Separation

"All right."

Gu He drew a violet-gray flame from the ashes of the rotten wood, sealed it inside a transparent jade bottle, and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian.

"Although this Poisonwood Flame is a fifth-tier Beast Flame, like the Peach Blossom Flame, it does not excel in power. However, you possess a poison affinity rather than a fire affinity, so fusing a Beast Flame will not be easy. Wait until you break through to the Dou Master realm before attempting to refine it."

Xiao Yi Xian accepted the jade bottle with a smile. "Understood. Thank you, Senior Gu He."

"Hah!" Gu He let out a soft breath and swept his sleeve, sending out a gust of palm wind that scattered the remaining ashes on the ground.

"Your objective has been completed as well. Head back now. Going deeper into the Magic Beast Mountain Range is still too dangerous for little ones like you." After reminding the three of them, Gu He turned to leave.

"Senior Gu He, please wait." Huo Yuhao suddenly called out, stopping Gu He.

Under Gu He's slightly puzzled gaze, Huo Yuhao took several weapons from his Storage Ring. Meeting Gu He's eyes, Huo Yuhao explained, "These are... weapons I happened to find in some ruins before. They have no Magic Cores embedded in them, but they are much harder and sharper than ordinary refined steel weapons."

Gu He had not intended to accept Huo Yuhao's gift, but seeing that they were merely some "ordinary" weapons, he figured it was a gesture of goodwill. He casually took one of the short swords and gave it a couple of swings.

Out of habit, Gu He infused a trace of Dou Qi into it.

In an instant, an incomparably dazzling blaze of white light erupted from the short sword in his hand.

"Ah!"

The short sword fell to the ground. Gu He vigorously rubbed his eyes as tears streamed from their corners. Only after a long while did his eyes feel somewhat better. Lowering his hands, he stared with reddened eyes at the three, who had somehow put on black glasses, his voice brimming with barely concealed resentment.

"What the hell is this?!"

"These are sunglasses, a little trinket from my hometown." Xiao Yan grinned as he handed Gu He a pair. "Brother Gu He, with these sunglasses, you can block strong light and look cool too." Imagining Gu He in fitted clothes and sunglasses, looking all swaggering and cool before pink flames suddenly burst from his body, Xiao Yan could not help laughing aloud.

"That wasn't what I was asking!" Gu He paid no attention to Xiao Yan's twitching lips. Once his resentment eased slightly, he seemed to realize something and tested each of the weapons Huo Yuhao had brought out.

"This sword can release sword light... that one can generate vibrational force... this one contains two layers of hidden force..." Huo Yuhao calmly introduced the properties of each weapon from the side.

"These came from ancient ruins?" Gu He looked at the brand-new, gleaming weapons without the slightest trace of age, his tone full of suspicion.

"Yes." Huo Yuhao did not explain that these weapons had actually been modified from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's equipment. Since they could not effectively draw upon Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, they did not count as true Spirit Artifacts. Still, they bore some spirit patterns Huo Yuhao had recently researched, so they were worth something at least.

Immediately afterward, Huo Yuhao took out three more longswords. This time, faint spiritual light flowed over their blades, emitting gentle energy fluctuations. They were clearly three second-grade Spirit Artifacts.

"Senior Gu He, these weapons should be of use to you."

Gu He was currently fiddling with those unusual weapons with great interest. Before long, he discovered that each weapon bore slightly different patterns, and he guessed that these patterns were what granted them their special abilities. Of course, that was also because Huo Yuhao had never intended to keep them secret, allowing Gu He to see them so clearly.

Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Gu He raised his head. The moment his gaze landed on the longswords emitting faint spiritual light and drawing in wisps of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, he immediately tossed aside the "toys" in his hands. Just as when he had first encountered alchemy, his eyes filled with pure excitement as he eagerly stepped forward.

"What abilities do these three longswords possess?"

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to explain, Xiao Yan's voice beat him to it.

"The red one can be used for grilling, the green one can perform magic tricks, and the blue one—well, it can make chilled drinks."

Gu He raised a hand and pushed Xiao Yan's head aside. The excitement in his eyes did not diminish as he continued staring at Huo Yuhao.

"Mm, Xiao Yan is right."

Gu He: "???"

"Senior Gu He, you can try them yourself. Just be careful not to aim them at anyone."

At that, Gu He grabbed the longsword that attracted him the most, the one glowing faintly red. Just as he was about to infuse it with Dou Qi and perform a sword technique, he suddenly paused. He picked up the sunglasses Xiao Yan had just given him, fiddled with them briefly, and put them on.

The longsword swung, and a massive flaming blade tore through the sky, lingering for a long time.

Unlike the previous weapons, the spirit patterns on these three Spirit Artifacts faded beneath the surface shortly after they were forged. Only when Dou Qi was infused into them and Heaven and Earth Origin Qi was drawn into resonance would faint patterns emerge on the blades. Thus, they were exceedingly difficult for outsiders to decipher.

Watching Gu He wield the longsword and perform a set of sword techniques, flame blades dancing in the wind, Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly. This was a Spirit Artifact. Even a low-grade Spirit Artifact had almost no upper limit. Unlike Soul Tools, whose power was constrained by their grade.

After putting it through a round of testing, Gu He put away the longsword and could not help exclaiming, "A fine sword! This longsword has increased the power of my sword techniques by more than twenty percent! Does this sword... have a name?"

Then a trace of regret entered his voice. "However, when using it to perform Dou Techniques, the increase in power is not obvious. It merely draws upon Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to reduce some Dou Qi consumption."

"It does not have a name yet."

"How about you name it, Brother Gu He?"

Gu He looked at Huo Yuhao and Xiao Yan. "Then let's call it the Flamefire Sword."

"Uh, what an ordinary name."

Gu He carefully stored away the Flamefire Sword, then returned the other two Spirit Artifact longswords to Huo Yuhao. "I won't stand on ceremony with you. I truly like this sword, so I'll accept it. You should take these other two swords back."

"Senior Gu He, you have helped us greatly along the way. Please accept them. None of the three of us use swords anyway." Huo Yuhao did not take them back and insisted on giving them to Gu He.

"That's right, Senior Gu He. You gave us two Beast Flames, and we did not refuse them."

"Brother Gu He, if you don't accept them, Yuhao will stick these two swords here and leave them. It would be a waste if nobody wanted them."

The three of them urged him together. Looking at the three youngsters, a more genuine smile gradually appeared on Gu He's face.

"All right, then I'll accept them. If you ever go to the imperial capital, remember to come find me."

With that, Gu He stopped refusing. He placed the two longswords into his Storage Ring, spread his Dou Qi wings, and flew toward the depths of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

"All right, let's find a safe place and see whether devouring and fusing the Beast Flames can upgrade the Flame Mantra." After Gu He left, Yao Chen's figure appeared.

"But Yuhao, you really are generous." Looking at Huo Yuhao, Yao Chen waggled his eyebrows. "At first, I thought you only planned to give that boy those 'junk' weapons."

"After all, we accepted Senior Gu He's favor. It would be inappropriate not to repay him." Huo Yuhao spoke softly. "Three second-grade Spirit Artifacts are still somewhat lacking in value."

"Lacking? Yuhao, your Spirit Artifacts might not be one of a kind, but they are certainly rare. Aren't they far more valuable than his two Beast Flames?" Yao Chen sighed. "At first, weren't you planning to give him the medicine cauldron found in the cave dwelling?"

"You said that medicine cauldron was a standard high-grade cauldron of the Yao Clan. It would be more suitable to keep it or give it to Xiao Yan."

"Tch, I don't want to see that thing." Yao Chen muttered quietly, his tone complicated.