"..."
Chen Fan stared, his breath hitched, his eyes filled with shock.
He saw—
The moment the copper-pipe run was activated.
Countless "stalactites" from the ceiling of the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion, glowing an eerie blue, each directing a blue beam of light downward like an inverted Milky Way.
The light did not diffuse.
It fell straight onto the ground, as if solid.
Like...
Ice.
He came up with an appropriate metaphor: it was as if countless strands of blue ice were poking down from the ceiling.
These stalactites were not randomly placed. The blue-green light formed an array on the black jade floor that he could not comprehend, but it appeared advanced at first glance.
At a glance.
Inside the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion, it appeared to be a celestial realm.
"Phew..."
Chen Fan drew a gasp as his gaze shifted from the Pavilion to the rest of his camp. This "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" seemed utterly out of place, as if it should not belong to him.
This structure must be kept strictly confidential.
He had no doubt.
Once it was exposed, many forces would covet it.
Even the "Training Room" was a structure hardly any force possessed, yet he had an even more advanced "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" here.
He looked at the panel of the "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion."
Though it looked impressive.
He still got to consult the panel to know its effect.
Building Name*: Spirit Nurturing Pavilion.
Building Grade: White.
Building Level: Level 4.
Building Effects:
1: Accelerates cultivation at the expense of Eerie Stones, tenfold at maximum.
2:Accelerates mastery of martial skills, at the expense of Eerie Stones, tenfold at maximum.
3:Grants a low probability of sudden enlightenment.
P.S.: Upgrading to Level 5 requires 5,000 Eerie Stones and 1 "Sea Embryo."
"Tenfold..."
Chen Fan murmured the number before striding into the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion. He picked a spot and sat cross-legged, then looked up at the blue light splashing from the ceiling. It felt warm and cozy.
It reminded him of how he sat in a sauna at a bathhouse in his previous life.
He slowly closed his eyes.
Quietly, he began training in the cultivation technique Zhou Mo had taught him.
He had tried cultivating before.
To absorb 50 Eerie Stones and advance to a Level 2 cultivator, he would have to dedicate several shichens daily to cultivation for at least six months. This pace would be too slow, so he had not taken it seriously.
One shichen later.
He opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
He had cranked the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion to max before cultivating at tenfold speed for a shichen. True to its reputation, the Spirit Nurturing Pavilion made him feel... as if he had made no progress at all.
Even with tenfold speed.
It was only equivalent to ten shichen of cultivation.
His physical strength had not improved—or if it had, it was imperceptible. However, he had consumed 7 Eerie Stones, which were quite tangible.
The Eerie-Stone consumption of the "Spirit Nurturing Pavilion" depended on the number of people inside. Since he was the only one cultivating in there, the consumption was not excessive.
To produce a group of powerful cultivators through this building was not cost-effective.
It would still take too long for him.
And the Eerie Stone wasn't consumed efficiently.
However, elevating everyone to Level 2 or 3 cultivators, such that they could work more easily with a stronger physique, was feasible. The consumption would be low, and it would also help Zhou Mo master the "Water-Severing Blade Technique" faster, making field missions safer.
Cultivators could not defeat Eerie Creatures of the same level, let alone defensive structures like Archery Towers, but they could defeat their own kind.
This was what cultivators were meant to do.
Fighting people.
After all, conflicts were inevitable when venturing out, and fists and feet were clearly more effective for communication than words.
A Spirit Nurturing Pavilion is what builds a solid foundation for a force.
"..."
Chen Fan walked out and glanced at Zhou Mo, who was waiting outside the door with eagerness. "You can go in and play later. First, come with me to work."
He then looked towards the others who had come to see the new structure.
"Everyone else, follow me. We're going up the mountain to dig for treasures."
This Spirit Nurturing Pavilion was too advanced.
He was still in the fledgling stage.
He wanted something more mundane.
Heyhey's parents' latrine pits were what he looked forward to more.
Better to get something mundane.
...
High on the Nameless Mountain.
Chen Fan held the God-Slaying Spear and walked across the open ground near Heyhey's parents' lair. With each step, he jammed the spear into the floor, pulled it out, and sniffed for any scent, repeating this over and over.
Though it was a White-grade Extraordinary Treasure.
It was quite sharp.
And the soil here was not as hard as in the abyss pit.
Nearby.
Pockmark Wang, Crippled Monkey, and the others followed suit, joining him in combing the area. Even Heyhey was digging everywhere, trying to help with it.
However...
After a sweaty shichen.
They had nothing to show for it.
"Young Master."
Crippled Monkey came running his way, panting heavily. "We've searched everywhere nearby and found no latrine pits. Could it be that the great figure who left 180 years ago took with him everything in those pits?"
"Impossible!"
Chen Fan firmly shook his head, rejecting the possibility.
"That man is a great figure whose name even Eerie Kings dare not speak, a powerhouse who could smash an entire mountain with a single hammer strike. Tens of thousands of Eerie Stones might be treasures in our eyes, but to such a figure, they might be as worthless as toilet paper."
"If you possessed hundreds of thousands of Eerie Stones, would you pick up a single Eerie Stone from the roadside?"
"I definitely would," Crippled Monkey affirmed.
"..."
Chen Fan fell silent for a moment, his confidence shaken a little. "Right, I would definitely pick it up too. But... what if it was in a latrine pit? You wouldn't pick it up then, would you?"
"I still would."
"True... I would still pick it up too..."
"But—"
He wore a slight frown. "Even if it was picked up, at the very least, there should be a latrine pit, right? We haven't even seen it."
"The latrine pits must be nearby. Keep looking."
"Such a great figure is unlikely to have taken the Eerie Stones from the latrine pits when leaving."
"If he were that petty."
"Why didn't he take the Snow Lotus and Mountain Embryo?"
Just then—
Several hundred meters from the cave, the crocodile suddenly raised its head and gave a loud, cheerful roar.
"Found it!"
Chen Fan's eyes lit up. With the God-Slaying Spear in hand, he rushed over where the crocodile had already dug a hole with its claws in an open area.
"Well done, Heyhey! Dig the hole bigger!"
"I'll give you an octopus feast tonight!"
...
Half a shichen later.
Chen Fan stood expressionless beside the latrine pit, using the God-Slaying Spear to lift a stone for inspection. The latrine pit was age-old, giving off no foul odor. After years of decomposition, the feces had turned into stone-like fossils.
They had smashed many stones, but found not a single Eerie Stone.
Two things were now certain.
First.
Heyhey's parents did indeed have latrine pits, but they were particular enough to have dug the pits at places far from the lair.
Second.
The so-called great figure was very stingy.
There wasn't a single Eerie Stone left in this pit. He had taken everything when leaving.