Chapter 75

Standing in the library of Thunder Sound Valley, Zhong Wen looked at the rows of bookshelves filled with books on spirit artifacts, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.

It’s really a hundred years of professional blacksmithing!

After walking through the entire library, he finally found a shelf marked “Cultivation Techniques and Spirit Skills” in a corner. Approaching to take a closer look, although there weren’t many books on the shelf, there were still over twenty, which was much more satisfactory compared to Medicine King Valley.

It seems that although blacksmiths are poor, they have more opportunities to fight than doctors.

With this thought, he slowly extended his right hand.

“Discovered cultivation technique book ‘Barbarian King’s Great Strength Technique,’ do you wish to record it? Yes/No.”

“Discovered cultivation technique book ‘Heavenly Fire Divine Technique,’ do you wish to record it? Yes/No.”

“Discovered cultivation technique book ‘Muscle Strengthening and Bone Tempering Technique,’ do you wish to record it? Yes/No.”

...

“Discovered spirit skill book ‘Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique,’ do you wish to record it? Yes/No.”

“Discovered spirit skill book ‘Heaven-Dominating Dragon Subduing Saber,’ do you wish to record it? Yes/No.”

...

After recording all the cultivation techniques and spirit skills on the shelf into his mind, Zhong Wen was pleasantly surprised to find that three cultivation techniques and two spirit skills had reached the Diamond grade, while the remaining twenty were all Platinum grade, with no Gold grade “rubbish.”

Feeling that the trip was worthwhile, Zhong Wen began to quickly record the rest of the spirit artifact books. He closed his eyes, moved swiftly, and swept his hand over the rows of bookshelves without looking at the contents.

“Recorded 100 spirit artifact books, please draw a prize: 1. Great Brightness Unmanifested True Sutra; 2. Great Dry Beauty Rankings; 3.醍醐灌顶 (one volume).”

“Congratulations, you have won:醍醐灌顶 (one volume)!”

“Recorded 500 spirit artifact books, please draw a prize: 1. Dragon Elephant Heaven-Shaking Technique; 2. Great Dry Bilingual Dictionary; 3. Advanced Pet Food Making Guide.”

“Congratulations, you have won: Advanced Pet Food Making Guide!”

Looking at the Advanced Pet Food Making Guide in his mind, Zhong Wen’s lips twitched, and he inwardly cursed.

“Recorded 1,000 spirit artifact books, please draw a prize: 1. Mystic Ice and Fire Technique; 2. Three Hundred Song Poems; 3.醍醐灌顶 (one volume).”

“Congratulations, you have won: Mystic Ice and Fire Technique!”

Without the assistance of a lucky person, Zhong Wen’s luck was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and upon closer examination, it seemed that the bad times were more frequent. Fortunately, the Star Spirit grade cultivation technique he drew at the last moment somewhat consoled him.

After recording the last spirit artifact book into his mind, the panel of the “New Huazang Scripture Pavilion” finally began to change:

“Completed Task 3: Successfully found an ancient sect’s ruins and recorded the books within. Please draw a prize: 1.醍醐灌顶 (one volume); 2. History of the Founding of Great Dry; 3. Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source.”

“Congratulations, you have won:醍醐灌顶 (one volume)!”

“Ai.” Not drawing the long-desired third option left him somewhat depressed.

“Completed Task 3: Successfully found an ancient sect’s ruins and recorded the books within. Please draw a prize: 1. Yin-Yang Blissful Zen; 2.醍醐灌顶 (one volume); 3. Lotus Nirvana Palm.”

“Congratulations, you have won: Yin-Yang Blissful Zen!”

“Eh?” Zhong Wen curiously flipped through the newly drawn Diamond grade cultivation technique, and gradually, his eyes revealed a look of shock and wild joy.

It turned out to be a dual cultivation technique!

Finally, he could “lie down” and level up. Zhong Wen felt that his dream was about to come true.

According to the book, this cultivation technique cannot autonomously cultivate spirit energy, but it can use the yin-yang energy generated during sexual intercourse to enhance the cultivator’s technique level, benefiting both parties. It is a must-have treasure for married people.

Zhong Wen couldn’t help but bow in reverence to the “Blissful Sect” of the ancient era, which created this cultivation technique, and his mind wandered in endless imagination.

To become stronger so pleasantly, how awesome must the “Blissful Sect” have been?

However, he was mistaken. While dual cultivation techniques can increase cultivation speed, they can only serve as an auxiliary method. In the later stages of cultivation, their effects are minimal, and the benefits to the weaker party in the relationship are much greater than the other. Relying solely on sexual intercourse for cultivation ultimately makes it difficult to achieve greatness.

“Hehehe…” Zhong Wen’s mind conjured up the fiery figure of Leng Wushuang, drooling and smiling foolishly, lost in delightful fantasies.

“Task 3: Successfully refined 30 ‘Elixir of Muscle and Bone Cleansing,’ earning two chances to draw a prize.”

At this moment, the task panel had quietly changed, but he didn’t notice at all.

“Zhong Wen, what are you doing?” A gentle and melodious voice suddenly came from behind.

“Nangong Sister.” Zhong Wen was startled by the sudden voice, turned around, and saw Nangong Ling, finally relaxing. “I was just surprised by the number of ancient books here.”

“Not bad, it’s my first time personally witnessing the ruins of an ancient sect, truly impressive.” Nangong Ling nodded slightly. “It’s a pity that so many spirit crystals and materials downstairs cannot be used by our Piaohua Palace, or the entire sect’s strength would have a significant leap.”

“Since we promised to take nothing, don’t think about it too much.” Zhong Wen smiled. “The more you think about it, the more painful it becomes.”

Nangong Ling was testing him. Seeing that Zhong Wen didn’t show any greed in the face of so many spirit crystals, her beautiful eyes revealed a hint of approval. “Speaking of which, since I returned to the sect, I haven’t had the chance to talk to you alone.”

“What does Sister want to talk about?” Zhong Wen, just returning from his fantasies about dual cultivation, his eyes lit up at the thought of a beautiful woman wanting to talk to him alone, and his mind filled with some wonderful fantasies.

“This time, the entire Piaohua Palace has completely changed. It’s much more lively, and the cultivation techniques and spirit skills everyone is practicing are different from before.” Nangong Ling’s voice was very gentle and soothing. “If I’m not mistaken, these are all brought by you, right?”

“Has Palace Master Sister not explained it to you?” Zhong Wen didn’t answer directly.

“Whenever you are mentioned, my master becomes vague, only saying that you are a trustworthy person.” Nangong Ling sighed. “If I ask for more details, she won’t say anything.”

“Does Nangong Sister not approve of Palace Master Sister’s judgment of me?” Zhong Wen said with a smile.

“Don’t blame me for being suspicious.” Nangong Ling said softly. “My master is the kindest and most honest person, easily deceived by others, as you might know. And you have shown many extraordinary abilities, so it’s natural for me to think more.”

“Nangong Sister, your wisdom is rare in the world.” Zhong Wen stared into Nangong Ling’s clear eyes. “Based on your judgment over these days, what kind of person am I?”

“From my perspective, although you are impulsive and fond of women,” Nangong Ling said frankly, “you are not a bad person.”

Zhong Wen: “...”

“I was just teasing you.” Seeing Zhong Wen’s drooping face, Nangong Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Based on my observations these past few days, your concern for my master and the other disciples is genuine. Otherwise, I would have found a way to drive you away long ago.”

“How would Sister drive me away?” Zhong Wen asked curiously.

“If I wanted to drive you away, I would have many ways.” Nangong Ling’s eyes shone with the brilliance of a goddess of wisdom, making him unable to argue.

“Thank you, Nangong Sister, for showing mercy.” Zhong Wen laughed dryly. “You’ve given Zhong Wen a place to stay.”

“However, don’t get too cocky, I haven’t completely trusted you yet.” Nangong Ling’s expression suddenly changed, and she said sternly, “If I find that you have ulterior motives and intend to harm Piaohua Palace...”

“Sister, speaking of harming Piaohua Palace.” Zhong Wen couldn’t help but retort, “I suspect that the family of your future husband might pose a real threat to Piaohua Palace.”

“I knew you would bring this up.” Nangong Ling covered her mouth and giggled, exuding a mature charm beyond her age. “You teach cultivation techniques and spirit skills to Qiqi and the others but refuse to teach me. Are you worried that I might leak them to the Xiao family and then come back to trouble you?”

“This... is not entirely the case.” Zhong Wen was startled, inwardly marveling at her intelligence, but still tried to defend himself. “The cultivation techniques I taught to Palace Master Sister and Qiqi were tailored to their individual characteristics. Since you have just returned, I don’t know you well enough yet, so I don’t know what kind of cultivation techniques and spirit skills would suit you.”

“Alright, alright, I was just joking.” Nangong Ling laughed. “I don’t care about your cultivation techniques.”

Nangong Ling was incredibly intelligent, and Zhong Wen always felt like he was being led by the nose when talking to her. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked bluntly, “Nangong Sister, are you really going to marry Xiao Wuqing?”

“Zhong Wen, the power of the Xiao family and the Nangong family far exceeds your imagination.” Nangong Ling sighed. “Don’t think that Piaohua Palace, with a Heaven Wheel expert, can stand up to such a behemoth. The woman sent by Nangong Tianxing to monitor me is also a Heaven Wheel expert.”

“Speaking of which, where is that green-robed sister?” Zhong Wen asked curiously. “She didn’t show up to save you just now, was she not following us?”

“We came to explore the ancient ruins, how could we bring her along? I asked my master to help and left her temporarily at Piaohua Palace.” Nangong Ling’s eyes sparkled with intelligence.

“Sister is wise.” Zhong Wen flattered her with a grin.

“What I want to say is, Heaven Wheel experts are revered as deities in ordinary sects.” Nangong Ling continued. “But to the imperial families, they are not rare. Moreover, both the Xiao family and the Nangong family have Spirit Venerable-level experts. If not, he wouldn’t have tried to trick me back home with a letter, which was a foolish dream.”

“Sister, are you worried that angering a Spirit Venerable would bring disaster to Piaohua Palace?” Zhong Wen stroked his chin and thought for a moment. “If I can ensure that Piaohua Palace will have the strength to stand up to the Nangong family in a few months, would you be willing to defy the arranged marriage for your own happiness?”

“I’m not like Uncle Leng, who can be easily swayed.” Nangong Ling’s lips curled, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “To convince me, you need to show real ability.”

Zhong Wen looked at the ethereal woman before him, as if making a decision, and suddenly took a big step towards her...