Chapter 4274 — Star Ink Milk

"Star Ink Milk?" Wei Zhao was visibly startled at the words. He had never heard of such a thing, but the name differed from Star Ink Stone by a single character—could there be some connection between the two?

"Indeed. Star Ink Milk may well be the most famous of all the treasures produced by the Odor Cultivation City ruins. Because it forms naturally, even if every last drop is taken by those who came before, it will gather again after a time—unlike other treasures, which must be hunted down far and wide. That is why everyone flocks to it; for nearly every soul who enters the ruins, it is a must-have." Brother Chang spoke with the utmost certainty.

"May I ask what Star Ink Milk is used for?" Wei Zhao inquired, his heart stirring. If he knew its purpose, he could essentially deduce whether the stuff had any connection to Star Ink Stone.

"Star Ink Milk is said to be a marrow-cleansing spirit liquid that can forge the strongest of Nascent Soul experts. Even for someone like me, who has already condensed a Nascent Soul, its effects after use are extraordinarily rare. A small bottle of Star Ink Milk, if put up for auction on the open market, would be worth no less than an Infant Ginseng!" At this point, even Brother Chang, who had maintained the bearing of an expert all along, could not help but let his eyes burn with intensity—clear proof of how determined he was to obtain it.

"Forge the strongest Nascent Soul experts—the effects are that exaggerated!" Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao exchanged a glance and drew a sharp breath in unison.

In Wei Zhao's heart especially, waves of shock were crashing at that moment. Star Ink Stone could forge the strongest Golden Core experts, and Star Ink Milk could forge the strongest Nascent Soul experts—was this, for heaven's sake, some kind of series?

Amid his astonishment, Wei Zhao's heart burned with excitement. He was now at the early Golden Core stage, and with the Ten-Thousand Crossing Golden Core Fruit in hand, he could advance further very soon after returning. With a bit more fortuitous encounter later on, reaching the peak of Golden Core would not be too distant a prospect.

And the key was this: the Infant Ginseng was already in his possession. If he could find a way to obtain this Star Ink Milk as well, would everything not fall into place? This was a rare opportunity indeed!

Had the other party spoken of something like Infant Ginseng, Wei Zhao might not have been moved—after all, he already had it, so its allure was not as great for him as for others. But Star Ink Milk happened to complement the Infant Ginseng perfectly, and the significance behind that was something else entirely.

"Heh heh, if not for that, why would the world invariably bring up Star Ink Milk the moment the Odor Cultivation City ruins are mentioned?" Brother Chang nodded.

"But if Star Ink Milk is so widely known, and you yourself just said that almost everyone who ventures into the ruins makes it their first stop, then by now someone has surely beaten us to it, hasn't he?" Wei Zhao asked again.

Even if Star Ink Milk could reaccumulate, it would certainly take considerable time; it could not possibly be inexhaustible like seawater.

Several days had already passed since the miasma began to disperse. Anyone with that idea would long since have headed for the Odor Cultivation City ruins. A treasure as rare in this world as Star Ink Milk would naturally be taken in whatever quantity one could carry—surely no one would be so kind as to deliberately leave a little behind for those who came after.

"That, little brother, is where you are mistaken. Star Ink Milk is indeed widely known, and everyone who goes to the ruins thinks first of finding it. But in truth, those who actually obtain it can be counted on one's fingers!" Brother Chang smiled mysteriously. "Those who can actually find the Odor Cultivation City ruins are few to begin with, and information on the location of Star Ink Milk simply does not exist on the market—spend however many spirit jades you like and you will not buy it. At most a scant handful of people know, and every one of them surely guards that information like a sealed jar, never letting it spread."

"So that's how it is." Wei Zhao nodded with a look of understanding. What the other said was only human nature—Star Ink Milk regenerated after a set interval, so whoever held accurate intelligence on its location would essentially be guaranteed a steady harvest of it at regular intervals. This was a truly strategic resource!

Indeed, the value of accurate intelligence on that location might even surpass Star Ink Milk itself—it would not be an exaggeration to call it the core secret passed down through generations of a major power. Intelligence of such critical importance naturally could not be bought on the market.

"Among all human cultivators, I dare assert, those who know the true location of Star Ink Milk number no more than the fingers of one hand!" Brother Chang declared with absolute conviction.

"Forgive me for asking one impertinent question—since this intelligence is so rare, how did you come to know it?" Wei Zhao asked suddenly, then quickly added, "Of course, if it is inconvenient to answer, pretend I never asked. It is no matter."

The moment Wei Zhao said this, the others at his side all wore expressions of mockery and disdain. Though they dared not speak out and rebuke him, cowed by Brother Chang's authority, their eyes conveyed one and the same meaning.

This bumpkin truly did not know his place. Brother Chang had graciously deigned to exchange a few words with him, and he actually dared to press his luck and climb higher—to ask even such a question as this. He was, for heaven's sake, taking a yard when given an inch!

Yet Brother Chang himself showed not the slightest sign of displeasure. For some unknown reason, this lofty and utterly unfamiliar great Nascent Soul expert was remarkably tolerant of Wei Zhao, answering every question he asked.

"Since you ask, little brother, there is nothing inconvenient about it. To be frank with you, I did not originally know the specific intelligence on that location either, but I know an steward of the Spirit Beast clan, and it was he who told me," Brother Chang said with a faint smile.

"A steward of the Spirit Beast clan?" Wei Zhao was taken aback again, and only then did he recall a question he had subconsciously overlooked earlier. Puzzled, he asked, "Star Ink Milk is such a fine thing—even if he knew of it, shouldn't he keep it for his own use? Why would he tell you?"

"That stuff is of no use to us," Ghost Thing's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Huh? Why not? Don't spirit beasts also have a Nascent Soul stage?" Wei Zhao asked in surprise.

"It is different from you human cultivators. The innate gifts of spirit beasts are inborn, determined directly and a priori by the genes of each distinct species—a pure natural attribute that varies by species and cannot be altered after birth," Ghost Thing explained. "To you humans, Star Ink Milk is a fine thing that can transform one's constitution, but to us spirit beasts it is not. Of course, it is not entirely useless—it is just not so exaggerated; at most it can be used to enhance one's strength and assist cultivation."

"So that is how it is..." Wei Zhao finally understood. Otherwise, if Star Ink Milk had the same wondrous effects on spirit beasts, it would probably never have been the turn of human cultivators at all.R1152