Chapter 280

"Second-rank artifact"

Wang Yu murmured softly, thinking of the terrifying power of a second-rank artifact, his expression thoughtful.

To wield a second-rank artifact, one must naturally be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although this "Mystic Armor Scripture" directly points to the path of second-rank body refinement, if one fails to achieve Foundation Establishment, even if cultivation succeeds, one remains at the Qi Refinement stage—a Qi Refinement cultivator merely possessing second-rank power.

Of course, second-rank strength cultivators hold far higher status within the sect than ordinary guard strength cultivators, able to stand on equal footing with Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But what puzzled Wang Yu was that he had never seen such body refinement texts in the Scripture Library, nor had he encountered even a single first-rank body refinement technique like a breathing method.

Yet the armored strength cultivators he had previously seen proved that the Four Symbols Sect did possess body refinement methods—at least first-rank breathing techniques would not be lacking.

It seemed either his status was too low to access such texts in the Scripture Library, or the truly precious cultivation scriptures were not kept there at all, and the Four Symbols Sect had another special place to store its secret techniques, inaccessible to ordinary Qi Refinement disciples.

Wang Yu's thoughts spun rapidly; he glanced once at the scripture in his hand, then barely pushed aside all distractions, refocusing his mind on the cultivation of the "Mystic Armor Scripture."

According to the text, the cultivation method of the Mystic Armor Art differed drastically from first-rank breathing techniques.

Whether entering the path, achieving minor success, or reaching full mastery, one must rely on various external substances to succeed, most of which he had never heard of—but merely hearing their names made clear they were no ordinary items, and he would need to inquire further.

As for the Bone Xuan Pill, it was an auxiliary pill used to cultivate the first three layers of the Mystic Armor Art; it was not meant to be swallowed directly, but rather crushed and dissolved in hot water for a full-body soak, gradually strengthening the bones so the cultivator's body could withstand second-rank power. According to the text, the process was excruciatingly painful and itchy—ten parts pain, one part relief—and few ordinary people could endure it.

The back of the book did include the formula for the Bone Xuan Pill, but after seeing the seven or eight rare spiritual herbs required to brew it, his head began to ache.

Wang Yu sighed, then gathered up the "Mystic Armor Scripture" and the other items on the table.

The cultivation of the Mystic Armor Art clearly appeared extraordinarily difficult, far surpassing the breathing techniques he had practiced before.

If all second-rank body refinement methods were this hard to cultivate, no wonder the Four Symbols Sect had so few second-rank strength cultivators—recently, only the traitor Shi Jian had been one.

Wang Yu hesitated slightly over whether he should truly cultivate this "Mystic Armor Scripture."

His fundamental purpose in cultivating in this world was to pursue the terrifying lifespan of high-rank cultivators, far exceeding that of his original world; if he diverted his focus to second-rank body refinement, it would inevitably delay his normal cultivation, given his mediocre spiritual affinity.

But on the other hand, in this cultivation world, sect conflicts were frequent and survival was difficult; without powerful techniques for self-protection, he would easily die during cultivation.

Wang Yu's thoughts churned, and for a moment he could not decide; he decided to set the matter aside for now and consider it again upon returning to the sect.

Right now, his most important task was to use his temporary merit points to claim the rewards from this Kalan Trial, and to sell some of the items he had collected in the secret realm to the sect in exchange for spiritual stones.

But this would likely have to wait until the Kalan Secret Realm's portal closed completely and the four sects' rankings were finalized; until then, he could only wait in the encampment.

Over the next two days, Wang Yu practiced breathing and cultivation in his quarters, spending spare time studying the newly acquired scriptures.

Only Wan Shan came by once, and from him Wang Yu learned the name of the disciple who had obtained the fifth Kalan key, and was greatly surprised.

"Gu Lian"

After seeing Wan Shan off, he murmured the lucky disciple's name.

……

The next day at noon.

The massive vortex hanging high in the sky began to slowly disintegrate with a thunderous roar.

Hearing the commotion, disciples in the encampment all stepped out of their huts and looked upward.

The giant vortex shrank rapidly within less than an incense stick's time, its roar fading from loud to faint, until finally it vanished entirely into a single point of white light.

Immediately, the four Jin Dan elders flashed into the sky simultaneously, gazing down at the remaining six or seven hundred disciples in the encampment, each with different expressions—some smiling, others expressionless.

Dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the four sects also flew into the sky, standing below the four elders.

Wang Yu stood before his wooden hut in the Four Symbols Sect encampment, gazing up at the four Jin Dan elders.

Whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that Elder Tian Chan occasionally cast glances in his direction.

This left him pleasantly startled!

Could this newly acknowledged "teacher" truly hold him in high regard?

"Elder Tian Chan, what are you looking at? That disciple from Guimen?"

"That boy doesn't ring a bell—could he be the 'Wang Yu' who's been making waves these days, single-handedly slaying three true disciples of the demonic sect?" Li Guang seemed to notice Tian Chan's odd gaze and unconsciously glanced toward Wang Yu's position, squinting slightly as he asked.

"Oh? Elder Li Guang knows this boy? Old monk has heard this name repeatedly from my disciples these past days—it's this young cultivator." Guang Fa monk also gazed deeply toward Wang Yu.

The elderly woman beside them remained motionless upon hearing their words, as if the name "Wang Yu" held not the slightest interest for her.

"It's rare for two elders to take interest in our sect's disciple, but unfortunately this boy has a mediocre four-element spiritual affinity—no hope of Golden Core, barely any chance of Foundation Establishment; what use is high strength in Qi Refinement?"

"I'm far more interested in your disciple Gu Lian from Li Guang's sect. I hear not only is his spiritual affinity decent, but he's a man of great fortune—otherwise, how could the key have descended from the heavens and landed in his arms?" Elder Tian Chan replied coolly.

"Hah! Gu Lian does have some fortune. He's actually my grand-disciple. He once failed to break through to Foundation Establishment, but after wandering outside the sect for years and returning, he somehow gained even deeper roots—no telling what kind of opportunity he encountered." Li Guang grinned broadly.

"Indeed, for us cultivators, fortune is sometimes the most important thing."

"With great fortune, cultivation either proceeds smoothly without obstacles, or misfortune and fortune walk hand in hand—every setback ultimately propels one further." Guang Fa monk smiled.

Elder Tian Chan nodded slightly, clearly agreeing.

"Still, Elder Tian Chan, your disciple Wang Yu appears to be a superior Fire Spirit Root—perfectly suited for our sect's Crimson Sun Great Art. Why not give him to us?"

"If he ever miraculously achieves Foundation Establishment, given his performance in the Kalan Secret Realm, he'd make an excellent dedicated battle cultivator. A mere Qi Refinement disciple—surely you wouldn't be reluctant to part with him?" Li Guang glanced once more at Wang Yu, then smiled faintly at Elder Tian Chan.