Chapter 123, The Jade Box’s Treasure and Spoils

Translator: Raznick

 

Outside the ruins of the Heaven Spirit Sect in Spirit Province.

 

Since the day that Zhou Chun and the others entered the ruins, Zhou Daoyi and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators had been patiently waiting for their younger relatives to return.

 

Suddenly, the silver-white vortex above the ruins reappeared, and then Heaven Spirit Orders burst forth from within, scattering in all directions.

 

Seeing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivators hastily displayed their skills to collect the tokens.

 

In the end, most of the cultivators, including Zhou Daoyi, collected a token, although a few slow ones missed out.

 

As soon as they had collected the tokens, the surviving participants of the trial were gradually spat out by the silver-white vortex.

 

Fortunately, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were all extremely familiar with the aura of their younger relatives, so they were not alarmed and quickly moved to catch the younger relatives who were dizzy and disoriented from the teleportation and hadn’t had time to fly on their own.

 

It would be quite a joke for someone to have barely survived the trial, only to be crushed to death on the ground.

 

Zhou Chun, having been caught by Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, felt the dizziness still lingering, but he quickly grabbed Zhou Daoyi’s arm and whispered, “The harvest has been plentiful; let us depart quickly!”

 

Hearing his words, Zhou Daoyi instantly understood.

 

He glanced at the Foundation Establishment cultivators, who looked displeased at not seeing their younger relatives emerge, and then quickly led Zhou Chun away from the ruins.

 

Many others were acting in the same way.

 

The Foundation Establishment cultivators who did not see their younger relatives emerge grimaced and chased after the departing people.

 

But most people managed to control themselves, avoiding making enemies of another junior and a peer cultivator.

 

Zhou Daoyi wasn’t pursued, likely because of respect for his cultivation or the belief that a junior like Zhou Chun wouldn’t achieve much even if he made it out, not making it worth the effort.

 

In this way, after flying for two hundred miles, Zhou Daoyi finally relaxed and brought him to a market for some rest.

 

“Alright, now you can talk about your gains.”

 

In a first-class cultivation room in the market inn, Zhou Daoyi laid out a soundproof barrier before questioning Zhou Chun about his gains.

 

Unlike the standard cultivation room Zhou Chun usually used when he was out, a first-class cultivation room was much more expensive.

 

One spirit coin could sustain someone in a standard cultivation room for twelve hours.

 

However, in a first-class cultivation room, one spirit coin could only last four hours, a threefold difference in price!

 

But for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, only a first-class cultivation room could meet their cultivation needs, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and pay.

 

This was also a significant reason why many rogue cultivators reached Foundation Establishment and then banded together to create their own settlements.

 

Otherwise, they would spend most of the spirit coins they earned paying for the first-class cultivation rooms offered by the market and various cultivating clans.

 

At this moment, facing Zhou Daoyi’s questions, Zhou Chun didn’t hide anything and immediately brought out the largest few gains from this trial.

 

The Heaven Spirit Trial brought great and abundant gains for Zhou Chun.

 

However, the most significant of those gains were undoubtedly the Heart Soul Fruit, Fragrant Spirit Musk, and the treasure he ultimately chose from the top of the tower.

 

“It’s a Heart Soul Fruit!

 

“What a treasure, truly a treasure!

 

“No wonder the Heaven Spirit Trial attracts so many people each time it’s opened—there are indeed treasures hidden inside that are difficult to find elsewhere!”

 

When he saw the three Heart Soul Fruit that Zhou Chun had taken out, Zhou Daoyi was also startled for a moment and then began to praise him repeatedly with a smile.

 

However, even though the Heart Soul Fruit was rare, he could only praise it briefly.

 

What truly made him change his expression was the Musk Spirit Stag and the spiritual musk that Zhou Chun had taken out.

 

“No wonder! No wonder you were so eager for me to leave!

 

“You have truly surprised me!”

 

With Zhou Daoyi’s cultivation and temperament, seeing a living Musk Spirit Stag caused him to lose his composure.

 

A living Musk Spirit Stag not only allowed for a continuous supply of spiritual musk in the future but could also be used as breeding stock, attempting to cultivate a Musk Spirit Stag herd!

 

Although that was difficult to achieve, it was not without hope.

 

And if the Musk Spirit Stag herd could be bred, with several more Musk Spirit Stag appearing, Zhou Chun would be qualified to have a place on the meritorious wall inside the Ancestral Hall!

 

In terms of value, the value of the Musk Spirit Stag herd even surpassed the Jade Spirit Bee!

 

After all, the spiritual honey produced by the Jade Spirit Bee was, for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage, merely a delicious beverage—desirable, but not essential.

 

However, the spiritual musk produced by the Musk Spirit Stag was a necessity for many high-level cultivators who had Savage Qi in their bodies.

 

It could be said to be a strategic treasure more precious and rare than a Foundation Establishment Pill.

 

This made it impossible for Zhou Daoyi, the Clan Leader of the Zhou Clan, not to become agitated and lose his composure.

 

Seeing the agitated Clan Leader at this moment, Zhou Chun also said with a look of emotion, “I was simply fortunate to discover this beast. In order to capture it alive, I also experienced a difficult and arduous battle inside.”

 

He then recounted the perilous battle between him and the hunchbacked old man.

 

After hearing his words, Zhou Daoyi nodded slightly and said, “As you said, that man was quite a character. It’s a pity.”

 

He then said with a hint of curiosity on his face, “Bring out that artifact that can absorb mystical art for me to take a look. I rarely even heard of such treasures.”

 

Hearing him say this, Zhou Chun immediately reached out and patted his storage bag, taking out the bronze tripod artifact.

 

Zhou Daoyi nodded lightly with a look of enlightenment, saying, “So that’s how it is. I understand.”

 

He then explained to Zhou Chun, who was full of curiosity, “This object is refined using a very special spirit gold corrosion method, using copper as the material. The corrosion of copper itself is a spirit gold resistant to mystical art, possessing a strong resistance to mystical art energy. It is generally used as an auxiliary material added to an artifact to increase the artifact’s mystical art resistance.

 

“The refiner was a master. He used some unknown method to make this corrosion copper into the main material to refine it into an artifact, allowing it to possess the ability to absorb and corrode mystical art attacks!”

 

Did it rely on the special properties of the material itself to achieve this?

 

Zhou Chun understood Zhou Daoyi’s meaning and then put away the bronze tripod, taking out another treasure.

 

“Clan Leader, please take a look at this object. This object is a treasure that I obtained after winning in the group trial.”

 

He opened the exquisite jade box, revealing the treasure inside for Zhou Daoyi to view.

 

Inside the jade box was a long white bow.

 

This longbow’s body was crafted from a rare spiritual bamboo and beast bone, adorned with intricate and profound runes. The bowstring was made from a silver-white silk.

 

Along with the longbow, a three-foot-long arrow was stored inside the jade box. The arrowhead was metal, the shaft bamboo wood, and it also bore the same intricate and profound runes.

 

“Oh, a rare archery artifact, and a complete set of bow and arrow!”

 

Zhou Daoyi’s expression showed surprise, and he immediately reached out to take the longbow, slightly infusing it with spiritual power to test it.

 

Because he had not refined it, this activation could not truly unleash the artifact’s power.

 

However, even so, under his spiritual power infusion, white currents suddenly appeared on the longbow.

 

Seeing this, Zhou Daoyi quickly stopped infusing spiritual power, allowing the phenomenon to dissipate.

 

Then he nodded slightly and said, “By my guess, this longbow was made from a rare spiritual bamboo, Thunder Bamboo, and the bone of some thunder-type demon beast. The exact power of this bow is difficult to say, but it is indeed an invaluable treasure artifact, very suitable for use after your Foundation Establishment!”

 

Hearing him say this, Zhou Chun also put his mind at ease.

 

To be honest, when he first opened the jade box and discovered it contained an artifact, Zhou Chun was somewhat disappointed.

 

Because he truly didn’t lack artifacts now; even second-grade artifacts, he would possess several after his Foundation Establishment.

 

Moreover, this artifact had been stored in that pagoda for who knew how long; whether its power had been worn out by the passage of time was still unknown.

 

Now, after witnessing Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s test and hearing him praise it, he could finally feel relieved.

 

At this time, after helping him identify the longbow artifact inside the jade box, Zhou Daoyi saw that he didn’t intend to take out any other treasures and waved his hand and said, “Alright, you should rest as well. As for the other gains from your trip, we’ll look them over carefully when we return to the clan.”

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

Zhou Chun responded and began to meditate and regulate his breath, while Zhou Daoyi also began to meditate and recover his spiritual power.

 

Several days later, the two of them returned to Nine Peaks without a hitch.

 

Upon returning to the clan, Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun began to carefully assess his haul for this time.

 

Because this Heaven Spirit Trial did not consume any clan resources apart from Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s escort, Zhou Chun’s harvest naturally belonged entirely to him.

 

However, as a clan cultivator, anything he obtained must be prioritized for the clan’s benefit.

 

Especially those spirit herbs he obtained this time; handing them over to the clan to handle would be much better than him taking them to the market for sale.

 

After a long half-day of assessment, the two of them roughly estimated the value of the various artifacts, pills, talismans, herbs, and other items that Zhou Chun had obtained.

 

“The other things are easy to deal with. Anything you find difficult to handle can be accepted by the clan and turned into clan merits. If you want to buy anything in the future, the clan can prioritize resources to help you.

 

“But how do you intend to allocate these three Heart Soul Fruits?

 

“This is a rare spirit fruit that directly benefits a cultivator upon ingestion. It’s something you can’t buy even with money. You shouldn’t be so foolish as to sell them for spirit coins.”

 

Inside Central Palace, after Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun assessed the various harvests in Zhou Chun’s storage bag, he casually mentioned his method for dealing with them and then directly addressed the key point.

 

The Heart Soul Fruit was a rare spirit fruit that could directly benefit a cultivator upon ingestion; it was something money couldn’t buy.

 

Zhou Daoyi felt that Zhou Chun shouldn’t be so foolish as to sell them for spirit coins, but he couldn’t predict how Zhou Chun would handle the fruit.

 

Thus, he asked the question he just did.

 

In fact, Zhou Chun had already figured out how to handle the fruit.

 

At those words from Zhou Daoyi, he immediately said without hesitation, “I am prepared to consume one myself and present the remaining two to Clan Leader and Third Elder to express gratitude for their continued support and care.”

 

“For me and Third Elder?”

 

Zhou Daoyi paused slightly.

 

“That’s right,” Zhou Chun said, revealing his true intentions. “The Heart Soul Fruit can strengthen the soul, enhance Divine Sense, and also have an effect on Foundation Establishment cultivators. If you and the Third Elder consume this, it should be easier to strive for Violet Palace in the future.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded.

 

With a gaze fixed on Zhou Chun for a moment, confirming his sincerity, Zhou Daoyi smiled and nodded, accepting Zhou Chun’s gift.

 

Zhou Chun spoke the truth; a Heart Soul Fruit would increase the benefit for future opening of Violet Palace.

 

Zhou Daoyi, with ambition for a higher stage, would certainly not reject such a treasure.

 

Then, he and Zhou Chun deliberated further, incorporating most of Zhou Chun’s possessions into the clan, calculating them into seven thousand eight hundred odd merits.

 

Only some artifacts, talismans, and Qi Restoring Pill pills were retained by Zhou Chun for future use.

 

Finally, the matter of the Musk Spirit Stag and the two hundred grams of spiritual musk had to be addressed.

 

After some deliberation, Zhou Daoyi offered Zhou Chun a suggestion regarding these two items.

 

“My suggestion is that you retain the spiritual musk for now. When you reach Foundation Establishment, if you encounter a rare item or wish to give a gift to a high-ranking cultivator, this item will be an excellent choice.

 

“As for the Musk Spirit Stag, let it be raised within the clan. In the future, half of the spiritual musk produced from it will be entrusted to you to handle. What do you think?”

 

He was no longer lacking spirit coins, and merits were plentiful to the point of being inexhaustible.

 

Zhou Daoyi also knew that if he used clan merits to obtain these items, it would be too disadvantageous for Zhou Chun, which was the basis for this suggestion.

 

This suggestion was indeed a perfect solution for Zhou Chun.

 

Therefore, Zhou Chun hesitated very little and quickly nodded in agreement: “I have no objections.”

 

“That settles it. Later, you write down your experience in this trial and hand it over to me and the elders for review.”

 

Zhou Daoyi said, and put away the items that were handed over to the clan, and then handed them over to the relevant personnel for disposal.

 

After that, the two took different paths. He went to the mountaintop alone to report Zhou Chun’s gains to Grand Elder Zhou Mingde, while Zhou Chun carried the Heart Soul Fruit to Flying Stone Peak to visit Third Elder Zhou Daoquan.