Chapter 154: A Treasure to Enhance Divine Sense

Chapter 154: A Treasure to Enhance Divine Sense

Hearing Chu Ning's explanation, Cen Zijin didn't ask further questions and simply said, "Perhaps those cultivators didn't really know what they were talking about. The Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Thousand Lakes and Islands are mostly familiar with each other and there aren't any major conflicts of interest, so disputes are rare."

As she spoke, Cen Zijin turned to Chu Ning and said, "The quality of your talismans is truly exceptional, Fellow Daoist Chu. Our Cen Workshop has seen a significant increase in business since we started selling your talismans. In fact, we've had several requests for intermediate-level talismans. I was wondering if you're able to craft those as well?"

Chu Ning hesitated slightly upon hearing this.

Of course, he could craft intermediate-low-grade talismans. He had already deciphered the talismans like the Mysterious Water Spirit Talisman and others.

Having deciphered the talisman's source, Chu Ning had mastered the art of talisman-making.

Even the intermediate-low-grade talismans recorded in the Mysterious Talisman Manual, Chu Ning had recently been able to craft after some attempts, thanks largely to his breakthrough to the perfect Qi Refining stage and his powerful divine sense.

However, he found that whether it was the Mysterious Water Spirit Talisman or the intermediate-low-grade talismans from the manual, the success rate was still not very high.

As for intermediate-medium-grade talismans, he had not yet been able to succeed in crafting them.

Actually, it wasn't impossible for a Qi Refining stage 9 cultivator to craft intermediate-low-grade talismans. Chu Ning's heart stirred as he thought of this, and he said, "To be honest, Fellow Daoist, I can indeed attempt to make intermediate-low-grade talismans, but I currently lack the necessary tools."

Hearing that Chu Ning could attempt to draw intermediate-low-grade talismans, the look in Cen Xianzi's eyes held a hint of delight.

"Why can't you make them?" she asked.

Chu Ning sighed and shook his head. "With my current cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, crafting intermediate talismans is a bit of a stretch. I have the talisman paper, but if I had a high-quality talisman brush and better talisman ink, I think my chances of success would be higher, even if not guaranteed."

Cen Zijin immediately asked, "Are you sure about this, Fellow Daoist? If you had a high-quality talisman brush and excellent talisman ink, could you really make intermediate-low-grade talismans?"

Chu Ning nodded, "I'd say I have about a sixty percent chance."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Cen Xianzi, hoping that she would agree to his request.

It was only after leaving Qingxi Sect that he realized he hadn't acquired enough resources while he was there. For example, he should have asked for a higher-quality talisman brush.

That was one of the main reasons why his success rate with intermediate-low-grade talismans was not very high.

If he could take this opportunity to get his hands on a high-quality talisman brush, it would be a great outcome.

Cen Zijin pondered for a moment before speaking, "To be honest, the art of talisman-making isn't very prevalent in the Thousand Lakes and Islands. As far as I know, there are only two talisman-makers in the alliance's main families who can craft intermediate-level talismans. So, it might not be easy to find a high-quality talisman brush."

As she spoke, Cen Zijin's eyes rested on Chu Ning. "Fellow Daoist Chu, do you happen to know how to make a high-quality spirit brush? If you do, just tell me what materials you need, and I'll help you get them."

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback by her offer. He hadn't expected Cen Zijin to be so invested in this.

He shook his head and said, "I do know how to make a high-quality spirit brush, but I'm afraid I'm clueless when it comes to tool refinement. Even if I had the materials, I wouldn't be able to make the brush."

At this point, an idea occurred to Chu Ning, and he said, "Unless we can find a particular item—a Cloud-Patterned Bamboo that grows on a meteorite iron rock."

"Cloud-Patterned Bamboo that grows on a meteorite iron rock?" Cen Zijin looked puzzled upon hearing this.

Chu Ning explained, "I once read about it in a book. The Cloud-Patterned Bamboo is an excellent material for making the handle of a talisman brush. If it grows on a meteorite iron rock, its roots will turn into countless fine strands, resembling the bristles of a talisman brush. If we can find one, we won't need to refine it—we can just use it directly as a talisman brush."

Cen Zijin was surprised by Chu Ning's words. "Is there really such a thing? I've never heard of it."

Chu Ning wasn't surprised by her reaction. After all, this method was recorded in the Qingxi Sect's Mysterious Talisman Manual.

Since the art of talisman-making wasn't flourishing in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, it was understandable that Cen Zijin was unaware of this technique.

Cen Zijin pondered for a moment before speaking, "About a thousand miles west from here, there's a place called Calm Lake Island. There are numerous meteorite iron rocks on that island, and I've been there once before. There are bamboo groves there, but I'm not sure if they're Cloud-Patterned Bamboo."

As she spoke, Cen Zijin looked at Chu Ning. "Fellow Daoist Chu, I have some matters to attend to in the next few days. I'll come back to find you in ten days, and we can go there together."

"Calm Lake Island?" Chu Ning frowned slightly upon hearing Cen Zijin's words. "I recall that island is inhabited by demonic beasts, not cultivators."

Cen Zijin nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on Chu Ning. "Are you worried that I, as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, won't be able to protect you?"

"Of course not!" Chu Ning laughed. "I've heard of your profound cultivation and divine abilities, Fellow Daoist Cen. With you by my side, I'll certainly feel at ease."

"In that case, it's settled then." Cen Zijin stood up and started walking towards the entrance of the cave abode. "I'll come back to find you in ten days, and we'll go together."

Chu saw her off outside the cave, and Cen Zijin turned to look at Yan Peak one last time before saying, "It's a pity you don't know how to refine pills. Otherwise, this place would be ideal."

"Refine pills?" Chu Ning was a quick-witted person, and he immediately understood what she meant. "Are you saying that there might be earth fire beneath this mountain range, Fellow Daoist Cen?"

Cen Zijin nodded, "Don't forget, I'm an array master. I do know a thing or two about the art of geomancy."

As she spoke, she pointed to the illusion of the original shape of Yan Peak, hidden by the array.

Hearing this, Chu Ning's thoughts wandered, but he replied, "What a pity that I haven't delved into the art of pill refining. If there comes a day when I wish to learn this art, I'll definitely seek your help in setting up an array to draw out the earth fire."

Cen Zijin nodded slightly and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Chu Ning waited until her figure had completely vanished before slowly returning to his cave abode.

He then took out two jade slips from his storage bag.

One of them belonged to the square-faced cultivator named Peng Dajun and contained some basic pill refining techniques and a number of pill formulas.

Cen Zijin's mention of pill refining before she left had sparked his interest.

Previously, Chu Ning hadn't considered refining pills because he believed he lacked the necessary conditions to start learning from scratch.

However, things seemed to have changed over the past six months.

Firstly, as Chu Ning deepened his cultivation and understanding of the Blazing Divine Wood Art, he gained a deeper insight into the benefits of reaching the first layer of the art before attempting Foundation Establishment.

His mind drifted to his cultivation proficiency:

Blazing Divine Wood Art (High-Rank Profound Grade): First Layer (1254/5000)



Nine Transforming Body Refining Art, First Volume: Continuous Muscle Transformation (948/1500)



Refine God Art, Second Layer (685/2000)



Chu Ning wasn't sure which would come first—maxing out the proficiency of the Blazing Divine Wood Art's first layer or reaching the threshold for Foundation Establishment.

However, according to the Blazing Divine Wood Art, attaining mastery of the first layer before attempting Foundation Establishment would undoubtedly be more advantageous for future progress.

Previously, he had assumed that transforming his wood-attribute spiritual power into a wood-fire dual attribute had completed the tempering of his spiritual power.

But in reality, it wasn't so simple. During his recent cultivation, he discovered that he could further refine his spiritual power.

This meant that he could increase his proficiency in the Blazing Divine Wood Art, but his cultivation realm might not advance as quickly.

For example, he had sensed that when his proficiency reached around 3,000, he would have peaked at the perfection of Qi Refining.

However, if he combined it with spiritual power refinement, he might need to reach a proficiency of 5,000 before touching the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

At that moment, Chu Ning understood why the introduction to the art had mentioned that some people reached the fourth layer at Foundation Establishment, while others only reached it at the Golden Core stage.

As for why some people didn't refine their spiritual power, it naturally had to do with their natural endowment.

Chu Ning wasn't sure if it was due to his Yin Wood Spirit Body, the Noon Fire Spirit Body, or the Spiritual Essence Qi he had absorbed.

Regardless, he wouldn't pass up this opportunity.

More profound and pure spiritual power might make him stronger after Foundation Establishment, but it also meant that achieving liquid-form spiritual power for Foundation Establishment would be more challenging.

Therefore, Chu Ning realized that his previous belief—that consuming a sufficient number of Flame-Twin Birthfruits would be enough—might not suffice.

He had to make alternative preparations, namely, the Profound Spirit Treasure Pill mentioned in the Blazing Divine Wood Art.

Refining this pill was no easy task, and Chu Ning hadn't fully committed to the idea until now.

However, the events of the past two days had given him some confidence.

Firstly, he had unexpectedly obtained some basic pill refining techniques and formulas from Peng Dajun's storage bag.

This meant that Chu Ning now had the foundational knowledge for pill refining.

Secondly, Cen Zijin had mentioned the presence of earth fire within this mountain, providing him with the necessary conditions for pill refining.

"However, all of this can wait, and it will have to wait for quite some time."

Chu Ning's expression turned serious as he spoke.

"Once Cen Zijin sets up an array to draw out the earth fire, she will undoubtedly come into contact with the spirit vein and realize that it is a second-rate, top-quality vein.

A second-rate, top-quality vein is considered the pinnacle in the Thousand Lakes and Islands, even if this particular vein isn't that large.

There's no guarantee that the Cen Family won't develop covetous intentions."

It was precisely because of this concern that Chu Ning decided to become stronger and buy himself some time.

By then, he could reveal his perfection in Qi Refining and demonstrate some of his capabilities to make Cen Zijin more cautious.

Additionally, Chu Ning held a glimmer of hope that his spirit body would be upgraded again when he reached perfection in the first layer of the Blazing Divine Wood Art.

When he had achieved the Yin Wood Spirit Body, it had evolved into the Talisman Source Spirit Body because wood-attribute arts were best suited for talisman crafting.

Fire-attribute arts, on the other hand, were ideal for pill refining.

"Perhaps by the time I reach perfection in the first layer of the Blazing Divine Wood Art, I'll need to wait some time before attempting Foundation Establishment.

But this time will be well spent, and it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!"

As these thoughts crossed Chu Ning's mind, he took a deep breath and put away the jade slip into his storage bag.

He then picked up the other jade slip that he had obtained from He Mingjin, the gray-robed cultivator, the previous day.

This jade slip contained extensive information about the Thousand Lakes and Islands.

Its level of detail far surpassed the information he had obtained from Chen Wangdao.

Chu Ning searched for the introduction to Calm Lake Island and found that it was indeed known for its abundance of meteorite iron rocks.

Most of the demonic beasts on the island were first-rate, high-grade beasts, with a few second-rate beasts, and their approximate locations were also noted.

Seeing this information, Chu Ning felt slightly relieved.

A trip to Calm Lake Island didn't seem too dangerous.

"This jade slip contains quite a bit of useful information."

Chu Ning browsed through the contents, muttering softly.

"Apparently, the Thousand Lakes and Islands used to be a vast mountain range with a fairly high-grade spirit vein."

However, over time, all the notable remnants were discovered by cultivators. Gradually, it became apparent that there were no more treasures to be found in the Thousand Lakes and Islands. Furthermore, without a high-grade spirit vein, the area couldn't attract high-level cultivators or major sects.

As a result, the current situation in the Thousand Lakes and Islands was primarily dominated by Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators.

The jade slip even contained some information about the region before the formation of the Thousand Lakes and Islands.

For example, the Thousand Illusions Island was said to be the location of a major sect, situated right at the core of the spirit vein.

Even though the terrain had undergone significant changes, the Thousand Illusions Island still boasted the highest-quality spirit vein in the surrounding area.

Chu Ning specifically searched for information about the Rainbow Island, but to his slight disappointment, there wasn't anything special mentioned about it.

Apparently, it had been an ordinary place before.

He had initially hoped to find some additional benefits, but now he had no choice but to give up on that idea.

However, it made sense. If there had been any valuable items mentioned in the jade slip, they would have likely been taken away long ago.

Obtaining a second-rate hidden spirit vein was already an extremely lucky find.

As Chu Ning was browsing through the somewhat disorganized information, his attention was suddenly captured by a particular entry.

"Iron Soul Flower: Absorb the essence of this flower with your divine sense when it matures to strengthen your divine sense.

It is said that the Water Cloud Island appeared a thousand years ago, and this flower hasn't been seen since."

Since it mentioned the benefit of strengthening the divine sense, Chu Ning naturally took a second look. He continued browsing down for more information.

"The Iron Soul Flower is pitch-black in color, with petals that resemble piles of iron sand, hence its name.

Its seeds are also pitch-black, rhombus-shaped, and covered with intricate patterns that elude divine sense scrutiny..."

As he browsed through the information on the jade slip, Chu Ning reached into his storage bag and took out a flower receptacle. From it, he carefully broke off a pitch-black seed and held it in his hand.

The next moment, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Could this flower be the Iron Soul Flower?"

He had obtained this flower receptacle by chance when he saved Shang Zhaoxiang in the Spirit Domain.

At the time, since his divine sense couldn't probe the seed, Chu Ning found it peculiar and traded for it with Shang Zhaoxiang.

Now, he suddenly learned that this flower might actually be the Iron Soul Flower.

How could he not be delighted?

Holding the flower receptacle and the seed, he carefully examined them, comparing them to the description on the jade slip.

Soon, a look of joy spread across Chu Ning's face.

Iron Soul Flower!

At this moment, Chu Ning finally confirmed that what he held in his hand was indeed the flower receptacle and seed of the Iron Soul Flower.

"Finally, I have something that can strengthen my divine sense."

Chu Ning muttered softly, his voice filled with excitement that he couldn't hide.

You see, ever since the Black Mist Iron Soul Wood had been crafted into a wooden sword and the wood essence energy had been completely absorbed after he finished cultivating the first layer of the Refine God Art, Chu Ning hadn't come across anything that could strengthen his divine sense in the past year.

If it weren't for the fact that crafting talismans and analyzing talisman sources also consumed his divine sense, his progress in the Refine God Art would have been much slower.

Along the way, he had tried multiple times to find treasures that could strengthen his divine sense, but all his attempts had been in vain.

Yet, unexpectedly, he had been carrying such a precious treasure in his storage bag all this time.

Without any hesitation, Chu Ning immediately went to his herb garden and separated a small section with restrictions.

Then, he took out a seed and started to cast the Incubation Art.

The seed of the Iron Soul Flower wasn't difficult to incubate. After about ten attempts with the Incubation Art, the seed began to sprout.

Chu Ning promptly buried it in the spirit soil.

At the same time, he continued using the Incubation Art to help the young sprout break free from the seed completely.

Subsequently, Chu Ning repeated the process and planted ten seeds of the Iron Soul Flower, incubating them one by one.

Since he didn't know the habits of this plant or have any related cultivation methods, he could only experiment cautiously, not daring to incubate too many seeds at once.

Out of these ten seeds, he applied the Sweet Dew Art to five of the Iron Soul Flower sprouts, while the other half were left untreated.

However, he cast the Mysterious Spring Art on all of them.

Up to this point, he hadn't encountered any spiritual herbs or plants that were incompatible with the Greenwood Spring Technique or the Mysterious Dark Spring Technique.

These two spells were both used to help seeds absorb spiritual energy, and they usually worked without any problems.

However, since he didn't know if the Iron Soul Flower had any specific requirements for spiritual energy attributes, Chu Ning chose not to remove any particular attribute and simply cast the Mysterious Spring Art.

Two days later, Chu Ning noticed that the Iron Soul Flowers treated with the Sweet Dew Art showed no signs of abnormalities.

On the contrary, they seemed to be growing slightly better than the untreated ones, although the difference was very subtle.

Because he had cast the Mysterious Spring Art, Chu Ning was highly sensitive to the growth of spiritual plants.

Since he now knew that the Iron Soul Flower could withstand moisture, he immediately applied the Sweet Dew Art to the other half of the flowers as well.

From then on, in addition to tending to his daily tasks with the spiritual herbs and plants, Chu Ning had one more meticulous task to handle.

Every day, after observing and recording the progress of the hybrid spiritual fruit between the Yuan Yang Fruit and the Iron Orchid Fruit, he also had to record the growth of the Iron Soul Flowers.

In the blink of an eye, the ten-day agreement with Cen Zijin arrived.

On that morning, after applying the Mysterious Spring Art to each spiritual herb and plant, Cen Zijin arrived as promised.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end