"Oh? Cheng-shidi is going to refine a new spiritual tool?!" Li Tian, Feng Mo and Lei Qing exclaimed in surprise after Sun Rong went to inform them about Cheng Sheng's new invention.
"Aaaah! Cheng-shixiong is so cool!" Lei Ling and You Rou exclaimed with sparkling eyes that are obviously filled with worship.
Jing Kang, Jing Cheng and Jing Bai nodded, agreeing that Cheng Sheng is really cool after recalling the use of this Spirit Tracing Bell. "He is really awesome!" they can't help but say.
Even if Cheng Sheng's cultivation was badly damaged five years ago, but he still has a 'way out' out of his current predicament. He still has his alchemy skills, so he still hasn't 'lost' yet. Wu Ran might not have expected this to happen, since, mostly, everyone has almost forgotten about Cheng Sheng's mage side due to Cheng Sheng's brilliance in his swordsmanship and martial arts as a sword cultivator. Not to mention his godly skills in medicine and as a doctor, as well as being a master in five areas of alchemy…
Just in refining spiritual tools alone, Cheng Sheng is already a winner in life. His prestige as a cultivator hasn't diminished yet, but instead he became even more brilliant as a doctor and mage. On the contrary, them, whose cultivation is higher than his and are stronger than him, actually felt ashamed and inferior towards Cheng Sheng.
"Ah! I hope we can have the opportunity to use it!" Tang Yun said and Tang Zhe, Guo Cheng and Shan Lu nodded, suddenly felt itching to use the Spirit Tracing Bell even if it still hasn't been made yet.
Hearing their praises, Sun Rong's lips curled up. "There is also another use." He told them when he recalled how Chen Jing, Wu Fan, Fei Lin and Xi Ling almost had gone crazy earlier in the Yunxiao Inn and almost damaged it after Cheng Sheng announced about another use of the bell due to his sudden epiphany.
How lucky to have an epiphany and use it as something convenient.
"What is it?!" Kang Ce excitedly asked when he heard what Sun Rong said.
"The Spirit Tracing Bell can also lock and trap the target." Sun Rong answered.
"Locking and trapping?" they said, surprised.
Sun Rong nodded. "If the target is found alone, which its master isn't around, then the user of the Spirit Tracing bell can command the bell to lock on the target." He spoke. "This is called 'Spirit Locking'. As long as the bell locked the target, the target wouldn't be able to get rid of the bell and no matter where it goes, the bell would follow, allowing the user of the bell to trace it." He explained. "This will continue, unless the target would be stronger than the user of the bell, or that someone or something stronger than the user of the bell would help the target be released, or defeat the user of the bell, or even kill him. Then, the target will be freed." He added.
"Oh!" they exclaimed in awe. This is indeed a powerful tool! They thought, feeling excited.
"But, there is also a special case." Sun Rong spoke.
"What is it?" Lei Qing curiously asked.
"The user of the bell dies, but the bell is still locked on the target." Sun Rong answered as he smiled.
"Huh?! That's possible?!" Shan Lu was shocked. He doesn't understand much about the five areas of alchemy so he is both curious and also helpless about it.
"You should trust on its maker." Sun Rong chuckled.
"…" Their lips twitched. Hehe. Of course, it is Cheng Sheng. How can there be something impossible for him to do? They thought.
He even foresaw Wu Ran's move to target and kill him, and so he planned ahead to catch the other's attention and sacrifice his own cultivation just to lower the other's guard and buy everyone time to weaken the enemy.
"There should be a condition for this to happen, right?" Sun Yi asked.
Sun Rong turned to his younger brother. "Yiyi is so smart~" he said and hugged Sun Yi. "Yes, there is." He answered.
"What is the condition?" Xi Ning curiously asked. Everyone should think that death is the end.
"The condition is that the bell is stronger than both its user and the enemy." Sun Rong answered.
"What?!" they exclaimed.
"Well, the user could transfer his power to the bell, increasing its strength to forcefully lock the target." Sun Rong explained.
"Oh…" they muttered as they finally understood.
"So, it's just like if one of us encountered a stronger enemy and is unwilling to let go of this lead, then they can bet everything on the bell before they die so that his allies would know about the lead?" Guo Cheng said.
"After locking the target, the bell would immobilize the target by making it hear the sound of the bell." Sun Rong continued. "Then, the bell would continue to ring and the sound would trap the bell. This is called 'Spirit Trapping'." He explained.
"Can the Spirit Trapping also continue to work even if the user of the bell dies?" Xi Ming asked.
Sun Rong nodded. "It should. It has the same condition as the Spirit Locking that I said." He said.
"Oh! Great! This is great!" they exclaimed with a wide grin on their faces.
"Cheng Sheng is really a genius." They said as their eyes brightened in excitement. "The best alchemist!" they added.
"Huh?" Li Tian suddenly muttered when he thought of something. "Spirit Tracing, Spirit Locking, and then Spirit Trapping… this should be done in a process, right?" he asked.
Everyone started when they heard his question.
Sun Rong chuckled. "You are really smart." He said.
Li Tian just smiled. "Thanks." He said.
"Yes. This is a process which called 'Spirit Capturing'." Sun Rong told them. "First, trace the target, then lock it. Finally, trap it." He said.
"Oh! We understand now!" they said.
Sun Rong nodded at them and then left, informing them that Chen Jing and Wu Fan would help Cheng Sheng refining the tool by giving him spiritual energy while Fei Lin and Xi Ling would continue using the Spirit Tracing Talisman.
As soon as Sun Rong left, the elders discussed about the Spirit Tracing Bell before they focused on the Intersect Competition again, watching and cheering for their disciples and the other participants.
…
"… none of you can cook?!" Jing Xu exclaimed as they looked at the Xinfaxian Sect disciples who have an awkward expression on their faces.
"… none of us. But our shimeis can." Su Yi answered with an indifferent expression, covering up the shame he feels.
The 'shimeis' he is talking about are You Rou's disciples, Cui Xiang and Cui Xiao. Since their master, You Rou, is a virtuous wife, they seemed to also inherited You Rou's ability to cook. Well, it was said that they are You Rou's relatives…
"But, aren't elder Fei Yin and elder Cheng Sheng know how to cook?" Qian Meng asked in a low voice as he recalled. "And they also seemed to cook very delicious dishes…" he added.
As soon as his voice fell, the faces of the Xinfaxian Sect disciples reddened and then everybody's stomachs growled in hunger when they heard the word 'delicious'.
Fei Yinzi, as Cheng Sheng's disciple, his face is the most red. He should have also learned how to cook. But, he seemed to have no talent in it after seeing his master's grumpy face after he cooked him their meals. In the end, Cheng Sheng would cook, that is if he is in a good mood and he also would include him. He would also eat the dishes that taste barely passable if he is lazy. But, if he is in a bad mood, he would just fast while he, the disciple, would eat the dishes he cooked by himself.
"Let me." He finally spoke.
Aside from them, the Xinfaxian Sect disciples, everyone are young masters who never did any house work, especially cooking. But, because he has been serving his master Cheng Sheng, fortunately, with his hard work, the dishes he cooked can be considered passable.
"Are you sure, Er Zi?" they asked.
Fei Yinzi nodded. "At the least, the meat won't be burned…" he said and glanced at the lumps of black meat on the side that should be called 'charcoal' instead. "We can't waste any more food." He added.
The Zunjingde Sect and Qianxu Sect disciples who are with Jing De, Jing Xu, Qian Meng and Qian Jue that tried cooking the wolf meat earlier reddened in embarrassment.
"I'll help." Qian Jue spoke. Although he grew up in the Qian House, but he was still an orphan before who once lived in the wilderness.
"Thanks." Fei Yinzi spoke as the two of them started to grill the remaining wolf meat.
Meanwhile, the audience, as well as the sect leaders and elders watching in Zhongyang. "…" what the hell is this…? Are the participants really cultivators and not young masters who just wanted to play house like what they are doing now?!