Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 284: The Mysterious Small Bottle

Dusk gave way to dawn; fleeting clouds drifted past morning dew.

In the blink of an eye, two months slipped away, ushering in the sweltering heat of late August.

White Jade Market remained peaceful, its inhabitants busy with the eternal cycle of toil and pleasure.

Qin Lu, Master of the Qin Sect, spent this time diligently solidifying his cultivation base. His efforts bore fruit: a few of his spells had finally reached the “Max Level” state, while several Foundation Establishment spells had broken through to the “Legendary” grade.

His personal strength had taken another significant leap.

Of course, Qin Lu’s life wasn’t solely dedicated to cultivation. He had added a new, pleasant routine to his daily schedule.

Visiting Gu Yue.

Since the day they pierced the thin paper of their mutual affection, their relationship had been officially established. Qin Lu now visited the Gu residence frequently, spending time holding her and deepening their bond.

However, due to Gu Yue’s conservative nature, they had yet to cross the final line into intimacy.

…

One afternoon.

Qin Lu walked out of Gu Yue’s room, stretching lazily. Behind him, Gu Yue leaned against the doorframe, her face flushed a deep crimson.

“Hehe!” Qin Lu chuckled inwardly at the sight.

Gu Yue might be a fierce cultivator, but in matters of romance, she was an inexperienced maiden. She had zero resistance to his teasing, her eyes turning misty and dazed within minutes of his arrival.

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. I’m going to check on Little Lu,” Qin Lu said, glancing back with a warm smile.

“Go ahead…” Gu Yue nodded slightly. As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurriedly closed the door, clearly too shy to meet his gaze any longer.

Qin Lu turned and left the courtyard, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Stepping onto the main street, he changed direction and headed toward the Inner City.

Last night, Li Ming had reported that Lu Anchen had come to visit during the day. Since Qin Lu had been out, they missed each other. Having free time today, Qin Lu decided to pay a return visit to see what the matter was.

Under the gazes of admiration and fear from the passing cultivators, Qin Lu soon arrived at the Lu residence.

Since advancing to Foundation Establishment, Lu Anchen had moved from the Outer City to a large, sprawling courtyard in the Inner City, complete with a retinue of servants.

“Sect Leader!”

The gatekeeper recognized him instantly and knelt in respect.

Qin Lu didn’t stand on ceremony. “Is your master home?”

“He is, my Lord.”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes!”

Moments later, Qin Lu found Lu Anchen in the main reception hall.

Lu Anchen had always been handsome—delicate features mixed with a dashing charm. But since his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, he had acquired an aura of power and confidence that made him even more captivating.

“Yo, Little Lu. You’re looking spirited lately,” Qin Lu greeted him cheerfully.

“Hehe! I can’t compare to Uncle Qin,” Lu Anchen replied with practiced modesty.

“Tsk, tsk. With looks like yours, if you roamed the Jianghu with a sword, you’d leave a trail of broken hearts. The young maidens would be chasing you down the street!”

“Shh!”

Lu Anchen panicked. He frantically checked the door, looking terrified that someone might appear.

Seeing the coast was clear, he let out a sigh of relief and shot Qin Lu a reproachful look.

“Uncle Qin, you can’t say things like that! If my wife hears, she’ll overthink it again!”

“Hahaha!” Qin Lu laughed, clutching his stomach. “You’re a Foundation Establishment expert now, and you’re still this afraid of your wife?”

“Ah! There’s just no helping it…” Lu Anchen sighed helplessly.

“You really are something!”

Qin Lu shook his head, amused. Xu Ruling appeared introverted and quiet on the surface, but somehow she had the dashing Lu Anchen completely wrapped around her finger. He didn’t dare have a single stray thought.

Truly, she had mastered the art of husband management.

“Alright, enough joking. You came looking for me yesterday?” Qin Lu asked, getting down to business.

“Oh, right. It’s like this…”

Lu Anchen reached into his robes and pulled out a small bottle, handing it to Qin Lu.

“A while ago, I went out hunting beasts and stumbled upon a cave near a cliffside. I found this inside. I can’t figure out what it is, so I wanted Uncle Qin to take a look.”

“Let me see…”

Qin Lu examined the object.

It was a small, round bottle, colored a deep, inky red. The surface was etched with exquisite patterns resembling tree branches, and the mouth was sealed tight with a stopper.

“It’s heavy…” Qin Lu murmured, surprised.

His strength was far beyond that of a mortal; ordinary objects felt weightless in his hands. Yet this tiny bottle felt dense and solid, weighing at least several thousand jin.

“Hmm…”

Visually, there was nothing else remarkable. Qin Lu extended his spiritual sense to probe it.

To his surprise, his mental energy bounced off. The bottle was protected by a restriction that blocked all spiritual inspection.

“It has a restriction. Definitely a treasure,” Qin Lu concluded.

Since he couldn’t see inside with his mind, he turned his attention to the stopper.

“Little Lu, have you tried opening it?”

“I tried. I couldn’t pull it out,” Lu Anchen admitted, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Let me try…”

Qin Lu gripped the thumb-sized stopper with two fingers and pulled.

“Urgh…”

Immediately, he felt a powerful resistance, as if the bottle was fighting him.

He gritted his teeth, channeling his spiritual qi to reinforce his grip, and pulled with all his might.

Pop!

With a crisp sound, the stopper came free.

“Definitely needs some strength…” Qin Lu nodded to himself. He lifted the open bottle and peered inside.

“What’s in there?” Lu Anchen leaned in curiously.

Qin Lu squinted, shook it, and then peered again. Finally, he tossed the bottle back to Lu Anchen with a helpless expression.

“Nothing.”

“Ah?” Lu Anchen caught it and looked for himself.

A moment later, he lowered the bottle dejectedly. It was empty.

“Uncle Qin, do you think… maybe it’s a spatial artifact?” Lu Anchen speculated.

“Possible…”

The two men huddled together, experimenting with the mysterious red bottle. They tried injecting qi, shaking it, and tapping it, but after an hour, they still hadn’t figured out its function.

Eventually, Qin Lu stood up to leave.

As he walked to the door, a thought struck him. He turned back to Lu Anchen.

“Try testing it under different environmental conditions. Put it under direct sunlight, submerge it in water, roast it in fire, or leave it under the moonlight. Maybe it gathers or condenses something over time?”

“Oh! That’s a good idea! Thank you for the guidance, Uncle Qin!” Lu Anchen nodded repeatedly, his eyes lighting up with renewed hope.