Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
Atop the annals of Immortal Gate history, there once was a fifth-order Formation Master of unparalleled genius, who proposed the ultimate concept of Formations.
That is, to become one with the Formation, embracing the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, clouds, and seas, omnipresent and all-encompassing.
However, to refine a Formation into one's body indeed requires a physique compatible with the Formation, as well as a sufficiently powerful divine consciousness.
Yun Yangbing, having passed the second-order Formation Master exam at Immortal Gate, only dared to refine a small Gathering Spirit Array into his fingernail, tentatively exploring this path.
Even so, he managed to complete it only under the guidance of his Formation teacher.
Thanks to incorporating the Gathering Spirit Array into his body, Yun Yangbing's mastery in this field began to advance by leaps and bounds. Last year, he even developed a special Gathering Spirit Array capable of upgrading a third-order top-grade spiritual vein to the fourth order.
It was precisely by using this Formation that Ming Yihua was able to condense ten drops of liquid Pure Yang spiritual power on his first attempt at Foundation Establishment.
Chen Mobai had Yun Yangbing provide him with some introductory books, all of which could be borrowed from the library of the Weaponry Dao Academy.
***
Half a month later, he received from a shame-faced Wang Xingyu a bottle of Qingmu Bamboo Spirit Dew that exceeded the toxicity limit by 0.6%.
Wang Xingyu, an Honest Person, wanted to return the spirit essence and compensate Chen Mobai for his losses, but the latter treated him like a brother and wouldn't dream of accepting it.
"Commissioning someone to refine pills means accepting the risk of failure; don't worry about it. After all, I chose you for the task."
Chen Mobai consoled the guilt-ridden Wang Xingyu and took the Qingmu Bamboo Spirit Dew, which was of exceptionally pure quality by the standards of the Tianhe Realm, back to the Myriad Treasures Grotto.
First, he tested a single drop.
The effect of the Spirit Dew was almost indistinguishable from that refined by Qing Nv.
After all, a mere 0.6% toxicity, in Chen Mobai's view, could be considered virtually non-toxic.
However, after using it, when he executed the Lamp-Burning Technique, he felt a barely perceptible warmth in his left eye where the dew had been applied.
He then applied another drop, this time channeling its medicinal effect into his Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness.
The Qingtong sapling, nourished by the Qingmu Bamboo Spirit Dew, appeared even more lush and dripping with vitality.
The Lamp-Burning Technique, when applied to his divine consciousness, only produced the usual warm sensation.
Assured that the Qingmu Bamboo Spirit Dew refined by Wang Xingyu was problem-free, Chen Mobai began to use it with peace of mind.
It just so happened that the supply Qing Nv had refined was nearly depleted.
After half a year of cultivating the Hollow Vision Spirit Eye, he had made significant progress.
Floating in the tunnel before the same Spirit Nurturing Sphere he had discovered on his first visit to the Myriad Treasures Grotto, Chen Mobai's eyes shone with a clear spiritual light.
What was once a vaguely discernible elongated artifact, he could now see in clear detail.
His guess was correct; it was indeed a flying sword.
However, the sword seemed to be broken, which was why it was continuously absorbing the essence of fine iron to repair itself.
Chen Mobai's Hollow Vision Spirit Eye could even clearly see the wound where the sword was broken in two, which was already half-healed.
Yet he still couldn't determine the grade of the flying sword.
After all, as one of the masterpieces of the Weaponry Dao Academy, once the Spirit Nurturing Sphere was sealed, it became an isolated mini-universe, with no connection to the outside world.
If it weren't for the fact that the flying sword needed to absorb the essence of the red iron ore to repair itself and thus had an open seal, unless Chen Mobai's Hollow Vision Spirit Eye reached an extremely profound level, he probably wouldn't even be able to discern its shape.
Despite this, Chen Mobai wasn't disheartened.
He continued to cultivate at his own pace, steadily advancing. The abundant fire spiritual energy in the Myriad Treasures Grotto, combined with his now exceptional fire spiritual root, allowed him to refine his fire-attribute spells to even greater purity.
***
One day, while Chen Mobai was practicing the Bing Fire Divine Thunder Technique, a strange spiritual energy suddenly emanated from the tunnel walls beside him.
Then a head popped out.
Seeing this, Chen Mobai's hand twitched, and a crimson bolt of lightning shot out, striking the head that had mysteriously appeared, much like playing whack-a-mole.
Boom!
At the critical moment, Chen Mobai remembered that this was Immortal Gate, and anyone appearing in the Myriad Treasures Grotto must be a student of the Weaponry Dao Academy.
He shifted his divine consciousness, diverting the crimson lightning by an inch, and at the same time, the head quickly retracted.
The Bing Fire Divine Thunder brushed past the scalp of the head, leaving a fist-deep, long mark on the tunnel wall.
If the wall hadn't been composed of red iron ore, his bolt of lightning might have collapsed the place.
"Phew."
The head emerged from the wall again, and this time Chen Mobai saw clearly that it belonged to a short-haired, round-faced youth, his expression still carrying the remnants of fear.
"Senior, I'm sorry if my Earth Escape Technique disturbed you, but there was no need to be so ruthless."
The round-faced youth touched the bald patch on his scalp, speaking with lingering fear, while Chen Mobai's face showed full apology.
"Sorry, senior, I was just practicing a spell and lost control when I got startled…"
Both addressed each other as 'senior.'
Chen Mobai did so because he knew he was the newest student at the Weaponry Dao Academy to achieve Foundation Establishment, and except for Zhong Li Tianyu, all others who had established their foundations in the Myriad Treasures Grotto were older than him.
The round-faced youth, on the other hand, felt the power of the lightning bolt and assumed Chen Mobai was a senior student of the highest grade.
After exchanging names, Chen Mobai learned that the person before him was named Mi Yudao, a student from the class of 5009, an eighth-grade Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He was proficient in Earth Escape Technique and now also served as an assistant in the Ore Studies department.
"Chen junior, your class of 5012 has really left a deep impression on me."
Realizing that Chen Mobai was just a fifth-grade student, Mi Yudao sighed with a sense of the relentless march of time, and then said something that surprised Chen Mobai.
"Have you met Zhong Li Tianyu?"
"Well, last year, I accidentally tunneled into his cultivation spot and got hit by his Transform Earth into Steel Technique, ended up with a big bump on my head."
Mi Yudao pointed to the bald spot on his head, which coincidentally was also swollen last year due to Zhong Li Tianyu's spell.
"Senior Mi, using Earth Escape Technique so recklessly is indeed a bit inappropriate."
Chen Mobai gently chided.
Qin Beichen had told him about the rules of the Myriad Treasures Grotto: if someone sets up a Formation or restriction, other students should not disturb it.
After all, the grotto was so deep and the tunnels so vast for all the Academy's Foundation Establishment students, why cause conflict in one spot?
"I was following the Student Union's directive to search for Spirit Nurturing Spheres; how could I know that this spot was already claimed by you? Had I known, I wouldn't have come…"
Mi Yudao muttered, glancing at the white jade sphere embedded in the red iron ore above Chen Mobai's head, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Oh, the Student Union can manage affairs in the Myriad Treasures Grotto?"
Chen Mobai was curious; the Student Union of the Weaponry Dao Academy had almost no presence in their first six grades, yet it was an undeniable force within the academy.
As one of the top ten talents of the 5012 class, Chen Mobai had received an invitation to join the Student Union.
But at that time, he was busy obtaining Foundation Establishment pills and didn't even respond.
Apart from him, Ming Yihua, Wang Xingyu, Yun Yangbing, and others from the Divine Transformation class also received invitations, but they, too proud, declined outright.
Even the more amiable Lan Yufan and Luzi Xuan stated they wouldn't consider it until after Foundation Establishment.
"They don't really manage it, but the Student Union has many talented and extraordinary members. They've collected data left by previous generations of seniors and combined it with their own exploration results and deductions to create a Myriad Treasures Map."
"The map marks the specific locations of over a thousand Spirit Nurturing Spheres within the Myriad Treasures Grotto. They've even offered rewards: if you find a Spirit Nurturing Sphere not listed on the map and are willing to transfer it, they'll compensate you with five academic credits."
"And for someone like me, helping the Student Union to refine the information of the Spirit Nurturing Spheres recorded on the map, I can also earn one academic credit."
Mi Yudao didn't hide the fact that he was following the Student Union's Myriad Treasures Map to find Chen Mobai's location.
"So, this Spirit Nurturing Sphere has been marked by the Student Union as theirs?"
Chen Mobai frowned slightly, a touch displeased.
Although he didn't need the broken sword, it was, after all, his only find in half a year. To be told it had already been marked by others was somewhat irksome.
"That's not the case. Opening a Spirit Nurturing Sphere requires 100 academic credits. Even if all the Student Union members pooled their credits together, they could only exchange for 10 artifact shards at most.
The creation of the Myriad Treasures Map is a task passed down through generations in the Student Union, aimed at preventing the seals on certain Spirit Nurturing Spheres from exceeding their time limit, causing the Mysterious Fire Spirit Liquid to lose effectiveness and the artifacts inside to decay.
Anyone from the Student Union can freely access the Myriad Treasures Map's information, finding the artifact information they need. This way, it can save everyone a lot of time."
Hearing this, Chen Mobai showed a look of realization.
He had wondered before, the Nurturing Spirit Liquid only had a hundred years of effectiveness. If some Spirit Nurturing Spheres were hidden too deep and remained undiscovered by later generations, wouldn't they just decay in vain?
Clearly, the academy's higher-ups must have realized this too, so they tasked the Student Union with this responsibility.
"Since I'm not a member of the Student Union, can I access the Myriad Treasures Map?"
"You can, but there's a fee of two academic credits for the information."
After hearing Mi Yudao's words, Chen Mobai thought for a moment and felt that he could afford the fee.
"How do I pay?"
"I'll take you there."
Unable to use Earth Escape with Chen Mobai in tow, Mi Yudao emerged from the wall and led Chen Mobai out of the tunnel entrance.
They then ascended about a kilometer in height and flew into a vast tunnel entrance nearly thirty meters in diameter.
The two moved along this path, and soon Chen Mobai heard the rushing sound of a stream.
It was an underground river, unexpectedly located here.
Looking at the crystal-clear water and the hollowed-out expanse on the opposite side of the river, about two hundred meters wide, Chen Mobai couldn't help but marvel.
In the massive hollow across the river, there were numerous stone houses and a plaza resembling a marketplace.
Flying across the river with Mi Yudao, Chen Mobai also saw many stone houses with Spirit Nurturing Spheres hanging at their entrances, resembling white jade.
"These are dead-sealed, so it's no problem to take them out. At the end of the year, everyone will bring these to the plaza, choose one to open, and the scene is truly spectacular."
Hearing Mi Yudao's words, Chen Mobai imagined a dozen artifacts flying out from the white jade spheres, a dazzling sight, and nodded in agreement.
"Since they're dead-sealed, there's no way to know what kind of artifact is sealed inside. Could there be artifacts that have already decayed?"
"It's possible, it all comes down to luck. You know about gambling on stones? This is the highest-end form of gambling in Immortal Gate."
Chen Mobai was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this, then showed a look of understanding.
Indeed, the term 'gambling on stones' was quite apt.
He activated his Hollow Vision Spirit Eye and looked at a dead-sealed Spirit Nurturing Sphere, but saw only chaos, completely impenetrable.
He felt a wave of disappointment.
"Huh, you've also cultivated the Spirit Eye technique? Doesn't that mean you've already seen everything inside that Spirit Nurturing Sphere?"
Seeing the clear luster flash in Chen Mobai's eyes, Mi Yudao's eyes lit up.
"Sort of, why?"
"You could exchange the information about that Spirit Nurturing Sphere with the Student Union for academic credits, right? Isn't that why I went there, for just one point?"
Chen Mobai remembered what Mi Yudao had said earlier and nodded.
It was perfect since he had plenty of flying swords and wasn't particularly interested in a broken one.
***
Arriving at a three-story western-style building in the center of the plaza, Mi Yudao introduced it as the Student Union's headquarters.
Inside, a young man with a stern face was on duty.
"Tiensuan, why are you the one keeping watch?"
Mi Yudao seemed to know the stern young man and greeted him warmly.
"Get to the point."
The young man's surname was Lu, given name Tiensuan, a rather domineering name. He and Mi Yudao were from the same class.
"This is Chen Mobai from the class of 5012, the youngest Foundation Establishment true cultivator in our academy…"
Mi Yudao, good-natured as ever, introduced Chen Mobai to Lu Tiensuan, who listened with an unchanged expression, seemingly always wearing the same face.
"Viewing the Myriad Treasures Map once costs two academic credits."
Chen Mobai nodded and handed over his student ID.
"The academy doesn't usually allow trading of academic credits between students, but the Myriad Treasures Map is one of the few exceptions."
As Mi Yudao explained, Lu Tiensuan swiped the credits and then took out a tablet, opening an app with a "Treasure" icon.
"Tell me your requirements for the artifact, the more specific, the better. I'll help you search."
Chen Mobai understood that the Myriad Treasures Map was essentially a search engine, with two credits for one search opportunity.
The agent of Turtle Treasure might have a role to play again.
"Preferably third-order, suitable for fire spiritual root cultivators as a companion item."
It was a pity he found out too late, the credits were already paid, and Chen Mobai couldn't bring himself to back out now. He could only state his requirements.
Lu Tiensuan and Mi Yudao both rolled their eyes upon hearing this.
If the Myriad Treasures Map could specify which Spirit Nurturing Sphere contained a third-order artifact, they wouldn't be charging you just a few credits.