Chapter 227: Organizing the Gains and a Fortune

After finding a specific method for the repairs, Zhao Zuo breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, it was the Magical Artifact he had used the longest. If nothing else, he had grown attached to it.

After that, Zhao Zuo slept for three days and three nights straight, only opening his eyes on the morning of the fourth day.

After getting up, he first released the Fire Spirit Snake from his Storage Bag. The little guy hadn’t eaten in days, and it immediately rubbed against Zhao Zuo’s body complainingly while licking him frantically. It looked just like a dog that hadn’t seen its master in a long time, expressing how much it had missed him through its actions.

‘On second thought,’ Zhao Zuo realized he’d been so busy fighting and fleeing lately that he had indeed neglected the Fire Spirit Snake’s feelings. The Spirit Beast Bag was small, and for a snake of its size, it was certainly a bit cramped.

With a hint of wanting to make it up to the snake, he took out five Middle Grade Spiritual Object-level Fire Element Seeds. Supporting the Fire Spirit Snake’s head, he slowly fed them to it. After stroking the soft scales on its chin, Zhao Zuo let it move about freely.

“Go on and digest your food,” Zhao Zuo said softly. He took a Communication Jade from his Storage Bag and injected Mana into it. After a moment, Liu Heng’s somewhat surprised voice came from the jade.

“Younger Brother Zhao, you made it back alive?”

“I’m back. In a few days, I’ll resume Refining Lower Grade Magical Artifacts,” Zhao Zuo said nonchalantly, then his tone shifted. “The custom Upper Grade Magical Artifact for you should be finished. I’ll give it to you then and also pay back the Spirit Stones I owe you.”

‘A loan is a loan, and it must be repaid. Now that he had Spirit Stones on hand, he should definitely return them promptly.’

“Thank you, Younger Brother Zhao.” Liu Heng’s voice grew more excited, his thanks laced with genuine sincerity and even a hint of fawning.

“No need for thanks, it’s only right…” Zhao Zuo couldn’t help but chuckle. He felt Liu Heng was taking these Spirit Stones too seriously. ‘But then again… I can understand. After all, Spirit Stones are tied to his future cultivation path.’

‘When I was poor, I also treated every single Spirit Stone as precious.’

“Oh, right. Younger Brother Zhao, did you run into any danger this time?” Liu Heng finally remembered to ask about Zhao Zuo’s safety, his tone lacking some of its earlier confidence.

“It was fine, just a few minor dangers,” Zhao Zuo answered casually, before recounting the events of his trip. Of course, he omitted some of the more crucial details.

“That… that’s too dangerous,” Liu Heng said, nervous and frightened in hindsight. For Zhao Zuo to have experienced so many close calls meant he had walked the line between life and death many times.

The two of them mostly made small talk. Through Liu Heng, Zhao Zuo also caught up on the recent changes in the Moyun Sect. For instance… on the ninth day of the ninth month, the grand sect competition had re-selected the prodigies of the Inner Sect and the True Inheritance disciples.

Among them, the former third True Inheritance disciple, Qian Tianyuan, had become the new True Inheritor Chief. None of the top five True Inheritance disciples were from the Earth Fire Hall. The two ranked seventh and eighth had joined the Moyun Sect midway through their cultivation, meaning they were unpopular “strays” without a proper background.

The competition for the Inner Sect rankings was even more brutal, with some participants being seriously injured before the top ten disciples were finally decided.

Of course, these were minor matters. What Zhao Zuo was more concerned about was Chen Xiaorong’s situation.

“Chief Venerate Chen has been stripped of her position as the head of the Punishment Hall. The former vice-chief has taken her place. It’s said that new chief never got along with Chief Venerate Chen,” Liu Heng said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zuo asked about a few other things before ending the call.

‘One can see the whole picture from a single detail. With Chen Xiaorong having lost her Foundation Establishment Stage combat power, her old enemies would naturally do everything they could to suppress her and prevent her from ever recovering. Losing her position as Chief Venerate was a clear signal.’

A thread of worry for Chen Xiaorong formed in Zhao Zuo’s heart. ‘But with her master’s protection, her safety at least isn’t an issue. It’s just a pity to see a genius fall, never again to have a chance at the Foundation Establishment Realm.’

“Younger Brother Zhao, you don’t need to worry too much. The Moyun Sect is a Righteous sect, after all, and Chief Venerate Chen has someone protecting her.”

Noticing Zhao Zuo’s long silence, Liu Heng offered words of comfort in a low voice.

“I know.” Zhao Zuo deactivated the Communication Jade and put it back into his Storage Bag. ‘Whatever dangers Chen Xiaorong is facing now, it’s not something I can interfere with. Overthinking it is pointless. Besides, I’ve already repaid the life-saving debt. We don’t owe each other anything anymore.’

He stood up and walked to the wooden table, taking out a Spirit Pattern pen to begin repairing the Sky-Breaking Saber. This was the fifth repair session. Zhao Zuo was focusing on one of the three most important nodes. As long as he could fix this node, the Sky-Breaking Saber would be able to fly normally again.

‘Although it can’t be used for combat, I can at least use it to grind experience points.’

「Two hours later.」

Zhao Zuo put away the Spirit Pattern pen. The Sky-Breaking Saber had recovered some of its former might, now hovering in the air, wreathed in a tempest of green and exuding a sharp aura.

Zhao Zuo injected some Mana into it, and the Sky-Breaking Saber danced in the air like a fish swimming through water. It wasn’t fast, but it had already begun to steadily gain experience points.

His stomach rumbled with hunger, and Zhao Zuo decided to go to the kitchen to cook a meal.

But on the kitchen table, there was already a plate of roasted Demon Beast meat and a bowl of perfectly cooked Spirit Rice with each grain distinct. He patted his empty stomach, not caring in the slightest that the Demon Beast meat had gone cold, and sat down to dig in.

TAP TAP TAP.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs as Shen Yunjiao descended with a light gait. She wore only a simple chemise on her upper body, covered by a layer of pale green, sheer gauze that did little to hide her voluptuous figure, instead adding a different kind of allure. Below, she wore a short skirt, revealing a pair of straight, slender legs with skin whiter than snow.