The rankings of the Nine Residences
Within the island of Lin Residence, although the greatest treasures are the Azure Wood Seal obtained by Lin Ming and the Lesser Withering and Flourishing Art acquired by Zi Yan, as one of the Nine Residences, Lin Residence naturally cannot possess only these two items.
A mansion that has been passed down for thousands of years has accumulated a wealth of heritage that cannot be encompassed by just one or two treasures.
Lin Ming stood in the main hall, spreading his thoughts, and every inch of the Lin Residence appeared in his perception in minute detail.
He could clearly sense that there were several places protected by array formations, deep within those side halls, in the heart of the forest, and among the roots of giant trees.
Most of those formations were dim and broken, barely maintaining their last moments of operation like a spider web, but the things sealed within them were still perfectly preserved.
Some are sealed in Stone Chamber at the base of giant trees, some are hidden in secret chambers beneath side halls, and some are embedded among the branches of ancient trees deep in the forest. Each of them has its own independent defensive formation.
At that moment, with a thought, all the protective formations scattered throughout the Lin Residence became ineffective.
One by one, the broken Formation Patterns dimmed, shattered, and dissipated, like countless curtains that had been removed, completely exposing the opportunities sealed within them to all perception.
Lin Ming then turned his head to look at the North King and Xia Jia standing beside him, and slowly said, "Zi Yan and I will refine this Sacred Artifact and cultivate this minor divine ability here. You two go and find the remaining opportunities within the Lin Residence. I have already broken all the protective formations, so you can search with peace of mind."
Upon hearing this, the two beamed with joy. A rare look of excitement appeared on the bronze-colored face of the North King, and his tiger-like eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
The North King took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed deeply to Lin Ming, his voice filled with undisguised gratitude. "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Xia Jia smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling with joy. She mimicked the North King's gesture and gave a respectful bow, her voice clear and sincere. "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
After thanking them, the two left the hall.
The North King took the lead and strode towards the side hall, with Xia Jia following closely behind. The two figures quickly disappeared into the main hall.
After the two left, only Lin Ming and Zi Yan remained in the hall.
The mist and clouds in the Emerald Pool continued to rise slowly, the swirling emerald fog drifting and swirling in the empty hall, enveloping the two figures in a hazy light and shadow.
The two of them stared intently at the Azure Wood Seal and the Lesser Withering and Flourishing Art, their eyes gradually burning with fervor.
After all, both the Azure Wood Seal Sacred Artifact and the Lesser Withering and Flourishing Art were the first things the two of them had obtained since coming to this Great Thousand World.
These are Sacred Artifacts, the kind of treasures that would drive even the Earth Sovereign beings on the Sky Luo Continent mad; and these minor supernatural abilities, even with the word "minor," far surpass the inheritance of ordinary Cultivation Method on Jade Slip. So how could they not be overjoyed?
Zi Yan unfolded the Emerald Jade Scroll containing the Lesser Withering and Flourishing Art and looked at it again. Her purple-gold eyes reflected the flowing Spiritual Runes light on the scroll's surface, and a joyful smile curved her lips.
At this moment, Lin Ming handed the Azure Wood Seal to Zi Yan and said, "Zi Yan, you can refine this Azure Wood Seal."
Lin Ming calmly looked at Zi Yan, the deep blue seal in his palm gleaming serenely in the emerald light.
Upon hearing this, Zi Yan pushed Lin Ming's hand away.
At this moment Zi Yan's purple-gold eyes curved slightly, her lips pursed in a disdainful manner, and she said in a lighthearted tone with a girlish charm and willfulness, "This Azure Wood Seal is so ugly, I don't want it."
If others heard Zi Yan say this, they would probably retort, "If you don't want it, you can give it to me. I don't mind if it's not pretty at all."
Let alone Sacred Artifact, even Half Sage object wouldn't be rejected just because it doesn't look good.
The reason why Sacred Artifact is Sacred Artifact is because it contains the Origin Power heaven and earth, which is its true value and has nothing to do with whether it looks good or not.
Lin Ming knew that Zi Yan wanted him to refine the Azure Wood Seal, which was why she said that. She felt that Lin Ming was more suitable than her to refine the Azure Wood Seal.
After all, her cultivation level was still some distance from that of Earth Sovereign, and even if she refined the Sacred Artifact, she wouldn't be able to unleash its full power.
Rather than letting a Sacred Artifact tarnish in her hands, it would be better to let Lin Ming refine it. This way, their overall strength would be enhanced during their upcoming exploration of the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
However, Lin Ming's eyes First Revolution, and he did not refuse. He knew in his heart that, first of all, to unleash the full power of the Sacred Artifact, one needed the strength of Earth Sovereign.
Zi Yan is still some distance from Earth Sovereign. No matter how powerful her Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline is, she cannot unleash the full power of the Azure Wood Seal due to insufficient cultivation level.
However, he himself was only one step away, with one foot already on the threshold of becoming Earth Sovereign. Moreover, when he exerted his full strength, his Spiritual Energy alone might not be weaker than that of Earth Sovereign.
However, the Four Elements Origin Power is enough to make his Spiritual Energy match that of the Earth Sovereign, and he also has the complete World Power the Five Elements World, so his combat power far exceeds his apparent realm.
Therefore, only by refining it himself can he unleash the full power of the Sacred Artifact, thus ensuring their safety during their continued treasure hunt in the Heavenly Palace.
Secondly, the Lin Residence is only one of the Nine Residences, and even among Nine Residences, it is ranked relatively low.
Lin Ming learned from the map that the first of the Nine Residences was the Star Residence, whose master not only reached the peak of the Upper-Rank Earth Sovereign, but was also the number one array master in the Ancient Heavenly Palace.
If he were to set up the formation properly, even the Five Halls Hall Master in the Heavenly Palace, whose strength was all at the peak of the Earth Sovereign level, would not dare to say that they could defeat him, except for the Heavenly Emperor.
The second-ranked after the Star Residence is the Thunder Residence, whose lord is Upper-Rank Earth Sovereign.
The third is the Dragon Mansion, whose master Lower-Rank Earth Sovereign, or rather, a half-step Upper-Rank Earth Sovereign.
Following that are the Spirit Residence, the Abyss Residence, and the four subsequent palaces: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain.
Therefore, the Lin Residence ranks third from the bottom among the Nine Residences. However, since the Lin Residence possesses Sacred Artifact, the other families ahead of it are certainly not weaker than the Lin Residence.
So now that Zi Yan says no, he won't argue. Once she obtains the Sacred Artifact from other mansions, she won't have to worry about Sacred Artifact existence.
Among the Nine Residences, the Lin Residence is only one of the weakest. The Star Residence, Thunder Residence, and Dragon Mansion must contain even more powerful Sacred Artifact. Zi Yan can then choose any one of them.
Once this thought was made, Lin Ming no longer hesitated. Spiritual Energy surged in his palm, instantly enveloping the Azure Wood Seal.
However, the Azure Wood Seal remained completely unmoved by Lin Ming's Spiritual Energy, not even its ghostly light fluctuated, as if it regarded the Spiritual Energy as nothing.
The deep, dark seal floated quietly in his palm, like a sleeping creature, unresponsive to everything around it.
Lin Ming remained quite calm in the face of this situation. He nodded slightly, thinking to himself that if Sacred Artifact could be refined so easily, he would have to doubt its authenticity.
The Sacred Artifact contains an Origin Power of heaven and earth, a power that took millions of years to condense and has long been stabilized to the extreme. To refine it is to leave an imprint on that Origin Power, which is by no means something that can be accomplished overnight.
Lin Ming stared at the Azure Wood Seal, then waved his sleeve. A torrent of Spirit Liquid appeared around him.
A vast expanse of Spirit Mist rose up, and the Supreme Spirit Liquid transformed into a dense Spirit Mist the moment it came into contact with the air, enveloping the entire hall in a sea of Spiritual Energy.
Refining the Azure Wood Seal was clearly not something that could be done in an instant, so Lin Ming directly took out a large amount of Supreme Spirit Liquid to complete the refining process.
The Spirit Liquid transformed into pure Spiritual Energy as it burned, continuously replenishing the power he consumed during the refining process.
Having made all the preparations, Lin Ming gradually closed his eyes. He sat cross-legged in front of the Emerald Pool, holding the Azure Wood Seal in his palms, and channeled his Spiritual Energy into the seal like a tidal wave.
The Spiritual Energy transformed from the Supreme Spirit Liquid surged continuously, refining the Azure Wood Seal that it was pouring into.
The Spiritual Energy was like tiny carving knives, repeatedly sculpting the surface of that cold, luminous light, trying to find a crack to slip into.
The faint light on the surface of the Azure Wood Seal was as hard and slippery as ten-thousand-year-old ice. When Spiritual Energy touched it, it was silently repelled, leaving no trace.
Time passed quietly in this slow refining process. The emerald light in the main hall remained, and the Spirit Mist gradually thinned as it surged.
The torrent of Supreme Spirit Liquid surrounding Lin Ming gradually diminished, shrinking from a long river to a stream, and then from a stream to a thin thread.
The Azure Wood Seal, shrouded in Spiritual Energy, also seemed to become somewhat hazy without anyone noticing.
The cold, eerie light gradually softened under the repeated washing of Spiritual Energy, like fine melting marks appearing on the surface of Solid Ice.
At the center of the Azure Wood Seal, a faint mist rose. The mist slowly overflowed from the surface of the seal, like a creature awakening from its slumber and gently exhaling.
Faintly, a small, dark, ethereal tree seemed to appear.
The sacred tree was extremely small and exquisite, only about the thickness of a thumb, and its entire body was a deep, dark green.
But when it was revealed, the space itself seemed to tremble. It was an extremely subtle vibration, as if the Wood-Element Power of the entire world resonated at that moment, stirring up visible ripples in the surrounding air.
Lin Ming opened his tightly closed eyes at this moment. He looked at the small divine tree that had appeared in the Azure Wood Seal, and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.
This tiny piece of divine wood is the core of the Azure Wood Seal, an Azure Wood Power that was born in the Chaos over millions of years.
The reason why the Azure Wood Seal can become a true Sacred Artifact is that it has this precious Azure Wood Power as its core material.