The wooden figure's eyes widened as he enunciated each word, "It is a Spiritual Treasure."
"Spiritual Treasure?" A gleam passed through Dongfang Jian's eyes, for Spiritual Treasures were rare items, several levels above Treasures.
"Surprised, aren't you? Hehe… I won't lie to you, when I first discovered this Spiritual Treasure, I was also surprised, so excited that I couldn't sleep for several days." The wooden figure laughed.
"What kind of Spiritual Treasure is it? May I have a look?" Dongfang Jian asked.
"Of course." The wooden figure nodded. "You're about to beco my apprentice, and everything I own will be yours, including this Spiritual Treasure. Co, I'll take you to see the Spiritual Treasure." The wooden figure turned and walked outside.
Dongfang Jian hurriedly followed.
Through a long corridor, they entered a stone chamber.
"There, the Spiritual Treasure is right over there." The wooden figure stretched out his hand, pointing at a stone table.
Dongfang Jian looked up and saw an ancient and stately stone table in the middle of the stone chamber with a black gourd on it, about the size of a child's palm, with faint patterns visible. Dongfang Jian took a couple of steps forward, "Is this the Spiritual Treasure?"
"Yes, the Spiritual Treasure." The wooden figure nodded emphatically. "It is indeed a Spiritual Treasure."
"May I touch it?"
"You may."
After receiving permission, Dongfang Jian walked up to the stone table and reached out to touch the black gourd. It felt cool and hard. Dongfang Jian lightly sniffed and slled a faint fragrance. After stroking it for a while, he picked up the gourd, "It's so heavy." It looked unassuming, but it was surprisingly heavy, probably weighing a hundred jin or so?
"Be careful not to drop it," the wooden figure cautioned.
Dongfang Jian examined it closely for a mont and tapped it with his finger, "What is this made of? It's not iron, not wood, nor gold... This is the first ti I've seen such a material..."
"I can't tell either," the wooden figure shook his head. "It might be so kind of extinct material."
"Senior, have you ever used it? How powerful is it?" Dongfang Jian asked.
"Used it?" The wooden figure laughed. "I'd like to use it, but unfortunately, I can't."
"Why not?" Dongfang Jian was taken aback.
"Because the gourd doesn't recognize ; it won't let use it."
"What? The gourd doesn't recognize you? It won't let you use it?"
"This gourd has developed sentience, its own thoughts. It doesn't acknowledge , so I can't use it." The wooden figure gave a wry smile. "All these years, I've been trying to communicate with it, hoping to persuade it with sincerity, but… it's no use. This gourd simply doesn't respond to ."
"Sentience? This gourd has developed sentience? How is that possible?" Dongfang Jian's eyes widened. "An inanimate object, how could it develop sentience? That's absolutely impossible. You must be joking with ."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" The wooden figure sighed softly. "It might sound incredulous, hard to believe, but... this is the truth. I am not deceiving you, not exaggerating one bit. This gourd truly has developed sentience."
"Then fine, let it say sothing," Dongfang Jian still didn't believe it. "As long as it speaks, I will believe that it has developed sentience."
"Speak?" The wooden figure shook his head. "It doesn't have a mouth. How could it speak?"
"It can't speak? Then how did you determine that it has developed sentience?" Dongfang Jian frowned.
"Although the gourd can't speak, it can express thoughts through ntal Power."
"ntal Power?"
"Yes."
"Is it really that miraculous?"
"It's more incredible than you can imagine."
"Let try." Dongfang Jian shook the gourd. "Hey, communicate with using ntal Power."
The gourd showed no response.
"Brother Gourd, hurry up and communicate with ."
"Hey Gourd Bro, did you awaken your spirit intelligence?"
"Brother Gourd, if you've awakened your spirit intelligence, communicate with ."
Dongfang Jian said a lot, but didn't get any response from the gourd.
"Speaking like that, the gourd won't bother with you," chuckled the wooden man.
"Oh? Then how should I speak?" Dongfang Jian asked earnestly.
"Say sothing nasty."
"Nasty?"
"Yes, say sothing nasty."
"I really should say it?"
"Go ahead, it's fine. The gourd may have a big temper, but it won't attack people at random."
"Alright, I'll say it." Dongfang Jian took a deep breath, and then started mocking the gourd, "Look at you, so ugly, as ugly as can be, dark and dull. What the heck are you! Damn!"
"You're the ugly one! You are dark and dull! You are the 'what the heck'!" A thought entered Dongfang Jian's mind.
"Huh?" Dongfang Jian froze, eyes wide as saucers, his eyeballs almost popping out, mouth gaping wide, his tongue nearly falling out, his body stiff. It took him a long ti to co to his senses. He turned his head, staring blankly at the wooden man, lips trembling, "This gourd really... really talked... No, it sent a thought... It really has awakened its spirit intelligence!"
The wooden man smirked, "Now do you believe it?"
"A miracle, a miracle! Damn, what a miracle! The number one miracle in the world! A lifeless object actually awakening spirit intelligence, it's simply unbelievable, inconceivable, beyond belief, absolutely mind-blowing!!!" Dongfang Jian grinned widely as he ranted.
"This gourd is quite special. If you talk nicely to it, it won't respond; but if you insult it, it will insult you back. It's quite... mischievous," the wooden man thought for a while before settling on the word 'mischievous' to describe the gourd.
"Let try again." Dongfang Jian was intrigued. He placed the gourd on a stone table and cleared his throat, "Hey! Stinky gourd, not only are you ugly, but you stink too! Absolutely foul, enough to kill soone!"
"You're the one who's ugly! You're the one who stinks! You're both ugly and stinky!" the gourd sent another thought.
"You're an ugly freak!"
"You're the ugly freak!"
"Why are you repeating what I say?"
"Nonsense, who's repeating you?!"
"Oh, the denial! Dare to say but not to admit, you really have no class."
"You're the one with no class!"
"You have a na, right?"
"Of course, I do!"
"What's your na?"
"Why should I tell you?!"
"Your na must be really nasty, so nasty that you daren't say it," Dongfang Jian chuckled, "Must be! Yep, definitely! Not only are you ugly, but your na sucks too! It can't get any worse!"
"Nonsense! My na's not nasty at all."
"Alright, no more excuses. A nasty na is just a nasty na; it's no big deal," Dongfang Jian waved his hand dismissively.
"Listen up, my na is Black Fiend Gourd. How's that for a na! Isn't it awe-inspiring? So authoritative! So cool!"
"Black Fiend Gourd? Barely passable, but okay. By the way, I heard you're a Spiritual Treasure? Is that true? From what I see, you look like trash to ?"
"You're the trash! You're the biggest trash under heaven! Open your eyes and see clearly, I am a genuine Spiritual Treasure!"
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