The Sky-Turning Seal had been sealed within its outer shell for who knew how many years, and its original owner had almost certainly long since died. Realizing this, Wang Hao did not hesitate—he slashed his finger and let a drop of essence-blood fall onto the Seal.
The moment the drop touched its surface, it was as if a ritual had been triggered. Wang Hao's wound began pouring blood uncontrollably, threads of his essence-blood being drawn out and absorbed into the Seal.
"Damn—could this be some sort of demonic treasure forged by a fiend cultivator?" Wang Hao's face paled. He tried to break contact, but the bleeding would not stop.
As more and more blood was absorbed, the Sky-Turning Seal glowed with a gentle golden light. The sixteen embedded jewels flared brilliantly, and the Seal expanded noticeably in size. Its power far exceeded its previous state—and it was no longer damaged.
"My heavens—this is already a low-grade spirit artifact, right? So it was a 'seal within a seal' all along!" Wang Hao examined it carefully, sensing a faint bond had formed between himself and the object. He realized it wasn't truly the Sky-Turning Seal at all, but something called the Earth-Clarity Seal.
Its original grade had been very high, but its details were obscured. It seemed that Wang Hao needed to strip away the residual outer shell entirely before understanding it fully.
"What a find…" Wang Hao muttered, momentarily at a loss for words. It wasn't exactly heaven-shattering—its current power merely qualified it as a low-grade spirit artifact. Yet according to the brief description, he could restore it to its original strength by fusing more Earth-attribute spirit materials into it.
By luck, Wang Hao had a chunk of Earth-attribute spirit material on hand: an Earth Essence Stone. He carefully cut off a fist-sized piece, lit his spiritual charcoal, and began refining it. Thanks to his extensive alchemical experience, this step posed no difficulty. As the stone melted into a pool of earthen essence, he slowly brought the Earth-Clarity Seal close.
Something marvelous happened: the Seal seemed to sense the Earth essence and emitted bursts of light, drawing the material in to visibly increase its power.
Where before it barely qualified as a low-grade spirit artifact, now it unquestionably stood at the peak of that category—far stronger than ordinary low-grade artifacts.
Wang Hao deduced that the limitation wasn't quantity but quality. His Earth Essence Stones were originally only lower second-order spirit materials, so the Seal could not advance to mid-grade.
"What a waste—I paid five hundred spirit stones and only ended up with a low-grade spirit artifact," Wang Hao lamented. He should have invested less had he known.
"From now on, I must watch for Earth-attribute spirit materials—another drain on my funds!"
He mentally tallied his expenses: two spirit beasts each consuming nearly a hundred stones per month, plus a hundred for his own cultivation—that alone was two hundred every month. Add in care for the Lunar Illusion Caterpillars, and now the Earth-Clarity Seal too… bitter and sweet all at once.
Next, Wang Hao retrieved the mid-tier second-order alchemy furnace he had acquired earlier. It did not look extraordinary—just a simple furnace—but a good alchemy furnace not only spares the caster much mana, it also slightly boosts success rates. Compared to his old Violet-Light Furnace, this one was far superior and would serve him well in the years to come.
Time flew, and soon the auction day arrived. Wang Hao learned it was broken into two sessions: Establishment-of-Foundation cultivators in one, Refinement-of-Qi cultivators in the other. Since he no longer needed Qi-Refinement items, his interest waned, and he declined to participate. He returned the three thousand spirit stones Wang Yanzhao had given him, asking him instead to watch for higher-grade Earth-attribute materials!
Alas, Wang Hao's luck seemed to have run dry. According to Wang Yanzhao, the auction featured plenty of Gold-, Wood-, Water-, and Fire-attribute materials—but none of Earth.
Still, even if he had fully powered the Earth-Clarity Seal, with only advanced Qi-Refinement cultivation, it would be awkward to wield. Better to keep it hidden for a few more years.
In the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, three friends sat around a table over wine.
Chu He raised his cup: — "Brother Wang, I owe this Establishment-of-Foundation Pill entirely to your help. Please, drink this cup with me!"
— "Brother Chu honors me too greatly. I only helped a little—the three of you did the real work. Honestly, I profited a good deal on this trip!" Wang Hao drank down his wine: — "It's a pity I depart tomorrow. I won't be able to attend your foundation-establishment ceremony."
— "Then we'll call this an auspicious message from you," Chu He replied. "With your talent, I'm sure you'll succeed too. We'll celebrate again later!"
— "Agreed!"
…
Though Wang Hao was disappointed to miss the auction, Wang Yanzhao was elated. He had secured the Nine-Leaves Spiritual Herb the Wang Family needed. Once the patriarch recovered, the Wang Family could proceed without worry.
Back in Qingniu City, Wang Yanzhao immediately departed for the family's mountain. Wang Hao, meanwhile, put all shop affairs aside and announced his intention to enter seclusion—this time in his own little courtyard. First on his list was to circle the Spirit-Splitting Cone and the Triple Refined Flame Transformations to mastery.
Time passed swiftly—and two more years flew by.
Wang Hao opened his eyes as he sat cross-legged on his meditation mat: — "These two years have brought so many gains. Time to update my status panel!"
Name: Wang HaoAge: 28Cultivation: Qi Refinement – Level 8 (600/854)Cultivation Method: Illusory Wood Heart Lotus Sutra – Layer 3Body Refinement: Jade-Ice Muscle & Bone Technique – Layer 3 (Organ Refinement)Mana Capacity: 599/599
Skills:
Alchemy: Lower Second-Order Alchemist
Talisman Crafting: Upper First-Order Talisman Maker
Spells: Fireball, Binding, Wood Shield, Earth Escape, Attraction, Lightness, Keen Perception
Triple Refined Fire Transformations
Divine Skill: Spirit-Splitting Cone
Farm: All thirty plots cultivated—fourteen Red Earth and three Black Earth plots. Total monthly output: 3,000–4,000 spirit stones. Even harvesting just one-tenth sustains me and my four spirit beasts.
Beasts:
Golden-Eyed Duck (YaYa): Mid–First-Order
White-Ice Tiger (Xiao Bai): Upper First-Order, over 10 m long
Lunar Illusion Caterpillars (2): Each as big as a pillow, awaiting metamorphosis
Wang Hao smiled. It was time to feed his spirit beasts again—and perhaps prepare for the next great adventure.