Chapter 334

With a "boom," the red runes instantly flickered out, and the token reformed once more.

Xin Geng tucked away the token and led Wang Yu straight toward the massive city, flying swiftly.

…

An hour later.

Inside a tall building in the outer district of Tianyang City.

Wang Yu took out the dried corpses of the demonic rats and the fragment of the black jade pendant sealed with a talisman from his storage bag, placing them on a stone platform before him, while describing to the gray-haired old man across from him what had transpired at the Tong family ruins.

The old man's aura was clearly far stronger than Xin Geng's—he was a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator.

Xin Geng stood beside him, smiling as well.

Yet when Wang Yu mentioned the green-robed dwarf and his strange green flame that rapidly drained spiritual energy, both the old man and Xin Geng's expressions subtly changed.

Upon hearing that Wang Yu had slain both the dwarf and the second-rank yin corpse rat, their expressions grew even more astonished.

"Mie Ling Demon Flame"

"It's almost certainly this demonic art—the green-robed dwarf is almost certainly Jiao Sanchi of the Mo Luo Sect; only he cultivates this sinister technique and also understands corpse-refining arts."

"Jiao Sanchi is ruthless, yet his strength is formidable—he once killed a peer. I never expected he'd fall into Wang Shidi's hands; it's utterly unexpected."

But Wang Shidi, could you show us his artifact?

It's not that I doubt your words, but the more evidence we have, the faster we can conclude your assessment."

"Of course, our sect will later send others to investigate the site again." The old man and Xin Geng exchanged a few brief words, examined the dried rat corpses and the jade fragment, then politely addressed Wang Yu.

"Of course, it's only right." Wang Yu, upon hearing this, tapped his waist storage bag, and a white light surged out.

On the stone platform appeared a black iron shield and a pitch-black iron cone.

The old man ignored the shield, instead gesturing to draw the iron cone into his hand. After channeling a bit of spiritual energy into it, over twenty spiritual runes flickered into view on its surface.

"Excellent—it's indeed Jiao Sanchi's core artifact, Potian Cone!" The old man nodded, smiling broadly.

"Congratulations, Wang Shidi. Jiao Sanchi was listed on our Sunset Sect's Contribution List. You're now effectively half of our sect's disciple—if you surrender this artifact, you can exchange it for a large sum of contribution points."

"Wang Shidi will surely need contribution points to acquire our sect's exclusive resources during your cultivation." Xin Geng immediately offered congratulations, his gaze toward Wang Yu now subtly different.

"Oh? How many contribution points can this artifact fetch?" Wang Yu was intrigued.

"Jiao Sanchi once brutally murdered one of our sect's disciples, so his name ranks high on the Contribution List—he's worth roughly twelve thousand contribution points."

"Keep in mind, crafting a second-rank artifact in our sect costs only five thousand contribution points." The old man explained.

"Then I'll exchange this artifact for contribution points." Wang Yu, upon hearing this, spoke without hesitation.

"Good. Your assessment task is now officially completed. Please hand over your temporary True Disciple Token—I'll remove its seals and credit you with these contribution points."

"Also, per the agreement between your sect and ours, exchange disciples may receive five thousand contribution points free of charge—I'll add that as well." The old man replied calmly, unsurprised.

"Thank you, Xu Shixiong."

Wang Yu, overjoyed, tucked away the black iron shield, retrieved the Sunset Sect's True Disciple Token, and handed it over.

The old man took the token, pulled out a spiritual disc from his person, placed the token upon it, formed hand seals, and tapped the disc repeatedly with his fingers. After waiting a moment, he returned the True Disciple Token to Wang Yu.

Wang Yu briefly probed the token's interior with his spiritual sense, then smiled in satisfaction.

"Now that you have contribution points, Wang Shidi, have you decided which art to learn in our sect?" Xin Geng asked.

"I've long heard of the Sunset Sect's Chiyang Dafa. I possess a fire-affinity spiritual root and intend to learn this art." Wang Yu replied without hesitation.

"Ah, so you chose this art." Xin Geng sighed, as if expecting it. Xu Lao also slightly frowned.

"Is there something wrong with choosing this art?" Wang Yu noticed their odd expressions and asked in surprise.

"Not wrong—it's our sect's core art, and Chiyang Dafa is famed throughout Wu State. But in truth, few among us actually cultivate it." Xu Lao said slowly.

"Why? Is it too resource-intensive? Or are the later bottlenecks too hard to break through?" Wang Yu recalled what Tianchan Laozu had said and asked, puzzled.

"It seems Wang Shidi already knows quite a bit about Chiyang Dafa before arriving."

"Indeed, Chiyang Dafa consumes vast resources, and its later bottlenecks are far harder to overcome than other Foundation Establishment methods. But you likely don't know this: even entering Chiyang Dafa is extraordinarily difficult—it requires the aid of a Celestial Flame to have any hope of success." Xu Lao said slowly.

"Not to mention Celestial Flames—our sect possesses a third-rank artifact that can temporarily channel a thread of Celestial Flame energy to assist. But even that costs three thousand contribution points."

"Even so, only a handful of our disciples have ever entered Chiyang Dafa—only three among the Ten True Disciples have managed it." Xin Geng added with another sigh.

"Moreover, exchanging for the Chiyang Dafa incantation in the Scripture Library costs one thousand contribution points per level."

"A few years ago, a True Disciple from the Thousand Bamboo Sect came here to exchange. He chose Chiyang Dafa too—and spent all five thousand contribution points without ever entering it, leaving in disappointment." Xu Lao wore a helpless expression.

"I didn't know it was this hard to enter Chiyang Dafa, but I've heard that once you've passed the entrance, its cultivation speed far surpasses other Foundation Establishment arts—if resources are sufficient." Wang Yu mused.

"Chiyang Dafa does indeed trade resources for speed, but its later bottlenecks are unimaginably difficult. For over a thousand years, countless True Disciples who cultivated it have been trapped—among our sect's Four Elders, only one ever formed a Golden Core using Chiyang Dafa."

"That said, our sect's other fire-affinity arts are also extremely powerful—especially Huan Yang Dafa, known as 'Little Chiyang Dafa.' Once mastered, it grants not only the power of fire arts but also the subtle effects of illusion."

"Of course, if Wang Shidi insists on learning Chiyang Dafa, that's perfectly fine—we're merely offering advice." Xin Geng urged gently, then shifted his tone.

"Thank you both for your advice. But with a fire-affinity spiritual root, not at least seeing how Chiyang Dafa is cultivated would be a regret. I still intend to try it first—if it truly proves impossible, I'll switch to another art." Wang Yu paused, then smiled lightly in reply.