Xiao Wenbing blinked his bright eyes and let out a meaningful "Ah".
After reprimanding his disciple, the old Taoist priest turned to Hewlett-Packard and smiled, "My disciple has only been a disciple for a short time and is ignorant of his place. He is talking nonsense. Please forgive him, fellow Taoist."
Although Xiao Wenbing spoke softly, Hui Pu and his companion, both of whom were highly skilled, heard him clearly. The two brothers exchanged bitter smiles. The phrase "ten stacks to one" had become as easy as a simple matter in the mouth of this young man in the Core Formation stage.
However, his master was quite amusing; did he not know that his apprentice had already crafted a finished product?
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts Chapter 114: The Myriad Treasures Competition (Part Two)
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HP returned the greeting and said, "Brother Dao, you're too kind." He pointed to Xiao Wenbing and asked, "May I ask, Brother Dao, from which master did your disciple inherit his weapon-refining skills?"
The old Taoist priest was taken aback and looked back at Xiao Wenbing. This question was difficult to answer. It seemed that from beginning to end, apart from letting him read some classics, no one had taught him how to operate it in practice.
“Of course, it was personally taught by my master,” Xiao Wenbing said loudly.
The old Taoist priest nodded subconsciously.
When HP saw the old Taoist priest nod, he looked incredulous and asked, "Was it really taught by you, brother?"
"Not bad," Xianyun Laoli naturally agreed. Although he only had a superficial understanding of the art of weapon crafting, he was still better than Xiao Wenbing, who knew nothing about it. In the past six months, he had casually given Xiao Wenbing a couple of pointers. He was not called a master for nothing.
The Hewlett brothers stared at the master and apprentice with increasingly strange looks.
The old Taoist priest suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He opened his eyes wide and glared back defiantly.
The three old Taoist priests stared at each other in silence. However, the old Taoist priest Xianyun was secretly wondering to himself, "Have these two gone mad?"
"May I ask which school or lineage you follow, fellow Daoist?"
"Earth, the Secret Symbol Gate," the old Taoist priest Xianyun said solemnly.
"The Secret Symbol Gate?" Hewlett exclaimed.
Xiao Wenbing sensed something; it seemed that although the Secret Talisman Sect was small, it was quite famous.
"The Secret Talisman Sect? The Secret Talisman Sect of the Tianyi Sect?" Huiming asked.
The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Exactly."
Although the cultivation world on Earth is filled with numerous sects, the Heavenly One Sect is universally recognized as the leader among them, and at least 70% of other sects originated from it. Therefore, it is only natural for Huiming to add the name "Heavenly One Sect" before the Secret Talisman Sect. This is similar to the countless sects, large and small, that have settled on Tianding Star. They are often preceded by the name "Jade Cauldron Sect."
A hint of understanding appeared in the eyes of both old Taoist priests, clearly indicating that they had been thinking about something.
Xiao Wenbing didn't notice their expressions. He took out a small round shield from his Heavenly Void Ring and handed it to the old Daoist Xianyun. He chuckled and said, "Master, take a look."
The old Taoist priest took it and examined it; it was a small round shield, which he guessed was Xiao Wenbing's masterpiece of the past month.
He held it in his hands, examining it closely, and casually commented, "Hmm, after half a year of learning, this is your first time refining a weapon. Although you're still a bit rusty, overall it's already quite good." His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he asked curiously, "Oh. What is this?"
His eyes widened, his lips moved, and he counted softly: "One, two, three... nine, ten."
"Good heavens!" Old Daoist Xianyun exclaimed in surprise, "Ten layers! It's actually a ten-layered magic weapon! This is unbelievable!"
He looked up at the two, Hui and his companion, and immediately understood that it must have come from one of these two experts. He cupped his hands and said, "The two Elders Hui are indeed worthy of their reputation. This advanced magic weapon is the only one I have ever seen in my life."
The HP brothers immediately blushed. If it weren't for the old Taoist's genuine expression, they would have thought the old man was taking the opportunity to be sarcastic.
"Ahem..." HP coughed and said, "This old Taoist priest dares not take what others have it for granted. Even I admire this magical artifact."
The old Taoist priest was greatly surprised. Judging from his tone, it seemed that this item did not come from the hands of the brothers. The old Taoist priest frowned, suddenly remembering Xiao Wenbing's words, and turned around in alarm.
Xiao Wenbing put on a cool smile. He said calmly, "Master, I know that my skills are indeed insignificant, but..." He gestured, and the small round shield, as if it had come to life, suddenly broke free from the old Taoist's hand and flew to his front.
, .
He extended a finger. The small round shield hovered above, spinning around. Xiao Wenbing said in the most indifferent tone, "It's just this little thing. This disciple could easily forge a hundred or so of them without breaking a sweat."
The old Taoist priest was stunned. Although this disciple had brought him many surprises and delights over the past two years, this time he was still greatly amazed.
The two brothers, Hewlett and his brother, sighed sadly. What kind of achievements would such a person have if he were to reach the Tribulation Transcending stage?
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, our Jade Cauldron Sect holds a Myriad Treasures Competition every hundred years, inviting renowned experts from all over the world to come to the Jade Cauldron Sect to showcase their talents,” HP said, glancing at the suddenly mute Old Daoist Xianyun.
"Oh, how many magical treasures are there in the competition?" Xiao Wenbing immediately became interested and asked.
"The Wanbao Competition naturally boasts a vast array of magical treasures, countless in number," HP said with a smile. "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xiao would be interested?"
Xiao Wenbing nodded quickly and said, "Of course I'm interested. I wonder when the next session will be? How about I come and broaden my horizons as well?"
HP laughed loudly, "The next Wanbao Competition will be in five years. Since Fellow Daoist Xiao is interested, then this old Daoist will register you directly."
"Register directly?"
"Indeed, the Wanbao Competition is filled with numerous magical treasures and renowned experts. Therefore, after three rounds of elimination, only those truly worthy magical treasures are qualified to appear in the final competition. Each elder is qualified to recommend one guest to participate directly in the final competition. If you don't mind, I will register you in advance."
"this?"
Seeing Xiao Wenbing hesitate, Huiming quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, every guest who enters the finals will receive a top-grade jade. Once their crafted magic weapon enters the top ten, they will receive a great gift. At the same time, they will become famous in the cultivation world, which will naturally bring countless benefits to their future cultivation."
So this is how one can gain both fame and fortune. Xiao Wenbing smiled and was about to agree when he suddenly heard his master speak loudly.
"Wait..." Only now did the old Daoist Xianyun seem to awaken from a dream. He repeatedly advised, "Although my disciple has fortunately forged a magic weapon with ten layers advancing one, his cultivation level is only at the Core Formation stage. Once he leaves Jade Cauldron Star, even if he wanted to forge weapons, he would be powerless. How could he possibly participate in the once-in-a-century Myriad Treasures Competition?"
HP laughed heartily and said, "Brother, rest assured. With Fellow Daoist Xiao's talent, it would be a great loss to our cultivation world if he couldn't participate in the competition. As for his cultivation level... ha, I still have a few rare jade cauldrons. With these magical artifacts as aids, even a Core Formation stage cultivator can achieve something."
Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you very much, senior."
After bidding farewell to the old Taoist priest Xianyun, they followed Hewlett-Packard to the back mountain of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
This is the most important place in the Jade Cauldron Sect, and even ordinary inner disciples are not allowed to enter or leave at will.
However, with Master Hepburn leading the way, no one dared to step forward to question them; instead, countless people bowed and saluted them repeatedly.
Xiao Wenbing was secretly alarmed; this Taoist priest, Hui Pu, certainly seemed to be someone of extraordinary importance.
After passing through the special restrictions on the back mountain, Hewlett pushed open the door in front of him. At first glance, it was just a small, narrow cave entrance, but as the two of them walked in, they realized that there was a whole different world inside.
"Top-grade spirit stones?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in surprise. The first thing he saw when he walked in was thousands upon thousands of top-grade spirit stones piled up haphazardly on the ground.
If these things were brought to Earth, each one would probably be considered a priceless treasure by the old Daoist Xianyun. But here, they were carelessly tossed into a corner like trash.
"These spirit stones, while barely qualifying as top-grade in terms of quality, are not particularly rare," HP explained with a smile. "If Fellow Daoist Xiao likes them, please feel free to choose. There's no need to be polite."
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment and said, "Please allow me to take a look."
He stepped forward and rummaged through the pile of spirit stones for a while. There were more than thirty kinds of spirit stones here. Xiao Wenbing examined them and compared them with his memories. If he encountered anything he didn't understand, he would ask him.
HP stood by, unconcerned. He only offered a detailed explanation when Xiao Wenbing raised a question.
A full hour passed before Xiao Wenbing finally scanned all thirty-odd types of spirit stones into his mind. Having completed this, he breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and said, "Thank you, senior."
HP asked in surprise, "Why isn't Fellow Daoist Xiao taking it?"
Xiao Wenbing bowed deeply to him and said, "Being able to see top-grade spirit stones is already an eye-opener. As for the other things, hehe..." He smiled nonchalantly and said, "I cannot accept gifts without giving them to you."
HP was about to offer some advice, but seeing the man's resolute expression, he frowned, sighed, and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, these things may be relatively rare on Earth, but our Jade Cauldron Sect has countless of them. Besides, since I have already acted as your recommender, I naturally hope that you can refine a high-level magic weapon at the Myriad Treasures Competition five years from now. If you really don't want to accept this favor, just consider these things a loan from me. In the future, Fellow Daoist Xiao can repay me with finished products."
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a while, then hesitated.
Now that he has seen and copied these things, he can naturally create an endless supply of top-grade spirit stones whenever he wants.
Of course, with his current skill level, he probably couldn't create even one. The spiritual power contained within these spirit stones was truly astonishing; creating one out of thin air was definitely beyond his current capabilities.
However, if he were to advance one more step and reach the Golden Core stage, he would be able to directly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and he could probably manage to do so without having to create two for fun. Therefore, he didn't really care about these things that the old Daoist Xianyun considered extremely precious. After all, he was a cultivator with super abilities.
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Volume 4, Chapter 115: The Small Bronze Mirror
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“Fellow Daoist Xiao…” Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, HP advised again: “Among the various magical artifacts in our cultivation world, although there are exceptions, generally speaking, only truly high-grade materials can be used to forge top-quality magical artifacts. The Hundredfold Technique, although it can turn the rotten into the miraculous, is inevitably time-consuming and laborious, and also depends on good or bad luck. Ultimately, it is not the way of a true king…”
Xiao Wenbing's heart stirred, and he immediately thought of something. If he were to refine a high-level magic weapon in the future, how would he explain to people where the raw materials came from? Could he just attribute it all to the Hundred-Fold Technique?
These spirit stones in front of them could undoubtedly serve as the best cover.
Besides, HP is being so hospitable; to refuse would seem rather pretentious.
Thinking of this, Xiao Wenbing
He smiled and bowed to HP, saying, "Then thank you very much, senior." He then offered money again, selecting one of each type of spirit stone and placing it into his Heavenly Void Ring.
HP nodded in satisfaction and led him into the inner room. There were five rooms there. HP walked without stopping and arrived at the last one. He gestured in the air with his large hand, releasing the pre-placed restriction, and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please..."
Xiao Wenbing
Seeing how seriously he was taking this, even setting up a second layer of restrictions in the inner room, one immediately knew that the things inside were indeed extraordinary and extremely precious.
"The old Taoist priest has always loved collecting cauldrons and furnaces. Here are forty-nine cauldrons and furnaces, each with its own unique function and characteristics. Three of them were made using the earth's vein fire from the Jade Cauldron, so the requirements for the user are extremely low. Even a cultivator at the Core Formation stage can use them independently." Master Huipu pointed in one of the directions and said with no small amount of pride.
Xiao Wenbing looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, there were three independently placed cauldrons there. However, Xiao Wenbing
His gaze lingered on it for less than a second.
Because he suddenly sensed something, as if something was calling to him. It was a very subtle feeling, like a gentle call from the depths of his heart, from some unknown place.
In fact, he didn't know why he suddenly had this feeling, but it was a real feeling that he couldn't explain.
Xiao Wenbing's gaze shifted to something. There was a small, square bronze mirror.
His feet moved uncontrollably in that direction until he stopped beneath the small bronze mirror, his eyes fixed on it.
His strange behavior immediately aroused Hewlett-Packard's curiosity. Seeing Xiao Wenbing's keen interest in the small bronze mirror, he couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what is this...?"
Xiao Wenbing seemed to wake from a dream, and awkwardly smiled, saying, "May I ask, senior, what is the origin of this small bronze mirror?"
HP shook his head and said, "There's no precedent for this."