Chapter 95: A Hidden Secret
The inner disciples would get the leading role in the task of chopping the demons.
For the outer disciples, this would be a simple training exercise. It was not realistic to let the outer disciples face a demon and slay it.
But if they could cope with the fear spread by the evil spirit during this training, it would be helpful for their growth in the future.
However, it was beyond everyone's expectation that Zen would kill this demon.
Many outer disciples had noticed that Zen didn't use life energy when he punched the demon. He had just used his strength.
A human's physical strength alone was insufficient to make him powerful. Humans were able to exert supreme power because they could adopt life energy and life vitality and operate all kinds of magical powers.
But Zen beat a demon with strength of the nature level only with the help of his body strength. Such an astonishing demonstration of power shocked everyone.
At what level would his power be if Zen used his life energy?
Several outer disciples were pondering over this question.
Aura's eyes also reflected her surprise at Zen's feat. In such a short period, Zen had become more powerful than before.
This was, in fact, true.
By virtue of the hundred dragon scales he had lit up, Zen now had ten times more power than before.
Even a powerful person like Randall would have met the same fate as the demon had Zen punched him using his current strength level.
Aura was joyful at Zen's progress. In enhancing his strength to such an advanced degree in such a short time, he had justified Aura's belief in his potential. She could now see that her conflict with the masters of other peaks to secure Zen as a disciple for Drizzle Peak had been worthwhile.
She wondered what the masters of other peaks would think if Zen's power continued to rise. Would they regret it?
Aura was secretly delighted but didn't show any joy on her face. On the contrary, she glared at Zen and said, “I asked you to try to get close. Why did you kill it?”
Hearing Master Su's question, Zen smiled, “Master Su, I got too close to the demon by accident. You didn't have any protective measures for such a situation. When the demon tried to bite me, I retaliated. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..”
“I see. So you are saying that this was my fault?” Master Su frowned at Zen's duplicitous explanation.
Zen nodded with a smile and agreed with Master Su.
“Since you have killed this demon, the test can't go on,” Aura grunted. She knew about Zen's tendency not to listen to anybody. After thinking for a while, she said to the outer disciples, “If any of you want to attempt the test, please come to me. I will give you another demon. In three days, I will announce the names of the five shortlisted outer disciples. Please don't delay.”
After speaking, Aura turned and glared at Zen before striding toward the flying chariot parked in a corner. Without another look at Zen or the other disciples, she flew away.
After Aura had left, the remaining disciples surrounded the demon's skeleton.
When Zen had punched the demon, its flesh and blood had splattered everywhere. Only the skeleton remained. As such, it couldn't spread the terrifying evil spirit.
The disciples huddled together in groups around the skeleton, talking and expressing awe at what had just happened.
“How powerful is Zen to have beaten the demon like this?”
“You know too little. I have seen an overmatch of a refiner at the eighth step into the nature level who punched a hilltop and turned it into dust.”
“That I can believe. After all, that refiner was at the eighth step into the nature level. However, can Zen be compared with such an individual? Zen is only a half-step into the nature level. And you saw that he didn't use life vitality. He slew the demon using his strength! Oh my goodness... Is he a human being?”
Henry stared blankly at the remains of the demon.
He had thought that he was the best at Drizzle Peak.
This was his first experience with a demon, and he had managed to enter the eighth circle calmly. Henry had thought that this was an outstanding performance. Given that he was the top-ranked disciple at Drizzle Peak, Henry had assumed that he would be the only disciple to make it that far.
However, Henry had never considered that Zen would not only surpass him but also kill the demon!
The more he thought about it, Zen's strength continued to surprise Henry. He couldn't stop thinking about what Zen had accomplished.
Despite the chagrin Henry felt at being outperformed by a refiner who was only a half-step into the nature level, he tried to maintain a calm attitude.
As long as he worked hard, Henry believed that he would surpass any great genius.
And Zen was a nobody.
But the strength Zen had shown was astonishing, striking, and powerful. Henry knew that despite his belief, he would never surpass Zen.
All of a sudden, Henry shouted, “He used physical strength with brute courage! Humans can only succeed in this world if we use life vitality! Such pure strength is useless on the battlefield. Nobody will give you a chance to use it!”
Of course, Henry's words were reasonable. No matter how much strength a person had, it was of no use if he couldn't hit the opponent.
However, what Henry and the others didn't know was that Zen had also cultivated life energy. His real strength was far more than what was shown!
Many outer disciples glared at Henry's outburst.
As the top-ranked outer disciple, it was inappropriate for Henry to shout in this way. It appeared that he was narrow-minded, insecure, and perhaps even envious, which was why he was making a scene.
When Henry saw how the outer disciples were looking at him, he realized that he had lost control of his emotions. Henry's expression soured as he turned and left the plaza.
Zen had left the plaza with Nory, Sean, and others shortly after Aura had flown away in her chariot. And, so he didn't see Henry's reaction.
It was now apparent to all that Zen would definitely be one of the disciples selected to chop the demon. Zen knew that he had to prepare more to be able to complete the task successfully.
As soon as Zen returned to his room, he took out the book, Weapon Refining Principle.
The Weapon Refining Principle had cost him more than 20 thousand crystals. Zen had even had a confrontation with Fren when buying it.
After all, the book contained Chase's secrets. It had to be important! If he could get some insight into the refining master's technique and have the honor of refining a spiritual weapon or even a fairy weapon after reading it, Zen would recover both the principal and interest on the 20 thousand crystals at once.
Zen turned the first page of the Weapon Refining Principle and read it.
Surprise reflected in Zen's eyes when he saw Chase's notes in the book. Apparently, this was not a book about formal refining techniques.
Chase had scribbled his thoughts and experiences about weapons and their refining methods in it randomly.
Thus, Weapon Refining Principle was not boring like other laws to refine weapons. Contrarily, Zen thought it was interesting and read it without stopping.
“In fact, refining the weapon is like a warrior's cultivating. They reach the same goal by different means. Only an understanding of the principle of Heaven's derivative is needed.” Zen had some inspiration when he read that.
It was like the mysterious weapon refining method Zen had gotten when he burned his father's book, Heavenly Principles. As per what he had learned, a person could cultivate himself like a weapon. In fact, ever since Zen's body had been refined into a magical weapon, every challenge and beating had only served to make him stronger. So Zen could promote his strength through heavenly essence.
“The weapon can naturally absorb some power of Heaven's derivative in the process of refining, which is why the weapon must go through fire before it is shaped!”
Zen had many thoughts when he read these words in the Weapon Refining Principle. In the past, Zen had a few questions after reading Evil Lan's secret collections about refining weapons. Now, he found answers to those questions while reading Chase's Weapon Refining Principle.
At the moment, if a weapon refining furnace and fire were to be given to Zen, he would start refining a weapon.
However, Zen still had many doubts.
Was this Weapon Refining Principle worth more than 20 thousand crystals?
What Chase had explained was undoubtedly valuable. If Weapon Refining Principle was just a secret book about the elementary course to refine a weapon, it would be worth less than one cubic crystal. So it was a significant loss to Zen since he had paid more than 20 thousand cubic crystals.
“Crash...”
Zen flipped though Weapon Refining Principle as he thought about the question.
It seemed that Fren wanted this Weapon Refining Principle badly. Even the disciples from Chase's school were determined to get this secret book. There must be a big secret hidden in it!
When Zen flipped through the pages quickly, he stumbled across something.
Usually, all the pages in a book would be of the same thickness.
But Zen found a page was thicker than the others when leafing through the book.
“Could it be that two pages have been glued together?”
Zen opened that page cautiously. As expected, there was something in this page.
Zen carefully tore the edge and separated the two pages.
Zen found a white filmy satin between these two pages.
“This is the snow satin. It is made of ice silk.”
The ice silkworm was a rare worm in the north and the silk it spat was ice-cold. The silk could be used to make satin. Thus the fabric earned its name, snow satin. It was cool and well ventilated, comfortable to wear.
When Zen was young, he had worn clothes made of snow satin. The material had greatly impressed him.
He stretched his hand and pinched the white satin with his fingers. At this time, Zen could see that there was a painting on it.
The painting was sloppily done. Upon peering at it, Zen could tell that it was a map.
“Cloudy Mountain... Dragon Valley There is an Eight Diagrams beside it and the numbers, three, six, two, nine...are written separately...”
Zen frowned as he read in a low voice.
It seemed to be a treasure map.
Chase was a great weapon refining master, but only a few treasures were discovered after his death. Could this be a map to the place where he hid his treasures?
But where were Cloudy Mountain and Dragon Valley?