Chapter 319: Devouring Source

Ximen Kankan held a torch and walked into a mountain cave together with Duan Rong.

After passing through the not-too-long passage at the cave entrance, they suddenly stepped into a space with considerable depth.

They saw that deep inside the cave, several torches were also lit, and there were several figures there, currently piling damaged weapons onto a cart. Once it was full, one person would pull the cart and disappear into a deep, dark passage in the stone wall, and before long, another empty cart would be pushed over...

When Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan walked in with their torches, the few people over there noticed them too, but they only glanced toward them once before burying their heads back into their own work...

The damaged weapons in this cave were nothing but broken copper and rotten iron, not anything of importance.

Duan Rong looked at the dozen or so small hills of damaged weapons piled up before him, and his breathing suddenly became a bit rapid.

A light of excitement shot from his eyes, and he muttered, "This is too spectacular!?"

"Spectacular? What's so spectacular about this pile of broken copper and rotten iron?" Ximen Kankan looked at Duan Rong, completely bewildered.

Duan Rong smiled, the excitement on his face already dissipated. He looked at the cave before him with deep eyes and said, "There's nothing spectacular about it. I just haven't seen so many damaged weapons before."

As Duan Rong spoke, he walked slowly to the nearest pile of damaged weapons. He picked up a blade with a shattered edge, gripped the hilt tightly with his right hand, and thought to himself with flickering eyes, "Spirit Reader."

In the dim cave, a set of data floated before Duan Rong's eyes.

Artifact: Dragon Sparrow Blade

Spirit Artifact Tier: Fourth Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 4 (Satisfied)

Devour Effect: Dust-Cleaving Mountain-Cleaving Blade First Layer

Duan Rong looked at this set of data that had appeared before him, his gaze jumped, and he thought to himself, "Devour."

A Fourth Tier Spirit Artifact, yet the martial art was only the First Layer, which meant this Dust-Cleaving Mountain-Cleaving Blade must be a True Qi Realm martial art.

As the data panel before him crumbled and vanished, Duan Rong threw the damaged weapon in his hand back.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he suddenly picked up a pitch-black object by his feet. The object's shape was somewhat strange, and Duan Rong couldn't tell what its purpose was for a moment.

By the light of the torch, Duan Rong looked carefully at the pitch-black object in his hand. He saw that it looked like a black hoop, and he didn't know how long it had been thrown here; its surface was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Duan Rong wiped the dust away, and it felt ice-cold to the touch.

Duan Rong gripped the cold object and thought to himself, "Spirit Reader."

Following that, another set of data floated before Duan Rong's eyes.

Artifact: Black Iron Knee Guard

Spirit Artifact Tier: Seventh Tier

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 7 (Not satisfied)

Devour Effect: Chichi Yunya Bu Fourth Layer

Duan Rong looked at this set of data before him, his expression stunned.

So this thing was a knee guard!

And such an inconspicuous, pitch-black thing was actually a Seventh Tier Spirit Artifact.

Chichi Yunya Bu?! This was clearly a True Qi Realm lightness skill!

It was just a pity that it was already at the Fourth Layer, and he couldn't devour it!

Duan Rong gripped the pitch-black knee guard in his hand, turned his head to look at Ximen Kankan, and asked, "Where do all these damaged, discarded weapons come from?"

Ximen Kankan scratched his head and answered in a somewhat uncertain tone, "Some are discarded by fellow disciples. Others are looted from enemies; they feel they are useless, so they throw them over here."

Duan Rong nodded, his eyes deep.

He was in great need of a True Qi Realm lightness skill right now.

Lightness skills and movement techniques were of great benefit for both escaping and fighting.

He had already entered the True Qi Realm, and right before him was an entire massive source of devouring. As long as he looked, he would definitely be able to find a weapon with a True Qi Realm lightness skill that he could devour!

Thinking of this, Duan Rong suddenly began to rummage through the mountain-like pile of discarded weapons.

Ximen Kankan watched Duan Rong burying his head and rummaging through the pile of damaged weapons, and said, "Why are you rummaging through this junk? If you don't have a weapon to use, once I've practiced my blacksmithing skills, I'll forge one for you!"

Duan Rong looked at Ximen Kankan, smiled slightly, and said, "Kankan, come over here too and help me look!"

"Look for what?"

Duan Rong frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Look for things for the legs and feet..."

Upon hearing this, Ximen Kankan kept clicking his tongue, looked at Duan Rong with a strange expression, and said, "Things for the feet?! Tsk tsk tsk... what kind of hobby is this? How come I didn't know you were into this sort of thing?"

Seeing Ximen Kankan's expression, Duan Rong knew exactly where his thoughts had gone.

Duan Rong's face fell, and he said, "Enough nonsense! Go over there and help me look. Oh, right! Things for the waist seem to work too..."

"Waist?" Ximen Kankan blinked his eyes and said, "That taste is a bit more normal..."

Ximen Kankan muttered to himself while walking to the side opposite Duan Rong, and began to rummage through the pile of damaged weapons.

Duan Rong glanced at Ximen Kankan's back and shook his head to himself.

Seeing that he hadn't found anything after a long time, Duan Rong felt a bit anxious. He looked around, and suddenly, with a thought, he released his Divine Sense.

Duan Rong only released it for a moment before retracting his Divine Sense, but in that very instant, he had already spotted something.

He walked two steps to the right, picked up a few damaged weapons by his feet, and saw a brass engraved ankle ring lying on the ground.

Just as Duan Rong picked up the ankle ring, he heard a loud clatter from Ximen Kankan's side.

"What happened?"

Duan Rong was startled and immediately flashed to a spot not far from Ximen Kankan. He narrowed his eyes and saw Ximen Kankan standing in front of the pile of damaged weapons holding a large copper hammer; the hammerhead was as big as a person's head.

And on the pile of weapons in front of Ximen Kankan, a large pit had appeared, and quite a few damaged weapons had rolled to his feet.

Ximen Kankan turned his head to look at Duan Rong behind him, grinned, and said, "It's nothing, I just pulled this thing out from the bottom."

Duan Rong sighed inwardly and thought, "This kid, he'll cause a scene wherever he goes!"

Seeing that Ximen Kankan was fine, Duan Rong used the torchlight to look at the brass engraved ankle ring in his hand. The ankle ring was polished smooth and had exquisite patterns; it was clearly a good item.

"The Sect is truly generous; they even treat such goods as trash..."

Actually, these trinkets might still be considered top-tier goods in the secular world.

But in the eyes of the Taiyi Sect's upper echelons, these mundane objects are nothing more than dead weight.

What's more, this ten-thousand-year-old Sect has bloated institutions and people shirking their duties; many things are already gold on the outside but rotten on the inside, decayed through and through.

Duan Rong gripped the brass engraved anklet and secretly thought: "Spirit Reader."

Inside the dim cave, a set of data floated before Duan Rong's eyes.

Artifact: Brass engraved anklet

Spirit Artifact Tier: Level 4

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 4 (Met)

Devour Effect: Hundred Flower Evasive Steps First Layer

Duan Rong looked at the data floating before him, his heart stirred.

It really is a Lightness Skill, and a Lightness Skill of the True Qi Realm First Stage at that.

"Hundred Flower Evasive Steps?!"

This name sounds a bit girly, doesn't it?

Duan Rong's gaze hesitated slightly, but he still secretly thought: "Devour!"

As the data panel before his eyes dissipated and vanished, Duan Rong stared intently at the brass engraved anklet in his hand; this thing was crafted with ingenuity and was very exquisite—even he, a man, found it somewhat pleasing.

He still had to go see Xiao Yu later, didn't he? Xiao Yu would surely be delighted to see this item.

However, since this thing was, after all, a second-hand item scavenged from a trash heap, would Xiao Yu be angry if she found out?

Just as Duan Rong was pondering, Ximen Kankan, not far to his side, suddenly let out an "eh," and pulled a boot out from the bottom of the large pit before them.

Ximen Kankan acted as if he had found a treasure; holding the boot, he ran happily to Duan Rong. "Look! How about this? A boot! Something for the feet..."

Duan Rong immediately wore an expression of disgust. "Where did you dig up such a thing!? Keep it away!"

Ximen Kankan said with dissatisfaction: "Didn't you want something for the feet?"

Duan Rong shook the black iron kneepad in his hand and said: "It is something for the feet. But it's a weapon! Iron! Is your boot a weapon?"

Ximen Kankan was stumped by Duan Rong's words, but he suddenly saw a bright yellow light flashing at the toe of the boot; looking closer, it turned out to be fitted with a brass Tiger Head Stirrup.

Ximen Kankan immediately became cocky, dangling the boot in front of Duan Rong, shaking it while shouting: "How is this not a weapon? Didn't you see it's fitted with a Tiger Head Stirrup?"

Duan Rong had already seen the golden-bright object by the firelight; he reached out to take the boot and removed the golden-bright object, seeing that it was a tiger-styled item that could be fitted onto the toe.

Duan Rong rubbed it in his hands and muttered: "This is a weapon?"

He really hadn't seen this thing before!

Seeing Duan Rong's bewildered look, Ximen Kankan immediately got energized, snatched the Tiger Head Stirrup over, and said: "What? Never seen it before! Like a small knife slicing a butt, this young master will open your eyes today!"

Ximen Kankan suddenly moved his body and fitted the Tiger Head Stirrup onto the toe of his right foot; seeing his figure flash, he began to show off.

Ximen Kankan was performing a set of Capture martial arts involving tendon-stretching and bone-dislocating; after executing a few moves, he suddenly hooked his right leg and kicked the ground.

With a "Boom—," amidst a cloud of flying dust, a not-so-small pit appeared in the ground.

Ximen Kankan lifted his leg and said: "This weapon is for those who practice leg techniques. When meeting an expert, it's fierce indeed!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered; after Ximen Kankan's demonstration, he had completely understood the usage of this weapon.

Duan Rong took the dust-covered Tiger Head Stirrup, his heart stirred, and he secretly thought: "Spirit Reader!"

As Duan Rong's thought passed, another set of data floated before Duan Rong's eyes.

Artifact: Brass Tiger Head Stirrup

Spirit Artifact Tier: Level 4

Devour Requirement: Host Mental Power Level 4 (Met)

Devour Effect: Broken Monument Leg First Layer.

"Broken Monument Leg?! It really is a leg technique!" Duan Rong's gaze was pleasantly surprised; he had never practiced leg techniques before, and Xiangu County was, after all, remote and closed-off; not every martial art could be found there.

"Devour!"

Duan Rong secretly called out, and as the data panel before his eyes dissipated and vanished, he looked at the tiger stirrup in his hand. This tiger stirrup was crudely made, but the texture was hard, and he didn't know how long it had been buried in this dark cave; the tiger's mouth was already covered in verdigris.

At this moment, Duan Rong already had three items in his hand: the black iron kneepad, the brass engraved anklet, and the tiger stirrup.

Duan Rong looked at Ximen Kankan and asked: "Kankan, can I take these things away?"

Ximen Kankan said: "Nobody cares about this junk. Just hide them in your clothes and don't let that old man see when you go out later."

Duan Rong said: "I'll throw the things out from the wooden fence later. I'll go pick them up after I get out."

"Cunning!" Ximen Kankan praised with a smile: "That's the safest way."

The two walked out of the cave and sat in a corner to chat for a while.

Duan Rong saw that it was getting late, so he said: "Kankan, come with me to see Xiao Yu?"

Ximen Kankan's gaze dimmed, and he said: "My task for today isn't finished yet. If I run out like this, I'll get scolded."

Duan Rong said: "It's fine, once you're proficient, you'll have time."

As Duan Rong spoke, he put his arm around Ximen Kankan's shoulder.

The two stood up from the large bluestone they were sitting on.

Ximen Kankan said: "You go. Give Xiao Yu my regards when you see her."

Duan Rong nodded and turned to walk outside.

Just as Duan Rong turned around, Ximen Kankan suddenly kicked him in the butt.

Duan Rong was immersed in the sorrow of parting and, caught off guard, was actually kicked; he staggered and almost fell over.

"I said that if you came over, I'd kick your butt to pieces. Just one kick, consider yourself lucky!"

Duan Rong turned around, but Ximen Kankan was already running away while cursing; he flashed to the cave entrance, turned back to grin at Duan Rong, and then his figure disappeared.

"Damn you!"

Duan Rong brushed the dust off his backside and walked out of the wooden fence; as he went out the door, the old man guarding it only cast a glance at him.

Duan Rong walked out and circled back to the corner where he and Ximen Kankan had just been sitting and chatting, and under that wooden fence, he retrieved the three items he had dug out from the cave.

When Duan Rong came, he had passed by a stream in the dense forest. He arrived at the side of that stream again and washed all three items in his hands.

Especially that brass carved anklet; Duan Rong carefully cleaned it for a long time, then wiped it dry inside the lining of his clothes before placing it close to his body.

The tiger-kick was the smallest, so Duan Rong tucked it directly into his sleeve.

Only that black iron kneepad did Duan Rong hold in his hand, stroking it as he walked...

This kneepad was a Seventh Tier Spirit Tool, and it was for Lightness Skill... it was just a pity that he could not devour it yet.

Through Ximen Kankan, Duan Rong had discovered that cave filled with broken weapons; to him, this was equivalent to an inexhaustible source for devouring.

This could be considered the solution to one of his difficult problems.

For people like Ximen Kankan and Xiao Yu, if they wanted to practice the Sect's martial arts, they needed to go to the Scripture Repository and exchange Contribution Points for them.

But Duan Rong had this source for devouring, and the management here was so lax that he did not need to go to the Scripture Repository at all; he could directly obtain the realm of martial arts through devouring.

Then, by piling up Pills, he could nourish his internal True Qi.

Duan Rong obtained the martial arts realm first and then came back to nourish his internal energy; his method of cultivation was exactly the reverse of normal cultivation.

It was just like an open-book exam; there was no need to grope around or experiment at all. He just needed to pile up Pills, build up his internal energy, and the realm would be achieved!

(End of this chapter)