Chapter 83: Friends Come From Afar, How Startling
Chapter 83: Friends Come From Afar, How Startling
When his consciousness returned to his own body, Li Si still felt overly stimulated. He quickly cast a Heart Cleansing Curse to steady his mind.
Then, he gazed at the Dusty Flying Sword in his hand, utterly captivated.
This sword was about thirty centimeters long, elegant in shape. Through the many rust spots and the lines of weathering cracks, one could still see a pure blue blade. It was very pure, very quiet, like that patch of clear sky glimpsed through the overlapping shadows of trees on a windy, autumnal afternoon.
Li Si could feel no traces of time upon this sword. Though it should have passed through countless generations over thousands of years, time seemed frozen still on that sky, that afternoon, upon that ethereal maiden dancing among the crimson leaves all over the mountainside.
This must be a gift from time itself, a memory of this very world.
Li Si’s heart lifted and danced along, a feeling akin to falling in love.
“Comprehension of Sword Intent +1.”
The message quietly surfaced, making him startle slightly. That strange emotion in his heart dispersed. Truly magical, worthy of an Acquired Spirit Treasure! But the current Jiuxuanzi was probably an old woman now. Oh well, forgive me, forgive me.
Suppressing his thoughts, Li Si carefully placed the Dusty Flying Sword into the Cosmic Bag. It was a flying sword; even though it could cut through anything, it was best not to treat it like the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl. Once tainted, it would surely self-destruct.
So, in reality, unless he spent 1000 units of White Fortune – a full 100,000 units of White Fate Firewood – to refine it, it was actually rather useless.
Yet Li Si still felt he had hit the jackpot.
Smiling faintly, he picked up the small pill furnace shrouded in black mist. Only fist-sized, it was severely defiled. Just seeing it made Li Si think of his own Wish-Fulfilling Pearl.
Seriously? Did Shendanzi really fight enemies with this thing?
Seriously crude!
Li Si refined it using Fortune, consuming a full 50 units of Black Fortune. Still, he was incredibly pleased.
“Acquired Lower-Grade Magic Artifact: Medicine King Cauldron. Acquired accompanying Medicine King Alchemy Scripture.”
[Medicine King Cauldron: Alchemy Magic Artifact. Can be used to craft spiritual pills.]
[Restrictions: Recommends cultivators of Golden Core Realm or higher. Must master the Artifact-Control Incantation and cultivate Medicine King Alchemy Scripture to the third level’s great perfection. Can also be used by burning Fortune Fuel to provide furnace flame, bypassing cultivation level and technique restrictions.]
[Medicine King Alchemy Scripture: Core Dao method of the Heaven-Mending Sect. Nine levels total. Emphasizes ‘mending heaven’s deficiencies’. Studies and emulates heaven and earth, creating naturally, non-conflicting with the Heaven-Turning Scripture.]
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“Mending heaven’s deficiencies? Sounds quite powerful. Was Shendanzi deliberate or careless to gift even the sect’s core technique?”
Li Si thought for a moment and put away the Medicine King Cauldron. He wasn’t a Golden Core cultivator yet, so it was useless, especially since he needed to cultivate the Medicine King Alchemy Scripture first. That would have to wait.
As for using Fortune Fuel, that wasn’t necessary right now.
Next, Li Si left his Quiet Room and headed straight for the Stone House. He found Senior Sister Jiang Ying teaching several junior disciples the Evil-Warding Curse while the Old Madam was still… netchatting…
“Junior brother, why are you running over here instead of cultivating?”
Jiang Ying’s tone was sharp – it wasn’t mealtime yet. This guy dared to slack off!
Li Si could only muster courage to ask, “Senior Sister, my Artifact-Control Incantation has improved somewhat recently. Something suddenly occurred to me. Evil power severely corrodes and taints our magic artifacts. Isn’t there any method, some Dao Technique or Divine Ability, to put a protective cover on our artifacts?”
“This? Are you referring to your Soul-Quelling Bell? I already told you, the Shield Mountain Talisman and the Demon Sealing Talisman suffice.”
“No, no, Senior Sister, and also this.”
Li Si quickly pulled out his dagger pommel. With the Artifact-Control Incantation, he made it dart around the Stone House in a swift circle, making the junior brothers and sisters watch with wide-eyed admiration. Wow, so cool!
Even Jiang Ying was taken aback. Damn, how is this guy so talented? His control technique with the Artifact-Control Incantation was almost as good as hers.
Despite this, she snorted coldly. “If it’s that, the Heart Cleansing Curse is enough. Especially since your Heart Cleansing Curse has reached the threshold of a Divine Ability, granting you the Steadfast Mountain Seal. This seal can provide significant exemption from taint and corrosion. Now go back to cultivating! One more random thought, and it will be sect rules discipline for you!”
“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Li Si was overjoyed. He quickly bowed and fled. Back in his Quiet Room den, he deeply felt his thinking had been constrained. Mastering Dao Techniques and Divine Abilities wasn’t just about knowing them; this wasn’t some game where you could just spam Q-W-E-R and push through. You had to learn them actively and apply them flexibly.
Before, he only knew to toss the Heart Cleansing Curse or the Calamity-Dispelling Curse onto himself or others to lower Alienation Contamination Degree. He had never thought you could toss them onto magic artifacts, treasures, or even ordinary objects.
At this realization, his conscience twinged sharply, vaguely hearing the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl weep.
But now it was settled. Li Si learned from one thing and grasped the rest.
Taking out the Dusty Flying Sword, he first tossed a max-tier Heart-Clearing Domain onto it. Then a max-tier Disaster-Averting Domain. Finally, a mid-tier Soul-Searching Domain… ah, this one failed, but he unexpectedly gained a Nurturing Spirit Soul Seal instead.
However, this Nurturing Spirit Soul Seal could be applied to the Dusty Flying Sword.
Additionally, there was the Lanshan Sect’s max-tier Heart-Interrogation Mantra – got it, a Heart-searching Soul Seal could also be enchanted onto it.
In that instant, the Dusty Flying Sword actually gained a faint shimmering radiance, like a beauty lowering her head. Gosh! Li Si lightly brushed the blade. The shimmering radiance vanished instantly, yet the effect remained.
He then carefully controlled it with the Artifact-Control Incantation. It was surprisingly smooth and agile, as if he weren’t controlling an inanimate object, but something interactive that understood his intentions. Many complex flying maneuvers weren’t something he couldn’t do before, yet now they were even easier and more effortless.
Li Si felt that controlling this Dusty Flying Sword, cutting down a few Golden Core Devils wouldn’t be a problem at all.
The prerequisite, of course, was that it couldn’t be tainted or polluted.
Otherwise, just once would be enough to doom it.
This brought Li Si great pressure, as in battle, foes trade blows, and no one knows what trump card the opponent holds. One slip, and it all falls apart.
“Still need to find a way to raise the level of the Heart Cleansing Curse. If I could promote it to a Primal Divine Ability, even if not foolproof, it should be nearly there.”
After this, Li Si stopped letting his mind wander. He focused on cultivating the Heaven-Turning Scripture. His progress was at 35%; only another seven days to advance to Golden Core.
Then, he planned to go befriend that mysterious Evil Spirit.
Yet, barely half an afternoon later, friends came from afar, how startling!
Li Si’s Disaster-Averting Domain kept sounding alarms – not the kind of extreme danger shock, but a feeling of being secretly watched.
It stuck like a stubborn disease, lingering, unseen. Just as he entered deep concentration… yep, he came, he came, bringing his ‘big brother’ along.
But when Li Si checked around, there was absolutely nothing unusual.
Even if he did nothing and just lay down snoring, the feeling of secret peeping would stop. The moment he started cultivating… yep, it came back, it came back!
Li Si was nearly driven mad that afternoon.
He had considered dropping the Disaster-Averting Domain, but he feared losing its warning might let his foe howl unexpectedly at the crucial moment – game over!
“So, this ‘friend’ figured out all my tricks, swiftly found the weakness, and gave me this ‘999 combo’ treatment?”
Fuming until he laughed, Li Si also detected deep malice from this.
Undoubtedly, the Mysterious Evil Spirit seemed to know he had a Flawless Dao Body + Fetal Breathing Dao Body + Crystal Clear Dao Heart. Achieving Golden Core was inevitable. Hence, this dirty trick.
But this time, the opponent was so brazen, not even afraid of being deduced through divination? Why bother?
“Perhaps it feared I’d tell the Old Madam?” Li Si pondered. The Old Madam surely had ways to shield against this disturbance; from one perspective, this harassment and peeping wasn’t really dangerous.
Lots of effort for little gain, just to annoy someone?
Impossible. There had to be a deeper meaning.
“Perhaps the opponent intends to distract the Old Madam?” Li Si thought of one possibility. If the Old Madam was disturbed, she couldn’t go netchatting every day. No netchatting meant she couldn’t avoid dangers locking onto her in the Mortal Realm!
“So, can’t ask the Old Madam. Can’t tell Xu Shen, Ji Chang, or Jiang Ying either. They must not know, or it complicates things. Complicated fits right into the Mysterious Evil Spirit’s scheme.”
Li Si quickly calmed down. He also realized this could be the Mysterious Evil Spirit’s psychological warfare, tempting him into thinking this way, thereby leaving him isolated on the battlefield.
“It feels like this guy is playing some sinister game. Schemes from fifty years ago probably won’t work; things are too different now.”
“Also, if the Mysterious Evil Spirit grasps even the Floating Cloud Sect’s situation so clearly, Kao Mountain Town likely isn’t secret any longer. I was extra careful visiting Kao Mountain Town, but trade between Floating Cloud Sect and Kao Mountain Town couldn’t be hidden completely. Damn it, is this guy plotting against the town also?”
Li Si breathed out forcefully, pretending to be troubled. Well, almost at Golden Core but unable to advance; wouldn’t anyone feel annoyed?
But, who said breaking through to Golden Core required cultivation alone?
Friend, when the time comes, I’ll show you some magic.
Li Si now became unhurried, waiting for the opponent’s scheme to surface.
He stopped cultivating and hid in his Quiet Room for a deep, comfortable sleep. After dinner, he greeted Xu Shen, Ji Chang, Jiang Ying, and others before returning to his Quiet Room for ‘cultivation’. Now he was a key figure under close guard at the Floating Cloud Sect; even the usually lenient Ji Chang and Xu Shen forbade him from going out to hunt Little Mushrooms.
Too bad he could teleport.
About this matter, he decided: he would handle it alone. If necessary, he would sacrifice Kao Mountain Town rather than let the Floating Cloud base be compromised. This was his foundation.