Chapter 3195: Refining the Thunder Transformation Talisman

"Thornvine Fruits! You only got three?" Wang Ruyan gasped, her voice trembling slightly.

If these three Thornvine Fruits were to circulate, they would undoubtedly cause a bloody storm. Many Integration cultivators would certainly target the Wang family.

Some high-level cultivators possess immense power, but many have been stuck at bottlenecks for years, their cultivation stagnant, eventually dying under the Great Heavenly Tribulation.

A single Thornvine Fruit allows cultivators below the Mahayana realm to advance a minor stage. Don't underestimate a minor stage; a few Integration cultivators have been stuck at the early Integration stage for tens of thousands of years. By the time they reach the Grand Completion of Integration, they might have already survived five or six Great Heavenly Tribulations. If they were severely injured by powerful enemies or during treasure hunts and explorations, and their injuries hadn't healed before the Great Heavenly Tribulation arrived, they would likely perish.

Of course, one doesn't immediately consume a Thornvine Fruit upon acquiring it. For example, Wang Mengbin hasn't been in the Integration stage for long. While consuming a Thornvine Fruit now would allow him to reach the mid-Integration stage, it could easily destabilize his foundation, hindering his future advancement to the Mahayana realm.

Therefore, cultivators don't consume Thornvine Fruits carelessly. They usually only take them when they are genuinely unable to break through, feel they cannot overcome their next Great Heavenly Tribulation, or are preparing to challenge a major realm.

This also depends on the circumstances. If a high-level cultivator with limited strength or from a minor force obtains a Thornvine Fruit and the news accidentally leaks, they would certainly consume it immediately rather than keeping it in a storage ring for others to seize.

However, for a Qiankun Fruit, they would store it. After all, high-level cultivators can generally survive their first few Great Heavenly Tribulations, so there's no need to delay the tribulation's arrival.

Wang Ruyan had asked because she assumed Wang Mengbin had handed over all the Thornvine Fruits.

"There are eight. Each of us five took one, and these three Thornvine Fruits are for the Ancestor," Wang Mengbin honestly replied. There was nothing to hide; they had traveled a great distance to Qianyuan Continent and painstakingly acquired the Thornvine Fruits, so naturally, they kept one for themselves.

Wang Ruyan nodded and praised, "You'll be credited for this. Tell me about your experiences on Qianyuan Continent; I've never been there!"

Wang Mengbin acknowledged and recounted everything he had seen and heard in detail.

"The Ancient Qiong Race! True Monarch Nine Swords!" Wang Ruyan smiled and said, "True Monarch Nine Swords died on Qianling Continent. His clone returned to Xuanling Continent and died there, leaving behind his legacy, which we obtained."

True Monarch Nine Swords' legacy included insights into sword cultivation and several powerful sword formations.

The Southern Brightness Blazing Sword and the "Myriad Poisons Scripture" were found by True Monarch Nine Swords on the corpse of a Mahayana cultivator who had died within the Qianling Secret Repository.

"We obtained True Monarch Nine Swords' legacy? Why was the Ancient Qiong Race hunting him?" Wang Mengbin asked, his face full of curiosity.

"He killed a descendant of an Ancient Qiong Race Mahayana cultivator, forcing him to leave Qianyuan Continent and cross the seas. True Monarch Nine Swords entered the Qianling Secret Repository to search for treasures and had a major conflict with Yinmei cultivators. His main body died, but his clone brought back the legacy," Wang Ruyan explained. Changing her tone, she added, "You've worked hard on your journey; get some good rest! Oh, and Mengbin, don't display your true cultivation in public. Be low-key."

Within a thousand years, Wang Yidao, Wang Mengbin, and Wang Qingcheng had successively advanced to the Integration stage. If this news spread, it would be hard not to attract attention. Other forces also had cultivators attempting to reach the Integration stage, some successfully surviving the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation, while others perished under it.

If it weren't for the Nine-Light Bottle and the Black Water Armor Talisman, Wang Yidao and Wang Qingcheng would not have had such an easy time passing the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation.

Duan Tongtian and Wang Qingshan had not yet returned. The Wang family currently only had five Integration cultivators on Xuanling Continent. It would be better to keep one hidden. If another conflict arose with the Cold Flame Sect, Wang Mengbin might play a crucial role.

Wang Mengbin nodded, having thought the same thing.

Wang Ruyan opened the lid of the box, looking at the Thornvine Fruits inside, feeling troubled.

The Ten Great Wonder Fruits possess incredible efficacy. Not only do they have long growth cycles, but the number of fruits produced each time is never large, making them extremely rare.

These three Thornvine Fruits were truly difficult to distribute. After all, the Wang family had as many as seven Integration cultivators. Given the rarity of Thornvine Fruits, everyone would want one. Wang Mengbin already had one, leaving three fruits to be divided among the six others, including Wang Changsheng.

As for giving them to other Integration cultivators, Wang Ruyan was not generous to that extent. She was not a saint; everyone had their selfish desires.

It was also impossible to ask Wang Yingjie and the other three to give up their Thornvine Fruits. Doing so would only dishearten them. They had risked their lives, endured countless hardships to reach Qianyuan Continent, and finally acquired the Thornvine Fruits. Wang Zongyun had almost died at the hands of foreign cultivators.

"Not suffering from scarcity but from inequality." If there was only one Thornvine Fruit, it would be hard to distribute, and handing it over to the family would be fine. But with eight Thornvine Fruits, if they didn't even get one, they wouldn't be willing to risk their lives for rare wonders in the future. This would also violate clan rules.

According to clan rules, clan members who obtain rare fruits or precious resources have priority in using them. While they are encouraged to hand them over to the family for a substantial reward in good deeds, forcing them to do so would only dampen their enthusiasm and lead to disunity.

If they had obtained the Thornvine Fruits individually, it would be commendable if they handed over two. After all, they all had descendants, and who wouldn't want their offspring to progress further on the cultivation path?

"Ancestor, we've acquired the main material for refining the Lightning Transformation Talisman: the hide of a seventh-tier Soul-Devouring Beast," Wang Yingjie said, taking out a blue storage ring and handing it to Wang Ruyan.

Wang Ruyan swept her divine sense over it and was overjoyed. With the Soul-Devouring Beast's hide, she could now attempt to refine Lightning Transformation Talismans.

Just as she was about to speak, she took out a light blue spell disc from her robes and cast a spell. Her brows furrowed, as if she had encountered something unpleasant.

She put away the Thornvine Fruits and instructed, "Yihong, come to Azure Lotus Peak."

"Yes, Ancestor, your grandson will be there immediately," Wang Yihong's respectful voice came from the spell disc.

She looked at Wang Mengbin and said, "Excellent, you've done very well. You'll be credited for this. You've worked hard on your journey; go back and rest first! Do not mention the Thornvine Fruits to other cultivators. If the news leaks, it will be troublesome, especially for you four, Yingjie. Do not go out alone, and if you must, do not carry the Thornvine Fruits with you."

Given the rarity of the Thornvine Fruits, it's better to consume them at the Integration stage, provided they are certain they can reach that stage.

Wang Zongyun had already survived three Great Heavenly Tribulations and had only reached the mid-Void Refinement stage. There were many like her who had yet to reach the Grand Completion of Void Refinement but were already facing their fifth Great Heavenly Tribulation. A Thornvine Fruit could give her a significant boost.

Wang Yingjie, Liu Hongxue, and Bai Yuqi had been in the mid-Void Refinement stage for many years, but whether they could reach the Grand Completion of Void Refinement before their fifth Great Heavenly Tribulation arrived was still uncertain.

Some cultivators possessed mediocre aptitude, ordinary luck, and average strength, appearing unremarkable among the vast number of cultivators. However, after cultivating to a certain realm, they might obtain a powerful legacy, causing their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, their divine abilities to greatly increase, becoming great late bloomers.

Furthermore, some special spiritual physiques only manifest at a certain cultivation level, remaining unnoticed before then.

Good aptitude and background merely provide a high starting point. Other cultivators, through effort, might still surpass them. Sword Venerable Tianhe is one such example. It is said that Sword Venerable Tianhe had a three-spirit root, and advancing to the Mahayana stage as a rogue cultivator was exceptionally difficult. It's unknown where he obtained high-grade tribulation-transcending treasures.

Wang Mengbin and the other four agreed and then withdrew.

Wang Ruyan put away the Thornvine Fruits.

Not long after, Wang Yihong arrived. He took out several porcelain shards and handed them to Wang Ruyan, explaining the situation in detail.

When he attempted to reach the Void Refinement stage, his lightning tribulation wasn't nearly as severe. He had survived the Six-Nine Lightning Tribulation with a defensive low-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure and a sixth-tier formation. In terms of individual strength, among the more than one hundred Void Refinement cultivators in the clan, he ranked among the lowest, not even considered average.

Wang Ruyan sighed softly and instructed, "I understand. You may leave."

After Wang Yihong withdrew, Wang Ruyan entered a secret chamber. She took out her talisman-making tools and materials and began refining Lightning Transformation Talismans. Even refining just one such talisman would significantly ease the clan members' efforts to reach the Integration stage.