CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 145: XUANSHUI STRATEGY FRAGMENT! MAGICAL BEASTS TIDE_1

"Market Master, I have a favor to ask."

The Market Master turned, his gaze towards Jia Ren unfriendly. He already acquired a Formation inheritance, wasn’t he satisfied? Wasn’t he being too greedy?

"I am quite interested in the Cultivation Methods of the Foundation Establishment Stage, but unfortunately, they are not for sale in the Market. Do you have a way?"

Rarely having the opportunity to speak with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and with one now asking for his help, Jia Ren couldn’t help but voice his doubts.

Jia Ren cultivated the Turtle Spirit Technique, which only covered the Qi Refinement Realm. With a Foundation Establishment Pill in hand, his chances of achieving Foundation Establishment were not small. Uncertain whether the Turtle Spirit Technique could break through its limits to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, he disliked putting all his eggs in one basket and always preferred to prepare in advance.

Once his strength reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement, he began looking for a suitable Foundation Establishment Method. Unfortunately, after scouring all the stalls and shops in the Market that sold cultivation techniques, he couldn’t find any Foundation Establishment Methods.

Like Cultivation techniques, Foundation Establishment Methods were monopolized by those in power, and Loose Cultivators had no chance of obtaining them. This was both danger and opportunity. Since he could obtain Cultivation techniques, perhaps he could also find a Foundation Establishment Method.

"You’re not even at the Foundation Establishment Cultivation Level yet. Isn’t this aiming too high?"

The Market Master had intended to turn and leave but reconsidered, thinking Jia Ren still had significant use and should not be discouraged.

"There’s no harm in telling you this," he said. "Qi Refinement Methods are relatively widespread because Sects and clans do not restrict them, and many versions are circulating. But once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, it’s entirely different. Both clans and Sects are willing to invite Foundation Establishment Cultivators to join them; Foundation Establishment Methods and cultivation resources are the fundamental attractions they use."

"Shops under the various Great Sects all have acquisition tasks. If they encounter Cultivation techniques, Foundation Establishment Methods, or rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, they will try their best to buy them."

"You have a chance to reach Foundation Establishment, and all Sects will welcome your joining. There’s no need to worry about Foundation Establishment Methods."

Sects and clans controlled Foundation Establishment Methods? If a Loose Cultivator was lucky enough to succeed in Foundation Establishment but had no way to buy the methods, the inevitable result... was to join a Sect or clan. It had to be said, this move was indeed ruthless. No wonder there were so few Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators; those fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment had already become cultivators of Sects and clans.

Join a Sect? Jia Ren didn’t have a good impression of the Sects he’d encountered. They were constantly at war, vying for resources. He just wanted to cultivate in peace, not fight life-and-death battles every day, and he certainly didn’t want to be cannon fodder.

"There’s a Xuanshui Strategy Fragment circulating in my Sect. I can give you the first layer of the Xuan Shui Technique for Foundation Establishment."

The Market Master took out a Jade Slip, recorded the content, and casually tossed it to Jia Ren.

"I don’t want you wasting time and energy on trivial matters. I want to see the Flying Boat in five days; otherwise, you’ll learn the consequences of biting off more than you can chew."

Jia Ren’s actions had displeased the Market Master, so the deadline was shortened from seven days to five. After the warning, he turned and left.

The Xuan Shui Technique? An inheritance from the Xuan Shui Sect? He truly had an inexplicable fate with the Xuan Shui Sect. He had successively obtained Xuan Yuan Heavy Water, the Mysterious Water Pill Recipe, and the Xuanyin Pill Recipe; even the incomplete Foundation Establishment Method he received was an inheritance from the Xuan Shui Sect.

A quick scan confirmed it only contained the first layer for the Foundation Establishment Stage; it was better than nothing.

Putting away the Jade Slip, Jia Ren hurried to the Artifact Refinement Department.

Several Artifact Refiners were busy crafting Magic Artifacts. Jia Ren went to Qi Mu’s area. Qi Mu was refining a new Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat, and a list of substitute materials was already laid out for others to reference.

"How does it perform?"

Jia Ren collected the related Artifact Refining materials and began crafting the Flying Boat Magical Artifact. He expertly controlled the Earth Fire, processing the materials quickly.

An Artifact Refiner who had started even before him had only purified a tenth of his materials, while Jia Ren had already finished refining all of his.

Next was forging the boat embryo. With his previous experience, he was even more adept, and the boat body he produced was more flawless. The Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat used for the initial test flight was a first-time product, its integration imperfect. The cracks weren’t just due to the pressure of the fierce winds; there were significant quality issues.

His second attempt at Artifact Refining was much better. The Thousand Threads of Myriad Souls Technique had broken through to the second layer, enhancing his control. Coupled with his ’specialization’ in the Cloud Light Inscription, his inscription efficiency was extremely high.

Five hours later, a new semi-finished Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat had emerged. Jia Ren could distinctly feel that the Cloud Light Inscription on the new Flying Boat performed better, its effect improved by one-third compared to before. The new substitute materials were indeed good, meaning the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat’s maximum altitude potential had increased by at least one-third.

Still, it wasn’t enough. Jia Ren collected more materials and started refining another Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat.

The Artifact Refiner who had started earliest was still refining materials... This highlighted the superiority of the Grandmaster-level Flame Control Pill Technique. Their refining speeds weren’t even in the same league.

Refining two Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boats, with clear improvements each time, his progress was astonishing. Other Artifact Refiners, working on simplified versions of small Flying Boats, would take at least two to three days for the quickest among them. To refine two Superior Grade Magical Artifacts in one day, even if they were simplified ’defective products’, was still an impressive speed.

Jia Ren finished his Artifact Refining and, as usual, collected Rhinoceros Horn to make Evil Warding Talismans. To survive, he had to give his all. He temporarily paused his cultivation, focusing all his efforts on Talisman Crafting and refining the Flying Boat Magical Artifact.

「As night fell」

Magical Beasts attacked again, this time in greater numbers. After a night of hard battle, they finally repelled the Magical Beasts. The invasions continued unabated, and more and more cultivators perished. When would it all end?

Jia Ren left his dwelling, delivered the Evil Warding Talismans to Talisman Master Zhang as usual, and then hurried to the Cave.

"Test fly the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat!"

The Market Master and the Commerce Guild Manager were present again. Compared to last time, only the Artifact Refiners were missing; they were busy with their work.

Unlike the first test flight, the number of cultivators participating increased to three. The number of Flowing Fire Flying Boxes increased to four. The reinforcing Magic Artifacts were now Superior Grade Thick Earth Seals and Flowing Gold Sand. Additionally, a Solid as Golden Soup Formation was set up.

A cultivator could multitask, but controlling two to three Magic Artifacts was usually the limit. This time, specific individuals were assigned to control the Flowing Fire Flying Boxes for propulsion, while others managed the Defense Artifacts to protect the Flying Boat. Could it work? The more combined Magic Artifacts there were, the more precise the control needed to be; any slight error could affect flight.

Lift off!

The second version of the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat ascended. The four Flowing Fire Flying Boxes provided powerful thrust, carrying the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat rapidly skyward, soon reaching a height beyond the range of the Spirit Eye Technique. The Flying Boat’s altitude surpassed its previous limit by a wide margin.

Smiles bloomed on everyone’s faces, as if they had seen hope.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat returned safely, the three cultivators on board visibly excited.

"The altitude has doubled! It peaked at over ten thousand zhang!"

"The winds at ten thousand zhang are exceptionally turbulent, and the protection can’t last long. We slightly reduced the altitude for stable short-term flight."

Flying to ten thousand zhang was enough to meet the requirements. If they still couldn’t escape the influence of the Black Blood Bizarre, they might as well stop struggling and wait for death.

Next, they inspected the Magic Artifact’s sturdiness. The Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat was intact, with no cracks, proving its durability had improved. The progress was astounding. In just one day, Shi Bai had delivered perfect, satisfactory results.

"Master Shi, here is the Formation Path inheritance you wanted." The Market Master handed the Jade Slip to Jia Ren, an involuntary smile on his face. After two consecutive nights of harassment and attacks by Magical Beasts, he was exhausted from coping. More importantly, his spirit was weary, devoid of hope for survival. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. Fortunately, the plan had finally succeeded.

"The construction of the large-scale Flying Boat is now up to you."

The simplified Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat could only carry a limited number of cultivators, four or five at most, which was far from enough. The successful test flight validated the plan’s feasibility. They could now proceed to build a large-scale Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat. Crafting a large Flying Boat was much more complicated, but with the Artifact Refiners cooperating, they should be able to complete it within five days.

Jia Ren looked at the Formation Path inheritance, feeling the burning gazes of many cultivators. The inheritance of Cultivation techniques was highly coveted. If not for these desperate times, some might have been unable to resist trying to seize it. With the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat meeting the requirements, his own importance was greatly diminished. Someone might lose their senses to greed and do something foolish. Such dangerous possibilities had to be nipped in the bud.

Jia Ren quickly scanned the Formation Path inheritance, memorized it, and then, in front of everyone, destroyed the Jade Slip that recorded the Formation. Previously, to seize an inheritance, one could simply kill for treasure under the cover of darkness. Now, anyone wanting the inheritance would need Jia Ren to inscribe it himself, ensuring its completeness—a task that was orders of magnitude more difficult. Considering the difficulty of obtaining it, those with malicious intent would likely reconsider.

"Stop your current Artifact Refining! Follow Master Shi’s commands and focus all efforts on crafting the large-scale Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat!"

The Artifact Refiners, bewildered, ran hands through their disheveled hair. The slower ones were still purifying materials; the faster ones had just forged the boat embryo and hadn’t even begun inscribing the Inscriptions. And now... you’re telling me the second test flight of the Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat was successful, and we’re switching to crafting a large Flying Boat? I feel like I can’t keep up with the ’times.’

"The test flight was successful? How high did it go?" Qi Mu, who hadn’t yet inscribed the Inscription of Magical Instruments on his own project, put down his boat embryo and hurried out upon hearing the news. As the Artifact Refiner who had first conceived the new Artifact Refining scheme, his own Magic Artifact wasn’t even complete.

"The altitude more than doubled—it reached ten thousand zhang!"

He’s truly a genius; I am far inferior... Qi Mu’s spirits seemed to deflate somewhat. To exist in the same era as Shi Bai was, for him, a kind of sorrow. He had personally seen Jia Ren’s initial failed attempts at Artifact Refining; back then, Shi Bai’s refining level hadn’t even reached that of a High-grade Artifact Refiner.

Qi Mu hadn’t exposed the unspoken assumption that Shi Bai was always this skilled. He had believed Shi Bai’s talent in Artifact Refining was considerable and that reaching the level of a High-grade Artifact Refiner was only a matter of time. The facts proved his assessment correct. His only miscalculation was the speed of Shi Bai’s growth. It was too fast! This was the great fortune of the Great Wilderness survivors. Meeting Shi Bai gave them hope of leaving the Great Wilderness alive.

Next, they would put all their efforts into making the large Flying Boat, as well as the auxiliary Flowing Fire Flying Boxes and Defense Artifacts. All the Artifact Refiners bustled with activity. Compared to their previous sullen dejection, smiles were now clearly visible on their faces. From time to time, someone would seek Jia Ren’s guidance on crafting the Flying Boat, making it difficult for him to leave the Artifact Refinement Department. Crafting Evil Warding Talismans had to be temporarily shelved.

「While the Artifact Refinement Department was bustling with activity」

A tremor came from deep within the Great Wilderness, as if a myriad of beasts were stampeding. Thousands of Magical Beasts—whether startled or driven by some unknown force—were heading straight for their encampment in the Great Wilderness.

A Magical Beast tide was coming!