349: Chapter 343 This is the real trump card

"This is the true trump card."

With this item for protection, even if facing an old expert like Wan Leixiong, he would have the strength to fight.

Even if he couldn't win, delaying for time to escape would be more than enough.

After dealing with the Puppet, Chen Zhiwen continued to inventory the remaining miscellaneous items.

Various messy Talismans, unformed Medicinal Pill semi-finished products, several spare Spirit Boats... Everything added up.

"This pile of miscellaneous items must be worth over 300,000 Spirit Stones."

"Especially these..."

He held ten exquisite jade bottles in his hand.

Opening the bottle stoppers, a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out.

"Fourth-grade Medicinal Pill — Hidden Spirit Jade Bone Pill."

"This is a good medicine for Early Nascent Soul Stage and Middle Stage Cultivators to improve their cultivation."

"Ten bottles, a full one hundred pills."

Chen Zhiwen poured out a Medicinal Pill.

He placed it in his palm to observe carefully.

The Medicinal Pill was round and full, with two faint cloud patterns on the surface.

"Two pill patterns."

"Ordinary quality."

He sighed with some regret.

Although for most Cultivators, being able to have fourth-grade Medicinal Pills to take would be something to be grateful for.

How could they dare to be picky about quality?

But Chen Zhiwen was different.

He was an Alchemy Grandmaster himself, with an extremely high standard.

"It seems that these high-quality Medicinal Pills with patterns are scarce goods everywhere."

"Even a Nascent Soul Old Monster rarely sees them."

"Xia Yu, as a Grand Elder, usually only takes this kind of common goods."

"This also indirectly shows that the level of high-level Alchemists in this sea area is indeed limited."

This was good news for him.

It meant that if he refined high-quality fourth-grade Medicinal Pills in the future, he could definitely sell them for a sky-high price, and even exchange them for more rare resources.

Putting away the Medicinal Pills, Chen Zhiwen searched the storage ring again.

His brows gradually furrowed.

He seemed to be looking for something extremely important, but he found nothing.

"None."

"Still none."

He threw the last Jade Slip back into the ring with some disappointment.

"Xia Yu's main Cultivation Technique, and that escape secret technique that could turn into a breeze, I didn't find either of them."

This made him quite regretful.

That escape secret technique, combined with the wind-driving carriage, was definitely a divine skill for escaping.

If he could learn it, the world would be his to roam.

"Well, that's expected."

Chen Zhiwen shook his head, comforting himself.

"This is too common in the Cultivation world."

"The higher the level of the Cultivator, the more they value their core Legacy."

"That is the foundation of their standing; how could it be easily recorded on a Jade Slip and carried on their person?"

"Once they fall and are searched for treasure, the foundation passed down by their ancestors would be leaked."

"Usually, it is passed down through Divine Sense, or hidden in the Sect's top-secret Forbidden Ground."

"It seems I was thinking too optimistically."

Although there was a little regret, it did not affect the joy brought by this big harvest.

Chen Zhiwen calculated quickly in his brain.

"Xia Yu's net worth is simply overflowing with wealth."

"Two rings, 400,000 Spirit Stones, four fourth-grade Magic Treasures, ten bottles of Medicinal Pills, and various other miscellaneous items..."

"All added up, the total value definitely exceeds 1.6 or 1.7 million Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"And that's not counting the two priceless fourth-grade ore pieces."

"How could this be the net worth of an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator?"

"Even if two ordinary early Nascent Soul stage cultivators were added together, they might not be as wealthy as him."

"It seems this old guy didn't do many honest things in his daily life, or he had some fortuitous encounters."

"But now, it's all my gain."

Chen Zhiwen chuckled.

Then, he took out the storage ring of the unlucky guy, Wan Xingwang.

Although he was a second-generation ancestor, he was, after all, the Young Lord of the Wan Family; a thin camel is bigger than a horse.

"This can also be considered a windfall."

"Adding up all the wealth, the valuation is around 400,000 Spirit Stones."

"Among them, the most valuable things, besides those two fourth-grade ores..."

Chen Zhiwen had a stack of shimmering Talismans in his hand.

"Top-grade attack Talismans, three of them."

"Throwing this thing out is equivalent to a full-force blow from a Peak Golden Core, which is quite good for ambushing people or clearing out small fries."

He took out a few purple beads.

The surface of the beads was surrounded by electric arcs, emitting a dangerous aura.

"Thunder Beads."

"Looking at this technique, it should have been refined by that Wan Shun."

"The power is roughly equivalent to 40% of the attack power of an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator."

"Although it can't kill someone of the same rank, it has miraculous effects when used to create chaos or break Formations."

Finally, there was a blue Jade Slip.

《Water Spirit Art》.

This was a water-attribute Cultivation Technique that could be cultivated to the Early Nascent Soul Stage.

"Garbage."

Chen Zhiwen just glanced at it and lost interest.

"It can only be cultivated to the Early Nascent Soul Stage, and it is plain and featureless."

"It can only be considered a treasure by those Loose Cultivators who have no Legacy."

"However, taking it to an auction, or enriching the Family's foundation, can also exchange for some Spirit Stones."

As for the storage ring of the servant Ugly One, Chen Zhiwen just took a rough look.

"40,000 to 50,000 Spirit Stones in net worth."

"Poor."

"No different from an ordinary Golden Core Loose Cultivator."

"It's just that those few Magic Treasures are passable and can be returned to the furnace to extract some Materials."

He casually threw Ugly One's belongings into a bag specifically for storing miscellaneous items.

After cleaning up, Chen Zhiwen looked at the mountain of wealth in front of him.

A strong sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

This wave was truly becoming rich overnight.

It made his net worth multiply several times.

With these resources, his subsequent Cultivation plan could be greatly advanced.

"Hoo..."

Chen Zhiwen stood up.

He stretched, and his bones popped.

"However, compared to Spirit Stones and Magic Treasures."

"What I value more, actually, are these fourth-grade ores."

His gaze fell again on the eight Ores neatly arranged.

His eyes became hot.

"I am an Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster."

"As long as I have enough Materials, I can turn waste into treasure, and make the rotten magical."

"If these Ores are sold purely, that would be a waste of heavenly treasures."

"But if used to assist me in refining my Lifebound Treasure, or to strengthen my 'Azure Underworld Sword Formation'..."

"Then the value would be immeasurable!"

Chen Zhiwen paced back and forth in the stone room.

Creative Artifact Refining plans flashed through his mind.

"Although fourth-grade ores are precious, as long as you are willing to put in the effort, search carefully, or 'rob the rich and help the poor' like this time."

"There is always a way to get them."

"In this world, as long as it's a problem that can be solved with Spirit Stones, it's not a problem."

Suddenly, his footsteps paused.

He thought of another thing.

"But fifth-grade Ores..."

Chen Zhiwen sighed.

A trace of longing flashed in his eyes, but it quickly dimmed.

"Those are truly divine objects that are hard to come by."

"Only those Soul Transformation Stage Old Ancestors standing at the Peak of the Cultivation world are qualified to touch and possess them."

"The last time I was able to get that piece of fifth-grade meteorite was purely because my ancestral grave was smoking, and I had a great stroke of luck."

"That was a destiny sent from heaven, a unique copy that cannot be replicated."

"Wanting to find a second piece..."

"It's as difficult as ascending to heaven."

He was very self-aware.

In this world where resources are monopolized by major forces, the higher you go, the narrower the path becomes.

For fourth-grade resources, he could still rely on his strength and means to fight for them.

But fifth-grade resources are things of another dimension.

Once they appear, they will inevitably trigger a bloody storm, and even Soul Transformation Old Monsters will personally step in to fight for them.

With his current strength, if he dared to covet fifth-grade Ores, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

"Forget it, one shouldn't be too greedy."

"Meals must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked one step at a time."

"Let's digest these eight fourth-grade ores first."

Chen Zhiwen sat back on the meditation cushion.

His hands formed Seals.

A trace of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Closed-door cultivation!"

"I will not come out until all these spoils of war are converted into combat power!"

With a low shout, the Spiritual Qi in the consciousness space began to surge crazily.

A reinforcement and transformation of himself was quietly taking place.

(Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, several months passed.)

The wind and rain outside seemed to have never stopped.

The Wan Family's anger did not subside with the passage of time; instead, it burned more and more fiercely.

The entire sea area was turned upside down.

Countless Loose Cultivators were in a state of panic.

And as the culprit of all this, Chen Zhiwen was hiding in this absolutely safe harbor, living a "boring" life of counting money until his hands cramped and refining treasures until his eyes turned red.

On this day, Chen Zhiwen slowly opened his eyes.

Two rays of essence shot out from his eyes, actually creating two ripples in the Void Realm.

His aura was deeper and more restrained than before closed-door cultivation.

It was like a peerless sword returned to its sheath.

Although the sharpness was not visible, everyone knew that once it was drawn, it would inevitably be earth-shattering.

"Almost there."

He looked at the wind-driving carriage in his hand, which had recovered 70% of its spirituality.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Although it hasn't fully recovered to its Peak."

"But it's enough to use."

"And..."

He flipped his palm.

Twelve small azure swords hovered and danced around him like swimming fish.

On the body of each small sword, there was a trace of metallic luster that was there and yet not there.

That was the mutation that occurred after mixing in "Mysterious Ice Cold Soul Iron" and "Red Flame Flowing Gold".

Cold and heat alternated, Yin and Yang complemented each other.

The power of the Sword Formation had increased by a full 50% compared to before!

"Wan Shun..."

"Wan Leixiong..."

"And that ox demon hiding in the dark..."

Chen Zhiwen stood up.

His gaze penetrated the barriers of the consciousness space, as if he saw the surging outside world.

The corners of his mouth hooked into a confident arc.

"The stage of this chaotic world has already been set."

"It's time for me, this 'Little Grandmaster', to go up and sing a good show."

He waved his big sleeve and put away everything.

His figure gradually faded, and finally disappeared into the consciousness space.

Only the calm stone room remained, as if waiting for its master's next return.

Chen Zhiwen did not rush to leave the consciousness space.

He sat cross-legged in front of the mysterious stone tablet.

His eyes were burning, staring at the few light shields floating in the air.

Each light shield sealed a treasure that would make outside Cultivators go crazy.

Especially the supreme Cultivation Technique named Soul Transformation Art》.

It was like a temptress full of seduction, constantly plucking at Chen Zhiwen's heartstrings.

"Fifth-grade Ore..."

Chen Zhiwen whispered.

He was fiddling with a piece of "Wood Space Stone" just obtained from Xia Yu's storage ring.

This fourth-grade High Grade Ore looked particularly steady and restrained under the faint light emitted by the stone tablet.

"According to the previous experience, to open the light shield sealing the Soul Transformation Art》, one must sacrifice fifth-grade Ore."

"But that kind of divine object is hard to come by."

"If I stick to this rule, I'm afraid that by the time my Lifespan is exhausted, I might not even touch the edge of this Cultivation Technique."

A trace of determination and the impulse to try flashed in his eyes.

This was a bold conjecture.

It was also an experiment that had to be done.

Since fifth-grade Ore is essentially a higher concentration of energy aggregate, then, could a sufficient quantity of fourth-grade ores be used to make up for the gap in quality?

This is the so-called "quantitative change leads to qualitative change."

"Whether it works or not, trying it won't cost me anything."

Chen Zhiwen made up his mind.

He took a deep breath.

With a movement of his Divine Thought, he wrapped the piece of Wood Space Stone and slowly floated toward the most dazzling and terrifying light shield in the very center.

That was exactly where the Soul Transformation Art》 was located.

"Go!"

With a low shout, the Wood Space Stone touched the sacrificial halo of the stone tablet.

"Buzz—"

A strange buzzing sound rang out.

That extremely hard fourth-grade High Grade Ore instantly turned into a mass of extremely pure azure energy flow.

Like a small green snake, it slammed into the golden light shield.

Chen Zhiwen held his breath.

His eyes stared at this scene without blinking.

This was the moment to witness a miracle.

If this path didn't work, then he could only go to those extremely dangerous Forbidden Grounds to try his luck and find the ethereal fifth-grade Ore.

"Puchi!"

A slight sound.

It was like a drop of water falling into a hot wok.

The moment the azure energy flow hit the light shield, it was quickly swallowed and assimilated.

The golden light shield, which was originally indestructible and motionless, trembled slightly at this moment!

Although the amplitude was extremely small.

It was almost imperceptible.

But how sharp was Chen Zhiwen's Divine Sense?

He clearly saw that the golden light curtain, which was originally as thick as a mountain, seemed to be... slightly lighter after absorbing the essence of the Wood Space Stone.

It was really just a tiny bit.

It was probably equivalent to one-tenth of the total.

But it was this one-tenth that made the ecstasy in Chen Zhiwen's heart explode instantly!

"It worked!"

He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles even turning white from the excessive force.

"My speculation is correct!"

"The stone tablet is not rigid; it only recognizes the total amount of energy!"

"Since one piece of fourth-grade High Grade Ore can weaken one-tenth of the sealing power..."

Chen Zhiwen's brain worked at high speed, with the light of calculation flashing in his eyes.

"Then, as long as I gather about nine more fourth-grade ores of the same level."

"Or a dozen fourth-grade ores of slightly lower quality."

"I can grind this light shield open!"

"I can get this legendary Soul Transformation Art》!"

Ten fourth-grade ores.

It still sounded like an astronomical figure.

After all, each one is worth a fortune and is enough to trigger life-and-death battles among Nascent Soul Cultivators.