HSSB404: Words said in jest now turned true
On hearing Yan Zhaoge’s words, Yan Di and the others turned to look at Yuan Zhengfeng and Fu Enshu.
Yuan Zhengfeng smiled, nodding, “A stone from the mountain of another might be able to forge one’s weapons. It indeed has its unique points.”
Fu Enshu also said, “Obtaining this treasure perhaps comes as an unexpected yet pleasant surprise to our clan.”
Regardless of one’s style or personality as well as talent, martial practitioners who were able to attain such heights were generally rather more passionate regarding the martial dao.
Hearing that the crimson pagoda possessed such a use, Yan Di and the others all grew interested as they now came before it.
“One person each time; if more go, there’d instead be no reaction,” Saying thus, Yan Zhaoge retreated to the side.
Yan Di was the first to place his hands on the crimson pagoda, infusing his true essence within. The pagoda shuddered slightly.
After a long time, Yan Di let go. He did not say anything, appearing deep in thought as he stood unmoving where he was.
The other bigwigs of the clan who were present went up one by one, taking turns to come into contact with that crimson pagoda.
After the deed, everyone appeared to be pondering on something as they remained silent and completely focused.
Yan Zhaoge, Yuan Zhengfeng and Fu Enshu, exchanging glances, all smiled. Back when they had come into contact with the crimson pagoda, they had also fallen into a similar state.
They did not hasten Yan Di and the others, just waiting patiently and quietly where they were.
After a while, those who had just come into contact with the crimson pagoda began to recover one after another.
The Grand Elder, Elder Zhang, clicked his tongue in praise, “It indeed contains profundities of its own. Perhaps one’s direct gains are limited, but connecting it with our commonly practised martial arts, some new thoughts seem to be born.”
“However, it is like a flash of inspiration. After grasping it, one still has to think back deeply on it.”
Elder He beside him directly said, “Enshu spoke true; it truly is a pleasant surprise.”
She surveyed their surroundings, “Making further progress at our level is always extremely difficult. With our current cultivation bases, wanting to improve is a very difficult thing. Borrowing external help would not be easy; one would only be able to search painstakingly for one’s own insights.”
“Now, having first had that stone pillar that Zhaoge brought back from the Great Western Desert and now this pagoda of fire and ice, we have grasped two consecutive pieces of fortune. To our Broad Creed Mountain as a whole, this holds extreme significance!”
It would be impossible for their cultivation bases to suddenly and collectively soar in improvement.
Like Elder He had said, making further progress at their level would always be extremely difficult.
Especially for Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmasters like Yan Di and this Elder Zhang.
A step further and they would Transcend Mortality and enter Sainthood-how incomparably difficult was that.
Still, it was precisely because of this that if they could make stable gains, even if they did not achieve a breakthrough into the Martial Saint realm, the results of this would still be extremely beneficial.
After all, this was not the improvement of an individual, rather being a possible collective half-step improvement of all the higher echelon experts of Broad Creed Mountain as a whole.
While this didn’t seem very major, many a times, the slightest difference could prove decisive in a battle between experts.
Before, Broad Creed Mountain had already presided over the other five Sacred Grounds in terms of Martial Grandmasters.
Although Yuan Zhengfeng had broken through into the Martial Saint realm and Xin Dongping had been killed, leaving Broad Creed Mountain two Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmasters fewer, Yan Di stepping into the Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmaster realm had made it such that Broad Creed Mountain retained supremacy in the area of Martial Grandmasters.
In the eyes of the martial practitioners of the Eight Extremities World, Yan Di was special.
Having entered the Transcending Mortality stage, from a certain perspective, his opponents were actually no longer Martial Grandmasters, instead being those Martial Saint experts.
After the great battle at Broad Creed Mountain, in the eyes of many, Broad Creed Mountain had had the momentum of regaining the throne of the number one Sacred Ground.
The reason for this, other than Yuan Zhengfeng having successfully stepped into the Martial Saint realm and the Sacred Sun Clan having lost their Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler, were two.
One was Yan Di having become a Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmaster.
The other was Yan Zhaoge’s current dominance over all his similarly aged peers, revealing Broad Creed Mountain’s superior background and strength.
Under such circumstances, if the higher echelon experts of Broad Creed Mountain could all collectively improve their strength, even if it were just a half-step, its effects would already be extremely prominent.
With even Yuan Zhengfeng as a Martial Saint having benefited, everyone only rejoiced more.
Meanwhile, the greatest anticipation lay with the three Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmasters.
The others recovered, with only Yan Di and Fang Zhun left in deep thought.
Seeing this, not only was everyone not worried, they instead had joyful looks on their faces.
After a while, Fang Zhun let out a long breath, then opened his eyes.
Yuan Zhengfeng smiled, asking, “How is it?”
Fang Zhun said, “There’s just that last paper-thin distance.”
Everyone laughed heartily, “Good!”
After some time more, Yan Di finally opened his eyes as well, saying quietly to everyone’s gazes that were on him, “I’ve still got to think more deeply on it.”
The expressions of Yuan Zhengfeng and the others grew solemn, but rather than looking worried, now held some bit more of anticipation.
“Right, this kind of thing looks at one’s personal comprehensions,” Yuan Zhengfeng nodded slowly, before he now said to everyone else, “Because this pagoda can only be viewed and comprehended one by one, for the time being, they can only be used in turn.”
“This old man’s intentions are to first hand it over to Yan Di, junior apprentice-brother Zhang and junior apprentice-sister He to take care of in turn. Of course, Zhaoge can also retrieve it to use as he likes.”
Fang Zhun and the others all nodded. That previous use of Fang Zhun’s was already sufficient for him for the time being. What would follow would be a period of painstaking secluded cultivation for him.
Yan Di said, “There should also be you, Master.”
This was not him politely stepping aside. If as a Martial Saint, Yuan Zhengfeng could continue to improve, immediate benefits for the clan would be seen with that.
Everyone’s discussions ceased as Yuan Zhengfeng looked at Yan Zhaoge, smiling, “Zhaoge lost his Internal Crystal Furnace from assisting in the birth of the Jade Sea Pill Heart Sword during the great tribulation of Jade Sea City this time. Having returned to the Mountain, this should be made up for as soon as possible.”
Yan Zhaoge chortled, “I’ve just been waiting for this sentence of yours.”
Everyone laughed, Yan Di shaking his head in ill humour at his lazy look, “You, you…”
After the laughter had passed, Yan Di’s gaze was filled with pride as well as joy, “The time for harvesting is nigh.”
On hearing his words, Yan Zhaoge’s eyes momentarily shone, “What stage has it reached now?”
Yan Di said, “Mid-grade spirit artifacts are already no longer a problem; the current target is top-grade spirit artifacts. Of course, if they’re those, the requirements on the materials used will be very high.”
The corners of Yan Zhaoge’s lips arched slightly.
Broad Creed Mountain had never slackened in their efforts to improve on the Internal Crystal Furnace, especially having expended great efforts in this area after having gotten rid of the hidden problem of the Decimating Abyss.
After the great battle of Broad Creed Mountain, with Yan Di having officially succeeded the position of Chief, he had remained stationed in Broad Creed Mountain. Other than dealing with the affairs of the clan, most of his efforts had been focused on the Internal Crystal Furnace.
Yan Zhaoge had also not let down on analysing the Internal Crystal Furnace during his travels abroad, and summing up the great amount of information he gained from the process, he would unceasingly send it over to his father back at the clan.
At the current moment, Yan Zhaoge himself already possessed the ability to mass produce low-grade spirit artifacts, able to do it infinitely so long as the materials for such were sufficient.
And now, the tough bottleneck for mid-grade spirit artifacts had also been breached.
In the past, Yan Zhaoge had said in jest to his junior apprentice-brothers and sisters that in the future, leaving the clan, they would be able to just heap their opponents to death with spirit artifacts. And now, this looked like it truly would come into fruition.
As Yan Zhaoge left the great hall alongside Yan Di and father and son walked on the mountain paths together, Yan Di’s gaze that was on his son held a seldom seen gentleness amidst its usual arrogance and sharpness.
“Yet another ten-year period will soon be past,” Yan Di said softly, “Being the Chief now, I am saddled with responsibilities and cannot lightly leave the Mountain for private matters. You’ve gradually achieved some prowess now with your cultivation; the Marsh of Illusory Sea-I’ll leave it to you to make a trip there this time.”
Saying thus, he handed Yan Zhaoge an object.
Yan Zhaoge received it. That was a jade hairpin, a snow crane inscribed on its head, simple and elegant.