Refining Improvement [Seeking Follow-ups]

"Ladies, please announce me. I am Li Xiuning, daughter of Li Daoyun. My father and I once helped Senior Black Turtle set up the Starlight Water Wall Formation. This time, I am heading north to Primordial Mist Immortal City and happened to pass by this place, so I came specifically to pay Senior Black Turtle a visit and see whether the formation requires maintenance or adjustment."

The green and white snakes floated in the pool. Hearing Li Xiuning's voice, they could not help exchanging looks.

The two water snakes did know a little about the Starlight Water Wall Formation, but Star-Backed Black Turtle had already left Heaven Capital Mountain. In the vast water manor, only the two of them remained.

Moreover, Li Xiuning was a late Qi Refinement cultivator, and beside her stood a male cultivator with a nearly identical aura.

If the two of them saw through the water manor's true state, who knew what consequences might follow.

Thus, the green and white snakes gave no reply, merely confronting Li Xiuning and her companion.

"Sister Ning, Star-Backed Black Turtle still hasn't shown himself. Could there be something fishy going on? Should we charge in directly and take a look?"

The person beside Li Xiuning was her husband, Sheng Changgong.

Hearing this, Li Xiuning could not help rolling her eyes inwardly. After marrying into the Sheng Family for so many years, she had come to see clearly that, aside from their old ancestor, every last member of the Sheng Family was recklessly headstrong.

This was Heaven Capital Mountain, territory crawling with demon beasts. It was already a blessing that they had not encountered any ferocious beasts along the way, yet he still dared to barge into a demon beast's lair without permission?

Li Xiuning felt exhausted. Just as she was about to say something, a warning suddenly rose in her heart. From behind her came a savage, terrifying aura of ancient wilderness.

Immediately after—

A voice like a beast's roar rang out:

"Go back and tell that old ghost Sheng that he doesn't have many years left either. Behave yourselves!"

With those words, Li Xiuning and Sheng Changgong instantly felt themselves locked down by an immense pressure. Not only could they not move their bodies, they could barely breathe.

"Get lost!"

With that fierce shout, the restraints around Li Xiuning and Sheng Changgong loosened slightly. How could they dare hesitate any longer? They immediately fled without looking back.

Only after their figures had vanished did a streak of blue light cut across the sky and plunge into the pool. It was none other than He Sheng!

"Li Xiuning and her husband came to the Longevity Pool water manor at a time like this. It seems the Sheng Family can no longer hold back."

He Sheng knew that this was most likely a chain reaction caused by his own "death." The Sheng Family had sent the pair here now for no other reason than to test Star-Backed Black Turtle's attitude.

To be honest, He Sheng's attitude toward the He Family had changed somewhat.

On one hand, he still felt that Brother Piao had left behind a mountain of messes, while the He Family itself was rotten beyond measure. He still had no desire whatsoever to take it over.

But if he watched the He Family be destroyed right before his eyes, he felt... rather ill at ease.

After all, he had inherited Brother Piao's mantle. Setting everything else aside, he ought to appreciate Brother Piao's top-tier hardware, shouldn't he?

Furthermore, He Sheng knew that Old Turtle helped him out of consideration for his ties to the He Family. He could not accept Old Turtle's aid, only to leave Old Turtle with nothing to bind him here in the end.

It was precisely under such complicated feelings that He Sheng had used spirit materials prepared from the Black Jade Blood Python's corpse to imitate the aura of a great demon, frightening the two away and issuing a warning to the Sheng Family.

"Immortal Master, you're back?"

The moment Green Snake caught He Sheng's scent, she recognized him at once and immediately became overjoyed.

"Mm. From now on, I'll often cultivate in the water manor."

As he spoke, He Sheng led the green and white snakes back into the water manor.

Yet when they passed through the water manor's gates, He Sheng saw the shattered remains of the stone gate that Ye Shaochen had blasted apart scattered across the pool bottom, and felt that it was somewhat improper.

"Though the water manor is concealed by a grand formation, leaving the entrance wide open is no solution."

Hearing this, Green Snake hurriedly said, "Immortal Master, my sister and I know of a place with large blue stone slabs. Not only are they hard in texture, but they have been steeped in spiritual energy year-round. They would be perfect for carving into the water manor's gates."

He Sheng nodded slightly and merely said that once he had some free time, he would go with the two snakes to retrieve the stone slabs.

After settling the matter, He Sheng took out from his storage pouch the formation plate engraved with intricate star patterns. It was the central control of the Starlight Water Wall Formation.

He poured mana into the formation plate, and starlight began flowing across its surface. He then sensed out the functions of the formation plate.

Very soon, water vapor rapidly gathered in the gap where the water manor's gates had been. Layer upon layer of profound, shadowy water walls formed from thin air, three layers in all. Flecks of starlight refracted within the walls, sealing the entrance tightly.

After temporarily concealing the entrance, He Sheng sent the green and white snakes off to cultivate. He then crossed the main hall alone and headed deeper into the water manor.

The Longevity Pool water manor had originally been excavated by Old Turtle along the spirit vein at the bottom of the pool. The farther inward one went, the denser the spiritual energy became.

After passing through several quiet waterways, the view suddenly opened up. Beyond the rear hall lay a world of its own.

This place was actually a vast domed water cavern. Three spring eyes lay scattered across its center, spring water gurgling forth from each one. Billowing vapor rose from all three springs, and pure spiritual energy permeated the air, as though every breath could swallow spirit liquid.

"With these three spirit springs, I can finally begin the path of water refining."

He Sheng nodded in great satisfaction. He could clearly sense that the spiritual energy contained within the three spirit springs was not only pure, but also gentle in nature, carrying the supple force unique to the water element.

However, he did not immediately begin refining artifacts. Instead, he looked at the water clock in his palm.

[First-Rank Mid-Grade Artifact Refiner: 829/2000]

(Total cultivation time: four years, one month, sixteen days)

"Under ideal circumstances, I should first use generic cultivation time to raise my artifact forging to Tier 2, then begin forging artifacts.

"That way, I can cultivate the path of water refining while also practicing the Divine Artifact Treasure Vase Forging Method."

The Divine Artifact Treasure Vase Forging Method required one to reach the level of a lower-grade Tier 2 artifact forger before one could begin cultivating it.

However, He Sheng glanced at his generic cultivation time. He only had a little over thirty days left.

[Current Total Available Cultivation Time: One Month and Six Days]

He had previously used all his generic cultivation time to improve his artifact forging skills. The little over one month he had now was accumulated by leaving the Flesh Rebirth Art on auto-training.

"Since I've chosen to settle down temporarily at Longevity Pool, I can let part of my cultivation regress for now.

"Besides, I can also regress the Flesh Rebirth Art to the state of having just reached completion. That'll make it easier to accumulate cultivation time through auto-training."

With a thought from He Sheng, he immediately began the process. First, he regressed the Clear Billows Water Origin Art.

[Clear Billows Water Origin Art, Sixth Layer (Beginner): 1/100]

(Total Cultivation Time: Ten Years, Two Months, Seven Days)

Lowering his cultivation to the level of having just entered Foundation Establishment Late Stage gained him five years of generic cultivation time.

Afterward, He Sheng regressed the Flesh Rebirth Art to the state of having just entered completion.

[Flesh Rebirth Art (Complete): 1/500]

(Total Cultivation Time: One Year and Three Days)

The Flesh Rebirth Art had not occupied much cultivation time to begin with, and the time ratio for [Arts] was only 1, so he only gained a little over seven months of generic cultivation time.

[Current Total Available Cultivation Time: Five Years, Eight Months, Eighteen Days]

With more than five years of generic cultivation time, He Sheng felt far more assured. He immediately focused his consciousness on the plus sign beside artifact forging.

Whoosh!

His proficiency rapidly rose, soon breaking through to upper-grade Tier 1.

But He Sheng noticed a problem: the advancement of immortal arts was entirely mechanical. It did not provide cultivation information like [Methods] and [Arts] did.

[Upper-Grade Tier 1 Artifact Forger: 1/3000]

(Total Cultivation Time: Six Years, Nine Months, Twelve Days)

Since the time ratio during the middle-grade Tier 1 artifact forger stage had been 1.5, he had actually consumed three years, eleven months, and thirteen days of generic cultivation time.

[Current Total Available Cultivation Time: One Year, Nine Months, Four Days]

Upon reaching the upper-grade Tier 1 artifact forger stage, the time ratio had already risen to 2. Naturally, his remaining generic cultivation time was insufficient.

"The time ratio for the Clear Billows Water Origin Art at this stage is also 2. I can use this period to familiarize myself with the path of water refining.

"Either way, I have a large quantity of Tier 1 spirit materials on hand. I can use them to forge some middle-grade dharma artifacts—improving my proficiency on one hand, while on the other, fully integrating the artifact-forging methods I've already mastered."

The clepsydra's cultivation results meant that his mind already knew how to do it, but to truly fuse everything together, he still needed to get his hands dirty and practice a bit.

Having settled on his cultivation strategy, He Sheng no longer thought about anything else. He selected spirit materials with compatible properties and began his first attempt at water refining.