Daoist Competition

Since the Heavenly Furnace was sealed, the Mystic Turtle Shedding has been placed within, undergoing slow cultivation. Zhang Yan did not need to expend much effort, spending his days refining Gang Ying at the Feiyu Dao Palace and his nights quietly guarding beside the Earth Fire Sky Furnace, while also deducing the Five Elements Escape Technique Divine Skills.

He spent his days moving back and forth between these two places. After three months passed, Liang Changgong and Wei Shudan came to see him together.

After some pleasantries, Liang Changgong was the first to speak: "True Master Zhang, in another five months, it will be time to open the furnace for the second time. However, this time it is slightly different; not only do we need to guide the Earth Qi, but we must also change the earth fire to bright fire. Yet the wood used as fuel is somewhat significant; it is divided into six grades, and the higher the grade, the purer the refining fire. Therefore, I came specifically to ask what the True Master recommends using?"

Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "I have already mentioned before that the treasure materials used should naturally be of the best quality. Why does Daoist Liang ask me again?"

Liang Changgong hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "To be honest with the True Master, this treasure requires at least four years of sacrificial refinement. This means we need at least twenty-four Qingcang Woods. However, this wood is too rare, and a substantial amount of Spiritual Shells is required. We have already spent quite a bit on treasure materials recently, and trying to acquire this wood again exceeds our current financial abilities, so, therefore..."

Zhang Yan lifted his head and glanced at the two; Wei Shudan instinctively avoided his gaze, while Liang Changgong bowed his head down.

He sneered in his heart. Both Liang and Wei were not novices. In such matters, even if they were short of Spiritual Shells, they should have informed him long ago. Why did this issue only arise suddenly now?

If there’s no underlying trickery here, he’d never believe it.

However, at the moment, he had no interest in delving into the intricacies. As long as the refining of the Dharma Treasure proceeded smoothly, trivial Spiritual Shells were of no real concern.

He, with an indifferent expression, asked, "How many Spiritual Shells are needed?"

Liang Changgong opened his thumb and index finger and carefully indicated a number, saying, "If we’re using Qingcang Wood, then... it requires eighty thousand Spiritual Shells."

After a pause, he added, "After discussing with Daoist Wei, we thought that if the True Master finds it unsuitable, we could possibly substitute it with something else."

Eighty thousand Spiritual Shells is no small amount, even on Central Pillar Continent.

Zhang Yan didn’t even flinch and tossed a sleeve bag, saying, "Here are a hundred thousand Spiritual Shells. You take this to use first, and if it’s not enough, come back for more."

Liang Changgong was momentarily stunned. Instead of showing joy, his face turned pale.

After taking the sleeve bag and peering inside, he saw the Spiritual Shells were all high grade. Exchanging them for low-grade ones would yield triple the amount, more than enough to acquire the Qingcang Wood and still cover the previous treasure materials costs. His hands trembled slightly; after calming himself, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Then, we shall take our leave for now."

Zhang Yan did not get up, remained seated, and returned the gesture, saying, "No need to see off."

The two walked out; Liang Changgong sighed and complained, "Brother Wei, look, I told you this method wouldn’t work. True Master Zhang comes from the Great Sect; how could he not produce a mere tens of thousands of Spiritual Shells? Now we have the Spiritual Shells, but where can we find those Qingcang Woods!"

Wei Shudan, tugging at his beard with a wry smile, said, "This time it was my wrongdoing. I initially thought such a suggestion would prompt True Master Zhang to use alternatives. I never expected his resources to be so abundant. Now that the truth is out, it’s awkward to explain."

Liang Changgong indignantly said, "If it weren’t for that person buying all the Qingcang Wood I had my eye on, we wouldn’t be in such a dilemma. Truly detestable!"

Each Qingcang Wood lives for thirty thousand years. Only in Central Pillar Continent do they reach such age. Elsewhere, they are often chopped down before maturing to make Dharma Treasures. Even so, they’re extremely rare.

The Qingcang Wood Liang Changgong originally considered valuable was a Human Clan’s treasure. The agreement was made long ago, but when he excitedly went to retrieve it a few days ago, he found it had been taken. It was a blow to him. If the treasure refinement fails, he won’t be able to face Zhang Yan.

Wei Shudan furrowed his brow in thought, "There are still some days left. I’ll try other avenues to see if I can acquire this wood, even if only six is found, it’s enough for a year’s use. Then we can take our time looking for more. What do you think, Brother Daoist?"

Liang Changgong wore a troubled expression, "What if we still can’t find it by then?"

Wei Shudan had no answer, sighed, "Let’s delay when we can."

He said nothing more, simply cupped hands and flew up upon the clouds, disappearing from sight shortly after.