Chapter 251 - 177: Moonlight Essence

Chapter 251: Chapter 177: Moonlight Essence

As time passed, the moonlight was like frost.

While the two were drinking heartily, Liu Heng took off his outermost tunic. Beneath it was a gray silk shirt that faintly revealed the contours of his muscles. It was only then that he remembered to ask Zhao Zuo how he had provoked Meng Tianhua, and how it had escalated to the point of settling their grievances on the Life and Death Platform.

After learning the whole story, Liu Heng cursed under his breath.

"A leopard really can’t change its spots..."

He then began to recount what he knew of Meng Tianhua. After all, the Moyun Sect was big, but in a way, it was also small. It never took long for news of anything that happened to spread throughout the entire sect.

Meng Tianhua had joined the Moyun Sect eight years ago. He also came from the Moyun Workshop and had only been able to join the Moyun Sect after passing the Punishment Hall’s Outer Sect disciple assessment.

Before joining the Moyun Sect, he was a Tribulation Cultivator who earned Spirit Stones through highway robbery. He was a skilled fighter, but that was his only strength. After joining the sect, he continued to suppress his fellow disciples just as he had before. The principle he lived by was...

"Murder and arson lead to belts of gold."

Later, Chen Xiaorong rose like a comet and began to suppress the turmoil in both the Inner and Outer Sects. Meng Tianhua had no choice but to rein himself in considerably, gradually fading from the public eye.

But now, the tables had turned.

Chen Xiaorong’s Heaven and Earth Bridge had been destroyed, cutting off her path to Foundation Establishment. She no longer wielded the absolute authority she once had, and the Inner and Outer Sects lost their protector. The top few True Inheritance disciples were now all striving to be the first to achieve Perfect Foundation Establishment.

They looked down on the insignificant gains to be had from the Inner and Outer Sects. What they wanted was for the Moyun Sect’s resources to be allocated entirely in their favor, allowing them to aim for the next level: the Golden Core Realm.

But... the lower-ranked True Inheritance disciples were different. Their chances of achieving Perfect Foundation Establishment were slim.

Although they could still obtain some resources from the Moyun Sect, it was far less than what was given to the top candidates who had a chance at Perfect Foundation Establishment. Thus, a few of them began to prey on the Inner Sect Disciples, attempting to form mutual aid associations and gangs to rake in more resources for themselves.

According to Liu Heng, before Chen Xiaorong’s rise, the Inner Sect had three major gangs, each linked to two of the six True Inheritance disciples. The entire sect, Inner and Outer, was filled with gangs they controlled. It was as if all the disciples of the Inner and Outer Sects existed solely to fuel the cultivation of those six True Inheritance disciples.

As he spoke of that time, a hint of resentment flashed in Liu Heng’s eyes. For him, it was an incredibly dark memory. He had been exploited for a full five years!

Otherwise, his cultivation might have broken through to the eighth layer of Qi Cultivation long ago...

Zhao Zuo sat on a cotton-stuffed green cushion, seeing that Liu Heng’s anger was undeniably genuine. As for the reason... that was easy enough to guess.

"Younger Brother Zhao, you are confident, aren’t you?" Liu Heng downed several cups of wine in sullen silence before looking up to ask Zhao Zuo, his tone hesitant.

"It shouldn’t be a major problem. After all, I still have time," Zhao Zuo replied. ’In two months, the Sky-Breaking Saber will be fully repaired. Killing Meng Tianhua shouldn’t be too difficult after that.’

"That’s good. That’s great." Liu Heng stood up and made to leave.

Zhao Zuo naturally rose and saw him to the entrance of the Cave Mansion. In the night sky, a full moon hung like a platter, its frost-like light spilling over the silhouettes of the distant peaks. The nights in the Moyun Sect were cold and still, with only the occasional cry of a Spirit Beast echoing from the forest.

He watched Liu Heng’s retreating back and began to wonder. ’When did I first realize Liu Heng was playing the sympathy card? It must have been about four months ago... when he took out all his possessions without a word. In that instant... I thought about my own uncertain future, how my life hung by a thread. Shouldn’t I just set Liu Heng free?’

’The moment that thought occurred to me, I belatedly realized I had fallen for his ploy.’

’It was a scheme in plain sight, and a harmless one at that. Liu Heng was simply making his presence known, diligently completing every task I gave him. He worked hard without a single complaint, never mentioning fatigue or hardship.’

’He acted as if the Master-Servant Contract didn’t bother him in the slightest, yet everything he did was aimed at a single outcome... freedom.’

Zhao Zuo averted his gaze and turned back into his Cave Mansion. He knew full well that even with the experience of two lifetimes, all he really had was a broader perspective and a few extra ideas. He never dared to underestimate anyone, yet he had still subconsciously overlooked a blatant scheme when it was coated in honey.

’I ended up underestimating him after all. And what is that, if not a form of arrogance?’

Once Zhao Zuo had complete control over Liu Heng’s life, he couldn’t help but think that since the man’s fate was in his hands, he was incapable of causing any real trouble and thus wasn’t worth paying much attention to.

Yet even in this situation, Liu Heng had found a way to influence him: sincerity.

Zhao Zuo returned to a corner of his Cave Mansion and lifted a gray stone slab. Wisps of moonlight immediately spilled from the opening. Behind the slab was a small tunnel about 1.3 meters long, ending in a small, open platform. In a corner sat the Moonlight Pearl and the Red Flame Bead.

This spot was still within the range of the Cave Mansion’s protective Array, so Zhao Zuo wasn’t worried about someone stealthily stealing the two Magical Artifacts. He had also discovered something new about his Golden Finger.

He had thought he could only gain experience points by personally using an item. But the Moonlight Pearl and the Red Flame Bead didn’t fit this theory. Even though he wasn’t using them with his own hands, he was still gaining experience points. This shattered his previous understanding.

Zhao Zuo gave a slight wave of his hand. Mana flowed from his body and connected with the Moonlight Pearl a meter away. The pearl slowly floated up and landed in his palm. It was cool to the touch. Inside, a pure white gas seemed to flow, unable to break free from the confines of the crystal.

"Moonlight Essence," Zhao Zuo said softly.

[Level: Lower Grade Magical Treasure · Moonlight Pearl]

[Experience: 78/200]

[Status: Not Upgradeable]

Only two silver veins remained within the Moonlight Pearl. Fortunately, at the current rate of experience gain, he would be able to gather the necessary materials for the first upgrade before the Magical Artifact failed completely.

Zhao Zuo carried the Moonlight Pearl back to his chamber. After closing the stone door, he sat cross-legged and pressed his right hand against the pearl’s surface, injecting his Mana into it. He enveloped the silver energy within, slowly guiding it out and along the Meridians of his palm into his body.

It was icy cold, like liquid frost, and Zhao Zuo shivered involuntarily. The next moment, this energy broke down into pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power.

This was the first time he had ever absorbed such pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. It contained no impurities, no interference from other elemental spiritual powers, and none of the usual violent, ferocious energy. It was only gentle and mild. Although attribute-less, it could be converted into Fire Attribute Mana.

The cool energy traveled up the Meridians in his arm, eventually beginning to circulate throughout his body. His Meridians felt as if they were filled with flowing ice, a bone-chilling cold. A fine layer of white frost began to form on his exposed skin, constantly regenerating, and this was merely from the cold aura released by absorbing a single wisp of Moonlight Essence.

As time passed, Zhao Zuo’s body temperature began to drop, but his breathing grew deeper and more drawn-out. The speed of his cultivation suddenly multiplied several times over. Mana surged wildly through his limbs before finally returning to his Dantian.

He had officially completed a Minor Circulation. Normally, a single Circulation took him about half an hour, but today it had only taken ten minutes... This meant his speed of refining Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power had tripled.

「The next day.」

Zhao Zuo exhaled a breath of cold air. Immediately, his Qi Blood began to circulate, raising his body temperature. The frost and ice on his skin rapidly transformed into pure white steam that rose upwards in slender wisps.

’Roughly equivalent to five days of ascetic cultivation?’

Zhao Zuo sensed the aura within him had grown a little stronger. Though it hadn’t quite met his expectations, he was still very pleased. He placed the Moonlight Pearl back on the small platform, leaving it to continue gathering the power of the moonlight at night.

’With the Moonlight Pearl, I can upgrade it continuously. One day, I’ll have an inexhaustible supply of Moonlight Essence.’

After his meal, Zhao Zuo left the Cave Mansion, his destination the Outer Sect’s Earth Fire Hall.

’My cultivation has greatly improved today, and I’m in high spirits. This is the perfect opportunity to fire up a furnace and refine a Middle Grade Magical Artifact!’