Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Special Return, Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda
The Mysterious Yellow Tower was one of the first Immortal Artifacts Lu Changsheng obtained, capable of automatically protecting its owner in the face of fatal attacks.
Even after Lu Changsheng refined the Nine Revolutions Divine Body, which was comparable to a mid-grade Immortal Artifact, the Mysterious Yellow Tower remained useful to him.
However, Lu Changsheng sought to acquire a defensive treasure of even higher quality.
"This is the Mysterious Yellow Tower, the defensive treasure I used, which from now on I entrust to you to wield."
Lu Changsheng erased the imprint on the Mysterious Yellow Tower, turning it into an unclaimed treasure and bequeathed it to his eldest disciple, Lin Qingzhi.
Lin Qingzhi's body shook with surprise, "Is this not the Master's personal protective treasure?"
"The Master can refine a higher-level treasure. Rest assured and accept it," Lu Changsheng reassured him.
"Yes."
Having no other option, Lin Qingzhi accepted the Mysterious Yellow Tower.
[Ding, you have bestowed your disciple Lin Qingzhi with the low-grade Immortal Artifact "Mysterious Yellow Tower," and the disciple reward is being calculated...]
Huh?
The rewards for apprenticing are also being calculated?
This was the first time Lu Changsheng had encountered such a situation.
Well, if it needs to be calculated, let it be calculated; at worst, he would wait for a while.
Lin Qingzhi went down to refine the Mysterious Yellow Tower.
Before undergoing tribulation, Lu Changsheng had bestowed several treasures upon Lin Qingzhi. Now, combined with the recent bestowal of the Mysterious Yellow Tower after the tribulation, Lu Changsheng had used up today's limit for imparting disciple rewards and had no choice but to patiently wait until the next day to impart a cultivation technique to Lin Qingzhi.
Lu Changsheng had cultivated the Taiqing Wuji Technique to the 10th level of Great Perfection, and he had no higher-level principal cultivation technique to practice at the moment.
Now that Lin Qingzhi's cultivation had reached the Void Refinement Realm, Lu Changsheng could finally impart an Immortal-grade cultivation technique to him.
"The key to breaking through to the Unity Realm lies in cultivating the Golden Bell Shield, which can withstand the sixfold Heavenly Tribulation."
Lu Changsheng's cultivation of the "Golden Bell Shield" had reached the third layer, which was still quite far from the twelfth layer.
After all, the "Golden Bell Shield" was a superior Immortal-grade cultivation technique, and achieving Great Perfection in this technique was even more challenging than refining the Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Body Refining Skills or practicing the Taiqing Wuji Technique to the 10th level.
Two hours later, the rewards for apprenticeship were finally calculated.
[Ding, this is your first time rewarding a disciple with an Immortal Artifact, and you have received a special reward for apprenticeship return: the Merit Treasure "Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda" (nine levels).]
[Ding, -1 to the monthly count of Immortal Artifact returns available, leaving 0 Immortal Artifact returns for the remainder of the month.]
A Merit Treasure?
The Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda?
Nine levels?
What is this?
Lu Changsheng was stunned; this was a completely new type of treasure for him.
[Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda: A Merit Treasure, forged through the fusion of the Great Dao Mystical Yellow Qi and merit. It currently has nine levels, but the more merit accumulated, the higher the pagoda's levels can rise, up to the heavenly number of forty-nine levels. It repels all evils, remains untouched by all laws, and killing does not incur karma.]
Isn't this treasure simply too powerful?
Lu Changsheng's scalp tingled.
The Mysterious Yellow Tower only provided simple defense, while the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda seemed to be an enhanced version of the Mysterious Yellow Tower's power.
Lu Changsheng had previously wondered about the usefulness of accruing merit, and now he finally discovered one of its major uses.
There is a category of treasures known as Merit Treasures, nourished by merit; the higher the merit, the stronger the Merit Treasure becomes.
"No wonder the Immeasurable Temple has always been gathering the Power of Faith. The people of Xia State also worship clay sculptures of the Ancestral Master. If the Ancestral Master of Mount Shu were still alive, the merit accumulated over tens of thousands of years would probably be astonishing."
Lu Changsheng took out the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. This pagoda resembled the Mysterious Yellow Tower to an extent, exuding the color of Mystical Yellow.
The Mysterious Yellow Tower possessed but a strand of Mystical Yellow Qi, whereas the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda was suffused with the grandeur of the Great Dao Mystical Yellow Qi.
The Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda exceeded Lu Changsheng's imagination.
As long as virtue was accumulated, the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda could grow infinitely, until it reached the number of the Heavenly Dao.
The value of this treasure was immeasurable.
"It seems that I should strive to accumulate more virtue and collect the Power of Faith in the future,"
Lu Changsheng used his True Qi to refine the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, imprinting his own mark on it, and turned this treasure into his exclusive artifact.
Since the Heavenly Earth Mystical Yellow Exquisite Pagoda required constant accumulation of virtue, it could not be passed on to disciples; Lu Changsheng planned to use it continuously until he nurtured it to the highest grade.
"I have used up the two opportunities to return Immortal Artifacts this month, the next month will be fine to reward someone with an Immortal Artifact."
Lu Changsheng planned to transmit an immortal-level cultivation technique to Lin Qingzhi the next day.
It just so happened that Lu Changsheng's Taiqing Wuji Technique had reached the tenth layer, and his Primordial Sword Scripture had reached Great Perfection; he needed a higher-level cultivation technique.
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng received a sound transmission from Taiyuan Zhenren, "Changsheng, since your eldest disciple has reached the Void Refinement Realm and is about to become one of Mount Shu's Supreme Elders as per the rules, he should complete a test mission. The remnants of the Summoning Demon Palace have fled to Luzhou.
Your eldest disciple should discreetly investigate the whereabouts of the remnants in Luzhou and bring back the intel, which would fulfill the test mission. He can set out within three months."
"Understood,"
Lu Changsheng agreed.
Xia State's four great Demon Sects were wiped out, and the demons of the million mountains in Huang State submitted; the disciples of Qingyun Peak had reached the Void Refinement Realm, but they lacked the trials and experience essential for their future cultivation.
This trip to Luzhou to gather intel would count as such an experience.
It was fortuitous that Lu Changsheng had given Lin Qingzhi the Power-infusing Initiation; Lin Qingzhi needed some time to refine the transferred cultivation, so this trip would allow him to refine Spiritual Energy while undergoing the experience without delaying his cultivation progress.
Lu Changsheng had come across records of Luzhou in the archives of Mount Shu.
Luzhou, located to the east of Xia State, was primarily composed of marshes and islands and also housed several strong sects, their strength not far behind the five major sects of Xia State.
Mount Shu and these sects did not interfere with each other's affairs and rarely exchanged communications, except in the case of major events where letters would be sent.
Since the remnants of the Summoning Demon Palace sought refuge in Luzhou, the five major sects aimed to eradicate them completely, dispatching disciples to Luzhou to scout for information.
Now that Lin Qingzhi had reached the Void Refinement Realm, armed with the defensive artifact Mysterious Yellow Tower, and gifted with a ninth-grade Spatial Talisman by Lu Changsheng, Lin Qingzhi was fully capable of going to Luzhou alone to gather intel.
To be wholly precautionary, Lu Changsheng conducted a simulation.
[Ding, you have begun simulating the life of your disciple "Lin Qingzhi."]
[Ding, today's simulation count -1.]
[Simulation begins:]
[At the age of 74, Lin Qingzhi leaves the mountain to track the traces of the Summoning Demon Palace in Luzhou.]
[At the age of 79, Lin Qingzhi returns with intel.]
[At the age of 82, thanks to the Power-infusing Initiation and the experience gained, Lin Qingzhi's cultivation advances to the second level of the Void Refinement Realm.]
[…]
[At the age of 224, Lin Qingzhi accompanies you to Zhong Zhou.]
[With your current cultivation, you can only simulate a disciple's life for one hundred and fifty years.]
[Simulation ends.]
Before the age of 224, it seemed that Lin Qingzhi faced no mortal danger.
According to the results of the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator, Lin Qingzhi would follow him to Zhong Zhou when he was 224 years old?
Why would he go to Zhong Zhou?
Lu Changsheng, with the help of the simulation, sought good fortune and avoided calamity, but since the simulation was too brief, he was not clear on what specific events would transpire.
According to the records of Mount Shu, Zhong Zhou was the premier domain in this realm, replete with sects, and not lacking powerful ones like Mount Shu.