The Three Yang Peaks, Central Yang Peak, Earth-ranked Artifact Room Twenty-Six.
As the door to the artifact room, forged from special ore, slowly opened, a pool of water and fire came into view.
Du Zifeng sat cross-legged in midair above the pool. An apparition resembling a Pill Furnace floated over his head, constantly spitting out streams of vital essence. They fell into the pool and entered a glittering golden object amid the water and fire.
At the arrival of an outsider, Du Zifeng paused in his work, stepped forward, and landed beside the pool.
"Junior Brother Chen, where's the spirit seed?"
Du Zifeng had no intention of exchanging pleasantries. He held out a hand and asked for the spirit seed.
Chen Shuangbai had learned from Qian Jin that this was simply how his senior brother was, so he felt no offense and saw nothing improper about it. He took the spirit seed from his Storage Bag and handed it over.
"Senior Brother Du, this is a Frostleaf Red Maple spirit seed. I had someone at the Expenditure Hall appraise it. It belongs to Jia Wood."
Du Zifeng nodded. Then a spiritual light seemed to flicker in his eyes. Clearly, he had used some kind of pupil technique similar to Chen Shuangbai's Spirit-Appraising Pupil. He carefully examined the vitality of the spirit seed.
Before long, a satisfied smile appeared on Du Zifeng's face.
"Abundant spirituality and thriving vitality. It's a superior spirit seed."
"Junior Brother Chen, you did well."
"Oh, not at all..."
Chen Shuangbai instinctively wanted to be modest, but something felt wrong. Once it dawned on him, he looked at Du Zifeng, and his expression grew a little strange.
Good grief... are you training a dog or what?
Fortunately, that was simply how Senior Brother Du was, so Chen Shuangbai could hardly hold it against him.
After putting the spirit seed away, Du Zifeng said to Chen Shuangbai, "I've almost finished refining the plan for your treasure banner, but there are a few crucial points I'm still not quite sure about..."
Seeing Du Zifeng skirt around the subject without getting to the point, Chen Shuangbai said, "Senior Brother, just tell me honestly."
Du Zifeng sighed softly.
"I originally intended to consult my master about those crucial points, but he's gone into seclusion for the next year or two. I also didn't expect you to find this Jia Wood spirit seed so quickly, so I took on two commissions for custom Law Artifacts. That's why..."
At that point, Chen Shuangbai more or less understood.
But he wasn't particularly anxious to begin with.
A good Law Treasure was something one could encounter but not seek.
The preliminary plan Du Zifeng had given him suited his needs very well, so waiting a year or two was only natural.
After all, the finest Law Treasures might not be completed even after ten or several decades of refinement.
A mere year or two was something Chen Shuangbai felt he could afford to wait.
"I can still wait, Senior Brother."
Hearing that answer, Du Zifeng let out a long sigh of relief. He looked earnestly at Chen Shuangbai and said, "Rest assured, Junior Brother. I will definitely keep my word!"
"Even if you've gone down the mountain to take up a garrison post, once I finish refining it, I'll personally deliver it to your post and place it in your hands."
With that assurance, Chen Shuangbai finally felt a little more at ease.
He had also asked other disciples about Du Zifeng's character and learned that he was a man of his word. Now that he had heard the promise from Du Zifeng himself, his heart was completely at ease.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Senior Brother."
After leaving Central Yang Peak,
Chen Shuangbai went to see the Book Spirit.
He wanted to ask why Senior Brother Yan Qi of the Evil Hunting Hall had taken an interest in the Water and Wood Pure Splendor Incantation he practiced.
The Book Spirit's answer was-
"The Evil Hunting Hall oversees disciplinary law, keeps watch in all directions, hunts down traitors, and exterminates evil beings. The disciples admitted to it are all experts, the best of every hundred in the sect."
"Not only must their cultivation be solid, but they must also be proficient in various methods of countering evil fiends and practitioners of crooked paths."
The Book Spirit leafed through the new martial-arts play Chen Shuangbai had brought, answering his question offhandedly as the pages turned. "But do you know which faction the Evil Hunting Hall's disciples have faced most often over the years?"
Chen Shuangbai thought for a moment and said, "The Spirit-Seeking Sect and Heart-Eroding Stronghold?"
"Right."
"But mainly Heart-Eroding Stronghold."
"Heart-Eroding Stronghold's doctrine is chaotic. They're like rats in a gutter: no matter how many you kill or cut down, there's no end to them. On top of that, their Devil Cultivation Method progresses rapidly in the early stages, causing many mortal villages and towns to suffer. Their Cultivation Method is strange and unpredictable, and a large part of it can disrupt the mind and defile Law Power and souls."
"Speaking of which, you have a very good eye."
"The Incantation you chose is purely an enhancement Incantation. It's the Qi Refining version of a Golden Core Incantation passed down in the sect. If you have the fortuitous opportunity to cultivate it to perfection, you might even comprehend a minor Divine Ability from it."
Chen Shuangbai's mind shook, and his breath caught.
He could tell from Yan Qi's reaction that this Incantation was probably no ordinary technique.
But he had never expected it to have such an impressive origin.
Still...
"There shouldn't be any shortage of people practicing this Incantation, right?"
The Book Spirit continued, "There's no shortage, but the vast majority of disciples aren't very willing to practice purely enhancement Law Techniques like this, so their numbers are still a little low. And what the Evil Hunting Hall lacks is precisely members who can both provide enhancements and heal... My guess is that's why he thought highly of you."
"Huh?"
At that point, Chen Shuangbai more or less understood.
So he wants to bring me into the Evil Hunting Hall...
Even so, he wasn't in a hurry.
Joining the Evil Hunting Hall required passing through layers of selection. Besides, he had only been cultivating for a short time, and plenty of senior brothers and sisters were ahead of him. It wouldn't be the turn of someone as weak as he currently was.
There was no need to worry about the sky falling just yet.
After bidding the Book Spirit farewell, Chen Shuangbai returned to his cave abode to cultivate in seclusion.
As before, he spent the vast majority of his time cultivating, a small portion refining pills to exchange for Merit Points, and the rest refining the Law Treasures he had and practicing his sword instruction.
Another half a month or so passed in this manner.
One day,
Chen Shuangbai's disciple jade token suddenly lit up, and he found that Fu Qianlan had sent him a message.
Before long,
he arrived at the Cloud Peak Small Market.
Fu Qianlan and He Qi were already waiting there.
The three had not seen one another for about a year. Now that they met again, they found that each of them had grown.
He Qi had gradually shed his former impetuousness and become somewhat more composed. As he approached adulthood, he had grown increasingly handsome and dashing. With a saber at his waist, he carried himself like a true wandering hero.
Fu Qianlan's lovely hair was held in a high ponytail by a golden ring. Serene and natural, with radiance in every glance, she drew the eyes of many senior and junior brothers.
But in their eyes, Chen Shuangbai had grown even more.
His bearing had grown increasingly gentle and warm, but he was not a stagnant pool of dead water. He was a clear spring fed by living water, flowing without end, making people feel as though bathed in a spring breeze. Beneath it lay a sense of calm.
With old friends reunited, there was naturally plenty to talk about.