Chapter 103 Storage Ring

Chapter 103: Storage Ring

Wang Hao continued examining the jade slips.

After putting down one of them, his eyes shone with intense delight.

The jade slip recorded a pill formula: Nine Revolutions Spirit Forging Liquid.

Its function was simple yet profound: it could permanently increase a cultivator's Divine Consciousness. This explained why the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator's Divine Consciousness had been significantly stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.

According to the formula's description, the higher the age of the spiritual herbs used, the better the potency of the refined liquid. Huang Youcheng and his cohorts had only managed to find spiritual herbs a few decades old, yet each of them had increased their Divine Consciousness by nearly thirty percent.

If Wang Hao could cultivate these herbs in his farm for ten years—accelerating their growth by a factor of hundreds—wouldn't he soar to new heights?

Conveniently, the three men's Storage Bags contained quite a few of the necessary spiritual herbs for the Spirit Forging Liquid. Wang Hao didn't even need to hunt for seeds.

Compared to the elusive Mind-Calming Pill, the Nine Revolutions Spirit Forging Liquid was undoubtedly the superior choice. The main ingredient for the Mind-Calming Pill was the Spirit-Nurturing Fruit, which was even rarer than the Essence Condensing Fruit. The Wang Family had searched for decades without uncovering a single lead.

Wang Hao tirelessly finished reading the remaining jade slips.

The cultivation techniques of the two underlings were common and uninspired. One talisman-making manual only reached the second-grade lower-tier, which Wang Hao dismissed with a glance.

However, Huang Youcheng's family inheritance in artifact forging held significant value. This foundation had allowed him to comprehend the complexity of Puppet Beasts and successfully forge a second-grade puppet.

Array formations, artifacts, alchemy, and talismans—Wang Hao now possessed inheritances in all four major paths. Although most only reached the second grade, it was a solid foundation.

Besides these, Wang Hao also discovered two mysterious tokens.

One was pitch black, featureless, and absorbed light. The other bore a large character "Huang," likely a family token from Huang Youcheng's clan. Their specific purpose was unknown for now and would have to be investigated later.

Wang Hao swept all the items into the Storage Ring.

The internal space of this ring was a staggering five hundred cubic meters. It was larger than a spacious three-bedroom apartment, and since it was solid dimensional space, there were no wasted corners or support pillars.

"Killing and arson earn golden belts; the ancients truly did not deceive me."

Wang Hao's gains from this single encounter far exceeded what he could have earned from years of hunting demonic beasts.

After refining his connection to the Sun and Moon Shuttle and confirming the coast was clear, Wang Hao boarded the vessel and sped towards Wanxiang City.

He planned to stay in the city for an extended period. His cultivation base was still too low and needed rapid improvement. Furthermore, Wang Hao was seriously considering switching his main cultivation technique to the Sun and Moon Rotation Art.

His current method, the True Scripture of Red Lotus and Phantom Wood, lacked a subsequent path. While the scripture could technically be cultivated up to the late Golden Core stage, switching now would mean losing his Fire-attribute spiritual power—a significant blow to his alchemy and artifact forging capabilities.

Switching cultivation techniques was never a simple matter.

At the first layer of Foundation Establishment, it was relatively manageable, likely taking Wang Hao one or two years to convert his base. If he waited until the late stage of Foundation Establishment, converting all that accumulated True Essence would take decades.

However, waiting until after forming the Golden Core was also a viable option.

Before entering seclusion to ponder this dilemma, he needed to arrange matters for his clansmen. The two Foundation Establishment Pills in his possession had to be distributed immediately. With two additional Foundation Establishment cultivators, the family could continue hunting demonic beasts even while Wang Hao was in seclusion.

If possible, Wang Hao also wanted to attend an auction to acquire more pills.

A week later, Wang Hao returned to Wanxiang City.

He arrived at the Pill & Talisman Pavilion in the southern district. Seeing the steady stream of cultivators entering and leaving, indicating thriving business, he smiled with satisfaction.

Wang Hao stepped inside. The main hall was bustling, with a dozen cultivators conversing near the counter.

"Fifth Brother! You're finally back!"

Wang Wenmei's exclamation cut through the noise. "I knew Fifth Brother's abilities would keep you safe! But why did it take you so long to return?"

"I suffered some minor injuries during the escape and had to hide on a small island to recuperate. That's what caused the delay," Wang Hao explained smoothly. "Hand over your current tasks to the staff; I have matters to discuss with the family."

With business improving, they had hired local cultivators to handle the mundane tasks. It was a waste to have Qi Refining late-stage cultivators acting as shop clerks; as long as one member of the Wang or Li families was present to oversee operations, the locals could handle the rest.

Wang Wenmei apologized to the customers she was serving, handing them off to a local clerk at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. She then followed Wang Hao to the backyard.

Once all the Wang Family members were gathered, Wang Hao addressed them seriously.

"This demon beast hunting trip went relatively smoothly overall. However, the encounter with the bandit cultivators exposed our lack of strength. Therefore, I've decided to distribute the Foundation Establishment Pills among you as soon as possible to increase our number of Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Upon hearing this, the breathing of the six present members—Wang Yanlang, Wang Yanyuan, Wang Wenmei, Wang Wenyan, Wang Wenwu, and Wang Wenxiu—immediately grew heavy.

A Foundation Establishment Pill! Who among them didn't desire one? Tragically, Wang Wenjin had died at Huang Youcheng's hands and would never see this day.

"Since we are not at the family compound right now," Wang Hao said, his gaze sweeping over their varied expressions, "I won't strictly follow family seniority rules. I will distribute the pills based on your performance during our last outing."

He continued, "There are only two Foundation Establishment Pills available at the moment. However, we obtained a significant amount of Spirit Stones from this trip. I plan to participate in an auction, hoping to buy several more pills for you all. My aim is for everyone here to eventually establish their foundation. But there must be an order."

"Wenyan and Wenxiu are only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. You two will have to wait another year or two. During the hunt, Wenwu performed the best, so he will receive the first pill. As for the second pill, I'd like to hear your opinions."

"Thank you, Fifth Brother!" Wang Wenwu hurriedly bowed, his face wearing a simple, honest smile. Before leaving home, they were told that the overseas branches offered a higher chance of advancement, but he hadn't expected to receive a Foundation Establishment Pill within just six months.

Wang Yanfeng spoke up first. "I didn't go on the hunt, so I won't offer an opinion. Yanping, who do you think is suitable?"

Wang Yanping frowned, glancing around the group. "Besides Wenwu, everyone else's performance was similar. It is hard to decide."

Wang Wenmei then chimed in. "Esteemed elders, I think we should give the first pill to Sixth Uncle. He is already over fifty. If he delays any further, his chance of successfully establishing his foundation will drop significantly."

Of course, she wanted one too. But she was young and believed Wang Hao would provide for her later. There was no need to rush and appear greedy.

"Inappropriate, inappropriate. My performance last time was mediocre. How dare I covet the Foundation Establishment Pill?" Wang Yanlang declined verbally, yet his gaze toward Wang Hao burned with fervent desire.

Heh.

Wang Hao didn't mind these small calculations. Surface-level modesty was enough to satisfy the family's decorum.

"I just said everyone can establish their foundation; it is just a matter of sequence. Since Fourteenth Uncle is older, give him the first one."

He took out two jade bottles, handing them to Wang Wenwu and Wang Yanlang respectively.

"You should each go purchase a Vein Protection Pill and study the family's records on foundation establishment experiences. Then, you may enter seclusion to attempt your breakthrough."

The two accepted the bottles joyfully and chorused, "Thank you, Esteemed Elder!"

Wang Hao waved his hand, signaling them to rise, then asked the group about auction news.

Unfortunately, everyone's knowledge of Wanxiang City was limited. Only Wang Yanfeng, who had stayed in the city the longest, had a lead. He mentioned that the western market district might be holding an auction soon and suggested Wang Hao visit a shop called Treasure Clarity Pavilion to inquire.

"Good, then I'll go take a look."

Wang Hao dismissed everyone and stood up to leave. Just as he stepped out the door, he encountered Li Dedao and Li Derong.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you returned and didn't tell us? That's not very friendly!"

"My fault entirely. I was solely focused on seeing my clansmen and forgot about you two!" Wang Hao apologetically cupped his hands.

"You are safe, which is good. Seeing your appearance... are you heading out again?" Li Derong's almond-shaped eyes shifted observantly.

"Correct. I plan to go inquire about auction news to see if I can buy a few Foundation Establishment Pills for my clansmen," Wang Hao sighed. "This time, our two families lost three members. Ultimately, it was due to insufficient strength. If we had a dozen more Foundation Establishment cultivators, would we have needed to flee?"