Wenjin Shuttle

Buzz!

Ignoring the Spirit Treasures filling the sky, Xu Yan and Qin Yiren immediately set off, heading toward the far end.

Beyond the great hall stood a spiraling wooden staircase.

The staircase had clearly been fashioned from spirit wood, incomparably hard. Otherwise, it could not have endured such long years without so much as a trace appearing on it.

They ascended to the second floor.

This place was a full circle smaller than the floor below. There were no enormous murals carved here, but luminous pearls were still set into the dome, illuminating the area.

This seemed more like a resting place within the Sky Boat. There were many meditation cushions and tables, along with numerous Daoist books.

Time was pressing. Xu Yan could feel the flying vessel beneath his feet continuously rising into the heavens.

These Daoist books might contain rare divine abilities and techniques, but there was no time to examine them closely.

The two continued flying upward, heading for the third floor.

Xu Yan and Qin Yiren were not the only ones. Quite a few cultivators shared their thoughts. They had little interest in the spiritual wealth and Spirit Treasures on the first floor, having come solely for the Great Teleportation Token.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

"Half-Immortal Xu, have you discovered some Spirit Treasures?"

Behind them, Murong Yan followed closely with several disciples. A faint smile played at his lips as he narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Why is Fellow Daoist Murong following me?" Xu Yan replied unhurriedly, turning back. "You and I should each go our own way and mind our own business. How about it?"

No one rashly used divine abilities. Who knew what kind of disturbance that might trigger?

This Sky Boat was exceedingly strange. When Xu Yan extended his divine sense, he discovered that somewhere on one of the upper floors, someone seemed to be spying on them.

"The Great Dao faces the heavens. I can walk wherever I please—what business is it of yours?"

Murong Yan spoke casually, yet he did not retreat. He remained three zhang behind Xu Yan and Qin Yiren, following them all the while.

Qin Yiren's expression darkened slightly as she raised a hand toward her sword case.

Xu Yan shook his head, signaling for her not to act rashly.

Then—

He abruptly halted, turned around, and threw a punch!

Xu Yan did not use the slightest trace of mana. It was purely the power of his fleshly body, his blood and qi surging like great rivers.

The Eight-Nine Profound Art cultivated body and qi together. After reaching the fourth level of Pulse Opening, his tendons, bones, flesh, and blood had long been tempered like iron and stone.

As that punch blasted forth, his blood and qi surged with the roar of dragons and tigers. The wind from his fist shook the air, exploding with a muffled boom!

Murong Yan's pupils suddenly constricted.

He had not expected Xu Yan to strike like thunder, much less for his physical strength to be cultivated to such a formidable level.

In his haste, he crossed his arms before himself to block.

Bang!

The fist struck solidly against his forearms.

Murong Yan felt a mountain-toppling, sea-overturning force crash into him, numbing both arms. He was sent staggering back several zhang and nearly fell to the ground.

"You!"

His face turned livid, killing intent churning in his eyes. He had just begun to raise his mana and prepare a divine ability when he forcibly suppressed the impulse.

The entire Sky Boat seemed to possess restrictions like those of Spirit-Sealing City, capable of sealing mana, though they did not suppress it as completely as Spirit-Sealing City did.

Cultivators could use divine abilities such as the Qi Manipulation Technique, but if they wished to unleash powerful spells, the few cultivators on the first floor earlier served as a warning from the road ahead.

Those people had fought fiercely over a magical artifact, only to be swallowed by the restrictions within the mural. Not even their bones remained.

Thus, none of the cultivators dared act rashly.

The higher Xu Yan and Qin Yiren went, the more they discovered that the Sky Boat's restrictions were weakening.

Yet at the same time, that furtive, ghostly aura grew ever clearer.

Below their feet, black mist continued to ripple through every floor of the Nine-Story Pavilion like a shallow stream.

They had already arrived on the fifth floor!

This place was only fifty zhang wide, shaped like the yin and yang of the Taiji symbol, with exquisitely ingenious furnishings within.

It appeared to be a place for artifact forging and pill refinement. Shelves stood in every direction, holding many medicinal herbs and artifact-forging materials. Yet after endless ages had passed, many Spirit Materials had rotted away.

At the very center was a sunken Taiji pool, atop which rested an enormous iron furnace. The furnace was three or four people tall, black in color, and nearly blended into the ground.

Clang, clang, clang!

The moment Xu Yan and Qin Yiren arrived, they heard clanging sounds coming from within the bronze furnace.

It was as though something inside was crashing about wildly, the commotion echoing throughout the entire fifth floor.

Quite a few cultivators had also rushed over, staring in astonishment.

Someone muttered, "This furnace is used for artifact forging. Could there be some magical artifact inside?"

"Forget this thing. Hurry upstairs and take the Great Teleportation Token."

The crowd discussed it without end.

The lid of the iron furnace rattled and clattered, as if it might burst open at any moment. A rolling tide of metallic qi swirled within, exceedingly sharp, causing the surrounding space to tremble.

"It is at least a Mystic treasure!"

Some stopped to watch, while others passed by and headed upstairs.

Xu Yan and Qin Yiren also began walking, preparing to go upstairs.

As they passed the enormous iron furnace, Xu Yan stopped, his brows furrowing.

The Edict Script in his palm grew faintly hot, and his divine sense spontaneously spread outward, wandering around the iron furnace.

Xu Yan seemed thoughtful.

His gaze remained fixed on the iron furnace. After several breaths, he suddenly struck, slapping his palm toward it.

"What are you doing?!"

The Daoists around him were startled by Xu Yan's action and immediately retreated.

Boom!

Xu Yan did not use mana, relying solely on the power of his fleshly body as his strike crashed fiercely against the furnace mouth with an ear-splitting roar.

At the sound of the tremendous blast, the sharp metallic qi inside shrieked. It instantly burst through the furnace mouth and sent the lid flying, while vast and tyrannical golden Mystic Qi howled forth like an upside-down waterfall.

A palm-sized flying shuttle shot out, humming as it tore through the air with peerless sharpness.

Ant-sized Edict Script was engraved upon its tiny body, appearing ancient and intricate. Xu Yan's divine sense detected a trace of spiritual intelligence.

Xu Yan did not hesitate. In the first instant, he stepped on the Chaos Step, flashed into the air, and grabbed the flying shuttle!

The other cultivators were naturally a step too slow and watched with some annoyance.

[Wenjin Shuttle: Spirit-Born Embryo Artifact, spiritual intelligence newly awakened. A flying-shuttle magical artifact forged in the Near Ancient era, recorded in Nine Suns Academy's Hundred Artifacts Manual. Crafted from Five Elements Geng Metal, it is a rare and precious weapon of slaughter.]

"Spirit-Born Embryo Artifact!"

Xu Yan was startled inwardly as he identified it using the Miaoyuan Edict.

His divine sense clearly detected that some form of spiritual intelligence seemed to be gestating within the palm-sized Wenjin Shuttle. Moreover, the embryo artifact's own power was extraordinarily sharp. Xu Yan merely held it, yet felt as though his palm might be cut open!

Spirit-Born Artifacts were the highest-grade artifacts of the Foundation Establishment Path. To achieve a Spirit-Born Artifact, the forging method, process, and fortuitous opportunity were all indispensable.

When all Spirit-Born Artifacts were first formed, they were embryo artifacts. Afterward, cultivators needed to refine and nurture them with essence blood, then temper them over a period of time before they could become Spirit-Born Artifacts.

Rolling Primordial Chaos Mana wrapped around the Wenjin Shuttle. Xu Yan put it away, then landed steadily.

The surrounding Daoists looked at him very differently now.

Even among disciples of Aristocratic Clans, few people, unless they were direct-line heirs, would be granted a Spirit-Born Embryo Artifact during the Pulse Opening stage. This item was exceedingly precious.

"Let's go."

Xu Yan glanced around, ignored the varied expressions of the cultivators, and walked with Qin Yiren toward the Six-Story Pavilion.