Ye Tian said, "I need to return to the temple to handle some matters, otherwise the medicinal effects will be lost."
Chen Hui replied, "I'll go back with you."
Upon returning to the campsite, when they heard Ye Tian was going back to the temple, Tang Mi and Xia Lei also wanted to accompany him. However, Ye Tian persuaded them to stay, as participating in a camping trip was not an easy opportunity, and they shouldn't dampen their companions' spirits.
Back at the Jade Emperor Temple, Ming Chen hurried out to greet them. When they saw the long-lost Jade Emperor Mace, they all knelt to welcome it.
"Excellent! The Jade Emperor Mace has finally returned. The Abbot has truly impressive skills!" Ming Chen and the disciples prostrated themselves on the ground.
Ye Tian said, "There's no need for such formality, everyone. Since I am the Abbot, it is my duty to reclaim our temple's most precious treasure."
After a few pleasantries, he called Ming Chen into his room and briefly explained what had happened. Ming Chen, upon hearing the account, exclaimed in surprise, "Is Shang Yuanguang dead?"
Ye Tian replied, "He is likely beyond saving."
Ming Chen felt a chill of fear, saying, "Abbot, this was too dangerous. The Jade Emperor Mace itself possesses numerous miraculous uses, and 'striking gods' is merely one of them. Fortunately, Shang Yuanguang did not grasp its true methods; otherwise, the Abbot might have been in grave peril."
Ye Tian then asked, "Do you have the cultivation manual and incantations for using the Jade Emperor Mace here?"
Ming Chen responded, "Of course. Below our temple, there is an underground palace that houses many Taoist scriptures, including methods for using the Jade Emperor Mace. However, no one has descended into this palace for about ten years. I will have someone clean it up first."
Ye Tian waved his hand, saying, "No need. I will go down and take a look now."
Following that, Ming Chen led Ye Tian to a small door in the back hall. Behind the small door were two more locks. After all of them were opened, a staircase leading downwards was revealed.
After descending about ten steps, Ye Tian arrived at the underground palace of the Jade Emperor Temple. The palace was not large, only covering about a hundred square meters. Inside, there were two bookshelves filled with various thread-bound ancient texts.
The pages of the books were covered in dust. Ye Tian's gaze swept across them, and he pulled out a handwritten booklet. Upon opening it, he found it contained the methods for using the Jade Emperor Mace.
Taking the book, he said to Ming Chen, "Clean up the underground palace, and then move these books to the study."
Ming Chen replied, "Yes."
With the book in hand, Ye Tian returned to his room to study it. It detailed the three functions of the Jade Emperor Mace and the accompanying cultivation techniques. To truly unleash its power, it had to be refined first, and refining it required spiritual energy within the body.
Ye Tian studied for a while, attempting to infuse spiritual energy into the Jade Emperor Mace and oscillate it at a specific frequency. After about five minutes, some hidden脉络 (mai luo - meridians/channels) within the Jade Emperor Mace were activated, forming channels akin to meridians throughout the mace. These channels then connected with Ye Tian's own meridians, as if the mace had become a part of his body.
At this point, he had successfully refined it and immediately activated it using the cultivation technique. Instantly, a layer of golden light emanated from the mace. He pointed forward, and the golden light struck the nearby wall, leaving a fist-sized area of charring.
He went to examine it and discovered that the brick and stone beneath the charred wall plaster had all carbonized and crumbled at a touch. This indicated that the golden light possessed immense power, at least more potent than high-energy lasers!
Ye Tian pondered the Jade Emperor Mace for a while before coming out to absorb the moonlight.
After practicing martial arts in the backyard for a period, he was about to return for a nap when he saw a red shadow darting towards him. It was the injured red fox.
The red fox lay on the ground, holding a deerskin bag in its mouth, though what it contained was unknown. After placing the bag down, it bowed twice to Ye Tian like a human.
Ye Tian smiled and asked, "Did your injuries heal this quickly?"
The red fox nodded, then picked up the deerskin bag with its teeth and placed it at Ye Tian's feet.
Ye Tian opened the bag and found it contained various small items, including gold leaves, pearls, and jade seals.
He glanced over them casually, realizing these items were worth quite a bit of money. He smiled and asked, "Are these for me?"
The red fox nodded vigorously.
Ye Tian put the bag down and said, "Then I will accept them. We haven't known each other long, and I should tell you my name. I am Ye Tian. You must have a name too, but I have no way of knowing it."
He thought for a moment and then asked, "How many siblings do you have?"
The red fox extended its paw and scratched three lines on the ground, indicating that it was the third child in its family.
Ye Tian said, "How about this, from now on I'll call you Hu San'er."