Chapter 126 - 111: Breath-Concealing Ring, Advancement

Chapter 126: Chapter 111: Breath-Concealing Ring, Advancement

Zhao Zuo clutched the Communication Jade in his hand, hesitating.

Seeking out Chen Xiaorong was the most direct and effective solution. But doing so... would likely drag him into a much larger vortex. After all, most of her enemies were high-ranking individuals with Foundation Establishment cultivation.

For example, the murdered Second True Inheritance disciple, Su Mu, had been the Great Elder’s beloved student. And many years ago, the Great Elder had already reached Foundation Establishment Perfection.

’Forget it. I’ll endure it.’ Zhao Zuo finally put away Chen Xiaorong’s Communication Jade. Getting too involved with a heaven’s chosen child of great fortune like her could easily turn him into a stepping stone for her next explosive breakthrough.

’I shouldn’t trouble others with my own problems.’

Having made his decision, Zhao Zuo gently brushed his right hand across his face, and his features immediately changed. It was the same face he had used to become an Honored Guest Elder of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. This face was already stored inside his Hundred-Change Mask as his usual public identity.

Zhao Zuo quickly walked into a shop that recycled Magical Artifacts. He sold a portion of the Lower Grade Magical Artifacts he had worked overtime to forge recently, then immediately moved to another shop to sell the rest, earning a total of 853 Spirit Stones.

Finally, he headed to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to sell this month’s quota of Magical Artifacts.

From the three sales, he earned a total of 120 Spirit Treasure Pavilion points.

Coming down from the upper floor, Zhao Zuo went straight to Qing Ci, with whom he had worked several times before.

"Sir, here are your 800 Spirit Stones." Qing Ci smiled, taking a pouch from her Storage Bag and handing it to Zhao Zuo.

Zhao Zuo didn’t take the pouch. He said,

"I want to buy one unit of Shadow Spring Profound Nether Jade."

"Of course." The smile on Qing Ci’s face remained bright, but surprise welled up within her.

The Shadow Spring was a mystical spring located in a ruin within the Great Yue Country. Without any processing, its water could grant the drinker the ability of Invisibility. The Shadow Spring Profound Nether Jade was a black stone that formed at the bottom of the spring’s pool.

Each three-gram unit cost 1,800 Spirit Stones.

Qing Ci’s surprise stemmed from the fact that this stone was often used as a supplementary material for Magical Treasures. Logically speaking... a One-Tier Artifact Refiner like the man before her should have no use for such a material.

HISS...

Amidst a rising white mist, a transparent glass vial appeared in Qing Ci’s hand. Inside was a black stone. With a slight flick of her wrist... the stone immediately disintegrated into a gray powder that settled at the bottom of the vial.

"After leaving the Shadow Spring, the Profound Nether Jade becomes extremely unstable, which is why it can only be stored in a glass vial. When you use it, sir, please remember to handle it with care," Qing Ci instructed.

"I know."

The properties of the Profound Dark Stone were recorded in that book about peculiar Artifact Refining materials.

After buying the Profound Dark Stone, Zhao Zuo only had a few dozen Spirit Stones left. And this was just one of the materials needed to upgrade his Breath-Concealing Ring. In total, he had spent around 4,000 Spirit Stones on this project so far.

"Is there any other material you need to purchase, sir?"

"No."

Zhao Zuo left the Spirit Treasure Pavilion immediately. Every time he stepped inside, he was carrying a huge sum of money; when he left, his pockets were empty and he was as poor as a church mouse... "Destitute" was not a strong enough word to describe how he felt.

He found a deserted corner and wiped his right hand across his face, which immediately changed to a new one. This persona looked tall and slender, dressed in a gray Taoist Robe. With his hands hanging naturally at his sides, he had a suave and unrestrained air, like a dashing scholar.

After wandering around the Moyun Workshop to make sure no one was following him, Zhao Zuo returned to his small courtyard in the market’s core district. He didn’t plan on going back to the Moyun Sect today. For one, he wanted to avoid the black-clad person who had attacked him; for another, he needed to upgrade his Breath-Concealing Ring.

The familiar courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside. Zhao Zuo’s tense body relaxed. Although the small courtyards for Moyun Sect disciples had denser Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, they rarely brought him any inner peace. But in this courtyard, he could feel himself relax from the inside out.

He then restored his face to its original appearance. He hadn’t taken off the Hundred-Change Mask in a long time; sometimes, he even forgot it was there.

The Moyun Sect was safe, but Zhao Zuo didn’t dare to let his guard down for even a moment.

A few seconds later, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs—TAP TAP TAP. Shen Yunjiao appeared, wearing a cool, short skirt with a loose, silvery, silk-like long-sleeved shirt, a book in her hand.

Zhao Zuo froze for a moment, a gray light flickering deep in his eyes.

A scorching aura flowed into the Spring and Autumn Cicada in his pocket. ’This feeling... it’s the Qi of Time!’ Before he could even be surprised, he noticed that Shen Yunjiao seemed to have gotten thinner, her waist even more slender.

"Next month’s rent!"

Shen Yunjiao saw Zhao Zuo staring intently at her. She suddenly remembered that since she’d been home alone recently, she had indeed been dressing a bit more casually, and she quickly changed the subject.

"Right, right, no problem." Zhao Zuo counted out five Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them over.

"Thank you for your business." Shen Yunjiao took the Spirit Stones, only to realize she had been in such a hurry coming downstairs that she had forgotten her Storage Bag. She could only hold the Spirit Stones in her hand and fiddle with them.

"You seem to have gotten thinner again. Are you not eating properly when you’re by yourself?"

Wisps of the Qi of Time were rapidly absorbed by the Spring and Autumn Cicada, and at the same time, the cicada’s temperature was rising swiftly, growing somewhat scorching.

On the surface, Zhao Zuo remained impassive, but he asked Shen Yunjiao with a hint of concern.

"I’ve been in closed-door ascetic cultivation recently," Shen Yunjiao replied with a smile.

"It must be going well. Your aura has grown much stronger."

"It’s alright," Shen Yunjiao said lightly.

The two sat down near the stone table in the courtyard. Zhao Zuo took out his Spirit Fire Furnace and a teapot and brewed a pot of Cold Thorn tea. Before long, its fragrant aroma filled the air.