Only Spiritual Things Can Forge Treasures

"I would like to hear the details." Qiu Yan showed no politeness whatsoever. This information might be known to many within the Daoist Sect, but it was not easily accessible to ordinary people.

However, he also noticed that after the longsword awakened this time, its attitude towards him had changed slightly. In the past, although the longsword would cooperate and answer any questions, it was as if a senior was instructing a junior. But now, Qiu Yan only mentioned it, and the other party told him what he wanted to know. The words revealed an attitude of equal communication.

"There aren't many restrictions on crafting Law Artifact. Ordinary materials can be used to create them, and some experts can even shape them from scraps of paper with incredible speed."

"Are you referring to the Talismanic Way?" Hearing this, Qiu Yan gained some inspiration from the longsword's words, and the image of Chen Yan from the Demon-Slaying Way surfaced in his memory. The scene of Chen Yan using talismans to fight the enemy during Tang Lai's attack in Wuxin City had left a deep impression on Qiu Yan.

The longsword replied, "The Talismanic Way is similar, but slightly different. Talismans can borrow the power of ancestors or deities, and the effects of yellow paper and cinnabar are incomparable to ordinary objects. They are generally similar to Law Artifact. In fact, some cultivators who are skilled in crafting artifacts can refine the things around them into Law Artifact, using them as the foundation of the Earthly Soul. They use these Law Artifacts to gather their thoughts and souls, and finally condense the Earthly Soul."

"I can understand this Mr. Qiu."

The longsword's words reminded Qiu Yan of the Physician Huang who was hiding in Qingchang. Qiu Yan's Earthly Soul Technique was based on Physician Huang's notes and combined with the bookshelves at home.

That Physician Huang had refined his own medicine cabinet into Law Artifact, merging it with his own soul to form an Earthly Soul. However, Qiu Yan had already used the Kitchen God's Flame to forge that Law Artifact cabinet into a Divine Ability Talisman.

Having cultivated to this point, Qiu Yan now knows that this method of condensing the Earthly Soul is actually a school of thought. Besides this, there are many other methods of condensing the earth, which, though varied in form, all lead to the same goal.

However, the longsword's explanation finally gave Qiu Yan a clearer understanding of magical Law Artifact. The main characteristic of Law Artifact is that they are objects crafted using ordinary materials combined with soul power, or with Divine Ability and restrictions.

The key word is "ordinary," meaning it's still just a tool.

"In that case, Law Treasure might transcend this category..."

Qiu Yan was still pondering when the longsword revealed the answer.

"Unlike Law Artifact, the prerequisite for crafting Law Treasure is the presence of spiritual entities. In other words, the materials that constitute Law Treasure must first possess spirituality. These could be rare and precious materials, spiritual objects of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the remains of living beings, or even the living beings themselves; there is no fixed form to them."

At this point, the longsword paused, as if he had thought of something, and then said, "Actually, Law Artifact can also develop sentience after experiencing certain fortuitous opportunity, and become qualified to become materials for Law Treasures. Even ordinary mortal objects may develop sentience and be refined into Law Treasure, but their power and Divine Ability are limited."

Qiu Yan nodded, then revealed a strange expression. "So, in that case, could you and the Ancient Seal Script also be considered spiritual entities? Excellent materials for crafting Law Treasure?"

Upon hearing this, the longsword seemed to have been grabbed by the neck, and the words came to an abrupt halt.

The Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription flowed rapidly, emitting a sharp sound—

"Qiu Yan! Are you trying to take advantage of me? This is utterly despicable!"

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "You two have been kind to me, so of course I wouldn't do such a thing. I just need to find out the truth. There's no use in running away from these things; on the contrary, it might backfire. If I can't find out the truth and you're exposed in a moment of carelessness, it will inevitably bring a series of troubles."

"That's true," the longsword finally recovered, lowering its voice, "I and that Ghostly Scrawl are indeed spiritual beings, but we're closer to demons. Although we can be used to craft Law Treasure, they're not ideal."

"Excellent! Excellent!" Although the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription were contemptuously called "Ghostly Scrawl," they had no intention of arguing at this moment. Instead, they spun in mid-air and landed next to Qiu Yan's bundle. "Compared to us, the ginseng in this bundle is a top-grade material, an excellent choice for refining Law Treasure. Qiu Yan, if you lack Law Treasure, you might as well use this ginseng to practice. Its effects are much better than mine, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

Ignoring the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription's attempt to shift the blame, Qiu Yan continued, "Judging from this, the materials needed to refine Law Treasure are not uncommon, but I haven't seen many Law Treasure along my journey. I suppose it's due to other factors."

The longsword rose and fell, as if a person were nodding. "That's right. Spiritual objects sound mysterious, but they're actually everywhere. Some Evil Dao cultivators even resort to blood sacrifices to extract the spiritual energy they need from the flesh and soul of living beings. However, the methods for crafting Law Treasure are fraught with taboos and are not widely known. Even if someone has mastered them, they won't easily show them to others. Moreover, the crafting process is extremely complicated. Even with the combined energy and resources of an entire sect, success is not guaranteed. Therefore, most of those who perform blood sacrifices are not actually trying to craft magical artifacts, but rather to repair damaged Law Treasure."

Although its words were simple, Qiu Yan sensed a strong stench of blood in them.

"When cultivation reaches a certain level, some people stop regarding others as human beings, becoming arrogant and condescending. This isn't just true for cultivators; even ordinary people, once they acquire sufficient power and wealth, often become arrogant and forgetful, losing their fear of heaven, earth, and spirits..."

With a slight sigh, Qiu Yan asked again, "If Law Treasure is damaged, it must be repaired with a spiritual object?"

"That's not it. The biggest difference between Law Treasure and Law Artifact lies in their spirituality," the longsword shook slightly. "This involves the rank of the Law Treasure. Low-rank Law Treasure, under the control of Law Treasure owners, can absorb Spiritual Qi on their own. Even if they are damaged, they will slowly recover. However, the process is slow, and if the damage is too great, it often takes many years. Not everyone has that kind of patience."

Shaking his head, Qiu Yan knew that when there was a shortcut, few people would choose to proceed step by step. Moreover, cultivators were essentially racing against their lifespan, and they would always try to save time by avoiding its depletion. However, this shortcut to repairing Law Treasure was too bloody, against the natural order, and involved Fortune and Karma, which is why many People's Prestige to take it.

"Human nature must ultimately be restrained by Order, Principle, and laws..."

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How exactly are the ranks of these Law Treasure classified? And what are the criteria for classification?"

The words spoken by the longsword gave Qiu Yan a general understanding of Law Treasure. The key, however, lay in the classification of Law Treasure into different tiers. Upon hearing this question, the longsword expert proceeded to explain what he knew in detail.

"The classification of Law Treasure is related to their spirituality. Those that, after being refined, only possess basic spirituality are called Low-Tier Magical Treasure First-Tier Magical Treasure. Law Treasure of this level cannot operate independently and require someone to control them. If left unattended, not only will they struggle to absorb Spiritual Qi on their own, but over time, even their spirituality will dissipate, causing them to fall to the mortal realm."

"Correspondingly, there are Mid-Tier Magical Treasure, which are much more stable. Even without anyone refining them, they can absorb Spiritual Qi on their own over long periods of time through internal restrictions and formations. However, precisely because of this, Mid-Tier Magical Treasure are almost like living beings, with some exhibiting a significant increase in spirituality and even developing self-awareness."

"Above the Mid-Tier Magical Treasure are High-Tier Magical Treasure, similar to intermediate level ones. They can absorb Spiritual Qi on their own and have an advantage in absorption speed. However, every High-Tier Magical Treasure possesses its own consciousness, making it very difficult to subdue. Legend has it that Law Treasure of this level are extremely powerful, capable of disrupting Order and suppressing the Fortune of a region, holding special significance for sects and schools..."

"Elementary, intermediate, advanced..."

As Qiu Yan listened to the introduction, an image of a Copper Furnace flashed through his mind. He then asked, "Besides these, are there any higher-level Law Treasure?"

The longsword swayed, as if a person were shaking their head, and replied firmly, "I don't know. What I know is what I learned from several sword practitioners after I gained consciousness."

Qiu Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "The senior who created this Swordsmanship must have possessed divine cultivation. Did he perhaps not mention these things?"

"After I was created, I did not immediately develop consciousness; I only possessed spirituality. I spent many years in a daze. By the time I truly gained clear consciousness and began to learn about worldly affairs, and understood myself, my master had already disappeared."

Qiu Yan frowned, trying to determine whether what the longsword said was true or false. He knew that although all living things had consciousness in their infancy, they did not have the concept of "self," so their memories of their early childhood were always vague. Therefore, the longsword's statement was actually quite possible.

Thinking about it further was useless, Qiu Yan put aside his thoughts and asked about the crucial matter, "How do I upgrade the grade of this Law Treasure?"

"I don't know how to upgrade the rank, but I've heard it's extremely difficult, almost impossible," the longsword said, then changed the subject, "The rank of Law Treasure is often fixed when it's forged. Some Law Treasure are born as Mid-Tier Magical Treasure or even High-Tier Magical Treasure!"

"So that's how it is..." Qiu Yan nodded, then suddenly a thought struck him. His eyes shifted, and his gaze fell on the three items on the table. "Since some Mid-Tier Magical Treasure possess self-awareness, these three items are Mid-Tier Magical Treasure. I wonder if they also have consciousness? Brother Jian, could you perhaps discern something?"

"Law Treasure with self-awareness are generally difficult to control, but if they are deliberately concealed, they are not easily discovered. However, these three things are all related to Middle Ancient Schools. Many of the Hundred Schools of thought at that time did not agree with ghosts and gods and advocated Human Path. Their spirit could ward off all evil. Since these three things have such an origin, it is difficult for them to develop self-awareness. At most, they may retain some spirituality."

"There's such a saying?" Upon hearing this news, a flash of Spiritual Light struck Qiu Yan, but before he could grasp Spiritual Light, a sudden change occurred on his Divine Spirit Body, drawing his attention to it.

"Hmm? The refining of the two dragons has reached its final stage, causing changes in the mountain range and alarming that small sect on the branch of Lixiu Mountain."