HPMC Chapter 34

Actually… this couldn’t be blamed on Yu Tianze. His proficiency was entirely honed through experience. Having struggled alone in the outside world for so many years, he knew that time was a resource. If he weren’t fast at setting up formations and efficient at seizing treasures, he would either be killed by others or have his treasures snatched away. He hadn’t had an easy life.

Therefore, after seizing the Twelve-Transformation Qinshui White Lotus, Yu Tianze swiftly stored it in a jade box to seal all its spiritual energy, pulled his disciple along, and vanished in a streak of lightning, leaving just as quickly. Sure enough, about two or three breaths later, other people arrived. Mu Zirun, who had been whisked away by his master to hide elsewhere, watched from afar as several streaks of light converged from all directions toward that spot. Calmly, he expressed his admiration to Yu Tianze, “If only one day I could be as experienced as you, Master.”

Yu Tianze felt a slight urge to laugh, but didn’t show any smugness. Instead, he patted his disciple’s shoulder. “Focus on training diligently when we return. Later, I’ll take you out for more experiences.”

His disciple was still a bit weak now, but passable nonetheless. His mindset was decent. In the future, when going out for training, he could bring his disciple along. That way, he wouldn’t have to be on guard alone all the time. Thinking this, he felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Immediately afterward, Mu Zirun fully appreciated once again his master’s speed at scavenging—ahem, searching for natural treasures. Essentially, his master possessed a keen eye for discovering treasures that matured quickly, had less formidable guardian beasts, and weren’t overly coveted. Coupled with his master’s extensive knowledge and broad experience, as well as his deep understanding of many beasts’ weaknesses, he always flawlessly executed four smooth steps: “discover treasure, dash to collect while counterattacking the guardian beast, eliminate traces and deal with onlookers, seal the treasure’s spiritual energy and immediately flee.” And he always managed to vanish without a trace before others arrived.

Within just two or three hours, Mu Zirun had seen his master seize seven or eight decent items. Moreover, his master was particularly adept at making trade-offs. If he arrived somewhere and found the treasure required a long wait to mature, he would immediately abandon it and hurry to obtain nearby items that could be acquired sooner. Overall, the accumulated gains weren’t much inferior to those unripe treasures.

Mu Zirun felt that his master possessed beast-like intuition, and this business venture was executed superbly. If his master had been born in the modern era and engaged in commerce, he definitely wouldn’t have incurred losses. And only now did he finally understand why, according to legend, his master—as a junior disciple—had managed to support Ming Yuan Zhenren.

After plundering all the relatively unnoticed treasures in the vicinity, Yu Tianze finally paused briefly. Recalling his actions just now, he felt his skills hadn’t grown rusty. Moreover, due to his significant increase in strength, his speed had improved slightly, and he had eliminated traces even more thoroughly. This should set a good example for his disciple.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Mu Zirun, “After we return, memorize ‘Ten Thousand Common Demonic Beasts’ and ‘Complete Compendium of Spiritual Herbs in the Cultivation World.’”

Mu Zirun was momentarily stunned but quickly understood his master’s intent. Before the other could grow angry, he promptly nodded. “Rest assured, Master. Your disciple will definitely familiarize myself with them as soon as possible!”

Yu Tianze “hmph” -ed and added, “If you know of any better ones, don’t leave them out either.”

Mu Zirun broke into a cold sweat. Ever since he had inadvertently revealed some of his capabilities in front of his master, his master occasionally reminded him. Speaking of which, the system could query information. After returning, he should first memorize those two books thoroughly, then have the system analyze them. If there were gaps, he should copy down all the rare and special information while the system was still around. Otherwise, once the system left, it would be too late. No matter how formidable his master was, there were bound to be things he didn’t know. It would be better to compile everything and present it to his master.

At the same time, Yu Tianze was also pondering. The several books he currently possessed contained some incomplete information, some needed updating, and some were entirely lacking. To prevent his disciple from suffering losses, perhaps he should compile a new, comprehensive volume… Master and disciple were thinking along the same lines, but within the secret realm, they merely pondered briefly.

Yu Tianze quickly set these thoughts aside. Pulling his disciple along, he chose a location with fewer people, moderate competition, and mid-to-high-grade treasures, then sped toward it. Within the next hour, two treasures would emerge. One belonged to the high-grade category and would be useful for high-level cultivators, so many people at his level would compete for it. This mid-to-high-grade one likely wouldn’t have many guardians stronger than him.

Securing the treasure here was more feasible than obtaining the one over there. Anyway, his innate talent was excellent; he didn’t need external aids. Conversely, his disciple, who had been weak since childhood, needed further supplementation before having his spiritual roots cleansed. The treasure site was a cliff. On a protruding clump of soil midway up grew a plant as red and crystalline as coral, its shape also resembling coral.

The plant had many tentacle-like branches cradling three forked, short twigs at its center. Among these twigs rested a fist-sized fruit, also red, with its color deepening continuously. Once it turned nearly purple, it would be ripe. That fruit was called the Eight-Treasure Red Pomegranate, a primary ingredient for refining the Red Origin Pill. Generally, if successfully refined into a pill, it could increase the chance of forming a Golden Core by thirty percent.

A thirty percent increase was significant, but for the disciples of major sects who had come to “reap rewards,” each had at least formed their Nascent Soul. What use did they have for this thing? Even if they wanted to bring it back for fellow disciples, those people’s innate talents wouldn’t be poor, and they often disdained using external aids to help form their Golden Cores. Wasn’t the Eight-Treasure Red Pomegranate rather useless? Moreover, obtaining this fruit didn’t guarantee successful pill refinement. With opportunities being rare, it was better to search for things useful to oneself.

Thus, those lingering here were naturally cultivators from smaller sects and rogue cultivators. Some had come with their elders and had low cultivation levels, needing this fruit. Others, though already in the Golden Core stage, had disciples or friends within their sects who needed it. Naturally, unwilling to clash with major sect cultivators, they came to scoop up what was left behind. When the two arrived, the conspicuous lightning streak drew some attention.

After all, there was only one fruit, but over a dozen cultivators were already waiting. The more people, the more disadvantageous the scene would be upon maturity. Especially since Yu Tianze’s imposing aura was somewhat intimidating, making him a formidable opponent. However, he was accompanied by a youth with seemingly low cultivation, which might present an opportunity to scheme. Yu Tianze swept his gaze around, then pulled his disciple to sit cross-legged in a relatively open area.

He couldn’t be bothered mingling with those scheming individuals. Before the fruit ripened, it was more important to cast some protective spells on his disciple. Soon, another layer of thunder and fire enveloped Mu Zirun, making him feel a bit too conspicuous. Wasn’t this a glaring target?

Seeing his disciple’s expression, Yu Tianze leaned close and whispered in his ear, “What’s there to fear? If anyone dares touch you, they’ll suffer for it!” Though he lowered his voice, the other cultivators could still hear him clearly.

Simply put, he was issuing a threat. Naturally, this drew a chorus of hostile glares.

Yu Tianze snorted and continued observing the “coral.”

Mu Zirun: “…”

Was it really appropriate to provoke hostility like this in the wilderness, Master? Forget it. Life with this master was bound to be tumultuous. Thus, Mu Zirun secretly gripped three Thunderbolt Talismans, prepared to blast anyone who dared target him as his master’s weakness into a flowery mess. He made this decision calmly and naturally. Over on the other side, after glaring at Yu Tianze a few times and finding it impossible to shake his composure, the other cultivators gave up and refocused their attention on the treasure.

Mu Zirun: This isn’t logical. Shouldn’t they first unite to deal with his master, who appeared the strongest, and then compete internally for the fruit?

Yu Tianze, as if hearing his thoughts, sneered. “This master has suppressed his cultivation to the early Nascent Soul stage.”

Apart from him and his disciple, the weakest present were at the Foundation Establishment stage, the strongest at mid Nascent Soul stage, and the rest at Golden Core stage. Coincidentally. The weakest Foundation Establishment cultivator was also accompanied by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, similar to the master-disciple pair. Given this, everyone appeared more or less equal. Thus, no matter how arrogant Yu Tianze seemed, those people only dared glare fiercely. As for uniting against him, that was impossible. Mu Zirun understood.

This was especially since the plans of those Golden Core stage cultivators might have been disrupted. Previously, when there was only one Nascent Soul cultivator, the Golden Core cultivators might have banded together to scheme against him. But now, with his master added to the mix, forming an alliance became utterly unreliable. Originally, over a dozen Golden Core cultivators against one Nascent Soul was already a stretch. Splitting into two groups made it outright impossible! But his master was quite cunning, posing as a Nascent Soul cultivator while being a Spirit Transformation expert, just toeing the line. If he fully released his pressure, those people might see no hope, and some malicious ones might even inform others. His master could indeed overpower them, but killing them all instantly wasn’t that convenient either.

Yu Tianze patted Mu Zirun’s head. “Since you understand, don’t be afraid.”

Mu Zirun felt slightly awkward. “…Thank you for the reassurance, Master.”

Actually, I’m not afraid, Master. How cowardly do you think I am in your mind? I’m really not soft-hearted; you have to believe me. Regardless of whether Yu Tianze believed him, as time passed, the Eight-Treasure Red Pomegranate finally neared maturity. Thus, everyone witnessed the following scene: The blood-red fruit rapidly deepened to a purplish hue within a few seconds, swelling as if its juices were about to overflow. At the peak of its fullness, it suddenly detached from the center… Whoosh!

From all directions, every lurking cultivator charged forth!

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