Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Su Shi'er wasn't in a hurry to cultivate. Instead, he quietly sorted through the recent events.
"The Great Elder taking me as a disciple and gifting me treasures is definitely not without ulterior motives. Fortunately, judging by his demeanor, he shouldn't make any moves against me in the short term. But to be safe, until I figure out his intentions, I must avoid the Discarded Pill Room and absolutely not touch the mysterious Pill Furnace!"
"Regardless of whether he's connected to the black-clothed person, Zhu Hanwei must secretly investigate the black-clothed person's matters. Although Zhu Hanwei's strength is average, he should be able to gather some information from the servant disciples!"
Taking a deep breath, Su Shi'er picked up the Yuanyang Ruler and Silver Light Sword, activating the Heavenly Eye to examine them carefully.
In his eyes, both treasures were filled with pure spiritual power, glowing brightly, without any visible issues.
Despite this, he remained cautious, placing the treasures into a sword pouch and storing it in the adjacent room. Only then did he take out the last Zhu Fruit from his storage ring, swallow it, and begin cultivating.
At this point, his cultivation technique had shifted from the sect's Basic Breathing Technique to the Small Zhou Tian Qi Refining Technique.
The twelve-layer Qi Refining method was etched in his mind, impossible to forget. However, each breakthrough in the Small Zhou Tian Qi Refining Technique required far more True Essence than the sect's technique.
But to increase his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment, Su Shi'er gritted his teeth and continued cultivating.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since the end of the trial.
During this month, the Great Elder showed no intention of seeking him out.
After refining the last Zhu Fruit, Su Shi'er's cultivation stabilized at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.
However, his aptitude was poor, and his cultivation progress became exceedingly slow thereafter.
Before the trial, he had used up all his Gathering Qi Pills. Now, he dared not recklessly use the mysterious Pill Furnace, losing his greatest aid. He could only rely on the ritual artifact mat to cultivate slowly.
Therefore, after receiving the sect's returned resources, he specifically exchanged two hundred-year ginsengs for a bottle of Mid Grade Gathering Qi Pills.
Unfortunately, compared to Top Grade pills, the Mid Grade ones were significantly less effective, and with his cultivation level rising, the effect was barely noticeable.
"This won't do. At this rate, my cultivation speed is too slow. How can I avenge my grandfather and everyone else? I must find another way!"
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On this day, Su Shi'er stopped cultivating, feeling a bit anxious and conflicted.
Just as he hesitated about using the mysterious Pill Furnace, a knock came from outside the courtyard.
Su Shi'er frowned, quickly got up, and went to open the door.
Seeing Xiao Yue standing outside, he was a bit surprised, "Senior Sister Xiao Yue?!"
"Twelve, how are you finding life on the peak? Are you getting used to it?" Xiao Yue asked with a smile.
Su Shi'er nodded quickly, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. It's great here! Is there something you need from me?"
Xiao Yue smiled, "It's nothing major, just here to give you the Treasure Token. The Peak Lord mentioned earlier that the top five in this trial would have a chance to enter the Treasure Pavilion."
With that, Xiao Yue raised her hand, revealing a specially crafted token about half the size of a palm, with the words "Treasure" inscribed on it.
"Just hand this Treasure Token to the Elder at the Treasure Pavilion, and you can go in to choose a treasure!"
"Thank you, Senior Sister. Where is the Treasure Pavilion?" Su Shi'er scratched his head, asking a bit embarrassedly.
He had been in seclusion for the past month and wasn't familiar with Luofu Peak.
"The Treasure Pavilion is that tower-shaped building to the east. If you're going now, I can take you there; I need to pick a treasure too," Xiao Yue said with a smile.
"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Sister!"
Su Shi'er quickly replied, following Xiao Yue to the Treasure Pavilion.
In just the time it took to eat a meal, they arrived in front of the Treasure Pavilion.
Before them stood a seven-story tower-shaped building, grand and majestic, exuding an ancient aura.
Each peak had such a building. Most of the treasures inside were either discarded by the elders or acquired by chance and unused.
The elders exchanged these with the sect for cultivation resources, while the disciples sought resources to exchange for treasures within the pavilion, creating a continuous cycle.
Entering the Treasure Pavilion, an elder with white hair was in charge of guarding it.
Seeing Xiao Yue, the elder smiled warmly, with a kind and amiable demeanor, "Xiao girl, here to pick a treasure?"
"Yes! Greetings, Elder Grandpa!" Xiao Yue greeted him with a smile, handing over the Treasure Token.
"Alright! Go on in, you can check out the second floor; there are a few new Top Grade ritual artifacts there," the elder said with a smile.
"The second floor?! Aren't Qi Refining stage disciples only allowed to choose treasures on the first floor?" Xiao Yue asked, surprised.
"That's different; you're the Peak Lord's granddaughter, so going to the second floor is fine," the elder said with an unchanged expression, smiling.
"Thank you, Elder Grandpa. What about him..." Xiao Yue asked, glancing at Su Shi'er.
"Since he came with you, he can go up too!" The guarding elder glanced at Su Shi'er and said indifferently.
"Thank you, Elder!" Su Shi'er quickly handed over his Treasure Token, thanking him politely.
He knew very well that if he had come alone, he wouldn't have received such treatment. The opportunity to go to the second floor was entirely due to Xiao Yue's influence.
"Then let's go in!" Xiao Yue beamed, pulling Su Shi'er into the Treasure Pavilion.
The first floor of the Treasure Pavilion was spacious, with fifty or sixty shelves. Each shelf had five levels, mostly filled with Low Grade and Mid Grade ritual artifacts. Occasionally, there were a few High Grade artifacts, but they were rare.
The variety of artifacts was vast, including swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—truly a dazzling array.
Additionally, every artifact was covered with a faint spiritual power imprint. This was a protective formation, and without the elder's removal of the imprint, the artifacts couldn't be used properly.
After a quick glance, the two went upstairs to the second floor.
The second floor had nearly half the number of shelves. Besides High Grade and Top Grade artifacts, there were also some rare and unidentifiable treasures.
Most treasures emitted a dazzling light, making the entire room shine brilliantly.
This was the true foundation of a sect!
Su Shi'er was amazed, realizing that any treasure here could cause countless disciples to fight fiercely.
At this moment, he deeply understood that the items he possessed were insignificant. Compared to this, he was still a pauper.
"It seems Elder Grandpa wasn't wrong; there are indeed many good things on this floor."
The two wandered between the shelves, Xiao Yue's eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at the treasures.
"I'm only able to choose a treasure on this floor thanks to Senior Sister," Su Shi'er nodded, smiling as he spoke.
As he spoke, he examined each treasure he saw.
"The division between the first and second floors isn't that strict; don't worry too much about it! Go ahead and choose a treasure. What kind of treasure are you planning to pick?" Xiao Yue smiled and shook her head slightly, then asked.
"I haven't decided yet. Do you have your eye on something, Senior Sister?" Su Shi'er asked with a smile.
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