Recruit black physique to start practice in wasteland

Chapter 2503 An unexpected surprise
If the Zhu family's true master wanted to independently create and complete this set of divination tools, it wouldn't be impossible.

This also greatly improved his own weapon-forging skills.

He was far from reaching the level of mastery of the strings and had already decided to give up on his own research.

However, if he really wants to build it independently, he must bear the corresponding consequences.

When a treasure is created, it is best for him to sacrifice himself to the artifact in order to forge a powerful and relatively perfect weapon.

It is not easy for a True Venerable to forge a suitable treasure, and outsiders are unwilling to take on the task easily, also to avoid this concern.

“This… is easy to say,” Zhu Zhenzun hesitated for a moment, but nodded nonetheless. “Only I dare to take this order!”

"But to put it bluntly, if it's not perfect, don't blame me."

“These divination tools are difficult to forge to begin with, not to mention that your material is far, far, far too high-end…”

Strictly speaking, he had heard of even more incredible materials, but that was all he knew.

Those materials do exist, but most of them are used by the owners to craft objects themselves, making it almost impossible for them to be entrusted to outsiders.

Given the material he's currently using, even if he were to refine a very basic embryo, he wouldn't dare guarantee a success on his first try.

But if it really fails and the materials are damaged, it will be difficult to explain.

Wenxian glanced at him and said, "I got this for you by talking to Qu Zhenzun."

"To be honest, I'm only a few percent sure. If it's less than 50%, then there's no point in talking about it."

Zhu Zhenzun did some calculations and then forced himself to speak, "It's only 60%, but the perfection rate... is less than 20%!"

They're all people who can predict the future with a simple gesture, so there's no need to talk about anything else. Who can't predict these things?

Wenxian and Qu Jianlei exchanged a glance, and seeing the other nod slightly, they said, "Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Zhu."

"Everything in this world has its own destiny. Just do your best... How should this fee be calculated?"

When listening to others, one must understand the underlying meaning. The weight and significance of the phrase "just do your best" are self-evident.

However, Zhu Zhenzun didn't care. Instead, he looked displeased and said, "As for fees, who are you looking down on with that?"

"Everyone is able to come here to seek opportunities thanks to Master Qu's selfless guidance. I wanted to express my gratitude before, but I couldn't find the opportunity."

"What I want to say is that all cultivators in the Houde Realm owe Venerable Qu a thank you!"

“Stop,” Wenxian Zhenzun couldn’t take it anymore. “I know you charge high fees, but they are commensurate with your abilities.”

"Just tell me what you need, don't be coy, or you'll miss out... Oh, and make sure to collect and return any scraps of material."

"Huh?" Zhu Zhenzun was taken aback, a slight look of confusion in his clear eyes. "I was just saying, 'Give me these scraps!'"

Qu Jianlei sighed inwardly, “These people… there isn’t a single one of them who isn’t smart enough!”

After killing the Chaos Wood Spirit, he kept this little thing a secret from Han Li, Qing Kong, Jin Ge, Song Yue'er, and Tian Li.

He had deceived five True Venerables, including Han Li and Jin Ge, and only dared to tell the heroic spirits inside the ritual artifacts about the relevant information.

He couldn't tolerate this condition, so he calmly said, "I'll leave the scraps aside; they're improper and disrespectful to Senior Zhu."

"Alright then, I'll offer a set of Five Elements Origin materials, please trouble you, senior..."

A set of Five Elements Origins—his heart was bleeding—as poor as I am!
However, things are different now. Previously, it was very difficult for him to put together a set of the Five Elements Origin, and even Jin Ge had a hard time putting together a set!

But as a true venerable one, if I want to tailor-make a magic weapon... even an embryonic one, then this is the price!
Outsiders only see his cultivation level soaring and his voice getting louder, but they can't sense the damn inflation!

“It’s just these scraps,” Zhu Zhenzun interrupted him, somewhat rudely.

However, a resolute look appeared in his clear eyes, "The Five Elements Origin... even my Zhu family is lacking in it."

"Hmm," Qu Jianlei nodded. Who wouldn't need this kind of hard currency?
"But you shouldn't have let me see this material!" A hint of madness flashed in Zhu Zhenzun's eyes.

"I am destined to possess this item. I swear to keep it a secret. I would even be willing to join Qu Zhenzun's camp... Of course, not the Zhu family!"

"Trust me, I know how to use it better than either of you!"

His words were spoken with great certainty, reflecting the confidence of a True Venerable-level weapon refiner.

Qu Jianlei and Wen Xian exchanged glances, the latter's eyes showing a hint of uncertainty.

Wenxian genuinely had no idea what the origin of this treasure was; he could only wait for the other party to confirm.

Qu Jianlei nodded slightly. "Tell me, what's so special about it? Anyway, there are no outsiders here."

“Chaos…” Zhu Zhenzun pondered for a moment, then uttered two more words, “Creation!”

As the last two words were uttered, the air seemed to freeze.

Half a day later, Qu Jianlei smiled slightly, "Senior Zhu, you have a lot of courage."

Zhu Zhenzun thought for a moment and then said, "You can call me senior, so you are a person of good manners... I am just telling the truth and I have not deceived you."

"Sigh," Qu Jianlei sighed, "Indeed, every True Venerable is not to be underestimated!"

After a pause, he spoke again, "You can do it, right?"

“Hmm,” Zhu Zhenzun nodded, then added, “I can’t guarantee that I’ll do well the first time.”

“Then we’ll give you two chances,” Qu Jianlei said decisively. “You’ll be paid with scraps, but you have to be respectful to Senior Wenxian.”

"I don't care how you two divide it, but we can't let Senior Wenxian's efforts go to waste."

The logic is simple: Wenxian wouldn't be so short-sighted. Having earned what he deserved, he would naturally keep a close eye on what he needed to keep an eye on.

But Zhu Zhenzun was really serious, his eyes gleaming with fervor, "How much do you have left?"

"If there are two times... ten times as many, just give me the rest, and I'll go to your Red Leaf Ridge to make an offering."

Qu Jianlei blinked twice. "Senior, you've already reached over five thousand years old. Once you become an offering, it will be difficult for you to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Offerings are generally harmless, but if something goes wrong, it will definitely not be a trivial matter.

"Distracted? I never thought about that," Zhu Zhenzun said frankly. "Qu Zhenzun, not every cultivator will reveal their ugly side before they die of old age."

Qu Jianlei paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "That's right, at least I won't be. So what do you want to achieve?"

“Creation,” Zhu Zhenzun’s eyes gleamed, “I want to unravel its mysteries.”

Qu Jianlei blinked and tentatively asked, "Doesn't the Zhu family have any rules of destiny?"

"The rules of creation... how can they just appear out of thin air?" Zhu Zhenzun hesitated for a moment, but still firmly denied it.

Then he changed the subject, “Even the rules of creation may not be able to match this thing…at least its function is different.”

"Hmm?" Qu Jianlei raised an eyebrow. This person really knows his stuff!

Wenxian laughed upon hearing this, "Should I excuse myself for a moment?"

The two of them rolled their eyes at him and ignored him—they were going to share with you anyway, why were you avoiding him?
Qu Jianlei directly asked, "Could you elaborate?"

“As I predicted, this material has been imbued with the true meaning of creation for a long time,” Zhu Zhenzun said slowly, “containing the essence of creation.”

"Theoretically speaking, the essence of creation is more difficult to perceive than rules, but the good thing is that the energy flows are more easily interconnected."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei couldn't help but ask, "Is it artistic conception, or the aura of creation?"

“This… has both,” Zhu Zhenzun answered without hesitation. “What is aura? It has energy and also meaning.”

From the perspective of weapon crafting, aura can be subdivided into many categories.

He even pointed out that if the meaning is rich and refined enough, it can be close to the essence of Taoism.

It must be admitted that every profession has its experts; he can say things that even the heroic spirits are not very sure about with great accuracy.

After listening for a while, Qu Jianlei understood the other party's thoughts, and then couldn't help but ask a question.

"As I understand it, you want to enhance your understanding of creation through the permeation of Qi, is it to achieve enlightenment through this?"

"The Dao of Transformation... that is the ultimate dream," Zhu Zhenzun replied thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I'm not qualified to glimpse the Great Dao of Creation."

"A more realistic idea is that I want to transcend the realm of a Grandmaster of weapon crafting by experiencing the essence of creation."

In his words, the mysteries of creation are infinite and profound, capable of enhancing any of the myriad arts of cultivation.

But the most useful skill is weapon crafting, which is endless and ever-renewing.

“I can’t agree with that,” Wenxian couldn’t help but say. “Do you even know what the Dao of Formations is?”

"The Dao of Arrays is inherently formed by nature, and its perfection is achieved by chance... This is the closest to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Refining weapons is nothing more than man-made things!"

This is the hierarchy of discrimination within the various arts of cultivation. Weapon refiners may not acknowledge it, but formation masters certainly do.

Zhu Zhenzun replied calmly, "Refining weapons is creation, the creation of all things... Is there a problem?"

"Hehe," Wenxian chuckled twice, then fell silent, whether out of exhaustion or disdain for arguing, it was unclear.

Qu Jianlei ignored their argument and instead focused on understanding Zhu Zhenzun's interpretation and evaluation of creation.

Admittedly, this contact with the other party gave him an unexpected surprise.

He truly hadn't expected that Zhu Zhenzun, who seemed so unremarkable, would possess such specialized knowledge and understanding.

As the saying goes, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." You might just stumble upon a breathtaking view around an unexpected corner!
It can also be said that no True Venerable is simple, including the True Venerables from the outside world whom he previously killed.

What surprised him slightly was that although Zhu Zhenzun was over five thousand years old, his ambition was not to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

This is the kind of understanding that cultivators should have: if you don't have enough foundation, don't force yourself to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Everyone understands the principle that too much of a good thing is bad.
However, when one's lifespan is about to end, especially for those cultivators who are barely able to advance in rank, it truly takes a good mindset to take life and death lightly.

However, Zhu Zhenzun was not completely without desires; he wanted to become someone who surpassed even the Grandmaster of Weapon Refining!
Qu Jianlei felt that Wenxian lacked the same passion for cultivating immortality and mastering various arts.

However, he has no right to comment on who is right and who is wrong. They chose their own path and should be responsible for themselves.