Nanan and the others comforted the wild game animals before continuing on their way back to the four-part architecture. “Brother Li, we’re back!” shouted Nanan when they neared the building. She then ran the last mile and entered the courtyard with Dragin and the others following closely behind.
This time, both Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa were with them, too. It had been quite a while since they last visited the expert, and so, they thought this would be a good time for them to make up for the lost time. However, their eyes widened in shock the moment they entered the four-part architecture.
There, on the ground before them, were mountains of Immortal Machines. To the untrained eye, the items might look normal, but to them, what they sensed made the quake in their boots. The oppressive power flowing from the Immortal Machines was so strong that their Primordial Spirits nearly packed up and left their bodies.
In the Origins Realm, Wisdom Ultimate Treasures were ranked according to their grade, with the ninth-grade being the strongest. However, all the Immortal Machines there definitely surpassed the ninth-grade, so much so that they could not even grade them.
‘All of them are unimaginably terrifying Ultimate Slaughter Treasures!’ thought everyone with trembling hearts.
“Oh, hey, welcome back!” said Li Nianfan who was coming out from the utility room with an armful of brushes in different sizes. The biggest was as big as a broom while the smallest was as small as a pinky finger. All of them were Immortal Machines, too!
‘Oh, my god! Is there no end to the expert’s awesomeness?’ Everyone started hyperventilating. Goddess Nuwa and Yang Jing quickly composed themselves and said respectfully, “Greetings, Lord Saint!”
“Long time no see, Yang Jing, Empress Nuwa. Welcome, welcome,” said Li Nianfan with a smile.
“Brother Li, what are you doing?” asked Dragin curiously.
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“I’m looking for new musical instruments and brushes for Miss Manyun and Miss Tuqin. They must be bored of practicing with the same musical instrument and brush over and over again,” explained Li Nianfan. He gave up trying to rest when the tremors happened, so he decided to find something else to do.
‘That explains all the Immortal Machines…’ thought Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa as they glanced enviously at Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin. The two of them were so lucky that they were able to stay by the expert’s side. It was insane how they got to even choose their Immortal Machines.
Qin Manyun was shocked by the amount of Immortal Machines, too. “Master, do you really think I can use these musical instruments?” she asked anxiously.
“It’ll be easy-peasy for you since you’re a quick learner, and you already have a good foundation in music. This here is a flute, a traditional drum, a rebab, a lute… Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to use all of them one by one,” said Li Nianfan with a smile.
“Master, I never knew there were so many different kinds of brushes!” said the dumbfounded Shi Tuqin in a tone of disbelief.
“Of course, the size of the brush can be divided into small cases, middle cases, and big cases, while the texture can be divided into soft, hard, and half-half. Then, the tip of the brush can be divided into long, mid, or short. Each of them would affect your brush strokes very differently.”
After a pause, Li Nianfan continued, “Besides that, we can further classify the brushes based on the material of the brush, such as lanugo, wolf fur, rabbit fur, deer fur, chicken feathers, and so forth. I’ll craft them for you once I get my hands on the materials. You’ll be called a real master of calligraphy only when you can wield the different types of brushes and learn how to complement their strengths and weaknesses.”
Everyone was awe-struck. Li Nianfan was obviously giving a boost to Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin’s cultivation. To everyone else, Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin’s attainment in the Guqin and the art of calligraphy might seem like they had reached the end of the road, but in actual fact, they still had a long way to go.
There were many more musical instruments apart from the Guqin, and many more brushes apart from the one Shi Tuqin was using. Their mastery of their skills would only be deemed complete once they had mastered all the different types of musical instruments and brushes. They would hit a glass ceiling in their spiritual cultivation if they did not attain complete Wisdom. Everyone was imagining just how much more powerful both Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin would be once they mastered all the musical instruments and brushes. Of course, the onlookers could not help but be jealous of them.
“We’ll take things slow. Let us first be gracious hosts to our distinguished guests,” said Li Nianfan. Then, he motioned for Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa to sit down. “Xiao Bai, serve them the wolfberry red date tea, please.”
“Yes, my beloved master,” said Xiao Bai.
Nanan brought out the snow fungus and said, “Brother Li, is this the snow fungus you were looking for?”
Li Nianfan’s eyes lit up instantly. “Yes! This is indeed the snow fungus. Hurray, we have unlocked a new ingredient!” He would be happy to let Nanan and Dragin go out more if it meant that they would bring back more surprises that would satisfy his cravings.
Very quickly, Xiao Bai served the tea. It was red due to the wolfberries and red dates, looking a lot like red agate from the way it was glowing. Everyone breathed in the subtle scent of the tea and it made their blood roil with warmth in their veins.
The blood-filled fruit and the blood-clotting fruit were third-grade and first-grade Wisdom Spiritual Fruit respectively, both of which had the effect of upgrading and nourishing one’s blood. The fruits had become more divine under Li Nianfan’s tender loving care, so much so that the hearts of Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa started to beat wildly with deep desire.
“The tea is made by the new ingredients that were brought back by Nanan and Dragin. I hope it’s to your liking,” said Li Nianfan.
“Thank you, Lord Saint!” said Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa in unison. Then, they took a sip of the tea excitedly. Instantly, they felt their blood burst out in a loud cheer as if they had been reborn while terrifyingly strong energy coursed through their bodies.
Yang Jing’s third eye became bloodshot as if its blood vessels had ruptured. It also started to blink rapidly and uncontrollably, kicking off one spasm of electricity after another. Immediately, he could see great distances, as far as the Heavenly Palace, and then in another blink, he could even see the Underworld! There was nothing that could escape his third eye.
Then, he saw the sixth dimension, then the first, and lastly, the Origins Realm. He could feel an infinite power in his blood, that he had gotten an upgrade that allowed him to comprehend Wisdom so much more.
Goddess Nuwa’s blood was also going through the same evolution. She would have definitely transformed into her original form of half-woman and half-snake if she did not suppress the urge. She had received the power to manipulate Wisdom through the upgrade and felt that she could suppress those of the same level with her with a single wave of her hand. That was how powerful she had gotten!
At the same time, both Yang Jing and Goddess Nuwa’s mana skyrocketed until it broke through their previous limitations, bringing them from third-step Wisdom Elites to half-step Wisdom Dictators.
