"Gu Xing told me the Deer Mountain Kingdom was built on the remains of some ancient empire called the Bi Xie Empire. The seniors may know more about it than I do. Could that eerie sensation have something to do with some artifact or anything that the Empire had owned?
I don't know much about its history, but I have read about artifact spirits becoming deranged like wraiths from the loss of their owners and some fiend organizations have created arts that harness that resentment. Maybe someone from the Kingdom may have done the same.." said Yang Qing.
"While that is indeed feasible, the Bi Xie Empire has been gone for too long now. Artifact spirits could be considered immortal. As long as their main body remains intact, they will continue to exist no matter how much time passes by.
It is only when they receive substantial irreparable damage to their bodies do they become mortal. Artifacts with spirits can self-repair, especially if they have an accompanying cultivation art.
It's rare for them to get substantially damaged but when they do, it's usually extremely difficult to undo it. The difficulty is the same as trying to repair a damaged dantian. Depending on the severity, the damage can either be a foregone conclusion as being permanent, or it can be temporary, but even with the latter's case like it was for Lai Lei, it needed incredible skills and resources to prevent the damage from being permanent and eventually restoring it.
Extensive damages on artifacts that have borne a spirit are rarely reversible as anything that can effectively damage it to that extent is assumed to be extremely powerful. It will take the hands of an extremely gifted artificer and astronomical resources to try and restore it, but even then, the artifact will never be the same and it will never be improved.
Most of the deranged spirits out there are a by-product of damaged artifacts. The Bi Xie Empire is from over 100,000 years ago. Any deranged spirit would have likely wilted away by the time the founders of the Deer Mountain Kingdom fully settled here, and even if one did stubbornly hold on, the spirit beasts here would have likely been aware of it before them.
Deranged spirits are hardly subtle, and if one has enough awareness to hide and survive the baptism of time, it would certainly be more powerful than the founders of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. It would be hard for them to contain it long enough to refine its resentful qi.
But, who knows, nothing is absolute. When you come back, I will have all the relevant information about the Bi Xie Empire sent to you.." said Jia Bohai.
"Thank you, senior. Also, could I have detailed information on the history of the kingdom, from the founders, the four great clans along with the other aristocratic clans from back then.."
"I will have it sent to you along with the Bi Xie Empire information.." said Jia Bohai as he turned to face Long Enlai.
"We can also have his clearance level at the library elevated to low gold grade, what do you think Enlai?" asked Jia Bohai.
"Considering he has been digging around on his own for this, no harm in letting him continue. What do you think, Yang Qing?" said Long Enlai with a mysterious smile that left Yang Qing shivering for some reason.
Ignoring that sensation, Yang Qing excitedly replied,
"I am willing! Thank you seniors for this opportunity!!"
He bowed with his child-like excitement showing in his demeanor. His current clearance was at a low blue-grade tier which meant he could access everything that fell within that range from cultivation arts to potion recipes to refinement techniques across the different schools of cultivation, to information that had been graded to that level, along with accessing library training facilities that were at that level.
The library at the Insitute was like a world in and of itself. It was a behemoth that seemed to have no end, with each level being like a world of its own. The library had 14 levels, with the levels being tiered according to the color grading given to foundation establishment pillars. It went from the white level to the purple level. It was only the white level and the purple level that had single levels within them, while from the red, orange, blue up to gold had low, middle, and high minor levels within them.
Yang Qing's level was at the low blue grade level. Improving one's access level was a tedious process as cultivation level had nothing to do with it, but it was all dependent on your merit points and graded contribution and station to the Order working hand in hand.
It was why Chief Song Chuanli despite being at the peak of the core formation realm had a clearance level of middle gold tier while Yang Qing had a low blue tier clearance level.
"Don't get too excited, the increase is only temporary, and even with our intervention we can only guarantee it for two months alone and your access will be restricted to things supporting the investigation you were conducting here. We can't guarantee anything outside of it..." said Long Enlai.
"Getting to breathe in the air of the low gold-grade floor is already enough for me.." Yang Qing eagerly said. He was not kidding about it either. Other than a difference in what was contained in those levels, their environment was also vastly different from each other.
The environment of the low gold grade level was no different than Yang Qing visiting the dark valley, the home of the domain experts. The level was suffused with dense and rich spiritual qi that was similar in quality to what one would find in a mature dragon vein. Whispers of different kinds of dao were entrenched in every inch of the floor, and it was packed with ascendant-grade resources and gold-grade arrays that were meant to support all who walked into that floor to make full use of everything within it, especially when it came to comprehending cultivation arts.
Even with restrictions, Yang Qing was sure to gain a lot from just being there. For him to reach the requirements of accessing the low gold grade level at the very least he needed to be a domain court judge which was so far away that he could only fleetingly daydream of what the gold grade levels were like, but now thanks to four elders, he could see that blessed ground.
His heart was racing with excitement at just the thought of it. He couldn't wait.
"After you come back, you will also be getting a month off to rest before resuming your normal duties.." added Long Enlai, which only increased the smile on Yang Qing's face that stretched from ear to ear.
Realizing how wide he had smiled, Yang Qing sheepishly said,
"Thank you seniors for your kind consideration.."
He bootlicked a few more times, before finally, the communication between the two sides ended, with Yang Qing as chipper as he could be as he even started whistling off-key.
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