Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

Chapter 672: Chapter 356: Borrowing Wealth to Raise the Cauldron, the Cauldron Corrodes, Flower Cage Qi Scatters? Overturned at Once

Li Xian, unable to reverse the situation, felt deeply pained and helpless upon seeing the complete destruction of the Essence Treasure in the cauldron. He dipped his fingers into the cauldron, extracting some yellow turbid broth and sniffed it carefully, knowing that the Essence Soup was utterly ruined, beyond recovery, yet the reason was exceedingly peculiar.

The apprentices rushed up the mountain, eager to partake in the broth. Suddenly, they were met with a foul smell and covered their noses, asking, "Elder Li, what happened? Why does it stink so? Ouch... Just a few more whiffs and I’m dizzy and sick, soon to fall over."

Li Xian said, "You’ve all worked hard, helping me to fetch water. However, the Essence Treasure in the cauldron has failed. The Essence Soup is gone, but payments will proceed as usual; no need to worry."

The apprentices exchanged glances, whispering as they looked into the cauldron, "Strange, strange, it was fine before, why did it suddenly fail?" "Could it be the torrential rain, disrupting the cauldron’s arrangements?" "I have been at the Flower Cage Sect for seven years, helping to raise the cauldron over twenty times. Failures in brewing are exceedingly rare." "This scene is indeed unusual, don’t know what to say. But it’s done, no point in talking more."

So they each took their leftover money and left. Li Xian pondered deeply but remained baffled. He took out the Sinking River Sword, using it as guidance to draw out the yellowish-brown broth from the cauldron. Then he extracted the Essence Treasure Meat.

It was already rotten and foul, spontaneously breeding vile maggots. Li Xian observed with no success, suddenly thinking, "Suppose my Essence Treasure Meat is unharmed, and the dew is unaffected... Even with incessant rains, the Essence Soup should not turn turbid. Could it be... the Water Stone Treasure Cauldron is faulty?"

A flash of insight revealed the possibility. The Water Stone Treasure Cauldron was forged from the "Water and Wood Essence" and "Wood Stone Essence". Its body resembled both wood and stone, emitting a faint fragrance, with a vibrant green tinge, full of vitality.

With special material, it favored attracting plants, vines, and flowers encircling it. Every time elders raised the cauldron, they inevitably needed to clear surrounding vegetation. Li Xian gently stroked the cauldron, residual warmth remained, and the scalding broth stung his hand.

The cauldron body had no apparent leaks, full of vitality. Left empty for over half a month, it was bound to be wrapped in greenery, lush and verdant. Li Xian opened his Heavy Pupils, employing the power of vision, exclaiming, "Indeed!"

But upon gazing at the lively appearance of the Water Stone Treasure Cauldron, inside it was already decaying. As it happened... Li Xian was brewing the Essence Treasure in the cauldron without error. It was from the decay within the cauldron that the consumption of water and coal abruptly increased. The cauldron is a vital artifact, a Martial Arts lifeline, a family cornerstone, a Dynasty stabilizer, an all-encompassing world anchor. Suppressing all things, it resists movement, for when stirred, "the earth shakes, the mountains tremble," an ominous sign, a threat of collapse.

The Treasure Tripod brews the Essence Treasure with an intrinsic world, painstakingly refining the Essence Meat. If the cauldron body has a crack, it’s as though heaven and earth have leaks, losing the celestial air and rhythm, even with more coal added, or longer brewing, it’s difficult to refine beast meat into Essence Treasure.

The interior of the Water Stone Treasure Cauldron was decaying, outwardly unaffected, yet internally overturned. Li Xian unaware of this facet, the more he brewed the Essence Soup, it grew more turbid, then the meat rotted, spontaneously breeding vile maggots.

Thus came this incident.

Li Xian figured out the circumstances, pondering, "This matter must be brought to Chief Shi’s attention. If the Water Stone Treasure Cauldron has issues, it is a truly fatal blow. Yet it drains my purse, borrowing several thousand taels of silver in vain. In the end, all came to naught."

Buried the Essence Soup and Essence Meat, returning hurriedly to the Cyan Ox Residence, briefly explaining the situation to Nangong Liuli. Nangong Liuli was hugely disappointed, helplessly saying, "This... to encounter such a thing, when it happens to us, there’s indeed no solution. It is the first time I’ve heard of a Treasure Cauldron decaying. My family’s inherited Treasure Cauldron has remained perfect for hundreds of years, even with another thousand or several thousand years of use, I reckon it wouldn’t deteriorate."

Li Xian went to Shi Yufei’s residence, explaining the situation clearly. Shi Yufei was shocked, immediately accompanying Li Xian up the mountain. After meticulous investigation, they found the cauldron indeed showing anomalies, constantly sighing, "This is truly a rarity in hundreds of years, could the unique material of the cauldron be incompatible? Otherwise, what might explain it? No... it shouldn’t be... at the moment, I find it hard to conclude."

Li Xian asked, "Chief Shi, with only this single cauldron at the Water Altar, now internally decayed, further raising it is difficult. What should be done?"

Shi Yufei said, "This matter is too crucial to delay, since the cauldron is decayed, it must be replaced. Historically, Dynasty, families, sects... have said: when the cauldron scatters, the essence scatters too, the cauldron is destroyed, the altar is destroyed."

"Now with the cauldron body destroyed, though the reason is unknown, it is certainly not a good omen!"

Looking into the distance, he gravely said, "Having experienced countless perils over the years, at this moment, I feel quite anxious, extremely ominous, like dark clouds over a city, like floods passing through..."