12 Chapter 12 Thoughts_1
Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
Chen Mobai’s parents work hard all year, but they only earn about 50,000 Good Deed Points in total.
Now, the two Spirit Stones in his possession were equivalent to half of their annual income.
No wonder he was a bit out of sorts.
After all, Chen Mobai had never actually held a Spirit Stone in his hands before. If it weren’t for the detailed descriptions of Spirit Stones in textbooks and televison shows, he would not have been able to recognize them.
It was at this point that Chen Mobai felt this Water Mansion might no longer be within the territory controlled by the Fairy Gate.
Suppressing his trembling hands, he placed the Spirit Stones on top of his clothes. He then took out his phone and snapped photos of the first thirty pages of the Detailed Explanation of the Azure Aquatic Formation.
Chen Mobai was worried that he might not be able to bring these items back when he returned to the city.
If he used his phone to take photos of the book, he would at least be able to study the knowledge at school.
He tied the corners of his clothes to form a bundle and held it close to his chest. He then opened the Turtle Treasure app on his phone and hit the “Return to Town” button.
After a flash of silvery light, Chen Mobai opened his eyes to find himself sitting on his bed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had half an hour before class started.
The weight in his hands induced an even greater feeling of excitement.
He had brought everything back!
After unwrapping his clothes and laying out the items one by one on the floor, Chen Mobai couldn’t contain his excitement. He jumped onto his bed and did a somersault.
Luckily, the house was equipped with sound-proofing measures during construction. Otherwise, the noise would have surely woken his parents.
After venting his excitement, Chen Mobai opened his cupboard and hid the Spirit Stones, the hand crossbow, and the short sword – the items that could raise suspicions – deep inside.
He then brought out a backpack he hadn’t used in a while and put the gold and the books inside.
The last item left was the needle box used by the brown-robed teenager.
Chen Mobai hesitated. This item was undoubtedly a real Magic Artifact. He just didn’t know its Grade.
He didn’t know how to use it, and the best course of action would be to sell it online.
However, on the Fairy Gate’s online platform, second-hand Magic Artifacts required an authentication certificate.
About eighty percent of artifacts in the Immortal Cultivation world, especially the Magic Artifacts, were second-hand items.
To maintain order in the Magic Artifact market, the Fairy Gate issued certificates to cultivators who passed the Magic Artifact appraisal qualification exam. It was required that every Magic Artifact transaction was accompanied by an assessment certificate from a qualified Treasure Appraiser.
Every transaction required a fresh assessment to determine the wear and usage years of the Magic Artifact.
Of course, official requirements were one thing, and actual transactions were another.
Especially for the Rank-1 Magic Artifacts, some lower-grade items were not even worth the appraisal fees, so some unverified products still circulated on the market.
But if you wanted to sell a Magic Artifact at a good price, an appraisal was definitely necessary.
Especially for Magic Artifacts above Rank-2. Due to their high value, cultivators dared to purchase them only after a Treasure Appraiser had assessed them.
Consequently, the profession of a “Treasure Appraiser” was one of the most popular among the Hundred Arts of the Cultivation Immortal.
After purchasing three Green Arrow Talismans, Chen Mobai was practically penniless. He couldn’t afford to hire a certified Treasure Appraiser, so he decided to hold onto the needle box for now. He would deal with it when he had the money, or try to figure out how to use it himself.
However, he still put the needle box in his backpack and took it to school.
It was, after all, the first real Magic Artifact that he had owned in his life.
With a backpack full of treasures on his back, Chen Mobai went downstairs, fed the fish, heated two corn pancakes for breakfast, and headed straight to school.
Today, it was the turn of the Formation teacher to give lessons.
The teacher’s surname was Chan, a young intern teacher, reportedly still a student cultivator at the Cinnabarite Institute.
Although this teacher was the least experienced in the whole Fifth High School of Fairy Gate, Chen Mobai felt that her teaching was one of the best…well, almost.
If it weren’t for the fact that the Principal, who was at the Foundation Establishment realm, also taught at the school, Chen Mobai wouldn’t add “almost”.
Probably because she was not much older, her way of thinking was similar to that of the students. At least when she explained formations, her examples were vivid, and her explanation was clear.
Thanks to this, Chen Mobai was able to repair and reactivate the Azure Water Array, even though he wasn’t usually interested in Formation classes.
Teacher Chan was attractive, had a nice figure, but she rarely smiled. She was serious when teaching, otherwise, she would be more popular.
But among cultivators, almost none were unattractive.
Centuries of cultivation had made their bodies more perfect. It was just that Spirit Root Aptitude, the endowment bestowed by heaven, relied solely on luck. But to groom oneself, it just took some years of Qi Cultivation.
Some cultivators even deliberately went to hospitals to alter their appearances to look hideous in order to prove their unwavering will to cultivate, so as to rid themselves of worldly distractions.
For example, Chen Mobai had a cousin. A breath-takingly handsome young man, he had once been filmed by accident while selling things on the street. Uploaded to the internet, he had become an overnight sensation.
But he was determined to cultivate. Facing countless film and television companies that came knocking, he directly went to the hospital to alter his appearance to an average and ordinary look.
Despite having average Spirit Root Aptitude, he was admitted into the Spiritual Pivot Institute among the hundred and twenty houses. Now, he was busy every day examining the ancient cultivators’ relics in the mountains, conducting protective research.
The morning Formation class passed quickly while Chen Mobai focused on the Detailed Explanation of the Azure Aquatic Formation.
After class, he feigned being the last one out and sneaked into Teacher Chan’s office.
Using the same excuse, he says his parents hired a private tutor to improve his college exam scores and that he had several homework assignments related to formation renovation and maintenance which he needed to complete independently. However, he was just too slow to comprehend it and had to consult his teacher.
However, unlike the old man Ding, Chan considered Chen Mobai’s words and looked at the Grade of the Azure Water Formation he wrote on his draft paper, with slightly furrowed brows.
“Given your abilities, how dare your private tutor assign you homework on a Rank-2 formation?”
“It’s just about the re-operation of the formation after it has been renovated or maintained. Actually, the private tutor has already taught me the entire formation,” Chen Mobai forced an explanation.
“Oh…”
Chan gave him a quick glance and a smile that suggested more than what was said, but did not say anything more. She picked up her pen, prepared to answer all the questions on the draft paper, and display her prowess as a teacher.
But after reading through it, she realized that with her knowledge, she was somewhat at a loss about where to start.
“Um, the formation your private tutor taught you seems to contradict the mainstream teachings of Fairy Gate. Almost like two different systems.”