Chapter 346 - 344: Unexpected Harvest

Chapter 346: Chapter 344: Unexpected Harvest

The Qingfeng Sect lacked a Tier Four Grand Array for protection and had no Nascent Soul True Monarch to serve as its guardian. They had to rely entirely on themselves.

As the first cultivator in the Sect to take the step toward Shattering his Core and Transforming into a Nascent Soul, Master Ge Cang faced the greatest of difficulties.

Given the current situation in Liang Country, the moment news of his attempt to reach the Nascent Soul Realm spread, the fragile balance of power would be instantly shattered.

Whether it was the Celestial Principle Sect, the Blood God True Monarch, or even the Ice Soul Sect—with whom they had good relations—all would instantly become enemies of the Qingfeng Sect.

A Core Formation True Man possessing the combat power of a Nascent Soul cultivator was the absolute limit of what the other powers could tolerate.

If the Qingfeng Sect truly produced a Nascent Soul True Monarch, given the combat prowess Bai Zichen and Ge Cang had already displayed, would any other sect still have a place in the Liang Country Cultivation Realm a century later?

And then there was the Holy Lotus Sect. Even if they had lost their Nascent Soul True Monarch, it didn’t mean they lacked the ability to cause trouble.

All they’d have to do is send a Core Formation True Man with a Secret Treasure to sneak into Black Mountain. If he activated it at the critical moment of Ge Cang’s Tribulation Crossing and disrupted the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, there would be a high chance of interfering with the entire process.

Therefore, it was a race against time.

He had to shatter his core and form a nascent soul with the utmost speed, all while the other powers remained unaware that the Qingfeng Sect had already secured a Tier Four Spirit Vein.

As long as Master Ge Cang successfully reached the Nascent Soul Realm, they would be as free as a bird in the sky or a fish in the sea. Within Liang Country, nothing could hold them back.

"I’m just afraid there are spies from other powers in the Sect who might deduce something from the slightest trace of our movements... After we get back, I’ll return to Celestial Thunder Cliff and claim to be entering seclusion for Sword Refinement. Junior Sister Zhou, you should go make an appearance at Feiyue Lake. Say you’ve had an epiphany in the Array Dao and made further progress, then gather some Array Materials and return here to Flame Mountain."

Bai Zichen’s brow was tightly furrowed; he just hoped he could delay the news from leaking for as long as possible.

Master Ge Cang was already a recluse. It was normal not to see him around the Sect for eight or ten years at a time, so his absence wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

"Developing Flame Mountain will have to be postponed. For now, everything must revolve around Brother Ge’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm."

"Alright. In any case, I already have the Array Materials for the All Heaven Fiery Array on my island. I don’t need to procure them from other sources."

Zhou Suqing took a few steps forward and, from the spot where the Cyan Simurgh had nested, picked up two dark-red chunks of ore. Both had been worn into smooth, streamlined shapes by the flowing lava.

"Tier Four Low-Grade Fire Element Meteorite Iron... I can’t believe we found some here. With just three or five pieces, I can successfully upgrade the Array Plate for the All Heaven Fiery Array... Huh? Why is there a piece of Transparent Fire Jade in here, constantly absorbing Fire Element Spiritual Energy?"

A figure flashed by, and the Transparent Fire Jade was already in his hand.

Bai Zichen held his breath. As he opened his palm, the Transparent Fire Jade pulsed with light, as if responding to something.

He, a cultivator in the Late-Stage Core Formation Realm, was actually trembling from head to toe, as if desperately trying to suppress something. His expression was a mixture of pain and fervent desire.

"Junior Brother Bai, is it really that item?"

Master Ge Cang’s expression shifted as realization dawned. He asked nervously.

If his Five Crystal Glaze Body hadn’t been ruined, he would have immediately sensed that the Transparent Fire Jade was unusual and wouldn’t have needed to ask.

"You guessed it, Senior Brother. It’s the Tier Five Glazed Fire Jade!"

Bai Zichen stopped suppressing the surging power within him. A layer of Platinum Radiant Flame erupted from his body, and a formidable pressure spread out, causing the surrounding flames to flicker wildly before extinguishing a large swath of them.

The inch-square Transparent Fire Jade in his hand pulsed with an infinite, glazed light. Myriad silken threads of light connected within it, and as they ebbed and flowed, they seemed to be on the verge of unifying.

A Tier Five Spiritual Material. It was already beyond his ability to properly appraise.

All its characteristics matched, but the crucial point was the powerful reaction it elicited from his Glazed Fire Divine Body. If it wasn’t the Glazed Fire Jade, what other Spiritual Material could it possibly be?

Whether it was Tier Five Low Grade or even Tier Five Top Grade, however, was something he couldn’t determine.

"The Glazed Fire Divine Body! So, Senior Brother Bai, you’ve cultivated the Five Crystal Glaze Body to the fourth layer! To think you’ve cultivated a Body Refining Technique to such a degree on top of your Sword Dao..."

Zhou Suqing was exceptionally well-read. Regardless of whether she had practiced them herself, she had read through every single Cultivation Technique and Divine Power manual stored in the Transmission Hall’s archives, and had even studied some of them in depth.

She had also attempted to practice the Five Crystal Glaze Body, but she quickly realized that the Body Refining Technique wasn’t suited for her and had given up.

However, she was crystal clear on the manifestations of each realm of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, as she had delved deeply into the technique’s cultivation methods.

For Zhou Suqing, who had never been stumped by any magic or divine technique, to be defeated by a single Body Refining Technique was unacceptable. Given her personality, she would never resign herself to failure and was determined to understand its mysteries.

But after spending several years on it and even consulting Master Ge Cang, she ultimately had to admit defeat.

The speed at which one could begin to practice the Five Crystal Glaze Body was related to one’s aptitude, but it was more a matter of metaphysics.

After all, besides someone with a Celestial Spiritual Root like Master Ge Cang, no other factor—be it an Abnormal Spiritual Root or Four Spiritual Roots—played a decisive role in how long it took to master the basics. There had even been cases where a cultivator with Four Spiritual Roots learned faster than one with an Abnormal Spiritual Root.

She was so shocked she was left speechless. She could never have imagined that Bai Zichen, renowned throughout the Cultivation Realm for his Sword Dao Talent, would also find the time to cultivate the Five Crystal Glaze Body.

He had to practice his Swordsmanship and refine nature’s spiritual energy to advance his Cultivation. It felt as if even forty-eight hours in a day wouldn’t be enough.

"This Cultivation Technique is destined for you. Perhaps I will truly get to see the complete Five Crystal Glaze Body manifest in you!"

Master Ge Cang sighed with emotion. As one of only three people to have ever cultivated the Five Crystal Glaze Body to the fourth layer, how could he not have dreamed of reaching the legendary final realm?

It was just that it conflicted with his own path toward the Great Dao, and what’s more, the final layer required fusing two different Tier Five Spiritual Materials to achieve.

After all, both the Five Crystal Divine Iron and the Glazed Fire Jade had long since vanished from the Cultivation Realm.

To be more precise, no Tier Five Spiritual Materials ever appeared on the open market. Only a scarce few circulated among Nascent Soul True Monarchs or were hoarded in the collections of Super Major Sects.

’With the Glazed Fire Jade in hand, the only thing missing is the Five Crystal Divine Iron. The problem is already half-solved.’

’If only I could stumble upon the Five Crystal Divine Iron just as easily...’

Bai Zichen put away the Glazed Fire Jade, a smile on his face.

Due to the unique nature of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, without both Tier Five Spiritual Materials, it would be impossible to successfully cultivate it—even with his Mysterious Holy Body. For this reason, he had never considered completing the Five Crystal Glaze Body a short-term goal.

He never expected that slaying the Cyan Simurgh would yield such an unexpected bonus on top of securing a Tier Four Spirit Vein.

Even he couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly the chosen one, destined to master the Five Crystal Glaze Body.

But even though he was only a half-step away, it would be perfectly normal to be stuck for hundreds of years waiting for the Five Crystal Divine Iron. Obtaining an item of the Tier Five Spiritual Material grade was often a matter of pure luck.

Perhaps at some trade fair in the Central Domain, a Nascent Soul True Monarch might be looking to trade away the Five Crystal Divine Iron for an item that Bai Zichen could acquire with ease.

Therefore, he could only let nature take its course and not get his hopes up too high.

Having found the first piece of Glazed Fire Jade, Bai Zichen searched the Cyan Simurgh’s nest one more time, not ready to give up just yet. He confirmed that aside from over a hundred pieces of Fire Element Meteorite Iron, there were no other Spiritual Materials.

Of course, this batch of Fire Element Meteorite Iron was also extremely valuable.

Besides enhancing the All Heaven Fiery Array, the Fire Element Meteorite Iron here was enough for an Artifact Refining Grandmaster to forge over a dozen Top-Grade Fire Element Magical Treasures.

As for the other resources on Flame Mountain, being a Tier Four Spirit Vein, it was sure to be rich with them.

Due to the harsh environment, Spirit Plants might not be able to survive, but there would surely be an abundance of various ore-based Spiritual Materials.

With a little development in the future, it could support the needs of the Qingfeng Sect’s Artifact Refining Hall for decades or even centuries. At the very least, there would be no shortage of materials for refining Fire Element Spiritual Artifacts and Fire Element Magical Treasures.

There was no time for a detailed exploration. After a quick cleanup, Bai Zichen and Zhou Suqing flew back to their respective Cave Mansions.

’The concentration of Spiritual Qi in those two core locations on Flame Mountain is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. And it’s all pure Fire Element Spiritual Energy, which is perfectly suited for me...’

Back at Celestial Thunder Cliff, the disparity between his own courtyard and Flame Mountain was stark.

Bai Zichen compared the two and could already see the result: cultivating on Flame Mountain would shorten the time he needed to reach his next goal by at least sixty years.

An effect this dramatic, however, would be unique to him.

For others, like Wei Dao and Zhou Suqing, moving to the same Spirit Land would still be a vast improvement over their current Tier Three Top-Grade spiritual lands.

But it was unlikely they would experience the same kind of explosive progress he would.

Flame Mountain was different from Celestial Thunder Cliff and Feiyue Lake. It was an extremely special Spirit Vein where a single type of Spiritual Qi held absolute dominance.

For cultivators without a Fire Spiritual Root, the efficiency of refining nature’s spiritual energy would be greatly reduced, and they wouldn’t be able to fully utilize the advantages of a Tier Four Mid-Grade Spirit Land.

However, for Bai Zichen, who practiced the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture, it was a different story. He originally had a Three Spiritual Roots aptitude, but after his Fire Spiritual Root was enhanced several times in a row, it was now in a class of its own.

His Fire Spiritual Root’s talent was now approaching the speed at which an Abnormal Spiritual Root cultivator could refine nature’s spiritual energy.

In an environment like Flame Mountain, he was like a fish in water.

The thought that his Cultivation speed could increase by a significant margin just by being on Flame Mountain made Bai Zichen wish he could return immediately and reach Core Formation Perfection that much sooner.

But before setting out for Flame Mountain again, he planned to first refine the Glazed Fire Jade into his own body.

In recent years, the Qingfeng Sect had been recruiting disciples on a massive scale. Despite conducting strict background checks to verify the identity and origin of every initiate, with such a large number of new members, it was inevitable that spies from other sects had slipped through.

They had already uncovered more than a dozen moles from other sects, and there were surely many more who remained hidden.

Among the Sect’s few Core Formation Ancestors, Bai Zichen and Master Ge Cang certainly drew the most attention. He was one hundred percent certain there were spies on Celestial Thunder Cliff.

Therefore, in the coming days, he would use Sword Refinement as an excuse to make several public appearances.

He would wait until Zhou Suqing had nearly finished setting up the Array, then hurry to Flame Mountain to serve as Master Ge Cang’s Dharma Protector.

The All Heaven Fiery Array was being set up primarily to defend against any Demon Beast Groups that might appear, preventing Bai Zichen from being overwhelmed.

If a truly powerful opponent appeared, Ancestor Bai would still have to take action personally to ensure Master Ge Cang’s path to the Nascent Soul Realm was unobstructed and free from outside interference.

He held the Glazed Fire Jade in his palm and activated his Glazed Fire Divine Body. The Platinum Glaze Fire connected seamlessly with the Glazed Fire Jade.

In less than an hour, the Tier Five Spiritual Material was refined into his body.

Everything went so smoothly that Bai Zichen could hardly believe it. He never imagined that the final layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, a technique renowned for its difficulty, could be completed so easily.