Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 83 - Refining a Magic Treasure

Establishing a sect requires six conditions: a sect gate, a divine beast, silver to buy land, three disciples, a large number of spirit stones to set up formations, and at least one Nascent Soul-level magic treasure.

The first four conditions have been met. Setting up the formation with a large number of spirit stones is not difficult; Dugu Zhuo is familiar with formation methods and has learned the “Disha Footwork,” which allows him to use spiritual veins to arrange formations. Ye Jian has also made a fortune in spirit stones.

The only troublesome part is the Nascent Soul-level magic treasure.

Dugu Zhuo has the Xuan and Su swords, but they are broken and unusable. Even if they were usable, Dugu Zhuo does not want to use them as the mountain-protecting magic treasures.

Ye Zhou only has one high-level magic treasure, the Two Rites Seal, but the Two Rites Seal can only be used during the main storyline, making it useless.

As for Ye Jian, it’s even worse—his only possession is a painting, which is an evil cultivator’s item. Using that painting for a mountain-protecting formation, are they trying to establish an evil sect?

Dugu Zhuo, using the excuse of checking with the White Tiger for a better magic treasure, took Ye Zhou up the mountain, hoping to leave the recently successful Ye Jian at the foot of the mountain.

But unlike the gentle White Tiger, Ye Jian was not someone who could be easily left behind. He immediately sent a paper crane message: “Dugu Zhuo, if you dare to leave me alone at the foot of the mountain, I’ll blast a loudspeaker and accuse you of burning bridges!”

Dugu Zhuo: “…”

Ye Zhou: “…”

Dugu Zhuo wasn’t worried about damaging his reputation, but if he ignored Ye Jian, who knows what trouble he might stir up later.

This man was not easily deceived. Dugu Zhuo frowned deeply but had no choice but to bring him up the mountain.

Ye Jian followed Dugu Zhuo to the main peak and looked at the view from the top. The thought that all this land belonged to him, with such beautiful scenery, made him dream of how many tourist spots he could develop, how many luxury villas he could build, and how much money he could make… cough cough, off-topic.

Standing on the mountaintop, he pulled out a broken fan with no attack power and elegantly fanned himself, saying, “This is my mountain!”

He had worked hard in the game to earn money and buy this mountain.

While admiring the fruits of his labor, a huge white tiger descended from the sky, stepping on Ye Jian with its paw, and let out a thunderous roar: “Roar—”

White Tiger: What did you say? Your mountain? This is my mountain!

Ye Jian was stepped on so hard his face hit the ground, and he inhaled the “fragrance” of the soil. He raised his head with difficulty and, relying on his status as a player, fearlessly pulled out the land deed and protested, “I bought this land from the government with real silver, so naturally, it’s my mountain!”

The White Tiger tried to bite and tear the land deed apart, but it was protected by the system and couldn’t be torn or damaged.

Under the White Tiger’s paw, Ye Jian defiantly said, “Even if you tear it, it won’t matter. The land deed comes in three copies: one for me, one for the governor of Beining City, and one stored in the archives. Even if it’s lost, I can always get a replacement!”

The White Tiger stared at the land deed for a while, then roared several times in frustration. It kicked Ye Jian away with one swipe, reducing his health to less than 20%, then grabbed the deed in its mouth and brought it to Ye Zhou, whimpering pitifully, asking Ye Zhou to check it out. How could its mountain now belong to someone else?

The White Tiger shrunk into a small cub, its two front paws gripping Ye Zhou’s hand, with watery blue eyes shimmering with tears. Ye Zhou’s heart softened instantly. He picked up the land deed and examined it thoroughly, finally finding a loophole.

He patted the little white tiger’s head and pointed to the deed: “The deed states that the land at the foot of the mountain belongs to *Yangfan Yuanyuan* (Ye Jian’s in-game name), and this is under the government’s jurisdiction, which we cannot contest. However, the vegetation and structures on the mountain, including the caves, all belong to the original owner—meaning you. Unless *Yangfan Yuanyuan* can remove all the plants and blow up the caves, he has no right to alter this mountain.”

The little white tiger rubbed its head against Ye Zhou’s hand and then turned to growl menacingly at the recently recovered Ye Jian.

Ye Jian: “…”

Little cousin, what’s going on? It’s one thing to not stand by me when you’re with Dugu Zhuo, but why are you siding with the tiger now? This tiger… wait, how did it get so small? It’s actually… kind of cute.

“Is this our mountain-protecting divine beast?” Ye Jian took a deep breath. “I think having such a divine beast is truly our honor.”

Dugu Zhuo and Ye Zhou: “…”

Ye Jian was a mature adult. In his eyes, there were no permanent enemies or friends, only strategies. His greatest strength was knowing when to bend and when to stand tall.

Taking the land deed from Ye Zhou, he showed it to the little white tiger, saying, “Great White Tiger, if you look closely at the deed, you’ll see that the ownership isn’t just mine; it belongs to our entire sect. This means that as long as the major shareholders… the sect leaders are in charge, Tiger Roar Mountain belongs to all of us. I didn’t realize you were the divine beast, so there was a misunderstanding earlier. What I should have said is, *this is our mountain*.”

“Mine,” the White Tiger said suspiciously, staring at Ye Jian.

Ye Jian: “Yes, it’s yours. I only bought the land to ensure that the entire mountain belongs to you and us.”

After listening to Ye Jian’s explanation, the White Tiger finally let out a satisfied “awoo” and patted Ye Jian’s face with its paw, giving him a reward as the mountain’s divine beast.

After watching this comedic scene unfold, and seeing that the White Tiger was no longer upset, Dugu Zhuo asked, “To establish the sect, we need a magic treasure at the Nascent Soul level or higher. You’ve collected many items from fallen players. Do you have any such treasure?”

Fearing the White Tiger might refuse, Dugu Zhuo added, “It will be used for the sect, so it still belongs to the divine beast. We’re not taking it.”

The White Tiger finally nodded in satisfaction and said to the three, “I’m not sure how many there are. Come with me and see for yourselves.”

It led them deep into the cave. The White Tiger’s cave was huge. From the outside, it looked like a slightly larger cave entrance, but inside, it twisted and turned, with protective formations along the way. The deeper part of the cave seemed to reach halfway up the mountain.

After walking for a while, they arrived at a spacious cavern. The ceiling was at least seven or eight meters high, and the cave was filled with treasures glowing with radiant light—all items dropped by players, including magic treasures, spirit stones, and silver.

Ye Jian: “…”

It seems like the tiger is wealthier than him.

The White Tiger lay on the dry ground in the cave, looking very much like “I’m very rich,” and elegantly extended its paw: “You can only choose one.”

“Thank you.” Dugu Zhuo patted its ear, thinking that the touch was indeed pleasant.

Ye Jian and Ye Zhou couldn’t help much with this matter and could only watch as Dugu Zhuo sifted through the items.

Dugu Zhuo selected and sifted through the items for a long time, frowning and shaking his head: “None of these are what I want.”

Although players did drop some magical artifacts of the Nascent Soul stage, none were suitable as the mountain’s protective treasure. In the end, Dugu Zhuo only chose a piece of Void Gold, which was a high-quality refining material. Instead of picking from other players’ used artifacts, he preferred to refine one himself.

“You’re only at the Golden Core stage. Can you refine such a good weapon?” The White Tiger asked upon learning Dugu Zhuo’s plan.

Dugu Zhuo looked at it and said: “Aren’t you here to help?”

White Tiger: “……”

It seems that even before the sect was established, Dugu Zhuo was already asking for many things and even labor! Refining weapons is exhausting; it often takes a long time to melt materials and requires many days of supervision, which the White Tiger didn’t want.

Dugu Zhuo continued: “It’s not that I need you to breathe out Dan Fire. You’re only newly promoted to the Nascent Soul stage, and refining a Nascent Soul artifact would be too strenuous. For cultivators with lower cultivation levels, the best way to refine artifacts is to use the right timing and place, like the most favorable places with Earth Fire or Heaven Fire. I only need your assistance when my true essence is insufficient. You have the bloodline of the Four Sacred Beasts, and your true essence contains the purest spiritual energy from the creation of the world. If you can infuse a trace of it into the artifact, the protective treasure for the mountain will definitely be exceptional.”

The White Tiger couldn’t stand praise. Hearing Dugu Zhuo compliment it, its tail swished uneasily, hitting the stone wall.

“Roar~”

White Tiger: If it’s just borrowing some true essence, that’s acceptable.

“I remember you always wanted a majestic armor. Once my cultivation improves a bit more and I find suitable materials, I’ll make one for you,” Dugu Zhuo said to the White Tiger.

“Roar~”

White Tiger: You said it yourself.

The human and tiger interacted harmoniously, as if returning to the time when they were “bosom friends” in their past life.

Ye Jian watched this scene and frantically sent private messages to Ye Zhou: “Don’t you think Dugu Zhuo is quite scheming? He deceives people and tigers with such sincerity, but it’s all just a big empty promise! I’ve seen this tactic before, making employees proud of the company, believing the company’s matters are their own, making them willingly contribute. Then, promising future promotions and raises. This tactic is even more familiar than mine.”

Ye Zhou: “Dugu Zhuo isn’t that kind of person. He really likes the White Tiger.”

Ye Jian wanted to say more but noticed that Dugu Zhuo slightly turned and looked at him, as if he had heard something from the private messages.

“I know you like his face and his calm demeanor, but you must be cautious. You can’t just look at appearances; you need to understand a person’s inner nature,” Ye Jian continued earnestly in private messages.

Dugu Zhuo had already turned back, but hearing this, he turned around again and looked at them.

Ye Zhou suddenly recalled that Dugu Zhuo seemed to be a very special presence in the game. He could hear private messages while playing as Elder Ye Zhou. Realizing this, Ye Zhou had a bold guess and quickly sent a paper crane message to Dugu Zhuo: “Can you hear other players’ private messages?”

Dugu Zhuo also secretly sent a message: “I can’t hear from too far away, but within a kilometer, I can hear whatever I want.”

Ye Zhou: “!!!”

So, did Dugu Zhuo hear what his cousin said he liked about him?

Sensing Ye Zhou’s thoughts, Dugu Zhuo nodded sincerely.

Ye Zhou felt like he was about to explode with embarrassment. His cousin wasn’t just sowing discord; he was clearly confessing his feelings through Dugu Zhuo!

“Stop talking!” Ye Zhou used the immobilization technique taught by Dugu Zhuo, pointed at Ye Jian, and sealed his movement, preventing Ye Jian from sending private messages.

Ye Jian: “……”

To avoid further embarrassment for Ye Zhou, Dugu Zhuo kindly said: “I just asked Yi Meng Xiaoyao where there are Heaven Fire or Earth Fire, and he told me they discovered several new level 40 dungeons, one of which is on a live volcano. It seems quite suitable for refining artifacts. Should we go together to the dungeon and refine the magical artifact?”

Hearing this, Ye Zhou suddenly thought of the Sun Worship Sect dungeon that Dugu Zhuo had used as a training ground. This……

Using dungeons for various purposes seems to be a routine operation for Dugu Zhuo.