*This is bad.*
A faint tremor passed through Lei Shu's heart. If Wang Yu had given any other reason, he wouldn't have believed it, but mentioning the True Inheritor Jiang from Celestial Corpse Peak was different.
He himself had originated from Celestial Corpse Peak and still held an elder position there. He often refined Lifebound Corpse Artifacts for zombies, so he naturally knew Wang Yu's words held truth. He had also heard that among the rewards the victor of this Corpse Duel Grand Conference received from the Celestial Corpse Daoist was a Yin-attributed bamboo-type Marvelous Treasure.
It seemed now that the **Lamentation Bamboo of the Netherworld** perfectly fit the description. What was unclear was why the other party came with Zhuo Shouqing's letter of introduction and why the need for such secrecy. Could it be that someone of even higher status had also taken a fancy to this Marvelous Treasure material? Did the Reverse Spirit Triad want it?
For a moment, Lei Shu felt uncertain.
After a long silence, he coughed lightly. "Leave the materials with me. I will cover the cost of any extra materials and seek reimbursement from the Zhuo family later. Come collect it in half a month."
"Yes!" Wang Yu replied, his heart uneasy, though not a trace of it showed on his face. He turned and left without a backward glance, as if truly indifferent to the precious treasure.
Lei Shu stood at the doorway, murmuring to himself, "It seems it really wasn't that kid's possession." He hefted the Lamentation Bamboo of the Netherworld and sighed with deep regret. "Forget it. Consider it accumulating good karma. My chance for Nascent Soul might yet depend on these young people. With eight hundred years of lifespan already consumed... my time is running short."
Meanwhile, after leaving the Artificers' Hall, Wang Yu's expression shifted between gloom and uncertainty. He was displeased with Zhuo Shouqing's carelessness in recommending such an unreliable artificer, and he scorned his own naivety. When exactly had he started to feel a sense of belonging to the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect? Was it after establishing his Foundation? Or when he returned? Or perhaps when he signed the Styx River Contract with the Reverse Spirit Triad? Sometimes, good intentions could lead to bad outcomes.
It wasn't that he distrusted Zhuo Shouqing, but rather he felt the young master's capabilities were limited, making it difficult to entrust him with truly important matters.
Wang Yu returned to the Enforcement Hall in a sour mood. The affair of the Lamentation Bamboo served as a lesson: trust was an exceedingly precious commodity in the demonic path. It was best kept strictly one-on-one, preventing any extension of that trust to the other party's associates.
As for whether he would receive the finished product, Wang Yu estimated a seventy percent chance. If he was unlucky enough to encounter the lower thirty percent probability, Zhuo Shouqing would, out of shame, likely intervene forcefully to claim compensation. But this was a treasure material; the other party diverting it for their own use was the norm. While compensation might be secured, getting the original item back was another matter.
*Lei Shu?* He committed the name to memory. The last one who acted so arrogantly was that woman Fei Xue.
In the residential area of the third sector, Zhuo Shouqing, who had been sleeping soundly, had his blankets thrown off by Wang Yu. A mouthful of chilling air instantly transformed him into a wide-awake, bewildered young man. "What are you doing?!" he blurted out.
"This is all your doing! Why didn't you introduce me to a Zhuo family artificer?"
Zhuo Shouqing gradually grasped the situation. "Didn't you insist on secrecy? If we used a Zhuo family retainer, my brothers, sisters, and other siblings might try something underhanded. Then we'd *really* never get it back. What exactly happened?"
Wang Yu recounted the entire incident from beginning to end. As expected, Zhuo Shouqing flew into a rage. "That son of a bitch! How dare he disregard this young master?! Don't worry, Fourth Brother, I'll go get Old Ming and Old Yu. We'll definitely get you justice on this matter! It wasn't easy for you to obtain a third-grade Marvelous Treasure. If you lose it because of me, I, Zhuo, will absolutely compensate you with an equivalent one!"
Seeing that the other's attitude seemed genuine, Wang Yu felt somewhat relieved. It seemed he hadn't misplaced his trust entirely. He would simply need to heighten his vigilance further in the future.
"No need," Wang Yu said after a moment's contemplation. He refused Zhuo Shouqing's proposal, instead revealing a ruthlessly murderous intent that sent a chill down Zhuo Shouqing's spine.
"If Lei Shu keeps his word," Wang Yu stated coldly, "I will take his life myself in the future. If he does not keep his word and dares to keep my treasure for himself... then I must trouble Brother Zhuo to dispatch someone to kill him, extract his soul, and refine it into a lamp wick to be burned day and night for my appreciation. Consider the bamboo as payment to you, Brother."
His capacity for vengeance was strong. Once he truly held a grudge against someone, he would not forget it for a hundred or a thousand years. Given the opportunity, whether acting himself or sending others, he would seek retribution regardless of cost. This differed slightly from True Inheritor Jiang's philosophy of acting primarily based on benefit.
"I understand," Zhuo Shouqing replied, his tone solemn.
Several days passed after this incident. Wang Yu experienced a series of further events. Firstly, the Three-Tailed Snow Fox, which had been in secluded cultivation for several months at a place called the **Frozen Ice Cave** on Cold Blood Peak, successfully broke through and returned. Wang Yu had secured this location using his Steward Token; it could assist the little fox's breakthrough, increasing the success rate by ten percent.
Its foundation was not as profound as Wang Yu's, and it was still young. Even with the power of a superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, the breakthrough had taken several months. Having been by his side for so long, their brief separation seemed to have made it even more attached to him upon return. Moreover, it had undergone a new transformation.
Xue Yu's size had increased significantly. Including its tail, it now measured about ten meters, with a shoulder height of two meters. Its slender, graceful physique, combined with its fluffy white fur, made it a striking sight. It coiled around Wang Yu, incessantly nuzzling his face with its head. The once cute and pretty little fox had fully transformed into a large fox, both handsome and beautiful. Its pink fox eyes now held a deep, mesmerizing allure, and it was certainly large enough to serve as a mount.
Feeding it a handful of Beast-Raising Pills improved Wang Yu's mood considerably. "Alright, alright, that's enough nuzzling."
Even greater than the change in appearance were its enhanced abilities. It could now fight side-by-side with Wang Yu. After training together for a little over half a month, their默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding/rapport) improved remarkably quickly.
Following this happy event, no low-probability incident occurred regarding Lei Shu. Wang Yu ultimately received his Ghost-Weeping Flute. The moment he got it, he immediately handed it to Zhuo Shouqing, asking him to have a Zhuo family master artificer inspect it. Several issues were identified, most notably a tracking mark. Only after all problems were resolved was the flute returned to Wang Yu. This solidified his murderous resolve towards Lei Shu beyond any doubt.
After this matter, Wang Yu went to the Legacy Transmission Hall and exchanged for a first-grade artifice technique. His intention wasn't to become an artificer but to gain a deeper understanding of the profession, equipping himself with the ability to appraise magical instruments rather than the skill to create them. With the Placement Columns, he relied more on spell-based power. Magical instruments were merely tools; his requirements for them weren't high. Pills held far greater importance for him.
As time passed and the Icy Qilin Alchemy Art was slowly completed, his alchemical skills improved correspondingly. Reaching the second-grade peak was still distant, but second-grade lower tier was already within his grasp. In this regard, he had the legacy left by Steward Xu from years past, possessing no small number of second-grade pill formulae. He could study them slowly at his own pace.
Maintaining this slower rhythm...
...
...
**Five years—passed in the blink of an eye.**
On this day—
"Old Four! Good news! The territory you wanted has been secured!"
"Oh?" This was indeed good news. Seeing Qiu Ming rush in boisterously, Wang Yu casually poured him a cup of tea. The other man downed it in one gulp, then produced a scroll, raising his eyebrows. "Take a look. Guaranteed to satisfy."
Wang Yu was accustomed to his flamboyant personality and paid it little mind, his interest focused entirely on the appointment detailed on the scroll.
Shortly after, he remarked, "Spiritridge City... bordering the territory of the Nether Spring Temple/Sect? Such abundant resources in the surrounding area? And there's even an ancient ruin site?"
He had to admit, Qiu Ming had indeed found an excellent location. Not only was the spiritual vein superior, but the surrounding resources were plentiful, and there were treasure lands suitable for exploration. Even within the city itself, there were immortal cultivation families possessing various cultivation arts and legacies. The population was dense, and it was quite prosperous, very suitable for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to establish a manor.
The only drawback was its proximity to the Nether Spring Temple/Sect, which could easily lead to conflicts. Outside the city, there was even a special market that neither sect managed—the *Yama Ghost Market!* From any perspective, this Spirit Tortoise City was highly suitable. As for risks, they existed wherever one cultivated.
Although these five years had been dedicated to quiet cultivation, Wang Yu had made thorough preparations; he hadn't been idle. The most attractive aspect of the appointment was the term: a full three hundred years, just as initially agreed.
"Not bad. I'm very satisfied with this place. There won't be any unforeseen complications, will there?"
"Of course not! Anything our Zhuo family secures, who would dare covet?!" Knowing Wang Yu had suffered before, Zhuo Shouqing had acted discreetly this time, going through a close elder of his to avoid causing any waves.
"Good. In that case, I'll make my preparations and set off in a few days."
"No need to rush. The appointment letter gives you six months."
The journey to Spiritridge City was considerable, traversing from the western extreme of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect's territory to its far east—even farther than the trip to the Profound Bone Mountain. He needed to prepare a suitable flight-type magical instrument for the long journey. Furthermore, for this trip, he planned to travel alone. Barring unexpected events, he intended to return only after achieving Core Formation.
He would take a few days to tie up loose ends before departure.
Over the past five years, Wang Yu had focused most of his energy on spells and techniques. He frequently swapped skills in the Placement Columns. Whenever his comprehension of a technique hit a bottleneck, he would use a column to grind away at it for half a month. Once the bottleneck was overcome, his progress often surged forward rapidly. He even suspected this might be the intended use of the Placement Columns, but he coveted the mastery that came with the Perfected realm and rarely分散 (fēnsàn - dispersed/scattered) their use in this way.
Even with this磕磕绊绊 (kēkē-bànbàn - stumbling/halting) approach, he had managed to perfect some lower second-grade spells. For example, the Freezing Rain Technique, combined with Xue Yu's snow-summoning ability, could create a frozen, snowy domain spanning over fifty li. Within it, both Wang Yu and Xue Yu could maximize the power of their ice-attribute spells, holding an innate advantage.
The lower second-grade **Frost Sword Aura** had also reached the Perfected realm. It served as a superior replacement for the Ice Sword Technique; all the manipulations Wang Yu could perform with the latter were possible with the former, but with greater power. If used to condense a giant frost sword, its potency could definitely reach mid second-grade, making it one of his prepared常规 (chángguī - conventional/standard) combat methods.
Besides these two perfected techniques, the Flame Form Technique had reached Major Achievement. The movement technique Frost Moon Wings and the killing technique Ice Wheel Art had both stalled at Minor Achievement, barely sufficient for now. After all, his current trump card was the Perfected **Profound Yin Hand!**
His other secret arts had also reached the Minor Achievement stage. Only the Breathless Curse, which Wang Yu had practiced relentlessly, had reached Major Achievement. To perfect it, he would still need to rely on the power of the Placement Columns.
In the cultivation world, those who could comprehend a single technique to perfection were exceedingly rare; each was a individual with transcendent comprehension talent. Wang Yu's comprehension was above average, not placing him among the prodigies, but it was certainly not poor. Of course, having a tool like the Placement Columns, there was no reason not to use it. The constraint was the limited number of columns available.
The "Ancient Soul Mantra" had smoothly reached Minor Achievement. Paired with the Great Yin Nether Pupil, the growth rate of his divine sense had skyrocketed. In terms of both quantity and quality, it had already reached the level of a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, far exceeding the growth rate of his cultivation realm.
However, the greatest harvest of these five years undoubtedly had to be his cultivation base!
(End of Chapter)