Chapter 124: Gathering Materials for Refining Instruments (Part One)

Bloodhand understood that he had become a scapegoat for someone else.

However, he felt no regret.

Hatred had blinded his eyes; taking revenge for his father and his sect had become his only obsession. It was precisely this obsession that pushed him to survive and continuously pursue power.

...

Inside a subterranean cavern, the figure of a man in a black robe stepped out from a rift in space.

The man in the black robe inspected the various barriers within the cave. Finding no signs of anyone having tampered with them, he sat cross-legged on a stone platform.

He removed his black robe, revealing a withered face.

His skin was dry and covered in deep furrows; his left eye glowed with a crimson light, while his right eye was a murky gray, making him look both eerie and evil.

"Heh, I must say, this look really does have a villainous aura."

He stroked his face, speaking to himself in the reflection of a mirror: "To be able to achieve this level of disguise is so convincing that I almost hate to wash it off."

Despite his words, he took out a pile of bottles and jars and began to remove his makeup in front of the mirror.

Before long, a young, resolute face appeared in the reflection.

It was none other than Wang Li.

"Master Sheng, your makeup techniques are truly magical. To be able to change one's appearance so drastically without altering the contours of the face or the underlying bone structure—and with this makeup and these products even capable of blocking divine sense—how do you do it?"

"It’s a mere trifle, nothing more than child's play. Let me tell you, in my homeland, we have the Four Great Evil Arts; makeup is just a bottom-tier skill," Master Sheng laughed. "The arts of gender-bending, plastic surgery, and photo-editing—those are the real masterpieces."

"Gender-bending? Didn't you say the people in your homeland couldn't cultivate? How can a person undergo such physical transformation?"

"Hahaha, it's not physical transformation, but medical arts that allow a woman to become a man, and a man to become a woman."

Master Sheng continued, "The path my homeland took is different from all other worlds. To pursue progress, some people had incredibly wild imaginations. When it comes to sheer creativity, anyone from my home could crush the gods and buddhas of this world."

Wang Li certainly knew that the people of Master Sheng’s homeland walked the path of technology. It might not be as direct as the cultivation systems, but it was far friendlier to the common folk. He had read many of the books Master Sheng had given him.

He was simply curious why anyone would change their gender, and why such a practice—which sounded rather improper—was classified as a medical art.

Master Sheng sensed his confusion and explained, "Medical arts are naturally used to treat illnesses, but these seemingly improper arts don't treat physical pain, but rather psychological ailments. Of course, I don't discriminate against those with psychological issues, and I hope you won't either. Even if one day you reach the realm of 'absolute emotional detachment,' remember that the world is vibrant because of the variety of life within it. A cold, lifeless world, even if you stand at its very peak, is nothing more than a frigid stone."

Wang Li nodded.

"Speaking of psychological issues, I think Wu Liu Zheng-ying has quite a few."

"Hmm, a favored child of heaven who has never known suffering suddenly encounters a great tragedy; it's normal for his temperament to be somewhat twisted. He should recover before long."

Master Sheng’s figure manifested within Wang Li's sea of consciousness. He pulled Wang Li’s divine sense before him and said sternly, "You have now left the Pure Yang Temple. Without those experts to shield you from the wind and rain, everything depends on you. You must be even more cautious."

Wang Li replied, "I know. Once the Earth Core Milk here matures, I will leave to search for the next material. I won't stay in one place for too long."

Master Sheng had not simply told Wang Li to find a safe place to hide; instead, he had instructed him to conceal his identity and collect materials to refine his own life-bound spiritual weapon.

Because the required materials were scarce, collecting them was a troublesome task, with many items located in inaccessible regions or the treasure vaults of certain sects.

Of course, with Master Sheng's guidance, finding these materials was merely a matter of convenience. Their locations were easy to pinpoint; it was just a matter of waiting for them to emerge.

This cavern happened to contain one of the materials Wang Li needed: Earth Core Milk.

It would mature and emerge in about a month's time.

Master Sheng was not his usual jocular self; he seemed uncharacteristically somber.

"Master Sheng, your demeanor is making me very nervous!"

In Wang Li's mind, Master Sheng was an omnipotent existence. He couldn't imagine what could possibly cause Master Sheng to act this way.

"Speaking of the Four Great Evil Arts, I find myself a bit homesick," Master Sheng said wistfully. "I loved listening to music. I grew up listening to the songs of my mother and those vocalists, but I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to hear them again."

"And the delicacies that concentrated the essence of five thousand years of history. You wouldn't know, but my favorite thing back then was street barbecue. Skewers with beer, followed by a song—that feeling... sigh! It's a pity. I can no longer enjoy it."

"I still remember the first time I drank beer; that cold, refreshing sensation was truly unforgettable."

"There were old ladies and gentlemen dancing in the square downstairs. At first, I found it annoying, but slowly, I got used to it..."

Master Sheng recalled half his life in one breath, leaving Wang Li filled with longing.

"The life of mortals is so rich and colorful, yet I have seen none of it, and tasted none of those delicacies." Wang Li drooled, "You have mentioned so much, and you've brought up beer and barbecue takeaways over a hundred times. I can understand the barbecue, but what kind of alcohol is this 'beer'?"

"Is your focus a bit skewed?" Master Sheng cursed inwardly.

*Can I even enjoy skewers and beer in my current state? Why are you drooling? I want to listen to music, you idiot!*

"Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved!"

Master Sheng stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Enough nonsense! You will do exactly as I say!"

Wang Li wiped his brow, "Your mood is quite off, Master. Do you also have a psychological illness?"

"I have nothing of the sort!" Master Sheng slapped Wang Li's divine sense.

Suddenly, Wang Li discovered some strange memories appearing in his mind.

"Master Sheng, what are these little tadpoles on these five lines? They look so strange."

"And these... they look like musical instruments, but they are peculiar. This one only has six strings... wait, what is this instrument with over two hundred strings? And this one with three?"

"Are you asking me to refine these instruments?"

Master Sheng said, "Exactly. You are becoming quite the little expert; it's time you learned how to refine artifacts. Use these things to practice your skills first."

"Oh, I see. Then could you give me the method for brewing beer? I want to taste the alcohol that even sages are so fond of."

"Fine, that's simple enough, but it's useless to you. This world lacks hops. At best, you could use a secret technique to imitate the flavor, but beer without hops has no soul."

...

And so, during the time spent waiting for the Earth Core Milk to mature, the underground cavern became Wang Li's workshop. He refined dozens of musical instruments.

Every time Master Sheng saw an instrument completed, he would let out a burst of reflective laughter, scaring Wang Li into setting up over twenty sound-dampening arrays around himself just to feel at ease.