Shen Long activated the soundproofing array and took out the small tower that was about a foot tall.
The tower felt heavy in his hand, its surface engraved with arcane patterns.
He infused mana into the small tower, which emitted a dazzling blue light and began to grow in size.
When the tower had expanded to the height of a person, Shen Long stopped infusing mana, and the blue tower ceased to grow any larger.
Above the tower's door was a plaque with three mystical characters that Shen Long didn't understand.
'Barbarian script?'
Shen Long wondered.
The Barbarian Tribe was a powerful race in the Donghua Cultivation Realm, mortal enemies of the Human Clan. The Barbarians had their own civilization, script, and system of cultivation.
If it were a magic artifact, it could be used after consecration.
Shen Long sat down cross-legged and started to consecrate the small tower.
After the consecration was complete, he formed a spell with his hands, but the small tower showed no reaction.
Shen Long furrowed his brows, puzzled, 'Could it be a Dharma Treasure?'
Dharma Treasures were more advanced than magic artifacts and could only be wielded by cultivators at the Core Formation level or above.
The thought made Shen Long's breathing heavy; if this truly were a Dharma Treasure, he would have struck it rich.
He calmed himself down and recalled how he came into possession of the small tower. Dharma Treasures were weapons used by high-level cultivators; how could it be inside a Devouring Spirit Mouse at the middle stage of the first tier?
Unable to understand, he decided not to dwell on it, perhaps the Dharma Treasure had its own specific activation method, different from that of magic artifacts.
As a Qi Refining Cultivator, Foundation Establishment Cultivators were already considered masters to him, while Core Formation Cultivators were the stuff of legends.
With his current level of cultivation, he had no way to grasp the method of activating a Dharma Treasure and had to give up.
"The shopkeeper once said that Dharma Treasures require a drop of blood to acknowledge an owner."
Shen Long's face showed a hint of remembrance as he mused to himself.
Sun Huowang had been exposed to Foundation Establishment Cultivators and had a broad range of knowledge; he had mentioned that Dharma Treasures required a drop of blood from their master to be used.
Biting his right forefinger, Shen Long let three drops of essence blood fall onto the small tower, which quickly absorbed them.
He tried infusing mana into the small tower again, and it instantly shone with brilliant blue light, emitting a strong suction force out of nowhere; Shen Long was uncontrollably pulled towards the tower's door.
His vision blurred for an instant, and he found himself in a spacious and bright hall, with a pool hundreds of feet wide in the center and the stone walls carved with Monster Beast patterns.
"Dragon, Phoenix, Kylin, Xuanwu, Vermilion Bird..."
Shen Long recognized some of the origins of the Monster Beasts; he had only read about them in books but had never seen them alive.
These Monster Beast patterns closely resembled the powerful Monster Beasts such as Dragons, Phoenixes, and Kylins recorded in the books. He only recognized some, while many others were unfamiliar to him.
"Could this be a treasure from the Spirit Control Sect?"
A daring speculation crossed Shen Long's mind.
The Spirit Control Sect was one of the five major powers of the Qin Country, with a long heritage and Nascent Soul Cultivators in charge, renowned for their expertise in repelling insects and controlling beasts.
He approached the pool, only to find it empty.
He walked around the hall but did not discover anything of note.
'Wait, this space is too large, isn't it? A spatial object?'
Shen Long was taken aback. The stone house he lived in wasn't very large, but this hall was much more spacious.
Both the Monster Beast patterns on the stone walls and the size of the hall exceeded Shen Long's knowledge; this small tower was definitely no ordinary treasure.
He walked over to the tower's door, placed his hands on it, and pushed. A strong suction force appeared out of thin air and pushed him out.
Shen Long reappeared in his stone house, and the small tower returned to its original size.
Shen Long experimented several times and mastered the use of the small tower. As long as he infused mana, a strong suction force would transport him inside the tower, and by pushing the door, he could leave.
"Let's call it the Spirit Control Tower!"
Shen Long gave the small tower a name. He couldn't recognize the characters on the tower's plaque, but considering the Monster Beast patterns inside and his thoughts about the Spirit Control Sect, he named it the Spirit Control Tower.
He put away the Spirit Control Tower, ate a jar of Golden Bead Spirit Rice meal, and began to practice cultivation.
Ten hours later, Shen Long walked out of the stone house and headed toward the Martial Training Garden on the mountain to practice his techniques.
Two days later, Shen Long was practicing spells in a secret chamber of the Martial Training Garden, standing in front of a sandpit.
With his right hand radiating a bright blue light, he pointed at the sandpit, and a stream of blue light shot out, burying itself into the sandpit.
Half a quarter of an hour later, Shen Long exited the stone chamber, with a dozen white ice cones embedded in the sandpit.
He walked down the mountain and ran into Qin Qing on the way.
"Taoist Friend Shen, I knew you'd be here. Taoist Friend Xu is looking for us for something,"
Qin Qing said, his expression grave.
Shen Long nodded and followed Qin Qing to Qingzhu Courtyard.
Xu Lei, Sun Yang, and Liu Xin were sitting in a stone pavilion, Liu Xin looking haggard.
Seeing Shen Long safe and sound, they nodded in acknowledgment.
"What's happened, Taoist Friend Xu?"
Shen Long asked.
"Taoist Friend Chen has fallen. We're short-handed now and need to find new teammates before we can go into the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts again,"
Xu Lei explained.
They had been running fast when Chen Qiang and Liu Xin were attacked by dozens of Fire Crows. Chen Qiang stayed behind to cover Liu Xin's retreat and was killed by the Fire Crows.
Thus, of them, five remained, and new members were needed to replenish their numbers.
"I have no objections, but the newcomer must be reliable, and their strength can't be too weak,"
Shen Long said.
"Exactly, this old man agrees with Taoist Friend Shen,"
Qin Qing expressed his strong agreement.
Sun Yang and Liu Xin had no objections either, and Xu Lei nodded and said, "Madam Liu, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Take a good rest. We will find new teammates as soon as possible and then return to the mountains to hunt Monster Beasts."
After some idle chatter, Shen Long and the others left one after another.
Leaving Qingzhu Courtyard, Shen Long headed down the mountain.
Arriving at the Azure Stone Plaza where Loose Cultivators set up their stalls, Shen Long strolled around, looking at the variety on offer.
"Strange Bugs from the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect List, are they real or fake?"
"True gold fears no fire; how could they be fake? If you don't believe me, get someone who knows their stuff to take a look,"
"These bug eggs have weak life forces; whether they can hatch or not is still under question,"
"Spirt Control Sect! Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect List!"
Shen Long's interest was piqued, and he walked briskly toward the front.
Before long, he found himself in front of a small stall. The vendor was a green-robed elderly man over sixty, with a variety of items displayed on the table — minerals, Spiritual Medicines, Spirit Wood, Monster Beasts Materials, and a green jade box that caught Shen Long's attention.
Inside the green jade box were dozens of white bug eggs, which emitted a faint aura of vitality.
Huang Xiuyun stood in front of the stall, eyeing the eggs in the jade box with curious intensity.
"Judging by appearances alone, who knows what kind of bug eggs these are. Make it cheaper, and I'll buy these eggs,"
Huang Xiuyun bargained.
"These are Snow Crystal Spider eggs, fifty Spirit Stones each, and that's the final price,"
the green-robed old man insisted firmly.
"Fifty Spirit Stones for one egg, that's too expensive,"
Huang Xiuyun frowned and said.
"These aren't just any ordinary Spirit Insect eggs. If you don't appreciate their value, then go elsewhere looking for a bargain,"
the green-robed old man replied, not in the best of tempers.
"If these really are Snow Crystal Spider eggs, then fifty Spirit Stones each would not be expensive,"
a clear male voice chimed in.
Following his words, a plump young man in gold clothes, with a clear complexion and a green Spirit Beast pouch at his waist, walked over.