"Spirit Fire"
was a strange flame that could only be produced when mental power had been condensed to its utmost limit.
The reason Spirit Rune Masters were so formidable was, to a great extent, that they could use this Mental Power Flame.
Even a powerful cultivator at the Qi-Shaping Realm had to avoid its edge.
With Lin Yiqing's current level of mental power, it was obviously impossible for him to condense this Mental Power Flame.
But many skills, such as alchemy and artifact refining, relied heavily on fire. That was why he had resorted to the Life-Transforming Rune Array—to make use of this Myriad Transformation Flame.
The illusory Myriad Transformation Flame appeared, and at once the air throughout the cave seemed to catch fire.
Sss!
It had barely wrapped around the Star-Fall Profound Steel for a moment before the entire chunk visibly turned red-hot.
Before long, its surface began to melt, and under such high temperatures, every last trace of impurity burned away.
Whether refining pills or forging artifacts, a cultivator needed immense patience. As Lin Yiqing continuously poured out his mental power, the Myriad Transformation Flame, too, went all out refining the steel.
After a long while, the boulder at the center of the Life-Transforming Rune Array had vanished without a trace. All that remained was a mass of bright silver molten metal, about the size of a human head, hovering and turning in midair.
At this point, Lin Yiqing's expression grew solemn. He became even more cautious; the closer he came to success, the less he could afford to relax.
With a thought, he activated Origin Qi Vision and carefully used his mental power to remove the flaws in the molten metal, striving for perfection.
Soon, all that remained of the molten metal suspended in the rune array was platinum-colored Metal Origin Qi.
Though it was still liquid, its fierce, razor-sharp aura was enough to make one's hair stand on end, even from a great distance.
"Condense!"
At Lin Yiqing's shout, his vast mental power instantly changed the shape of the molten metal, slowly solidifying it into the image of the ancient sword he had envisioned.
That was right—Lin Yiqing was forging a weapon, a long sword!
In the memories of his previous life, the sword had run through history, imbued with a sacred culture.
Emperors had made the sword a symbol of power and status, giving it majesty and strength.
Gentlemen had made it a metaphor for wisdom and courage, granting it freedom and romance.
It was fair to say that Lin Yiqing felt a profound attachment to the sword. That was why he had chosen to forge the Star-Fall Profound Steel into an immortal sword to protect his path.
Once the blade had taken shape, Lin Yiqing immediately drew on a wisp of Greater Yin Qi from his dantian. An extremely yin and cold force instantly covered the entire blade. He would use it to quench the sword.
Crack, crack.
The entire blade solidified in an instant, almost visibly, and its shape was completely set. A thick layer of frost appeared across the sword.
After quenching it, Lin Yiqing immediately drew on a wisp of Sun Qi from his dantian. Once again, an extremely yang and unyielding force melted the frost on the blade, tempering it.
Quenching made the blade solid and gave it strength, while tempering gave it a touch of flexibility and made it resilient.
The unyielding breaks easily; the highest good is like water.
Even now, the artifact-refining process was still unfinished. He still needed to inscribe runes on the sword!
Runes were an indispensable part of the entire Talisman Master system. Whether it was the weapons sold at the Curio Pavilion in Yan City or all sorts of spiritual treasures and divine weapons, they all bore runes.
If a weapon were compared to a person, runes would be its meridians. When a cultivator poured Origin Qi into a weapon, the runes guided its flow, allowing it to unleash tremendous killing power.
As it happened, Lin Yiqing had considerable insight into this art. When he had advanced to the Heaven Origin Realm, the Heavenly Book in his Mud Pill Palace had given him Introduction to Artifact Refining, which contained many applications of runes.
"Armor-Piercing Rune," "Sharpness Rune"... He selected a whole array of runes related to formations and weapons, including ones for lightness and weight.
Lin Yiqing focused his mind and steadied his breath, using his mental power as a brush to inscribe them onto the sword, stroke by stroke. Throughout the process, he had to maintain an unbroken flow and could not make the slightest mistake.
Inscribing runes was not like reading or writing, where each character could be divided into separate strokes. He had to finish the entire inscription in one go.
Even the slightest mistake in a single stroke would mean that reforging the blade was the best possible outcome.
Buzz.
As time passed, a ringing filled Lin Yiqing's mind. His brows drew tight, his nerves stretched taut.
After using the Life-Transforming Rune Array for so long and expending so much energy refining the weapon, his mental power had all but run dry in his Mud Pill Palace. Even the three spirit runes had grown dim.
But he could not let up. He could only grit his teeth and squeeze every last bit of mental power from his Mud Pill Palace.
Buzz!
As the final stroke fell, Lin Yiqing's vision nearly went black, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, the long sword hovering at the center of the rune array erupted in a dazzling white light. A powerful, razor-sharp aura burst forth.
"Whew! I finally did it!"
Seeing this, Lin Yiqing finally relaxed. He couldn't help letting out a long breath.
He put away the Life-Transforming Rune Array and beckoned to the precious sword in the air. A strand of mental power wrapped around it and carried it into his hand.
The moment the sword was in his grasp, Lin Yiqing eagerly examined the divine weapon he had forged with his own hands. It was an eight-sided Han-style sword, silver-white overall, with a platinum-colored pommel and sword guard.
The blade was straight, long, and narrow, ground into eight facets. Its edges curved twice before extending to the tip, and intricate patterns covered the entire sword, giving it a magnificent appearance.
As he ran his hand over the blade, he felt its weight. The more he looked at the sword, the more he liked it.
The Star-Fall Profound Steel had already been refined by astral gales and lightning fire, making it exceptionally pure. Forging it now with Spirit Fire had only made it more extraordinary.
Lin Yiqing sent a strand of Origin Qi into the blade and found that the sword felt like an extension of his arm. It consumed almost no Origin Qi, and as the blade was nourished by it, its edge grew even sharper.
A low-grade spiritual treasure! Without a doubt, the sword had reached that level.
Lin Yiqing tested it a few times. Not only did his Origin Qi flow through it with remarkable ease, but using his mental power barely cost him anything, either.
Rubbing the two characters Qingli, which he had deliberately engraved near the hilt during quenching, Lin Yiqing felt a surge of excitement. This was the first spiritual treasure he had ever forged.
He named the sword Qingli—the Qingli Ancient Sword!
Rain and mist, a waning moon, two clear streams—like a gentle breeze brushing my heart!
He made a sheath from a piece of ironwood and put away the Qingli Ancient Sword. After regulating his breath for a while, Lin Yiqing used other rare ores he had collected to forge six more short swords, each about the size of his palm.
He planned to pair the six short swords with his mental power and catch his opponents off guard.
As for the Refined Iron Dagger, he carefully put it away. It had been left to him by his parents in this world, and now that his cultivation had improved, it was no longer quite up to the task.
He took out the map and confirmed his route. He planned to cross the Tianyan Mountain Range and head to the Great Wilderness Prefecture.
There was nothing left in Yan City worth staying for.
There was an Ancient Tomb Mansion in the Tianyan Mountain Range, left behind by a Nirvana Realm powerhouse, but for now, it wasn't something he could find.
Besides, even if he could find it, he had no way to break the seal, no matter how much effort it took!
By his reckoning, the Ancient Tomb Mansion would not emerge and its seal would not break for at least another four years!
Staying here the whole time clearly didn't fit his plans. He might as well go seize the Devouring Ancestral Rune first, then return to claim the Nirvana Heart once his cultivation had improved.
As for the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce and the Blood Wolf Gang in Yan City, all he could say was: let them fight like dogs among themselves!
If they planned to scheme against him, they were giving themselves far too much credit.
This place was nothing more than a passing scene on his path of cultivation. The next time they met, he would already be standing above the heavens!
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