Zhang Yan circled around the summit of a mountain, then selected a spot and used Xuan Guang to carve out a simple Cave Mansion. With a flick of his hand, a dozen appropriately-sized rocks flew into the cave, arranging themselves into the shapes of stone tables and stools.
He smiled faintly and casually entered the Cave Mansion. With a sweep of his wide sleeves, he tossed the Sleeve Bags and Magic Artifacts acquired from Bao Dingheng and his companions onto the stone table.
Among the belongings left behind by Bao Dingheng and the others, aside from some scattered items, there were merely one or two Dharma Treasures and two sword plates worth examining.
These sword plates could not be controlled by anyone except disciples of the Yuan Yang Sect. Moreover, each disciple’s sword plate was unique, gifted by their elders at the beginning of their cultivation, and refined to be perfectly attuned to themselves. Even if a fellow sect disciple were to take it, it would not be easy to use, let alone disciples from other sects. Hence, when Lan Yuchun’s sword plate fell into the forest earlier, Bao Dingheng and Fang He had no intention of retrieving it, nor did anyone else pay it any mind.
However, Zhang Yan knew that the sword plate’s ability to transform Qi into swords lay in the fact that it was imbued with a strand of Geng Xin Gold Qi. This allowed it to carry spiritual energy, foster growth, and manifest as sword forms. Since this Gold Qi was one of the Five Elements Essence Qi he sought, he was inclined to investigate further.
Yet after probing it with his Spiritual Energy, he was slightly disappointed.
The Gold Qi within the two sword plates was impure and mixed with other energies, evidently blended with Mixed Energy during refinement. While adequate for creating Sword Qi, it was far too inferior for cultivating the Supreme Mysterious True Light.
Still, he reconsidered—Bao Dingheng and his sect brothers were merely ordinary disciples of Yuan Yang Sect, unable to acquire Gold Qi of such purity. Furthermore, if the Gold Qi were truly so pure, it would not have failed to harm him when striking him earlier.
He shook his head with a smile, then casually discarded the two sword plates and reached out to examine the Iron Ruler that had dispersed the Xuanhuang Great Hand.
After a few glances, he found that this item was merely a High-grade Spirit Artifact and required a mantra to activate. Though its power was impressive, it was impractical for combat with others, akin to a useless appendage. After examining it for a while, he lost interest and tossed it into his Sleeve Bag. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet
His gaze then fell on the Thunder Seal.
This Dharma Treasure did possess considerable power, but its major flaw was that it could only be used within a range of ten zhang.
Under such limitations, it would be of some use in group battles against an opponent, but in solo combat, one could not rely on its effectiveness.
Nevertheless, once he returned to his sect, he could either grant this item to his disciples or sell it at the Immortal Market, so he kept it in his collection.
He continued sorting through the items, using Taiyin Xuan Guang to refine those he deemed useless, keeping only the ones that seemed somewhat valuable.
After organizing everything, he found that among these items, the Red Copper Flying Sand in half a gourd stood out as extraordinary. However, since this was not the place for thorough research, he stored it away for later investigation.
After finishing everything, he took out the human bag and tipped it open, releasing Master Shi.
The elder was still unconscious. Zhang Yan retrieved an Elixir Pill and fed it to him. Soon enough, Master Shi slowly regained consciousness.
When Master Shi opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Yan and showed not the slightest hint of panic. He calmly turned over and sat up, scanning the surroundings before speaking in a deep voice, "Where is Daoist Bao’s group?"
Zhang Yan replied candidly, "To be honest, Master Shi, all of them have been dealt with by me."
Master Shi remained silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "What, then, would you have this old man do for you, fellow Daoist?"
Zhang Yan nodded inwardly. This Master Shi was indeed perceptive, understanding that being spared had a specific purpose behind it. Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Naturally, I would ask Master Shi to help me find the One Qi Ganoderma."
Master Shi’s frosty brows raised in astonishment, and he said, "Daoist Li already obtained an excellent Medicine Mushroom. Is that still not sufficient?"
Zhang Yan laughed aloud and replied, "To be honest, Master Shi, though the Transformed Medicine Mushroom is remarkable, it’s not what I desire. According to my knowledge, within Qingcun Mountain, there exists an even superior Medicine Mushroom."
Master Shi’s expression subtly changed, and he couldn’t help but glance at Zhang Yan. If it surpassed the Transformed Medicine Mushroom, it could only be the Ganoderma Ancestor. Though Zhang Yan didn’t explicitly say so, the implication in his words was unmistakable.
He stroked the beard under his chin, seemingly to mask the emotions stirring in his heart, and said, "If you seek this item, this old man originally lacked the ability. But with your acquisition of the Transformed Medicine Mushroom, I might be able to give it a try. Whether it succeeds or not... there’s no guarantee."