Flying Butterfly Earrings, Spirit Artifact Sword

"Kid, you must have been waiting for a long time. Fortunately, I didn't fail you and finally managed to finish it, albeit with some effort," a slightly weary voice said. It was the jewelry shop owner.

"Boss, you've worked hard," Ling Tian said, hastily getting up. Seeing the shop owner's tired appearance, he knew the man had expended a great deal of Mental Power.

"Heh, I'm just doing my job for the money. Here, take a look. Are you satisfied?" the owner said as he handed Ling Tian a palm-sized box. Although he said this, there was a hint of pride in his tone. This was his most satisfying creation to date. Despite the immense effort it took, he felt it was worth it.

Ling Tian carefully took the small box. It was exquisite, emitting a faint sandalwood fragrance, refined yet exuding nobility. He gently opened the box and saw a pair of earrings lying quietly inside. The earrings were crafted from intertwined purple metal threads, forming a delicately dancing butterfly. The butterfly's wings were hollowed out, and at its center was inlaid the "Green Jade Stone," making the butterfly appear lifelike. The entire pair of earrings was full of nobility yet retained a sense of liveliness. When a breeze blew, the butterfly's wings trembled slightly, as if they were alive.

"Wow, this is too beautiful! Boss, you're amazing," Ling Tian exclaimed, unable to hold back his praise.

"Heh, you flatter me, kid. You provided the design and materials; I just put in some effort. In fact, I should thank you. Otherwise, I would never have seen such exquisite earrings in my life," the owner said, not daring to take credit. He even bowed sincerely to Ling Tian.

"You're too kind, boss. If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Perhaps we'll meet again someday," Ling Tian said, carefully putting away the earrings and bidding the owner farewell.

The owner cast one last reluctant glance at the earrings, nodded helplessly, and watched Ling Tian leave the shop.

"Mother, you're amazing! Even the earrings you casually designed are so exquisite. Tian'er loves you to death," Ling Tian said joyfully to Humei after leaving the shop.

"Hee hee, of course. Do you know who I am? But it was based on your ideas, so you're not bad either," Humei replied, her tone similar to Lingyun's, as if they were truly husband and wife. She began to boast.

"Ah, it's already dark. I've been waiting for so long," Ling Tian looked up and saw countless stars scattered across the sky, twinkling with a myriad of starlight.

Humei jumped up and down a few times, a faint smile playing on her lips, but she said nothing.

"Do I really have to walk at night? This will take forever. Oh, heavens," Ling Tian felt a headache coming on. Qingyou Peak was at least two hundred li away. Even at his speed, it would take him two hours.

"Actually, we can use Object Flight to go back," Humei's voice, soft yet alluring, echoed in Ling Tian's mind.

"But I don't know how, Mother. Uh, uh, Mother, you know how to do it?!" Ling Tian was stunned at first, then reacted quickly, his eyes wide with disbelief. It wasn't his fault; he had never seen Humei use Object Flight before.

"What's with that look? Don't you believe your mother? Fine, you can walk back by yourself. I'm leaving first," she said, summoning a jade-colored flute from within her. The flute grew rapidly in the wind, instantly reaching about ten feet long.

"Mother, I was wrong! Please take me with you," Ling Tian said, stroking Humei's fur in a fawning manner.

"Alright, let's go," she said, leaping onto the jade flute. Seeing Ling Tian also jump on, she moved her mind, and the jade flute whistled away.

In a moment, they returned to Qingyou Peak. Lingyun was waiting for them in the courtyard. Seeing Ling Tian return, he didn't say a word. Instead, he threw a Storage Ring to Ling Tian, his expression extremely weary and pale. Then, without another word, he led Humei inside.

"Father, what's inside here?" Ling Tian asked suspiciously.

"Some things you can use, and some for your little girlfriend. When you get back, use your Spiritual Sense to communicate with your things; it will be beneficial for you," Ling Yun's voice drifted over, slightly hoarse and tired. After speaking, he said no more.

Ling Tian stood there in a daze for a while. He thought about how much effort his father had put into preparing these things for him and felt a silent gratitude. He then returned to his room.

Back in his bedroom, Ling Tian swept his Spiritual Sense over the Storage Ring his father had given him and discovered many items. The first things he saw were hundreds of Iron Beads, similar to the ones Ling Tian had crafted, but they were dark and much heavier. He surmised they contained heavy Mysterious Iron and other strange metals.

As Ling Tian's Spiritual Sense infiltrated them, he noticed a difference. These beads could fuse well with Spiritual Sense and quickly communicate with Ling Tian's Spiritual Sense.

"I suppose these are Magic Artifacts with spiritual sentience," Ling Tian thought, feeling grateful to his father again. There weren't just a few, but hundreds! No wonder his father looked so exhausted. It seemed refining these things had consumed a tremendous amount of his father's Mental Power.

There were many types of artifact refining in the cultivation world, ranging from low to high: Mortal Iron, Treasure Artifact, Magic Artifact, Spirit Artifact, Immortal Artifact, and even higher levels that he didn't know about. Mortal Iron was not worth mentioning; it couldn't communicate with Mental Power and was considered trash. Then came Treasure Artifacts, which had some rare items added and were refined using cultivation techniques, possessing some spirituality and allowing for slight communication with Mental Power. Above that, Magic Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, and Immortal Artifacts were each divided into nine grades. One shouldn't underestimate the difference of even one grade; the power difference was enormous. Not to mention the difference between each major tier. Ling Yun had given Ling Tian hundreds of Treasure Artifacts, and by their appearance, they were at least fifth-grade Magic Artifacts, possibly even sixth-grade.

"Father gave me so many at once. It must have been difficult for him," Ling Tian thought to himself. He couldn't let his father's good intentions go to waste. He quickly communicated with each Mysterious Iron Bead using his Spiritual Sense. Before long, Ling Tian was done. The immense consumption of Mental Power was taxing even for his Spiritual Sense. He could only imagine how much effort these beads had cost. However, he felt a connection with each bead. With a thought, one bead appeared in his hand.

"Hmm, they are indeed much more responsive than those without communication. They feel more natural, and I can probably slightly alter their direction and speed with my Mental Power," Ling Tian rejoiced. Being able to change speed and direction was incredible. Imagine during a confrontation, when the beads were flying, the enemy relaxed, only for the beads to suddenly change course...

Ling Tian carefully put away the Mysterious Iron Beads and then examined the other items.

"Huh? Flying Daggers! Sleeve Arrows! Flying Needles! There are so many types!" Ling Tian exclaimed in surprise. The Storage Ring contained all sorts of hidden weapons, and their grades were not low.

"Heh, Father thought of everything and was so thorough," Ling Tian couldn't help but sigh at his father's meticulous planning.

"Bow and Arrow? These seem much more powerful, looking like Spirit Artifacts," Ling Tian's Spiritual Sense continued to scan, and soon he found a bow with three arrows. Dense Spiritual Energy surrounded the bow, making it appear extraordinary. The three arrows were the same.

Ling Tian gently pulled the bowstring, and a powerful aura of killing intent emanated, causing the surrounding air to ripple and distort. Even without an arrow nocked, the power was immense. Ling Tian had no doubt that if he pulled the bowstring any further, the entire house would be blown apart by this aura.

"Whew, but it consumes a lot of energy. It should be more powerful if I use Spiritual Energy to support it," Ling Tian felt his internal energy deplete rapidly after just a moment of drawing the bow. He marveled that he couldn't unleash the true power of this bow and arrow yet.

"Spirit Artifacts are indeed much more powerful than Magic Artifacts. They are worthy of being called growing artifacts," Ling Tian praised, feeling the power of the bow.

Magic Artifacts cannot grow; they can only be integrated into the body but not into the Golden Core. Only Spirit Artifacts and higher-grade artifacts can be integrated into the Golden Core as Natal Dan Artifacts. Then, under the tempering of the Golden Core's Alchemy Fire and the nourishment of its Qi, they can continuously grow and evolve. However, Spirit Artifacts are rare. It's known that on Qingyun Mountain, only a few peak masters and some cultivators with profound cultivation possess them. Some cultivators reach the Golden Core Realm and still cannot find a Spirit Artifact, thus never having a Natal Dan Artifact.

"I wonder what Father gave Min'er? How powerful is it?" Ling Tian calmed down after a moment of contemplation. Knowing that his father was no ordinary cultivator, he could understand. However, it made him even more eager to see what was intended for Hua Min'er. With this thought, he continued his search with his Spiritual Sense.

"Could it be this small sword?" A moment later, Ling Tian discovered a peculiar small sword.

The sword was about the size of a palm, ethereal and agile, surrounded by Spiritual Energy. The sword body was crystal clear, like a pool of autumn water, embodying the essence of heaven and earth. It looked like a girl's toy. However, as the sword subtly rotated, faint sword hums and contained killing intent could be felt.

"This small sword is probably no weaker than that bow. And its small and agile style is quite suitable for a girl like Min'er. She will definitely like it, hee hee." Ling Tian was even happier about this sword than if he owned it himself.

"Heh, I can't wait to see Min'er's expression tomorrow. She'll surely be surprised," Ling Tian said, playing with the small sword in one hand and taking out the small box containing the earrings with the other, imagining Hua Min'er's delighted expression the next day.

"Whew, time to sleep. I haven't slept properly in a long time. I need to be energetic for Qingyun Peak tomorrow," Ling Tian muttered to himself, feeling a slight sense of anticipation. Then, he fell asleep.

A moment later, the sound of long, steady breaths could be heard. Ling Tian was sleeping soundly. In his dreams, he saw the captivating figure that haunted his thoughts. He smiled slightly, a sweet smile.