READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 193: Scavenging
"Not bad, more perceptive than I had imagined,"
After Tao Yu had injected the ugly bird with a spiritual seed, he had essentially completed its initial taming.
Originally, he thought that the creature might be unmanageable and defiant to the death.
At that time, he even thought about sending it to accompany Dugu Qiubai if that were the case, not capturing it to feed the aliens as a form of cultivation of special species would be a sign of respect for it.
Unexpectedly, the process went quite smoothly.
Since that was the case, Tao Yu wasn't some devil—first he'd control it to plunder treasures, and later, if the opportunity arose, he'd let it guard the snake-breeding factory.
As for Dugu Qiubai, Tao Yu didn't exactly have any sentimental feelings, as through his eyes, Guo Jing was superior.
Of course, as a predecessor in the martial world, Tao Yu would still show the dead their due respect. Although he had ransacked the place thoroughly, in the end, he erected a gravestone for Dugu Qiubai, inscribing his name on it.
"Taking the senior's sword, I erect a stele for the senior."
After kneeling in front of the stele and clasping his hands together in prayer, Tao Yu patted the dust off his behind and stood up straight away.
He hadn't scavenged any secret techniques of the Dugu Nine Swords; inside and out, he only found the Green Light Sword and the Black Iron Heavy Sword, two items imbued with Yuan Force.
The Green Light Sword, with three major features—Sturdy, Armor-Piercing, and Sharpness—although these features seemed a little stronger than those of the same caliber on the Blade of Treason, the lack of self-repairing was somewhat regrettable, making it less practical than the Blade of Treason.
Tao Yu planned to sell it off or give it to some plot character for advantages.
Apart from that, the Black Iron Heavy Sword had four major attributes: Sturdy, Blunt Impact, Heaviness, and Nourishing the Divine.
As a weapon in itself, it had its own advantages, but since it was too bulky for Wino to transform and hide in his shadow, it wasn't as practical as the Blade of Treason.
However, the ability Nourishing the Divine caught Tao Yu's eye—it was an auxiliary ability that made it easier to concentrate when carried, similar to the restoring effect of the Concentration Necklace and the Spirit Perception of the Warlord's Sidearm.
Tao Yu simply gave it a try and found that it provided a certain speed bonus to the practice of the Meditation Technique.
Although the bonus was not large, it was definitely a treasure that could vastly increase its value, far exceeding the Green Light Sword.
"I'll keep it for personal use for now. If someone offers a high price for it, I can sell it; otherwise, I'll keep it for myself."
Tao Yu did some calculations, taking into account the detailed intelligence of the New World and the information on four 'Chosen Ones' besides Yang Guo, along with the Yuan Force items from the three intelligent Titans.
Even if he did not sell the snake gallbladders of the Buskin snakes and planned to start breeding, he could still acquire a significant amount of Yuan Force as a safety net when he returned.
"Hmm, I can sustain five times the acceleration with the Yuan Force I have for a while longer, grab another haul, then Deify the Myriad Streams Breathing Technique and see if I can force out the Gang Qi."
Tao Yu pondered; strength and Inner Strength did not conflict and could stack on top of each other, and the enhancement to the body and Qi-Blood was substantial enough that Tao Yu was not planning to neglect it.
The Myriad Streams Breathing Technique itself was actually very valuable because it could encompass many forms, even though Myriad Streams Five Forms were the simplest and easiest ways to fuse and hold Qi-Blood.
"After I return, I can look for a more convenient method. Then there's no need to Deify Five Forms as One a second time..."
Tao Yu re-evaluated his abilities, placing the Myriad Streams Breathing Technique first in line for Deification, as its cost was lower compared to the Northern Dipper and Demonization.
Next in line were the Northern Dipper and Demonization!
The rest, a single Deification was sufficient for now, as they weren't as important as the routine acceleration of expenditure.
"Indeed, I must rely on the New World..."
Thinking of his current gains, Tao Yu couldn't help sighing.
Whether it's breeding or the company, everything is still in the starting phase, besides the money-making transportation business; other ventures have a long cycle.
It will take time to truly profit from them.
The fastest way to make money is still to explore new worlds!
At least for Tao Yu at this stage, that's the most cost-effective bonanza!
"Next, I can go see what could possibly be the biggest treasure house in this world..."
Tao Yu gazed at Dugu Qiubai's gravestone for a moment, then resolutely turned away.
He left the Divine Sculpture behind to guard this mountain forest.
Zhongnan Mountain still had one or even two other Chosen Ones.
But the direction Tao Yu chose next was none other than Mount Shaoshi!
Not to mention that the Nine Yang Divine Skill and Yi Jin Jing might serve as a reference for himself, or he could even directly cultivate them.
Just think, if he got his hands on The 72 Ultimate Arts, whether he sold them or opened a martial arts hall to make money, it would be an immense fortune!
"I had Master's guidance when learning the Nine Yin True Scripture and it still took me so long to get started. The 72 Ultimate Arts seem quite complex too. It would be best to have one of Shaolin's great monks as a coach," he mused.
Tao Yu scratched his head.
Although he was unaware of recent events at Shaolin, Huang Yaoshi and the others were informed.
Since Shaolin closed its doors to the outside world, it had little involvement in martial world affairs, but it still held a significant reputation, and the scandals that emerged were the talk of many.
Nowadays, Shaolin was at its weakest. In recent years, there was a monk adept in fire skills who stole martial arts knowledge, killed the abbot of the Dharma Hall Kuzhi, and the abbot of the Arhat Hall Kuhui left in a huff, establishing Western Regions Shaolin.
The previous abbot Kucheng retired, and the current abbot was a novice, with the monastic name Tian Ming.
"It seems there were issues stirred up by He Zu Dao later on? Hmm, that should be after the events of Divine Sculpture. Under the 'Tian' generation is the 'Wu' generation. The temporary monk Jue Yuan belongs to that generation; his age should be similar to Yang Guo's, and he probably hasn't found the Nine Yang Divine Skill yet," Tao Yu pondered.
So, Shaolin truly didn't have anyone capable of fighting now.
After the monk skilled in fire techniques dealt with He Zu Dao, He Zu Dao dealt with others, and then Zhang Sanfeng emerged. Everyone wanted to gain experience from challenging Shaolin.
However, it was undeniable that Shaolin had a profound heritage within the martial arts system of the Metal Series.
"I told the family I'd be traveling far and would return in two to three months; after visiting Shaolin, I should head back to report that I am safe," he thought.
...
About fifty riders were galloping down the official road, and along the way, they could see more and more refugees heading south, pressing on towards the unknown.
There was no fear in their eyes, only numbness and confusion about the future.
The brief descriptions of refugees throughout the ages were now laid out before him in a vivid scene!
This sight caused many students from the 104th term to sigh.
Cheng Lixue and Zhang Hao also seemed somewhat reluctant to move on.
Especially Zhang Hao, who, upon realizing he truly was the 'Chosen One,' felt that he was burdened with the responsibility to save the people of the world.
Still a young man, he had always been taught about chivalry, and at this critical period, Zhang Hao, who hadn't been led astray, still conformed to the persona of a conventional upright individual.
Now with the 'Chosen One' buff on, his ideology was further reinforced.
"Brother Tao, can't we think of something?" Zhang Hao inquired.
"The only thing I can think of is to ultimately resolve the Titan calamity and address the problem at its root. Otherwise, without the support of the Central Plains' farmland, everything else is meaningless," Tao Yu replied, his tone indifferent.
He never minded performing acts of kindness when convenient; he had already saved many lives in this way.
But having seen the doomsday scenario of the Zombie World and witnessed the slaughter in the Monster World, he also understood that without addressing the root of the problem, very few could be saved; even those already rescued might die!
Even Lin Chao, the consummate nice guy, had chosen to leave directly when Jack and others had to travel with the old and weak amidst Alien threats.
Those living outside the city knew all too well that human strength had its limits!
Now, if they distributed all the food they had among the people, it would merely be a drop in the bucket!
Tao Yu himself, if necessary, could go without food.
The twice Deified Basic Breathing Method, twice Deified Stance Skill, and the Northern Dipper that could attract stellar power, while still unable to sustain his training requirements, had already greatly eased his daily activities.
To throw out food would only make things difficult for the raw recruits of the Training Corps.
"The Southern Dynasty will have to take food from the wealthy to provide relief, but it's not a lasting solution. However, the place we are headed to might indeed provide shelter for some..."
Shaolin Temple, a truly wealthy establishment with countless fertile fields and mountains of stored grain.
Since it was on the way, Tao Yu didn't mind lending a hand. He was after The 72 Ultimate Arts anyway, and conflict was inevitable, so it hardly mattered if they stirred up a bit more trouble...