they can probably produce at least two ordinary-quality pills. And that, without a doubt, is a surefire profit!’

Zhang Chi sighed in admiration amidst his joy.

Next, he began refining the Lifespan Extension Pills.

He formed one profound Spirit Technique seal after another, deftly processing the numerous materials with movements as smooth as flowing water.

The reason was simple: practice makes perfect.

Three days later, the Pill Furnace suddenly flew into the air as a five-colored mist rose to fill the space. Then, seven thumb-sized pills, shimmering with Spiritual Light, flew out.

Three of them were actually of inferior quality, or what one might call Wasted Pills, but the other four were acceptable.

Seeing this, Zhang Chi was quite satisfied.

He then consumed two of the acceptable pills and two of the Wasted Pills, sealing the remainder in a Jade Bottle and putting them away.

Through his calculations and powerful Divine Soul Perception, he was delighted to discover that the results were just as he had anticipated.

The two Wasted Pills had the combined effect of one acceptable pill, successfully increasing his lifespan by eighty years. The two acceptable pills added a total of one hundred and sixty years.

In other words, just from taking these Tier Three Life Extension Pills, he had increased his lifespan by two hundred and forty years.

His total lifespan limit had therefore risen to over sixteen hundred years.

After that, Zhang Chi took out the Black Sand Profound Snake Hide, Star Divine Iron, and other Artifact Refining Materials to begin upgrading and refining his Magical Treasures.

His plan was to first use the Snake Hide as the primary material to refine a suit of Upper Grade Magical Treasure Armor. Secondly, he would upgrade his Array Map and refine more Magical Treasure Flying Swords.

At the same time, he also wanted to upgrade his existing Magical Treasures, like his Flying Swords and Beast Soul Banner, as much as possible.

Fortunately, he had been preparing for this for years.

For example, he had already practiced refining the Flying Swords and armor countless times in the Dream Space.

As a result, the refining process went very smoothly.

In less than a year, he successfully refined and upgraded his numerous Magical Treasures, all without delaying his regular Cultivation.

’Excellent. With the enhancement from this equipment, my combat power and defense have increased dramatically. I no longer need to fear any cultivator of the same tier!’

At that moment, looking at the Black Armor on his body, the twenty-one Flying Swords hovering before him, and his many other Magical Treasures, he couldn’t help but feel quite satisfied.

SWOOSH!

He raised his hand and pointed. The Flying Swords immediately transformed into a dazzling Sword Light and shot forward violently.

The Corpse Puppet, serving as a target, was instantly bombarded and knocked back continuously, even as it threw punches to defend itself.

With another wave of his hand, the Array Map and Flying Swords formed a Sword Array, drawing upon starlight to operate fiercely. The Corpse Puppet was instantly covered in wounds.

He quickly stopped the attack, and only then did the Corpse Puppet recover.

If anyone had been there to witness this scene, they would have been utterly astounded.

This was because all twenty-one Flying Swords were Upper Grade. The fact that Zhang Chi could activate them all simultaneously, and with such ease—even coordinating them with the Array Map to form an array—was simply incredible.

Furthermore, all twenty-one Flying Swords were actually his Lifebound Magical Treasures. Empowered by various factors, their Mighty Power was comparable to that of a Top Grade Magical Treasure.

The reason Zhang Chi could command them so easily was precisely that his Divine Thought and Magical Power were far stronger than those of an ordinary Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator.

Afterward, Zhang Chi recalled his Flying Swords and tested his other Magical Treasures, finding their effects to be equally impressive.

Next, Zhang Chi unleashed the Demon Flame Sky Burning Technique and the Blood Shadow Divine Escape. He found the former to be exceedingly powerful, while the latter was absurdly fast—several times faster than even the Perfect Blood Escape Technique.

Evidently, he had already cultivated both of these Celestial Grade Magic Skills to the Perfection stage.

The results were just as he expected: thanks to the protection of the Jade Pendant, the negative side effects of the two skills didn’t truly affect him.

’In another eight years, the Oasis Ruins will open.’ After this thought, Zhang Chi’s gaze drifted toward the distant north.