The transformation of the Great Scholar Fate, Zhang Jian felt that he suddenly possessed an aura unique to learned scholars, with eyes that were both gentle and sharp, carrying a clarity of insight into the truths of the world.
Zhang Jian opened his palm, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He sensed that his Life Palace’s Fate had indeed been transformed into the Great Scholar Fate by that Cyan Jade Pendant.
What a wonder!
He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Who would have thought there is such an exquisite Dharma Artifact in this world?"
Bai Xianyin smiled and said, "No, this is a Magical Treasure, and a special low-tier Magical Treasure at that!"
Zhang Jian’s gaze shifted slightly; a Magical Treasure was much higher tiered than a Dharma Artifact.
There was a gap of three tiers: low, middle, and high.
This was his first encounter with a Magical Treasure.
Seeing Zhang Jian’s expression, Bai Xianyin immediately responded.
"Young master, although it’s a Magical Treasure, it’s different from other Magical Treasures."
She counted on her fingers and said, "The refining of such a standard Magical Treasure has actually become a routine. Many seniors in the Dao Lineage have always had the habit of using such standard Magical Treasures.
Originally, it could only store a dozen or so Fate models, but after being carefully added to and refined by successive generations of sect predecessors, it now stores dozens of Fate models, which any cultivator can use as long as certain conditions within them are met!"
Bai Xianyin chuckled, pride gleaming in her eyes.
Such a foundation is something only the mightiest of Daoist sects can possess.
Zhang Jian’s expression was momentarily stunned, and his demeanor turned somewhat grave.
Standard artifacts always tend to have various issues.
"Since it’s standard, it must have flaws that can be easily seen through!"
Zhang Jian frowned.
If this Magical Treasure was unreliable, it would fail him at crucial moments, and he would be the one to suffer.
The prized treasure in hand suddenly seemed less appealing.
Bai Xianyin, however, continued to smile cheerfully.
"Young master, no need to worry. Although this is a standard artifact, it doesn’t mean it’s inferior. On the contrary, it’s limited in number and well-crafted. Usually, only disciples with special needs can acquire it, especially those of special standing like yourself. In fact, all the major orthodox sects have such Magical Treasures!"
"Moreover, the methods used to create the runes are all different, making them extremely difficult to decipher!"
"I see! So it’s encrypted!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian felt a sudden relief, and he began to appreciate the capabilities of these various Immortal Sect Dao Lineages.
Bai Xianyin also brought up the matter of conferring the divine position.
"As for the divine sealing matter, young master, there’s no rush. Uncle Tie Xin has already gone to make contact, and it won’t be long before we hear back!"
"It seems that Lady Honghua is indeed blessed!"
Zhang Jian nodded.
He wasn’t in a hurry with this matter. During this time, he hadn’t been idle either. After confirming that Lady Honghua had successfully condensed the Fire God divine position, he had been continuously seeking the Zhang family’s assistance in secretly spreading the belief in the Kitchen God, preparing for Lady Honghua to condense the Kitchen God’s divine position.
The Zhang family, while inviting renowned artists to depict the image of the Kitchen God, also encouraged Lady Honghua’s followers to take the Kitchen God’s image home and repeatedly granted divine power to manifest and spread the faith.
With the combined efforts of the Zhang family and Red Lotus Dao, the propagation of the Kitchen God faith proceeded relatively smoothly.
Unexpectedly, they did not encounter any obstruction from the County City God Temple.
...
The tranquil times quietly passed.
Zhang Jian continued his cultivation as usual. During this time, he received several invitations: one from Cai Hengxing, an Imperial Censor and Imperial Envoy from the Imperial Censorate, and another from the Bai Shui Dragon Palace.
Thanks to deliberate efforts by Zhang Yi, Zhang Jian had already become adept at handling such social occasions.
Particularly important to Zhang Jian was his connection with the Imperial Censor, Cai Hengxing, as he was making every effort to rescue his future ’father-in-law’!
The Qi family, now closely allied and a strong support for the Zhang family, was something he couldn’t afford to see fall.
However, Imperial Censor Cai, while appreciating Zhang Jian, was steadfast in his stance towards the Qi Mansion. He insisted on severely punishing Qi Yuansi and finding evidence of the Qi family’s treason against Governor Yu Tongguang.
Faced with Cai Hengxing’s stubbornness, Zhang Jian found himself temporarily powerless.
He could only visit the Qi Mansion every so often to comfort a few cousins of the second house, promising to seize the opportunity to rescue them.
In fact, Zhang Jian had already secretly infiltrated the commandery city jail to meet Qi Yuansi once. After ensuring there was no immediate threat to Qi Yuansi’s life, he withdrew.
Currently, there was no way to rescue Qi Yuansi.
Unless Qi Yuansi was willing to abandon his future and become a rebel wanted by the Daqian court, Zhang Jian could naturally assist in a jailbreak.
But until the final stage, Qi Yuansi was clearly unwilling to give up everything.
He also believed that the Daqian court would ultimately prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Cai Hengxing was actively searching for clues, trying to completely incriminate the Qi family through Qi Yuansi.
...
Outside Fengyang County City
In the countryside fields, large flurries of snow danced with a chilling power, but before this icy strength could approach a certain figure, it was easily split in half by a blazing swordlight.
The swordlight swiftly approached, but was instantly blocked by a water-colored vortex, the sword aura revolving around the vortex unable to penetrate.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared in Zhang Jian’s eyes. The Dragon Roar Sword flew from his hand, transforming into a dragon. With invisible threads of magic, he guided the sword like a dragon rushing towards another elegant silhouette.
"Careful, Brother Zhang!"
Yet as the words fell, suddenly a high-pitched dragon’s roar echoed in the void like a thunderclap, completely disrupting the stable spiritual mechanism force field.
Zhang Jian sensed his connection with the Dragon Roar Sword being severed in an instant, as a vast sound wave swept toward the depths of his soul. It was only suppressed when a bronze glow emerged in the depths of his sea of consciousness along with the Three-Formed Sheji King Tripod.
Steadying himself from the impact, Zhang Jian’s magic directed the Dragon Roar Sword to swiftly arrive behind Bai Liying.
"Princess, you have conceded!"
Zhang Jian’s calm voice emerged.
With the withdrawal of his Dragon Roar Sword, the duel concluded, and Bai Liying felt the piercing cold disappear, glancing at the dissipating blocks of ice before her.
At the last moment, her ice magic had been torn apart by the sword qi.
She couldn’t help but exclaim, "Brother Zhang progresses rapidly; even with my father’s secret teaching of some Flood Dragon Race magic techniques, I still couldn’t withstand a few of Brother Zhang’s moves!"
Hearing this, Zhang Jian smiled.
"Fourth Princess, you’re too modest. Your progress is significant too, be it in the speed of magic condensation or in casting the Celestial Dragon Divine Sound, all much improved than before!"
Bai Liying heard this and pursed her lips.
Having obtained the position of Well Dragon King, her progress was swift, but Brother Zhang’s improvements were even faster.
A few days ago, she could sense that Zhang Jian’s use of a few magic techniques wasn’t completely smooth. With Bai Nu’s guidance, she even came up with a counterattack plan, but the next day, Zhang Jian had already addressed his weaknesses.
This progress was truly astonishing.
Zhang Jian’s expression remained unchanged, as it wasn’t surprising; this was the transformation brought by Iron Bone Jade Heart.