Chapter 45: The Method of Nurturing Pearls with the Five Elements

Ning Family Treasury.

Because he had sent word in advance, no one stopped him. After passing through layers of guards, the old steward led him inside.

Within the treasury, a vast array of restrictions and formations were set in place, each treasure protected by its own unique barrier. Retrieving even one item was a complicated affair. Yet this also opened Cao Chengyu’s eyes—so many treasures, the Ning family’s collection was truly immense.

There was Emerald Flame Spirit Iron, Spirit-Nourishing Flower, Multitreasured Origin Pearl, Liquid of Time, Earth Essence Milk, and so on—treasures used at the Purple Mansion and Golden Core stages. Any one of these would have been enough to allow him to reach the late Dao Body stage without worry.

“Hmph, stop looking around. The five-element spiritual materials you want are over here.”

Cao Chengyu followed the voice. Atop a jade pedestal, five kinds of five-element treasures floated in a ring formation: Scarlet Flame Fruit, Heavywater Clam Pearl, Core of Refined Gold, Thousand-Year Spring Willow Branch, and Earth Dragon Milk Pellet.

The most common five-element treasures were represented by the Five Spirit Orbs—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Slightly inferior substitutes included the demon cores of five-element-aligned beasts.

Of the five items the Ning family offered, only the Earth Dragon Milk Pellet and the Thousand-Year Spring Willow Branch could be called genuinely rare and of top grade. The other three barely passed as superior treasures, and none met the requirements to forge the Five-Organs Wheel Body, especially the Heavywater Clam Pearl, which was merely the inner core of a clam demon, classified as a demon core, and not truly of top grade.

Cao Chengyu frowned, casting a glance at the old steward. Seeing the latter smile smugly, he understood somewhat. Clearly, in the past half month, the superior five-element spiritual materials of the Ning family had been rapidly consumed, the best given to the clan members, and the leftovers left for him.

The old steward finally spoke. “Alas, high-grade five-element treasures are truly rare. In the Ning family treasury, these five are the best we have. If you don’t believe me, you may look around the treasury yourself. If you find anything of better quality, I’ll have the authority to offer it to you.”

“No need,” Cao Chengyu replied with a gentle smile, not minding in the least. Instead, he followed the steward’s words. “Of these five treasures, only two meet my requirements. May I exchange the other three for different spiritual items of equivalent value?”

The old steward hesitated. “It’s possible, but you can only choose items of matching quality.”

Old fox, Cao Chengyu cursed inwardly, though outwardly he maintained a calm demeanor.

“All right.”

“Then allow me to show you around, young friend.”

Following the old steward, Cao Chengyu kept his gaze mostly on the five-element treasures, and as the steward said, the rest were of even lower quality than the five just offered.

As they wandered, Cao Chengyu suddenly stopped. Pointing to a jade rack, he asked, “Steward, can I exchange for this item?”

The old steward glanced over and, seeing it was only an ordinary five-element treasure, agreed without hesitation.

In the end, Cao Chengyu left the Ning family treasury with the Earth Dragon Milk Pellet, Thousand-Year Spring Willow Branch, and five Five Spirit Orbs.

These Five Spirit Orbs were of ordinary grade, containing special spiritual energy cultivated for at most a hundred years. The three “superior” treasures were more than enough to exchange for five of them. A Five Spirit Orb needed at least a thousand years to be comparable to a top-grade treasure. In terms of quality, they were at least second-tier high, almost third-tier.

Cao Chengyu had a unique use in mind for this exchange. The ideal material for forging a Dao Body was, in fact, a thousand-year Five Spirit Orb.

Now, limited by circumstances, he had managed to gather four kinds, still lacking a superior water-element treasure. However, the Book of a Hundred Immortal Solutions recorded that among the spiritual materials of heaven and earth, Spirit Orbs were the most peculiar. The special elemental power within them could be nurtured and increased by absorbing the essence of treasures of the same attribute.

In other words, Cao Chengyu could use the five ordinary Five Spirit Orbs as a foundation, then feed them with five-element treasures, nurturing them to thousand-year quality before forging his Dao Body. Only then could perfection be achieved.

The Five Spirit Orbs, originating from the same source, were far superior to haphazardly assembled treasures. Future fusion of the five elements would also be simpler.

Everything was in place, save for a water-element treasure—then he could resolve the problem of advancing his Dao Body. He had already made plans: he would place the ordinary Water Spirit Orb in a place rich with vapor, nurture it with a Spirit-Gathering Array, and seek out several more water-element treasures to feed and cultivate the orb.

At most, it would take some time. According to his calculations, by the time the Five Spirit Orbs reached a thousand years, his cultivation would also have reached the peak of Spirit Refinement.

A perfect plan!

After leaving the treasury, in front of Ning Que, Cao Chengyu arranged to meet Ning Wenjun at the Five-Flavors Pavilion.

Ning Que ground his teeth in frustration, his dislike for Cao Chengyu only growing.

The old steward, feeling he’d come out ahead, changed his attitude and became much friendlier toward Cao Chengyu, while showing Ning Que, who had lost the family treasures, a cold face. He scolded him, dragged him away, and urged him to return to his cultivation, leaving the place to the pair.

“Hahaha, Que’er doesn’t seem to like me.”

“It’s nothing. Que’er lost his parents at a young age; I raised him myself. It’s only natural he’s hostile toward you, especially after you beat him up.”

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

Cao Chengyu mused that Ning Wenjun had raised him—no wonder Ning Que was so antagonistic. It made sense; in Ning Que’s eyes, Ning Wenjun was like a mother, and here came someone of his own generation trying to act as his father. Who would accept that? Anyone would be angry.

That evening, the two went out to drink and enjoy themselves at the Five-Flavors Pavilion, thoroughly carefree. However, their intimacy stopped at holding hands and embracing; they had yet to share true physical affection.

During the banquet, Cao Chengyu asked, “Is there any way I can help you break through to the Purple Mansion stage? If there’s anything I can do, I will do it.”

Of course, as a mere Spirit Refiner, he could not truly help Ning Wenjun. His words were polite, his manner sincere.

To his surprise, Ning Wenjun hesitated, then actually offered a solution. “I’ve been stuck at the peak of the Dao Body stage for over twenty years. The ancestor says it’s because my Dao Heart is flawed—all these years, I have never acted upon the desires of my heart, and so I remain trapped. Last time, upon hearing the words ‘Worry before the world worries, rejoice after the world rejoices,’ my bottleneck loosened a little. A single conversation with an insightful friend is worth ten years of study. I wish to find the path of practice through you—to serve the people and the nation, and fulfill my ambitions.”

Seeing the hope in Ning Wenjun’s eyes, Cao Chengyu hesitated.

To be honest, he knew many famous maxims and principles of governance, and had read plenty of classics and Confucian texts. When he studied ancient history, he had to memorize countless details; he had many methods to help Ning Wenjun.

But now that the moment was at hand, he hesitated. If Ning Wenjun really clashed with Luo Yuzhu because of him, he would be to blame. There was a way for both sides to win—if only he were strong enough to suppress them both by sheer force. But such a day was still far off.

Therefore, the later the confrontation, the better. After much thought, Cao Chengyu finally devised a win-win solution. Though slow, it would certainly work.

“Wenjun, why don’t you enter government service?”

“Enter government service?!” Ning Wenjun exclaimed, her brow furrowing in thought, and she said no more.