Chapter 308: Highly Anticipated, Preparing Magical Treasures (6k, seeking subscriptions)

Two flowers bloom, each representing a separate branch.

In fact, the moment Du En finished refining his natal magical treasure, the attentive gazes of the Great Cultivators were once again cast over from afar.

Because of the flow of Qi.

The protective grand array of a fifth-tier cave dwelling is naturally capable of blocking the observation of Great Cultivators of the same tier; under normal circumstances, it appears very concealed and can block and hide all sorts of internal movements.

However, this was not the result of burning one's own spirit stones, after all; the Qi used to operate and maintain it was supplied by the main spirit vein of the Hub City.

Therefore, once a significant change in the flow of Qi occurred, the Great Cultivators could naturally detect clues to a greater or lesser extent.

"Is he about to break through?"

"That is quite fast."

"After refining the missing magical treasure, did he take the Azure Pure Green Lotus while the momentum was there?"

"Perhaps."

"..."

Across the void, thoughts collided in a brief exchange.

Synthesizing the circumstances before and after, this conjecture proposed by a certain Great Cultivator was the most likely.

Because according to Du En's previous records, the nearly three years he spent in Changle City was a normal period of time, and breaking through to the Golden Core Perfection was even more normal!

In other words, no one thought he had already consumed the Azure Pure Green Lotus.

And from Golden Core Perfection to Nascent Soul Initial Stage is a breakthrough of a major realm; even for Du En, they felt that under normal circumstances, it would take at least ten years to find the opportunity for a breakthrough.

However, since Du En still possessed the two awarded Azure Pure Green Lotuses, perhaps that was enough for him to find the opportunity in a short time and achieve another breakthrough.

After all, the Azure Pure Green Lotus and the Green-Yellow Canon are actually quite compatible; there had been geniuses who practiced the Green-Yellow Canon in the past who used this to rapidly break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

True Person Zhenhong in the Hub City was based on this precedent when bestowing such a rare item.

—To lend Du En a helping hand, thereby gaining a slight inclination in his attitude.

The Great Cultivators knew this well and continued to watch at this moment.

Then, they soon discovered that something seemed a bit wrong.

"Coming once every day?"

"This is not a breakthrough?"

"Hmm, it looks more like some kind of method for gathering Qi."

"Is his natal magical treasure refined for auxiliary purposes?"

"That shouldn't be, right? Primarily because it's unsuitable; the killing power of an auxiliary-type magical treasure is inherently a cut weaker than a normal magical treasure, and if one encounters a powerhouse at the same level, it's a big cut or two."

"Actually, one cannot conclude that either; after all, he has a new spirit body, and if it is well-developed and nurtured later on, he can dominate his peers even without a natal magical treasure."

"Indeed, just like that person over in the Northlands... In this way, changing the natal magical treasure to an auxiliary one can be used to make up for his final shortcoming, that truly unsightly low-grade spirit root."

"Makes sense, it's just that it might be counterproductive and a bit too risky."

"Let's continue to watch."

The conversation among the Great Cultivators appeared again across the void, appearing more dense, while their differences in opinion had clearly increased significantly.

Xu Fengjiao, among them, was actually itching to stir up trouble, wanting to take the opportunity to muddy the waters and incite an intensification of the topic's disagreement to see if she could provoke and aggravate the conflicts among this group of people with varying stances.

After all, many Great Cultivators, after losing many survival crises and no longer being limited by the plight of the lower levels, became extremely concerned with face, and using this as an entry point was achievable.

But in the end, she did not do so.

Doing nothing is better than doing wrong; doing too much leads to more mistakes. To avoid being counterproductive, it was better to be cautious.

Thus, the Great Cultivators quickly fell silent.

Gradually, because there were no new developments, some moved their gazes away, some only watched intermittently, but there were also those who watched continuously.

"True Monarch Huiqing is really watching closely; however, a True Monarch is a True Monarch after all. Before, just a glimpse through a secret technique was enough for him to immediately conclude that he needed to cut the weeds and dig up the roots."

Xu Fengjiao glanced obscurely at the side of the Prison Punishment Division's director, thinking this to herself.

If it weren't for the fact that the period of Du En's travels happened to be when the other party was under various pressures and needed to focus on modifying their Daoist techniques to urge the main cause, Meng Changqing, to perish together with the resentment, they probably would have already taken action instead of just letting their own people watch for the time being.

But judging from the previous actions of the Prison Punishment Division, I fear that person has already begun to gradually free up their hands!

"Young man, hurry up and break through so you can report to the sect. Getting involved in the affairs over there is also very dangerous, but as the saying goes, wealth is sought in danger; it's better than wandering alone outside and unfortunately being struck by a thunderous blow..."

Thinking this, Xu Fengjiao behaved normally thereafter, only casting glances sporadically, and the frequency was not high.

Thus, time quickly arrived at one year after Du En went into seclusion.

For the Great Cultivators, this was but a very short period of time; a single small practice session of their own might take more than that.

But for Tang Wenren, it felt more and more wrong the more he thought about it.

After finishing the sightseeing before, we agreed to meet again, so why are you unavailable again?

It couldn't be that you really can't squeeze out a day or half a day throughout the whole year, right?

So, is it that you feel you are about to break through, which is why you are in seclusion practicing diligently without stopping?

Tang Wenren followed this line of thought, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible. After all, putting himself in the other's shoes, if he also faintly captured an opportunity, he would definitely go into seclusion properly, going into seclusion all day long, until the moment of grasping it arrived.

Consequently, he really couldn't sit still and ran over.

If it really was a breakthrough, then he should offer congratulations in time, and then take the opportunity to invite the other party to go around and play, to see if they could encounter any fresh things and learn or gain pleasure from them.

Because of his actions, the Great Cultivators also one after another focused their gazes again in unison.

They thought this genius Tang was representing True Person Zhenhong, and since there was some deep meaning behind it, they naturally dared not be negligent.

Tang Wenren, who sensed these obvious gazes, was first stunned, then realized, and was immediately somewhat surprised, because the performance of the Great Cultivators seemed somewhat abnormal; normally, they wouldn't bring a long string of gazes wherever he went.

In other words, Du En is really breaking through here!

Only in this way could such a misunderstanding be triggered.

His thoughts were confirmed, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling very admiring of Du En, while also carrying a bit of self-reproach, and then he was about to open his mouth to explain, so as not to let the Great Cultivators misunderstand and cause any unnecessary twists and turns.

However, before he could speak, he sensed an abnormal wind sweeping around him.

The flow of Qi!

This time, Du En has truly begun his breakthrough.

The Qi converging and flowing in was exceptionally fierce, to the point that the hidden gathering of Qi in the fifth-tier cave dwelling became somewhat ineffective, stirring up a sudden, continuous, and unending breeze in the surroundings.

The gazes of the crowd shifted instantly, locking onto the Dragon-Severing Stone at the cave entrance, some focused, some scrutinizing, some inquisitive, some nervous...

This last one was naturally Tang Wenren, whose nervousness signaled unease and worry.

Aside from his natural disposition and the special upbringing that made him appear magnanimous and easygoing, it was also because, through this period of contact, Du En had become a peer genius he admired.

If the breakthrough were to fail here, it would actually form a blow to him as well; it would be hard to avoid a setback in confidence, creating a shadow on his Dao heart that "even that Du En failed, so I might also fail, and fail even more miserably!"

Therefore, he naturally hoped from the bottom of his heart that Du En could succeed.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the abnormal flow of Qi continued for a while, then began to slow down until it returned completely to normal.

Then, it was quiet over at the cave dwelling, without a single movement or change.

For a time, only obscure gazes collided, and only Tang Wenren was so nervous that his hands were clenched tight.

But then, it remained quiet, continuing for a long while.

"This... consolidating?"

"Did he just consume one Green Lotus, and is now consuming a second?"

"The Qi did not gather abnormally; based on the cultivation habits he has shown previously, it does not seem like that."

"So..."

The Great Cultivators' conversation stopped at the surface, but one meaning seemed ready to emerge.

Failure!

This was not impossible; rather, it was quite common.

Even among these Great Cultivators, who among them had not experienced one or two failures in breakthroughs since they began cultivating?

Especially after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, reaching this stage where even the posture of a genius begins to struggle at every step, every small realm must be ground out with time, often requiring several accumulations and several attempts before one can break through the shackles.

That was still considered a smooth situation.

Therefore, they generally did not feel any unusual ripples regarding this possibility.

However, there were exceptions.

"If it really is a breakthrough failure, should we give him more benefits to help him persist in his efforts later?"

Once these words were spoken, the Great Cultivators shifted their eyes one after another, gazing toward that person in the Prison Administration on the other side.

Hua Ting.

Dressed in a stern black robe, with a severe and harsh expression, he was not smiling at the moment, and his attitude appeared quite serious.

The Great Cultivators watched him speaking like this; some felt it was not unexpected, some began to ponder, and some were instantly suspicious and uncertain.

Their moods were quite diverse, manifesting their respective stances and the degree of information they possessed; of course, there was also no lack of acting.

But regardless of their specific thoughts, they could not change Hua Ting's intention!

His proposal here was actually rubbing salt into Du En's wounds, constantly reminding him that he had failed once, which could potentially interfere with his Dao heart.

After all, a genius who had never failed before, finally encountering a failure, would certainly have misgivings; if this were magnified and continued, it would very likely hinder the pace of his cultivation, dragging it out for a period of time for no reason.

But could you say that Hua Ting was subjectively and purely malicious?

You could not.

Because he was helping someone; as a senior on the path of immortal cultivation, giving help to a junior he thought highly of, how could it be said that he was subjectively malicious?

Everyone knew it clearly, yet they could not criticize it.

Xu Fengjiao maintained her outward character, but in her heart, she was not worried about Du En, feeling no nervousness at all.

Because she felt that even if Du En really failed his breakthrough and really let Hua Ting do that, he would likely just accept the help entirely.

After all, that was a junior young man who was quite impervious to reason, making the resolution unable to save face now; one could imagine how stubborn, ahem, unwavering he was in the previous ideological conflicts!

Moreover, if there really were any "what ifs" and Du En was truly shaken because of this, she would actually be happy to see it.

Because that way, she could take advantage of the situation to enter!

With earnest teachings and patient guidance, she could twist and correct his temperament, turning him completely into a fellow traveler of their faction, stepping forward together for their great grand plan!

Although it might not be as interesting as before, there were always gains and losses; one had to make concessions for the big picture, so she had no movement at all now, and in her heart, she probably also felt that Du En had already failed!

She also did not feel that it was a problem of her side reminding him to speed up; after all, before this, after Du En refined his natal magical treasure, he had already been brewing for a year.

Whatever needed to be considered had long been considered; if he still couldn't figure it out, who could he blame?

Since he chose to make a one-time effort to break through at this time, he naturally had to have the awareness to bear failure...

Before her thoughts were finished, at this very moment.

Rumble—

The Dragon-Severing Stone finally rose.

Du En stepped out from within.

Because he still had to find someone to handle matters next, he did not hide anything; his early Nascent Soul cultivation was revealed without doubt, so stable that it did not look like he had just broken through.

The thoughts of the Great Cultivators stagnated because of him.

"Hahaha, Du Youli, I knew you would definitely be able to succeed!"

Tang Wenren immediately let out a sigh of relief; it could be said that the emperor was not anxious, but the eunuch was. At this time, he hurriedly smiled and greeted him, which saved Du En the trouble of going to find him.

As for the issue of his form of address, it was because during their last sightseeing, he felt that they had fought together, so their relationship should have improved, which was why he had adjusted it in a formal manner.

Regarding this, Du En also followed the trend and changed accordingly.

Therefore, he now spoke very directly: "I did not expect that you would actually run outside to wait."

"No, no, not only was I waiting, even the Great Cultivators were..."

"Hmph!"

A sudden cold snort interrupted Tang Wenren's words, revealing that its owner was currently in a rather unpleasant mood.

After all, one should either remain completely silent or, if one does speak, ensure it leads to practical results; otherwise, it is merely inviting humiliation and losing face for no reason.

The gazes of the other Great Cultivators shifted all at once; some relaxed, some were indifferent, and others, who were open rivals, now appeared gleeful, wanting to watch a good show.

But Hua Ting only gave that one snort, withdrew his gaze in the blink of an eye, walked into the room on his own, and paid no further attention.

Because there was nothing to be done.

The person who had just spoken over there was the closed-door disciple of True Person Zhenhong, and the one listening to him was someone highly regarded by the sect's upper-level advisors; although he was a Great Cultivator himself and the factional differences between them were vast, having lost face just now, he could only suppress it in his heart and must not act rashly.

Seeing that there were no further developments, the other Great Cultivators also withdrew their gazes.

In any case, judging by Tang Wenren's performance, they already understood that True Person Zhenhong had no other intentions; thus, since the matter here had reached a conclusion, they would no longer maintain such close attention.

Of course, regarding the current changes in the situation, making timely adjustments to their own vague assumptions was something that went without saying.

Du En did not care about this small interlude, while Tang Wenren gave a somewhat awkward, bitter smile.

"I just switched to cultivating the Ten Thousand Control Art and have only just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, so my finances are truly tight; I can't even scrape together one hundred Tier 4 magical artifacts, let alone ten thousand..."

Once the gazes of all the Great Cultivators vanished, Du En spoke to Tang Wenren about his original intention for coming to find him.

No way, you really want to gather ten thousand magical artifacts of the same tier?!

Before he could finish listening, Tang Wenren could not help but be shocked.

The main thing was that while the Ten Thousand Control Art sounded very good and powerful, ten thousand magical artifacts of the same tier was truly extravagant and luxurious; under normal circumstances, no one would ever do such a thing.

At most, one would use one or two tenths of the total as high-tier magical artifacts, while filling the rest with lower-tier ones, focusing entirely on winning through sheer quantity.

To tell the truth, if Du En had not been practicing the Hundred Control Art, even the somewhat indecisive True Person Zhenhong would never have given him this top-grade spell, which was actually quite useless, as a reward earlier.

Why cultivate the Ten Thousand Control Art?

If one really wanted to perform a ten-thousand-count attack, there were top-grade spells like the Ten Thousand Sword Qi Art, the Ten Thousand Light Blazing Art, and others that used Qi to condense and drive them, which could easily gather over ten thousand items of the same tier and level.

In other words, even Tang Wenren, a disciple of a True Person, dared not imagine that he could consistently gather ten thousand magical artifacts of the same tier!

Tier 3 is still simple, Tier 4 is truly strenuous, and Tier 5 is completely out of the question!

A True Person's family fortune might not even be that deep!

And now, looking at the implication of Du En's words, it was very obvious.

Gather them!

"Cough! This, that..."

Tang Wenren looked at the person opposite him, his voice pausing significantly, and realizing his own loss of composure, he immediately began to stammer and stutter.

Unable to find words that were both appropriate and polite, he was so anxious he broke into a cold sweat.

"Don't feel it's impolite; I actually wanted to say that I plan to take on a side job, as long as you introduce me."

"A, a side job?"

This statement opened the eyes of the dignified genius Tang even further.

Do people of our status actually need to take on side jobs?!

"It's necessary; I can't always trouble the resolution committee, and it's better to be self-reliant."

"Haha, that's true."

Comparing the two, Tang Wenren suddenly felt deeply ashamed, as he still possessed a normal conscience.

Thus, he immediately patted his chest and said, "No problem, whatever side job Traveler Du wants, and whatever conditions are needed, I can introduce you to something good and satisfying!"

Regarding this point, he was full of confidence.

After all, in this Southern Pivot City, everyone had to give him some face!

"Artifact refining, culinary arts, and spirit gathering."

Du En stated these three plans for side jobs.

As for spirit seeking, it was not very suitable here, mainly because inside and outside Southern Pivot City, there was basically no spirit to be sought; everything was already owned.

Moreover, he currently needed a Tier 5 target, a Tier 5 spirit-nurturing ground, to provide him with proficiency, but this was a realm only Great Cultivators could touch; rashly getting involved or even just approaching it might cause them unnecessary tension and lead to all sorts of wild guesses.

In fact, even for culinary arts, one would need to cook Tier 5 dishes to accumulate proficiency.

In this regard, it was unlikely Tang Wenren could introduce him to a suitable place, and even if there were one, it wouldn't be appropriate to show his face there.

Therefore, he mentioned it here not to grind proficiency, but because he had other intentions.

"The conditions required are simple: for artifact refining, there must be a sufficiently large supply of raw materials, pre-refined artifact embryos, and an attached top-grade Tier 4 artifact refining room; it would be best if I could also purchase inventory spirit materials nearby."

"Culinary arts are similar; since I have some experience in this, I want to take the opportunity to save up a bit, so it would be best if there were a place with a pasture for live spirit beasts."

"Finally, for spirit gathering, it can be more casual, but if it could be close to the other two places so I don't have to use spatial movement several times to go back and forth, that would naturally be best."

Du En said this, with his own calculations behind every item.

"Uh, I understand the conditions, but while artifact refining is fine and can be managed, is this culinary arts and spirit gathering really necessary?"

Tang Wenren asked his question.

"To earn as many spirit stones as possible to purchase artifact materials."

Du En presented the main reason on the surface.

Relying only on the small surplus of materials from a side job in artifact refining, being so stingy, how could he possibly gather ten thousand items in a short time?

Naturally, he had to find a way to buy more materials!

As for why not buy finished products, it was naturally more cost-effective to buy materials.

Therefore, regarding this, Du En had an idea suitable for a city like Pivot City that could compress time and conceal his primary goal.

"When you go to handle this later, tell the person in charge directly that this matter can be widely publicized; it would be best if all three were concentrated and sold at a fixed location."

"Hiss! Could it be?!"

"That's right, I imagine that using the name of me, the genius traveler, can boost the sales of this batch of magical artifacts, spirit meals, and various spirit items."

Everyone come and buy! Traveler Du is personally taking the field, personally cooking, and personally farming to refine artifacts, prepare meals, and gather spirits for everyone!

I believe that once this gimmick is put out there, it is guaranteed that a large crowd of Nascent Soul cultivators will come flocking.

"If things go smoothly, we can split the profits fifty-fifty."

Du En calmly stated the proposed split for this portion of additional income, and seeing Tang Wenren looking eager to try, he directly interrupted his thoughts: "Don't come in and cause trouble; just act as the middleman."

"Ah? It's not okay even if I give you what I earn?"

"No, I will earn my own keep."

"……Alright, then after you leave later, I'll come play around with it myself."

Thinking of his own status and Du En's status, Tang Wenren rationally chose to give up for the time being.

Then, his train of thought was set in motion, quite lively, and without being taught, he thought of someone.

Yang Xin!

Matters regarding the three part-time jobs were absolutely no problem for a True Person disciple like him, but if he wanted to spread the word quickly and stir up the atmosphere, he still had to find a shill!

He thought that guy looked quite suitable!

Ultimately, he still wanted to have some sense of participation, so Tang Wenren appeared quite proactive.

Du En turned a blind eye to this; anyway, there were no concrete or direct financial dealings, so it wouldn't get in the way.

Then, upon receiving the notification and understanding the plan here, Yang Xin was even more eager to participate immediately, and even volunteered to bring along the Nascent Soul colleagues who had gone with him to support Chang'le City back then.

On one side is the traveler Du, and on the other is the genius Tang; he would please both sides and offend neither!

Faced with such a good thing, those Nascent Soul cultivators were naturally exceptionally eager and proactive as well.

And so, that very evening, after some preparation and brewing, mainly waiting for Du En to increase his horsepower and finish stocking up, a piece of news spread rapidly throughout the entire Southern Hub City.

(End of this chapter)