As the sun set, a cultivator arrived on Spiritual Paper Island and personally handed a piece of Cloud Sand to Zhang Yan, explaining that it was a reward from a certain True Master for saving several dozen of his fellow disciples the other day.
They actually gifted me Cloud Sand?
Zhang Yan observed secretly and noticed that the cultivator showed no peculiar expression.
After returning to his cave mansion, he pondered for a while and felt that this was reasonable enough. However, the visitor did not mention which True Master had dispensed the reward, which could mean he genuinely didn’t know, or he was advised to conceal it on purpose.
If it’s the latter, then it’s quite intriguing.
He picked up the Cloud Sand and examined it closely in his hands.
This sand was round and glossy like a great pearl, clear and bright, with clouds seeming to swirl inside, reminiscent of the churning sea of clouds in the sky. If placed in the mortal world, it would be an exceptional treasure.
Zhang Yan rubbed it a few times with his palm and discovered that the Cloud Sand emitted a kind of an inviting aura, with a powerful suction felt at his palm’s center. The essence within his body stirred restlessly, seemingly ready to be drawn over as soon as his mind loosened its grip.
Having read numerous Daoist records describing this item, he concluded from the records that this piece of Cloud Sand was of high quality.
Low-grade Cloud Sand had a dull texture, spiritually resistant, and even if reluctantly refined, it amounted to nothing; a grade higher, Cloud Sand radiated light, spiritual energy adhered easily, and was capable of gathering or dispersing; higher still, the Cloud Sand’s luster was bright and spiritual energy close, making refining smooth, like a stream without obstruction.
The last kind, however, was exactly this piece of Cloud Sand, inherently attracting spiritual energy, capable of nourishing essence without effort, almost as if sharing a common origin with the human body.
He smiled slightly. Regardless if any machinations were involved, he possessed the Broken Jade, so what was there to fear?
He settled himself on the cushion, let his heart and spirit sink downwards, entered the Broken Jade following the Dharma technique of the Taiyi Golden Book, released the bindings, allowing essence qi to flow completely towards the Cloud Sand until the essence nourished by spiritual energy within him was drained away completely.
He explored and traced within the Jade for three days and nights before emerging.
At this moment, his eyes were bright, carrying a subtle sense of understanding in his expression.
According to the Taiyi Golden Book, to practice this cultivation technique, one needed to condense two Xuan Guang Seeds, one deriving the fire attribute, the other gold attribute, and then generate two gases of Xuan Guang. In confrontation, the gold and fire would cross and grind, naturally melting metal and iron.
Due to the differing Dharma techniques required to condense the two types of Xuan Guang, he initially thought this was a change in the cultivation technique’s transformation. Now he realized, this actually referred to the affiliation of the Cloud Sand.
Understandably, as this Cloud Sand was the essence of the Five Elements Divine Sand, it was naturally divided among the Five Elements, and the Cloud Sand in hand was precisely of the gold attribute.
During transformation within the Broken Jade, when essence gathered over it, refining the gold attribute spell was particularly vivacious and perfectly fitting, though refining the fire attribute spell was far less effective.
Zhang Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, guessing this True Master assumed he practiced the Lan Yun Secret Volume, which inclined towards the water attribute, hence painstakingly acquired him a golden Cloud Sand.
Had he truly solely practiced the Lan Yun Secret Volume, relying on this Cloud Sand for cultivation would not deter his progression, yet when he condensed the Xuan Guang and compared with others, he would surely be inferior,
However, if he were genuinely of the lowest grade Fog Phase, it wouldn’t matter what attribute the Cloud Sand had. Having a high-quality Cloud Sand to condense Xuan Guang would already be fortunate enough, with no ground for extravagant hope.
Even knowing the mismatch, there’s hardly a choice but to accept it.
Unfortunately, the other party had no idea he practiced the Taiyi Golden Book, so this Cloud Sand, instead, greatly assisted him, saving him considerable effort and inadvertently resolving a doubt.
This way, he still needed to find another Fire Attribute Cloud Sand, which was somewhat troublesome.
After pacing in place for a few steps, he suddenly raised his head, found it!
Wang Pan, whom he had slain, practiced a Fire Attribute Technique and had just reached the Ming Qi Third Realm, the next step would be condensing a Xuan Guang Seed, no reason for not preparing in advance.
Moreover, many in the Wang Family were cultivating on Red Cloud Island, certainly preparing Fire Attribute Cloud Sand!
With the Red Cloud Pill Fire Scroll at hand, exchanging it with the Wang Family should not be rejected.
This matter could be entrusted to Xie Zongyuan to approach, with him mediating, success is highly likely!
Resolving this difficulty filled Zhang Yan with delight, he walked out of his cave mansion, came to the side of a wide inner river on the island, watching below, saw a golden-scaled demon flood dragon rolling within, roaring continuously, sometimes raising immense surging waves, as if in the great ocean, surely sweeping tide and roaring waves.