novelraw Chapter 210 : “I, Feng Yichen… have finally returned!”
Chapter 210 : “I, Feng Yichen… have finally returned!”
Chapter 210: “I, Feng Yichen… have finally returned!”
The Island Lord of Iron Hammer was himself a second-tier upper-grade Weapon Refining Master, and at best could only forge upper-grade Spiritual Artifacts.
Therefore, the content Ji Yuan was browsing now was actually what that man had left behind not long before his death. At that time, it seemed he had already prepared to pass this 《True Explanation of Weapon Refining》 to others… Beside each of these recorded contents, he had even left tiny handwritten notes as annotations.
For instance, beside this entry 【Spirit Energy Cannon】, there was such a note:
“Spirit Energy Cannons are mostly installed in cities along mountain edges and riverbanks, used to defend against beast tides.”
“The method of refining this item was something I obtained by chance. Once successfully forged, its might is incomparably great—even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can possibly slay a Golden Core cultivator using it.”
“I was greatly delighted, yet after studying the method thoroughly, I found that this cannon is extremely difficult to forge. Only when a Weapon Refiner and a Formation Master work in perfect unison can there be a chance of success.”
“The method is too difficult, thus I stopped here.”
A Foundation Establishment slaying a Golden Core?
What kind of ferocious Spirit Energy Cannon must that be? And most likely, that Golden Core cultivator would have to stand still and let it blast him—otherwise, the mere Escape Light of a Golden Core would not be something such a cannon could even touch.
Ji Yuan was no longer that ant who had just stepped into the Immortal Sect. Now, he was… a big ant!
Naturally, he could understand all the hidden meanings within those words.
The Island Lord of Iron Hammer probably meant that the Spirit Energy Cannon could unleash power on par with a Golden Core Real Person’s attack—meaning, when it fired once, it was roughly equivalent to a Golden Core Real Person’s strike.
That was why it had the possibility of killing one.
Indeed, such power was already tremendous.
But Ji Yuan was not content with just that. He was thinking—if the Spirit Energy Cannon also counted as a building… If it was a building, then it could be upgraded.
If a level-2 Spirit Energy Cannon could already deliver damage comparable to a Golden Core Real Person, possessing a chance to kill one—
Then what about a level-20 Spirit Energy Cannon?
Would it be unreasonable if he blasted apart this tiny Cangluo Island with a single shot?
At that thought, Ji Yuan could not help but rub his hands together excitedly, eager to craft a 【Spirit Energy Cannon】 right now just to see whether it counted as a building—and whether it could be upgraded.
Yet when his eyes fell again upon the 《True Explanation of Weapon Refining》 on the table, his excitement cooled considerably.
There was no other reason—he merely realized that to forge this 【Spirit Energy Cannon】, one must at least reach second-tier upper-grade in the art of weapon refining—capable of skillfully crafting upper-grade Spiritual Artifacts. The same level was required in formations as well.
For Ji Yuan, his attainment in formations was probably close enough.
After all, under the guidance of that “ahem… Second Senior Brother,” coupled with the assistance of the 【Enlightenment Room】 and the 【Formation Room】, Ji Yuan’s progress in formation arts had indeed been considerable.
But in weapon refining… he still lagged far behind.
Moreover, weapon refining was unlike other arts—each time one lit the furnace and began the fire, even crafting an upper-grade Magical Artifact would take several days.
Like how the Island Lord of Iron Hammer once forged that mid-grade Spiritual Artifact—the Crimson-Blood Tripod—in Ji Yuan’s Storage Pouch;
The crafting time for that alone had been measured in years.
To improve further… there was no shortcut—only time and patience.
Thus, Ji Yuan decided to ask around, to see whether he could buy a Spirit Energy Cannon instead. After all, he was not short on Spirit Stones—that much was fine.
The first person who came to his mind was Young Master Li.
But his transmitted message received no reply, meaning the other party was not within the Water Dragon Sect.
Ji Yuan could only settle for the next best option and sent a message to Feng Zhi Tao.
She, already at the peak of Foundation Establishment, was now considered one of the senior Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Water Dragon Sect. Compared to others, she surely knew more about such matters.
“Senior Sister, are you in the sect? I have something to ask.”
Soon after Ji Yuan sent the message, a response came swiftly.
“You’re on Wuyou Island, right? I’ll come find you now.”
Feng Zhi Tao remained as direct and decisive as ever.
Ji Yuan had no choice but to reply that he was indeed there.
About half a day later, a fiery-red flying boat, carrying Feng Zhi Tao in a bright red long dress, came to hover outside Ji Yuan’s Wuyou Island. Perhaps because her approach was far too fierce,
Both Dong Qian and Du Wanyi on the left and right could not help but step out to investigate.
Ji Yuan hurriedly activated his island’s formation and allowed Feng Zhi Tao to enter.
Yet unexpectedly, the first words she said upon seeing him were:
“小师弟，难怪都不怎么来寻我，这艳福不浅嘛。”
“Little Junior Brother, no wonder you rarely come to find me anymore—your amorous blessings aren’t shallow, hmm.”
Ji Yuan: “……”
“One on the left, one on the right—and when they saw me coming, their eyes weren’t exactly friendly. Tsk, tsk, tsk… No, I must tell Master about this.”
Her tone was dripping with mockery, leaving Ji Yuan no choice but to explain quickly:
“They’re just friends, Senior Sister—please don’t misunderstand.”
“Friends? Then does that mean I’m also one of your friends?”
Feng Zhi Tao folded her arms under her chest, lifting the deep valley as she leaned forward. Being short, she had to tilt her head up to study Ji Yuan’s expression.
Unlike Dong Qian and Du Wanyi’s temperaments, Feng Zhi Tao’s nature… was utterly aggressive.
Under her gaze, Ji Yuan conceded defeat and quickly changed the subject.
“I actually wanted to ask Senior Sister—where could I buy a Spirit Energy Cannon?”
“Ha?”
Still staring at him, Feng Zhi Tao was stunned by his question.
“Spirit Energy Cannon?”
“What do you even want that thing for? Planning to attack our Water Dragon Sect?”
“This… Senior Sister, please stop joking.”
Ji Yuan turned and led her into the house, smiling helplessly.
“Not at all. Spirit Energy Cannons are generally used for city defense—large cities only. For example, the eastern Linhai City or the western Yulan City; only those great cities would install such cannons to fend off potential beast tides. How could you possibly need something like that?”
Feng Zhi Tao explained seriously and thoroughly.
After the two of them sat down, Ji Yuan brought out the excuse he had prepared beforehand:
“With the Demonic Path’s invasion imminent, I just wanted to have a Spirit Energy Cannon ready—if someday something happens and I’m forced to take refuge elsewhere, having one on hand could serve as a form of protection.”
“No wonder.”
Feng Zhi Tao shook her head.
“No wonder what?” Ji Yuan asked curiously.
“Master said that among us, you’re the one most afraid of death. Now it seems it’s true. Buying a Spirit Energy Cannon just to feel safe—only you would do something like that.”
Ji Yuan smiled awkwardly. “Master always loves to slander me.”
“Hmph, talking behind Master’s back—careful, I might report you!”
Feng Zhi Tao gave him a sideways glance. “Do you even know how expensive a Spirit Energy Cannon is? Even if I wanted to help, you probably couldn’t afford one.”
“How expensive?”
Ji Yuan asked cautiously.
Feng Zhi Tao pretended to count on her fingers, “The lowest-grade Spirit Energy Cannon is already second-tier upper-grade, equivalent to an upper-grade Spiritual Artifact. Normally, upper-grade Spiritual Artifacts cost between 500 to 1000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones. So one Spirit Energy Cannon would be around… 3000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.”
“What?! That expensive?!”
Even though Ji Yuan had mentally prepared himself, hearing the actual number still made him hesitate.
3000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones—indeed, not cheap.
Buying even one would make him bleed a bit.
But then again, given his current Spirit Stone reserves, he could probably afford five, six, even seven or eight of them—and he still had three sets of Foundation Establishment Pill materials yet to refine.
Once those materials were refined, Ji Yuan estimated he could produce around eleven Foundation Establishment Pills.
Even if only three of them turned out as Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills, and the rest were One-Pattern, that would still be more than enough to buy a Spirit Energy Cannon—with plenty to spare.
“Otherwise, what do you expect?”
Feng Zhi Tao rolled her eyes. “Even a second-tier upper-grade Spirit Energy Cannon can injure a third-tier demon beast. During a beast tide, a single blast can turn an ordinary second-tier demon beast into ashes. That price is already a bargain.”
“That’s true…” Ji Yuan nodded slightly.
Just when Feng Zhi Tao thought he had given up on the idea, she saw him lean closer, lowering his voice—
“Then… does Senior Sister have a way to get one?”
“Y-you…”
Feng Yichen stared at Ji Yuan’s serious expression before her, and in the end, she still could not bring herself to utter, “Are you insane?”
A Foundation Establishment cultivator at mid-stage, with so many Spirit Stones in hand, not thinking of cultivating properly or buying Spiritual Artifacts—but actually wanting to buy something like a Spirit Energy Cannon, that looked impressive but was practically useless—if that wasn’t madness, what was?
Of course, Ji Yuan dared to bring up such a thing with Feng Yichen only because he trusted her.
If it had been anyone else, Ji Yuan would never have exposed this idea.
Fortunately, Feng Yichen did not betray his trust. After a brief silence, she earnestly began to help him think it through.
“You’re buying it for personal use, and only for protection, then there’s no need to buy a brand-new Spirit Energy Cannon.”
“There are second-hand ones?”
“There are.”
Feng Yichen nodded. “In those major cities, after each great beast tide, they usually replace the worn-out Spirit Energy Cannons. At that time, some of the used cannons will be taken down. Those cannons are rarely recycled by the sects.”
“Then where can I get those replaced cannons?”
Ji Yuan quickly asked.
For him, buying a second-hand Spirit Energy Cannon was clearly the most cost-effective option.
First, it was cheaper—saving a good amount of Spirit Stones.
Second-hand was always less expensive than new.
And besides, Ji Yuan only wanted to test whether it could be upgraded. If not… that was fine too. He could keep it, or sell it off later.
But if it could be upgraded, then he would have struck gold.
Normally, when a building was upgraded, its existing damage would be repaired, returning it to pristine condition. Ji Yuan had already noticed that when his 【Cave Dwelling】 was upgraded.
So, if it could indeed be upgraded, then it wouldn’t matter whether it was second-hand or brand-new—it’d all be the same.
“To find that kind of thing,” Feng Yichen narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “you’ll need to find your Second Senior Brother.”
“Find Second Senior Brother?”
Ji Yuan didn’t react immediately.
“Yes. He’s now the patriarch of the Yun Family in Linhai City. Their family probably has a few Spirit Energy Cannons that were replaced. If you go to him, there’ll be no problem.”
After Feng Yichen’s explanation, Ji Yuan finally understood.
Yun Qianzai came from the Yun Family of Linhai City.
The Yun Family in Linhai City was a well-known cultivation clan—there were nearly ten Foundation Establishment cultivators in the family, and their patriarch was rumored to be at the Pseudo-Core stage.
Speaking of that Yun Family, Ji Yuan also remembered a certain story about Yun Qianzai.
In that family, the patriarch at the peak of Foundation Establishment was already the “ancestor.” When Yun Qianzai reached Foundation Establishment peak a few years back, he returned home and made his third uncle call him “Ancestor.”
That kind of ridiculous stunt was indeed something Yun Qianzai would do.
“Then let’s go to Master now and ask her to release Second Senior Brother.”
Ji Yuan hadn’t forgotten—Yun Qianzai was still being suppressed beneath Wuyou Island.
And without Yun Qianzai’s help… nothing could be done.
“I’ll go. It’s not convenient for you.”
Feng Yichen stood up.
Ji Yuan: “???”
“I can go act spoiled and plead with Master. You can’t very well act spoiled too, can you?” Seeing Ji Yuan’s confused look, Feng Yichen sighed and explained helplessly.
“Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister with this.”
Ji Yuan laughed awkwardly and quickly bowed.
“Mm. No time to waste. I’ll go find Master now.”
Feng Yichen came as swiftly as she left.
Once she was gone, Ji Yuan also departed—he needed to return to Misty Island to pack up. With Feng Yichen helping plead the case, it was very likely this would succeed, and he might soon have to make a trip to Linhai City.
From the Water Dragon Sect to Linhai City, one only needed to follow the Falling Star River eastward.
Most of the great cities along the way belonged to the Water Dragon Sect’s core territory, so safety wasn’t an issue. Even so, Ji Yuan still planned to prepare properly—one never knew what might happen.
Halfway along, Ji Yuan took out a golden Messaging Talisman from his Storage Pouch.
Looking at the continuously flickering talisman, he hesitated.
This talisman had been given to him by Han Feiyu—it was the Messaging Talisman of the Island Lord of Yunmiao Island.
After a moment’s hesitation, he finally infused a trace of spiritual energy into it.
A cold and distant voice of the Island Lord Yun Miao sounded in his mind.
“Junior Brother Wuyou… are you there?”
Ji Yuan stayed silent for a long while. Without replying, he put the talisman away and continued heading south.
When he returned to Misty Island, the first thing he did was call back the Ice Flood Dragon.
After feeding it Ice Soul Cold Dew for a year, the Ice Flood Dragon had finally reached mid-second tier. Its strength was enough to fight the Great Toad to a standstill—neither able to defeat the other.
Being able to battle across tiers and fight at late-second-tier strength showed just how strong its Flood Dragon bloodline was.
Moments later, a Flood Dragon as thick as a water barrel broke through the surface of the Yunyu Marsh beside Misty Island, stirring up massive waves.
After leaving the water, it flicked its tail and vanished into the mist.
As it was about to land on Ji Yuan, its body shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye. When it landed on his shoulder, it had become the length of a chopstick, only as thick as a finger.
Ji Yuan lightly patted its head, then went to the 【Grave Mound】 to collect his Demonic Path equipment, and he also had to bring along the Spirit-Devouring Bee swarm.
Finally, he looked at the mid-Foundation-Establishment corpse servant Yin Child standing before him.
After thinking for a moment, he stored it in his Storage Pouch as well.
After all, Misty Island had the Great Toad as the guardian beast, plus protective formations—nothing would go wrong. It was better to bring the Yin Child along as an extra aid.
A day later, not long after Ji Yuan had returned to Wuyou Island from Misty Island, he received Feng Yichen’s message, asking him to meet at Wuyou Island.
Naturally, Ji Yuan summoned the Sky-Slicer Boat and departed at once—but unexpectedly, just as he left Wuyou Island, he saw Dong Qian returning from the north.
Seeing him, she smiled faintly. “Junior Brother Ji, are you going out?”
“Not going out.”
Ji Yuan replied calmly, “I’ve encountered some confusion in my cultivation and wish to seek Master’s advice.”
“Alright, then I won’t disturb Junior Brother.”
With a smile still on her face, Dong Qian returned to Fox Moon Island.
Ji Yuan, meanwhile, headed straight to Wuyou Island. He wasn’t lying—he really did go there.
At that moment, Yun Qianzai, who had just been released from underground, seemed completely unbothered. He had already returned to his usual demeanor, standing atop a giant rock on the cliff, back facing everyone, as if savoring the loneliness of the world.
“Greetings, Second Senior Brother.”
Upon arriving, Ji Yuan cupped his hands slightly.
Yun Qianzai didn’t turn around. Still facing away, he said indifferently, “Little Junior Brother, that you have use for your Senior Brother—your Senior Brother is most pleased.”
Translation: Thanks for getting me out of there!
“Senior Brother, you’re too polite. I should be the one thanking you for your help.” Ji Yuan pretended to look humble and respectful.
“No need. This matter is on me!”
When Yun Qianzai said this, he even raised his head slightly.
Then Ji Yuan quickly walked to the mountain pavilion. There, he didn’t see Hua Yaoyue—only Feng Yichen.
“Senior Sister, where’s Master?”
“Master’s not here. I secretly released Senior Brother.” Feng Yichen lowered her voice.
“What?!”
Ji Yuan’s eyes widened instinctively.
“Relax, I’m joking. Master went to visit Martial Aunt Suxin. Let’s hurry and go—otherwise, once Master returns, we won’t be able to leave.”
Feng Yichen’s words, half-true and half-false, made Ji Yuan look at her suspiciously.
Until Yun Qianzai walked over, sneering, “Heh, how could I, the Island Lord of Heaven Pivot, do something so underhanded? If Master hadn’t personally come to invite me, how would I have come out?”
“Impressive, impressive.” Ji Yuan gave a big thumbs-up.
“Let’s go. Little Junior Brother, you’ve never been to my Yun Family—this time, I’ll let you witness the heritage of my Linhai Yun Clan!”
After speaking, Yun Qianzai stepped forward, foot on a formation, climbing upward just as he had in his first appearance.
Feng Yichen summoned her fiery-red Spirit Boat. “Junior Brother, come aboard. It’ll be faster this way.”
“Alright.”
Free ride? Ji Yuan would never say no.
But once they ascended into the clouds, they saw Yun Qianzai had also summoned his own flying boat.
“Senior Brother, why not use your Void Formation?” Feng Yichen asked in mock curiosity.
“Heh.”
Yun Qianzai let out a cold laugh, immediately activating his flying boat, turning into a streak of white light that tore through countless clouds, flying straight east.
Feng Yichen whispered quietly to Ji Yuan, “That Void Formation looks impressive but burns up a massive amount of spiritual energy. Just that bit of showing off last time probably drained half his spiritual power.”
“Really that bad?”
“Otherwise, why do you think he put on such a big act? Just wait—on the way back, he’s bound to show off again, probably something even bigger.”
There was a clear trace of anticipation in Feng Yichen’s voice. “I just wonder if he’ll call his great-grandfather ‘brother’ this time.”
Ji Yuan: “???”
……
Meanwhile—
West of the Water Dragon Sect.
A tattered flying boat descended from the sky. From within stepped a Qi-Refining disciple wearing the Water Dragon Sect’s standard robe. He gazed at the endless marshlands ahead, eyes filled with complex emotion.
After a long silence, he took out a golden Messaging Talisman from his Storage Pouch, infused a wisp of spiritual energy into it, and said with a weary yet faintly smiling voice—
“Sect Master… I, Feng Yichen… have finally returned.”