The Spirit Treasure Tower was among the top ranked towers in the Wanxiang Pagoda. The spirit energy here was dense and vast, three times higher than that of other places. Training here allowed for one to improve at an amazing speed. Of course, in a real secret training ground of the Wanxiang Pagoda, one’s training speed would be even more terrifying.
However, only heaven-defying geniuses on the Pagoda’s Hundreds List who had great contributions to the pagoda would have the qualifications to enter these locations for cultivation for a few days.
“First water, second fire, third wood, fourth metal, fifth earth; water plus earth equals six, fire plus earth equals seven, metal plus earth equals nine, and earth plus earth equals ten to form the heaven and earth’s five numbers.”
Feng Feiyun sat in a meditative pose behind the bamboo forest as a cool breeze blew by with fluttering bamboo leaves like little pieces of jade floating in the sky. However, they couldn’t touch his body. When these leaves were three feet away from him, an invisible barrier pushed them away.
“Earth cannot give birth to earth. There are only five and one cannot add another five, so the Grand Change’s number is fifty, and the heaven’s number also correlates to fifty…” [1. I have no idea what any of this means either, but it is from the Book of Changes — I Ching.]
In his hand was the Eight Arts Volume. He was cultivating the Verdant Wood Art, one of the five elemental arts. When all five elements come together, they would become the Minor Change Art, and with continuous derivations, they would become the Great Change Art.
Only the Great Change Art was considered one of the eight official arts.
What was called the Dark Water Art, Crimson Fire Art, Verdant Wood Art, and others… These were only parts of the process to derive the Great Change. It was a long and arduous road to cultivate a complete and flawless Great Change Art.
Feng Feiyun, with the bamboo scroll in his hand, had an expression as calm as water, yet his heart was burning with fire. His eyes were shut as if he had turned into a bamboo leaf within this forest.
“Whoo!” A breeze blew by. His body was like a balloon and floated in the direction of the wind, yet he still maintained his seated meditative pose.
This scene was quite bizarre. If it happened during nighttime, then unsuspecting spectators would think that he was an apparition.
“Verdant Wood’s order, grasses and trees all have souls…” Feng Feiyun was murmuring something as a light appeared on his hands then converged to form a beam.
Meanwhile, Murong Ta was standing by the forest. He wore a white scholarly robe with a spirit stone that had special patterns on his chest. This was the uniform of the Wanxiang Pagoda, and the spirit stone represented their status.
He stood there with his arms crossed while gazing intensely at Feng Feiyun, who was cultivating with his black. His eyes shone brightly as he thought to himself: “He has only meditated for seventeen days yet he actually understood the wood section of the five elements... Feng Feiyun’s aptitude for treasure seeking is really no weaker than a natural born spiritualist like me.”
It has been half a month since the spiritual sense examination. During this time, Feng Feiyun was still teaching Murong Ta formations and even gave him a great technique like the Northern Profound Manual as if he considered the guy a good friend.
They had been cultivating together, laughing and playing, and even sleeping in the same place. These days were especially hard to come by; it was as if they had turned back into two carefree kids.
Murong Ta’s cooking skills were first rate so Feng Feiyun was gaining a fortuitous knack for enjoying and getting to eat excellent food.
In these recent days, Feng Feiyun’s enlightenment with the Eight Arts Volume also suddenly became stronger. His Crimson Fire Art had reached a grand accomplishment state, and after training for seventeen days in a row, he also had a breakthrough with the Verdant Wood Art.
Murong Ta touched the bamboo necklace made from weaving bamboo sticks together. This was the gift Feng Feiyun gave him on his fourteenth birthday.
“Hey, Murong Ta, this is for you.” Feng Feiyun said this that day.
“Why are you giving me this?” Murong Ta looked at the bamboo necklace and felt quite annoyed. This bastard Feng Feiyun had too much free time.
“Isn’t today your fourteenth birthday?” Feng Feiyun asked with surprise.
“Is that so?” Murong Ta responded.
“I just met your brother, Murong Zhuo. He was the one who told me.” Feng Feiyun smiled then placed the bamboo necklace into his hand.
“Ah… So it was today. It seems like I forgot about my own birthday!” Murong Ta hastily replied.
“The one who usually knows when a birthday is coming up is not the person themselves, but their best friend.” Feng Feiyun smiled and said: “Try putting it on.”
“No need! It looks like a necklace for women, and on top of that… It is so simple and crude.” Murong Ta would rather die than to wear something given by Feng Feiyun.
“Hey now, why not try it on. I spent three days to find the prettiest spirit bamboo within a hundred miles. Although it is not expensive, the brotherly sentiment is there.”
After Feng Feiyun’s repeated egging, Murong Ta had no choice but to put on the bamboo necklace despite his unwillingness.
***
“Boom!”
A majestic stream of energy emanated from Feng Feiyun’s finger, causing all the bamboo nearby to flutter and become controlled by an invisible force.
“Swshh, swshhh, swssh!” Countless bamboo leaves drifted towards Feng Feiyun’s body, then they turned into a dragon head that flew towards the direction his finger was pointing at. This attack contained a terrifying destructive force and momentum, causing many leaves to be ground into dust.
Feng Feiyun then quickly withdrew his finger and spirit energy before falling down to the ground.
“Grand accomplishment Verdant Wood Art and my spiritual sense increased to fifty-one times that of an ordinary person...”
He had soon guessed that by cultivating the Verdant Wood Art, his spiritual sense would increase. However, he didn’t expect for it to increase this much.
From forty-two to fifty-one times... He was one step closer to the level of a third rank Treasure Seeking Master.
He then closed his eyes and noticed a second divine intent being born in his mind. Waves of lights emanated as if it was a little human lighting up.
Once one reached peak God Base, it would then be all about cultivating one’s divine intents. They had to create ten divine intents before reaching grand achievement God Base. This was a long process that had no shortcuts unlike increasing one’s spirit energy.
Feng Feiyun was already happy about spending half a month to cultivate his second divine intent.
Suddenly, a hot gust of air came from behind along with a monstrous presence capable of splitting the heavens and burning the sea. It felt just like a striking sun.
Someone was lurking nearby!
Feng Feiyun focused his gaze. He quickly channeled the spirit energy all around his body, then condensed it at his finger tip before pointing directly behind him.
This finger, alone, controlled countless bamboo leaves. Each leaf was covered with a layer of light and could easily slice apart ordinary steel. There were more than ten thousand leaves in the air, and they all attacked like the rain.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
“Boom!”
The hot air in the form of a flame was scorching hot and incinerated all the leaves in the sky. It illuminated the entire sky; fiery sparks rained down as if it was doomsday.
From the far distance, Murong Ta had a sense of dread. Feng Feiyun’s attack earlier couldn’t be described as anything but powerful. Even an army would be killed by it, but it couldn’t stop all the flames in the sky.
Who was this person!?
Feng Feiyun stopped attacking and went back to his old spot, gazing at the hovering flames in the sky while being completely emotionless.
“Congratulations! Brother Feng’s cultivation is now one step further.” This bundle of flames was accompanied by a frightening might and seemed to be an extremely large heart that was jumping.
These flames caused the air to fluctuate, so no one could see the figure of the person inside.
“I knew it was you.” Feng Feiyun spoke.
It was the mysterious person who had just arrived, someone with an amazing cultivation. Although Feng Feiyun had reached peak God Base with two divine intents and unleashed his full strength, this person still easily shattered the attack.
The flames that covered their entire body truly could be compared to the Second Dark Hellflame.
“After the battle at the Martial Exhibition Tower, Brother Feng’s name had spread across the entire pagoda. You are the star admired by countless young prodigies. Don’t tell me that Brother Feng is willing to lay low without competing with all the other geniuses at the pagoda?” The voice of this mysterious person was coarse like the screeches of ghosts.
“My cultivation is weak. I have only just broken through to peak God Base so how could I go compete with the others?” Feng Feiyun had guessed the intention of this mysterious person; he knew that this mysterious person wanted him to do something, so he had to politely refuse in this manner.
“Haha, Brother Feng is too humble. You are 287th on the Pagoda’s Hundreds List since your name has been carved on it. With such a cultivation, you could already be considered an excellent prodigy among the younger generation, so how could it be viewed as weak?” The mysterious person responded with a smile.
The 278th spot was initially Gu Qing’s, but after he died to Feng Feiyun, Feng Feiyun then took his position and became an expert on the list.
Feng Feiyun only chuckled without replying!
This mysterious person had a grand scheme for entering the pagoda. There were at least ten followers with a stronger cultivation than Feng Feiyun, but time and time again, this person came to find him so Feng Feiyun couldn’t help but feel cautious.
“I sincerely think of you as a friend and do not want to use the Blood Seal Bracelet to suppress you. Brother Feng, don’t tell me you wouldn’t even give me this little face?” The voice of the mysterious person suddenly turned a bit colder.
Feng Feiyun then slightly glanced at the black bracelet on his wrist and gently sighed in his mind. The mysterious person was implying that if Feng Feiyun didn’t understand the situation, then he had no choice but to play hard.
Once one wore this bracelet, their life would be in this person’s hands.
Feng Feiyun thought to himself: ‘It seems like I have to quickly unlock this bracelet or else it will be my funeral after he uses me.’
“What do you want me to do?” Feng Feiyun could only tolerate this right now.
“Haha.” The mysterious person laughed again in an especially happy manner. The feeling of grasping someone else in one’s palm was especially pleasurable. The person then spoke: “This matter is only beneficial to you and is without any downsides. Inside the pagoda is the Immeasurable Tower. Any disciple who enters the pagoda must enter this tower, and what you need to do is enter the eighth floor.”
“Why must we infiltrate the eighth floor of this tower?” If it was so easy, then the person wouldn’t have come in person to find Feng Feiyun. This surely was a difficult matter, or maybe even an impossible task.