Grinding Away

In the Spirit Field, though some spirit farmers shouted fiercely, not many truly dared to stay behind and keep watch through the night.

Zhou Changwang pulled away Zhou Qiankun, who genuinely wanted to remain and stand watch. As for whether the others would be willing to stay, he could not be bothered to care.

When you had grain in your hands, your heart knew no panic.

He still had more than a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones on him. Naturally, he would not risk his life over Spirit Grain Rice in the fields that was worth, at most, one hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Still, at his father's suggestion, he set up several scarecrows in the Spirit Field. They might not frighten people away, but they could effectively drive off some birds and beasts.

Night fell.

Zhou Changwang returned to his room and almost impatiently took out a black cloth bag.

This cloth bag was none other than the Storage Bag his father had given him.

Since he had been busy with matters in the Spirit Field during the day, although it had remained on his mind, he had not dared take it out and grind away the spiritual power imprint within.

Now that he was in his own room, he naturally had no more misgivings.

With a thought, the spiritual power within his body slowly flowed into the Storage Bag under his control.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

At the same time, the foreign spiritual power inside the Storage Bag was swiftly stirred, transforming into a cluster of spiritual radiance that clung tightly to the bag, resisting the impact of Zhou Changwang's spiritual power.

The instant the two collided, they swiftly locked together, each consuming the other.

Like two millstones crashing together, grinding each other away.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

"No wonder it is the spiritual power imprint of a Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm expert. It is far too tough and condensed.

Even though it is only a tiny cluster, it still takes a great deal of my spiritual power to grind it away."

Zhou Changwang clicked his tongue inwardly.

No wonder mid-stage Qi Refining Realm experts held such an enormous advantage over early-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

Setting everything else aside, the degree of spiritual power condensation alone was enough to prove everything.

If the same spell were cast with such condensed spiritual power, its might naturally could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Take the Fireball Art Zhou Changwang had mastered, for example.

When the Fireball Art was at the Initiation stage and cast by him, it could only form a fireball the size of a sea bowl. He needed to continue pouring in spiritual power before it slowly grew larger.

When thrown onto the ground, it could only blast out a small pit and slightly scorch the earth.

But if a Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm cultivator cast it, the fireball could grow as large as a millstone. When it struck the ground, it would be like a firestone rolling into lava—while blasting out a huge crater, it could also send flames bursting outward and inflict secondary burning damage on the surroundings.

Not to mention other, more powerful spells.

As a result, Zhou Changwang's spiritual power was depleted at an alarming rate.

After only the time it took an incense stick to burn, it had already been exhausted, yet the spiritual power imprint inside the Storage Bag appeared to have merely dimmed slightly.

Seeing this, Zhou Changwang was not disappointed.

Though that cluster of spiritual power imprint was condensed, it was rootless duckweed after all. Without replenishment, it would sooner or later be ground away completely.

Thus, Zhou Changwang immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Five Elements Formula to restore his spiritual power.

Then, after circulating it only slightly, he sensed the difference in the Five Elements Formula now that it had reached Minor Mastery.

"If the Five Elements Formula at the Mastery level could make my cultivation efficiency comparable to that of an upper-tier cultivator with a Five Elements Spiritual Root, then the Five Elements Formula at Minor Mastery can directly raise my cultivation efficiency to a level comparable to that of a lower-tier, or even middle-tier, cultivator with a Four-Attribute Spiritual Root."

Zhou Changwang sighed with emotion.

Even if this comparison was not entirely apt.

After all, he was not a cultivator with a Four-Attribute Spiritual Root and could not truly experience the cultivation efficiency of such a spiritual root.

But he knew that his cultivation speed had indeed improved, and compared to before, it had increased by more than double.

Thus, after only two short circulation cycles, all the spiritual power within his body had been restored.

Then, he continued using his own spiritual power to grind away the spiritual power imprint within the Storage Bag.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Once his spiritual power was exhausted again, he began meditating once more.

Over and over again.

When he activated the spiritual power within his body and sent it into the Storage Bag for the fifth time.

Boom~!

At last, he felt his mind loosen.

That cluster of spiritual power imprint had been completely ground away by him.

His spiritual power then swiftly circulated once through the Storage Bag and left a spiritual power imprint belonging solely to him within one of the talismanic formations inside it.

"At last, it is open."

Zhou Changwang was overwhelmed with delight.

He immediately sent his consciousness into the Storage Bag and began inspecting the treasures within.

"Spirit Stones, so many Spirit Stones.

Three hundred and twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. And these few stones clearly have far greater spiritual energy intensity—are they Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Changwang directly took out all the Spirit Stones.

He immediately noticed that among them were three Spirit Stones that were not only much darker in color, but also possessed much stronger spiritual energy intensity.

Of course, the greatest difference was their weight.

If an ordinary Low-Grade Spirit Stone weighed one hundred grams, or two taels, then a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone weighed roughly one kilogram, or twenty taels—ten times as much.

Of course, that did not mean the spiritual energy contained in a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was merely ten times that of a Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Because of its compressed concentration, it could reach dozens or even hundreds of times more.

"Three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, calculated at one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone being equivalent to one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, make three hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

That means the Spirit Stones in this Storage Bag alone amount to six hundred and twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones?

Adding the one hundred and sixty I originally had, that makes seven hundred and eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Changwang gathered all the Spirit Stones he possessed. Looking at the great pile of Spirit Stones giving off a soft glow, he felt as though it were unreal.

Had he become this wealthy?

And that was only the Spirit Stones.

Besides those, there were talismans, spirit pills, several kinds of spiritual materials, some unused talisman paper, and one or two pieces of ore of unknown material...

"Wait, what is this?"

Suddenly, Zhou Changwang's body trembled.

With a thought, he took an item out of the Storage Bag.

It was a sword.

A short sword! A little sword!

Its entire body was pale azure, yet it was as thin as a feathered wing. It had no hilt, only a blade. Faintly visible talismans densely covered the blade, which was sharpened on both sides. Its tip also looked incomparably keen; when his gaze fell upon it, a faint cold gleam flashed out, making one turn to look.

"A Dharma Artifact?

This is a Dharma Artifact?

A Magical Flying Sword!"

Zhou Changwang's breathing immediately quickened.

In truth, he had wondered before whether this Storage Bag might contain a Dharma Artifact.

But according to his father, Zhang Fenghua's personal Dharma Artifact had already been destroyed by that Icefire Two-Headed Wolf, so he had put aside his expectations.

Yet he had never imagined that this Storage Bag truly concealed a Dharma Artifact—and an offensive Dharma Artifact at that, a Magical Flying Sword.

At that moment, the joy in his heart was beyond words.