Chapter 910: Water Spirit Root 100

With a thought, space opened up, and a long azure sword slowly descended.

Chen Mobai reached out and touched the sword tassel, and the power of "Calming the Waves" surged forth. An azure ripple, like water, emanated from the hilt of the Seastone Sword and quickly spread, covering the innate water elemental essence emerging from the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl. Instantly, the previously rippling deep blue light stream stabilized, like a focused beam of water, precisely colliding with the talisman plate made from the Grand Chūn Tree heart. It was as if deep blue dye had been splashed onto it, gradually coloring the lines drawn by True Lord Yu Yi.

With the combined efforts of the three, after about half an hour, the entire innate water elemental essence was extracted and flowed into the Water Spirit Talisman. As the last line on the talisman plate was dyed deep blue, all the patterns of the talisman instantly lit up with a warm, soft glow, as if an electrical circuit had been completed. Fortunately, Chen Mobai had not withdrawn the Seastone Sword, and the power of Calming the Waves was continuously active; otherwise, the vibrations from the creation of this fifth-tier Water Spirit Talisman would certainly have been impossible to conceal.

True Lord Yu Yi took a pill to replenish her essence, then forcefully drew a breath of true qi to complete the finishing touches on the talisman. Twelve minutes later, Chen Mobai saw all the blue light begin to recede, eventually reverting to the original talisman lines. This indicated that the fifth-tier Water Spirit Talisman had been successfully forged.

A smile appeared on Chen Mobai's face. "True Lord, you've worked hard." He thanked True Lord Yu Yi, while Wenren Xuewei had already walked to her side, helping the slightly pale-faced woman to sit down and transferring her own Verdant Spring True Qi to help her recover her lost essence.

"This is the highest-tier talisman I've ever refined in my life," True Lord Yu Yi said. "Thousands of years from now, if I pass away, this talisman will ensure my name is spoken of in the Immortal Sect." Although True Lord Yu Yi was a fifth-tier talisman master, her opportunities to refine fifth-tier talismans were in fact very few. After all, in the Immortal Sect, fifth-tier talisman paper and ink were extremely rare materials. And for this Water Spirit Talisman, the paper was a sixth-tier Grand Chūn Tree heart, making it the first time in her life she had ever used a spiritual material of such a high grade.

"True Lord Pure Yang, please trouble yourself to send this Water Spirit Talisman back to the Jumang Daoist Academy," Wenren Xuewei said to Chen Mobai. "I'll stay here and help True Lord Yu Yi recover her vital energy." Wenren Xuewei spoke to Chen Mobai. Nominally, she had requested True Lord Yu Yi to refine this Water Spirit Talisman, and she had also provided all the materials.

"True Lord Yu Yi, please rest well. I'll take my leave now." Chen Mobai nodded, accepting the fifth-tier Water Spirit Talisman and the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl, which had now lost its innate water elemental essence. The Verdant Spring Art, as a major divine transformation technique of the Immortal Sect, could not only help cultivators recover themselves but also assist teammates in recovering from injuries. However, this required suitable elemental attributes. For example, if Chen Mobai's Pure Yang Scroll's fundamental true qi was damaged, the Verdant Spring Art would be ineffective. True Lord Yu Yi was a perfect match, so Wenren Xuewei stayed behind to help.

After leaving the Heavenly Scripture Academy, Chen Mobai symbolically visited the Jumang Daoist Academy, primarily to collect the biomimetic materials he had previously ordered. He intended to create more formless puppets and, once the situation in the alien world became clear, deploy them through the World Gate.

True Lord Peach Blossom quickly appeared after sensing the spatial transference fluctuations. Seeing it was Chen Mobai, she greeted him courteously. After they chatted for a while, Zongzi arrived with the batch of biomimetic materials Chen Mobai had ordered. Zongzi had also achieved Core Formation. After Wenren Xuewei became vice-principal, he was appointed to take over the Empty Azure Pharmaceutical Factory and was considered a key candidate for Nascent Soul cultivation in the next generation of Jumang Daoist Academy.

After returning to Wangwu Grotto-Heaven, Chen Mobai first refined the fifth-tier Water Spirit Talisman. As the talisman in his palm transformed into deep blue light and merged into his internal organs, Chen Mobai suddenly felt as if he had broken through a barrier between himself and the heavens and earth. Closing his eyes, he could perceive the moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. He took out a spirit-testing device, and soon, the value of 'Water Spirit Root 100' displayed on the screen made Chen Mobai nod in satisfaction.

A fifth-tier Water Spirit Talisman could directly increase the Water Spirit Root of any cultivator who refined it by 80 points. Since Chen Mobai already had 39 points of Water Spirit Root, it directly reached perfection after the addition. The only drawback was that the 100 points of Water Spirit Root gained from refining this talisman could not trigger the process of "hearing the Dao" associated with immortal spirit roots. But apart from this, Chen Mobai now possessed all the characteristics of an Immortal Water Spirit Root.

He recalled the Black Water Art and the Black Emperor Abyssal冥 Scripture, the two water-attribute cultivation methods he was most familiar with. The former was almost completely mastered as soon as he remembered it. As for the latter, a Divine Transformation cultivation method, Chen Mobai had only a superficial understanding before, but now he could begin to comprehend it through quiet contemplation.

Chen Mobai decided to test how much the Immortal Water Spirit Root would enhance him. He first cultivated the Black Water Art, which he had now completely comprehended and mastered. As the Vermillion Phoenix Facing the Sun formation operated, all the water spiritual qi in the courtyard transformed into countless blue light particles, continuously surging towards his meditation room. Soon, an extremely pure black water spiritual power formed within his body...

One month later, under the guidance of the Immortal Water Spirit Root and his Nascent Soul realm, he effortlessly cultivated the Black Water Art to the Core Formation stage. A drop of "Profound Dark Heavy Water," weighing a thousand jun, condensed in Chen Mobai's palm. Because his body was filled with vast Pure Yang True Qi, Chen Mobai did not absorb this Profound Dark Heavy Water into his body. The void rippled, and the Seastone Sword descended. Chen Mobai selected one of the pearl-like voids within the sword hilt and stored the newly condensed drop of Profound Dark Heavy Water inside. The moment the Profound Dark Heavy Water entered the Seastone Sword, Chen Mobai felt the sword spirit, which had been in slumber, subtly fluctuate. Chen Mobai was instantly surprised and thought the sword spirit was about to awaken, but after waiting for a quarter of an hour, it returned to its quiescent state.

Slightly disappointed, he placed the Seastone Sword in front of him and then began to attempt cultivating the Black Emperor Abyssal冥 Scripture. Qing Nu had long since fully comprehended the content of this Divine Transformation technique up to the Nascent Soul formation stage. Having been immersed in it, Chen Mobai already had a rough understanding, but now, with the enhancement of the Immortal Water Spirit Root, he could understand and perceive it even more deeply. However, cultivating the Black Emperor Abyssal冥 Scripture was much more difficult than the Black Water Art. It took Chen Mobai a full two years to barely raise it to the Core Formation level. After reaching this stage, he no longer wasted time. After placing the Abyssal True Water into another pearl-like void in the Seastone Sword's hilt, Chen Mobai emerged from his seclusion.

In the Hall of Orthodox Law, Hua Zijing and Zhuang Jialan were reporting various matters. After listening to the other trivial matters, Chen Mobai briefly approved them. His main concern was still the situation in the alien world. After three years of exploration, Nangong Xuanyu discovered no traces of living beings on the surface of the alien world. Half of the entire planet was covered by boundless yellow sand, and the other half by an unfathomable deep sea. The ocean was also eerily silent, with only bone-chilling cold. Yet, despite temperatures low enough to freeze, the seawater remained in a bizarre flowing state.

They had now split into two groups: Nangong Xuanyu personally led a team with various equipment to explore the deep sea. The other group, under the command of one of True Ancestor Qianxing's puppets, began heading towards the center of the yellow sands.

"Since it's confirmed there's no danger, the Immortal Affairs Hall is preparing to organize a second batch of researchers to enter the alien world..." Hua Zijing explained the Immortal Sect's recent arrangements. Chen Mobai nodded, then personally called Ying Guanghua. Soon after, a small meeting of Nascent Soul cultivators from the three great halls was convened again. At the meeting, they quickly reached a consensus to organize a hundred-person research team to enter the alien world. The hundred-person list was divided, with each of the four branches receiving twenty-five slots. Chen Mobai entrusted this matter to Wang Shuye.

Soon, the ten great academies and one hundred and twenty prefectures, having learned that the alien world was not dangerous, all submitted applications to their respective main Daoist academy branches. Many of these were Foundation Establishment Perfected cultivators, hoping to obtain Core Formation spirit medicine through this opportunity. There were also a few Golden Core cultivators, whose lifespans were nearing their end, wanting to make one last attempt at the final stage of their lives. Precisely because of this, the list for this hundred-person scientific research team suddenly became highly sought after.

Wang Shuye's skill in distributing opportunities was, naturally, trustworthy. The final list of twenty-five submitted included five from the Dance Weapon Daoist Academy, with the remaining twenty from other academies and prefectures. Chen Mobai briefly reviewed it, replaced two names with those of old Divine Transformation class classmates who had called him, and then signed to confirm.

After the hundred-person list was announced, Chen Mobai felt a slight headache. This was because he was needed to unseal the World Gate. Although True Ancestor Qianxing had already taught him the incantation, a period of exertion was unavoidable. After completing this task, Chen Mobai, under the pretext of recuperation, entered seclusion once more. In reality, he returned to Donghuang via the Turtle Treasure.

"Amazing," Qing Nu exclaimed on top of Beiyuan Mountain, seeing the Abyssal True Water in Chen Mobai's palm, which was purer and vaster than her own. "You just casually cultivated a bit and already surpassed me."

"I mostly benefited from my higher cultivation realm," Chen Mobai humbly replied. "Under the same conditions, I'd definitely be inferior to you." Chen Mobai spoke humbly, but Qing Nu shook her head, stating that with his talent, as long as he cultivated diligently, he would surely surpass her, even in water-attribute cultivation methods. After the long-married couple praised each other for a while, they exchanged smiles.

In recent years, due to the connection with the alien world on the Immortal Sect's side, Chen Mobai spent more time there, visiting Donghuang less frequently. However, with Qing Nu there, he had no worries. Moreover, the Five Elements Sect was now operating smoothly; both he and Zhou Shengqing merely served as symbols of deterrence. This was the usual state for top cultivators in the Heavenly River Realm.

"I've already opened Danxia Pavilion in all the immortal cities of Donghuang, essentially monopolizing the pill industry here..." After their intimacy, Qing Nu lay in Chen Mobai's arms and began recounting her achievements over the years. While Chen Mobai focused on the Immortal Sect, Qing Nu dedicated most of her time to managing Danxia Pavilion. Thanks to the Five Elements Sect's formidable power and Qing Nu's outstanding alchemy skills, Chen Mobai would have found it strange if Danxia Pavilion hadn't monopolized Donghuang. Because Qing Nu's dowry included ten thousand mu of medicinal fields, most of Danxia Pavilion's income went into her pockets. After Chen Mobai inquired, he found that Danxia Pavilion currently had an annual net profit of eight million spirit stones.

"For a monopoly, this profit is a bit low," Qing Nu remarked, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. "I plan to expand Danxia Pavilion into Dongwu, Dongyi, and even Dongtu once our base in Donghuang is stable..." Qing Nu was a little unwilling, believing her Danxia Pavilion could become the largest pharmacy in Dongzhou due to its superior pill quality.

"Business outside Donghuang won't be as easy as it is here," Chen Mobai cautioned Qing Nu beforehand. He was most familiar with the local customs. Danxia Pavilion's pills were of excellent quality; those personally refined by Qing Nu were even top-grade and free of pill toxins. Once its reputation spread, the first batch of customers for a shop opened outside Donghuang might be rogue cultivators, swarming like locusts, or cunning local tyrants.

"Our Five Elements Sect has two Nascent Soul cultivators. Surely no force in Dongwu and Dongyi would dare to offend us?" Qing Nu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Many rogue cultivators are essentially linked to the Demonic Dao. And some local tyrants love to pretend to be black-hearted and devour 'fat sheep' from out of town," Chen Mobai briefly explained the local customs. Although Qing Nu had been brought here by him long ago, she had never left Donghuang, so while she had heard rumors, she found such practices difficult to imagine.

"In that case, can we only make money within Donghuang?" Qing Nu asked, a little unwilling.

"Not necessarily. If you want to open a shop in Dongwu, just send a Core Formation cultivator to oversee it. There are no Nascent Soul cultivators there, so a Core Formation cultivator is enough to keep things in check. As for Dongyi, there's no need to worry within our own territory. For the other territories like Empty Mulberry Valley and Sun Bathing Sea, there's no need to open shops there. Besides, once Danxia Pavilion's reputation spreads, capable cultivators from those two places will naturally come to us. The only area of concern is Dongtu. Your alchemy skills are, after all, several levels beyond what's common in this world. If we go there, our Five Elements Sect would merely be an ordinary force, and we'd likely be suppressed, just like the Five Elements Trading Post. So my suggestion is for Danxia Pavilion not to open branches in Dongtu yet. Dongtu is, after all, the territory of the Sacred Land, and there's no need to attract attention before we both reach Divine Transformation. However, we can build a reputation first. My Little Nanshan Shop just opened a branch there, so besides my talismans and magic artifacts, some of your pills can also be selectively sold. We'll present them as the meticulous creations of our two masters, rare in quantity but of superb quality."

After Chen Mobai finished explaining his ideas, Qing Nu agreed. After all, her desire to earn spirit stones simply stemmed from her fear of poverty in the Immortal Sect. Seeing how easy it was to earn them here, she wished she could gather all the spirit stones in Dongzhou into her storage bag in the shortest possible time. However, after Chen Mobai's analysis, Qing Nu also found it very reasonable. No matter how many spirit stones one had, one needed sufficient strength to keep them. The reason she could monopolize the pill industry in Donghuang was precisely because her dao companion was a Nascent Soul Grand Ancestor of the Five Elements Sect. Before reaching Divine Transformation, the market in Dongtu shouldn't be too conspicuous.

The next day, Chen Mobai descended the mountain and arrived at the grand hall of Beiyuan City. E Yun and others were already waiting. Upon seeing him, they all bowed and greeted him. Chen Mobai waved his hand, telling them to dispense with the formalities, and then inquired about the various situations of the Five Elements Sect, the entire Donghuang, and the surrounding territories over the years.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, all is well with the sect. Two years ago, Senior Brother Chu Zuoshu successfully formed his core..." E Yun began with the good news. Of the batch of Wood Elemental Core-Forming Golden Pills previously refined by Qing Nu, a total of six people had exchanged for them. To Chen Mobai's regret, Tan Rong of the Fire Line still failed to form her core. But the news of Chu Zuoshu's success made him very happy.

Soon after, Chu Zuoshu, who had received news of Chen Mobai's emergence from seclusion, personally came over. As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply to Chen Mobai in gratitude. "Congratulations, congratulations. Among the older generation, with you for the future, I can rest assured." Chen Mobai personally helped Chu Zuoshu up and pulled him to sit beside him. Back in the Divine Wood Sect, Chu Zuoshu had taken special care of Chen Mobai, so now that he had successfully formed his core, Chen Mobai was genuinely delighted.

"I was also lucky," Chu Zuoshu said with emotion. "I caught the sect at its best time, and I had your care..." Chu Zuoshu looked emotional. When the Five Elements Sect had not yet unified, and he failed to form his core in Jinwu Immortal City, he never imagined he would have such a day.

"The reason you could form your core is that your foundation, your accumulated knowledge, and even your state of mind met the requirements," Chen Mobai said, shaking his head. Chen Mobai shook his head, saying that when it came to breaking through major realms, luck only played a role when the chances were fifty-fifty. And Chu Zuoshu's success, besides his sufficient foundation, was also due to his near-death experience in Jinwu Immortal City, which greatly enhanced his state of mind. It was precisely this firm will that made him the only successful Core Formation cultivator among the six.

"If not for the spirit materials like the Long-Life Tree Sap bestowed by the Sect Master, my essence might not have been able to sustain me to the Core Formation stage," Chu Zuoshu thanked him again. Chu Zuoshu thanked him again, and Chen Mobai nodded with a smile. The Wood Line gained another Core Formation cultivator, and it was Chu Zuoshu, the former sect master, who was perfectly suited to go to Dongwu and open up the Five Elements Sect's market. Chen Mobai brought this up, and Chu Zuoshu agreed without any hesitation.

"You will go to Dongwu first, under the name of the Five Elements Trading Post, to survey the market. Then, besides Dongwu, you will also be responsible for Dongyi and Dongyue..." Chen Mobai always ensured that everyone's talents were utilized. Yue Zutao was currently focused on expanding the market in Dongtu, but for the rest of Dongzhou's territories, their Five Elements Sect also needed to send people. After all, he had suffered from a lack of intelligence for a long time.

"Yes, Sect Master!" Chu Zuoshu nodded, his face full of ambition. Chen Mobai had essentially handed over all of the Five Elements Trading Post's territories, excluding Dongtu, to Chu Zuoshu.

Next, E Yun began to report on the various achievements of the Five Elements Sect in establishing immortal cities and building academies across Donghuang over the years. Naturally, all were positive, and cultivators throughout Donghuang had essentially begun to gather towards the seven great immortal cities. And with the arrival of cultivators, various resources from Donghuang also converged into the hands of the Five Elements Sect. Due to the Five Elements Sect's excellent reputation, all cultivators who came to the immortal cities were willing to bring out various thousand-year medicinal herbs, rare minerals, and even ancient jade slips they had acquired or even treasured, in exchange for the Five Elements Sect's resources. Among these, the most popular were naturally Danxia Pavilion's Three Foundation Establishment Treasures. To obtain the qualification for the lottery, many rogue cultivators sold everything they owned, exchanging their family fortunes for a set of cave dwellings in the immortal city.

Among these were some precious fourth-tier medicinal materials that E Yun didn't even dare to decide upon, holding onto them until Chen Mobai emerged from seclusion to deal with them. In Leijun, there was a small sect's inheritance. Although its highest cultivated elder was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, it had a long history, being a sect left behind by a pioneering cultivator. Over six thousand years, this small sect named Wanghe Sect surprisingly possessed a hidden fourth-tier medicinal field. The reason Wanghe Sect brought out its family's assets this time, besides purchasing property, was also to exchange for a Core Formation spirit medicine from the Five Elements Sect. Core Formation spirit medicine had always been in Chen Mobai's possession. Precisely because of this, although E Yun greatly desired those fourth-tier medicinal materials, he could only wait for Chen Mobai to emerge from seclusion.

"In the future, if you encounter such matters, you can directly approach Qing Nu," Chen Mobai said. Chen Mobai would certainly agree, as the medicinal materials from a fourth-tier medicinal field were much more valuable compared to a Core Formation spirit medicine. Upon hearing this, E Yun immediately nodded. However, if Chen Mobai hadn't said so, E Yun would definitely not have dared to bypass him and directly approach Qing Nu.

Shortly after, Qing Nu, who had been notified by Chen Mobai's Sky-Reaching Device, also descended from Beiyuan Mountain. "There's a fourth-tier medicinal field, and I don't know how many fourth-tier medicinal materials it contains. Please trouble yourself to bring people to take a look..." Chen Mobai told Qing Nu about this matter. Regarding Core Formation spirit medicines, he still had Water Elemental Core-Forming Golden Pills and Wood Elemental Core-Forming Golden Pills on him; he just didn't know if the Wanghe Sect's cultivation method was suitable. However, if the medicinal materials were valuable, a Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill could be reserved for them in the future.

"There are so many good things here!" Upon hearing this, Qing Nu couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Then, she immediately called the manager of Danxia Pavilion and, taking a group of spirit plant cultivators and alchemists, traveled to Leijun via the teleportation array.

"Sect Master, there's also some bad news." After delivering the good news, E Yun had set the stage and began to speak of a matter that caused Chen Mobai to furrow his brow slightly. In Yunmeng Marsh, another beast tide had appeared. Although this one was primarily within Dongwu's territory, its scale was unprecedented. Just from what was detected at Fengyu Dock, there were eight third-tier demonic beasts. Furthermore, the aura of the Poison Dragon Demonic Beast seemed to be increasingly seeping out from its seal. Precisely because of this, Mo Douguang had already led Ning Leshan to guard that area. In addition, E Yun also dispatched Yin Qingmei there. Essentially all the Core Formation cultivators the Five Elements Sect could deploy had been sent there by him.

"Notify Senior Brother Zhou to return. I will go with him to investigate." Chen Mobai considered it and decided that for safety, he would call Zhou Shengqing back. Besides the situation in Dongyi being completely stable with Zhou Ye in charge, it was also because the Poison Dragon Demonic Beast had become the Five Elements Sect's sole formidable enemy. Now, on the frontiers of Dongzhou, besides True Ancestor Baiwu, who was a reclusive coward, only this Poison Dragon Demonic Beast, which had lived for over two thousand years, could pose a threat to the Five Elements Sect's dominant position.

"Yes, Sect Master..." E Yun immediately left after receiving the order. Half a day later, the large teleportation array glowed, and Zhou Shengqing returned. The two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Five Elements Sect met, discussed the Yunmeng Marsh beast tide, and then wasted no time, successively taking the teleportation array to Fengyu Dock.

"Greetings, Senior Brothers!" Outside the Fengyu Dock teleportation array, Nujiang and Mo Douguang, among others, were already waiting. Upon seeing Chen Mobai and Zhou Shengqing, they quickly bowed in greeting.

"We'll go check out Huanglong Grotto-Heaven first," Chen Mobai said. Then he and Zhou Shengqing transformed into two streaks of light and arrived at the very center of Yunmeng Marsh. As the two approached, a vast, profound demonic aura surged skyward, and the immense lake surface began to rise, forming a colossal water dragon that roared and lunged, biting fiercely at the two of them. Chen Mobai directly waved his Pure Yang Immortal Robe, and a blazing golden fireball erupted in mid-air. After the giant water dragon collided, it instantly dispersed into a sky full of steam!