Chapter 144: A Brand New Spiritual Tool

When the Supreme Grand Elder used his Tribulation-passing coercion to instantly form a protective barrier, isolating and clearing a radius of one thousand meters around chubby little Gu, tens of thousands of pairs of eyes locked immovably onto him at the absolute center.

"Second Brother!"

"That's right, Eldest Brother! What a lucky kid. This bracelet can now be considered a semi-spiritual weapon!"

Amidst the shock and awe of tens of thousands of elders and disciples, several supreme figures beamed with radiant joy and boundless excitement.

"Crack!"

"Not good! The material grade of this spiritual bracelet is insufficient. It seems unable to hold out!"

Before the grand figures could rejoice for even a few breaths, a sharp cracking sound suddenly echoed. A fracture erupted out of thin air on the violently vibrating Five-Spirit Bracelet within the furnace. Chubby little Gu's figure shook in tandem and began to grow unstable, prompting the Supreme Second Elder to cry out in alarm.

"Eldest Brother, quickly! Your Heavenly Star Sand!"

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Grand Elder, Nangong Hongbo, did not hesitate in the slightest. He retrieved a thumb-sized, peculiar stone and tossed it to the Supreme Second Elder, Ouyang Jian.

"Refine!"

Racing against the clock, the Supreme Second Elder issued a stern command, driving the Heavenly Star Sand directly into the melting furnace.

The Heavenly Star Sand instantly liquefied, enveloping the violently trembling Five-Spirit Bracelet as if a shimmering film had been suddenly plated over it.

"This is all we can do. The rest depends on the Young Sect Master."

After completing this frantic rescue, the Supreme Second Elder let out a long breath, and the other supreme figures likewise relaxed slightly.

Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of elders, stewards, and disciples on the outer perimeter finally understood what was happening. Their eyes blazed with intense brilliance, staring like awestruck immortals at the lonely figure of chubby little Gu and the massive melting furnace in the central zone.

Having regained his tranquility, chubby little Gu remained deeply immersed in his state, his hand seals forming faster and faster, until they became too rapid even for the Supreme Elders to clearly discern.

Outside the Three-Peaks Artifact Pavilion of the Misty Sect, where the drop of a pin could be heard, tens of thousands of people held their breaths in unison, terrified that even the slightest sound might disturb chubby little Gu.

Thirty breaths... Forty breaths...

After another time-space equivalent to the burning of an incense stick, terrifying ripples of coercion suddenly vibrated outward from the central furnace at a frequency visible to the naked eye.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

With his sharp eyes, Nangong Hongbo immediately unleashed several more layers of Tribulation-stage coercion barriers, instantly blanketing and reinforcing the primary barrier that was on the verge of being completely shattered.

At the same time, more than a dozen other supreme figures fully unleashed their cultivation bases, silently and forcefully sweeping the low and intermediate-tier disciples standing a thousand meters away out to a distance of ten thousand meters.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Dozen of breaths later, a brand-new, brilliantly radiant Five-Spirit Bracelet burst forth amidst a deluge of light and five circling dragons, shattering the massive melting furnace into fine powder and soaring into the sky. All the protective barriers erected by Nangong Hongbo shattered in response, and even the immensely sturdy grand protective array of the sect trembled twice before directly fracturing and dissipating.

Suddenly, Nangong Kang's hands moved in a blur of seals. From the mountains behind the main peak, a special mountain section without a peak was instantly shifted over, crashing down like a hammer upon the soaring Five-Spirit Bracelet, which seemed on the verge of escaping.

"Clang!"

All the buildings, vegetation, and structures located at the Three-Peaks Artifact Pavilion were instantly pulverized into dust. Aside from the three Supreme Elders and Sect Master Nangong Kang, who could barely manage to stand their ground, all the other elders were blasted far away in an instant. The countless Nascent Soul elders of various peaks who had previously remained at a thousand-meter distance were directly blown back several thousand meters, their bodies stumbling unsteadily.

As for the countless stewards and disciples ten thousand meters away, they felt as though the end of the world had arrived and the heavens were collapsing. Struck by terror and absent-mindedness, they were driven back repeatedly by the lingering shockwaves.

"Puff!"

Before he could truly awaken, chubby little Gu spat out a mouthful of vital heart-blood that misted into the air the moment the Five-Spirit Bracelet was suppressed. The blood chanced to sprinkle onto the descending, brand-new Five-Spirit Bracelet before he collapsed directly into unconsciousness.

Before the anxious and worried Gu Lao Wu and Gu Chenyi could arrive, the Supreme Grand Elder flashed forward, caught him in his arms, and directly fed him several medicinal pills.

"Hah! No need to worry. This kid only suffered from excessive mental and physical exhaustion, coupled with the impact of the spiritual weapon's aura. He has merely fainted temporarily."

"Good, good! That's good then."

Hearing Nangong Hongbo's words, Gu Lao Wu, whose body had been trembling with nervous tension, finally let out a long breath of relief.

Because their cultivation levels were slightly lower and they had arrived later in a state of frantic anxiety, Bai Ling'er and Mu Wan'er also suppressed their tears and relaxed their tightly wound minds.

"Sect Master, how is it?"

"A proper early-stage spiritual weapon! If we didn't already possess a peak early-stage spiritual weapon arena, we genuinely might not have been able to keep it down!"

At this moment, the peak-less, special mountain-section arena used in the Misty Sect's inner and outer sect grand competition was pressing down relentlessly upon the newly forged Five-Spirit Bracelet, which was resisting fiercely like a stubborn bear cub, much like an elder brother disciplining a disobedient younger brother.

......

"Ouch! Why did you pinch me?!"

"Ah? Apologies, Junior Brother. This senior brother just wanted to check if I was dreaming."

" Heavens! The Young Sect Master actually refined a spiritual weapon?!"

"Is this a spiritual weapon? It is indeed overwhelmingly powerful!"

"Strange, why does that peak-less mountain section look so much like the arena from our sect's grand competition?"

"Nonsense! Of course it is. I once inadvertently heard Master mention that our Misty Sect also possesses a sect-protecting spiritual weapon. That must be it."

"With the one the Young Sect Master just refined, doesn't that mean our Misty Sect now has two?!"

"If the Young Sect Master has nothing to do in the future and refines a few more, wouldn't our Misty Sect become invincible under heaven? Hahaha... Ouch!"

"Master, why did you flick my head? It hurts!"

"You dead girl, do you really think spiritual weapons are cabbages, to be refined a few more times when you've got nothing to do?! You certainly have the nerve to say that."

"Isn't what this disciple said correct?"

"Just now, the Young Sect Master must have accidentally entered a state of 'unity of heaven and man' and sudden enlightenment, which is extremely rare in all the world. Only by such a coincidence could he have successfully refined it."

"In all the centuries I have lived and the countless people I have known, I have never heard of anyone truly entering that state. Today is the first time I have ever witnessed it."

Countless elders, stewards, and disciples in every corner were engaged in animated discussions, each and every one of them inexplicably excited.

This was a spiritual weapon! Compared to the ordinary treasure-grade and dharma-grade artifacts they usually encountered, it was entirely the difference between the thirty-third heaven and the eighteenth layer of hell.

As for disciples like Zhao Xianyun and Lin Shiyin, who had genuinely participated in the Hundred Sects Grand Competition, they were currently surrounded tightly by layers of junior brothers and junior sisters, incessantly being questioned about the city-sized spiritual weapon of the Asura Mansion they had witnessed during the tournament.

......

"What should we do with this spiritual weapon?"

"Keep it suppressed for now. Everything will be decided after that stinky boy wakes up. Ultimately, we must respect his intentions."

"Understood."

"Lilu, when can the grand protective array be repaired?"

"The damage from the shockwave this time is quite severe. Even with the Array Pavilion operating at full capacity, it will likely take two days and two nights."

"However, the moment the grand protective array was breached and the spiritual weapon suppressed, I forcibly activated the Seven-Peaks Spirit-Isolation Array."

"Good. Repair it as quickly as you can."

"Furthermore, issue an order: anyone who dares to spread the news outside that chubby little Gu has refined a spiritual weapon, regardless of their status or background, shall have their entire clan exterminated alongside them!"

"Recall all disciples currently training outside immediately! Then seal the mountains!"

"During this phase, no one within the Misty Sect is permitted to leave; only entry is allowed!"

"Understood!"

......

At this moment, in the courtyard room atop the fifth peak, Bai Ling'er and Mu Wan'er were tending to chubby little Gu, who remained unconscious.

As chubby little Gu's childhood sweetheart and first girlfriend, Mu Wan'er had long since lost any lingering hostility toward Bai Ling'er, thanks to the earnest persuasion of Old Man Mu a long time ago.

After all, she knew very well that since chubby little Gu was the destined person of Bai Ling'er—the direct disciple of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's divine prognosticator—no amount of unwillingness on her part could ever tear them apart.

Now, amidst the impending millennium tribulation of the Wind God Continent, chubby little Gu's path was destined to be fraught with countless thorns, and he would need Bai Ling'er's assistance to walk further and more steadily.

Therefore, not only did Mu Wan'er harbor no resistance toward Bai Ling'er's presence, but she even felt a sense of gratitude for her appearance.

However, as for the so-called little princess of the Purple Gold Royal Court, Zi Yao'er, Mu Wan'er was not nearly so magnanimous.

On one hand, she had never actually laid eyes on this little princess; on the other hand, the other party had actually beaten her to the punch by getting engaged to chubby little Gu first, which left her feeling intensely disgruntled.

"Sister Ling'er, tell me about Xiao Pang's experiences out in the outside world."

"With pleasure."

Inside the courtyard room on the fifth peak, the cheerful and endless chatter of the two women began to echo, continuing without a break for a long time.

Another day later.

Chubby little Gu, having already regained consciousness, kept his eyes closed, choosing not to interrupt the two women who were chatting so happily.

Instead, within his sea of consciousness, he began to converse with Old Man Qin.

The Five-Spirit Bracelet, serving as a spiritual weapon outside the Three Peaks, seemed to sense something and flashed with radiant light a few more times.

"Xiao Pang, yesterday you refined a spiritual weapon in front of tens of thousands of people. Your Misty Sect won't be able to suppress this news for long; it will inevitably leak out sooner or later."

"When that time comes, you and your entire Misty Sect are bound to face a massive tribulation. Are you mentally prepared?!"

"An innocent man bears a crime by harboring a jade ring! This junior understands."

"I will elevate my strength as quickly as possible from now on. On this continent, I have finally seen it clearly: strength is everything!"

"Having strength means having reason; without strength, even being reasonable gets you nowhere."

"Good. As long as you understand this principle. I was genuinely afraid that your head might float away after your successive schemes succeeded previously."

"Rest assured, Old Man. Who does your young master think he is? Your young master is the number one genius of the Wind God Continent!"

"Still, Master, when that time truly arrives, I might still have to trouble you to step out and awe the crowd."

"We'll talk about that if and when things actually reach that point."

"What are your plans for the immediate future?"

In his heart, chubby little Gu still intended to continue refining artifacts. Originally, he had planned to forge a batch of treasure-grade and dharma-grade artifacts to sell in exchange for more spirit stones.

However, given the current situation, rather than selling them outside, it would be far better to leave batches of dharma-grade artifacts directly to the elite disciples of his own sect to heavily arm and strengthen them.

Additionally, he would refine a batch of pills of various grades, keeping some for himself and leaving the remainder to the sect. If a great tribulation truly descended in the future, his own faction would have an extra layer of strength to resist it.

Once everything was prepared, he would head out for training once more to elevate his strength as swiftly as possible.

On one hand, although his current strength was already formidable—and barring unforeseen circumstances, no peak Nascent Soul practitioner would be his match—when genuinely facing Soul Formation or even Tribulation-stage experts, he would still remain little stronger than a giant ant.

On the other hand, he needed to continue subduing powerful subordinates, building up a foundation in advance for the impending tribulation. After all, powerful though the Misty Sect was, it was not invincible.