Lu Pingâs reminder voice clearly penetrated Zhang Nianchuanâs mind.
"Thank you, Ancestor, for the reminder."
Zhang Nianchuan was initially stunned upon hearing this, but quickly regained his composure and responded.
He had indeed forgotten about this.
The principle of cutting weeds and eliminating the roots was something Zhang Nianchuan understood well.
Zhang Nianchuan maneuvered the Cyan Bamboo Sword to fly through the air, landing in the forest.
The forest appeared very quiet, only some birds and insects made low noises, and within a radius of ten miles, there were no signs of large demon beasts.
Sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves of the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air was filled with a fresh scent of grass and wood, along with a faint, almost negligible scent of blood.
Zhang Nianchuan found Zhao Zicangâs remains and carefully searched his body, quickly securing Zhao Zicangâs storage bag.
As for magical artifacts, aside from those in the storage bag, the magical artifacts Zhao Zicang used were all broken by Zhang Nianchuan, reduced to scrap metal, and naturally, there was no value in collecting them.
Whoosh.
Zhang Nianchuan cast a fireball technique, incinerating Zhao Zicangâs remains on the spot, which was the most common way cultivators handled enemy corpses.
After the remains were destroyed, Zhang Nianchuan then maneuvered the flying sword again, returning to Black Lake, and at a location on a lake heart island, found Zhao Zicangâs lair.
It was a pavilion built on the lake heart island, normally shrouded with haze due to the guardian arrayâs protection, obscuring the pavilionâs trace.
After the guardian array was broken by Zhang Nianchuan, the scene on the lake heart island became fully visible.
The lake heart island was silent, Zhang Nianchuan expanded his divine sense to explore around; there was no sign of cultivators or spirit beasts, apparently, Zhao Zicang lived alone here.
Zhang Nianchuan spent some time conducting a careful search, finding nothing of value on the lake heart island, everything was stored in Zhao Zicangâs storage bag, so there was nothing worth noting.
However, it was worth mentioning that although nothing notable was found on the lake heart island, Zhang Nianchuan made a discovery in Black Lake.
In Black Lake, a species of spirit fish with golden-scaled armor were being bred, numbering at least a hundred.
This spirit fish was most notable for its golden scales and a pair of golden eyes.
Unlike other spirit fish, it did not have a dorsal fin.
Due to these peculiar characteristics, Zhang Nianchuan was intrigued and observed them, but he couldnât identify what breed of spirit fish they were.
It was his first time seeing them.
"These are Golden Back Scale Armor."
Noticing Zhang Nianchuanâs puzzled yet curious expression, Lu Ping glanced at the fish swimming in Black Lake and revealed the origin of these spirit fish.
"Golden Back Scale Armor..."
Upon hearing the communication, Zhang Nianchuan murmured to himself and looked at the fishesâ features again, finding the golden scales on their backs particularly striking, feeling the name was quite fitting.
But what exactly is Golden Back Scale Armor, Zhang Nianchuan still didnât know, so he asked Lu Ping with a thirst for knowledge.
"Golden Back Scale Armor is a type of Tier Two Spirit Fish, originated from the Snowfield Plateau in the northern part of Lingxi State. This species of spirit fish is rare, belonging to freshwater fish, so itâs no wonder you donât recognize it."
"Besides its culinary value, the golden scales of Golden Back Scale Armor can be used to refine Tier Two Defensive Spiritual Artifacts. Their eyes are also excellent refining materials, usable in Tier Two Artifact Refining."
Lu Ping explained.
Compared to the Cyan-tailed Spirit Fish and Three-eyed Spirit Fish bred by Cyan Mountain Sect, the value of Golden Back Scale Armor was much greater.
Cyan-tailed Spirit Fish only had culinary value, sellable for Spirit Stones.
Three-eyed Spirit Fish, aside from culinary value and fetching three times the price of Cyan-tailed Spirit Fish, had eyes that could be refined into Tier Two Middle Grade Elixir, Bright Mirror Pill.
Bright Mirror Pill could greatly enhance cultivatorsâ eye power, facilitating the cultivation of some Spiritual Eye Divine Pupil Techniques.
As for Golden Back Scale Armor, just in terms of tier, it surpassed Cyan-tailed Spirit Fish and Three-eyed Spirit Fish, with a single fish selling for at least two hundred Spirit Stones at Chu Kingdomâs market price.
In accordance with the hundred or so Golden Back Scale Armor in Black Lake, their value was about twenty thousand Spirit Stones, equivalent to two Foundation Establishment Pills.
But in Lu Pingâs view, these Golden Back Scale Armor shouldnât be measured only with Spirit Stones.
If brought back to Cyan Mountain Sect for breeding, they could not only provide an additional sect resource but also establish a refining industry.
Based on Lu Xuelianâs current beast taming mastery, she was fully capable of breeding these Golden Back Scale Armor.
Upon learning the potential value of Golden Back Scale Armor, a joyful expression appeared on Zhang Nianchuanâs face, discovering these spirit fish was an unexpected delight.
He and Lu Ping discussed how to handle these Golden Back Scale Armor.
According to Lu Pingâs intention, if Zhang Nianchuan wished to keep them for himself, he wouldnât say much; these Golden Back Scale Armor were Zhang Nianchuanâs spoils of war, and Cyan Mountain Sect had no reason to seize them from their disciples.
However, Zhang Nianchuan was quite generous.
"Ancestor, itâs better to bring all these Golden Back Scale Armor back to the sect, and have them bred in Yanyang Lake. I believe thatâs the best choice."
Actually, Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts held little attraction for Zhang Nianchuan at the moment.
He possessed several Tier Two Artifacts as well as Tier Three Artifacts.
Moreover, if he planned to sell all these Golden Back Scale Armor at the Cultivation Market, Zhang Nianchuan felt that given his newly achieved Foundation Establishment strength, doing so might invite unnecessary trouble.
Selling so many Golden Back Scale Armor could be too ostentatious, akin to carrying gold through a busy market.
The twenty thousand Spirit Stones werenât something Zhang Nianchuan was lacking at the moment.
Since experiencing the fortuitous exploration at Water and Wood Cave Heaven, Zhang Nianchuanâs wealth had already topped the list among Cyan Mountain Sect disciples.
Now he just wanted to act as low-key as possible.
These Golden Back Scale Armor werenât as beneficial to give to the sect to assist in its development, and in the future, as the sect grew stronger, it would be advantageous for him as well.
Learning of Zhang Nianchuanâs thoughts, Lu Ping nodded, and his gaze toward Zhang Nianchuan added a touch of appreciation.
Once the fate of the Golden Back Scale Armor was decided, Zhang Nianchuan didnât hurry to return to Cyan Mountain Sect but stayed at Black Lake, watching these Golden Back Scale Armor.
If he didnât care about their wellbeing, catching these Golden Back Scale Armor would certainly be something he could do.
Now what must be done, is surely to bring these Golden Back Scale Armor back to Cyan Mountain Sect intact, without harming them.
Zhang Nianchuan considered this task of catching fish should be left to someone professional.
So, he wanted to summon Lu Xuelian over.
Lu Ping took on the task of communication, pulling Lu Yuanshan into the communication channel.
"Yuanshan, have Lu Xuelian bring some people over."
Lu Ping informed Lu Yuanshan about capturing Golden Back Scale Armor and their location.
Upon receiving the order, Lu Yuanshan immediately sent Lu Xuelian down the mountain that day, heading straight to the upper reaches of Chu River next to Black Lake, starting the mission to capture Golden Back Scale Armor.