My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

The ripples produced tiny, fleeting bursts of light, as brilliant and colorful as stars.

The gray light-wrapped object gradually shrank. The Communication Jade’s upgrade was nearing its end. Each time the ball of light contracted, the surface of the jade would emit a faint glow, as if heralding its imminent, complete transformation.

A look of anticipation lit up Zhao Zuo’s eyes. To him, grinding was like completing quests in a game. Leveling up and breaking through were the rewards at the end of each stage. The intense thrill of that moment was one of the main reasons he kept grinding.

Finally, the gray light dissipated, and the palm-sized Communication Jade fell back into Zhao Zuo’s hand.

TING. TING.

A white light flashed. Zhao Zuo stared in a slight daze as two Child Tokens from the Communication Jade clattered to the ground.

[Upgrade Description: Communication Jade coverage has expanded to a radius of 3,000 kilometers.]

[Upgrade Description: Spend 10 Creation Points to create a Communication Jade Child Token. Maximum of five.]

[Upgrade Description: The master Communication Jade can establish a multi-person communication channel. This channel is under the complete control of the master jade’s owner, who can add or remove members at will.]

Zhao Zuo did a quick calculation. He already had two Child Tokens, one with Liu Heng and one with Shen Yunjiao. With the two new ones on the floor, he could still spend Creation Points to make another two. However, there wasn’t much use for them.

As for the multi-person communication channel, it sounded grand, but it was really just a group chat for this Otherworld.

Injecting his Mana into the Communication Jade, he immediately felt the difference. In addition to contacting Shen Yunjiao and Liu Heng individually, he could now create a group chat. It was incredibly simple, requiring only a single thought.

Zhao Zuo created a group chat, and then, with another thought, quickly disbanded it.

He tried it a couple more times and found that creating the multi-person channel consumed very little of his Mana or mental energy. He could do it effortlessly with just a thought.

Zhao Zuo placed the two new Child Tokens into his Storage Bag and was about to upgrade his Black Flame Saber when his Communication Jade suddenly activated. He had no choice but to postpone the upgrade.

It was Shen Yunjiao.

He first placed a few precious Artifact Refining materials back into a red-lacquered wooden box before injecting his Mana into the Communication Jade.

"What is it?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"I found a Demon Cultivator, around the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer," Shen Yunjiao said.

Zhao Zuo paused, his expression turning serious. He already had an inkling of what this was about and asked cautiously,

"You’re not planning to make a move on him, are you?"

"I am," Shen Yunjiao replied bluntly.

"Why? Did he do something to you?" Zhao Zuo asked.

"My Cultivation has reached the bottleneck before the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. I only need to devour him to break through. Without him... I’d need to cultivate for another three months," Shen Yunjiao replied, her voice flat.

’Zhao Zuo did a quick mental calculation. Shen Yunjiao had only broken through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer at the beginning of the year. In just five months, she was already on the verge of the Eighth Layer. That pace was astonishingly fast, even faster than me and my cheats.’

’But she can’t wait another three months?’

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Why the rush?" Zhao Zuo asked, confused.

"’He’ is about to break through to the Late Period of Foundation Establishment. Five years at the latest, three at the earliest," Shen Yunjiao answered.

Zhao Zuo was stunned. The ’he’ she was talking about was her childhood friend—the one with whom she had a blood feud and an incredibly complicated relationship. That man had let Shen Yunjiao go all those years ago... so that he could use the exhilarating rush of finally taking his revenge to shatter his bottleneck and break through his current Cultivation.

The one coming to pick the fruit was about to arrive. In other words... Shen Yunjiao was running out of time.

"Are you certain his Cultivation is at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, and not Perfection?"

’Zhao Zuo had already decided to help Shen Yunjiao with this hunt, just as she had helped him ambush Lin Hao without a moment’s hesitation.’

’This time, it wasn’t for any other reason. It was simply to repay the debt he owed her.’

"The Taotie Secret Technique includes an ability to inspect another’s Cultivation called the Taotie Divine Eye," Shen Yunjiao explained. "It can clearly sense the Spiritual Power within a person’s body, which is especially distinct in Demon Path Cultivators. I’m not mistaken. My Taotie Divine Eye only fails against a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse or if their aura is concealed by a Magical Treasure."

"So that’s how you can pick Demon Cultivators out of a crowd," Zhao Zuo concluded.

"Correct. The strongest of this group of Demon Cultivators is hiding in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. She’s likely at Qi Cultivation Perfection, and may have even started the Nourishing Body process in preparation for a Perfect Foundation Establishment. The two of us can’t touch her."

’At least you know who you can’t touch,’ Zhao Zuo thought.

’Still, Shen Yunjiao’s words confirmed his suspicions. Zhou Wushuang really was a True Inheritance of the Demon Path. No, that’s not quite right. It just meant the probability was higher. He couldn’t jump to conclusions.’

"Alright, this time... I’ll help you," Zhao Zuo said.

"So... how do you plan to hunt him?"

Just that day, Zhao Zuo had been so cautious he refused to take a single step outside the Moyun Sect, yet now he was making a completely different decision.

If it were his own affair, Zhao Zuo would never choose to take such a risk, but this time was different.

"I know where he’s hiding. We ambush him at midnight and kill him with overwhelming force," Shen Yunjiao said.

"A simple and brutal plan, then," Zhao Zuo commented dryly.

"This time, I plan to use the Spring Breeze Tactics."

"How much did you prepare?" Zhao Zuo couldn’t help but recall the days they had hunted Demon Beasts together. The so-called Spring Breeze Tactics were actually quite simple: use a seemingly harmless drug to divert the enemy’s Qi and Blood, causing a... distraction that prevented them from fighting with their full strength.

"About twenty-five bottles. I’m confident that would be enough to affect even someone at Qi Cultivation Perfection," Shen Yunjiao said. "When we fought that high-level Tier-One Demon Beast, we only used fifteen bottles. This dosage should be more than enough to distract that Demon Cultivator."

"Alright, no problem. When exactly are we doing this?"

"In two days. The seventeenth of the sixth month."

"Sounds good. I’ll come to your place at noon that day to discuss the details."

"Alright," Shen Yunjiao replied with a single word. A few seconds later, she added in a soft, somewhat hesitant voice,

"This time... thank you." Shen Yunjiao knew that Zhao Zuo hated taking risks, yet he had chosen to do so for her multiple times. But other than her gratitude... she truly had nothing else to offer.

"Don’t mention it. We’re fellow Cultivators with common interests, after all," Zhao Zuo replied.

"That’s right. Fellow Cultivators," Shen Yunjiao repeated.

’Hearing those words, she felt a pang of disappointment. On one hand, she knew her days were numbered and she shouldn’t yearn for things she couldn’t have. On the other, she couldn’t help but wish Zhao Zuo felt something more for her than just friendship.’

"Let’s leave it at that, then. We’ll discuss the details in a couple of days," Zhao Zuo said, his tone deliberately light.

"Alright."

After ending the call, Zhao Zuo twisted the fabric of his sleeve, his expression growing heavy. Aside from their astonishing speed of progress, Demonic Cultivation Techniques were also known for one other thing: immense combat power, often involving treacherous or self-destructive techniques.

’They were basically a pack of lunatics, ready to throw their lives away at a moment’s notice.’

’Fortunately, Shen Yunjiao’s strength couldn’t be judged by normal standards. As someone who practiced the Taotie Secret Technique from the Fangcun Pavilion, her power had long surpassed that of other Cultivators in the same Realm. She could definitely hold her own against someone at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer.’

’In terms of pure strength, their chances of success in this operation were quite high.’

’However, Zhao Zuo was worried that the Demon Cultivator might have some life-saving Heavy Treasures, or even items meant for mutual destruction. He needed to be even more careful.’

’Looks like I’ll need to prepare some expensive, highly potent poisons for this,’ Zhao Zuo thought.

’If the enemy could prepare items for mutual destruction, then he could certainly prepare a few trump cards to secure their victory. When it came to wealth, what Cultivator in the same Realm could possibly compete with an Artifact Refiner?’

"Find me the most potent poisons you can get your hands on by tomorrow. The stronger the better!" Zhao Zuo said, leaving a message for Liu Heng with his Communication Jade.

About ten seconds later, the Communication Jade vibrated.

"As you command."

.....