Chapter 298: Preparations Before Departure

"Treasure?" Wu Yuan's eyes gleamed with excitement. The primary reason for his trip here was to obtain his rewards for reaching the Spiritual Body phase.

"According to the rules, upon achieving the Spiritual Body phase, you will receive a gift from the Fourth Eldritch Realm." The realm master gestured towards several beams of light. "These are the best treasures I can prepare for you within my authority."

Wu Yuan looked over. The first treasure was a completely black, sealed weapon case. It appeared to be made of wood, but was actually crafted from an unidentified metal.

"I am aware that despite your sword cultivator class, your heart lies with the saber," the realm master pointed to the weapon case. "This contains an earth attribute saber I selected specifically for you. It is a third-grade spirit weapon, enough for you to exhibit your power."

Third-grade spirit equipment? Wu Yuan’s breath caught. What a valuable treasure!

While a fourth-grade spirit weapon was only one grade lower than a third-grade one, the difference was immense, one worth a hundred times more than the other.

Though weapons such as sabers and swords often held the least value among artifacts of the same grade, this was still a piece of third-grade spirit equipment after all. He would have to exchange around 30 suits of his current eldritch armor for such a saber.

It should be noted that the Delirium Landbreaker Saber Emperor Dong Pan had gifted Wu Yuan did not quite meet his needs any longer.

The weapon case creaked open, revealing the war saber within. Instantly, a dense aura seeped out. It wasn’t sharp, but rather exuded a heavy presence, just like a mountain.

"What an impressive saber," Wu Yuan remarked, his eyes shimmering as he examined the weapon. The entire saber was black and emitted a potent aura of Earth Dao, a testament to the skill and cultivation level of its creator.

With a wave of his hand, Wu Yuan stowed the saber away in his soul chamber.

"This second treasure is meant for the Teng Snake," the realm master declared, unwilling to refer to it as Little Black. He couldn’t help but feel that such a name was unworthy of the mighty Teng Snake.

As the object came into view, Wu Yuan realized that he was familiar with it – eldritch armor. Accompanying the armor was a pair of wings, about a meter in length and nearly transparent, with feathers that were sharp as knives and gleamed with cold light. In terms of strength, the wing artifact seemed to surpass the eldritch armor.

"This wing artifact, called the Veiled Serpent Plume, is exceptional even among third-grade spirit equipment," the realm master explained. "With both the eldritch armor and the Veiled Serpent Plume, the Teng Snake will be better equipped for battle."

Wu Yuan nodded, relieved to have found a suitable artifact for Little Black. This was a problem that had vexed him for a long time.

"The Veiled Serpent Plume not only aids the Teng Snake in flight speed and combat, but also serves as a disguise," the realm master continued.

Wu Yuan was intrigued.

"The Teng Snake may not be as well-known as the True Dragon, World Ringworm, or Phoenix, but those with the right inheritance and knowledge can easily identify it," the realm master warned. "Any eldritch who has a contracted Teng Snake is undeniably a top-tier genius. This could easily attract unwanted attention."

"With the Veiled Serpent Plume, the Teng Snake can alter its appearance. Even during Beast Fusion, the wing artifact can allow it to conceal its form," the realm master concluded.

"I see," Wu Yuan nodded.

While he faced no immediate threats in the Middle Land, traveling abroad posed unknown dangers. Staying discreet was the wisest course of action.

"The final reward is ethercrystal," declared the realm master, gesturing towards the final storage artifact. "I’ve filled it with some ethercrystal and high-grade etherstone. Feel free to look through it."

Wu Yuan offered a slight nod in response.

His Soul Force extended, flowing into the belt-shaped storage artifact. Instantly, Wu Yuan's expression shifted.

"Realm master, how much ethercrystal is this?" Wu Yuan asked softly.

It was a staggering amount.

"Not much, just ten cubic meters of ethercrystal, not even enough to fill a small house," the realm master remarked casually, as though it was no big deal.

This time, Wu Yuan fell silent, his heart thundering in his chest.

Ten cubic meters? Enough to fill a house? Heavens!

What was ethercrystal? It was the crystallized form of pure energy, containing a vast reservoir of spiritual qi.

To Wu Yuan's knowledge, within the macrocosm, a piece of sixth-grade spirit equipment was worth approximately a catty of ethercrystal. A piece of fourth-grade spirit equipment was valued at 1000 catties of ethercrystal.

And the weight of one cubic meter of pure ethercrystal? Over 100,000 catties!

The third-grade spirit saber, a cherished possession in Wu Yuan's eyes, was worth one cubic meter of ethercrystal.

In a nutshell, the realm master had just given Wu Yuan a million catties of ethercrystal in one go. In comparison, the million catties of high-grade etherstone placed nearby didn’t look impressive at all.

"Do you find it valuable?" the realm master asked with a smirk.

Wu Yuan could only nod.

Indeed, it was immensely valuable. Over the past decade, he had enticed Heavenly Rankers to offer up their ethercrystal and scour the Middle Land for more in exchange for teachings from the Daoist Scripture Tower. But in total, Wu Yuan had amassed only several hundred catties of ethercrystal.

Though this quantity sounded modest, several hundred catties were enough to make a Golden Core cultivator's heart race.

"It’s valuable to ordinary Golden Core cultivators. But for you, this isn’t much at all. Ethercrystal is one of the most essential treasures. Whether in cultivation, array formation, pill refining, tool crafting, and more, one cannot go without them. Hence, within the immortal cultivation realm, ethercrystal and high-grade etherstone are not just resources, but also currency," the realm master explained.

Wu Yuan gave a slight nod.

For cultivators, wealth held little significance! Or rather, few cultivators would place trust in a currency lacking actual value. The only universally accepted equivalent resource among cultivators was ethercrystal.

"You believe ethercrystal is valuable, but that perception is shaped by your time in the Middle Land," the realm master remarked. "The Middle Land is small with scarcely any resources. In the Communion phase, you were barely able to scrape together an adequate amount of resources. But now that you’ve reached the Spiritual Body phase, it is no longer sufficient, much like how a jiaolong cannot thrive in shallow waters.”

"In the macrocosm, ethercrystal can be exchanged for any cultivation resource you desire, but in the Middle Land, its utility is limited," the realm master said. "Moreover, the Middle Land struggles to produce ethercrystal to begin with."

The realm master continued, "Do you know that in the Heavenly Crystal River, powerful beings can condense a sphere of ethercrystal the size of a world in one go?"

Wu Yuan felt his jaw drop.

A sphere of ethercrystal the size of a world? How much was that?

The realm master chuckled.

It was no small feat! Condensing ethercrystal deep within the Heavenly Crystal River? While some great beings possessed such ability, such entities were few and far between in the vast river of time and space.

"With your potential, joining a large faction in the macrocosm and becoming a core member would grant you even greater resources," the realm master suggested. "What I have provided is but a fraction of what you could attain. Broaden your horizons."

"Understood," Wu Yuan nodded.

Only the realm master would downplay such a gift. As per Wu Yuan’s understanding, the wealth he had just been bestowed was comparable to the net worth of a weaker Amethyst Cradle Reverend!

Naturally, treasures like the Luminous Immortal Soil were worth more than a million catties of ethercrystal.

Furthermore, the strength of Amethyst Cradle Reverends varied, with Reverend Qing Yan being one of the relatively stronger ones. The Yanqing Hall he left behind could fetch two or three million catties of ethercrystal if sold in the macrocosm.

However, the Yanqing Hall wasn’t of much use to Wu Yuan at the moment; what he lacked was ethercrystal. It was akin to crossing a desert – what good was gold there? Water was far more useful.

"For small matters, etherstone will suffice; for big matters, use ethercrystal," the realm master said. "These are the currencies of the immortal cultivation world."

"This is everything I’ve prepared for your phase advancement reward," the realm master concluded.

"Thank you, Realm Master," Wu Yuan expressed genuine gratitude.

Each treasure was extremely useful for him and had likely been meticulously chosen by the realm master.

"Very well. That will be all, it’s time for you to leave," the realm master looked directly at Wu Yuan, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "I will be awaiting the day you advance to the Shambhala phase."

"Understood," Wu Yuan gave a firm nod.

After a brief chat, Wu Yuan bid farewell to the realm master and left the Fourth Eldritch Realm.

“He has departed once more.” The realm master's illusory form flickered slightly. Alone in the vacant hall, he murmured to himself, lost in contemplation, "Master, will I witness the revival of the Hou Feng Tribe?"

Once, he dared not harbor any hope. But now, hope shone bright, no longer as distant as before.

...

After departing from the Fourth Eldritch Realm, Wu Yuan made his way back to the Yanqing Hall, where he divided the ethercrystal and etherstone between his two true selves.

My qi refiner self requires more ethercrystal compared to my body refiner self.

Absorbing spiritual qi from high-grade etherstone would slightly expedite his mana cultivation more so than directly absorbing spiritual qi. By utilizing ethercrystal, he could further enhance the speed of his cultivation.

Meanwhile, his body refiner self already benefited from the Luminous Immortal Soil, which provided superior effects for cultivation compared to ethercrystal.

After completing his task, his body refiner self returned to the Archeldritch Mountain in the Cloud Capital and began closed door cultivation.

Although the realm master didn't say it explicitly, he’s encouraging me to venture out and take risks.

Wu Yuan reflected.

Take risks? With Wu Yuan’s personality, he had always veered on the side of caution and stability, taking a methodical approach to cultivation over the past fifteen years. But now, he sensed that this path could no longer bring him closer to his goals.

My body refiner self still has room to progress, albeit at a slower pace without the blood-red mist.

With the inheritance memories, his body refiner self had no lack of teachings or ether arts. However, this was not the case for his qi refiner self.

Currently, I’m cultivating the Dark Earth Sword Path. The path of the sword is the path of killing. A strong sword heart cannot be cultivated through closed-door cultivation alone. Moreover, the Dark Earth Sword Path is not among the best sword cultivation techniques.

Wu Yuan recognized this clearly.

For his eldritch warrior cultivation, he had inheritance memories to refer to for guidance. But for sword cultivation, he had none. Who knew how long he would take to find the answers he sought?

My lifebound flying swords have now stagnated at their current grade, deprived of the minerals and treasures necessary for advancement.

Wu Yuan shook his head.

In a few hundred years, he could certainly reach the Golden Core phase through cultivation alone. But once time was lost, it could never be reclaimed.

Once his vitality waned, the task of cultivating a powerful sword heart capable of cutting through all obstacles would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

My Dao comprehension has also reached a bottleneck at the Domain stage.

Wu Yuan sensed that he was quickly approaching the limits of what he could achieve by focusing solely on secluded cultivation.

It was time for him to venture forth into the greater world and challenge himself!

The feelings Wu Yuan had for the Middle Land were similar to how a teenager felt about his village. In his heart, an insatiable yearning for the world beyond stirred, a yearning for excitement and blood-pumping battles!

If I were to pinpoint the moment that stirred my excitement the most, it would undoubtedly be my battle with Chen Luo.

Wu Yuan reminisced.

A young hero clashing fiercely with an opponent over 2000 li amidst chilling winds and flashing blades. What a stirring scene!

Wu Yuan came to a decision.

"Old Fang, Qiong Sea King, come to me at once," Wu Yuan’s voice echoed in their minds.

Before long, Fang Xia and Qiong Sea King arrived at Archeldritch Mountain and followed Wu Yuan's Soul Force guidance into the meditation chamber.

"Young Master."

"Master." The two of them greeted him.

"I am preparing to leave the Middle Land. Will you join me on this journey?" Wu Yuan asked, smiling at the man and beast.

Fang Xia and Qiong Sea King were taken aback. Leave the Middle Land?

With Wu Yuan's explanation, they soon understood what he meant.

"There's a teleportation array?" Fang Xia was shocked.

"Master, you’ve cultivated two true selves?" Qiong Sea King was even more astonished, "Two lives?"

"The destination of the teleportation array is unknown," Wu Yuan explained. "First, I need a trustworthy Heavenly Ranker to conduct a trial expedition to assess the danger level of the destination.”

“After that, if all goes well, and I’m ready to leave Middle Land, will you accompany me?" Wu Yuan looked at the two individuals he trusted greatly.

Fang Xia hesitated, a brief struggle flickered through his eyes.

"Master, I’m willing to accompany your qi refiner self. As for the trial attempt? I am willing to take the risk," Qiong Sea King offered, excitement shining in his eyes.