From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 51 Very good
Five hundred Dharma teachings!

Qin Chuan's heart trembled violently, and his breath caught in his throat. This was undoubtedly the most powerful artifact he had ever seen besides the Heavenly Talisman, a relic of ten thousand years, truly extraordinary.

The fact that the "Golden Treasure Bottle Seal Method" is connected to Ru Shou, one of the twelve ancient gods, even though it is just a ritual object, shows how amazing its origin is.

According to ancient texts, Ru Shou is an ancient primordial deity who governs the element of metal and is the embodiment of the laws of the Great Dao.

Why such beings disappeared along with the ancient gods and the heavenly court into the long river of history remains a mystery, shrouded in mist for eternity.

Amidst his turbulent thoughts, Qin Chuan did not rush to refine the vast and boundless Dharma essence.

He knew that his own cultivation was still shallow and that he might not be able to bear the task of refining multiple things at the same time, so he had to proceed step by step.

For now, the priority is to focus on integrating these two archaeological tools.

As he continued his meticulous work of scraping away the dirt and filth, he casually inquired of Yue Chen beside him:

"Senior Brother Yue, since you say this object is a ritual artifact from the late Zhou Dynasty, could this site be a place for offering sacrifices to Heaven ten thousand years ago?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Chen's eyes flashed with surprise. He praised, "Junior Brother Qin is indeed insightful. Although I am not an archaeologist, he was able to grasp the key point in an instant. Indeed, the masters have several theories about this. One is that this place may be the site of the ancient Jiuchuan Temple of Heaven. If this can be confirmed, it will be of great significance for excavating the local millennia-old culture of worshipping Heaven. The second is that it is speculated to be a temporary altar, because the scale here is slightly inferior to the standard county temple ritual. The third..."

He paused slightly, a hint of regret in his eyes.

"It may simply be the tomb of a certain priest of the Zhou court, modeled after a temple for his own burial. However, since not all the artifacts have yet been revealed, the truth remains unknown."

Qin Chuan understood. The words "county temple ritual objects" and "the permeation of the nature of the Ru Shou Dharma" shown by the Tianyun Furnace were probably true. However, he could not be sure about the origin of this tomb. After all, it was possible that the tomb owner had obtained the county temple ritual objects from somewhere and buried them in his own tomb.

However, this thought concerned his greatest secret and could not be told to outsiders. He simply nodded silently and continued to ask for advice on archaeological common sense. At the same time, he focused his mind and guided the two torrents of skills that originated from tools.

About a quarter of an hour passed.

[The technique of "soil identification (basic)" has been successfully refined!]

[Skill "Unveiling the Obscurity (Basic)" refinement successful!]

In an instant, the myriad profound meanings melted away like spring water on ice, flowing into my heart.

He had a thorough understanding of all the essential methods, including discerning soil textures, judging by age and weathering, recognizing the traces of prohibitions, and observing malevolent energy and filth.

With such knowledge in mind.

Qin Chuan subconsciously recalled the soil in his hometown of Guniu Town in the countryside, wondering if it met the soil standards for a 'large tomb'.

The thought made him laugh unconsciously:

"Having acquired this skill has actually given me the eye of a seasoned tomb raider... cough cough... old archaeologist."

and,

His skill can be further enhanced using the Heavenly Essence Furnace.

Given time, if one has extra knowledge or professional needs, and further develops this skill of soil identification, could one truly become a legendary feng shui master who can "identify dragon veins at a glance" and "find the dragon and divide the gold"?
They've gained two more skills.

He smiled inwardly.

Holding the scraper blade and the dust remover again, it felt as natural as using one's own arm and fingers, giving rise to a sense of familiarity that comes from years of practice.

"what?"

Yue Chen keenly sensed a slight change in Qin Chuan's aura. The way Qin Chuan held the tools suddenly shed its awkwardness and turned into an indescribable maturity and composure, so Yue Chen couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

He knew all along that this boy was exceptionally talented; otherwise, how could he have achieved such success in the Yi Mu Qing Tian Technique? Yet, witnessing it with his own eyes now, he was still deeply moved.

Observing the exquisite way he used the tools at this moment, and the delicate way he cleansed away impurities and prohibited things, one could vaguely see his own shadow, as well as traces of the skill of other fellow practitioners in the pit.

"In just a moment, he was able to observe everyone and learn from their strengths?!"

Yue Chen's heart surged with shock. Gazing at Qin Chuan's focused profile, he seemed to see a peerless gem, its brilliance visibly unfolding before his very eyes. This young man's comprehension of archaeology likely surpassed even his agricultural talent!

Where on earth did this Uncle Huo find such a prodigy?
I secretly said:

"Let's observe further. If Junior Brother Qin is truly an unparalleled archaeological genius, I need to talk to Teacher Shi about this. How can such a talented archaeologist be sent to farming? It's a complete waste of his potential."

The term "hierarchy of contempt" exists in every industry.

Archaeologists, in particular, take it upon themselves to restore the heritage of humankind and the historical context. This great undertaking gives them a sense of pride.

Unfortunately, archaeology is a niche discipline these days, requiring a lot of hard work, and very few geniuses are willing to enter this field, so... there is an extreme shortage of people!
With this mindset, Yue Chen became even more attentive when instructing Qin Chuan, seemingly intending to further test Qin Chuan's talent.

Qin Chuan was unaware of his senior brother Yue Chen's thoughts. After acquiring the skills of soil identification and dispelling obscurity, he became more adept at his work and finally dared to begin "refining" the coiled dragon golden bottle in front of him.

[This refining process is estimated to take ten hours.]

Ten hours. Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat. That was really long. It meant that he probably couldn't finish refining it in a day.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Essence Furnace has been awakened for several months.

He has verified some settings from it, namely that the extraction process can be 'interrupted,' just like pausing a download and resuming it once the network is connected again.

And so, after Qin Chuan secretly refined the "Golden Bottle Seal Technique" for an hour, he saw many runes appear inside the furnace, which only formed the outline of the bottom of the bottle, representing only one-tenth of the progress.

Sudden.

"Alright, that's a wrap for today!"

Shi Hu's loud shout echoed throughout the entire burial pit.

Although Qin Chuan was reluctant, he still stopped. Looking at the progress of the Treasure Bottle Seal, which was at one-tenth, he followed Yue Chen out of the burial pit. Once outside, he found that Teacher Huo Yuanjue was no longer there.

“Your master has already left. You will return to the county with the archaeological team’s procurement airship in a little while. The procurement airship will deliver supplies every day at Shenshi (3-5 PM), and you can come back with it then.”

Shi Hu explained his arrangements for Qin Chuan, and then asked, "Any other questions? If not, go back and practice according to the techniques on the jade slip. I will check your progress in a few days."

"That's all. Thank you for your guidance, Master Shi. I'll take my leave now and come back to seek your instruction again tomorrow."

Qin Chuan was very respectful. After bowing, he boarded the flying boat back to the county town under Yue Chen's guidance.

It's only when passing through some large pits.

He glanced down several times.

But what Qin Chuan saw were dozens of large pits filled with enormous 'artifacts'—huge bottles, cauldrons, umbrellas, bowls, and plates, all seemingly belonging to a giant god. This made Qin Chuan think to himself:

Are other cultural relics also imbued with the spirit of ancient gods?

As Shi Hu watched Qin Chuan leave, he put his hands behind his back and casually asked:

"How's this kid doing working in the pit?"

It was just a casual question, and I even hoped to find something to criticize this kid so I could give that old man Huo Yuanjue a piece of my mind.

But then Yue Chen behind him said quietly:
"Teacher, let's poach him from Old Huo's place!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Hu's eyes widened, and he turned around... seemingly not understanding how Yue Chen could have such thoughts after only an hour of contact.
"He did a good job?"

Yue Chen nodded emphatically: "It's more than just good!"

The old man fell silent.

After a long while, he pondered Yue Chen's words, his heart pounding slightly. He carefully chose his tone and asked cautiously:
"How good is it...?"

(End of this chapter)