Chapter 81: Counting the Spoils

After entering the courtyard, Zhou Changwang hurried to close the main gate and replaced the protective spirit stone with a new one, finally feeling somewhat at ease. He paid no heed to the little spirit dog wagging its tail madly but went straight to the cultivation chamber, where he picked a spot and sat down at random.

It took quite some time for him to recover his composure. Killing did not make him uncomfortable. Ever since he first crossed into this world and understood what kind of place it was, he had mentally prepared himself. In the subsequent encounters with marauding cultivators, he had never hesitated to strike. This time, however, it was the intensity of the battle that left him with a vague sense of panic. Especially when the enemy’s attacks landed right in front of him, and he realized the opponent was a body cultivator at the fourth or fifth level—far stronger than he was—the fear mingled with panic exerted a tremendous impact on him. Even now, recalling it, he still felt a lingering sense of dread.

“But in the end, no matter what, I was the victor,” Zhou Changwang muttered softly, feeling a surge of confidence. “The power of spell seeds formed from condensed spells can indeed be considered one of my trump cards.” Until now, he had always acted with utmost caution, motivated by fear—fear of his own weakness, of inadequate strength, of the harshness of his environment, and of the threats posed by powerful cultivators. Now, at last, he felt the awakening of a new realization—he was not entirely weak.

Only then did he take out the spoils he had collected from his recent adversaries. First were the small pouches from Liu Erhu and Xu Jiang. These were the standard bags used by itinerant cultivators. They resembled storage bags in appearance, but lacked the spatial storage function; they were, however, cheap, durable, and thus the first choice for many cultivators who could not afford proper storage artifacts. Zhou Changwang himself had one at his waist, though it contained only a few spirit stones and talismans, serving mainly as a decoy.

He opened the two men’s bags one after the other. Their contents were much the same: three to five low-grade spirit stones, several talismans, one or two jade slips, and a token marking them as disciples of the Raksha Gang. The only difference was that Xu Jiang’s bag also contained a bottle of vitality pills—ten originally, with seven remaining now.

“Low-level cultivators really are destitute—so few spirit stones,” Zhou Changwang mused. “Xu Jiang’s single extra bottle of vitality pills was probably provided by his grandfather. Poor old Xu scrimped and saved, managed to earn a few spirit stones after autumn’s harvest, and spent it all on Xu Jiang. Now it’s all fallen into my hands.” He glanced at the bottle, then put it away without another thought. Return it? He was not that naive.

Everyone’s life has many possible paths; you may choose any of them, but once you make your choice, you must accept the consequences. The price is yours alone to bear.

The two jade slips together made three in total. Zhou Changwang examined them one by one: Fireball Spell, Water Spirit Spell, and Sleep Spell—all basic low-level spells. He had already learned the Fireball Spell; the Water Spirit Spell was a basic spell similar to Fireball, not particularly powerful, while the Sleep Spell was a special technique that could send someone into a brief slumber. Zhou Changwang decided he would practice these when he had time, to expand his repertoire. The more skills one had, the better.

Next, he turned to the treasures taken from the formation master.

First was the circular compass. From his earlier experience breaking the formation, Zhou Changwang had already deduced that it served as the formation’s core. Upon closer inspection, he saw a spirit stone embedded at its center, clearly intended to provide a steady supply of spiritual energy to maintain the array. This could be considered a special type of magical artifact.

As for the eight array flags, Zhou Changwang could not make sense of them and simply set them aside. However, there was also a handkerchief—indeed a defensive magical artifact, albeit only of low grade. It felt a bit awkward for a man to carry, but he did not mind. He was nothing if not practical: solve the immediate problem first; worry about appearances later. If an artifact could prove its worth in battle, it was a good artifact, regardless of how it looked. Who cared about appearances?

Then he opened the snakeskin pouch taken from the formation master. Though the bag appeared small, it had a self-expanding property and could hold quite a lot. Inside were twenty-eight intact spirit stones and more than eighty spirit fragments. There were also quite a few jade slips—eleven in total! This was a true windfall. There were about a dozen talismans, two of which were superior-quality, and three pill bottles—one with vitality pills, one with spirit-recovery pills, both useful for speeding the cultivation of low-level cultivators. The vitality pills were somewhat weaker, valued at two low-grade spirit stones each, while the spirit-recovery pills were stronger, able to rapidly restore spiritual energy, and worth three low-grade stones apiece. Both bottles still contained five pills each—altogether equivalent to twenty-five low-grade spirit stones.

The last bottle held a kind of spiritual liquid, white as jade and exuding spiritual energy; only half remained. He could not identify it and dared not use it rashly. There were also four array flags, a token, some clothing, and other miscellaneous items.

After a brief inventory, Zhou Changwang felt his spirits lift. As expected of a formation master—their wealth was clearly superior. Excluding the value of the jade slips, the loot was worth over fifty low-grade spirit stones. And as for the jade slips—

Zhou Changwang began examining them one by one. “Five Elements Restoration Technique, three volumes of Foundations of Formation Dao, Method for Arranging the Soundproofing Array, Detailed Explanation of the Mist Array, Minor Five Forms Confinement Array, Minor Three Talents Attack Array, Minor Spirit Gathering Array, Body-Leaping Technique, Spirit Eye Technique.”

“I didn’t expect this man to have the same five-element spiritual roots as I do. The only difference is, I cultivate the Five Elements Formula, while he practiced the Five Elements Restoration Technique.” As Zhou Changwang read the notes and insights written on the Restoration Technique, his face showed a touch of surprise.

Essentially, the two techniques were not very different: both were basic methods suitable for five-element spiritual roots. The only real distinction lay in their focus. The Restoration Technique emphasized spiritual power recovery—after spiritual energy was depleted, it could be restored more quickly, but at the cost of slower overall cultivation. With the same aptitude, one would progress more slowly with that method. The Five Elements Formula he practiced was more balanced, with no particular emphasis—average in all respects, but comprehensive.

“The three volumes of Formation Dao foundations, the soundproofing array, mist array, minor five forms array—all related to formations. Only by studying the basics can I hope to understand and eventually lay out these arrays myself…” At first, Zhou Changwang was quite excited. Formation master! In the world of cultivation, this was a top-tier profession, invaluable in every aspect.

However, after he carefully read through the foundations, he was left with only one impression: his mind was not up to the task. In just a short time, he felt mentally exhausted.

“No wonder they say formation masters, puppet masters, alchemists, and so on are all professions that require exceptional talent. It’s not enough to have the right manuals; you can’t become a formation master just by studying them. In the cultivation world, the real entry barrier is always hidden behind the door. Forcing yourself to learn will not only yield little success, but will waste your cultivation as well.”

Zhou Changwang massaged his temples. Of course, that did not mean he would give up. He understood all too well what a formation master could do in battle. For example, this time, the formation master he faced had only used a mist array and a soundproofing array, perhaps out of inexperience or underestimating him. If he had added a minor five forms confinement array or a minor three talents attack array, even if Zhou Changwang had managed to defeat his opponents, it would certainly not have been so easy.

“To pursue the path of formations, one must have strong mental power. Perhaps when I advance to the fourth level of Qi Refinement and develop spiritual sense, it will become much easier.” As he muttered to himself, Zhou Changwang suddenly remembered the jade slip he had acquired earlier—the Taiyi Diagram! He had obtained it after opening Zhang Fenghua’s storage bag. When he had first probed it with his mind, his spiritual power was quickly drained by following the diagram’s patterns, startling him into immediately severing the connection. He had not looked at it since.

Now he wondered if the Taiyi Diagram was in fact a formation diagram—one vastly more complex than the mist array or the soundproofing array.

“The Body-Leaping Technique is a movement spell, somewhat like Light Body Technique, only more advanced. Once performed, it allows you to leap several meters into the air with ease, as if propelled from the ground—though, of course, much more graceful. As for the Spirit Eye Technique…”

Zhou Changwang’s heart filled with joy as he considered the last two spells. The Body-Leaping Technique needed no further explanation; while the movement itself might look ungainly, it was extremely practical in complex terrain, allowing him to traverse obstacles as if walking on level ground. The Spirit Eye Technique, on the other hand, was a special spell that greatly enhanced vision, enabling one to see clearly over great distances, penetrate fog, and see through illusions. If he’d had it before, he would never have been affected by the mist array, and could have dealt with his enemies much more swiftly.

Moreover, the Spirit Eye Technique was extremely useful in combat, allowing the caster to anticipate an opponent’s moves and react in time. “What a fine spell, what a fine spell…” Zhou Changwang sighed with satisfaction as he studied the details of the technique.

Only then did he realize that practicing this spell was not so simple. The eyes were special organs—you could not directly infuse them with spell power. The procedure required washing the eyes with Clear-Eye Spirit Liquid first; only after the eyes became bright and clear, able to see through a sheet of rice paper, could the spell truly be cultivated.

“So that half-bottle of spirit liquid must be Clear-Eye Spirit Liquid, specially formulated for cleansing the eyes.” Suddenly, Zhou Changwang understood. Of the three medicine bottles he had acquired earlier, one contained this spirit water. He had wondered at the time what it was, but now he finally understood.

(End of chapter)