Chapter 225: Disguise Technique

"A gentleman keeps his word!" Jiang Lan fixed her gaze on He Pingsheng: "I hope you are a true gentleman!"

"To use this robe, you must first refine some of its seals!"

"I don't require you to refine all the seals—just at least the top eight layers!"

He Pingsheng nodded.

He put away the Nine Radiance Slash-Dragon Flag, then took the blue robe in his hand.

A faint, sweet incense lingered, refreshing and invigorating the soul.

Boom…

The next instant, his spiritual sense plunged into the robe.

"This…?" He Pingsheng exclaimed: "Sister Jiang, there are… twenty layers of seals on this?"

"Is this… an ultimate ancient treasure?"

In the cultivation world, treasures are ranked as magic tools, spirit tools, magic treasures…

But that is not the limit.

Magic treasures are nurtured within the dantian; as the cultivator's cultivation base rises, so too does the treasure's rank and number of seals.

A magic treasure can evolve into a xuan treasure, which has thirteen to sixteen seal layers.

Beyond the xuan treasure lies the ancient treasure, with seventeen to twenty seal layers.

Now, this robe bears exactly twenty seal layers—meaning it is an ultimate ancient treasure.

"Yes!" Jiang Lan nodded.

He Pingsheng said: "Sister, thank you!"

He knew how precious this treasure was; that she was willing to lend it to him meant she truly meant to help him.

"Once I leave, how do I return this treasure to you?"

Jiang Lan gave a bitter smile: "Once you leave, you'll be running for your life—there won't be time to return it to me!"

"Then leave it with you for now!"

"If one day I'm gone, remember to fulfill my final wish for me!"

"Good brother, sister is leaving!"

Boom…

With that, Jiang Lan pulled out a Life-Death Talisman and crushed it outright.

He Pingsheng had wanted to give her some Golden Bee Sacred Elixir, but there was no chance.

"I…" He Pingsheng said: "My real name is He Pingsheng…"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jiang Lan was swept away by a white light.

The cave was left with only He Pingsheng alone.

Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.

He Pingsheng rubbed his face hard.

Then he sat cross-legged.

His gaze fell upon the robe.

Normally, refining a treasure with eight seal layers would take him two months.

But here in this secret realm, he had only one month.

And four days of that month had already passed.

What to do?

There was a way!

He Pingsheng had previously swallowed an ultimate Double-Spirit Pill—his spiritual sense had increased tenfold!

And the pill's effect would last fifteen days.

With his spiritual sense strengthened, surely refining speed would increase too?

Let's try!

He Pingsheng took a deep breath and began refining.

At once, a smile appeared on He Pingsheng's face: "It really works…"

The refining speed had increased two or three times.

One day!

Two days!

Three days!

…

In a flash, twelve days had passed.

After twelve days, He Pingsheng had refined eight layers of the Jinlan Treasure Robe.

He looked up at the nearby Treasure Basin.

Inside the Treasure Basin, he had placed a black crystal the size of a fist.

It was the Spear Intent Crystal.

He Pingsheng wanted to see if it could be enhanced.

Result…

It was enhanced!

The originally black crystal had changed color.

Still black—but now streaked with purple-gold patterns.

When light struck it, the crystal shimmered in dazzling hues.

And what had been one crystal was now two.

He Pingsheng couldn't help but wonder: Isn't the Treasure Basin only supposed to enhance items below third-rank?

Is this crystal not high-grade?

Never mind!

Just store it away.

He Pingsheng did not immediately plan to leave—he continued refining the Jinlan Treasure Robe in his hand.

Though Jiang Lan had told him eight layers were enough.

But He Pingsheng felt it wasn't safe enough.

He might as well refine one more layer.

Yet refining seals becomes harder the deeper you go.

Even with his doubled spiritual sense, it took another ten days to refine the ninth layer.

The Jinlan Treasure Robe was now fully refined to nine layers.

Twenty-two days total.

Adding the previous four days, He Pingsheng had now spent twenty-six days in the secret realm.

Only four days remained before he had to leave.

If he stayed longer, the array would crush all who lingered.

He Pingsheng draped the robe over himself.

The blue female Daoist robe looked bizarre on He Pingsheng.

"Change…" He Pingsheng willed it, and his appearance shifted.

He transformed himself into the form of the former Beast Tamer Sect disciple—he had learned her name was Li Mei from looting her body.

After becoming Li Mei, the robe could no longer remain blue.

"Change…"

A ripple of transformation.

Even He Pingsheng could no longer recognize himself.

Now, she wore a red long robe, held a sword in hand, and her cultivation base was simulated to Foundation Establishment ninth layer.

Her voice could easily shift to a woman's tone.

Once everything was perfected and thoroughly checked, He Pingsheng nodded in satisfaction.

But he still did not leave.

One more thing!

The spear.

The small spear he had taken still had an unknown rank!

If only it bore twenty layers of seals too…

Thinking this, He Pingsheng pulled out the divine spear and plunged his spiritual sense into it.

But to He Pingsheng's shock, he could not determine the treasure's rank at all.

He could not tell how many seal layers it had.

This…

Could it be stronger than an ancient treasure?

Forget it!

If I can't tell, I'll study it later.

He Pingsheng tossed the black spear into his storage bag, then casually crushed the white Life-Death Token in his hand.

Hummm… hummm… hummm…

The formation stirred to life.

After three breaths, He Pingsheng was teleported away.

The next moment, he landed on the square outside Shenzjiang Mountain.

As soon as he touched the ground, he was blocked by several soldiers clad in golden robes.

"Come with us!"

He Pingsheng was brought before the white-haired cultivator.

The white-haired cultivator's spiritual sense swept over him twice, finding nothing amiss.

"Foundation Establishment ninth layer—you're from Dingxiang County, right?" Long Yuan looked at him.

"Yes!" He Pingsheng replied.

His voice had been magically altered into a woman's.

"Where in Dingxiang County?" Long Yuan asked further.

He Pingsheng said: "Dingxiang City, Dingxiang County!"

"Good!" Long Yuan waved his hand. "Go rest behind. Do not leave."

Several soldiers led He Pingsheng to the rear.

Over a thousand cultivators were already seated there.

All of them were from Dingxiang County.

He Pingsheng sat down and turned his head to look around.

The once-empty square had, at some point, filled with countless soldiers.

More than ten thousand of them.

They stood in formation—three steps apart as sentries, five steps apart as guards—forming a vast circle that enclosed everyone within.

There was no way to leave.

【Today's fourth update, brothers—get ready. The five updates promised for March are starting… Before the five, I'll do four first to get used to the rhythm!】