[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-the-jade-palace":3,"chapter-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-38":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to the Jade Palace",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320500,4538,"Chapter 38: The Result","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>Early in the morning, Hongmei left Qingxi Fang with his two disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike when he came with Uncle Rongyuan, Hongmei was confident and chose to travel with his two disciples aboard a flying vehicle artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, isn’t this too conspicuous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting atop the flying vehicle, gazing down at the mountains and plains below, Yulou asked with slight concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem—even if two or three Qi Refining cultivators show up, they can’t beat me, and if there are too many, we can always run.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Foundation Establishment cultivators all left their Dao roots’ essence with the Immortal Alliance; they’d never become bandits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei was a stout man with a broad heart, clearly not taking ordinary bandits seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, I’m taking you to see the real cultivation world. Our destination is a thousand li away—flying artifacts are made to be used; if we don’t use it, this trip would be a nightmare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The real cultivation world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou and Yuan exchanged glances, not understanding what Hongmei meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ten Sects tower above, but above them stands the higher Immortal Alliance, and below them lie numerous Purple Mansion clans and sects presided over by Purple Mansion cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the intersections of the Ten Sects’ territories, special market towns often exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I leave Qingxi Fang every two months to transport goods to those markets—without the Red Lantern’s water tax, the profits are much higher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s how it is… Yulou suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought the Red Lantern truly controlled everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, there were places even the Ten Sects couldn’t reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do the Ten Sects tacitly allow this?” Yuan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Immortal Alliance and Purple Mansion disciples work together—the Ten Sects turn a blind eye, as long as it doesn’t go too far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden flying vehicle traveled at incredible speed; by noon, they had flown six hundred li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a scenic mountain hollow, Hongmei halted the flying vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below lay two mountains covered in dense forests, like green dragons curled upon the earth; between them flowed a small river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his Qi Refining fifth-layer vision, Yulou could even see wild deer drinking at the riverbank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei pointed down at the valley and spoke to his disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place is called Shuanglong Mountain. Though it lacks ninth-rank spiritual items, it’s still rich in spiritual energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many hermit cultivators have built caves here; your Wang clan’s merchant caravans sometimes pass through, doing business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look closely—can you spot any of the hermits’ caves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou stared for a long while, his eyes aching, yet found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, Master, enlighten us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, beneath that giant rock is one, behind the waterfall beside that pool is another, and scattered elsewhere are at least a dozen more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I once stayed here for years—I knew many of these fellow cultivators. Come, follow me down and take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou said anxiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, why hasn’t anyone noticed our arrival? Isn’t that strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t understand—these hermits sometimes become bandits; they fear pursuit by the Ten Sects or great clans, so they never reveal themselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei explained, then activated his spiritual power and called out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fellow cultivators, no need to run—it’s me, Hongmei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With spiritual power amplifying his voice, his call rang through the valley like a bell—birds scattered in panic, wild deer bolted from the riverbank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, several high-level hermits recognized Hongmei and emerged from their caves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fat bastard, you finally came back? Did you get caught selling shoddy artifacts in Qingxi Fang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomer was a rough female cultivator with sun-darkened skin and a sharp tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Madam, what shoddy artifacts? I’m just passing by to see old friends—these two are my disciples, Yulou and Yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Third Madam was unremarkable in appearance, her cultivation was Gao Jie Qi Refining—Yulou quickly bowed with his younger brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wonderful, Elder Hongmei—can I become your disciple?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Madam didn’t even glance at Hongmei’s cheap disciples—she wanted to become Hongmei’s disciple directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other hermits who emerged also greeted Hongmei; he waved them off and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough idle chatter, Third Madam and fellow cultivators—please notify nearby hermits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tonight, let’s gather and catch up—I’ve brought many artifacts; you can see if anything suits your needs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Madam pursed her lips but stopped her antics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still at your cave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei’s cultivation was now profound, and he thrived in Qingxi Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, his old friends gave him face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hermit friends went to notify others; Hongmei led Yulou and Yuan down to the junction of the two mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look—this is where the earth vein concentrates; the two mountains meet and the water dragon emerges.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If all goes well, in a few centuries, a new ninth-rank spiritual item will form here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The method of nurturing artifacts with spiritual energy is similar to how talismans draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth to enhance power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“High-grade spiritual artifacts require spiritual resonance and are more complex; ordinary artifacts are simpler—just place them in a suitable spot and nurture them for years to greatly increase their power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve hidden one artifact here—it’s been over three years, and it’s long reached the upper limit of what this location can nurture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Hongmei formed a hand seal; soon, a small white shield flew up from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is also a Mirror-Silver Gold-Thread Shield, but inside are two pieces of Black Steel, with twenty-nine sealing arrays.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Use your spiritual power to activate it—see if you can sense the difference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yulou took the Mirror-Silver Gold-Thread Shield, he was startled by its thick spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own belt was a spiritual artifact—a mid-grade one given by the clan chief—but even its spiritual resonance didn’t surpass this upper-grade shield by much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is spiritual nurturing this powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei smiled and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—nurtured for three years, the added power lasts only three days, and during battle, it fades to half a minute, continuously weakening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spiritual nurturing has pros and cons—even with Qin Yun Qingxi, the duration won’t extend much further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only great clans, who build their lineages around spiritual items and nurture them in ancestral lands, can truly benefit from this method—hermits can’t use it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I brought you here to teach you that when you forge artifacts in the future, you must consider the spiritual energy characteristics of the forging location.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ordinary artifacts don’t require such care, but spiritual artifacts must; as for forging magic treasures, even the season must be considered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, once a Purple Mansion forged a water-element magic treasure in the sands of the Eastern Desert during summer—result? That fool became a joke among artifact masters for thousands upon thousands of years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou nodded thoughtfully—this was the advantage of having a master’s lineage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter where Hongmei’s forging lineage came from—it was truly extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the foundational fire-artifact forging teachings, to the sealing array knowledge of Jin Shi artifacts, to now the spiritual energy enhancement nurturing method—though not deeply refined, it was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, bring out your artifacts—I’ll teach you the hand seals; bury them here and nurture them for a few months.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou asked in surprise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… can our artifacts be nurtured here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five elements interweave in heaven and earth, yet each has its own nature—could the Mirror-Silver Gold-Thread Shield be nurtured here, and could theirs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Artifacts are consumables—no need for such care; only spiritual artifacts require this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A forging master spoke like this—in Hongmei’s eyes, artifacts that ordinary cultivators and even many clan cultivators treasured were mere consumables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if those hermits dig them up after we bury them?” Yuan was sharply alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongmei smiled, pleased with his disciples’ caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, no need to worry—I know those hermits well—they’re all self-taught fools who don’t understand spiritual nurturing at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Hongmei’s guidance, Yulou and Yuan quickly mastered the hand seals for spiritual nurturing and buried their artifacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou buried his Ink Jade Staff; Yuan buried his Jade Axe Blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, the two joined Hongmei and his hermit friends for a small gathering on Shuanglong Mountain; Hongmei sold three artifacts along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they didn’t stay long on Shuanglong Mountain—they left that very night.\u003C\u002Fp>",1341,"2026-06-20T15:48:26.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","84f4bcd408b03899f96d48b3c2a9193a63dc6cbd28de37d6a2f2e1224631522f","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-39","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-37",243,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-the-jade-palace-cover.jpg"]