Chapter 212: Positions and Refining Methods (Seeking Subscriptions)

"Once you return later, I will transfer you to the position of Traveling Walker; it is a leisure post intended for the geniuses valued by the upper echelons of our sect to travel about."

"When you feel the time is right, you may end this journey and come to find me at the sect's central capital; I will arrange a new position for you then that corresponds to your cultivation level."

Traveling Walker—this was Du En's new post.

He appeared satisfied with this, and then mentioned another matter: "I have some ideas regarding my Natal Dharma Treasure. Could you advise me, and if possible, provide me with a suitable refining method?"

A Natal Dharma Treasure is a type of magical artifact, highly unique; it is one's sole natal item, cultivated alongside one's own life, akin to one's foundation, capable of being stored within the body, deeply connected, nurtured and transformed, following closely in one's own footsteps, with power and efficacy generally stronger, or even far stronger, than magical artifacts of the same rank.

Generally, one only begins to refine and nurture it after reaching the Golden Core stage, and the refining techniques are often one-of-a-kind, each with its own peculiarities, and they must also align with one's cultivation art and other circumstances; normally, it is difficult to obtain one that is both suitable and satisfactory.

Clearly, Du En did not need to worry about this now.

"A Natal Dharma Treasure? Have you already made up your mind?"

"It was while you were off investigating Gao Feng's bad debts."

During the day, he had returned to this residence alone, taken stock of Tang Yiping's assets, organized his own current holdings, and consolidated his cultivation, after which he considered this pressing matter.

It was mainly because the cultivation arts he had on hand all mentioned relevant content; the Firm Spirit Art even included a corresponding method for refining a Natal Dharma Treasure, which was how Du En knew about it.

"I am very dissatisfied with the one attached to the Firm Spirit Art, so after much thought, I have decided to refine a treasure capable of myriad transformations."

"Myriad transformations... that... sounds decent enough, but a Natal Dharma Treasure is also known as a Vessel of the Dao or a Treasure of Dao Protection; it is best if it aligns with one's own Dao path, or to put it more simply, one's personal temperament."

Meng Changqing gave a wry smile, his expression subtle, and began to state the pros and cons: "Upright people use blades, spears, swords, and halberds, appearing straightforward; devious people use all sorts of oddities, each case being different. As for this 'myriad transformations' idea, how should I put it? Does a person like you have such a complex temperament?"

He was still being considerate of Du En's face and didn't have the heart to say it directly: with that face of yours that looks like a stroke victim, you want 'myriad transformations'? I think something stiff and rigid like a club would suit you best; you seem to like head-on collisions anyway.

"What changes is the form; what remains unchanged is me."

Du En spoke his thoughts calmly: "Since it is a magical artifact, it cannot escape the constraints of the artifact seals. A seal is a restriction or prohibition, so no matter how much it transforms, it is actually just an appearance. The key lies in whether one can consistently constrain and prohibit it, without deviating from the core foundation of this artifact or treasure."

"So that's it! Using the unchanging 'me' as the seal, while everything else is a changeable form!"

Meng Changqing was suddenly enlightened, without needing Du En to continue; he pondered it for a long time, based on his own attainments in artifact refining and his experience in using them, and felt a flash of inspiration.

He understood!

But immediately, he couldn't help but frown: "I do have the refining methods for relevant treasures, but if you truly want to follow this path, you will need another core material to replace the original primary material, to ensure that you can truly and accurately realize your 'unchanging'..."

"That is what I thought as well."

"Hm?"

"The middle dantian, the Crimson Palace—it seems a bit redundant on me now. Rather than letting it continue to sit idle and useless, it would be better to simply refine it into my Natal Dharma Treasure."

Du En said this as if it were a matter of course.

Although the Firm Spirit Art, a mid-grade cultivation art, could be cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul stage, aside from the relevant content for opening the middle dantian during the Foundation Establishment stage, in the two stages that followed, this middle palace was actually just a place for storing magic power.

Perhaps the creator never imagined that Du En could max out this art during the Foundation Establishment stage, to the point where his Golden Core was perfect and flawless, and his magic power had completely crystallized into dust, now transforming into a star ring surrounding the Golden Core, which did not need to be contained in the middle dantian at all.

And so, this Crimson Palace was empty!

"This sudden whim of yours is, well, it is... hmm... if it weren't for its original ethereal nature, it might barely be feasible?"

Meng Changqing could not help but be surprised by Du En's idea, but upon further reflection, he found it was indeed viable; after all, materials from demonic beasts could be used to refine artifacts, so parts of a human body certainly could as well—all sorts of demonic refining methods originated this way.

The prerequisite was that this Crimson Palace was no longer in its original state.

"That is no problem. In my previous cultivation, it passively embedded itself into the many crystals of magic power, and the subsequent 'Firm Spirit' transformation also drove it to evolve in sync. Now it looks like a mass of blood crystals, a second heart within my body."

"Eh? It can do that?"

Meng Changqing had not expected this, and the point he hadn't anticipated was this: "In the past, no geniuses in the sect chose to cultivate it, so I never expected that by maxing it out and fully grasping it during the Foundation Establishment stage, it could have such a miraculous change. It seems it still has some potential to be tapped."

"That is all there is to it, because I had already cultivated the Firm Spirit Body, and now that I have reached the Golden Core stage, it is unremarkable; it is basically just following the steps, using the slow grind of effort to pile up strength."

Du En was the most qualified to speak on this.

After all, even the Crimson Palace, a middle dantian that should have been very useful and capable of doubling one's magic power, had become redundant for him. If he didn't try to make use of it now, he might not think of it again until he reached the Nascent Soul stage, when his magic power crystals filled his entire lower dantian and could no longer be contained.

Thus, he asked cautiously: "However, will the Green-Yellow Canon you are going to give me require the use of the Crimson Palace?"

"No. Among high-grade cultivation arts, it is the most superior, bordering on a top-tier art. Cultivation has already begun to shift from the physical to the ethereal, no longer constrained by actual objects."

"But the dantian is also ethereal in nature."

"Ethereal and ethereal are different. The ethereal nature of the dantian and meridians should actually be called 'semi-ethereal'; they are invisible to the naked eye and cannot be touched by hand, yet they are a part of the body that actually exists."

Du En was lost in thought; he was still suffering from the disadvantage of having little knowledge and a poor foundation.

"Before you set off, you can go to the City Lord's Mansion's Scripture Library to cram on the basics so that I don't have to keep explaining things to you in the future."

Meng Changqing said this "thoughtfully," then continued: "Since this Natal Dharma Treasure of myriad transformations seems viable for you, then no problem. I will prepare a refining method for you to read when you go to the treasure vault."

Such techniques cannot be easily passed on, so naturally, they would not be recorded on jade slips and given to others casually.

Du En immediately realized that starting from high-grade cultivation arts, the Falling Feather Immortal Sect was gradually restricting the circulation of techniques, which was why this was the case.

I fear that top-tier spells are the same, requiring specific permissions to be unlocked before they can be purchased, unlike other mid-grade cultivation arts or high, middle, and low-grade spells, which seem rampant in this border city and are very easy to buy.

(End of chapter)