Chapter 280: Choice of Innate Divine Powers and Magical Treasures

The third item, the Guanghan Palace, was a rare palace-type magic treasure with complex and diverse functions, even usable as a flying treasure. However, it lacked specialization.

Moreover, in the cultivation world, very few cultivators used a palace as their natal magic treasure. This was because such a treasure was too large; if it were to grow with one's cultivation, it would require refining massive amounts of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Otherwise, it would become a "glass cannon," capable of only one attack before suffering severe damage. Providing the high-grade materials needed for a palace's advancement could only be afforded by an entire sect; individual cultivators might as well dream about it.

After reviewing the first three options, Wang Yu felt a slight disappointment.

He actually wanted a cauldron-type magic treasure, or perhaps a diagram-type. Simple offensive weapons offered little improvement to him; his goal was a functional foundational artifact capable of carrying the Great Dao.

Magic Treasure Four: The Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda. With just one glance, Wang Yu made up his mind: this was it!

Pagodas, like cauldrons, could both serve as vessels for the Dao and possessed the power to seal and suppress. Wang Yu favored this pagoda not only because its form met his requirements but also because one of its crafting materials involved "Heart Force" infusion, an invisible power cultivated through the Path of Mind, which was perfectly suited to him. This treasure could suppress mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, imprison all spirits and evil entities, and even calm his own mind-lake, keeping his Dao Heart untainted. Combined with the Prajna Heart Method, it would surely strengthen his Heart Force.

The stronger his Heart Force, the more potent his Asura Killing Intent would become, and the greater the power of his Dao Heart Shattering Fist. While its growth potential was not on par with divine light abilities like the Ice Soul Divine Radiance or the Twelve Phases of Guanghan, it could still gradually improve with the advancement of his Heart Force realm.

After beginning his journey on the Path of Mind, Wang Yu's first realm was the Realm of Purity, followed by the Realm of Egolessness, the Realm of Stainlessness, and the Realm of Glazed Light! Achieving mastery in these four layers of mind would signify significant progress on the Path of Mind, granting him a pure, glazed heart that greatly enhanced his comprehension and rendered him immune to external influences. A Dao Heart that endures through countless eons can overcome all hardships and obstacles. Since the mind is intrinsically linked to will, those who achieve success in this path are destined for great accomplishments.

Now, back to the main topic.

The Glazed Ice Heart Pagoda was an ice-attributed magic treasure. The involvement of Heart Force primarily gave it a purification effect; any living beings sealed within the pagoda would undergo Wang Yu's purification. As for how this "purification" would occur, it depended on what he chose to do with his Heart Force. If used for interrogation, it might even be more effective than the Soul-Excavating Evil Boat Curse.

After a thorough review, there was no longer any doubt about the choice for his natal magic treasure. As for his natal divine ability, after a moment of hesitation, he ultimately gave up on the Ice Soul Divine Radiance. He decided to engrave the Twelve Phases of Guanghan into his Golden Core as his natal divine ability, which would grow with him in the future.

Of course, he still planned to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Radiance and the Aurora Evasion Technique. This would serve as an upgrade, enhancing his combat strength.

In terms of Tier 3 spells, he also selected a few to compensate for his deficiencies.

The High-Grade Ice Chain God-Binding Curse, a binding spell, possessed both spirit-sealing and god-locking effects. Upon activation, it could unleash thousands of ice chains that automatically locked onto enemies, yielding excellent results when used in conjunction with his natal magic treasure.

The High-Grade Illusory Mist Ice Mirror, a defensive spell, could absorb spells cast with pure spiritual power and return them at double their original potency. Used effectively, it could produce miraculous results.

The High-Grade Ice Dragon Art was a versatile spell, suitable for offense, movement, and defense. It allowed the caster to condense spiritual power into an ice dragon to confront enemies. While seemingly ordinary, it offered infinite transformations upon mastery and could synergize with Wang Yu's other spells and secret techniques.

Next, Wang Yu also took an interest in two secret techniques: the Ice Transformation Secret Art and the Sky Frost Secret Art. The former was used to conceal one's aura, while the latter was a secret technique for improving the quality of ice-attributed spiritual power, requiring the absorption of ice power from heaven and earth.

Apart from the boundless ice plain, the Cold Blood Peak offered the highest cultivation efficiency. This peak was arranged to resemble an icy wonderland, brimming with cold energy. The temperature within the Mountain Master's cultivation ground was extremely low, the air dry, and small ice storms frequently swept through, evidently caused by the aura of Nascent Soul cultivators. Furthermore, the peak housed cultivation sanctuaries like the Extreme Ice Caves, exclusively for disciples, similar to Essence Qi Chambers but designed to gather cold energy instead of spiritual energy, operating on the same principle.

Once Wang Yu registered his identity at the Hall of Merits, he would be able to choose a cave dwelling on Cold Blood Peak for himself. The spiritual energy environment there reached High-Grade Tier 3, aligning with a Tier 4 spiritual vein, allowing him to occasionally enjoy even higher-grade pure spiritual energy.

After this round of absorption, three days had passed when Wang Yu awoke from his enlightenment. He cast a reluctant glance at the stone-skinned book representing the Ten Directions Frozen Devil Dao. As he walked out of the cultivation ground, his mind was already pondering a new Tier 3 pill formula: the Guanghan Pill!

This pill was a spirit elixir for enhancing spiritual power cultivation. Its main ingredients were laurel leaves and Tier 3 cold marrow. The latter was relatively common, but laurel leaves were extremely rare spiritual objects. Only the Moon-Gazing Palace, the dominant power in the Taihu Spirit Domain, had a stable supply. Obtaining them in Chiyuan would be mostly a matter of luck. Wang Yu felt a headache coming on.

As he reached the entrance of the cultivation ground, a slightly familiar figure ascended the icy steps. Her face was enchantingly delicate, with a graceful nose, cherry lips, and a blue lotus petal adornment on her forehead. Small, fair earlobes sported turquoise jade earrings. She wore a crescent-white silk pipa-sleeved robe, with an inner collar featuring an intricate lace-edged bustier that accentuated her ample cleavage, drawing the eye and making one's throat itch.

Even with an aesthetic somewhat desensitized by the Three Young Masters of Reverse Spirit, he couldn't help but marvel at her peerless beauty.

Quickly sifting through his memories, Wang Yu genuinely couldn't recall where he had seen her before. Yet, the woman approached him, bowed gracefully, and softly said, "Xue Ying greets fellow Daoist."

Wang Yu's expression flickered as he remembered. The last time he entered Cold Blood Peak to immerse himself in the cold pond, he had encountered a dying Core Formation Elder named "Feixue." He had used a wisp of death qi to assist him, causing the elder's remaining few years of life to be expended in a single hour. When he left the cold pond then, he had seen a figure, weeping profusely, hurrying up the mountain from below. He now recalled that it was indeed this woman. At the time, he had mistaken her for a man with a feminine appearance.

And at that time, she had merely been at the late-stage Qi Condensation realm. Now, looking at her, she actually possessed the aura of Core Formation. Only fifty years had passed. Could she have had some miraculous encounter or undergone body possession?

Out of curiosity, he replied, "I am Wang Yu. Has Fellow Daoist Xue Ying just formed her core and come to select cultivation techniques?""That's right. Is Fellow Daoist Wang Yu here for the same reason?""Naturally."

The two were not very familiar, so after a polite exchange of greetings, they passed each other without further conversation at the entrance of the cultivation ground.

Spreading his Frost Moon Wings, Wang Yu flew towards the Halls and Pavilions.

He occasionally looked back. "What kind of incredible fortune is that…" "Hmm, it doesn't concern me for now. I should go claim the sect benefits for inner sect elders."

Muttering to himself, Wang Yu accelerated sharply, landing before the Hall of Merits in less than half an incense stick's time. He had visited this place before when he was promoted to inner sect steward. The Hall Master of Merits had some connection with Zhuo Shouqing. At that time, the Hall Master's aura was indistinct, appearing to be only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, assessing him with spiritual sense, he was clearly a Core Formation cultivator, sitting behind a long table, engrossed in an ancient text.

The Hall Master recognized Wang Yu instantly upon his arrival. "It's you.""Wang Yu greets the Hall Master of Merits. I've come to receive the Cold Blood Peak Elder's provisions.""Hmm, wait a moment." The Hall Master walked to the back of the hall and searched for a while before returning to the front hall, speaking with a smile. "My surname is Zhuo, and my courtesy name is Yuanshen. You may call me Senior Brother Yuanshen. Shouqing said you would come here once you formed your core, and he left a few things for you. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

Zhuo Yuanshen? Wang Yu was surprised to hear this. He didn't know much about the Zhuo family; even when he tried to gather information, he only got scraps. It seemed Zhuo Shouqing greatly trusted this Yuanshen.

However, Wang Yu harbored doubts about Zhuo Shouqing's judgment. The items entrusted to him included a spiritual sense jade slip, a letter of appointment, and a jade pendant. Upon receiving them, Wang Yu began to examine them. The jade slip mainly detailed the situation over the past years and a deadline: forty years! By then, regardless of his preparedness, he would have to launch a desperate counterattack. Time was running out for him.

Furthermore, Zhuo Shouqing believed that the value of the Profound Sky Secret Realm ticket could not be replaced by Zuoqiu Ming's condition of guarding the city on his behalf, deeming the two terms unequal. Wang Yu had suffered a disadvantage. Therefore, the latter half of the spiritual sense jade slip contained compensation clauses. The jade pendant was a key to an ancient burial pit, which was prone to yielding Yin and ice-attributed materials, along with various cold spiritual items, corpse path treasures, and more. It had been specifically prepared for him, and no outsiders currently knew about it. As long as he overcame the difficulties within the burial pit, all the treasures inside would belong to him.

As for the letter of appointment, it designated him with the title of "Candidate for the Twelve Elders" of Cold Blood Peak, a status superior to that of an inner sect elder. In the future, if he could reach the peak of Core Formation, he could challenge for a position among the Twelve Elders, who represented the largest interest group on Cold Blood Peak below Nascent Soul cultivators, wielding power second only to one person and above thousands.

While this offered a glimpse into future benefits, the greatest immediate advantage was having a 50% discount and priority exchange rights for items in the sect's treasure vault. This privilege could only be exercised three times every fifty years, but it significantly reduced the difficulty of acquiring resources. Additionally, there were contributions from lower-level disciples, granting him an annual stipend of thirty thousand spirit stones. That amounted to three hundred thousand over ten years, which was a considerable sum, enough to purchase a decent Tier 3 unrefined spiritual object.

After reading everything, Wang Yu felt even more emotional. The more compensation Zhuo Shouqing provided now, the more it indicated that Wang Yu would be needed for significant contributions. With the Stygian River Contract already signed, he had no regrets. Even without Zhuo Shouqing's involvement, he would eventually have to confront Fu Xiao; this merely expedited the process.

Glancing at his cultivation slot, the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Charm had already been moved to the first sequence. Although this secret technique was complete, it still had room for improvement, and the slot could deduce it to a higher tier. The time required for this deduction and advancement was... one hundred and fifty years! For him, having just formed his core, this was truly not easy. It replaced the fifth slot for the Corpse Demon Secret Art. With so many new inheritances now in his possession, he would certainly need to reorganize them all, re-prioritizing according to the forty-year deadline.