Zhao Gongming returned to his cave residence with the three personal disciples of the Western Teachings.
The three sat stiffly on their meditation cushions. Pharmacist Daoist even had to wipe away blood every now and then.
"Junior brothers, you know the rules here."
Zhao Gongming got straight to the point, took a sip of immortal tea, and spoke calmly.
"To refine that kind of top-grade magic treasure, I need precious natural treasures."
"If you don't have any, there's nothing I can do. Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice."
Hearing this, Pharmacist Daoist gritted his teeth and took out a serene, peaceful jewel.
"Senior Brother Zhao, this is the Calming Bodhi Pearl, which I obtained by chance."
"It can't be used to attack, but it can subdue inner demons and calm the mind."
"Would this item do?"
[ Ding! High-grade refinement material detected: Calming Bodhi Pearl. ]
[ Rating: Acceptable. ]
[ Matching plan: Can be refined into a conceptual magic treasure for mental control. ]
A flash of light gleamed in Zhao Gongming's eyes.
It could calm the mind?
That was a great attribute!
If he reversed it or twisted it a little... Heh heh.
"Not bad. This is just about good enough."
Zhao Gongming nodded, took the pearl, then swept his sleeve.
Bwoom—!
The Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure: Nine Dragon Cauldron instantly burst forth with nine phantom fire dragons!
"Hiss, a furnace at the Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure level?!"
Maitreya Daoist and Dizang stared wide-eyed, drawing in sharp breaths.
The Western Teachings were so desperately poor that even their saints barely had any magic treasures, let alone disciples like them.
And Zhao Gongming was using a Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure to refine magic treasures.
Tears of envy were practically about to spill from their mouths.
"Fire!"
Zhao Gongming gave a soft shout and exhaled.
Samadhi True Fire surged out, its flames twisting the space around them.
The might of its fire, capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas, forced the three to circulate their magic power to resist it.
"This is... the supreme divine ability, Samadhi True Fire?!"
Pharmacist Daoist cried out, spitting up another small mouthful of blood.
Before they could recover,
Zhao Gongming seemed to think the atmosphere still wasn't grand enough, and moved his mind.
Rattle!
Thirty-Six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls revolved behind him, manifesting the myriad heavens!
In that instant, the entire cave residence shone brilliantly with their radiance.
The light nearly blinded the three Western Teachings disciples.
"Holy... holy crap, Thirty-Six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls! They're comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure?!"
The Buddhist prayer beads in Maitreya Daoist's hand fell to the floor.
He stared with his mouth agape at the rings of Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.
Pharmacist Daoist was even more dumbstruck.
Wiping away the blood he'd spat out, he stammered,
"S-Senior Brother Zhao..."
"You're refining a magic treasure, so why bring out the Thirty-Six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls?"
"Do they have some special effect that helps with refining?"
Zhao Gongming looked back at the pearls behind him,
then at the three men, whose expressions made it clear they'd never seen the world.
A cheeky smile curled his lips, and he gave a mischievous chuckle.
"Help with refining?"
"Oh, no."
"I just wanted to show them off and let you see how much I own."
"The West is so poor. I was afraid you'd never seen so many treasures, so I thought I'd broaden your horizons."
Pfft—!!!
Pharmacist Daoist spat a mouthful of blood three yards into the air. This time, it was out of sheer anger.
Maitreya and Dizang's faces twitched violently.
Their fists clenched, then relaxed, then clenched again.
What a jerk!
They really wanted to hit him!
Was this the mean-spirited fun of the rich in the East?
Killing and Punishing the Heart!
Seeing the three men looking like they couldn't stand him but couldn't do anything about it,
Zhao Gongming was in a great mood and immediately got to work.
The Nine Dragon Cauldron began to turn, and Samadhi True Fire surged.
The Calming Bodhi Pearl was tossed inside.
"Done!"
Zhao Gongming beckoned, and a rather childlike magic treasure fell into his hand.
It was a rattle drum decorated with festive patterns.
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The little balls on either side gave off crisp, hollow knocks as the drum shook.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully refining a magic treasure! ]
[ Magic Treasure Name: Wisdom-Reducing Rattle Drum ]
[ Conceptual Attribute: Forcibly reduces intelligence. Shake the rattle drum to set a target's intelligence to a negative value, leaving them in a foolish, dazed state. ]
[ Manifestations: Crooked mouth, lolling eyes, drooling, and Patrick Star's "Heh heh heh" laugh. ]
[ Side Effect: Full-time dad. The user wears a pink apron, holds a baby bottle in the left hand and shakes the drum with the right, while loudly singing a nursery rhyme in a soothing voice: "Big-Head Son, Little-Head Dad, a happy father and son, the best of friends..." ]
At the same time, the system's reward arrived.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on refining a conceptual-level magic treasure! ]
[ Critical reward triggered! Congratulations, host, on obtaining: Six Ding True Fire! ]
A gentle yet enduring power of flame flowed into Zhao Gongming's body.
Six Ding True Fire was the divine fire inside Taishang Laojun's Eight Trigrams Furnace.
It wasn't as fierce as Samadhi True Fire,
but it excelled at refining pills and magic treasures.
It could simmer things slowly over a gentle flame and had the wondrous power to create all things.
"Good stuff. One gentle, one fierce—my fire-based divine abilities are complete!"
Zhao Gongming rejoiced inwardly.
Then he carried the rattle drum over to Pharmacist Daoist.
"I've done my best. It's finished."
Pharmacist Daoist accepted the rattle drum, completely baffled.
"Senior Brother, isn't this for children to play with?"
Zhao Gongming replied solemnly,
"Junior brother, don't judge a book by its cover."
"This treasure is called the Wisdom-Reducing Rattle Drum."
"Just give it a gentle shake, and it can completely control one person."
"It'll turn them into a drooling fool who can only make a silly 'heh heh heh' laugh."
Pharmacist Daoist's eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
That control effect was far better than something like the Immortal Binding Rope!
"But..." Zhao Gongming cleared his throat.
"There's a bit of a trick to using it."
Then he carefully explained the whole process: putting on an apron, holding a baby bottle, and singing the Big-Head Son song.
After hearing him out, Pharmacist Daoist, Maitreya, and Dizang were utterly petrified.
"A-an apron and a baby bottle?"
"And we have to sing 'Big-Head Son, Little-Head Dad'?"
Maitreya Daoist's mouth twitched as he stared at Zhao Gongming in disbelief.
"Senior Brother Zhao, is this really a proper magic treasure?"
"What proper magic treasure has to be used like that?"
Hearing this, Zhao Gongming puffed out his chest.
He thumped it so hard it boomed and answered with righteous conviction,
"Junior brother, you're being too formal."
"Go ask around. When have the magic treasures I, Zhao Gongming, refined ever been proper?"
"Could a proper magic treasure make Cihang kneel down and call someone 'Dad'?"
"Could a proper magic treasure make you spurt blood like a fountain just now?"
"Being improper is my brand!"
The three men: "..."
Speechless.
Utterly speechless.
Was that supposed to be a compliment?!
And he was proud of it?!
Pharmacist Daoist looked at the rattle drum in his hand, his expression shifting back and forth.
But when he recalled what had happened on the arena moments ago—
Bixiao's domineering Father's Love is Like a Mountain, and Jin Ling's ferocious "Za Zha Hui"...
Then he looked at his own magic treasure. Sure, he had to wear an apron and sing,
but at least he didn't have to call anyone "Dad" or turn into a fountain.
"Maybe... I can live with this?"
Strangely enough, Pharmacist Daoist found himself persuaded.
Just then, Maitreya's eyes suddenly shifted.
A smile crept across his face.
"Senior Brother, since this magic treasure is so miraculous..."
"Shouldn't we find someone to test it out?"
Hearing this, Pharmacist Daoist slowly turned his head.
His bloodshot eyes fixed on Maitreya.
"Junior brother, you make a good point."
"You seemed to be having a good laugh beneath the arena earlier, didn't you?"
The smile on Maitreya's face froze at once.
As he watched Pharmacist Daoist slowly raise the rattle drum,
a chill shot straight to his scalp.
"S-Senior Brother?"
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Please, Senior Brother, don't! I'm your own junior brother!!"
"Please, Senior Brother, don't!!!"
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