Chapter 308 Ancient City Upgrade
As the tremors intensified, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan rose into the air, suspending hand in hand high above the ancient city.
More changes have occurred.
The ancient city began to expand in all directions.
The outer city was also divided into different areas. The outermost area was the barracks, and a residential area was opened up in the center of the area surrounded by the barracks. It was blocked by several small city walls, and each small city wall had a gate that connected to the barracks.
—This is better safe than sorry.
If, as time goes by, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan want to create a powerful force in the future, and if the city accepts not only Taoist soldiers but also living people, then there will be places for living people to live, as well as a military area specifically for living people.
From an aerial view, one can see that the barracks are divided into two parts by the residential area. The military districts on both the left and right sides cover a large area, but they are not connected to each other.
While the small city wall connects to the gate leading to the barracks, a closer look reveals that the residential area is also divided into two levels. The left gate connects to the upper level, which is the part connected to the inner city; the right gate connects to the lower level, which is close to the outer wall of the residential area.
There are two doors on the outer wall, each connecting to a martial arts arena—presumably occupied by Taoist soldiers and living people respectively.
The training grounds are not connected to each other.
·
Most of the buildings in the Daobing Military District have a metallic aesthetic, making them look very cold and serious; the Huoren Military District is also very serious, but its style is more lively and does not have that cold and indifferent feeling.
There are many different architectural styles in residential areas.
The upper level provides special Dao soldiers, and at most accommodates their Dao partners—the special Dao soldiers are essentially resurrected, and the Zhong and Wu couple had made it clear that it would not interfere with their normal lives.
The buildings here are arranged in a staggered manner, each with a different style and no two alike.
The supply of the lower levels to living people—even their relatives and friends—may expand in the future.
The buildings here are more orderly, and there are many streets.
It looks like the layout of a normal city.
·
Both the barracks and the residential areas have been specially designed to house many rare animals.
That is, the animal's nest.
They also have different styles, suitable for all kinds of rare animals.
However, in barracks, similar types of animal nests would be arranged together, while in residential areas they would be scattered in different places.
·
Zhong Cai looked at the changes in the outer city and was a little surprised: "The area is at least ten times larger than before."
Wu Shaogan nodded slightly.
Zhong Cai sighed again: "It's just too big. Although it can be shrunk, it still looks empty."
Wu Shaogan pinched Zhong Cai's cheek and said, "It's easy to fill this place with people."
Zhong Cai chuckled: "Summoning Dao soldiers?"
Wu Shaogan nodded: "If you want, you can do it anytime."
Zhong Cai wasn't really thinking about it for the time being—there wasn't much work for them to do right now.
Wu Shaogan saw through Zhong Cai's thoughts and said, "Are you worried about special Dao soldiers?"
Zhong Cai laughed and said, "I don't think many of them are from top-tier continents. If we summon them, I wonder if they can adapt here."
Although Zhong Cai felt the ancient city was empty, he thought about it carefully. It didn't matter that ordinary Dao soldiers didn't have intelligence, but if special Dao soldiers stayed... that would be too much of a hindrance, a bunch of third wheels.
Even though everyone is in the inner and outer city respectively, those in the outer city shouldn't disturb him and Lao Wu in the inner city, but the feeling is still quite different whether there are people around or not.
Wu Shaogan said calmly, "They are lucky to have come back to life. Let them make their own way. Acai doesn't need to worry about it."
Zhong Cai didn't really intend to bother with it, waving his hand and saying, "Anyway, let's keep enough Xuanzhu and Xuanshi first, and we can talk about the rest after the upgrade is complete. There's no rush."
To put it bluntly, he was just feeling a bit bored because the ancient city was constantly undergoing rapid upgrades, so he was just looking for a topic to chat about with his old man, Wu.
·
Perhaps because this upgrade is particularly large-scale, the pace of the ancient city's upgrade is much slower than before, as if it is being meticulously refined.
Gradually, the general outline of the outer city was completed...
Then, changes began to occur in the inner city.
·
First is the city gate tower.
Zhong Cai pulled Wu Shaogan and flew to the front of the city tower.
Without a doubt, the inner city walls were also made to be as imposing as those walls.
At the same time, the city gate tower was quickly divided into several layers.
The altar appeared on the top floor.
The summoning of Dao soldiers takes place on the second floor from the top.
The third layer is related to weaponry.
The fourth floor is a rest area for special Taoist soldiers and a training area for ordinary Taoist soldiers.
The lowest level connects to the city wall, transporting various Taoist soldiers to the area below the wall.
·
After the inner city walls and gate towers stopped changing, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan inspected them layer by layer.
The first thing to look at, of course, is the altar.
The area of the pit has increased, and the area of the stone bed has also increased.
In other aspects, there have been no changes.
Zhong Cai carefully sensed the rules here, and then her pupils contracted slightly.
Wu Shaogan noticed Zhong Cai's reaction and sensed it as well, revealing a surprised expression.
Then, he smiled at Zhong Cai and said, "Congratulations, Cai."
Zhong Cai was very excited.
He never expected that the altar pool, which had only been expanded in size and increased the number of guaranteed options, would have a new function after this upgrade!
and……
Zhong Cai's expression was somewhat strange.
And this new feature is a bit... I don't know how to describe it.
Looking at Zhong Cai's expression, Wu Shaogan found it amusing and couldn't help but pinch his cheek again.
Zhong Cai rolled her eyes at him.
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but chuckle.
He cleared his throat and said, "The benefits are still significant, it's a precise search, but it will require A-Cai to work even harder in alchemy in the future."
Zhong Cai nodded silently.
Indeed, this new feature... is very grindy and requires a lot of money.
·
Why do we need to grind and spend money at the same time?
Because what you grind for is Dan Yun, and what you spend money on is also Dan Yun.
Now, after sacrificing Elixir, the number of Elixir to be sacrificed in each card pool remains largely the same, but an additional function has been added: "selecting or specifying Elixir from multiple purchases".
The original White Flame Pool, Azure Flame Pool, Red Flame Pool, Purple Flame Pool, and Golden Flame Pool required ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, and one hundred thousand strands of Elixir Essence to be sacrificed for a single draw, respectively. Now, by pre-selecting "Improve Quality" in your mind, you can increase the level of resources obtained from each draw by sacrificing more Elixir Essence.
As for how much more Dan Yun (a type of incense) can be sacrificed to increase the probability?
It is usually calculated by doubling.
Take the Golden Flame Pool, for example.
If you draw 100,000 resources in a single draw, then if you spend 200,000 resources, the quality of the resources you draw will be improved regardless of their level.
In other words, if the resource drawn this time was originally a low-grade level 7 resource, it will become a mid-grade level 7 resource; if it was originally a mid-grade level 7 resource, it will become a high-grade level 7 resource... and if it was originally a top-grade level 7 resource, it can become a level 8 resource!
The same applies to the other pools.
If you do a ten-pull and spend two million Dan Yun, the grade of every resource you draw will be upgraded. Moreover, since the grade of common resources like high-quality Xuan Stones cannot be upgraded, the extra Dan Yun will also be used on other resources that you draw – often choosing the highest grade one to upgrade its quality, and it may even be able to raise it by one grade!
This little feature is called "Kedan Yun," which improves the quality of resources.
·
The second feature is [Kedan Yun, which specifies the level of resources obtained from a 10-pull].
Of course, this is not a complete specification. Rather, once the corresponding amount of Dan Yun is spent, it is possible to specify the level of resources drawn in that ten-pull.
Taking the Golden Flame Pool as an example again, the resources it produces range from level four to level nine, so you can choose any one of them.
If you want to focus on levels four and five, you don't need to expend any Dan Yun.
If we focus on level six, it will consume 100,000 Dan Yun.
Primarily level seven, costing millions;
Primarily level eight, costing tens of millions.
However, this "main" does not mean that all the extracted resources are at that level. Rather, after removing the original high-grade Xuan Stones, if there are seven seals left, then at least four are at the specified level; if there are five left, then at least three are at the specified level.
In short, it's enough to occupy most of the remaining envelopes.
The cost is very high, but if you really need a certain level of resources urgently, you can spend Dan Yun to help yourself.
·
The third feature is the use of Kedan Yun to ensure the extraction of level nine resources.
This is easy to understand—when doing a single pull, you spend 10 million to ensure you get a level 9 item; when doing a ten-pull, you spend 10 million to ensure that, in addition to the guaranteed item, at least one item is level 9.
If you spend 30 to 50 million or even 100 million, you might be able to draw another 3 to 5 items – it all depends on luck.
It's not that spending 100 million will make everyone level 9.
In fact, even if you spend 100 million, and are extremely lucky, you can only get a maximum of five items.
·
Zhong Cai murmured in admiration, "Truly exquisite beauty..."
Wu Shaogan expressed his strong agreement.
Zhong Cai spent several years refining level 5 pills, accumulating only tens of millions of pill essence. If she were to use that to purchase level 9 resources, it would be gone in no time.
It's better to just do dozens of 10-pull pity pulls...
While the guaranteed resources are mostly common, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll never get high-quality ones... and you might even get a level 9 resource in a 10-pull...
However, while this function is extremely resource-intensive, it is also very useful when you really need level nine resources.
Because the level 9 items obtained through spending money are not guaranteed, but rather appear naturally, their quality is often higher than the guaranteed level.
·
Zhong Cai rubbed her face, feeling that the road ahead was bleak.
Wu Shaogan found it both amusing and heartbreaking.
Then he bent down and kissed Zhong Cai on the cheek.
Zhong Cai's ears felt slightly hot, but the feeling of darkness before her eyes quickly dissipated.
There's still plenty of time! He just needs to focus on refining the pills!
However, when the alchemy skill is higher, the amount of alchemical essence obtained from refining high-grade pills in the same amount of time is often much less than that obtained from refining low-grade pills.
·
For example, if the same level 7 alchemist produces only top-quality pills, then every pill they produce will be of the highest grade.
It is known that a batch of level 5 or 6 pills yields 6 pills, while a batch of level 7 or 8 pills yields 3 pills.
So, when he refines a level 5 pill, he obtains 30,000 pill essences and spends four quarters of an hour; for level 6, he obtains 180,000 pill essences and spends one hour; for level 7, he obtains 300,000 pill essences and spends five days; and for level 8, he obtains 900,000 pill essences and spends fifteen days.
Therefore, the limit was set at fifteen days...
Refining only level 5 yields 10.8 million pill essence; level 6 yields 32.4 million; level 7 yields 900,000; and level 8 yields still 900,000.
·
The difference is really huge.
But upon closer reflection, it's not surprising. This altar provided a huge boost and assistance when Zhong Cai's strength was low, mainly to motivate him and allow him to quickly and with sufficient resources improve himself.
Once Zhong Caidan's skill level is high enough, it should naturally be weakened—after all, the price of high-level pills is much higher.
The choice of which pill to refine to gather the necessary ingredients will depend on the circumstances at that time.
·
After viewing the altar, the two went down one floor.
The pool for summoning Dao soldiers has indeed grown larger.
Each time, the number of Dao soldiers that can be summoned reaches ten thousand.
It's still ten times the previous amount.
Summoning no longer requires beating a drum; it can be completely controlled by voice—as long as enough Mystic Pearls and Mystic Stones are thrown in, you can summon as many as you want at once.
In addition, just as Zhong and Wu had sensed from the ancient city's consciousness earlier, there was a chance that dragon armor soldiers would be summoned.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
In this way, it doesn't matter how much it costs—after all, the Dragon Armor Soldier represents the ninth level of protective power.
Even if only one or two are summoned, it will provide greater security for the two of them.
·
There are also many rooms on the same floor used for synthesis.
One of the largest rooms is dedicated to combining Ironclad Soldiers into Bronze Soldiers, followed by Bronze Soldiers into Silver Soldiers, and then Silver Soldiers into Gold Soldiers.
The pool for synthesizing armored soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see, seemingly capable of holding countless armored soldiers.
Once an armored soldier enters, they can freely find a corner to collide and combine with each other. As long as they don't combine into a silver-armored soldier, they will continue to combine continuously.
Only when the silver-armored soldier appears will it emerge from the pool, either remaining there or entering an adjacent room for the next stage of synthesis.
·
The next level down is related to weaponry.
Some of the rooms here contain huge pools specifically for crafting weapons, while others are filled with countless weapon racks.
There are also rooms specifically for synthesizing unique weapons—that is, places where some special Dao soldiers can choose to synthesize their own companion treasures.
All the rooms are very large, especially the one for synthesizing weapons, which is divided into many different pools where you can synthesize different types of higher-quality mystic weapons.
Compared to the previous upgrade, the pool is now more efficient and its layout is more detailed.
·
The rest area and queueing area on the next floor are just larger and need no further mention.
The bottom layer is even less noteworthy; apart from the increased area and more passageways, there's nothing special about it.
·
During their inspection, the inner city underwent tremendous changes.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan flew hand in hand into the sky to admire the now-stabilized inner city.
Indeed, the area is much larger.
The number of buildings of all kinds has increased again, more than several times that of before.
There is also a new feature—
All buildings—including special training rooms—can be moved to any location within the ancient city at the whim of Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan.
It is conceivable that if they were to take in a large number of living people in the future, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan could move some palaces to the residential areas outside, and allow those living people to cultivate and hone their skills there.
·
The couple floated along until they came to a great hall, where they suddenly came to a stop.
Looking at the main hall and sensing its function, both of them were somewhat alarmed.
Wu Shaogan exclaimed, "There's even a lightning tribulation simulation!"
Zhong Cai nodded solemnly.
·
Yes, a lightning tribulation simulation.
As everyone knows, any cultivator who reaches the Heavenly Realm and is ten thousand years old will face a lightning tribulation every thousand years, which is extremely dangerous.
Many cultivators who have reached the Heavenly Realm will die in the tribulation of lightning—otherwise, this vast top-tier continent would not still have fewer than two hundred cultivators who have reached the Heavenly Realm.
The first one or two tribulations might be a little easier, but the third one will be much more difficult!
In addition to each lightning tribulation being more difficult than the last, the third, sixth, and ninth lightning tribulations can all be described as "death trials," with each one being ten times or even more difficult than the previous one!
It's terrifying.
This lightning tribulation simulation is designed to allow cultivators to experience it in advance.
When powerful beings face tribulations, in addition to the power of the tribulations themselves, the terrifying pressure of the heavenly wrath brought by the tribulations is also something they find difficult to withstand.
If a cultivator is accidentally stunned by the lightning tribulation, he will find it difficult to fully unleash his strength—it would be too unjust for him to perish in the lightning tribulation.
Therefore, when cultivators who have reached the highest level begin to simulate tribulation, they start by adapting to the wrath of heaven and earth, and then continuously discover their weaknesses from the simulation and make up for them, so as to make full preparations for the actual tribulation in the future.
·
Neither of them expected that such a powerful training room would appear.
But on second thought, it seems to make sense.
All cultivators with Heavenly Qualities have the potential to cultivate to the Heavenly Realm, so the ancient city naturally needs to include a secluded place to provide for Heavenly Realm cultivators.
—And that is indeed the case.
After sensing their surroundings, Zhong and Wu confirmed that the cultivation grounds that could freely simulate the environment had reached the ninth level of control, allowing cultivators with the power to enter into secluded cultivation.
·
The lightning tribulation simulation palace is not only capable of simulating the heavenly lightning tribulation.
It can also be controlled.
When the level is adjusted to level nine, it is divided into two modes: Heavenly Thunder Body Refinement and Thunder Tribulation Simulation.
The former is for body refinement, while the latter is for sensing the tribulation lightning.
Therefore, it is logical that the Heavenly Thunder Body Refinement from level one to level eight can also be controlled.
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, who wanted to improve their physique, could also join in and use heavenly lightning to hone themselves.
·
Matching this Heavenly Thunder Cultivation Palace is a hot spring palace next door.
It is divided into many rooms, each with its own indoor hot spring, and each room has a different function.
Some are for further tempering the body, some can heal the hidden injuries from tempering with heavenly lightning, and some are medicinal springs that can regulate the body...
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan could go in and casually soak in the water to cultivate, or simply enjoy themselves.
·
The bedroom where the two lived remained almost unchanged.
Perhaps it's because the two of them have long regarded this place as their true "home," so even as the ancient city continues to upgrade, the corner of their hearts will always remain the same, and so they will always keep it.
However, the medicinal garden connected to this sleeping quarters has undergone considerable changes.
The time limit remains unchanged, still consisting of four different modes ranging from one day to one year to one day to five hundred years.
The main change was to the structure of the medicinal herb garden.
This area is no longer a vast expanse of farmland, but has become a very wide open space.
It has towering mountains and deep valleys, vast lakes and forests, as well as glaciers, volcanoes, wind-swept valleys and thunder pools...
Each unique environment also has areas with different time restrictions, and the sizes vary.
In other words, the number of areas with different flow rates over time has increased, but they are no longer clustered together.
·
Zhong Cai looked at the medicinal herb fields.
The original medicinal herb field has been preserved and looks unchanged.
But something feels off...
Zhong Cai looked down at the location of the "five hundred years in a day" level nine rare medicine, and immediately widened her eyes - several levels nine rare medicines were gone!
He thought about it for a moment and roughly figured out the reason.
Wu Shaogan, holding Zhong Cai's hand, said with a smile, "Shall we go take a look?"
Zhong Cai nodded.
Wu Shaogan grabbed Zhong Cai and they dashed away at top speed, arriving at a glacier in no time.
Nestled amidst towering icebergs, there lies a sunken flat area.
There, a towering giant tree was growing prominently.
The giant tree is like an ice sculpture, with every leaf and branch pure white and flawless, sparkling like ice crystals.
What's even more peculiar is that tiny fruits are hidden among the leaves of those countless branches.
Each fruit is only about the size of a fingertip, emitting a delicate fragrance and a faint, icy scent.
·
These giant trees thrive in glacial environments.
Although the medicinal field could provide it with any energy it needed, there was no doubt that it was happier here.
So much so that every branch is shimmering with light, as if reflecting its own mood.
And that fruit...
Zhong Cai hesitated and said, "It seems that only three seeds originally grew out."
Wu Shaogan nodded and said, "There are five now."
Zhong Cai: "Wow."
How can someone be this happy after changing their environment?
That's fine.
Zhong Cai couldn't resist wanting to visit other places as well.
He wondered if the relocation of other precious medicinal herbs would also increase their production.
·
...It really is possible.
Under Wu Shaogan's "transportation," Zhong Cai quickly moved back and forth between several different areas. In each area, the level-nine rare herbs became more vigorous, and their auras became more lively, all expressing joy.
Whether they bear fruit or bloom, the yield is greater than before.
Even those plants that did not produce such rare medicinal herbs spread their branches and leaves more widely and their roots went deeper, becoming even closer to the Zhong and Wu couple.
·
These regions also experience changes over a period of five hundred years in a single day.
The level-nine rare herbs, which prefer special environments, seem to have grown legs and are really good at "moving".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com