Chaos Dao Body

Xu Buyu suppressed the thoughts churning in his heart and strode toward Jiang Tian.

His expression was a tangle of emotions: shock, admiration, bitterness, and self-mockery. In the end, they all melted into a wry smile.

"Junior Brother Jiang... no, Brother Jiang."

He paused, seeming to weigh his words, but finally couldn't help asking, "How did you do it?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Tian thought for a moment, then said jokingly, "If I told you I'd mastered it just by looking at it for a while, would you believe me?"

"Hiss—"

Gasps rang out one after another.

"Listen to that! Is that even something a human would say?!"

"Mastered it just by looking? How come I couldn't master it just by looking? We've both got two shoulders holding up one head, so how can the gap between us be this huge?"

"This must be the difference between a genius and an ordinary person..."

Whispers erupted like beans bursting in a pan, crackling nonstop.

Some shook their heads and sighed, while others wore bitter smiles.

After that commotion, no one felt like trying to lift the bronze bull with qi anymore.

Xu Buyu invited everyone back into the pavilion, and they took their seats again.

One after another, people came over with wine cups to toast Jiang Tian. Among them were quite a few disciples at the peak of Qi Gathering. Even they lowered their status, approaching with beaming smiles and calling him "Brother Jiang" as naturally and warmly as could be.

Jiang Tian humored them briefly, but had no intention of staying any longer.

He chatted a little more with Xu Buyu, Lin Chen, and Mu Sining, then rose to take his leave.

During their conversation, he learned that Mu Sining was going to Qingyuan Prefecture City below the mountain on a mission, so he asked her to look into the whereabouts of his elder brother's family.

He wondered where his elder brother, Jiang Minghai, had gone after arriving in Qingyuan Prefecture City.

They hadn't seen each other in days, and he missed him terribly.

Jiang Tian didn't return to his lodgings right away. Instead, he first went to the Artifact Pavilion inside the Heavenly Fire Sect.

Artifacts were divided into four grades: low, middle, high, and supreme. Each step up in grade multiplied the price several times over.

Low-grade artifacts weren't further divided into subgrades, but their quality still varied.

The cheapest cost only one thousand contribution points. It was a Storage Bag that could hold three cubic meters of things.

The more expensive ones had more space.

The jade pendant used by Wang Yun, the head of the Wang Family, last time was a single-use low-grade artifact that cost five thousand contribution points.

Though it could only be used once, it could save your life at a critical moment, so it was worth the price.

The most expensive low-grade artifact cost fifty thousand contribution points: a longbow wreathed in a radiant treasure-glow, with a bowstring as thick as a finger, but no arrows to go with it. It was just a bow.

The cheapest middle-grade artifact, meanwhile, was already priced at a truly terrifying amount!

Three hundred thousand contribution points! A full three hundred thousand!

After deducting the contribution points he'd spent on the Qi Gathering Method and adding the banknotes he'd already converted into contribution points, Jiang Tian had just over thirty thousand in his pocket.

The most expensive middle-grade artifact cost one million contribution points. He couldn't afford it even if he sold himself.

He'd planned to buy a Sword Pellet, but after wandering around the Artifact Pavilion for ages, going from the first floor to the third and then back down again, he hadn't seen so much as a glimpse of one.

The shelves were lined up neatly with all kinds of long swords, short swords, and standard artifacts, all clearly marked with prices. But there was no sign of the Sword Pellet he wanted.

So he picked up two Storage Bags and went to the first floor to pay.

The person in charge of the Artifact Pavilion wasn't an elder, but a young-looking disciple dressed in blue.

He had small eyes and a wide mouth. None of his features stood out on their own, but together they somehow didn't make him seem sleazy. Instead, there was something indescribably odd about him.

The blue-robed disciple was named Zhang Xuechen. He had two purple traits and was at the Qi Gathering Realm.

Jiang Tian extracted his traits, then placed the Storage Bags on the counter.

Zhang Xuechen deftly picked up his jade token and swiped it over a bronze mirror on the counter, deducting the contribution points.

"Senior Brother," Jiang Tian asked as he put away his jade token, "why aren't there any Sword Pellets in the Artifact Pavilion?"

"Sword Pellets?"

Zhang Xuechen raised an eyebrow and looked at him strangely.

"You exchanged for the Nine Heavens Sword Control Manual in the Library Pavilion?"

Zhang Xuechen found it a little odd. He'd watched the kid wander around the Artifact Pavilion for ages, only to buy two Storage Bags worth a mere two thousand five hundred contribution points. The way he'd dressed and spent money didn't look like that of a clan disciple at all.

"That's right." Jiang Tian took in the change in Zhang Xuechen's expression, then asked calmly, "Senior Brother, I'm new here and don't know much about the sect. These Sword Pellets... does the sect not have any?"

"They're not in the Artifact Pavilion." Zhang Xuechen shook his head. Seeing Jiang Tian's humble manner, he didn't put on airs and patiently explained, "But at the end of every month, Elder Ji of Piyun Peak refines a batch of Sword Pellets, around a dozen or so. If you're interested, you can go take a look then."

Jiang Tian asked, puzzled, "Why doesn't Elder Ji put the Sword Pellets he's refined directly in the Artifact Pavilion? It would be much more convenient for him if the Pavilion sold them for him."

Zhang Xuechen gave a strange laugh. There was a trace of world-weary resignation in it, as though he spoke from experience.

"Heh! Looks like you really are a new disciple—and, like me, from an ordinary family, not a clan disciple. Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen the Nine Heavens Sword Control Manual."

Without waiting for Jiang Tian to ask, he continued, "There's something you don't know, little brother. These Sword Pellets aren't all that expensive. Each one costs thirty thousand contribution points, the same as a typical low-grade artifact."

"But do you know why none of us poor disciples cultivate the Nine Heavens Sword Control Manual?"

"Please, enlighten me." Jiang Tian cupped his hands, his manner sincere.

"You have to subdue the Sword Pellet and refine it into your body within the first quarter-hour after it comes out of the furnace." Zhang Xuechen held up three fingers and waved them in front of Jiang Tian.

"But this Sword Pellet is a real bastard! It's stubborn as hell. Sometimes refining one has nothing to do with how talented or gifted you are. It just comes down to luck—whether you two click."

He paused and lowered his voice as if afraid someone might overhear. "Anyway, try it once and you'll understand."

"You know Xu Buyu, right? Oh, that's right, you just got here, so I guess you don't know a big shot like him." As Zhang Xuechen spoke, he lifted his chin slightly, his face brimming with a pride that seemed to come from knowing Xu Buyu—as if that were something worth boasting about.

Jiang Tian's mouth twitched faintly, but he kept a modest smile on his face and listened attentively.

"All you need to know is that this Xu Buyu is the leader of the younger generation of poor disciples in our Heavenly Fire Sect."

Jiang Tian widened his eyes in feigned surprise. "Good heavens, he's that impressive?"

"Right!" Seeing his reaction, Zhang Xuechen got even more fired up. Spit was practically flying from his mouth.

"Someone as impressive as him went three months in a row, pouring in ninety thousand contribution points, and still couldn't refine a Sword Pellet."

"And who are the people refining Sword Pellets? They're clan disciples with money behind them! They throw in a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand at a time! Some people spend over two hundred thousand contribution points and still might not manage to refine one. Every time, Elder Ji encourages everyone, saying, 'You'll get it next time.'"

He sucked in a breath, his face aching with sympathy for the lost money. "Good grief, it's just like gambling!"

Clearly, he'd taken a fall on those Sword Pellets himself.

At this point, he pretended to be wise as he patted Jiang Tian's shoulder and sighed earnestly. "So disciples like you and me should just listen and leave it at that. Don't even think about refining a Sword Pellet. Don't get your hopes up. That thing's a bottomless pit—you'll never fill it."

"Since you're so humble..."

He changed tack. "If I get the chance, I'll definitely introduce you to Senior Brother Xu."

"Okay." Jiang Tian nodded with an easy smile, his expression unchanged, though his thoughts churned.

So the Sword Pellet wasn't an ordinary artifact after all.

It had nothing to do with comprehension?

Could it have something to do with his [Sword Heart Clarity (Purple)]?

Probably.

The end of the month... That would be after his duel with Song Yongheng.

He also went to the Alchemy Pavilion and bought some healing pills.

The damage the Lunar Qi had caused to his kidneys last time hadn't completely healed.

After taking care of everything, he returned to his lodgings, went up to the second floor, shut the doors and windows, and sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion.

Jiang Tian took a deep breath and summoned the panel.

His gaze fell on the [Martial Dao Sacred Body (Red)] entry.

He focused his mind.

Add points!

[Martial Dao Sacred Body (Red) → Chaos Dao Body (Gold) (1+/10000000)]

(Thanks to [Li Yang tel] for the like!!! And thanks to [Xia Ye Zhe Ge Fu Hao Wo Da Bu Chu Xiao Xi][Zha Tian Bang Xiao Huo Miao] for the support!!!)

(Thank you, everyone!)

(Is this book really that bad? Why does it only have one five-star review? T﹏T)