Chapter Forty-Six: Supreme Treasure

Upon returning to the Muyutang, Li Mu spent a brief moment with Li Ying before heading for the cultivation chamber.

He had intended to tell Li Ying about the matter of blood vengeance, but when he saw the innocence in her eyes, he decided to abandon the idea. Let her live a simple life; this was not something she should have to know.

He went straight into the Spirit Sea.

The four materials needed for forging the Fire Gourd were already prepared, but a lingering doubt troubled Li Mu. He was not entirely certain that the exceptional item in his possession was truly the Green-Yellow Gourd, so he intentionally kept an ordinary medium-grade item as a backup.

Very soon, the Spirit Tower delivered an answer.

“Material identification complete. All components are suitable for use.”

Li Mu nodded. “Begin forging.”

“Three medium-grade superior materials, one exceptional top-grade material. Outcome cannot be determined. Confirm forging?”

Li Mu frowned deeply. What did it mean that the outcome could not be determined? Was there a chance of failure? But having come this far, he could not stop now.

“Confirm.”

A blue radiance gathered and then contracted within the Spirit Tower, before bursting forth in a dazzling display like fireworks, erupting dozens of times in succession. Such a spectacle Li Mu had never witnessed before.

“Forging complete. You have obtained a first-class top-grade treasure.” A crimson gourd floated out from the Spirit Tower.

At the sound, Li Mu clenched his fist tightly—top-grade! It was actually a top-grade treasure! A first-class artifact at the highest level, its power far surpassed that of a second-class superior item. Moreover, every top-grade treasure possessed unique abilities; even as a cultivator advanced, the artifact would never become obsolete.

Yet the surprises were not over.

The blue radiance atop the Spirit Tower gradually gathered and formed words within the Spirit Sea.

“Fire Gourd, top-grade, possesses three spells: Green-Yellow Flame, Earthen Armor Art, and Bloodsucking Technique. Green-Yellow Flame…”

Reading the description, Li Mu murmured to himself, “A top-grade artifact is truly formidable.”

He had read many books on treasures, and only fourth-class and above—if they were superior—could possess three spells. A third-class treasure with two spells was already considered excellent, while first and second-class items typically had only one, or sometimes none at all.

This was because third-class and lesser treasures were often made from first and third-class materials, whose inherent properties were quite poor. Even the most skilled artifact crafters found it difficult to inscribe proper talismanic arrays or form cultivation bonds on such items.

But the Spirit Tower’s forging bypassed such limitations.

Even with second-class materials, it could imbue the item with arrays and grant abilities.

In short, this Fire Gourd with its three abilities was a rarity in the entire world of cultivation.

Li Mu examined the descriptions and usage of the three spells carefully and let out a wry smile. The Fire Gourd indeed possessed three spells, but one was absolutely unusable.

The Bloodsucking Technique allowed the artifact to instantly draw an opponent’s blood into the gourd for the wielder’s own use. This was a sinister art, cruel and forbidden. If Li Mu were to use it at the Jade-Iron Assembly, the sect would have him executed for heresy before the battle could even begin.

The other two spells, however, were highly practical.

The Green-Yellow Flame was a special fire type bound to the artifact; by manipulating their true essence, a cultivator could manifest firelight and flames to assault their foes.

The Earthen Armor Art belonged to the Foundation Spirit stage—a particularly rare spell, difficult to learn, and only those with the right temperament could hope to master it. Yet with the Fire Gourd, there was no such restriction. By placing the gourd on the ground, it would continuously absorb the earth’s energy and store it within. The size of the armor depended on the amount of earth energy absorbed. Once fully charged, the armor would be so formidable that even late-stage Foundation Spirit cultivators could not break it.

Both offensive and defensive, this was a remarkable achievement for Li Mu’s first artifact. Even though he now had four entry-level treasures, with the Fire Gourd, he felt more than ready for the upcoming Jade-Iron Assembly. In this new realm, most Foundation Spirit cultivators considered themselves accomplished if they owned just one or two artifacts.

Li Mu slowly made his way to the first floor, then moved to the spirit-gathering array to continue his cultivation. Time was short, and he had to seize every moment.

Cultivation at the Foundation Spirit stage differed greatly from the Qi Condensation stage. The meridian pools expanded, and the rate of spirit absorption increased to more than double. Yet the requirements for advancement also grew higher; if numbers were used to illustrate, late Qi Condensation would be a ten, while mid-Foundation Spirit was a hundred.

The higher the grade, the more arduous the path—cultivation is a journey without end.

Li Mu was unaware that, within the same spirit-gathering array, Li Mie was also present.

After returning to the sect, Li Mie had followed Li Mu’s advice and given both Green-Yellow Gourds to Elder Yu.

To Elder Yu, the Green-Yellow Gourd was not particularly valuable, but he deeply appreciated Li Mie’s thoughtfulness—so young and already showing such respect for his elders.

He decided to reward Li Mie by assigning him two months’ cultivation in a third-grade spirit-gathering array—a rare privilege, as Foundation Spirit cultivators typically never entered such an array due to the cost in spirit resources. This precedent had first been set by Li Mu, and now it was extended to Li Mie.

“These two truly are fascinating individuals,” Elder Yu remarked to Lady Wang during a moment of leisure.

Lady Wang simply smiled, saying little. She found Li Mu intriguing, though she could not quite fathom him. Whether his presence would bring fortune or disaster, she could not predict, but her interest in him only grew.

The days passed one after another.

Li Mu’s life was uneventful: the cultivation chamber, the alchemy room, Muyutang. Other than the occasional outing with Li Ying, he seldom went elsewhere.

Though his cultivation had not yet reached the mid-stage, his mastery over his techniques grew ever more refined, and his use of artifacts had become second nature. Indeed, the synergy between his treasures and his techniques suggested a deeper unity.

But it was time to step out. The Jade-Iron Assembly would begin in three days.

Li Mu walked alone through Deyang City, where noticeably more cultivators than usual had gathered.

“Wang Xiaowu, are you joining the Jade-Iron Assembly too? Did Sanhe Sect send you?”

This man was burly and stood two meters tall, his voice booming.

“Of course. Are you from the Jade-Iron Sect? With so many prizes, who wouldn’t try their luck?”

Though Wang Xiaowu was over sixty now, a late-stage Foundation Spirit cultivator, his eyes gleamed with clear intent.

A nearby cultivator chimed in, “Indeed. If I make it into the top ten, I’ll leave my sect and join the Jade-Iron Sect—assuming they’ll have me!”

“Heh, top ten? Don’t make me laugh,” Wang Xiaowu glanced at him disdainfully. “You’re only early Foundation Spirit? Pah—not even worth my time.”

The chatter paused. A young man suddenly asked, “Do you think anyone from Bright Jade Valley will show up at this Jade-Iron Assembly?”

“How could they?” someone replied. “Rumor has it the Jade-Iron and Bright Jade Valley are about to come to blows. If that’s true, it’s a battle to the death.”

Wang Xiaowu shook his head with a snort of contempt.

Li Mu cast a calm glance at them as he passed by, thinking, “Bright Jade Valley again. I wonder where Ye Da is now? In any case, I certainly can’t go to Bright Jade Valley at present.”

As if summoned by these thoughts, Ye Da appeared.

In another street, Ye Da, dressed in white, was scanning the announcements for the Jade-Iron Assembly.

In the village by the brook, he had discovered Wang Xiaoming’s shattered skull; later, he saw the ruins at Black Mountain and knew at once that Li Mu was the one who had destroyed Wang Xiaoming and Mu Xin.

Realizing Li Mu’s abilities, Ye Da was gripped by both fear and a growing malice.