Chapter 220 – Merit Treasure

While pondering the abilities of the treasure gourd, Mu Lin also assessed the grade of the Crimson Wine Gourd.

“Blessed by the power of the Human Dao, my wine gourd should be considered a type of Merit Mystic Treasure.”

“Unfortunately, my Merit is still too little. At most, this Mystic Treasure can only be considered an acquired Mystic Treasure, but it is a Mid-Grade one among them.”

As a world of cultivation, this world naturally had Mystic Treasures, and with Mystic Treasures came grade distinctions.

According to the knowledge Mu Lin had acquired, the classification of artifacts in this world started with Magical Artifacts as the lowest grade.

Low-Grade Magical Artifacts, Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts, High-Grade Magical Artifacts, Top-Grade Artifacts… These Magical Artifacts were the primary weapons used by Daoist Novices in the Spirit Awakening Realm, Feathered Scholars in the Spirit Pool and Spirit Sea Realms, and even Spell Masters at the Sha Refinement and Gang Condensation levels.

Above Magical Artifacts were Mystic Treasures. In most cases, only Mortal Shedding Adepts beyond Condensing Gang and Refining Sha could forge and use them—Prodigies were exceptions, and Xue Ying was an exception among exceptions.

Like Magical Artifacts, Mystic Treasures were also divided into Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, and Top-Grade.

Above Mystic Treasures were Spirit Treasures. Xue Ying’s Demon Blade belonged to this tier. Such items, if compatible, were divine objects that could directly escort a Cultivator to the level of a Mortal Shedding Adept.

Above Spirit Treasures were Dao Treasures, which were, of course, even rarer. Obtaining a Dao Artifact and fully mastering it could allow an Aristocratic Family or renowned sect to be passed down for thousands of years.

At the same time, not all Aristocratic Families possessed Dao Treasures; those were supreme treasures capable of suppressing fortune.

Mu Lin’s Wine Gourd was originally only at the Magical Artifact level, but after being blessed by the power of the Human Dao, it leaped to become a Mid-Grade Mystic Treasure.

Moreover, due to the blessing of Merit and the power of the Human Dao, its abilities were also extraordinary among Mystic Treasures.

…

Having obtained a Mystic Treasure, Mu Lin felt an eager impulse, much like a child with a new toy.

And he did not suppress the joy in his heart.

“Collect!”

With Mu Lin’s thought, the numerous Qi and Blood resources sent by Yan Yunyu, such as eight-hundred-year-old crimson ganoderma, blood ginseng, and Earth Marrow Elixir, were all stored into the Crimson Wine Gourd.

Then, Mu Lin closed his eyes and manipulated Zhong Kui to infuse Mana into the Wine Gourd.

“Hum!”

As Mana poured in, the array embedded inside the Wine Gourd, the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array, began to operate rapidly like a Yin-Yang Millstone.

The array, centered on the principles of Yin and Yang, quickly refined the resources inside the gourd.

The good was preserved, while the bad impurities were annihilated. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the resources Mu Lin had invested were transformed into a special elixir liquid.

Without hesitation, and without opening his mouth to swallow it, Mu Lin directly fused the treasure gourd with his Main Body. Then, this special elixir liquid drifted out from the gourd’s mouth like mist and merged into Mu Lin’s body.

Because Mu Lin and the Wine Gourd shared the same origin, the latter’s refinement was equivalent to Mu Lin’s refinement, and it already bore Mu Lin’s imprint.

This allowed him to easily absorb the elixir liquid.

And the deficiencies in Mu Lin’s body were quickly replenished by the elixir liquid.

“Tenfold… After being refined by the Wine Gourd, my body’s absorption of resources increased tenfold.”

“Indeed, my choice was correct. The Wine Gourd is the most crucial aspect of Zhong Kui’s Dharma Image.”

After his reflections, Mu Lin also realized that he hadn’t fully utilized the most outstanding features of the wine gourd.

For ordinary people, this wine gourd could transform waste into treasure.

Malevolent ghosts were filled with baleful qi and resentment. Others not only couldn’t absorb it, but even coming into contact with them could cause serious illness.

The flesh and blood of demonic monsters were the same—whether consumed or touched, they were highly likely to cause contamination.

But with the wine gourd, malevolent ghosts could be transformed into pure soul energy, while the flesh and blood of demonic monsters could be refined by the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array, eradicating their ferocity and baleful qi and converting them into pure qi and blood and primordial liquid.

This was a precious treasure that could completely turn the fortunes of a struggling cultivator.

“However, because I didn’t hide my abilities, I’ve attracted a lot of attention, and they aren’t foolish either. Instead of trying to eliminate me, they’ve invested significant resources in me, which means I’m far from poor.”

“With the assistance of abundant resources, my cultivation speed was already fast. As a result, for me, this wine gourd can only increase my cultivation efficiency by about tenfold, rather than a hundredfold like it would for a struggling cultivator.”

To be honest, if he had obtained this wine gourd when he was weak, Mu Lin might not have chosen to reveal himself. Instead, there was a high probability he would have secretly hunted ghosts and slain demons.

He also wouldn’t have come to the academy to study. More likely, he would have roamed around, becoming a wandering hero specializing in vanquishing demons and monsters.

But there were no “ifs.”

“What a pity.”

…

With a light sigh, Mu Lin turned his attention to the Dharma Image Zhong Kui and the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword.

Although they hadn’t undergone a qualitative transformation like the wine gourd, both were still formidable. Among them, the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword was a high-grade magical artifact in its normal state. With the power of the Ziwei Emperor Star, it could even leap to the peak grade.

At the same time, the Northern Dipper Seven Stars governed slaughter and warfare. Their presence endowed the Demon Slayer Sword with extremely high attack power and immense lethality against demonic monsters.

This could already serve as Mu Lin’s trump card.

The Dharma Image Zhong Kui was even more powerful.

After all, it was the core of the Heaven-Rank Technique, the God-Monarch Summoning Art.

Even without the reinforcement of Human Dao power, its current upper limit had already transcended the Feathered Scholar level, reaching the stage of Sha Refinement.

Moreover, when Zhong Kui, the Seven-Star Demon Slayer Sword, and the Crimson Wine Gourd were combined, Zhong Kui’s power could leap to the Gang Condensation level—when the wine gourd was integrated into Zhong Kui’s body as an energy core.

Of course, this was the upper limit. Currently, he had just been born, and his mana grade was only at the Spirit Pool level, requiring Mu Lin to infuse him with mana.

“Another energy-consuming powerhouse. Fortunately, he can cultivate on his own.”

“Moreover, the spiritual energy refined by the Crimson Wine Gourd still requires some refinement on my part, and my body needs time to adapt. The Dharma Image Zhong Kui, however, has no such limitations. As long as there is enough energy, it can rapidly elevate its mana.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin immediately stored the spirit pills, Moonlight Dew, and other mana items sent by Yan Yunyu into the Crimson Wine Gourd. Then, instead of refining them on the spot, he headed to—the Time Secret Realm.

Under Mu Lin’s command, the Crimson Wine Gourd fused into Zhong Kui’s body. Then, this imposing and fierce-looking Judge, along with the paper figures Mu Lin had recently crafted, entered the Time Secret Realm.

“Neither the Substitute Paper Figures nor the Dharma Image Zhong Kui have lifespan limitations. If I want to improve my strength or accumulate mana as quickly as possible, this is indeed the most suitable place.”

…

While his Dharma Image was busy, Mu Lin’s main body was not idle either. He found Yan Yunyu and asked her to continue gathering resources for him.

“Whether it’s resources to replenish Qi and Blood, Spiritual Energy, or even the soul—I want them all, the more the better…”

Pausing briefly here, Mu Lin then continued, “Also, help me find some resentful spirits and Malevolent Ghosts… the kind whose minds are completely corrupted, with no chance of salvation whatsoever. Preferably those vicious ghosts and Malevolent Ghost Vicious Spirits that have slaughtered people before.”

“Understood, Brother Mu. I’ll go take care of it right away.”

After Yan Yunyu left, thoughts flashed through Mu Lin’s mind.

“Malevolent Ghosts carry immense Resentment and Baleful Qi. Although I can use the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array within the Crimson Wine Gourd to grind away these impurities, turning Malevolent Ghost Vicious Spirits back into pure soul energy…”

“Such refinement is actually quite inefficient in terms of resource utilization. At the very least, using Malevolent Ghosts as resources is far slower than directly refining Divine Soul-type resources.”

The only drawback of the latter was its high cost, but Mu Lin wasn’t particularly short on Spirit Stones at the moment.

Even if he were, Mu Lin had ways to deal with it.

Under these circumstances, his reason for asking Yan Yunyu to deliver resentful spirits and Malevolent Ghosts was to conduct an experiment.

“After all, my Dharma Image evolved from a Deity, and Deities can accumulate power from the world by fulfilling their divine duties.”

“Zhong Kui’s duty is undoubtedly to slay Malevolent Ghosts. If I use the Crimson Wine Gourd to eradicate Malevolent Ghosts in this world, I wonder if I could accumulate some Divine Power, or perhaps gain some Merit?”

(End of Chapter)