Chapter 266: 30 Drops of Longevity Tree Sap

However, within the entire Divine Wood Sect, only Zhou Wangshen possessed the longevity tree sap.

Although Chen Mobai only wanted six drops, he knew that making an unannounced request would likely lead to an awkward refusal. After all, the more longevity tree sap one had, the better for cultivating the Longevity Dao Body, and Zhou Wangshen probably didn't have enough even for his own use. Furthermore, Chen Mobai wasn't well acquainted with Zhou Wangshen, having only met him once through Yue Zutao. If he genuinely wanted to acquire the longevity tree sap, he would likely need a reputable intermediary.

After much thought, among his acquaintances, only E Yun came to mind. As both were disciples of the sect leader, E Yun at least held more influence than himself. However, after careful reconsideration, Chen Mobai decided against it. It was clear that both were vying for the position of sect leader. If E Yun owed Zhou Wangshen a favor for this matter, it would become much more complicated to repay in the future. Moreover, if E Yun were unwilling, Chen Mobai's otherwise good relationship with him might become strained from then on. Chen Mobai was willing to push himself, but he wouldn't pressure others for his own benefit.

If he didn't consider the longevity tree sap in Zhou Wangshen's possession, then only one option remained: the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

Chen Mobai looked at the Magical Treasure Tree before him, picked up his phone, and downloaded a water-attribute Qi cultivation technique called "Water Moon Art" from the Immortal Gate National Library. After three days of diligent cultivation, he had advanced the Water Moon Art to the fourth level of Qi cultivation. He then channeled this newly cultivated water-attribute spiritual energy into the Magical Treasure Tree. A silver light flashed, and he disappeared. Fifteen minutes later, he reappeared before the Magical Treasure Tree, holding a black fruit. He opened the fruit, and a drop of crystalline, milky-white longevity tree sap appeared in his palm. Indeed, this method was viable.

Seeing this, Chen Mobai clenched his fist in delight. The last time he cultivated the Black Water Art, he had obtained a drop of longevity tree sap from the Magical Treasure Tree. Repeating the same trick with a different Qi cultivation technique yielded the same result. Although there were still many fruits on the Magical Treasure Tree, Chen Mobai deduced that when faced with weak spiritual energy, such as that from Qi cultivation levels three or four, the Magical Treasure Tree would only provide basic-level fruits. It was apparent that while the longevity tree sap in the Magical Treasure Tree was comparable in value to other rare treasures like Azure Wood Spiritual Hearts, Azure Sun Flames, and other tree fruits, a full gourd of it was required to truly match their worth. When encountering a low-level Qi cultivation disciple like Chen Mobai, the Magical Treasure Tree formulaically dispensed the least valuable item from its treasury: a single drop of longevity tree sap. It was a pity to have wasted three days, as cultivating the Black Water Art for just one night previously had also yielded a single drop. However, having figured out this basic pattern, Chen Mobai stopped dwelling on it.

He then took out his phone again. This time, he didn't waste points downloading from the National Library, as those downloads provided complete Qi cultivation techniques from the first to ninth levels, which Chen Mobai didn't need. Instead, he directly found a shop specializing in wholesale water-attribute cultivation techniques on the Immortal Gate network. For 50 good deeds, he purchased a bundle of one hundred techniques, each only up to the third level.

One month later, Chen Mobai left the Divine Tree Secret Realm, satisfied, looking at a full glass bottle of longevity tree sap. Since he had found a method, the more, the better. He immediately used thirty drops of longevity tree sap, intending to refine all 23 bones in his head. He prepared extra to account for potential errors.

Time passed most quickly during cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another half-year had passed. The annual Grand Competition of the Divine Wood Sect began as usual. After establishing his foundation, Chen Mobai had little interest in duels among Qi cultivation practitioners. However, since his disciple might become a true disciple this year, and because he hadn't gathered with friends like Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo in a long time, he came to Divine Wood City to watch.

"Quick, look! Senior Brother is on!" In the same restaurant, Chen Mobai sat by the window. Besides Qi Rui and other friends, Zhuo Ming was also present. As she had been eliminated in the first round in previous years, Zhuo Ming decided not to sign up this year. Chen Mobai let her be; having Liu Wenbai to represent them was enough. He thought it was perfectly fine for this junior disciple to just farm and brew wine. Having reached the ninth level of Qi cultivation, and fully equipped with magical artifacts, Liu Wenbai lived up to expectations, defeating his opponent and entering the round before the true disciple selection.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle." Just as Chen Mobai was about to leave with his two disciples, he met two acquaintances at the staircase. They were Luo Yixiu and Luo Yixuan, who had joined the Divine Wood Sect with him from Nanxi Market. After leaving the New Sprouts Hall, they had become disciples of a Foundation Establishment elder from their own clan within the Divine Wood Sect. That elder served as the guardian of Thunder Nation, so the siblings had also left Giant Wood Ridge and had been cultivating in Thunder Nation ever since. Chen Mobai had almost forgotten about them and was surprised to encounter them here today.

"It's rare for old friends to meet again. It's truly uncommon for a few of us to still be alive in these times." Among the disciples who had joined the Divine Wood Sect back then, the only ones Chen Mobai remembered, besides his two disciples, were the Luo siblings and Yu Lian.

"How could we presume to be Martial Uncle's friends?" Luo Yixuan, who had grown into a graceful and beautiful woman with fair skin, exuded elegance in her palace-style long dress. Her manner of interacting with others was still as pleasant as ever, and her words remained humble. In contrast, Luo Yixiu, standing beside her, looked at Chen Mobai with disbelief, and even a hint of indignation in his eyes. Luo Yixiu had always believed that among their initial group, if he hadn't followed his clan uncle to Thunder Nation, he would have become a true disciple two years earlier. He never imagined that in just five years, the rogue cultivator he had once disregarded would have successfully established his foundation. The rigid hierarchy of the Tianhe Realm clashed with Luo Yixiu's inherent pride. Under Chen Mobai's knowing gaze and his sister's constant prompting, Luo Yixiu eventually had no choice but to lower his head and address Chen Mobai as Martial Uncle.

"Are you participating in this year's Grand Competition?" Chen Mobai asked. He had only paid attention to his disciple's and a few friends' matches, spending most of his time refining longevity tree sap and cultivating the Spirit Eye of Profound Insight.

"Yes, we are," Luo Yixuan replied, "and we've been lucky not to be eliminated yet." It was still Luo Yixuan who answered. Chen Mobai nodded, considering that his cultivation time was approaching, and so he didn't linger to chat further. "Feel free to visit Little South Mountain if you have time. You both know Wenbai and Zhuo Ming." After saying this, Chen Mobai instructed his two disciples to stay and chat with the siblings while he left directly. Luo Yixiu watched Chen Mobai's retreating figure, his face filled with reluctance. Luo Yixuan, on the other hand, gently reminisced about the past with Liu Wenbai and Zhuo Ming.

The next round, which concerned the true disciple selection, Chen Mobai watched in its entirety. Unfortunately, Liu Wenbai's cultivation was still a bit shallow. He encountered a powerful opponent and was defeated. Chen Mobai had already prepared himself for this. After comforting his eldest disciple, he turned his attention to the performances of Qi Rui and the others. His friend, who had failed to become a true disciple several times, finally had a stroke of luck this year, avoiding formidable opponents and securing a spot among the twenty-four true disciples. In contrast, the fellow disciples Qi Hou and Xi Jinghuo both suffered unfortunate defeats; the former encountered Mu Yuan, and the latter, Li Yixian from the Puppet Department. As for the remaining Luo siblings, Chen Mobai watched as both were successively defeated. He looked at Luo Yixuan as she descended from the arena, deep in thought. She could also be an investment.

Inside the Myriad Treasures Cave, Chen Mobai opened his eyes. A clear, lustrous glow emanated from them, strikingly bright in the darkness. Looking up, the artifact-containing orb, embedded in the hematite above, appeared completely transparent to him, fully seen through. The broken flying sword within, its patterns and the nicks on its blade, were clearly visible in his sight. Chen Mobai also saw two small characters carved on the hilt: Scarlet Copper! This must be the name of this flying sword. A quick check on the campus network confirmed that a talented flying sword practitioner from the Sword Control Department, over two hundred years ago, had a flying sword by this very name. Before his demise, this genius had also cultivated to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. Unfortunately, with his lifespan nearing its end, he participated in the Pioneering Wars, striving for one last chance at survival. Regrettably, the Immortal Gate only returned this broken flying sword. If it were intact, this would have been a top-grade second-tier flying sword, even more powerful than the Flying Sparrow Hairpin. Chen Mobai thought this, his face showing regret.

He withdrew his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight. According to the description of this cultivation technique, this marked the intermediate mastery stage. It was already more powerful than Shi Qujin's attainment after a lifetime of cultivation. This experience gave Chen Mobai a clearer and deeper understanding of his advantages. In just half a year, with the aid of the longevity tree sap, he had elevated his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight to a level surpassing Shi Qujin's decades of diligent cultivation. What he relied on was not talent, nor comprehension, and certainly not diligence or hard work. It was resources! He had to maintain this advantage, ensuring he could leverage the resources of the Tianhe Realm and the Divine Wood Realm to always stay ahead in the Immortal Gate.

With his resolve firm, Chen Mobai then went to examine the eight artifact-containing orbs that Mi Yudao had found. His intermediate mastery of the Spirit Eye of Profound Insight allowed him to see into the living-sealed artifact orbs with almost perfect clarity, as if reading palm lines. Comparing this with the vast information in the Myriad Treasures Atlas, he recognized the bell artifact as the "Soul-Seizing Bell," a mid-grade second-tier artifact designed for mental attacks. The most valuable item was naturally the pagoda, which turned out to be a high-grade second-tier defensive artifact. If he couldn't find a third-tier artifact, Chen Mobai felt he could use artifact shards to open this one. The jade tablet book had no detailed information in the Myriad Treasures Atlas, but according to the student council's estimation, it was likely a rare formation artifact. However, it was unknown which formation was sealed within, so its grade and value could not be determined. Even the Spirit Eye of Profound Insight was powerless here; only by cutting it open could its contents be confirmed. The water-splitting fork was a high-grade second-tier artifact, but such artifacts required extensive training to use, so Chen Mobai was naturally not interested.

After examining the four living-sealed orbs, Chen Mobai moved on to the four dead-sealed artifact orbs. The one in the underground current already showed a clear outline—a box. However, when he tried to look deeper with his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight, he still found it to be a blur. Indeed, fully seeing through a dead-sealed artifact was still a bit difficult. Chen Mobai wasn't discouraged. Although the longevity tree sap he had refined into his skull bones had fully integrated with his bone marrow, its full power had yet to be completely released to imbue his spiritual eyes. In time, his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight would advance further. He then examined the remaining three. The round artifact appeared to be a sphere. Six similar artifacts were found in the Myriad Treasures Atlas, but none were third-tier, so Chen Mobai didn't waste his spiritual sense or energy. The other two were a pot and a flute. Chen Mobai found that among third-tier artifacts, there was one shaped like a pot called the "Shaluo Pot." It could absorb the essence of fire and smoke from the depths of the Myriad Treasures Cave and release it as a hundred-zhang fiery cloud, powerful enough to melt metal and boil stone. There were also two third-tier flute-shaped artifacts, but Chen Mobai had no interest in the path of sound, so he didn't compare them with the Myriad Treasures Atlas data. As for the pot, he decided to revisit it later when his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight had advanced further. If it could be confirmed as the third-tier Shaluo Pot, then he would definitely choose this one.

After examining all eight artifact-containing orbs, Chen Mobai felt a novel sensation and had the urge to go see the dead-sealed orb hanging at the student council's outpost. However, as soon as the thought arose, he felt a sudden heaviness in his head. After the enhancement of his Spirit Eye of Profound Insight, each activation required more spiritual sense and energy. Unknowingly, his intense viewing of the artifact orbs had consumed most of his spiritual sense. He set up a formation on the spot and meditated to recover. Just as Chen Mobai was about to head to the student council outpost in Myriad Treasures Cave, a message suddenly appeared on his phone. It was from Che Yucheng. The message stated that arrangements for the Chicheng Grotto-Heaven University Alliance Exchange Conference were complete and he needed to go there to finalize the procedures. He had almost forgotten about this matter.

Chen Mobai, riding his Crimson Cloud and Smoke Robe, flew out of the Myriad Treasures Cave and arrived at Building No. 1. In Che Yucheng's office, besides him, there was an acquaintance of Chen Mobai's.

"Teacher Bian, long time no see."

Bian Yiqing smiled and nodded, greeting Chen Mobai. He was a music department teacher, and Chen Mobai hadn't enrolled in any optional courses in that area. Thus, this was their first meeting in five years since they parted ways in Danxia City at the Daoist Academy.

"For the 6,000th anniversary celebration of the Chicheng Grotto-Heaven, a high-ranking official from the Immortal Affairs Hall will be attending. To ensure a proper reception, the Chicheng Grotto Master invited Teacher Bian to organize the program. It was convenient to have one person handle both, so the task of leading our school's delegation was also assigned to him." Che Yucheng briefly explained the situation, and Chen Mobai's name was naturally included in the major list of those from the Martial Arts Daoist Academy attending the millennium celebration.

"Thank you for your trouble, Teacher." After saying this, Chen Mobai remained standing. He had proposed attending himself, so now he could only grit his teeth and join the festivities.

"Although I'm nominally leading the team," Bian Yiqing mentioned, "the student council will actually be responsible for managing you students. Someone from there might contact you later." Chen Mobai nodded.

"Alright, you can go now." Che Yucheng seemed to have more to discuss with Bian Yiqing and waved his hand, signaling Chen Mobai that he could attend to his own matters.