Furious Thunder Peak, Quiet Room.
Thunder Island's Furious Thunder, Wild Thunder, and Violent Thunder Peaks have been bearing the brunt of thunderous strikes all year round, so the West Sea Sect invested a great deal of resources to transform these three peaks into the best places for practicing Thunder Magic.
After centuries of management, the interior of Furious Thunder Peak had long been hollowed out for the disciples to practice and rest.
The topmost part was the Enlightenment Cave, the middle section was carved into the Yuan Cultivation Cave, while further down were Quiet Rooms connected to the Earth Vein.
The environment in the Quiet Rooms was much better than that of the Enlightenment Cave, not only spacious and fully equipped but also capable of activating the Spirit Gathering Array for regular practice, with a concentration of Spiritual Energy not inferior to West Sea City.
After arriving on Thunder Island, Wang Chen leased a Quiet Room long-term for rest and the practice of the Innate Five Elements Skill.
He unlocked the room's protective spells and then took out the Creation Cauldron that hung on his chest.
With an infusion of mana, the precious cauldron quickly returned to its original size.
It stood tall in the middle of the Quiet Room.
Wang Chen extended his hand and patted the cauldron: "Come out."
A moment later, Ding, with a double bun on its head, popped out its head and asked expressionlessly, "Master, is there something you need?"
Wang Chen took out a Thunderstone and asked, "Can it be used for refinement?"
The Creation Cauldron was incredibly mystical, capable of both casting and nourishing, strengthening artifacts.
Refining materials also fell within its myriad uses.
However, Wang Chen wasn't sure if a special material like Thunderstone could also be refined and purified.
If his idea proved unworkable, the four thousand catties of Thunderstone he had just purchased would only be taken back for routine practice of Thunder Magic, with the effectiveness being merely better than nothing.
"Inferior Thunderstone."
Ding curled its lips disdainfully, "Using such low-grade materials for refinement, it's simply a waste of the precious cauldron!"
Wang Chen's face turned steely, "I'm just asking if you can do it!"
This brat was tricky to deal with, yet it held the secrets to the cauldron, without which he couldn't use it normally.
As the cauldron's master, Wang Chen felt truly annoyed to be restrained by it.
Nevertheless, Ding held some wariness towards Wang Chen, seeing his tendency to get angry, it reluctantly replied, "Fine, but it'll need Spirit Stones to drive the True Fire."
Wang Chen immediately opened his Storage Bag and took out all the Thunderstones, piling them on the ground.
"How many Spirit Stones will be needed to refine these Thunderstones?"
Ding blinked its chubby fingers and held up two, but after sneaking a glance at Wang Chen, it retracted one and said, "One hundred Middle Spirit."
Wang Chen agreed promptly.
He was absolutely certain that this creature would embezzle some of the Spirit Stones.
Yet if he didn't give it a taste of profit, it probably wouldn't put in its best effort.
Since it was experimental, Wang Chen didn't haggle.
Seeing Wang Chen's generosity, Ding's face broke into a beaming smile, "Master, rest assured, I guarantee to refine these inferior Thunderstones into crystals."
Thunder Crystals, huh?
Wang Chen felt somewhat disappointed inside.
Thunder Crystals were born from superior Thunderstones, far fewer in number and consequently, more valuable.
Just like Thundercores, they could be used both to assist in cultivation and as materials for Artifact Refining.
But they were far inferior to Thundercores in grade.
If the Creation Cauldron could only refine a few Thunder Crystals from the Thunderstones, considering the investment of one hundred Middle Spirit, it wouldn't be very interesting, and he might even lose money.
But having reached this point, Wang Chen had no intention of backing out.
He asked Ding to open the lid of the cauldron, then threw all the Thunderstones and the hundred Middle Spirit Stones into it.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the Creation Cauldron suddenly shuddered, and the eight beasts on its shoulders simultaneously spewed scorching breaths as the True Seal Talisman Scripts engraved on its body lit up one by one.
Even though he had witnessed the same scene before, seeing it again still left Wang Chen feeling awe-struck.
Ancient, powerful, mysterious...
The feelings the Creation Cauldron evoked in him could truly be described as the height of mystique!
The small Ding had already vanished, but through the connection to his Divine Soul, Wang Chen could still sense its existence within the cauldron.
And then it was time to wait.
Wang Chen didn't waste time; he sat down beside the precious cauldron and silently cultivated the Innate Five Elements Skill.
Cultivation experience was accumulated in just this way, bit by bit—it was only with long years of persistence that Wang Chen had made it to where he was today.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he completed the Great Circulation and his mana returned to his Dantian, he opened his eyes to see the Creation Cauldron before him had returned to calm.
The tempering was complete.
Wang Chen pointed his finger, and the cauldron lid instantly flipped open on its own, releasing a burst of misty white vapor.
In the middle, mixed within, was a sapphire-blue crystal!
Wang Chen's eyes and hands were quick, and he captured it in his palm.
The crystal was the size of a goose egg, perfectly round and translucent, seeming flawless.
Upon closer inspection, countless tiny sparks of electricity could be seen flitting about inside the crystal.
Holding it in his hand, Wang Chen actually felt a tingling sensation!
Considering that his Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method had reached the sixth level and he possessed Vajra Invulnerability, able to withstand ordinary thunder strikes with ease, this feeling indicated the abundant power contained within.
Or one might say, its frenzied nature!
The power of thunder was never gentle or tame.
Wang Chen had seen Thunder Crystals before.
Others had displayed them for sale, but their pieces of Thunder Crystal were not large, mere fragmented bits, and neither their color nor quality compared to the one in Wang Chen's hand.
Most importantly, it gave Wang Chen the sensation as if he was holding all the thunder in the sky in his hand!
In fact, even a Thundercore that had fetched more than a thousand Middle Spirits did not compare.
Wang Chen's thoughts moved as quickly as lightning, and he immediately stored the tempered Thunder Crystal into the Sumeru Ring and then stood up, leaving the quiet room.
He swiftly returned to the Yuan Cultivation Cave and found an empty spot to set up a booth.
Setting up a stall here did not incur any costs; as long as it didn't interfere with others, any arrangement was permitted.
Actually, there were only a few hours remaining until the end of the exchange meeting, and many had already packed up and left.
Therefore, it was much less busy than before.
Wang Chen didn't mind; he took out some writing materials and penned a notice that he then posted.
Buying a large number of high-grade Thunderstones, one jin per Low Spirit—wanting as much as possible! Stay tuned for updates on empire
Since Wang Chen was the last to set up a stall, many of the disciples who hadn't left yet came over to see what was happening.
When they saw the notice on the booth, they all showed curious expressions.
One of the cultivators asked, "Junior Brother, what do you want to buy Thunderstones for?"
Wang Chen replied with a smile, "To practice Thunder Magic when I return."
Indeed, Thunderstones served that purpose, but they couldn't compare to the Enlightenment Cave, even if high-grade Thunderstones were used.
They all looked at each other, presumably thinking Wang Chen was a bit foolish.
A cultivator immediately took out a Storage Bag, "But one jin for a Low Spirit is too cheap. You need to offer more."
Wang Chen remained unmoved, "No price increase."
Another person asked, "How about medium-grade ones?"
Wang Chen nodded, "That's fine, three jin for one Low Spirit for medium-grade ones."
The faces of the crowd darkened.
But despite their disgruntlement, there were still those who brought their Thunderstones to trade with Wang Chen.
After all, such resources were abundant on Thunder Island.
The second update is here.