CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 172: SWORD INTENT PROTOTYPE

If it weren’t for his strong Water Spirit Sense, which is even more sensitive at night than during the day, Shen Wang might not have detected this anomaly.

He felt a chill down his spine, walked past without making a sound, and returned to his courtyard.

Looking outside, Shen Wang frowned: "Have they already discovered Xie Xianlong’s death here? It means certain people are aware."

His face turned slightly serious: "Xie Xianlong should have something like a Life Plate, so if he died, it would be quickly discovered. But since that guy set out with Zheng Yunshu, if something happened, they shouldn’t be targeting Zheng Bingzhong in this way. It must be that Xie Xianlong’s elders knew what that guy was going to do—disgraceful."

Silently cursing in his heart, Shen Wang understood why Xie Xianlong was so arrogant; he definitely had the support of his elders.

Now that an accident happened and he died inexplicably, these elders immediately suspect Zheng Bingzhong. It would be strange if there weren’t something suspicious.

If he were to rush to see Zheng Bingzhong, he might be suspected as well.

It seems like it’s best not to act rashly now; better to choose other channels.

Zheng Bingzhong is, after all, within the sect; at most, Xie Xianlong’s people suspect him, but he shouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger for now.

Shen Wang withdrew his gaze and pondered other solutions.

Now he estimated that the Yun Family might also detect something. Fortunately, he hadn’t left any evidence, but he had to be cautious.

"I don’t believe there’s no solution to the Spirit-Binding Silk."

Shen Wang snorted coldly in his heart and rested for two hours to adjust.

During this time, someone secretly spied on him but only observed for a moment. It seemed they found nothing suspicious and didn’t bother anymore.

Finally, after dawn, Shen Wang, full of energy, went to browse the Array Formation Manuals as usual.

After reading for a while, he asked Steward He, who was guarding the Scripture Pavilion: "Can I look at the Artifact Refining Pavilion’s manuals?"

"Generally, you can, since we’re in the same sect, but you need to apply with them first."

Steward He joked: "Why, are you planning to switch to being an Artifact Refiner?"

"Not quite. It’s that the arrays involve artifact refining, so I need to improve a bit."

Shen Wang shook his head: "Can you help me get in touch?"

"Just go there with your Token and register it; they’ll mostly let you in. After all, their people also come to read our manuals."

Steward He said casually.

"Thanks for clearing that up, I’ll head over now."

Shen Wang was secretly pleased; it wasn’t suitable to ask Zheng Bingzhong at this moment, so he could inquire on his own.

Since the item was taken out by Xie Xianlong, it should be recorded in the specialized artifact refining manuals.

He immediately went to the Outer Pavilion of the Artifact Refining Pavilion. Artifact refining is the specialty of the Hundred Refining Sect; it’s the golden signboard, ranking first among the pavilions.

Therefore, the business here was very bustling, the level of excitement unmatched. Not only was the building larger, but the attached Scripture Pavilion was several times bigger.

There were two people managing the building, one inside and one outside. Seeing the scale, Shen Wang felt hopeful.

Shen Wang took out his Token and approached the entrance: "Greetings, Steward. I am Wang Sheng from the Array Pavilion, seeking to consult some array manuals inside. What procedure do I follow?"

The man guarding the door appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with dark circles around his eyes, smoking a pipe.

Seeing Shen Wang’s Token, he glanced at the unfamiliar face of Shen Wang: "You’re Wang Sheng, who just joined the pavilion a few days ago?"

"That’s correct."

"Give me your Token; I’ll inform the lord of the pavilion, please wait here."

Knocking the pipe, the man took Shen Wang’s Token inside, spoke with another person, then registered the Token before coming out to return it to Shen Wang: "You can go in now, but you cannot take the items out."

"Thank you."

Shen Wang took the Token, nodded to another person inside, and started browsing the artifact refining books among the shelves.

The Scripture Repository was spacious, over ten zhang (1 zhang = approx. 3.3 meters) long, with more than a dozen rows of shelves holding tens of thousands of manuals, neatly categorized by steps: mining, smelting, forming, and inscribing, further divided by different items.

There were also comprehensive artifact refining blueprints, which Shen Wang paid particular attention to; they might have a description of the Spirit-Binding Silk.

After a while, he saw a thick manual titled "Hundred Weapons Record."

He approached, picked it up, and opened it; inside was indeed a compilation of various items, categorized as sharp weapons, armors, array artifacts, farming tools, travel items, secret artifacts, and so on.

Glancing around to ensure no one was watching him, he sat on the ground, focusing his gaze on the secret artifacts section.

Flipping through the pages quickly, he reached the corresponding directory.

Soul Extinguishing Nail, Array-Breaking Shuttle, Mother and Child Gallbladder, Heart-Piercing Needle, Spirit-Binding Silk...

From front to back, Shen Wang found what he was looking for on the fifth row, and upon seeing the corresponding page number, rushed to it.

[Spirit-Binding Silk: Refined using a special Soul-absorbing Material, it can penetrate a cultivator’s meridians, blocking spiritual power circulation, causing piercing pain through the meridians, disabling battle capability or even movement. In severe cases, it can shatter the meridians, crippling the cultivator. This Secret Artifact can be used on any being that absorbs Spiritual Qi for cultivation.]

Shen Wang frowned as he read. The secret artifacts listed before this one were all quite sinister and vicious, designed to either extinguish the soul, pierce the heart, or shatter a person’s meridians.

He continued to look.

[Refinement Method: Take Soul-Devouring Insect Shell, pair with...]

Shen Wang skipped straight to the usage and solution methods.

[Usage Method: Insert into a cultivator’s body. If the cultivator uses spiritual power, the Spirit-Binding Silk can spread along the spiritual power, blocking the meridians.]

[Countermeasure Method: As the Spirit-Binding Silk transforms into flying needles with a spirit-breaking effect, do not rely solely on energy defense; instead, use physical armor or objects like swords and knives for defense. If caught, refrain from using spiritual power for a hundred days if the silk has not entered the Dantian, best to seal all spiritual power and avoid consuming anything with spiritual power, and the silk will shrink into a clump that can be removed in one go. If the silk enters the Dantian, dispersing power is required. Additionally, if powerful with strong Spiritual Sense or Mana, it can be extracted.]