Chapter 348 - 230: Golden Stone Gang Realm, Jade Refining Four Treasures (2)

Chapter 348: Chapter 230: Golden Stone Gang Realm, Jade Refining Four Treasures (2)

"Master, something’s wrong!"

Just as they were in discussion, his young apprentice ran in.

"What is it now?"

For some reason, a bad feeling suddenly rose in Zhang Wenji’s heart.

"The... Void-Breaking Jade Pendant... is gone!"

"What? How could this be! This..."

"Patriarch, we should go take a look together!"

Mr. Ma said solemnly from beside them.

"Let’s go!"

The group hurried over.

The Songfeng Zhang Family was a considerable power locally. Fifty years ago, they were one of the foremost families in Jingshan Province.

Zhang Wenji’s great-grandfather had cultivated to the level of a Martial Saint before he fell and passed away over forty years ago. After that, the Songfeng Zhang Family’s power plummeted.

Zhang Wenji’s father gave up over ninety percent of their interests, handing over control of the companies and armies the Zhang Family commanded in exchange for the Bright Jade Alliance’s protection. Even the remaining ten percent of their net profits were gradually relinquished over the following years.

His father, a Grandmaster, also passed away ten years ago. Zhang Wenji became even more low-key, relying on the relationships his father and grandfather had built just to get a word in, living a quiet, noble, and leisurely life on the legacy his ancestors had left him.

In fact, the only thing the family had left was a single Class-A martial arts hall, which barely counted as an asset in the Martial Arts Extraordinary World. The family’s valuable treasures had been given away over the years as favors in exchange for protection.

It had to be said, both Zhang Wenji and his father were exceptionally clear-sighted individuals. When a Martial Saint who controlled immense wealth and resources fell, it was never easy for his family to simply retreat from the stage.

In the Martial Arts Extraordinary World, a child’s cultivation talent was not a stable inheritance, which was one of the root causes of the long periods of chaos in this world’s old calendar.

The group rushed to the Cyan Pine Dojo. In the center of the ten-thousand-square-meter Cyan Jade Plaza stood a massive white jade palace.

The decorations along the path were all carved from rare jade. A row of ten-meter-tall pine trees in front of the palace was particularly eye-catching. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that these pine trees were also carved from emerald and cyan jade.

These jade sculptures were so lifelike that they appeared to have been carved from single, whole pieces of jade. Such a thing was extremely rare on their home planet; it was nearly impossible to find natural jade of that size.

If an ordinary person were to see such a sight, they would think they had mistakenly wandered into a celestial palace—it was the very definition of extravagant luxury.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of a knowledgeable Martial Artist, all this could only be called "exquisite." Nothing more.

This was because the jade was all mundane material, possessing no extraordinary properties. It was all for show and had no practical use.

Inside the white jade palace were a glistening blue jade bed and a verdant jade bell over two meters tall.

’Dammit! What kind of fool has targeted my grandfather’s treasures? That bastard!’

Zhang Wenji’s gaze swept over the room. The Vast Sea Pearl, which should have been hovering at the apex of the dome, was nowhere to be seen. It had already gone missing a week ago.

And now, the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant that had been enshrined on the jade table was also gone, leaving the ornate cyan jade table completely empty.

Just then, a graceful and beautiful woman also rushed in. It was Zhang Wenji’s wife, Liou Yuechan.

"Wenji, is the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant gone too?"

Liou Yuechan stared at the empty pedestal where the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant was supposed to be, her chest heaving with uncontrollable anger.

"This thief is going too far! How is Yu’er supposed to cultivate in the future!"

Zhang Wenji turned to his eldest apprentice and asked, "Has anyone accepted the mission posted on Ping Tianxia?"

Tan Wen quickly replied, "Someone has accepted it. I saw that their information says they’re from the Celestial Pride Class at Shenhan University..."

Zhang Wenji breathed a small sigh of relief. "That’s good!"

Liou Yuechan was very confused. "Wenji, why look for a student from one of the Seven Greats? We could just ask the Kong Family or even the Bright Jade Alliance for help, right? Or at the very least, report it to the Security Bureau?"

Zhang Wenji gave a bitter smile. "These Four Treasures of Jade Refining are rare, but they’re only effective for Martial Artists below the Gang Qi realm. There are countless similar treasures in the world. In terms of monetary value, they aren’t worth much.

"But these were left by our ancestors. How could we, their unworthy descendants, dare to lose this legacy?

"Moreover, when my grandfather left these Four Treasures of Jade Refining, he said that if the family ever faced a great catastrophe, we could take these items to the Bright Jade Alliance and beg for a way out.

"How could we dare to lose them? If I reported this to the Bright Jade Alliance, I’m afraid we would never truly get them back!

"Besides, if we ask the Kong Family for help, there’s no guarantee the matter would be resolved, but it’s certain they would fleece us for everything we have.

"As for the Security Bureau... for a theft case like this, do you really think they’ll put their heart into it? They’re probably too busy cracking down on all those other chaotic organizations."

Zhang Wenji said, his voice laced with worry.

He had a clear understanding of the world. So-called connections and favors were built on a foundation of mutual benefit. Shared needs were the basis of any relationship. When his grandfather passed away in his youth, his father was still there to support the family.

Zhang Wenji’s father was in the Grandmaster Realm. Although there were countless Grandmasters in the Bright Jade Alliance, he still commanded a degree of respect. But now it was his turn. After squandering half his life, he had barely managed to become a Gang Qi Martial Artist, with no hope of further advancement.

Thus, he understood that the Four Treasures of Jade Refining left by his grandfather were to be used only when the Zhang Family faced a crisis of extinction, as a last resort to beg for a path to survival.

Seeing his master’s wife so worried, Tan Wen voiced his own concerns, "Master, the member of the Shenhan Celestial Pride Class who took the mission is only in the fourth realm!"

Liou Yuechan gasped, "The fourth realm? What use is that? Wenji, you yourself are a Gang Qi Martial Artist. What can a mere fourth-realm Inner Qi Martial Artist possibly do? You know Yu’er is already in the third realm!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wenji grew uncertain. He said to Tan Wen, "Wen’er, show me the information on the prodigy who took the mission!"

Tan Wen opened up the "Ping Tianxia" platform, and Zhang Wenji read through it, word by word.

[Yu Fei: Battle Class President, 838th Celestial Pride Class of Shenhan, Inner Qi Realm...]

Liou Yuechan leaned over for a look and became even more dissatisfied. "Look, he’s from the 838th class, only a year older than Yu’er. He’s just a kid. Won’t he just cause more trouble if he comes..."

"Silence!"

Zhang Wenji waved his hand, cutting off Liou Yuechan’s rambling.

He had relaxed the moment he saw the words "Class President of the Celestial Pride Class." Although Zhang Wenji’s own talent was poor, his father had taught him about many of the martial world’s high-level secrets before he passed. He knew exactly what kind of terrifying existence the class president of one of the Seven Great Celestial Pride Classes was.

For people like that, the Grandmaster Realm—a level he could never reach in his entire life—was just another starting point.

"Ah, Chan’er, you’ve managed to cultivate to the fifth realm of divine sense by piling on resources all these years, but you have no idea what kind of person this Yu Fei is.

"Let me put it this way: if we could earn a favor from him, I’m afraid it would be more valuable than our Four Treasures of Jade Refining. Do you... understand?"

Liou Yuechan was stunned. "Huh? But isn’t he only in the fourth realm? What’s so great about that? Even if he’s a prodigy, our Yu’er is also considered a prodigy. Aren’t you just..."

"Stop! That’s a woman’s short-sightedness. Say no more. When he arrives, I will take Yu’er to greet him. You should not show your face. I will explain the reasons to you later!"

If it were an ordinary prodigy, Zhang Wenji wouldn’t care so much; proper etiquette would suffice. But this was the Class President of a Celestial Pride Class. He understood this person was a true chosen one of his generation, someone who could not be judged by normal standards.

His original plan had been to hope that a powerful sophomore or junior from one of the Seven Greats would take the mission. Although their cultivation realms might not be high, their methods were extraordinary, and they might have been able to figure out why the Vast Sea Pearl had been stolen.

Right... and now the Void-Breaking Jade Pendant was gone too.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wenji turned to Mr. Ma and instructed, "Mr. Ma, I must ask you to guard the Cyan Cloud Ice Platform and the Chaotic Heaven Jade Bell without leaving their side for a moment.

"With only two of the Four Treasures of Jade Refining left, their ability to sense the two that have been lost will be significantly weaker. If we lose another, I’m afraid we’ll lose our only remaining clue."

With that, Zhang Wenji gave Mr. Ma a deep bow, his body bent low to the ground.

Mr. Ma quickly helped him up. "Patriarch, you mustn’t do this! I received a great kindness from Mr. Zhang back in the day. At such a critical juncture, of course I must do my part!"

The two chatted for a moment, both puzzled by the thief.

Although the Four Treasures of Jade Refining had a grand origin, being left by Zhang Wenji’s grandfather, these so-called Martial Saint relics could only speed up the rate at which Martial Artists below the Gang Qi realm cultivated their foundational Cultivation Techniques.

Each of the four treasures had its own strength, allowing a Martial Artist to refine the world’s elemental energy faster. That was all.

In the martial world, there was no shortage of pills and resources that could achieve the same effect. The Four Treasures of Jade Refining were only novelties. Their real purpose was more like an ancestral protective talisman for the Zhang Family, one whose power would even weaken over time.

Zhang Wenji’s grandfather knew full well that once he was gone, his descendants would not be able to protect any truly rare treasures and might even attract disaster because of them.

The Four Treasures of Jade Refining were perfect in this regard: the powerful looked down on them, and true prodigies wouldn’t stoop to stealing them.

Who could have known that they would now meet with disaster?