Inheritance Dharma Bead

Early the next morning, Han Changming woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated.

This time, the desperate effort of crafting talismans had left Han Changming exhausted. His mana was manageable, as he could use a Spirit Gathering Stone to accelerate his recovery, but the depletion of his divine sense was more troublesome. Even with the help of Spirit Recovery Incense, Han Changming could not craft talismans for long periods.

He planned to purchase a few bottles of Qi Refining Pill to take, hoping to speed up his cultivation progress.

Han Changming emptied the contents of his storage bag, intending to dispose of the items he no longer needed.

"Huh, what is this..."

Han Changming held a cyan-colored round bead in his hand, a strange expression appearing on his face.

If he remembered correctly, he had obtained a few Clam Pearls while haggling with a stall owner when he went to the rogue cultivator plaza to buy a Talisman Brush earlier.

This particular Clam Pearl was not a Clam Pearl at all, but an Inheritance Dharma Bead.

An Inheritance Dharma Bead is a rather unique type of magical artifact in the East Sea cultivation world. Before a cultivator passes away, they record the location of their final cave dwelling within a clam-shell artifact and cast it into the vast ocean. If a fated person finds the bead, they can obtain the predecessor's inheritance; hence, these artifacts are known as Inheritance Dharma Beads.

An Inheritance Dharma Bead looks no different from a regular Clam Pearl and usually emits no spiritual energy fluctuations. The difference is that an Inheritance Dharma Bead must absorb sufficient spiritual energy before the contents inside can be revealed. Furthermore, the texture of an Inheritance Dharma Bead is quite hard; if one were to use it for artifact refining, it would be easy to discover its abnormality.

Once, a first-rank artifact refiner accidentally obtained an Inheritance Clam Pearl, gained the inheritance of an ancient cultivator, and saw their cultivation soar, eventually becoming a high-level cultivator renowned in the region.

This Inheritance Dharma Bead had been sitting in his storage bag, and perhaps it had absorbed the spiritual energy from the Spirit Gathering Stone, allowing Han Changming to discover the inheritance within it quite easily.

According to the records in the Inheritance Dharma Bead, this predecessor was a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who had encountered a powerful enemy while hunting spirit beasts and was severely wounded. Before passing away, he left behind the Inheritance Dharma Bead, hoping that a fated person would receive his legacy and avenge him.

Han Changming was extremely excited; a cave dwelling belonging to a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator surely contained a great deal of wealth.

He wished he could sprout wings to fly quickly to the location of the cave dwelling and claim the treasures inside.

After a brief moment of excitement, Han Changming calmed down.

Judging by the process of how he obtained the Inheritance Dharma Bead, there was nothing suspicious. If the bead hadn't absorbed enough spiritual energy, he wouldn't have discovered its abnormality and would have simply thought it was an ordinary Clam Pearl.

Han Daohe had warned Han Changming since he was a child that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and even if there were, it wouldn't just happen to fall into your lap. If one obtains an Inheritance Dharma Bead or discovers an ancient cultivator's cave, one should not rush to hunt for treasure; it is best to invite fellow clansmen along, as some evil cultivators deliberately set traps to harm low-level cultivators.

Both the Spirit Gathering Stone and the Taiyi Spirit-Transforming Gourd were items Han Changming had obtained by chance, and he harbored a sliver of luck in his heart—perhaps he was a child of destiny!

His elders had warned him since he was young not to easily trust so-called ancient cultivator cave dwellings, as there were not that many of them in the world.

Han Changming could not make up his mind for a while. Because of the existence of the Inheritance Dharma Bead, Han Changming could not sleep for several days and had no heart to craft talismans.

After a period of internal struggle, Han Changming made a decision: he would tell Han Dehai about this matter.

For one, it could reduce the risk; if it were a trap set by evil cultivators, going to hunt for treasure alone would be like walking into a wolf's den. Secondly, even if there were treasures in the ancient cave, he would still get a share, and besides that, he would also receive a large amount of contribution points.

Han Changming was not being selfless; it was simply that his cultivation was too low—at the fifth level of Qi Refining, if he truly encountered an evil cultivator, he would be no match for them.

Han Dehai held the Inheritance Dharma Bead, his expression somewhat grave.

"Changming, you did well. I will notify the Seventh Sister about this. When we go treasure hunting, we will definitely bring you along. Before that, you must not go treasure hunting on your own, understand? Evil cultivators often set traps to kill low-level cultivators. The Eleventh Uncle only has you as a grandson; if something happens to you, he will be very heartbroken. He is already at his age and still running around everywhere, all for your sake. If there are treasures in the ancient cave, it will count as a great contribution on your part. This is the clan's rule, and we will not treat you unfairly," Han Dehai said earnestly.

"I understand, Thirteenth Uncle. I will not go treasure hunting on my own," Han Changming promised honestly.

Since he had already told Han Dehai the news, he naturally would not go treasure hunting in secret.

"Ninth Brother, your luck is just too good! You can even pick up an Inheritance Dharma Bead while buying things. Why don't I have that kind of luck? I need to go to the rogue cultivator plaza and walk around more," Han Changjiong said with an envious tone.

Han Dehai glared fiercely at Han Changjiong and reprimanded him: "It's not certain yet whether it's an Inheritance Dharma Bead! It could be a trap set by evil cultivators. Changjiong, from today on, you keep a close eye on Changming. If he leaves the market on his own, I won't spare you first."

"Understood, Thirteenth Uncle."

Han Changming gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected that Han Dehai would still be worried about him going treasure hunting alone.

This was not surprising; who wouldn't be tempted by the cave dwelling of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator?

After breakfast, Han Changming and Han Changjiong left the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

Passing by a steamed bun shop, Han Changjiong pulled Han Changming inside and bought five catties of buns. Han Changjiong carried the two bags of steaming hot buns, eating as he walked.

Han Changming now had over seven hundred spirit stones and was feeling flush with cash. He spent one hundred spirit stones to buy two bottles of Qi Refining Pill, and Han Changjiong also bought two bottles.

Considering that he would be going treasure hunting in the future, Han Changming went to the Hundred Refinements Pavilion and spent six hundred spirit stones to purchase two magical artifacts.

One was the first-rank high-grade defensive artifact, the Mystic Light Armor, refined from the shell of a first-rank high-grade Mystic Water Turtle, costing three hundred and fifty spirit stones.

The other was the first-rank mid-grade artifact, the Shadowless Needle, which moved without a trace—a sharp weapon for backstabbing people—costing two hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Han Clan disciples could enjoy a certain discount when purchasing artifacts at the Hundred Refinements Pavilion; if it were an outsider, they would never be able to buy these two artifacts for seven hundred spirit stones.

Han Changjiong and Han Changming arrived at the rogue cultivator plaza, wanting to try their luck.

Han Changming's gaze swept quickly over the small stalls, looking to see if he could pick up any bargains.

Suddenly, Han Changjiong quickened his pace, and Han Changming followed closely behind.

Before long, Han Changjiong stopped in front of a small stall.

The stall displayed some spirit beast materials and a few stalks of spirit herbs. The stall owner was a yellow-skirted girl of eighteen or nineteen, with a fiery figure and a round, baby-faced appearance that looked quite cute.

"This fairy, how are you selling these items?" Han Changjiong looked at the girl's chest, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and asked obsequiously.

Han Changming was speechless; his Seventh Brother would always show a lecherous look whenever he saw a woman with a good figure.

"The prices are marked on them. If you see something you like, Fellow Daoist, just say so. If you are here to buy, we welcome you, but if you aren't buying, don't cause trouble," a cold female voice came from behind them.

Han Changming turned to look and saw a girl in a purple skirt in her early twenties standing behind them. The girl had a graceful figure and a cold expression.

Han Changjiong gave a sheepish smile, stuffed a bun into his mouth, and led Han Changming away.

"Sister, be more careful in the future. Don't let people take advantage of you without even knowing it."

Hearing this, Han Changming felt somewhat embarrassed.

After strolling for over an hour without any gains, they returned to the Spirit Talisman Pavilion to rest.