Chapter 124: Entering Golden Cabinet Water Manor Again

“Ah, right, here, take these two volumes of the ‘Heavenly Craft Revelation Compendium’ for yourself. They should directly boost your Life Profession level by two or three tiers, saving you a lot of time and effort otherwise wasted grinding the earlier stage experience.”

Just before leaving, Ye Rong remembered. He rummaged in his Universe Pouch, found the two book scrolls, and tossed them to Jiafang Yifang.

Both volumes were spoils from his chaotic skirmish with the players from the Tianshui Division. They boosted Life Profession EXP, but unfortunately were only useful for professions like Shipbuilding, Mechanisms, and Civil Engineering. Otherwise, he would have used them long ago.

Selling these for a good price required a buyer who truly appreciated their worth. With such a limited target audience, fetching a high price was difficult. Selling them cheaply also felt like a waste to Ye Rong. So, he simply gave them to Jiafang Yifang, letting him level up faster and become more useful sooner.

“Haha! Such great things? Thanks a bunch, Boss Yijian!”

Jiafang Yifang was grinning from ear to ear, frantically grabbing the two volumes of ‘Heavenly Craft Revelation Compendium’. He slapped them against his forehead one by one, using them instantly. Finally getting the Mohist Civil Engineer profession, but having nowhere to practice his skills, had utterly frustrated him. Now, given this chance to gain experience, he wasn’t about to wait.

“This thing is only usable for life professions like Civil Engineers, Mechanists, and Shipbuilders. Your Alchemist profession won’t be able to use it.”

Seeing the envy on Xuanhu Xiaoyao’s face, Ye Rong explained to prevent him from thinking Ye Rong was playing favorites or unfairly treating them differently.

“I’m a Level 3 Civil Engineer now! I can build High-grade Stone Walls and Arrow Towers!”

Jiafang Yifang, after using the ‘Heavenly Craft Revelation Compendium’, soon shouted excitedly. He displayed his Life Profession skills for Ye Rong to see, allowing direct observation of the buildings’ effects and attributes.

A single High-grade Stone Wall boasted over 10,000 Defensive Power, already on par with the city walls of a medium-sized town. Arrow Towers, meanwhile, extended the sight range of players standing on them by 500 meters and automatically fired an arrow every thirty seconds, with 200-240 Attack Power. If he could find special materials, he could even upgrade the arrows to Minor Five Elements Bolt Arrows, doubling their lethality.

Ye Rong ordered his companions to stick to grinding their levels. His sword light flashed, and he soared towards Golden Cabinet Water Manor.

Any aquatic demonic creatures he encountered along the way met his blade, sliced into pieces by a single strike. None held the power to resist before him.

Reaching the dense water weeds, Ye Rong scanned his surroundings, ensuring no one was nearby. Satisfied, he dived down, locating the hidden entrance once more.

“Seeing it for the second time, it’s still just as incredible!”

Ye Rong couldn’t help but praise it. The periphery of the Golden Cabinet Water Manor flowed with a circle of dark crimson flames, perpetually burning – the only restriction still active within the Water Manor: the Five Elements Yin Fiery True Fire Restriction.

He speculated that this Five Elements Yin Fiery True Fire Restriction ranked among the weaker ones of the Water Manor’s thirteen restrictions. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be active now. Yet, it was still something no current player could withstand.

“But with the ‘Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety’ spell, if only I could get my hands on a Seventh-Rank ultimate defense treasure and raise my Sword Flight Speed past 1200, then forcing my way through might actually be possible!”

‘Restrain Oneself and Restore Propriety’ effectively turned Ye Rong into an instant super-tank with over 6000 Qi and Blood. Combined with a Seventh-Rank defensive Magic Treasure and sufficient speed, there was definitely a chance to challenge the Five Elements Yin Fiery True Fire Restriction successfully.

Ye Rong’s current top flight speed was nearing the nice, round number 1000, but underwater Sword Flight drastically reduced it. Not having equipped the Green Dragon Ornate Feather Robe yet, his Sword Flight speed down here was only around six or seven hundred – far below the required target.

But if he could conceive such a nearly achievable plan, it stood to reason others could too. Although, besides him, probably only the five players like Ethereal Green Robe knew about this Water Manor.

“Let’s see if there’s any debris or lost equipment lying around.”

Ye Rong approached near the Five Elements Yin Fiery True Fire Wall, craning his neck to look. If anyone had come here and tried to force their way into the Golden Cabinet Water Manor, they definitely died in the attempt. Just seeing if any dropped equipment remained inside would be proof.

After circling around, feeling rather foolish about his actions, Ye Rong switched gear and activated the Heavenly Horse Stone Monument, teleporting himself directly into the Golden Cabinet Water Manor.

The golden hall remained exactly as it was the day Ye Rong left. Not a single thing had changed. Among the thirty-six Heavenly Apex Treasure Pillars, only one stood empty. The treasures within the other thirty-five were still safely concealed.

This time, Ye Rong went straight for the Flying Swords, his goal clear. The ones radiating imposing auras, their sword lights glowing brightly, were his primary targets. Magic Treasures were next, while Dao Scrolls and elixirs were relegated to the bottom of his list.

Right before him was a sword blazing like wildfire. Flickers of flame coalesced on its surface without pause, happily forming shapes – once a fire rabbit, then a fire deer, a fire bird, constantly morphing into different fiery spirits.

Ye Rong’s knowledge and discernment were vastly greater than during his first entry into Golden Cabinet Water Manor. This fire-based flying sword’s grade was undoubtedly higher than any Flying Sword he possessed. Taking his Black Phoenix Sword as an example, a Fifth-Rank Flying Sword whose surface flowed with black flames, lacked the agility and profound sentience this fiery sword possessed.

He reached out to touch it. Sss! A jet of fire scorched his arm, inflicting ongoing HP damage. His hand passed right through its form, grasping nothing.

Ye Rong didn’t give up and tried again. This time, the flames surged higher, the damage increasing from the previous -30 per second to a jarring -60 per second.

“Agh, indeed! Still not possible! Acquiring treasures from the Heavenly Apex Treasure Pillars isn’t going to be that easy.”

Giving up on the fiery sword, Ye Rong set his gaze on another one – a vibrant green Flying Sword brimming with boundless life force, quite possibly the strongest among the Treasure Pillars of Flying Swords. But again, he was rebuffed. His fingertip felt as if it had been sharply pricked by a needle, the pain making him instantly retract his hand.

Among the thirty-six Heavenly Apex Treasure Pillars, nine contained Flying Swords. Ye Rong tried each one.

All ended in failure. No exceptions.

Next were Magic Treasures, also accounting for a large portion of the Heavenly Apex Treasure Pillars’ contents. Yet failure followed failure, severely denting Ye Rong’s confidence.

Distractedly, Ye Rong grabbed at a bell chime resting within one Treasure Pillar.

This time, his hand didn’t pass through emptiness. Nor was it repelled by any restriction. Instead, his fingers closed firmly around the bell chime.

Ye Rong leapt up in excitement! The Neither-Thought-Nor-Non-Thought Sword Scabbard had already proven that the treasures within these thirty-six Treasure Pillars were extraordinary, definitely not run-of-the-mill.

“Heavy!”

This bell chime weighed several hundred pounds; Ye Rong nearly dropped it.

“This… isn’t a Magic Treasure?”

A glance at its properties told him his initial judgment had been mistaken. He’d misclassified it.

Jade Cauldron Bell Chime. Oddity. Frequent striking enhances cultivation aids completion of the Dao Spell.

What nonsense was this? Was it another job tool like that Celadon Jade Gourd?

“Whatever! It says ‘frequent striking,’ so I’ll strike it then!”

Ye Rong dropped the Jade Cauldron Bell Chime on the ground, sat cross-legged, and struck it forcefully. Diiiing! A sound both clear and murky echoed out, drowning all other noises – even the faint murmur of water managing to penetrate the Water Manor faded away.

System Notification: Gained 1000 Experience Points.

Ye Rong struck it again. And again. Smashed it—

System Notification: Gained 1000 Experience Points.

“Hahaha! I got it! ‘Frequent striking enhances cultivation, aids completion of the Dao Spell’ – that’s what it means!”

Ye Rong boomed with laughter, strident and joyful. His hands became a blur, striking the Jade Cauldron Bell Chime like a gale-driven hailstorm. Stream after stream, the notifications of Experience Points gained flooded his senses.

The function of this Jade Cauldron Bell Chime was actually similar to meditating in the Ancestral Hall under the effects of the Subtle and Profound Empowerment Incantation, gaining EXP automatically without killing monsters – and at a frighteningly rapid pace! Worthy indeed of being called an Oddity.

Each strike yielded one thousand EXP. It seemed small, but Ye Rong could strike at an incredible speed.

“The Jade Cauldron Bell Chime couldn’t be usable without limits. Otherwise, no Ninth-Grade Flying Sword or Ninth-tier Magic Treasure could compare to the value of this single treasure. Therefore, there must be restrictions – either a fixed duration, or a limit on the number of strikes.”

Ye Rong hadn’t been blinded by the sudden windfall. He calmly analyzed the Jade Cauldron Bell Chime.

His deduction had a ninety-nine percent chance of being accurate. The Jade Cauldron Bell Chime was indeed an Oddity, but if it allowed unlimited player leveling, its worth would surpass any Ninth-tier Magic Treasure and rival legendary Transcendent-Grade treasures – the Tenth-Grade Magic Treasures.

Ye Rong instantly reconfigured his Experience Distribution to 50:50 – half the EXP flowing into his Qingcheng Sword Art.

His Qingcheng Sword Art was already at Level 15. Progressing to Level 16 now required six hundred thousand to seven hundred thousand EXP, and even more for subsequent levels. This rare opportunity granted fast EXP; he absolutely had to seize it.

Averaging one strike per second granted sixty thousand EXP per minute. That amounted to an astronomical three hundred sixty million EXP per hour! Experience Ye Rong normally wouldn’t accumulate in several days of grinding.

But half an hour later, Ye Rong spotted a faint crack forming on the Jade Cauldron Bell Chime, showing signs of spreading. At this point, his character level and Sword Art had barely climbed by one tier each.

Another half hour later, cracks webbed the entire bell chime, like cracks on ice.

Fifteen minutes after that… CRASH!

The entire Jade Cauldron Bell Chime shattered. Utterly smashed into countless fragments.

“Whew! Intense… Glorious! Just… my arms feel like they’re about to break!”

Ye Rong slumped forward, collapsing weakly. His arms were immovable dead weight. Exhaustion claimed his entire being.