Chapter 157: Five Years - Departure

Trouble.

Lei Shu's heart skipped a beat. He wouldn't have believed Wang Yu if he'd given any other reason, but Senior Disciple Jiang from Heaven Corpse Peak was a different matter. As someone who originated from Heaven Corpse Peak and remains one of its elders, he frequently refined natal corpse instruments for zombies, so he naturally knew Wang Yu spoke the truth. Moreover, one of the wall pieces acquired by the winner of this Corpse Combat Assembly from the Heaven Corpse Daoist was reportedly a rare, yin-attributed bamboo treasure. The "Ghost Realm Wailing Bamboo" now seemed to perfectly fit the description. What puzzled him was why the person carried Zhuo Shouqing's letter of introduction and why they were acting so furtively. Could it be that someone of even higher status also coveted this rare material? Did the Three Scions of Inverse Spirit desire it? For a moment, Lei Shu was indecisive.

He remained silent for a long while before clearing his throat.

“Give me the item. I will cover the cost of the extra materials and settle the bill with the Zhuo family later. Come back in half a month to retrieve it.”

“Yes!”

Wang Yu's heart pounded with unease, yet his expression remained unchanged, as if he genuinely didn't care about the rare treasure. He left without a backward glance.

Lei Shu stood at the doorway, muttering to himself. “It truly seems this item doesn’t belong to that young man.”

Weighing the Ghost Realm Wailing Bamboo in his hand, Lei Shu sighed with deep regret. “Never mind. It’s good to cultivate a positive connection. My opportunity to achieve Nascent Soul might yet depend on these young people. With eight hundred years of my lifespan already gone, I don’t have much time left.”

Meanwhile, after leaving the Artifact Refining Hall, Wang Yu's expression was dark and unsettled. He was both displeased with Zhuo Shouqing's oversight and the unreliability of the refiner he'd introduced. He also felt scorn for his own naive mindset, wondering when exactly he had come to accept the Blood Spirit Sect. Was it when he reached Foundation Establishment? Or upon his return, or perhaps when he signed the Stygian Pact with the Three Scions of Inverse Spirit? Sometimes good intentions lead to unforeseen complications. It wasn't that he distrusted Zhuo Shouqing, but rather that he felt Zhuo's capabilities were too limited for such an important task.

Wang Yu returned to the Enforcement Hall in a foul mood. The incident with the Ghost Realm Wailing Bamboo was a lesson learned: trust is an exceptionally rare commodity in the demonic path, best confined to one-on-one interactions, and never extended to those around the trusted individual. As for whether he would receive the finished product, Wang Yu estimated a seventy percent chance. Should the unfortunate thirty percent scenario occur, Zhuo Shouqing would undoubtedly act out of shame and forcefully demand compensation. However, this was a valuable material; it was quite normal for the other party to divert it for their own use. While he could demand compensation, getting the item back in its original form was unlikely. Lei Shu? He noted the name. The last person who had been so arrogant was someone named Feixue.

In the third residential area, Zhuo Shouqing, deep in sleep, was startled awake when Wang Yu pulled off his blanket, a blast of cold air turning him into a wide-awake, if bewildered, young man.

“What are you doing?”

“This is all your fault! Why didn't you introduce me to a Zhuo family refiner?”

Zhuo Shouqing slowly came to his senses. “Didn't you say you wanted discretion? If I'd had a Zhuo family master refine it, my brothers and sisters might have interfered, and then you truly wouldn't have gotten it back. What exactly happened?”

Wang Yu recounted the entire incident, and Zhuo Shouqing predictably flew into a rage. “That son of a bitch! How dare he disrespect this young master! Don’t worry, fourth brother, I’ll get Old Ming and Old Yu. You’ll definitely get justice for this. It's not easy for you to acquire a Tier 3 rare treasure. If it's truly lost because of me, I, Zhuo, will absolutely compensate you with an identical one!”

Seeing that Zhuo's attitude seemed genuine, Wang Yu felt a measure of relief. At least he hadn't entirely misplaced his trust; he simply needed to be more vigilant in the future.

“No need.” However, after a moment of thought, Wang Yu refused Zhuo Shouqing's offer, instead revealing a tyrannical killing intent that sent a chill down Zhuo Shouqing's spine.

He then stated, “If Lei Shu keeps his word, I will claim his life in the future. If he doesn’t keep his word and claims my treasure for himself, then I ask you, Brother Zhuo, to send someone to kill him, extract his soul, refine it into a lampwick, and burn it day and night for my amusement. Consider the bamboo as your reward for your trouble.”

His vindictiveness was intense. If he truly harbored hatred for someone, he wouldn't forget it for a hundred or even a thousand years. Once an opportunity arose, he would spare no cost, whether acting himself or dispatching others. This was slightly different from Senior Disciple Jiang, who always acted purely out of self-interest.

“I understand,” Zhuo replied.

Several days passed after this incident. Wang Yu subsequently experienced several more events. First, the Three-Tailed Snow Fox returned, having completed its breakthrough after months of seclusion in the Ice Condensing Cave on Cold Blood Peak. He had secured this location using his steward's token, as it could aid the little fox's breakthrough, increasing its chances by ten percent. Its foundation wasn't as profound as Wang Yu's, and being still young, it had also taken several months to break through with the aid of a Top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Having spent so much time by his side, the brief separation had made it even more affectionate, and it had undergone new transformations.

Xueyu's body had grown significantly. Including her tail, she was now ten meters long, with a shoulder height of two meters. Her slender, graceful physique, complemented by her fluffy white fur, she curled around Wang Yu, constantly rubbing her head against his face. The once adorable and beautiful little fox had completely transformed into a magnificent large fox, both striking and elegant, with pink fox eyes exuding a profound allure. She was now even capable of serving as a mount.

He reached out and fed her a handful of spirit beast pellets, and his mood improved considerably. “Alright, alright, stop nuzzling,” he said.

Naturally, its abilities had transformed even more significantly than its appearance. It could now fight effectively alongside Wang Yu. The two of them sparred together for half a month, and their tacit understanding grew remarkably fast.

After this joyous event, no unexpected issues arose from Lei Shu's end either. Wang Yu eventually received his Ghost Wailing Flute. The moment he acquired it, he immediately handed it to Zhuo Shouqing, asking him to have a Zhuo family artifact master inspect it. Many issues were identified, including a hidden tracking mark. Only after all problems were resolved was the flute returned to Wang Yu. This confirmed his unwavering intent to kill Lei Shu.

After this incident, Wang Yu visited the Dharma Transmission Hall and acquired a Tier 1 artifact refining technique. He had no other specific intentions; he simply wanted to occasionally study it to gain a deeper understanding of the craft. His goal was to develop the ability to appraise magical artifacts, not to refine them himself. With his placement slots, he relied more on the power of spells, and thus had low requirements for magical artifacts, as long as they were functional. He placed greater importance on elixirs. As time passed and the Cold Flood Dragon Alchemy technique gradually became complete, his alchemy skills improved in tandem. Achieving Tier 2 top-grade was still distant, but Tier 2 low-grade was now within his grasp. In this regard, he had the legacy left by Steward Xu from back then, possessing a considerable number of Tier 2 elixir recipes that he could slowly research.

He maintained this unhurried pace.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye. On this particular day,

“Fourth Brother, good news! The territory you asked for has been secured.”

“Oh?”

This was indeed good news. Seeing Zuoqiu Ming rush in excitedly, Wang Yu casually poured a cup of tea. After Zuoqiu Ming drained it in one gulp, he pulled out a scroll, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Take a look, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

That was just Zuoqiu Ming's personality, so Wang Yu didn't give it much thought. He was more interested in the appointment details on the scroll.

A moment later, “Guiling City... it overlaps with the Yellow Springs Temple’s territory, and there are so many abundant resources nearby, as well as an ancient ruin site?”

It had to be said, Zuoqiu Ming had indeed found an excellent location. Not only did it boast superior spiritual veins, but it also had abundant surrounding resources and a treasure-filled ruin to explore. Even within the city, there were cultivation families with inherited techniques from various arts, and it was densely populated and quite prosperous, making it very suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators to establish their residences. The only drawback was its close proximity to Yellow Springs Temple, which could easily lead to conflicts. Outside the city, there was even a unique grand market unmanaged by either sect—the Yama Ghost Market!

From every perspective, Guiling City seemed highly suitable. As for risks, cultivation always carried them, no matter the location. Though the past five years had been spent in quiet cultivation, Wang Yu had not been idle and had made thorough preparations. What appealed most about the appointment was its term: a full three hundred years, just as they had agreed.

“Excellent, I’m very satisfied with this place. There won’t be any unexpected trouble, will there?”

“Of course not! Who would dare covet something acquired by my Zhuo family?!” Knowing how badly Wang Yu had been affected, Zhuo Shouqing’s actions this time were very discreet, leveraging a connection with a close elder, ensuring it wouldn't cause any undue stir.

“That’s good. In that case, I’ll make preparations and depart in a few days.”

“No need to rush; the appointment letter grants six months.”

This journey to Guiling City was considerably long, stretching from the westernmost part of the Blood Spirit Sect to the far east, even farther than the path to Profound Bone Mountain. He needed to prepare a flying magical artifact suitable for long-distance travel. Moreover, he planned to undertake this journey alone. If all went as expected, he would have formed his Core upon his return. A few days for final preparations, then he could depart.

Over the past five years, Wang Yu had primarily focused his energy on spells. His placement slots were frequently rotated; whenever he encountered a bottleneck in comprehending a spell, he would utilize a slot to dedicate half a month to its refinement. After overcoming a bottleneck, he often made rapid progress. He even suspected this was the true purpose of the placement slots, but he coveted the sense of control that came with perfect mastery, so he rarely used them in a scattered manner. Even so, despite occasional struggles, some low-grade Foundation Establishment spells had been perfectly mastered, such as the Frozen Rain Art. When combined with Xueyu's snow-generating ability, it could create an icy, snowy domain spanning over fifty miles. Within this domain, both Wang Yu and Xueyu could unleash the full power of their ice-attributed spells. They would hold a natural advantage.

The Tier 2 low-grade Freezing Sword Qi had also reached the perfected realm. This spell was a superior replacement for the Ice Sword Art, capable of everything Wang Yu's previous techniques could achieve, but with greater power. If used to condense a gigantic ice sword, its power could certainly reach Tier 2 mid-grade, and it was one of his go-to combat methods.

Besides these two perfected spells, the Flame Form Art had reached the major accomplishment stage. The escape technique Frost Moon Wing and the offensive technique Ice Wheel Art were both at the minor accomplishment stage, barely adequate, given that his current ultimate killing move was the perfectly cultivated Profound Yin Hand! The remaining secret arts were also at the minor accomplishment stage. Only the Breathless Charm had been practiced relentlessly by Wang Yu, reaching the major accomplishment stage. To perfect it, he would still need to rely on the power of the placement slots.

Few cultivators in the cultivation world could perfectly comprehend a single spell; such individuals were all exceptionally gifted. Wang Yu's comprehension was above average, not that of a prodigy, but certainly not lacking. Of course, if a method was available, there was no reason not to use it. It had to be used when needed; what limited him was the number of available placement slots.

The Ancient Soul Art, however, had successfully reached the minor accomplishment stage. When combined with the Taiyin Nether Eyes, his divine sense grew at an astonishing rate, reaching the level of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in both quantity and quality. This far outpaced the growth rate of his cultivation realm. However, his greatest gain over these five years remained his cultivation level!