Cultivators grew stronger with every breakthrough.
For a while after emerging from seclusion, they always felt as though they could do anything and had everything under control—a delusion.
That delusion often clouded the Divine Soul, leading them to do things that went against their nature.
Many cultivators fell into this trap without realizing it, inviting disaster and meeting their end.
The secret teachings of the great sects included all kinds of Secret Methods and scriptures, as well as special Magic Tools and treasures, specifically meant to dispel this state.
Small sects, ordinary Rogue Cultivators, and those of the Heretical Path often knew nothing of the crux of the matter. If their minds were not steadfast, they would fall prey to it and die before reaching their goal.
Thus, sects without secret teachings tended to place greater importance on character, while those with secret teachings cared more about aptitude.
Although Chen Ming had no secret scriptures, the Creation Lotus Platform protected his Divine Soul. So as soon as he emerged from seclusion, he broke through the illusion and quickly dispelled that delusion!
"The Void Qi of wood, metal, and water have already yielded Supernatural Abilities through my refinement. My strength has improved further, but I'm still far from the Spirit Condensation Realm!"
"Ordinary cultivators with strength like mine in the Contemplation Realm would have long since tried every method to break through to the Spirit Condensation Realm!"
"But the more impatient you are, the easier it is to go astray. There's no need to rush, no need to rush!"
Chen Ming reined in the restlessness within him and calmed his mind.
Suddenly, he heard a rumbling sound.
He looked closely and saw Qing Ling refining the seven Flying Shuttles according to the Artifact Refining method Chen Ming had taught her.
Her body had become a tangle of twisted roots, releasing Azure Wood Life and Death Gas that coiled around the seven Flying Shuttles.
Her head floated in the air, continuously exhaling Yin Cold Qi to temper them.
"Not bad. She actually intends to refine the Void-Breaking Magic Sword and those seven Flying Shuttles into a set of mother-and-child swords. Once they're done, they'll be even more powerful. As long as the mother sword is in hand, even if the child swords are destroyed, they can be repaired quickly!"
Chen Ming recognized Qing Ling's approach to Artifact Refining and silently praised her.
However, the cultivation method Qing Ling practiced was not suited to smelting, so the process was proving quite difficult.
Chen Ming pointed, and a streak of Golden Light Divine Flame flew out and landed on the seven Flying Shuttles.
Scorched by the Golden Light Divine Flame, the seven Flying Shuttles turned into seven lumps of iridescent liquid, writhing in midair.
"Now! Refine them quickly!" Chen Ming shouted.
Qing Ling abruptly came out of her Artifact Refining trance and immediately felt the pressure ease.
"Thank you, True Person!"
"Congeal!"
Seizing the moment, Qing Ling brought out the Void-Breaking Magic Sword. She chanted an incantation and urged her magical power.
The seven lumps of iridescent liquid in the air became seven runes. With a hiss, they landed on the Void-Breaking Magic Sword.
The sword instantly turned scarlet and trembled incessantly, as though it were bearing a weight of a thousand jun.
Qing Ling's head returned to its place, and her body resumed its normal form. She exhaled Yin Cold Qi onto the Void-Breaking Magic Sword.
"Pfft!"
Dense white smoke billowed from the sword.
Only after a long while did the smoke slowly disperse. The Void-Breaking Magic Sword emerged, looking little different from before.
Only seven fine runes had appeared on its blade, so subtle that they were impossible to see without a close look.
"It's done!"
Qing Ling beckoned, and the Void-Breaking Magic Sword flew into her hand.
After inspecting it closely, Qing Ling circulated her magical power and cried, "Go!"
The Void-Breaking Magic Sword shot upward with a whistle, then suddenly stopped and split into seven identical swords that danced through the air.
The seven swords were its child blades, conjured from the original. The true sword had already quietly flown back into Qing Ling's hand, its presence concealed.
"This set of Mother-Child Void Breaker Swords is quite powerful. It can kill and trap its foes!"
With a sweep of his Spiritual Sense, Chen Ming explained the wonders of the Mother-Child Void Breaker Swords.
"Return!"
Qing Ling formed a hand seal, and the seven child swords dancing in the air slowly disappeared.
"Thank you, True Person. Otherwise, who knows how much effort it would have taken to refine this set of swords!"
Qing Ling turned her hand and put away the sword as she spoke.
"No need for thanks. Since you're cultivating under me, even if you're only my attendant, you're still my disciple. When you go out in the future, it wouldn't look good if you were too poorly equipped," Chen Ming said.
If Situ Yuelan heard him say this, she would probably have muttered under her breath.
Qing Ling's strength was already comparable to a Contemplation Realm cultivator. With this set of Mother-Child Void Breaker Swords, she would be even more troublesome to deal with.
Any cultivator without powerful Supernatural Abilities or Magic Tools would probably retreat upon encountering Qing Ling, too wary to face her head-on.
That was only because Chen Ming had cultivated quite a few Supernatural Abilities and possessed bizarre Secret Methods.
Besides, since beginning his cultivation, he had hardly met an opponent in the Contemplation Realm, and his standards were high. Qing Ling's strength seemed ordinary to him.
After all, the seven Contemplation Realm cultivators under Fairy Caiyi, a Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator, were already considered quite capable.
Even before refining the Mother-Child Void Breaker Swords, Qing Ling had been able to hold her own. Now, with the swords, her strength had improved even further!
Still, since Chen Ming had said it, Qing Ling simply accepted his words.
Chen Ming circulated his magical power and drew the Spirit Devouring Jar over, holding it in his hand.
He was about to refine the Golden Light Divine Flame and the Great Yin Demonic Water Lightning into the Spirit Devouring Jar to increase its power.
But the Red Spirit Worm inside the jar suddenly stirred and leaped out.
With a bang, the Red Spirit Worm's body burst open, revealing its true form: the Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects.
The Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects gathered into a cloud of bugs that shimmered with Spiritual Light. Having earlier absorbed flesh, blood, and stray thoughts from incense offerings, their spirituality had greatly increased!
A fantastical flower, hazy and indistinct, suddenly emerged from the cloud formed by the Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects.
Its petals unfurled, releasing a suction force that drew the cloud of bugs into its heart and wrapped it up. Then it began to pulse like a heart.
Seeing this, Chen Ming sensed with his Spiritual Sense that it was not a bad thing. On the contrary, it was a great boon for the Red Spirit Worm!
The Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects Secret Method had originally been based on the idea of uniting countless tiny lives in a cycle of birth and death.
Though the Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects possessed spirituality, they had been unable to break through their own limits.
But after devouring those stray thoughts from the incense offerings, they had changed. Their once-faint spirituality had grown along with their strength, breaking through its limits and developing Spiritual Intelligence.
When beings other than humans developed Spiritual Intelligence, they became demons.
But the Red Spirit Worm was the vessel for Chen Ming's Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects Demon Refining Supernatural Ability. Now that it had developed Spiritual Intelligence, it had returned to its source, ready to be born anew.
Even Chen Ming did not know what would emerge, reborn inside that fantastical flower.
But he sensed that this was a great opportunity for the Red Spirit Worm—and that it would bring tremendous benefits to him as well!
Chen Ming watched over the fantastical flower, nourishing it with his magical power and Spiritual Sense for another eighty-one days.
The flower suddenly froze, then withered and vanished, leaving behind a round, crystal-clear Blood Bead.
The Blood Bead spun wildly in the air, as if it were alive.
The first time Chen Ming had refined the Secret Method, the Red Spirit Worm had emerged from a bead. Now, the process was about to begin again.
Chen Ming could already sense a living creature gestating inside the Blood Bead. It was about to burst out!
Please follow, bookmark, and vote for this story! Fellow Daoists, lend me a hand and help me become a demon sooner!
Before you continue