[{"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-5":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},2320467,4538,"Chapter 5","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>“Indeed, they need proper polishing.” Master Hongmei nodded in deep agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, Yu’an always felt the eyes beneath Master Hongmei’s red eyebrows were fixed on him, and he instinctively shrank his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was at least a Qi Refining cultivator with cultivation base to his name; the swelling from his uncle’s ten consecutive slaps to his pig-brain had mostly subsided by yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he hunched his shoulders, his short stature made him look downright shabby in Master Hongmei’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking from Yulou to Yu’an, Master Hongmei sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brothers of the same clan, both dual-spirit-rooted—how could the gap between people be so vast?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, consider him a bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve drunk your tea and accepted your tuition. As your master, I ought to give you a Baishili .”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Master Hongmei reached into his storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Hongmei, no need—you’re too kind! Our two boys genuinely seek you as master; the tuition is only proper, no Baishili  needed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Genuinely Seeking a Master”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paying Tuition Is Proper for Baishi ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Master Hongmei about to pull out gold coins, Wang Rong hurriedly added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go all out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhong, we paid our tuition top-notch—don’t be stingy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re all respectable people, aren’t we?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Tianshuo’s face froze slightly; his hand inside the storage pouch shifted from reaching for a low-grade magic treasure to reaching for a mid-grade one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Wang, you’re a real dog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Might as well feed it to the dog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang clan is powerful, I’ve taken plenty of spirit stones, the tuition was generous—giving a mid-grade magic treasure... might as well call it even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, these two lads are my disciples now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, a strange scene appeared in the Hall of Huafeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the cultivators glanced at Master Hongmei, curious what this ultra-budget, junior version of Duobao Dao Ren would give his disciples as a Baishili .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over here, Master Hongmei’s big hand rummaged, rummaged, rummaged inside the storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he rummaged, Master Hongmei weighed his options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, this sword is too expensive—giving it to either of them would be a waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Mountain-Stabilizing Stone still has potential for further refining its seals... I can’t bear to part with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Master Hongmei finally smiled and pulled out a jet-black pearl from his storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pearl was the size of a chicken egg, entirely black, unremarkable in appearance, seemingly not a powerful magic treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding up the jet-black pearl, Zhong Tianshuo’s cheeks quivered as he smiled and explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yulou, you’re a water-fire dual-spirit-root—hmm...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mid-grade Ink Jade Oil Pearl suits you perfectly. It’s not a weapon for dominating in battle, but it will serve you until late Qi Refining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crafted from a complete ninth-rank Ink Jade, it can hold up to thirteen seals. If you advance in your Dao, you can refine it into a top-tier mid-grade magic treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve already implanted nine seals—it can hold nine hundred jin of fire oil, perfectly matching your water-fire nature, amplifying spell power when used in tandem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But never use it against sharp or sturdy magic treasures—even a low-grade sword with five or six seals can damage it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mid-grade magic treasure with nine seals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it’s only mid-grade entry-level and poor in combat, it’s still mid-grade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Rongyuan, a high-grade Qi Refining cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Wang clan, currently wields a magic treasure with at most twenty-one seals—he’s the Wang clan’s Transmission Hall elder, a top-tier Qi Refining combat expert!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic treasures are scarce for two key reasons: combat wear and tear and difficult crafting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget combat wear and tear—just the difficulty of crafting alone drives countless cultivators to obsess over acquiring a single mid-grade magic treasure!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spirit-material refining has failure rates, and the sealing techniques of magic treasures are each alchemist’s or sect’s deepest secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wang clan spent a fortune sending their two most gifted Di  sons to Master Hongmei precisely because he masters fire-method Jin Shi refining seals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jinyan and Tang Nianqiu nearby were drooling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the Hao  of a top Qi Refining alchemist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhong, can we still re-enroll and become your disciples?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving a mid-grade magic treasure as a Baishili —Zhong Tianshuo’s generosity instantly stunned Wu’s family head, himself a Qi Refining cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mid-grade magic treasure with nine seals costs at least two hundred spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s that expensive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No good—we must renegotiate the price of Jin Shi and spirit materials we supply to Huafeng!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master, for this treasure—I shall never forget your teachings!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou raised both hands, eagerly accepting the Ink Jade Oil Pearl bestowed by Master Hongmei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond seal count, grade, and material quality, another crucial factor in magic treasure worth is compatibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a water-fire dual-spirit-root, Wang Yulou’s cultivated spiritual energy will inevitably be water-fire aligned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Ink Jade Oil Pearl, made of Ink Jade, can store fire oil to aid in battle—fire oil is inherently water-based, yet ignites into fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the upper limit of thirteen seals still has four unimplanted—if four more are added, the Ink Jade Oil Pearl’s power will grow even greater!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou got his treasure; now it was Yu’an’s turn. The boy stared expectantly at his cheap master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But... Master Hongmei’s gaze toward him was complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You got your face slapped yesterday for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many times have you glanced at my daughter since entering Huafeng?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you polite?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was inwardly annoyed, but with many friends and peers present, and the Baishi  ceremony proceeding with dignity, he couldn’t lash out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he rummaged in his storage pouch, finally pulling out a special defensive treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the crowd’s puzzled stares, Master Hongmei held up the special defensive treasure and explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu’an, you’re a metal-earth dual-spirit-root. I have few mid-grade magic treasures suited to metal-earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shell of a Golden-Horn Mud Turtle is a rare spirit-material with both metal and bone properties, naturally very hard—ordinary low-grade magic treasures can’t break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave it a simple refinement—it currently has three seals, a low-grade magic treasure, but its upper limit can reach fifteen seals—then it’ll surpass Yulou’s Ink Jade Oil Pearl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, take it. With this, even if you face enemies, you’ll be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Hongmei: You’ll eventually crash and burn over romance—I’m doing you a favor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they attack you, you can summon this shell, hide inside, and defend—wouldn’t that be lovely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu’an took the shell from Master Hongmei, bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Yulou get a mid-grade magic treasure and I got a low-grade one...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu’an was hurt, but didn’t know why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulou nearby almost laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True, this defensive treasure was rare, and Master Hongmei was generous—but...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden-Horn Mud Turtle—Squirtle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard to keep a straight face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu’an, you’ve probably already had it in this lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Master Hongmei has gained fine disciples, Yulou and Yu’an have found worthy masters. Now, the third bow—the Baishili ...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Nianqiu was about to cry “ Baishilibi ,” when an unexpected intruder burst into Huafeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outer array of Huafeng only alerted—it didn’t block entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The visitor didn’t knock—he kicked the door open!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore the red robe of an outer-disciple of the Red Lantern Sect, wore a magic treasure instead of a crown, and carried a mid-grade magic treasure-level Spirit-Sealing Rope around his waist—looking mighty indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His triangular eyes swept the hall, lingered for a moment on Wang Rongyuan, as if surprised, yet still spoke arrogantly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Old Tang is here too? Perfect—spares me a trip to Zhiwei Fang!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1250,"2026-06-20T15:48:26.995Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e1533d9f86f00be4ff5817354d997c7d7788c87e71d2cbacac07944d5b90b014","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-6","ascending-to-the-jade-palace-chapter-4",243,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-the-jade-palace-cover.jpg"]