Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 1105 Treasure Hunt

Dark clouds loom overhead; a storm is brewing.

Two streaks of light flew past one after the other through the dark clouds. The ferocious demon bird's eyes were now filled with panic. It desperately flapped its wings, but could not widen the distance between itself and the pursuers behind it.

Crimson blood gushed from its wounds, a thin layer of black light adhered to the wounds, and the demon bird's powerful self-healing ability was rendered useless, making it increasingly weak.

Li Xiaoyao stood tall and elegant on the flying boat, dressed in white, his sharp eyes containing a hint of murderous intent.

Nine black short swords surrounded him as he relentlessly pursued the demonic bird, but he was in no hurry to make a move.

Although the demonic bird was already seriously injured, its cultivation level was still higher than that of a level five demonic beast. Before the dust settled, it was never too much to be cautious.

Master was always sparing with words in front of Li Xiaoyao, but Li Xiaoyao remembered every word of his master's teachings: never underestimate any opponent, and go all out in every battle.

The pursuit lasted for three days and three nights until Li Xiaoyao flew out of the dark clouds and into the bright sunshine.

He used six mid-grade spirit stones to replenish his true essence, finally exhausting the demonic bird's power, and the demonic bird's speed slowed down.

A black dagger flew out and pierced the heart of the demonic bird. Li Xiaoyao put all the corpses into the mustard seed ring, determined the direction, and flew westward.

From the moment the demonic bird was wounded and fled for its life, its death was already destined.

Although the demonic bird's cultivation level was one level higher than Li Xiaoyao's, the spiritual weapon that Li Xiaoyao had carefully crafted was enough to bridge that gap.

The Chaotic Cloud Boat beneath his feet and the nine black short swords in his hands were all top-grade spiritual artifacts, even among top-grade spiritual artifacts, they were among the best of the best, surpassing some of the worst magic treasures.

Especially those nine black short swords, which look like nine magical weapons, are actually a set.

Li Xiaoyao improved upon the usual method of forging mother-and-child blades, refining this set of Nine Nether Short Blades as his natal magic weapon in an extremely ingenious way, greatly reducing the consumption of true essence.

Although it consumes twice the spiritual power of other top-grade spiritual artifacts, Li Xiaoyao's spiritual power is already far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, making it perfect for him.

With this set of Nine Nether Short Blades, Li Xiaoyao was confident of defeating even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, killing the demonic bird so badly that it fled in panic, and then using the Chaotic Cloud Boat to chase it until it had nowhere to go, neither to heaven nor to earth.

Unfortunately, even royal-class demonic beasts are extremely rare in the spirit world. The demonic bird's strength was already quite good, but it still couldn't force Li Xiaoyao to use his defensive magic weapon.

He took a piece of 24.7-pound pure gold iron and a piece of 11.8-pound soft steel, and spent three years refining these two spiritual materials to remove all impurities.

Then, by adding seven kinds of top-grade fire-elemental spiritual materials, a set of three-sided fire shields was crafted. It is hard and flexible, and is also a top-grade spiritual weapon, in no way inferior to the Nine Nether Short Blade and the Chaotic Cloud Boat.

The three top-grade spiritual artifacts that Li Xiaoyao personally crafted have laid the foundation for magic weapons. After he forms his core, he will only need to refine them again to successfully upgrade them into magic weapons.

Li Xiaoyao, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, could not possibly have found so many precious spiritual materials; they were all gifts from his master.

Li Xiaoyao still can't forget that morning when the mysterious man in white knocked on the blacksmith's door, bowed respectfully to his disheveled master, and gave him a peculiar jade pendant that shimmered with a luminous light, exactly like the treasures of cultivators that martial arts practitioners talked about.

Later, when Li Xiaoyao asked his master, his master simply brushed it off with a casual remark.

It wasn't until he reached the Foundation Establishment stage and began learning weapon crafting techniques that he realized the jade pendant was indeed a treasure of cultivators, and a top-tier magic weapon that even Nascent Soul cultivators rarely saw.

It was from that day that Li Xiaoyao learned that his master was actually a cultivator, and that the nameless cultivation technique he practiced was also a cultivation technique.

He had already embarked on the path of cultivation he had always dreamed of, and had no need to envy those martial artists who roamed the martial world and risked their lives.

He was not an ordinary person without qualifications, but a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, one in a million.

His exceptional talent was enough to allow him to join one of the most powerful medium-sized sects in the Qingling Domain, where he would become a true disciple and receive the most meticulous training.

Looking across the vast Spirit Realm, cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots can be considered geniuses. Their unobstructed path before Nascent Soul formation allows them to save a lot of cultivation time and break through to higher realms.

More than 80% of the Nascent Soul cultivators in major sects have Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude. Although opportunity is the most important factor affecting a cultivator's path, opportunity is not so easy to find. The number of cultivators who obtain opportunity is more than a hundred times less than those with Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude.

The reason Li Xiaoyao failed the spiritual root test at the age of thirteen was because his master used supernatural powers to cover it up.

This time, however, his master did not hide anything and even took out spirit stones, allowing Li Xiaoyao to choose whether to stay under his master's tutelage or go to Mingxi City through the teleportation array to join a medium-sized sect.

Li Xiaoyao possessed extraordinary talent, reaching the Qi Refining Perfection stage in just four years of cultivation. Foundation Establishment was also a natural progression for him. He could easily soar to great heights by joining any medium-sized sect.

If he chooses to stay, he will only be a second-rate rogue cultivator.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Xiaoyao knelt down and kowtowed deeply to his master: "This disciple was originally just a beggar, using the name 'Rat'. It was Master who saved this disciple's life, raised this disciple, and passed on his skills to this disciple. How could this disciple abandon Master? I am willing to serve Master by his side for the rest of my life!"

He didn't even know his master's cultivation level, but he still stayed without hesitation.

He wanted to repay his master's kindness. So what if he was a rogue cultivator? Since he possessed the aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, as long as he cultivated diligently, he might not be inferior to the disciples of those major sects.

What he has in abundance is diligence. His experience of begging on the streets, which has made him cherish his current life even more, allows him to endure daily practice of nameless martial arts, bathing in cold well water, and tireless blacksmithing.

When Li Xiaoyao learned that he was now a cultivator, he was overjoyed.

Of course he wanted to live a carefree and immortal life, but he would not leave his master; instead, he would work a hundred times harder than the disciples of those major sects.

When Master heard Li Xiaoyao's answer, his expression didn't change much; he just smiled. But Li Xiaoyao seemed to see a hint of relief in his eyes.

From then on, his master began to teach Li Xiaoyao true supernatural powers, magic, and weapon crafting.

No wonder Master made him blacksmith; it turns out Master is not only a cultivator but also a weapon refiner.

The blacksmithing technique his master passed down to him was a unique method of weapon crafting, and the black hammer was also a special magic weapon that constantly trained Li Xiaoyao's physical body and soul.

Eighty years have passed since the man in white visited the blacksmith's shop. With Li Xiaoyao's Heavenly Spiritual Root talent and without any bottlenecks, he should be able to cultivate to the late Foundation Establishment stage, if not form a Golden Core, in eighty years.

However, his practice of weapon crafting forced him to reduce his meditation time and to craft magical artifacts on his own. His master also made him hunt demonic beasts, further reducing his cultivation time.

Li Xiaoyao found it strange that he, a weapon refiner, needed to hunt monsters to accumulate combat experience.

But this was his master's order, and he dared not disobey it, so he could only do as he was told.

The demonic beasts were not difficult to deal with. Li Xiaoyao could easily kill those enormous demonic beasts, which were a hundred times more ferocious than lions and tigers, using the spiritual weapons he had crafted himself.

Li Xiaoyao put the monster's corpse into the mustard seed ring given to him by his master and sent it to the market a thousand miles away from Hunfang City to sell.

However, the demon cores and materials from these demonic beasts are not valuable and cannot be exchanged for many spirit stones.

Fortunately, his master bestowed upon him many elixirs. For every bottle Li Xiaoyao refined, he would receive another, so he never had to worry about cultivation.

Li Xiaoyao still doesn't know what level of cultivation his master has. His master never reveals any aura and looks like an ordinary mortal.

But his master seemed to have an endless supply of spiritual materials and pills; no matter what Li Xiaoyao lacked, his master could readily provide it.

Li Xiaoyao guessed that his master was at least a Nascent Soul cultivator, or even possibly a Void Refinement cultivator.

Li Xiaoyao made a special trip to the market to look at the shops selling pills, spiritual materials, and spiritual weapons. There were also items his master had given him there, but each one was very expensive. Li Xiaoyao would have to hunt at least dozens of demonic beasts to exchange for one item. And his cultivation time was already quite limited. If he didn't rely on his master and had to hunt more demonic beasts on his own, he was afraid his cultivation would still be stuck at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Li Xiaoyao had also seen Nascent Soul cultivators and felt the oppressive aura emanating from them that made his heart tremble.

But for some reason, Li Xiaoyao felt that the power of these Nascent Soul cultivators was far inferior to that of his ordinary master.

Moreover, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would find it difficult to produce so many pills and spiritual materials. Li Xiaoyao believed that his master's cultivation level was definitely higher than that of a Core Formation cultivator.

Most importantly, the mysterious man in white left a very deep impression on Li Xiaoyao. He was exactly the image of an immortal in his mind, and the white robe he was wearing now was an imitation of that man.

Such an outstanding person was extremely respectful to his master, referring to himself as a junior, and casually gave Li Xiaoyao a top-tier magic weapon as a gift. His master's cultivation level must be extraordinary.

Li Xiaoyao still remembers the white-clad man's name—Chen Yuan. He has been paying close attention to this name all these years and has even tried to find out about it in secret, but to no avail.

There are over a hundred well-known Nascent Soul cultivators in Baizhou, where Hunfang City is located, but none of them are named Chen Yuan.

Li Xiaoyao expanded his scope to several nearby states and raised his cultivation to the Nascent Soul realm, which was the same thing.

Li Xiaoyao had no choice but to give up, but he still couldn't forget the face of the man in white. It was this Senior Chen who truly led him into the world of cultivation.

That jade pendant always played a significant role in his cultivation, shortening his cultivation time by at least 30%.

But Li Xiaoyao probably will never have the chance to see Senior Chen again in his life. In the past eighty years, apart from this Senior Chen, no other cultivator has come to visit his master.

Master seems to have been forgotten by the cultivation world, or perhaps he deliberately hid himself away, living in seclusion in Hunfang City, a small mortal town, avoiding the troubles and conflicts of the cultivation world.

Regardless of the reason, Master has had no contact with other cultivators, at least not for the past eighty years, and Senior Chen probably won't visit Master again.

……

The Chaotic Cloud Boat traveled through the clouds, avoiding the eyes and ears of the mortals in Hunfang City below. Its speed gradually slowed down, and it finally stopped above the blacksmith's shop.

Li Xiaoyao stepped out of the Chaotic Cloud Boat, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and the flying boat slowly shrank, disappearing into his mustard seed ring.

Li Xiaoyao cast another invisibility spell, descended in a beam of light, and gently landed in the courtyard behind the blacksmith's shop.

It was dusk, and the sky was still relatively bright. If Li Xiaoyao did not conceal his presence, his identity as a cultivator would be exposed.

The blacksmith's shop was quiet; the master craftsman must have finished his work for the day.

Eighty years have passed, and his master still shows no sign of moving away, so Li Xiaoyao has no choice but to stay in Hunfang City with his master.

After he truly embarked on the path of cultivation, he stopped forging weapons for martial artists in the martial arts world.

But the master began to return to his old trade, forging weapons for martial artists and iron tools for the people in the city and the farmers outside the city.

Li Xiaoyao didn't know why his master did this, but he was used to obeying his master's orders and never asked any questions, just as he had never asked his master why he lived in seclusion in Hunfang City.

He once worried that his and his master's appearances had remained unchanged for decades, which would arouse suspicion among mortals.

But the master must have used some kind of supernatural power, because the two of them stayed on this street for eighty years. Ordinary people often came to ask the master to forge iron, but they never realized that there was anything unusual about them.

Li Xiaoyao dared not disturb his master. He bowed respectfully three times to the closed door of the main room before returning to his room to meditate and cultivate, thus restoring his true energy.

Now that he is a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, his bedroom is no longer a storage room, but a quiet room that he converted himself, with a jade bed. Except for the lack of spiritual veins, it is extremely suitable for cultivation.

Just as Li Xiaoyao turned around, his master's voice suddenly came from the main room: "A guest has arrived. Please greet him in the main room."

Li Xiaoyao was taken aback, turned around, clasped his hands and bowed: "Disciple obeys."

He turned and walked into the main hall, removed the latch, and opened the door. The dim yellow sunlight slanted in and fell into the depths of the main hall, leaving a warm trail of light on the ground.

Li Xiaoyao thought for a moment, then cast an illusion spell, causing the air to ripple gently like water.

To mortals, the blacksmith shop remains tightly shut, but it cannot escape the detection of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After finishing this task, Li Xiaoyao stood at the door, patiently waiting for the guest his master had mentioned to arrive.

About fifteen minutes later, a person slowly walked from the street corner, weaving through the crowd, and stopped in front of the blacksmith's shop.

When Li Xiaoyao saw this person, he was stunned for a moment, then a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, "Junior Li Xiaoyao greets Senior Chen!"

Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback when he saw the tall young man who had come to greet him at the door. He recognized the man's identity from his familiar features and aura, and said, "Young friend Li, did you know that I, Chen, would be coming?"

Li Xiaoyao said, "My master said that a guest would be visiting today, and I was ordered to greet him here. I did not expect it to be Senior Chen."

"The jade pendant that you gave me years ago is still of great value to me. However, I was ignorant and spoke rudely to you back then, and I am always ashamed of it. I hope you will forgive me."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Chen Yuan, his expression very sincere.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "It was just a small misunderstanding, nothing to mention. Is Senior Wang at home?"

"My master is waiting inside. Please, senior." Li Xiaoyao gestured.

The two walked through the blacksmith's main hall and into the courtyard, where the main room door was already open.

Wang Yu sat at the table, still dressed in his usual plain blacksmith attire, drinking heartily from a wine jug. When he saw Chen Yuan, he simply nodded slightly.

"Xiaoyao, go and cultivate," Wang Yu said calmly.

"Yes." Li Xiaoyao clasped his hands in a bow, then turned and went into the house.

He was extremely curious about Senior Chen, and even more curious about what he wanted to see his master about, but his master had given him orders, so he could only keep his curiosity to himself.

Chen Yuan walked into the main room, and just as he stepped over the threshold, the door gently closed behind him.

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Wang Yu, saying respectfully, "As agreed, I have come today to retrieve the treasure."

Wang Yu put down the wine pot, raised his sleeve and flicked it, and the shrunken Xuan Yin Armor appeared above the square table, floating uncertainly.

"This humble servant greets her master!"

A pretty young girl dressed in black floated out from a small Xuan Yin armor, gave Chen Yuan a graceful bow, and her pretty face was full of joy.

Chen Yuan nodded in response to the girl, carefully examining the Xuan Yin Armor.

The huge, ugly scar on the chest of the Xuan Yin Armor had disappeared. Lively demonic energy swirled around the jagged spikes that extended from it, fluttering gently like ribbons. Its deep, ethereal aura resembled that of a true celestial demon. (End of Chapter)