Chapter 267 : Jade Clarity Treasure Hall

Chapter 267: Jade Clarity Treasure Hall

‘There’s a cheat!’

In the classroom, Chen Beiwu suddenly opened his eyes, his expression still tinged with shock.

He raised a hand to rub his temples and used mana to soothe the subtle sting in his mind.

Then, with a turn of his palm, he retrieved a Spirit-Soothing Pill refined by Golden Egg from his storage ring and swallowed it.

Falling in the Struggle Realm would have certain effects on a cultivator. For instance, the stinging pain in Chen Beiwu’s head was a sign of an injured divine sense at the Spirit Platform, which needed to be treated with a second-tier spiritual pill in time, or it could leave lingering side effects.

‘Was that... Foundation Establishment peak power? Even a Golden Core True Person might not be any stronger!’

After briefly tending to his wounds, the image of that hellish duel within the Struggle Realm surged in Chen Beiwu’s mind.

Not to mention how utterly broken the Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast—the Flintrock Coiled Dragon—was, completely impervious to damage, just the overwhelming fire-element treasure arts cast by Yu Zhaohua were enough to make his scalp tingle.

It was well known that third-tier treasure arts were one of the defining abilities of Golden Core True Persons, far beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and required metal-attribute mana to fully unleash their power.

Otherwise, Chen Beiwu would have already spent a fortune to buy several third-tier treasure arts from the Immortal Alliance Official Website for study.

But the many arts Yu Zhaohua displayed in the Struggle Realm completely shattered his understanding.

By conventional logic, Foundation Establishment cultivators shouldn't be able to wield third-tier treasure arts—let alone instant-cast them.

Though the third-tier treasure arts Yu Zhaohua cast were on the weaker side and didn’t match the overwhelming descriptions in books, they were undoubtedly still treasure arts, and not to be underestimated.

‘The gap is too vast. Unless I can successfully contract the Five Qi Vine, or evolve Golden Egg’s bloodline into a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast, I’ll have no chance against Yu Zhaohua,’ Chen Beiwu thought to himself.

Of course, if he could do as Senior Brother Jiang said and comprehend the Three Pure Ones Marvelous Method of Companion Landscape, then he might yet have a shot at defeating Yu Zhaohua.

However, entering the Taiyuan Heavenly Realm to study the method required complicated procedures and the approval of several high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect. Senior Brother Jiang hadn’t even replied yet.

‘This is absurd. He actually forced Yu Zhaohua to this extent!’ A flicker of astonishment flashed through True Monarch Su Miao’s eyes.

As the person in charge of this term’s final assessment, she had access to observe all duels within the Struggle Realm.

Among all the battles, the duel between Chen Beiwu and Yu Zhaohua stood out as the most impressive.

After all, those who understood the value of the Innate Dao Body knew its immense potential.

Chen Beiwu, a prodigy who had come from a small county town, had managed to force Yu Zhaohua to reveal fifty percent of her power—an achievement that set a new record in the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

The only pity in Su Miao’s eyes was that cultivation resources in the Yuqing Immortal Sect often flowed toward those who didn’t actually need them.

A Tribulation-Breaking Golden Core was of little significance to someone like Yu Zhaohua—a third-tier treasure pill she could take or leave. But for many of the sect’s prodigies, it was a coveted treasure.

“The Struggle Realm assessment is over. Everyone did quite well this year. Only one student was eliminated with five consecutive losses.”

As she said this, True Monarch Su Miao swept her gaze around the classroom. “Students who achieved three consecutive wins may message me privately to customize a third-tier magical artifact.”

With that, her voice faded, and True Monarch Su Miao vanished in an instant.

The sect students present were already accustomed to the unpredictable appearances of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and they soon began discussing the battles from the Struggle Realm.

Chen Beiwu, on the other hand, rose and left directly.

Although he hadn’t secured the Tribulation-Breaking Golden Core, passing the final assessment and earning a custom third-tier magical artifact as a guarantee wasn’t bad at all.

“Gulu?”

Golden Egg lifted his head and looked at Chen Beiwu with curiosity.

‘I plan to commission a bow-type artifact,’ Chen Beiwu sent mentally.

He didn’t lack life-saving tools. Not to mention, Golden Egg’s Gilded Body had unparalleled defense. With the added boost from the Bestowed Beginning of the Scene, even Golden Core True Persons would have to exchange several blows to pose a threat.

Rather than another defensive item, what Chen Beiwu lacked now was a decisive, finishing move.

The Twelve Yuanchen Fiend Bow and Cold-Pool Spirit Sword were decent, but insufficient against a foe on the level of a Golden Core True Person.

Golden Egg blinked in surprise.

With the Companion Beast Transformation, it had assumed Chen Beiwu would opt for a third-tier defensive artifact.

‘The Companion Beast Transformation is a burst technique—not suitable for standard combat.’

Chen Beiwu lightly shook his head and messaged True Monarch Su Miao, stating his artifact customization request.

“Custom bow-type artifacts take five years to forge.”

Upon reading the reply, Chen Beiwu raised his eyebrows.

Considering that artifact customization through the Immortal Alliance Official Website usually required decades of waiting, five years was actually quite short.

But for Chen Beiwu, five years was too long—by then, he might have already formed his Golden Core.

Moreover, with the upcoming vacation, he planned to explore the Mysterious Spirit Lake to investigate the relationship between dragon veins and fate. His strength needed a sharp boost.

“True Monarch Su, is there any way to shorten the crafting time?” Chen Beiwu asked.

“Even the fastest custom artifact takes three years. If you really can’t wait, I can recommend you try your luck at the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall,” Su Miao replied.

Chen Beiwu’s eyes sharpened—his interest piqued.

He had heard of the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall.

Unlike mainstream ancient cultivation methods, modern Immortal Alliance cultivators rarely spent great effort to nurture a life-bound artifact—gathering precious resources to slowly enhance it until it evolved into a Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasure.

The reason was simple: the cost of upgrading an artifact’s grade was astronomical.

For example, to refine a Golden Core-level artifact into a Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasure would require not just time and effort but also several times the resources.

In fact, those resources could directly buy three Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasures.

Of course, the ancient cultivators weren’t fools. They were willing to invest heavily in upgrading life-bound artifacts because such artifacts, being in harmony with one’s essence, spirit, and mind, could be controlled like an extension of their own body. Once promoted to a Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasure, they far outstripped ordinary treasures of the same tier.

However, the modern Immortal Alliance advocated beast-assisted cultivation. With limited time, energy, and resources, cultivators were more inclined to invest in their Companion Beasts than in artifacts.

As a result, to most Immortal Alliance cultivators, magical artifacts were replaceable. If an artifact couldn’t keep up with one’s cultivation, it should be discarded.

Generations of sect students, immortal students, and Golden Core True Persons often sold their outdated magical and mystic treasures to the Yuqing Immortal Sect in exchange for cultivation resources or contribution points.

The Jade Clarity Treasure Hall was the sect’s vault for housing such treasures.

It contained countless valuable artifacts—even Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasures left behind by Nascent Soul True Monarchs before their passing.

However, such a trove wasn’t open to just anyone.

As far as Chen Beiwu knew, only top graduates of the Yuqing Immortal Sect were qualified to enter the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall to select a compatible artifact.

“True Monarch, I haven’t yet formed my core or graduated—can I still enter the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall?” Chen Beiwu quickly messaged.

“Others cannot. You can,” Su Miao replied concisely. “With a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s endorsement, even a pre-core Formation prodigy may enter the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall.”

"Many thanks for the True Monarch’s recommendation." Chen Beiwu offered his sincere gratitude.

Seeing this message, True Monarch Su Miao smiled gently.

Even within the Yuqing Immortal Sect, internal factions existed.

Ordinary sect students had no right to receive a recommendation from True Monarch Su Miao. Typically, she would only vouch for cultivation prodigies within her own faction.

But with Chen Beiwu, she had deliberately made an exception.

The reason was simple—any flawless Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of dueling with an Innate Dao Body would almost certainly succeed in forming their Golden Core.

This time, her endorsement came with no real risk, and she could gain a favor from a future prodigy.

Additionally, True Venerable Changqing of Dongming was widely acknowledged as one of the top three Divine Transformation True Venerables in the sect, and at any moment, he could take the crucial step forward.

If True Venerable Changqing of Dongming succeeded in breaking through to become a Void-Refining Dao Venerable, the power dynamics within the Immortal Sect would undergo a significant reshuffle.

"The entry procedures for the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall are complete. You may go there this afternoon."

Not long after returning to the Three-Peak Cave Residence, Chen Beiwu received this message notification from True Monarch Su Miao.

Clearly, in the eyes of the sect’s upper echelon, the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall was far less important than the Taiyuan Heavenly Realm, so the review process was swift.

...

That afternoon, Chen Beiwu rode Golden Egg through the clouds toward the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall.

Before him floated a nine-story azure jade pavilion suspended above a sea of clouds, with eighty-one star lanterns hanging from its eaves. Two silent puppets stood to the left and right of the entrance.

“Buzz!”

As Chen Beiwu stepped before the pavilion, the two puppets' eyes lit up faintly, seemingly scanning his identity.

Chen Beiwu immediately retrieved his Immortal Sect Student ID from his storage ring to verify his credentials.

Moments later, the light in the puppets’ eyes faded, and the tightly shut doors of the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall opened, releasing several strands of radiant treasure light.

Chen Beiwu stepped through the doors and felt the world spin around him. Suddenly, a vast starry river unfolded before his eyes.

Above this river, streaks of falling stars continuously descended into its depths, only to emerge again.

"You're Chen Beiwu?"

A warm voice came from the side.

Turning toward it, Chen Beiwu saw a man in purple robes, with an ordinary appearance and a jade crown upon his head.

"Greetings, Senior."

Chen Beiwu’s pupils contracted slightly as he immediately bowed, his tone respectful yet composed.

Only Golden Core True Persons were typically allowed to enter the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall.

Yet this purple-robed cultivator emitted no aura whatsoever, as though he had merged with the starry river itself, entirely beyond Chen Beiwu’s divine sense detection.

There was no doubt—the man was either at the peak of Golden Core or already a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

"No need for formalities." The purple-robed man smiled mildly. "My Dao title is Idle Cloud, and I oversee the treasures here."

"The Jade Clarity Treasure Hall is divided into nine levels.

The lower three house mostly third-tier low-to-mid-grade artifacts;

the middle three hold mostly third-tier mid-to-high-grade artifacts, occasionally even peerless third-tier artifacts;

the upper three contain the Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasures."

True Monarch Idle Cloud gave a brief explanation: "Most of the treasures within the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall have developed a sliver of sentience and will actively choose their master."

At this point, he leisurely pulled out a token from his sleeve and tossed it to Chen Beiwu.

The token felt smooth and jade-like in hand, with the characters “Jade Clarity” inscribed on the front and “Treasure Hall” on the back, radiating an indescribable charm.

"This is the Treasure-Claiming Token. Whoever holds it may bypass the restrictions of the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall and freely take one artifact."

"But there’s one thing you must remember—artifacts possess spirit. Forcing one will not work and may even provoke backlash."

Having explained the basic rules for newcomers, True Monarch Idle Cloud merged his thought-projection back into the starry river and vanished.

Chen Beiwu gripped the Treasure-Claiming Token tightly, sensing the spiritual resonance within, thoughts churning in his mind.

Artifacts of the seventh floor and above in the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall were Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasures. If he could gain the recognition of one of them, wouldn’t he gain a powerful trump card?

"Buzz!"

As the Guarding-the-One Mirror calmed his mind and cleansed distracting thoughts, Chen Beiwu’s spirit quickly settled.

With his current cultivation level, his chances of earning the approval of a Heaven-Penetrating Mystic Treasure were negligible—one could even call it wishful thinking.

Better to be realistic and pick a third-tier mid-grade artifact that matched his cultivation method.

"Swish, swish, swish...!"

Gazing at the countless colorful shooting stars within the starry river, Chen Beiwu activated his divine sense to search in full force.

Half an hour later, three shooting stars hovered motionless before him, caught by his divine sense.

The first was the third-tier low-grade artifact [Azure Bright Sword Pellet], which could be triggered using divine sense and mana to transform into a peerlessly sharp sword light—extremely aggressive and effective against yin-based evils.

Its downside was its overwhelming fiendish aura, which required nurturing with blood essence to unleash its full potential.

The second was the third-tier mid-grade artifact [Yinghuo Fiend-Chasing Bow], capable of channeling starlight from the heavens to shoot fiend arrows imbued with various effects—binding, demon-refining, protective, and augmentative. It was an advanced version of the second-tier high-grade spiritual tool Twelve Yuanchen Fiend Bow.

The third was the third-tier mid-grade artifact [Exquisite Azure Lotus Pagoda], a nine-level pagoda that used the convergence of water and wood-attribute mana to release nine layers of Azure Lotus Divine Light, which restrained demonic evils and corpses. It served both as protection and offense, with versatile applications.

Chen Beiwu examined the three artifacts with his divine sense, weighing their strengths and weaknesses.

In terms of mechanics, the Yinghuo Fiend-Chasing Bow was clearly a strong option.

But since he planned to venture into the Mysterious Spirit Lake to face off against evil corpses refined by Golden Core True Persons, the Exquisite Azure Lotus Pagoda, with its ability to counter such threats, was undoubtedly more suitable.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Beiwu extended his hand toward the shooting star containing the Exquisite Azure Lotus Pagoda.

"Buzz!"

The pagoda flared with light and began to resist, trying to avoid being taken.

Seeing this, Chen Beiwu frowned slightly.

Despite being a good match in terms of elemental attributes, a third-tier mid-grade artifact was rejecting him due to his low cultivation level.

Helpless, he shifted his focus to the Yinghuo Fiend-Chasing Bow instead.

But what happened next made Chen Beiwu’s expression stiffen.

It too shone and distanced itself.

Even though Chen Beiwu practiced the Twelve Earthly Branches Revolving Fiend-Arrow True Art, which shared origins with the bow, it still refused to acknowledge him.

“Gulu.”

Even Golden Egg was surprised, glancing toward the last option—the Azure Bright Sword Pellet.

‘Don’t bother. Their standards are too rigid.’

Chen Beiwu shook his head and withdrew his divine sense.

These three artifacts had been nurtured in the Jade Clarity Treasure Hall for many years and had developed a rudimentary spiritual awareness.

Their criteria for choosing a master were fixed: a Golden Core cultivator with immortal-grade metal-attribute mana.

Without a Golden Core cultivator to nurture them with such mana, their spiritual nature would fade and their power drastically weaken once outside the hall.

Such a loss was something no artifact spirit could accept.

Left with no choice, Chen Beiwu stepped onto the Jade Steps leading to the second level of the Treasure Hall.

The low-tier artifacts on the first level were too obstinate, clinging to rigid standards. Perhaps artifacts with slightly higher intelligence would be easier to persuade.

If even that path failed, he would have to settle for a lifeless, spiritless artifact.