Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1559: 826: Inventory

The self-destruction of Master Wang He and Master Yan Gao revealed to Li Shiming the strict secrecy measures enforced among cultivators guarding the vital secrets of mighty superpowers.

Reflecting on his clone Li Yuanba placed within the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, it appeared as though he had accessed the heart of it, yet truly, his grasp on the pavilion's deepest secrets remained quite shallow.

Thus, he concluded that only a select few cultivators in such a superpower were tied by these binding vows.

Following the demise of these two pinnacle great cultivators, Li Shiming extracted their soul crystal rings and personal natal magical treasures from the remains.

Though their attire consisted of elite fourth-grade robes, Li Shiming left them intact. The corpses of these top-tier great cultivators were bound to become corpse refinings down the line.

Next, he pulled out the corpse of the half-step great power Yang Xing from the Thunder Cave Heaven.

Earlier, the allure of the thunder rules inside the Thunder Cave Heaven had diverted his attention, causing him to overlook the half-step great power's body at first.

Even in death, the form of the half-step great power Yang Xing radiated a fearsome presence that intimidated everything nearby upon exiting the Thunder Cave Heaven.

Similar to how ordinary folks shrink from the carcass of a mighty beast, this half-step great power's corpse retained its innate suppressive force against great cultivators despite being lifeless.

“Such a shame!” Li Shiming gazed at the half-step great power Yang Xing's body; transformed into a corpse refining, it would possess tremendous might.

Yet, turning a body this formidable into a corpse refining demanded far more than basic materials— at minimum, superior fourth-grade ones, and perhaps several nearing fifth-grade quality.

As detailed in the ‘Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha’, successfully refining Yang Xing’s body into a corpse refining would most likely yield one rivaling a Flying Night Demon in strength.

Li Shiming produced a distinct storage bag and tucked the half-step great power Yang Xing's body inside, securing it meticulously in the machine room space.

For now, he could only plan the refinement once he gathered sufficient corpse refining resources later on.

His eyes shifted to the trio of soul crystal rings and three natal magical treasures. Nothing remarkable stood out about the natal magical treasures; even the half-step great power Yang Xing’s was merely a fourth-grade top-level artifact tribulation ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’.

Such a fourth-grade top-level magical treasure, complete with its artifact tribulation, retained considerable worth for the majority of great cultivators, despite the power reduction from its natal bond.

Indeed, investing centuries and vast quantities of rare resources to wipe away the spiritual imprint on a fourth-grade top-level artifact tribulation treasure proved a sound choice.

That said, Li Shiming held little regard for this fourth-grade top-level artifact tribulation ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’, since he wielded a spirit treasure-grade version of the ‘Heavenly Strike Thunder Hammer’ personally.

In truth, given enough time, he could craft additional spirit treasures whenever needed.

At this stage with magical treasures, his interest lay solely in spirit treasures forged from genuine fifth-grade materials.

Evidently, a half-step great power such as Yang Xing, lacking a complete Grotto Heaven, was unable to cultivate fifth-grade materials, much less forge a spirit treasure.

Li Shiming began by examining Master Yan Gao’s soul crystal ring: it contained a fourth-grade top flying boat, three batches of earth-element fourth-grade top materials, twelve sets of great cultivator alchemy ingredients, and two vials holding eighteen great cultivator spirit pills.

These great cultivator spirit pills ranked as mid-tier fourth-grade in quality—nothing exceptional, yet far from subpar.

Most captivating to him was a stack of jade scrolls.

A quick scan revealed them to be extensive studies on earth rules from the White Emperor Sect. Given the difficulty in articulating rules verbally, these studies primarily aided in sparking enlightenment.

Via initial outlines, they guided cultivators toward a deeper comprehension of earth rules.

The sheer volume of these studies suggested they had been amassed by innumerable peak great cultivators, half-step great powers, and even full great powers across endless years in the White Emperor Sect.

He transferred the data from these jade scrolls into his natal magical treasure IBMz15; such resources would vastly enhance his own explorations into earth rules.

Moreover, he uncovered the legacy insights for the ‘White Emperor Technique’. He had previously acquired the ‘White Emperor Technique’, but back then, his schedule overflowed with other cultivation methods, leaving no room to pursue it.

Things had changed now; he didn't need to fully cultivate the ‘White Emperor Technique’—mastering its hidden secret techniques alone would match or exceed its overall potency.

The earlier version of the ‘White Emperor Technique’ missed the sections for great cultivators, whereas Master Yan Gao’s copy was far more thorough.

This pattern was common; sects often presented their inheritance techniques as all-encompassing, but the deeper layers received only superficial treatment, with fuller details revealed only at advanced cultivation stages.

Should outsiders lay hands on these techniques, they would struggle to advance far in practice.

The methods themselves weren't flawed; the skimpy portions included numerous pitfalls, while the ‘White Emperor Technique’ from a peak great cultivator's possession had been polished through ages of experimentation and correction.

The White Emperor Sect probably never imagined Master Yan Gao perishing abroad, which explained why this inheritance technique ended up in his soul crystal ring.

Li Shiming felt drawn to experimenting with the ‘White Emperor Technique’s secret techniques. In time, once he fully harnessed the spirit treasure ‘Ten Thousand Sword Peak’, he could tap into its authentic mountain peak magical treasure might.

On the other hand, he might one day forge his own mountain peak magical treasure and wield it via the ‘White Emperor Technique’, unleashing far greater force than alternative approaches.