Upgrade

Tang Zhixue: "Do you still have any oil lamps?"

Fang Yunxi: "Oil lamps? Didn't you just buy one yesterday?"

Tang Zhixue: "Well, I saw that Junweng thing again, so I want to switch to oil lamps for the Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation's Ritual Altar."

Tang Zhixue: "I'll still pay with wild boar fat. How about it?"

Fang Yunxi: "Using oil lamps like that seems pretty extravagant. Couldn't you just set it up with firewood?"

Tang Zhixue: "It's a supernatural entity, after all. I should show it some respect. Besides, always using firewood is a hassle."

Fang Yunxi: "Tsk, fine. How many oil lamps do you need?"

Tang Zhixue: "Seven."

Fang Yunxi: "That many??"

Tang Zhixue: "You don't have that many oil lamps?"

Fang Yunxi: "Not right now. Can you wait a bit? I'll make a few more oil lamps right away."

Tang Zhixue: "Sure, let me know when you're done."

Fang Yunxi: "Okay."

Closing the friend chat window, Tang Zhixue lurked in the regional chat channel.

Simple oil lamps really were simple: all it took was pouring oil rendered from animal fat into a Bamboo Tube and inserting a wick.

Tang Zhixue could make them himself if he spent a little time, but the lamp oil had a problem with solidifying.

The oil lamps Fang Yunxi sold were different, however. The lamp oil she made did not solidify, and the wicks were cotton thread.

That was why Tang Zhixue bought her oil lamps. He did not want to heat animal fat in a water bath to melt it every time before using them. That was far too much trouble.

Besides, for now, he only needed animal fat to trade for them, which was still acceptable.

Fang Yunxi did not keep Tang Zhixue waiting long. Just ten minutes or so later, she sent him a trade request.

"Looks like these oil lamps really are easy to make."

He lit the newly acquired oil lamps one by one and arranged them in the shape of the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper.

Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Jade, Heavenly Balance, Heavenly Authority, Jade Balance, Mizar, and Alkaid, with the bowl pointing down and the handle pointing up.

Then he placed a Bamboo Tube filled with clean water at the center of the seven lamps and put seven grains of rice in the water.

Tang Zhixue knelt before the table, formed the Northern Dipper Hand Seal, and chanted softly, "Seven Origins of the Northern Dipper, divine qi commands the heavens. Great Sage of the Celestial Dipper, your mighty radiance shines in countless rays. Ascend to heaven and descend to earth, sever and destroy the source of evil. Should there be Demons, bind them and send them to Fengdu. By the command of Lord Lao, let the law be swiftly obeyed. Slay!"

He chanted eight times in succession without the slightest change, until the ninth repetition.

As Tang Zhixue chanted, the seven oil lamps representing the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper gradually shone with white light, followed by the seven grains of rice in the center.

"...By the command of Lord Lao, let the law be swiftly obeyed. Slay!"

As the word "slay" fell, all the light shot in the direction indicated by Tang Zhixue's hand seal.

"Roar!"

Hearing the familiar howl of agony from outside, Tang Zhixue smiled in satisfaction.

This Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation was as effective as ever!

Perhaps because he had switched to oil lamps, none of them were damaged. They had merely consumed some lamp oil.

Tang Zhixue looked closely and found that roughly one-tenth of the lamp oil was gone. In other words, he could use these lamps to cast the Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation another nine times.

Carefully extinguishing the oil lamps, Tang Zhixue walked out of the Shelter in anticipation.

Killing Junweng last time gave me a Balanced Pocket Watch. What item will drop this time?

As soon as he approached, he saw a perfectly straight arrow. Its iron arrowhead looked capable of dealing considerable damage.

[Item: Imbalance Arrow]

[Grade: Second Tier]

[Description: An arrow containing a trace of the power of imbalance. After it pierces a living creature's body, the nerve signals for the left and right halves of that creature's body will be forcibly swapped in a mirrored reversal. Commands from the left brain controlling the right half of the body will be redirected to the left half, and commands from the right brain controlling the left half will be redirected to the right half. All bodily movements will be completely reversed. This effect will last five minutes.]

Tang Zhixue picked up the arrow and examined it closely in satisfaction. "This arrow has a really good effect!"

An effect lasting five minutes was already enough to turn a battle around completely.

Putting the Imbalance Arrow away, Tang Zhixue continued yesterday's work, accelerating the growth of more Spirit Clarity Trees and the wall of Clear Spirit Trees packed tightly around the Shelter.

After being continuously nourished by Plant Vitality yesterday, the Clear Spirit Trees growing around the Shelter had completely fused together.

Their trunks intertwined, and their branches interlaced and clung to one another, forming an impenetrable green barrier.

Even the lowest part of the tree wall had reached over two meters, not far from its highest sections at three to four meters.

However, these slight differences in height did not affect their merging into a single whole.

[Mutated Plant: Clear Spirit Tree Wall]

[Grade: Second Tier]

[Description: Formed by the combined growth of multiple first-tier Clear Spirit Trees. A wondrous mutation occurred under the influence of the Purification Land, allowing it to resist the encroachment of supernatural entities and evil beings of the second tier and below.]

Their information had quietly undergone a slight change, with the word "wall" added to the name, though the rest remained unchanged.

Tang Zhixue patted the tree wall. "With this ring of tree walls, hopefully something special will happen when the Shelter upgrades!"

The Plant Vitality he drew from the edge of the Silent White Fog continuously nourished the Spirit Clarity Trees and the Clear Spirit Tree Wall.

Once the entire tree wall had reached a height of four meters, Tang Zhixue devoted all the Plant Vitality to the Spirit Clarity Trees.

Time ticked away, and before he knew it, it was eleven thirty.

Rustle!

A towering Spirit Clarity Tree slowly toppled.

"Phew..."

Tang Zhixue licked his somewhat dry lips. "The last one!"

With a thought from him, the Spirit Clarity Tree lying on the ground instantly vanished.

[Shelter: Blazing Sun]

[Level: 2 (1000/1000) [Energy full. Upgrade available.]]

[Upgrade requirements: Supply your own materials. The Shelter will upgrade itself according to the materials provided. (Note: The current amount of energy only supports materials of the second tier or below.) [Spirit Clarity Trees: 100/100]]

[Function: Regional trading]

[Buildings: Martial Arts Space, Planting Cottage, Modern Toilet]

[Effects: Clear Spirit Evil-Repelling, Purification · Temporary]

"Upgrade!"

In an instant, the familiar pale blue light spread outward from the Shelter once again.

This time, the light was richer and brighter than on any previous occasion, engulfing the entire Shelter along with the tree wall.

Tang Zhixue immediately grinned at the sight. "Hey, it really works!"

The next moment!

Rumble!

The soil beneath the Shelter churned rapidly, followed by the creaking of growing wood intermingling with the dull rumble of shifting earth.

Tang Zhixue instinctively stepped back several paces and watched the Shelter's transformation from a distance.

Only after a minute or two did the light gradually dissipate.

This upgrade had taken much longer than the previous ones.