Chapter 236 - 170: Golden Light Mirror, Advancement

Chapter 236: Chapter 170: Golden Light Mirror, Advancement

It all started with the second True Inheritance disciple Chen Xiaorong had killed. This was the Su Family’s revenge against her, leveraging their own influence. The hatred hadn’t vanished; it had just been set aside for various reasons.

Hearing this, Zhao Zuo felt a sense of unease. That True Inheritance disciple from the Su Family had colluded with a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast to eliminate Chen Xiaorong. Although they ultimately failed, it marked the beginning of the Demon Beast horde’s assault on the Moyun Workshop district. During that time, people died because of Demon Beasts almost every day.

And the reason the Demon Beast scourge was allowed to escalate to that point was simply to get rid of one person.

’That’s the real reason.’ At that time, Zhao Zuo could have very well died in the Demon Beast chaos.

Of course, his dissatisfaction was fleeting, and neither Liu Heng nor Wang Yao noticed. After a few pots of Spirit Wine, Liu Heng’s cheeks flushed, and he showed signs of intoxication. Normally, Cultivators don’t get drunk easily, as they can use their Mana for the Refinement of alcohol. He clearly hadn’t done so.

He also became more talkative, beginning to recount his life from childhood. His words held little ambition for the future; he just hoped to have a healthy son in his lifetime and watch the next generation strive in their Cultivation...

Seeing this, Zhao Zuo quietly sensed Liu Heng’s aura and found that his Cultivation hadn’t changed much. He was already over thirty this year. While he could still reach Qi Cultivation Perfection before sixty, without other opportunities, he would likely never reach Foundation Establishment in this life.

At the same time, he noticed that Wang Yao’s Cultivation was already approaching the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation. This meant her Spiritual Root and Heart of Dao were both stronger and more resolute than Liu Heng’s.

Although their relationship was good now, a clear divergence had already appeared. Combined with the fact that Wang Yao had taken the lead in most matters tonight, Zhao Zuo couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about their future together.

But...

Everyone has their own path to walk. An outsider couldn’t persuade them, nor did he have any reason to interfere.

"Here’s what I promised."

Seeing that they were about done eating, Zhao Zuo took a long, slender wooden box from his Storage Bag.

"Could it be...?" Liu Heng stared at the box, which was over a meter long. The flush of drunkenness on his face rapidly faded, and his hazy eyes grew clear and focused.

"That’s right. An Upper-Grade Magical Artifact." Zhao Zuo handed the box to Liu Heng. Although their becoming Tao Companions had caught him a bit off guard, he hadn’t forgotten his original purpose.

Liu Heng opened the box and caressed the body of the saber, unable to put it down. After a few seconds, he sighed softly.

"Sigh, if I had known Yao’er and I would be together like this, I would have commissioned an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact that she could use."

As he said this, his sincerity was palpable.

"Brother Heng, it’s better if you use the magical artifact. It will give you more protection when you go into the mountains in the future," Wang Yao said, wrapping her arm around Liu Heng’s and speaking in a soft, gentle voice, as soothing as a silent spring rain nourishing the earth.

"...."

Zhao Zuo looked away, a little exasperated. After a few seconds, he said, "Since my purpose here is fulfilled, I’ll be leaving now."

With that, he stood up and walked out of the Ruyi Pavilion.

The sky was already growing dark. With winter approaching, the evening air had turned a bit chilly. If one looked closely, a thin layer of frost had already formed on the ground. However, thanks to the Sect Protection Array, the temperature within the Moyun Sect would never be as cold as the outside world.

Zhao Zuo looked up at the plain white moon, his mind replaying Liu Heng and Wang Yao’s loving display. He let out an imperceptible sigh.

"Another winter."

On the way back, he walked against the biting wind, contemplating his plans for the future. His thoughts were a bit muddled; there were too many things to do, and it was hard to prioritize.

’Cultivation is important, the Path of Artifact Refining is important, and the Soul-Forging Technique is important too... But things have to be handled one at a time.’

After returning to his Cave Mansion, Zhao Zuo fed the leftover Roasted Spirit Chicken to his Fire Spirit Snake, which wagged its head and tail like a complete sycophant. He then went back to his bedroom and took out the materials to upgrade the Golden Light Mirror.

Logically, he should have upgraded the Golden Light Mirror right after the Clear Heart Jade Pendant. But he had been sidetracked by trying out the effects of ’Focus,’ then grinding EXP, and then reading books. He had been so busy that he had completely forgotten about upgrading the Golden Light Mirror. The artifact’s presence was just that low.

And yet, it had saved his life twice...

[Level: Middle-Grade Magical Artifact +3 · Golden Light Mirror]

[EXP: 10234/10000]

[Status: Upgradeable]

"Upgrade," Zhao Zuo said softly.

The accumulated EXP vanished like flowing water. A familiar gray light spread out, and several golden upgrade materials instantly liquefied, emitting a dazzling golden radiance. They wrapped around the body of the Golden Light Mirror like planetary rings, followed by the process of Quenching its essence and removing impurities.

Throughout this transformation, the dazzling golden light never ceased. What intrigued Zhao Zuo the most was one of the upgrade materials: an ore containing Gold-Attribute Energy. It was supposed to be a material for forging an Upper-Grade Attack Magical Artifact, but now it was being used in the upgrade process of a Defensive Magical Artifact.

It seemed incongruous no matter how he looked at it. The only explanation was if this upgrade would grant the Golden Light Mirror some sort of offensive ability. That was the only way to justify the need for materials used in Refining attack-type magical artifacts.

Zhao Zuo observed with great care, constantly searching for any possible clues, trying to learn from the upgrade process to improve his own Artifact Refining skills. Unfortunately, he had watched it many times but still couldn’t understand the Golden Finger’s specific Refining method.

’Extraction, removal, fusion, refinement?’

Zhao Zuo softly listed the steps. These were indeed the proper steps for Refining a magical artifact. This meant the Golden Finger’s upgrade process was truly related to the Path of Artifact Refining. It might be an extremely advanced Artifact Refining Technique.

Or perhaps, it was the very pinnacle of the Path of Artifact Refining.

Either possibility sparked a strong desire for knowledge in Zhao Zuo regarding the Golden Finger’s upgrade process. After about half an hour, the golden light on the surface of the Golden Light Mirror gradually dimmed, and the gray light slowly dissipated.

The appearance of the Golden Light Mirror had now undergone an earth-shattering transformation. First, the crack running through its center was completely repaired. Second, many new patterns had appeared on its surface, seeming to emerge from the edges and converge at the center of the mirror’s face.

However, the face of the Golden Light Mirror was completely smooth; all these patterns were on the back of the mirror.

[Upgrade Description: Greatly increases the magical artifact’s intrinsic Defense Power. When the artifact’s owner is about to be attacked, the Golden Light Mirror will directly deploy a golden barrier to defend. The Defense Power is equivalent to a One-Tier High-Level Defense Talisman. Each activation requires a four-hour recovery time.]

Zhao Zuo’s guess was not confirmed. The Golden Light Mirror did not gain an offensive ability. Instead, it acquired a defensive golden barrier. The Defense Power was also quite impressive, and most importantly, it was a passively activated artifact. It could generate the barrier without any Mana infusion.

The condition: Zhao Zuo had to be under attack.

Now, it seemed he had another reason to grind EXP for the Golden Light Mirror. The only problem was that this made his already limited time even tighter. Zhao Zuo rested for a moment... then began the path of grinding EXP.

The good news was that he could now split his focus three ways: controlling the Sky-Breaking Saber and the Golden Light Mirror, while also brandishing the Suwen.

The bad news was that his Mana consumption rate had doubled.

A few days passed just like that. Zhao Zuo still hadn’t resumed Refining Lower-Grade Magical Artifacts. Liu Heng and Wang Yao were said to be frequently venturing into the Yunlan Mountain Range for training. Sometimes they hunted Demon Beasts, other times they gathered Spiritual Medicine. They were injured multiple times over several trips. Wang Yao was still tireless, but Liu Heng had already started to feel averse to such a dangerous life. Though the two were in love... the cracks in their relationship were beginning to show.

Zhao Zuo did not go out again, instead dedicating most of his time to grinding EXP. Unwittingly, the day of the Inner Sect trading fair arrived.

On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, the Inner Sect trading fair began. Zhao Zuo left his Cave Mansion in the evening, concealing his identity and using the Hundred-Change Mask to alter his face, just to be on the safe side.

......

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