Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 513: Chapter 314: Fresh out of the Oven

In the Cultivation World, there is a rule that, except for consumables such as Pills Talismans, the value of objects is always greater than that of people. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it’s difficult for a Cultivator to possess Magic Artifacts and Magical Treasures that match their own Cultivation level.

This is even truer in the Southern Sea, where the smaller sects have shallow roots and resources are scarce. Thus, the Magic Artifacts used by these Cultivators often fall one to two tiers below their own level.

Take the previous Master Lingbao, Chen Yanqi, for example, in the late stage of Return to Void, ranking as a Sixth Rank Great Cultivator, he only had one Fifth Rank Superior Immortal Implement and one set of Fifth Rank Formations, a whole major tier below his own Cultivation level.

This was the case with Chen Yanqi, a Fifth Rank Grandmaster of both Artifacts Skills and Array Formations. If you look at other Return to Void Cultivators from smaller branches, at most they would have one Immortal Artifact, and some even pitifully use Spiritual Treasures, the bitterness of which is hard for outsiders to understand.

The high value of such items cannot be helped.

After all, among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, the further one progresses, the more intricate and difficult it becomes.

Take Artifact Refining as an example: a typical Artifact Refiner who wants to create a Low-Grade Immortal Artifact not only needs to elevate their Artifact Skills to the Fifth Rank but also has to gather various materials. Then, they must meticulously prepare according to the Refining Treasures Dharma Decree, investing heart and soul, exhausting all their energy in the hopes of crafting a Low-Grade Immortal Artifact.

During this process, a mistake in any step, a slight unpreparedness, could potentially lead to failure and waste all the materials.

Therefore, the creation of an Immortal Artifact is a matter of great risk. Without full confidence and thorough preparation, an Artifact Refiner would decidedly not lightly begin the process.

Some Artifact Refiners, though having reached the Fifth Rank, might only produce a few Immortal Artifacts in their lifetime, as each one requires exhaustive effort and thorough planning, with a hundred or even a thousand years being the norm for crafting each one.

Therefore…

“Fellow Daoist, is three months perhaps too rushed?”

Li Cangwu delicately expressed his worry.

If creating a Low-Grade Immortal Artifact is already this difficult, then a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact is even more so.

Across the Southern Sea, only the ten great sects that have produced Mahayana Cultivators possess Sixth Rank weapons or Formations.

For example, his South Sea Sect owns a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact, considered the sect’s most precious treasure, always in the hands of the Mahayana Ancestor. Unless the Mahayana Ancestor’s life came to an end, there was no way that Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact would be passed down to him.

Therefore, he traveled all over the world, enduring hardships to collect high-tier Spirit Materials like Star Sovereign Iron, intending to refine a Medium-Grade Immortal Sword for himself. This was to not only enhance his own combat power but also to add to the base of the South Sea Sect’s resources.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

If the South Sea Sect was in such a situation, the Central Plains Holy Land was not much better. Only the Immortal Sect’s Saint Lord and some exceptionally strong Integration Elders had the ability to wield a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact. As for Superior Immortal Implements, those were treasures that grounded a sect, not to be used by anyone below the Mahayana level.

This shows the preciousness of Immortal Artifacts!

Thus, Li Cangwu’s hesitation was not surprising. He had gone through great pains to collect high-tier Spirit Materials as rare as Star Sovereign Iron. If anything were to go wrong, he would have nowhere to even cry about it.

“Rest assured, fellow Daoist,”

With a confident smile, Xu Yang said, “Three months will suffice. If it fails, I’ll compensate for all the materials!”

“This…”

Such words only added to the astonishment. Li Cangwu looked at Xu Yang, and then his expression softened, “With such treatment from fellow Daoist, what more can Cangwu say? They are but external possessions. Please, proceed as you wish!”

A Sword Cultivator is after all a Sword Cultivator, and he swiftly dispelled his prior hesitation and concern.

A sword’s edge is honed through grinding, and without facing dangers and enduring hardships, how can it ever be refined into a peerless blade?

“Let’s begin then.”

Xu Yang was open-hearted and took the storage bag containing materials like the Star Sovereign Iron. Turning to Li Cangwu, he said, “This Artifact Refining session will require the use of the Fire Essence Ley Lines. Please wait outside the hall, fellow Daoist.”

After saying this, he turned to another person, Gui Sanqian, “Send the message down. All Artifact Refining activities on the island are to be halted for three months!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Gui Sanqian nodded and left.

Li Cangwu, too, followed without saying more.

And so, after a short while…

A Qing Yun cloud flew out with a person seated on top, sweeping a horsetail whisk through the air.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”

Immediately, the Essence of Fire Hall trembled, the Earth Vein began to operate, causing the whole Lingbao Island to resonate.

Chen Yanqi was a Fifth Rank Grandmaster in both Artifacts Skills and Array Formations, possessed of some unique and brilliant ideas. This Essence of Fire Hall, serving as both his Cave Mansion and the core of the Array Formation, was also an Earth Fire Furnace. Using it for Artifact Refining doubled the efficiency and increased the likelihood of producing fine works.

After taking over, Xu Yang made further improvements to enhance the effects. Over the years, he refined countless Magic Artifacts, and sometimes he even doubled as an Alchemy Cauldron, creating various Spirit Pills and wonderful medicines, which he sent to the White Jade Capital to supply the Wandao School.

Li Cangwu was unaware of the intricacies involved. He only saw Xu Yang ride out on the cloud, wielding his mana with the horsetail whisk, which transformed the shape of the Essence of Fire Hall into a Bagua-styled furnace, with shades of crimson throughout.

Immediately after…

“Boom!”

Within the Bagua, a Nine Palaces formation appeared, and nine roaring fire dragons rose, fiercely augmenting the power of the Earthfire.

“The Nine-Nine Fire Dragon Array?”

Li Cangwu’s gaze sharpened, and he frowned, “It’s somewhat similar and yet different, with even greater power.”

After speaking, he looked at Xu Yang with even more surprise and uncertainty, “Xuanyuan, not only is your mastery of Artifact Skills outstanding, are you also a Grandmaster of Array Formations?”

In the past, when he had a dispute with Chen Yanqi, he was blocked outside Lingbao Island by Chen Yanqi using the power of a Great Array. Consequently, he was quite familiar with Lingbao Island’s Nine-Nine Fire Dragon Array.

This configuration, although it also featured nine rampant fire dragons, was clearly different from the Nine-Nine Fire Dragon Array that the Lingbao Island had in the past, particularly in the power and ferocity of its flames, which had clearly entered into the threshold of a Sixth Rank.

Back then, although the Nine-Nine Fire Dragon Array could also reach the Sixth Rank, it required the sacrifice of the entire Fire Essence Ley Lines, which was a last resort and not to be activated lightly.