txolops Chapter 29: A Review of the Gains
Chapter 29: A Review of the Gains
After returning to his cave, Luo Ming didn't rush to process his gains. Instead, he went to sleep first—after all, being in the forbidden area required him to remain vigilant at all times, and the prolonged mental strain had left him mentally exhausted. He slept soundly and peacefully until the next morning when he got up refreshed and began to take stock of all his gains from the trial.
Although he lost two spirit beasts in this trial, he unexpectedly captured a legendary, extinct Fat Sun Bird, making it a very profitable endeavor overall. Because of this, Luo Ming secretly resolved that in the future, he would focus on raising only the finest spirit beasts.
Those ordinary demonic beasts were not only weak in combat and unable to provide effective assistance at crucial moments, but they were also easily killed by the enemy, causing the invested resources to be wasted. Although he was not short of spirit stones now, he still found it difficult to accept the death of the spirit beasts he had personally nurtured for so long.
At first, Luo Ming intended to take advantage of the injured Zhiyang Bird to recruit it for his own use, but the bird was extremely arrogant and ignored him completely. Its bright eyes were full of contempt, as if to say, "You dare to say that?"
This attitude infuriated Luo Ming, who immediately locked it in a secret chamber deep within the cave, intending to starve it for a while to temper its temperament.
"Hmph, if I didn't want to see your genus wiped out, I would have stewed you and made bird soup long ago!" Luo Ming muttered to the secret room before turning away from the unpleasantness and starting to carefully count the storage bags he had collected from various places.
Regarding talismanic treasures, the harvest this time was quite substantial, totaling two. One was a small dagger-shaped talismanic treasure obtained from Feng Yue of Tianque Fortress. To Luo Ming's surprise, he had already destroyed one of the same type of talismanic treasures from Feng Yue before, yet Feng Yue still possessed an identical one. This made Luo Ming suspect that Feng Yue might be a descendant of a Golden Core cultivator from Tianque Fortress; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for him to possess so many high-level talismanic treasures.
Luo Ming had already tested the attack power of this talisman, and it seemed to be only slightly inferior to the Silver Sword Talisman.
The other was the Golden Wind Cone Talisman he obtained from Xiang Zhili. As expected of an item from a top-tier cultivator in the mortal realm, its power was arguably the strongest he currently possessed. The fact that it nearly exhausted all his mana when activated was enough to demonstrate its extraordinary nature. Luo Ming planned to use it as a trump card after it had been fully imbued with spiritual energy. A talisman of this caliber would likely be difficult for even a Foundation Establishment cultivator to unleash its full power.
Among the magical artifacts, the ones that Luo Ming cared about most were the Yellow Silk Umbrella and the Wind Spirit Silk. The Yellow Silk Umbrella had formidable defensive capabilities. As a top-tier magical artifact, Luo Ming could use it even after advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage. It's worth noting that some Foundation Establishment cultivators who were short of money were still using ordinary top-tier magical artifacts for a period of time after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
Feng Ling Sha is good at concealing his figure, which can help him act silently. It complements the yellow umbrella in front of him perfectly. Moreover, this treasure seems to belong to the talisman-making master of Qingxu Sect. Luo Ming thought it best not to take this out casually, as it would be troublesome if someone recognized it.
As for the ordinary magical artifacts, pills, and talismans, Luo Ming threw them all into an unused storage bag, intending to dispose of them at the market later and exchange them for the resources he truly needed.
As for the biggest gains this time—the talisman inheritance—Luo Ming has no intention of touching them for the time being. He currently only has a superficial understanding of talisman-making techniques, and forcing himself to study them would only be a waste of effort.
Luo Ming's most pressing task right now is to establish his foundation. He plans to take some time to study after he successfully establishes his foundation. Perhaps with these complete inheritances, he can become a respected talisman-making master like the cultivators of the Qingxu Sect.
After all, he does lack a skill to rely on. Drawing talismans can not only provide assistance in combat, but also reasonably explain the source of a large number of spirit stones. If he does nothing but squanders spirit stones at will, he will inevitably be targeted by people with ulterior motives, which will only cause more trouble.
After tidying up all the clutter, Luo Ming calmed down and began to study the Foundation Establishment insights given to him by Steward Qin while patiently waiting for news about the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Luo Ming was engrossed in studying the jade slip when the restrictions outside his cave were suddenly activated. Overjoyed, he thought to himself that the Foundation Establishment Pill must have arrived, and immediately got up to open the restrictions.
Outside the cave entrance stood two Foundation Establishment cultivators dressed in sect attire: one appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in white, holding a silver fan, with an elegant demeanor and extraordinary bearing; the other was a middle-aged cultivator in his fifties, with a stern face and darting eyes, seemingly plotting something.
Luo Ming stepped out of the cave and was startled to see two unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators. A sense of foreboding rose within him. He composed himself and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior Luo Ming greets the two deacons." In Spirit Beast Mountain, apart from the sect leader, all other Foundation Establishment cultivators could be addressed as "deacons," a title that was never wrong.
The young man in white looked Luo Ming up and down, then nodded slightly and said, "Luo Ming, right? You did very well in the forbidden area last time. I've come to give you a Foundation Establishment Pill." With that, he took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and handed it to Luo Ming.
The middle-aged cultivator beside him kept his eyes fixed on the jade bottle. When the white-robed youth handed over the pills, he first glanced at him and, after receiving a subtle nod from him, spoke up: "Nephew Luo, it's truly commendable that you were able to exchange for three Foundation Establishment Pills during your trip to the forbidden area. I have a favor to ask of you, Nephew Luo, and I hope you will consider it."
Luo Minggang had just received the jade bottle, his fingertips not yet feeling its warmth, when he heard these words his heart sank, and his ominous premonition grew stronger. He forced himself to remain calm and cupped his hands, saying, "Please speak, senior."
"Judging from your current state of perfect magic power and abundant energy, it seems that advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage is a sure thing. You probably won't need three Foundation Establishment Pills," the middle-aged cultivator said slowly. "I wonder if you would be so kind as to give me one? I won't let you suffer any loss. Whether you want spirit stones, pills, or magic weapons, as long as I can provide it, I will satisfy you." In his view, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself would be flattered and obediently offer up a Foundation Establishment Pill if he, a Qi Refining cultivator, condescended to "ask" for something.
"They really are after the Foundation Establishment Pills!" Luo Ming's mind raced. "It seems the news that I have three Foundation Establishment Pills has already spread among Foundation Establishment cultivators. If I don't handle this properly today, there will definitely be a constant stream of trouble coming my way." He hasn't yet established his foundation, and his foundation is not yet stable. He absolutely cannot easily offend any Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he successfully establishes his foundation, they will all be Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he will naturally have nothing to fear. But if he offends them now and fails to establish his foundation smoothly, then he will probably only have one option left: to run away.