Though Zuo Chao was not as dazzlingly brilliant as Ding Wanyan, among all the direct disciples of the Old Ancestors, he was still considered upper-middle tier. Coupled with his habitually honest character—never causing trouble, always diligent and sticking to his cultivation routine—the Myriad Ghost Ancestor treated him not exactly with doting affection, but certainly as a serious, direct disciple. Given the vast resources the Myriad Ghost Ancestor commanded, surpassing that of cultivators at the same level, Zuo Chao's equipment was naturally not shabby; he had been gifted two high-grade magic artifacts in total. However, the flying artifact that emitted white light was merely low-grade, its speed far inferior to the Evil Ghost Shroud or the Green Cloud Shuttle. His two high-grade combat artifacts were bestowed upon him two years ago by the Ancestor specifically because he was set to participate in the Grand Competition.

A distance of seven or eight li passed, and it became clear Zuo Chao was beginning to fall behind Ding Lei and the other. Girls, after all, are often more perceptive. Ding Wanyan noticed first and quietly slowed her pace, covertly sending a sound transmission to Lei Dong.

As the two slowed down, Zuo Chao quickly caught up. Seeing that he wasn't just relying on spirit stones to propel his artifact, but was already exerting his maximum zhenqi to control it, leaving him slightly sweaty, he didn't appear embarrassed like others might, but instead said sheepishly, "Senior Sister Ding, Junior Brother Lei. You two should go ahead; there’s no need to wait for me."

"Junior Brother Zuo, what kind of talk is that?" Ding Wanyan chided softly. "The three of us came out together, so naturally, we stick together. Don't you agree, Junior Brother Lei?"

"But speaking of which," Lei Dong agreed, then as the three flew abreast again, he asked curiously, "Senior Brother Zuo, didn't you used to have a mid-grade flying artifact?"

Zuo Chao smiled good-naturedly. "The Ancestor has high hopes for this Grand Competition. The arena isn't very large, so flying artifacts aren't of much use. Therefore... I traded mine for another high-grade offensive artifact. Though my aptitude isn't the best, I still wish to bring glory to the Ancestor."

"If you call your aptitude not the best, what does that make me?" Lei Dong felt a small pang of frustration. While his own aptitude was upper-middle tier among all disciples—falling within the normal range—compared to all the direct disciples, he was at the very bottom. To rapidly advance to the eighth layer of the Qi Refining stage, he had spent tens of thousands of spirit stones on elixirs, plus ten mid-grade spirit stones. This expenditure had left him completely broke now, save for his decent set of artifacts. Furthermore, he had spent more spirit stones on Ghost Soldiers than on himself...

"Junior Brother Zuo, that’s not what I meant..." Zuo Chao, being typically reserved and having entered the Myriad Ghost Cave at a young age, was poor at socializing. Seeing Lei Dong's slightly downcast expression, he assumed Lei Dong was angry and explained, his face flushing, "I didn't mean it that way..."

"Junior Brother Zuo, don't worry, Junior Brother Lei isn't blaming you," Ding Wanyan interjected, unable to bear seeing the honest man distressed. "Although Lei Dong's aptitude is average, his methods are superb, and he finds ways to scrape resources from everywhere. Now, his equipment rivals mine, perhaps even surpasses it. As for wealth, he has so much he could treat the Creation Pills and Earth Spirit Pills like candy. I dare say his advancement to the Foundation Establishment stage will be no slower than yours."

Lei Dong was amused and slightly exasperated by the exaggeration. "Senior Sister, you're exaggerating! It's true I've consumed quite a few Creation Pills, but I've only used one Earth Spirit Pill. Besides, in the entire Myriad Ghost Cave, who dares compare wealth to you? Unlike me, I'm now dirt poor. I was actually planning to ask Senior Sister for a loan."

"Forget it, you'll just find a way to steal it anyway," Ding Wanyan replied, growing more familiar with Lei Dong. After a slight hesitation, she continued, "It's Junior Brother Zuo here, who usually stays within the Myriad Ghost Cave and rarely goes out..."

Though simple, Zuo Chao wasn't foolish. He instantly understood Ding Wanyan's implication and quickly waved his hands while flying, blushing fiercely. "Senior Sister, please don't do that, I, I..."

"What 'I'?" Lei Dong knew Zuo Chao was thin-skinned and possessed a degree of masculine pride that prevented him from accepting favors from Ding Wanyan. He laughed and scolded, "Senior Sister isn't an outsider. She made such a fortune; it's only proper to share a bit with us poor junior brothers."

"Lei Dong, don't even think about it," Ding Wanyan scolded, feigning annoyance. "For your sake, I took two hits from the Spirit Slaughtering Finger. Do you think that felt good?"

Lei Dong felt quite ashamed over that incident. He chuckled dryly. "Senior Sister, what are you saying? You took the Spirit Slaughtering Finger for me; that distresses me more than being severely injured myself. Please accept my apologies, Senior Sister."

"Hmph." Ding Wanyan's expression finally softened a bit. What bothered her wasn't the injury itself, but that she suffered it because of him. After he returned from Withered Bone Peak, he had only visited once before hastily entering secluded cultivation. This seclusion lasted a full two years, almost without stepping out. However, on second thought, Ding Wanyan knew his pressure was immense: due to his relatively poor aptitude, and under the Ancestor's requirement to fight Baili Yun in the Grand Competition, if he didn't cultivate diligently, how could he stand a chance against Baili Yun? Though she voiced her complaint, in her heart, she had long since forgiven him.

As the three conversed, the semi-natural grand platform carved into the mountainside not far ahead came into view. They could not help but dampen their escaping lights, tracing three arcs of different colors as they dove straight down.

As they drew closer, they realized the platform, spanning several li, was already swarming with people. Beams of light of various hues continuously flew away or descended. After circling briefly to find an open spot to land, even Lei Dong was momentarily stunned by the atmosphere.

The moment the three stabilized and retracted their flying artifacts, a large crowd of merchants surged forward, enthusiastically pitching their wares in a babble of voices. Those seasoned in trade naturally knew how to spot who had money and who was poor. The two men and one woman who had just landed—one using the famous Evil Ghost Shroud, the other clearly using a high-grade flying artifact—were immediate targets.

Among high-grade artifacts, flying ones are the most expensive. Though it seemed both Lei Dong and Ding Wanyan possessed one, in reality, even among the direct disciples of the Ancestors in various Grotto-Heavens, the vast majority would not possess a high-grade flying artifact—the number would not exceed ten. Yet, even this low proportion was terrifyingly high.

This was because the Yin Fiend Sect was one of the Eight Great Sects of this world, a true behemoth in the cultivation world. Direct disciples from various Grotto-Heavens, after mixing for ten years, would almost universally possess at least mid-grade or high-grade artifacts.

Out in the wider world, let alone unattached rogue cultivators, even the most core disciples of smaller sects would consider having an array comparable to Zuo Chao’s equipment a great luxury. Cultivators like Lei Dong and Ding Wanyan, laden with high-grade artifacts at the Qi Refining stage, were figures that rogue cultivators and disciples of smaller sects couldn't even dare to dream of. Even ordinary disciples like Chen Ge and Wei Hua, after ten years, would possess techniques and artifacts far above the average when they went out. This illustrated the vast chasm between disciples of great sects and those of small sects or rogue cultivators.

For cultivators of the same level, rogue cultivators and those from small sects were often no match for sect disciples. For the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators in this world, possessing one decent low-grade artifact was enough to cause fierce fighting, and owning a mid-grade artifact already marked someone as quite formidable.

Lei Dong and the others, having been accepted into the sect, started leagues ahead of those rogue cultivators. After all, the profound foundation and terrifying wealth of a massive organization like the Yin Fiend Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects, was difficult to comprehend. The annual tributes from the thousands of minor sects and cultivation families affiliated with the Yin Fiend Sect amounted to an astronomical sum. Not to mention the revenue generated by the Yin Fiend Sect’s own industries spread across the world.

Because of this, anyone capable of commanding a high-grade flying artifact would be surrounded by groups of merchants wherever they went. In the merchants' eyes, these individuals were living, breathing fat lambs—one good fleece sheared off could equal ten years of their own profit.

…… (There is a pinned thread specifically discussing various spells, artifacts, and treasures. If you have any constructive suggestions or favorite spells/treasures, please write them down. This will serve as inspiration and reference for this humble writer. Thank you, and don't forget to cast your recommendation votes!)