Chapter 279

"I know well the power of Elder Jin's abilities; this time, I'm truly indebted to him—without his help, I'd have failed Wang Shidi." Xi Men Mei nodded vigorously.

"Mei girl, you're not falling for this kid, are you?"

"Helping you was a minor thing—I spoke up, and giving Wang Yu a disciple-of-record status was nothing. The master might scold a bit, but won't truly punish him. But if you want to break off the engagement and ruin the alliance between the two sects, the master will never agree—he might even drag this kid into it."

"Remember, a mere Qi Gathering disciple is but an ant before the master—making him vanish from the sect is no effort at all." The golden toad spoke with unusual gravity.

"Elder Jin, don't speak nonsense—I've never had feelings for Wang Shidi! I'm merely repaying his two acts of aid. How could I ever look upon a four-element disciple?" Xi Men Mei's heart leapt at his words; her cheeks flushed crimson, yet she denied it outright.

"Girl, just know your own priorities."

"If you want the master to change his mind, this kid must prove greater value than Yuan Huatian—say, achieving Foundation Establishment within a few years, or showing potential to condense a Golden Core." The golden toad spoke solemnly.

"I know all this. Grandfather already agreed with the Yuan family—Yuan Huatian's Foundation Establishment day is my wedding day. But if I become a full Array Master before then, won't Grandfather at least waver a little?" Xi Men Mei nodded reluctantly, then bit her red lip slightly.

"A full Array Master? That's different."

"In our sect, Array Masters rank higher than ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. If you truly hold that title and strongly oppose it, the master might hesitate." The golden toad paused, then answered uncertainly.

"Enough. With those words from Elder Jin, I know what I must do next." Xi Men Mei slapped her hands firmly on the toad's back and declared decisively.

"Among the hundred arts of cultivation, Array Mastery is the hardest to advance in."

"Mei girl, are you certain you want this? It may delay your own cultivation. In the cultivation world, artifacts and techniques are secondary—only realm matters most, and only realm greatly extends lifespan." The golden toad, sensing her intent, urged her with deep concern.

"Elder Jin, don't worry. My talent in array arts was praised repeatedly by our sect's two Array Masters—they said if I truly devoted myself, I could become a full Array Master within ten years without greatly hindering my cultivation." Xi Men Mei smiled lightly, her resolve firm, and began tapping the toad's back again.

"If you've truly decided, I won't say another word."

The golden toad sighed, closed his emerald eyes, and fell silent.

…

Wang Yu flew excitedly from the magic vessel and returned to his temporary wooden hut, laying out all his newly granted rewards on the table.

A token from Elder Tianchan, a book titled *Xuan Jia Jing*, and three vials of Xuan Gu Dan.

The token was simple—a black metal plaque, one side bearing a toad with head raised, swallowing the moon; the other, a golden character: "Chan."

The plaque felt icy in his hand. As a certified Artificer, he could tell it wasn't made of ordinary iron essence—it contained some rare spiritual material, nearly impossible to counterfeit. Truly worthy of a Jin Dan elder's token.

He picked up a vial, carefully unscrewing the lid.

A pungent odor burst forth, catching him off guard—he sneezed three times in succession before finally pouring out a single pill, no larger than a soybean, black-green in hue.

Wang Yu stared at the miniature pill in his palm, puzzled.

Elder Tianchan had given this pill with such solemnity, yet it looked utterly unremarkable—and the smell was overpowering. Was he meant to swallow it directly?

He held the vial to his eyes and peered inside.

Inside were roughly thirty such pills—three vials totaled over a hundred.

Wang Yu returned the pill to the vial, then picked up the *Xuan Jia Jing*. He silently whispered, "Overclock," and his senses surged, his mind entering a hyper-focused state as he began turning the pages.

This was his first encounter with a second-rank body refinement technique—he must devote all his effort to unraveling its mysteries.

As the name suggests, the *Xuan Jia Jing* was a technique specifically designed to enhance bodily defense.

After a full incense stick's time, he closed the final page. The shimmer in his eyes faded; he pondered silently.

No wonder it was a second-rank body refinement technique—it began by stating clearly that one must first perfect a certain breathing method and have already conditioned the five viscera and six bowels with dark qi, possessing a first-rank body foundation, before even beginning this technique.

According to the text, the technique had seven levels.

Reaching the first level was merely entry—it strengthened the skin and membrane.

Reaching the third level was minor mastery—it greatly increased bodily resilience.

Reaching the fifth level was full mastery—the body became as if clad in thick armor, impervious to blades, spears, fire, and water.

Reaching the seventh level was perfect completion—the body could effortlessly resist first-rank artifact attacks, and even absorb most of the power of second-rank artifacts.

Resist the power of second-rank artifacts!

Wang Yu was startled.

Ordinary Qi Gathering disciples might not grasp the vast gap between first- and second-rank artifacts, but as an Artificer, he knew better than anyone.

Take his own set of Zi Mu Fu You Jing—even in cannon mode, its power reached the upper limit of first-rank artifacts, nearly touching the threshold of second-rank, yet it still differed fundamentally in quality.

From books and Master Sun's words, he knew second-rank artifacts involved more than merely stacking runes or combining spells. Their true power depended on the compatibility and rarity of their materials.

After all, second-rank materials were entirely different from first-rank.

While first-rank materials like iron essence could appear in the mortal world, even common second-rank materials like "iron mother" were celestial treasures, found only in trace amounts within large iron mines—even Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled to obtain them.

Thus, second-rank artifacts were not only hard to forge, but their materials were exceedingly difficult to acquire.

Even among the Foundation Establishment elders of the Four Symbols Sect, few possessed more than one or two second-rank artifacts.

Among outside cultivators, many Foundation Establishment practitioners had none at all, forced to rely on high-quality first-rank artifacts instead—clearly inadequate.

As for cultivation clans, it was common for them to treat a single second-rank artifact as a clan treasure, passed down through generations.