As the Asura Warship descended, the people of the Asura Sect quickly arranged accommodations for Zhuge Xiang and the others. About two thousand people were all concentrated on a mountain peak named Green Bamboo Peak, which was covered in dense, emerald-green bamboo groves. With over two thousand independent courtyards, the scenery of Green Bamboo Peak was quite pleasant.
Without saying much more, Zhuge Xiang casually selected a courtyard that belonged to him and walked inside. It was quite nice, featuring a living room and two rooms on either side. One of them could be used as his own resting space, while in the other room, as long as he was willing, he could apply to the sect for a maidservant to tend to his daily life, diet, and so on. This was the welfare that official disciples of the Asura Sect could obtain.
Aside from this, official disciples of the Asura Sect could also receive a fixed stipend of one hundred spirit stone coins every month. Within the Asura Sect, or even throughout the Cultivation World, spirit stone coins were the unified currency of trade. Whether it was internal transactions within the Asura Sect or quest rewards issued by the master's sect, all of them used spirit stone coins as the unified currency.
These one hundred spirit stone coins could be used to purchase the materials one desired, or magic artifacts, or martial arts sold by other disciples, or even pills and the like, all of which were entirely at one's own disposal.
Of course, this did not mean that once you became an official disciple of the Asura Sect, you could survive like a parasite. Within the Asura Sect, an assessment assembly was held every year for these official disciples to enter the Asura Headquarters. Those who failed to break through to the Body Tempering Realm within five years would have their status as official disciples completely stripped away, relegated to ordinary staff members of the Asura Headquarters.
The system of the Asura Sect was very simple. How you cultivated and how you used these spirit stone coins given to you by the sect did not matter at all, but your cultivation level could not fall behind. Otherwise, once the five-year period arrived, you would be eliminated.
Sitting in his own room, Zhuge Xiang picked up the items placed on the desk: one hundred spirit stone coins, a copy of the Asura Sect's sect rules, and a map of some areas in the headquarters, which included the Pill Hall, the Martial Arts Arena, the trading area, the Quest Hall, the Forging Hall, the Martial Arts Pavilion, the Dining Hall...
If he wanted to cultivate, he could go to the Martial Arts Arena to observe how others cultivated. The cultivation in the Martial Arts Arena was a place that allowed others to observe and exchange pointers. If he had an interest in things like forging or pills, he could also go to those places. Of course, if he was willing to undergo trials, he could go to the Quest Hall. There were sect quests issued by the sect there, and naturally quests posted by other disciples as well. Not only could he undergo trials, but he could also obtain rewards...
After learning about almost all the common-sense knowledge regarding the Asura Headquarters, Zhuge Xiang closed the manual in his hand with a smile on his face. This Asura Headquarters was extremely bustling, with two hundred thousand official disciples. The scale of this headquarters was simply like a city, except that the people here were all cultivators.
After understanding matters more or less, Zhuge Xiang stepped out of the door. Distinguishing the direction roughly, he walked toward the Forging Hall. In a headquarters consisting of a hundred mountain peaks, naturally there could not be only a single Forging Hall or Quest Hall. Although these mountain peaks were connected by unimaginably huge rope bridges, they were faintly divided into ten major regions, each of which had its own institutions such as Quest Halls.
Zhuge Xiang had won first place in the Grand Tournament that day, and one of his rewards was a certificate to elevate the quality of a magic artifact. Having arrived at the headquarters, Zhuge Xiang's primary task was naturally to go and upgrade the quality of his magic artifact first. At the same time, Zhuge Xiang also needed to ask someone to help forge the Wolf Fang Arrow forging recipe.
The Forging Hall was an unimaginably huge hall. Around the periphery of the hall, many stalls of Asura Sect disciples could be seen. Evidently, quite a few of them had learned knowledge related to forging. For many who considered themselves to have no hope in cultivation, learning a trade was also a way to make a living, and likewise a way to acquire wealth.
Carrying the certificate, Zhuge Xiang stepped directly into the Forging Hall. Making out his bearings slightly, Zhuge Xiang found one of the artificers and took out the Hundred Refinements Bow and the certificate.
Since he could obtain a free opportunity to elevate quality, the higher the quality, the better it naturally was. It was just that although the Blade of Blockade was a Three-Star Magic Artifact, even if its quality was upgraded, it would not be of extraordinary help in actual combat. Therefore, for Zhuge Xiang, upgrading the quality of the Hundred Refinements Bow, his only Two-Star Artifact, was the best choice.
"Mhm, upgrading the quality of this Two-Star Artifact will take the time it takes to brew two cups of tea. Wait a moment," this Beginner Artificer, who looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, gave people a steady feeling. He put away the certificate, looked it over, and spoke calmly.
"Wait a moment...", watching this artificer turn to leave, Zhuge Xiang took out the Wolf Fang Arrow forging recipe and spoke, "May I ask, I have an arrow forging recipe here; I wonder if you could help me forge them?"
"Mhm, this arrow forging recipe is quite good. I will forge one hundred arrows for you free of charge, and for subsequent arrows, one spirit stone coin per arrow." Glancing at Zhuge Xiang's Wolf Fang Arrow forging recipe, a trace of joy appeared on the artificer's face.
"One hundred free? One spirit stone coin each afterwards?" Hearing this artificer's words, Zhuge Xiang was somewhat stunned. One spirit stone coin per arrow was not a low price, but being able to forge one hundred for him for free made Zhuge Xiang feel strange.
Zhuge Xiang's expression fell into the eyes of the artificer, who looked at Zhuge Xiang with some strangeness and asked with some surprise, "Judging by your appearance, you are at the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer. You wouldn't happen to be a new disciple who just arrived at the headquarters, would you?"
"That's right, I indeed just arrived at the headquarters, and this certificate is the prize from my Grand Tournament." There was nothing to hide, so Zhuge Xiang nodded and admitted it.
"A newcomer who just arrived? And you have the cultivation of the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer? Furthermore, you have so many magic artifacts on you?" Zhuge Xiang's admission actually made this artificer look at him with some astonishment.
Although in the Asura Headquarters, the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer and this large array of artifact equipment were not counted as any particularly dazzling lineup, he still knew very well what it meant for a new disciple, since disciples with however much seniority had all stepped up step by step from new disciples.
"I didn't expect that a new disciple would just arrive at the Asura Headquarters and I would run into a gifted disciple. My luck is quite good." After restraining his look of astonishment, this middle-aged artificer smiled. The possibility of such a gifted disciple rising up was higher than others, and his future demand in terms of magic artifacts would also be great. Building a good relationship with such a disciple meant an increase in future performance, so this artificer's attitude was evidently a bit more enthusiastic.
"So you are a new disciple, no wonder you didn't know. Forging recipes for things like magic artifacts can be exchanged in the sect for about five hundred spirit stone coins. You asked me to forge these Wolf Fang Arrows, which also allowed me to learn the technique of forging Wolf Fang Arrows. Correspondingly, I naturally have to make some for you for free as remuneration. Afterwards, one spirit stone coin per Wolf Fang Arrow is still a preferential price for you. If other disciples came to buy them, the price would be a bit more expensive," smiling, this artificer explained to Zhuge Xiang.
Saying this, the artificer paused slightly, then continued, "If you are willing to give this Wolf Fang Arrow forging recipe to me, I will monopolize this technology, and I can forge one hundred Wolf Fang Arrows for you for free every month."
One hundred Wolf Fang Arrows every month? Or keep such a recipe? Zhuge Xiang pondered for a moment, nodded, and handed over the Wolf Fang Arrow recipe.
Although this recipe was valuable, for Zhuge Xiang, arrows were what he needed right now. A new disciple was short of money everywhere. Being able to save these one hundred spirit stone coins every month was almost equivalent to receiving an extra sect welfare payout. As for when he would unlock the life profession system in the future? Who knew when that would be.
Having obtained Zhuge Xiang's Wolf Fang Arrow forging recipe, the artificer's mood was clearly even better. Although he was an official artificer of the sect, as long as his performance was good, the benefits were still numerous. After taking the Hundred Refinements Bow and the forging recipe down, Zhuge Xiang waited for about half an hour before the artificer came back out, handing the Hundred Refinements Bow and a quiver of arrows to Zhuge Xiang.
"These are one hundred Wolf Fang Arrows, and there are another one hundred Wolf Fang Arrows for this month that you can come to collect in five days. Remember, if you have any needs regarding forging in the future, you can always come find me. People around here call me Old Tie," handing the items over to Zhuge Xiang, the middle-aged artificer said with a smile.
"Understood, Master Old Tie. I will definitely have moments of intrusion in the future," nodding, Zhuge Xiang replied very politely, and then lowered his head to look at the Hundred Refinements Bow and the Wolf Fang Arrows.
The effect of the Wolf Fang Arrows was correct: attack power +8, plus a defense-ignoring effect of 5. Meanwhile, the Three-Star Magic Artifact Hundred Refinements Bow surprised Zhuge Xiang even more.
Hundred Refinements Bow (Three-Star Artifact): Requires Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer, attack range 120 meters, attack 45-60, ignores defense 45, durability 33/33, weight 11.
Requires Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer? 120 meters attack range? Zhuge Xiang raised his head in some astonishment. The enhancement of a magic artifact's quality was merely a pure attribute upgrade; even the required cultivation level increased along with it?
"I saw that your strength reached the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer, so I slightly reinforced it on the basis of a Three-Star Artifact. Although the strength required is greater, the attack range is also a bit farther, and correspondingly, the attack power naturally received an extra boost as well," looking at Zhuge Xiang's astonished expression, Old Tie smiled and answered.
"Many thanks, Master Old Tie." This time Zhuge Xiang's expression of gratitude was even more sincere.
The attack power of the Three-Star Artifact Hundred Refinements Bow had almost doubled. Such a lethal weapon, he believed, would not look shabby even in the hands of a Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer disciple, let alone Zhuge Xiang's cultivation of only the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer. With a bow like this matched with Wolf Fang Arrows, plus Piercing Arrow, who could block it? Zhuge Xiang believed that even the Two-Star Demonic Moth he had encountered last time, he could directly injure it rather than needing a weak-point attack.
Putting away the Hundred Refinements Bow and the Wolf Fang Arrows, Zhuge Xiang's mood was greatly improved. With these, he was completely capable of sniping One-Star High-Grade Monster Beasts from a long distance.
Leaving the Forging Hall, Zhuge Xiang's steps felt much lighter as he returned to the mountain peak where the disciples of this batch lived. However, when he walked onto the rope bridge and saw the situation at Green Bamboo Peak, Zhuge Xiang's steps paused slightly...
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