Mid-Grade Dharma Artifact

Ruan Yu did not dare be negligent. She respectfully accepted the Ripple-Pattern Sword with both hands, and it felt icy cold in her grasp.

She had forged this item herself, so naturally she was familiar with it.

She held it in her hands and examined it for a moment before saying even more deferentially, "This sword's grade can still be refined a step or two further. If we can draw upon the Essence of Kan Water here, re-temper and forge it, and thoroughly melt the water-element spiritual charm into it, it will surely become a Mid-Grade Dharma Artifact."

"Then I'll trouble you with it." Shen Qingzhou nodded.

"You overstate it, Senior! You saved my daughter and me, and you are even willing to stand guard for us. It is only natural that this junior forge a sword for you!"

Ruan Yu hurriedly said, afraid he might misunderstand. "It's only that drawing upon the Essence of Kan Water requires some special spiritual materials as catalysts, and this junior's means are rather straitened..."

Before she could finish, Shen Qingzhou took several pieces of Azure Jade Marrow and Cliffspring Stone from his storage pouch.

"Are these enough?"

At the sight of those water-element spiritual materials shimmering with spiritual light, Ruan Yu's eyes went wide.

Every one of these things was worth a fortune, yet he had casually taken them out.

"Enough! More than enough!" She solemnly accepted the materials. "Rest assured, Senior. Within three days, this junior will temper this sword anew and will not fail your trust!"

Having said that, she wasted no more time and skillfully began arranging the Earthfire Formation.

Ya'er obediently helped at the side. She no longer dared to stare curiously as she had before, only daring to swiftly steal a glance from the corner of her eye whenever she lowered her head.

Shen Qingzhou did not concern himself with them. He closed his eyes and sank his divine sense into the earth beneath his feet.

Su Yu had not deceived him.

Although the Kan Water Origin Embryo at the core of this earth vein had been taken away, the water-element spiritual qi accumulated over several centuries had scattered as a result, merging into the entire lake and surrounding land.

The spiritual qi here was abundant, gentle, and pure.

There could be no better place to break through a bottleneck.

The next three days passed in calm by the lake.

Ruan Yu focused wholeheartedly on refining the artifact.

She first refined the Azure Jade Marrow and Cliffspring Stone into spiritual liquid, arranged a spirit-drawing formation, and carefully drew out a thread of deep-blue Essence of Kan Water from the depths of the earth vein.

Then she placed the Ripple-Pattern Sword over the earthfire, forged it with a secret method, and slowly fused the Essence of Kan Water and spiritual liquid into the blade.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The crisp sounds of hammering echoed along the lakeshore for three days and three nights.

Shen Qingzhou sat in meditation some distance away, guarding them while silently adjusting his own condition and raising his essence, qi, and spirit to their peak.

During that time, Ruan Yu also told him quite a bit of information about the Northern Wastes.

Many of the materials she used to forge artifacts had been obtained there. However, because her cultivation was weak, she could only scavenge along its fringes, so she knew only the general situation.

"The Northern Wastes are harsh and perilous, with poisonous miasma and demon beasts running rampant. Rogue Cultivators find it exceedingly difficult to survive there. The ones truly entrenched there are the three great sects and the cultivation lineages dependent on them."

"The Earth Spirit Sect holds the greatest power in the Northern Wastes and occupies several of the richest mineral veins. Their disciples are domineering in their conduct and especially hostile toward outsiders. Ah, if Rogue Cultivators like us could join a sect and receive its protection, life would be much easier."

"Oh? With Fellow Daoist's artifact-forging skill, surely becoming a guest elder of a lineage would be more than within reach. Why endure the hardship of being a Rogue Cultivator?"

Shen Qingzhou asked curiously.

"This... there are some difficulties I cannot speak of."

Ruan Yu looked somewhat embarrassed and lightly glossed over the matter.

Seeing this, Shen Qingzhou had no intention of probing further.

At dusk on the third day, the glow of the earthfire furnace finally died away.

A clear, soaring sword cry rang out.

Holding a brand-new longsword, Ruan Yu walked up to Shen Qingzhou. Her face showed a trace of exhaustion, but even more excitement.

Being able to refine a Mid-Grade Dharma Artifact was no small gain for her as well.

"Senior, I have not failed your trust."

Shen Qingzhou opened his eyes and accepted the longsword.

It was still the same Ripple-Pattern Sword, but its blade had become more profound. The once-dull rippling patterns now seemed to have come alive, flowing slowly along the blade with dim light contained within.

It weighed a third more heavily in his hand than before.

He infused it with a thread of Abyss-Hiding Sword Essence. The blade gave a delighted hum, and the water-ripple patterns upon it suddenly lit up before swiftly fading, as though they were breathing.

"A fine sword." Shen Qingzhou praised it sincerely.

After being re-tempered, the Ripple-Pattern Sword had reached the grade of a Mid-Grade Dharma Artifact, its power increasing by at least thirty percent over before.

Obtaining such an item at almost no cost was an unexpected delight.

"Thank you," Shen Qingzhou said. Even if Ruan Yu deserved no credit, she had still put in the labor.

"Senior, if you wish to improve this sword further in the future, you may need to hunt first-rank demon beasts in the Northern Wastes and obtain suitable materials. Only then might there be some hope."

Ruan Yu reminded him softly.

She glanced again at her daughter, who was tightly clutching the corner of her robes. At last, as if she had made some sort of decision, she gave Shen Qingzhou a deep bow.

"This junior presumptuously has a request."

"Speak." Shen Qingzhou looked at her.

"This junior presumptuously guesses that Senior must come from a renowned great sect?"

Ruan Yu asked cautiously. Seeing Shen Qingzhou neither confirm nor deny it, she gathered her courage and continued, "This junior dares not ask for too much. I only hope that if there is an opportunity in the future, Senior might recommend Ya'er and give her a chance to knock upon the gates of immortality. Even if she can only become a menial disciple, it would still be better than wandering everywhere with me..."

By the end, her voice carried a trace of pleading.

Shen Qingzhou was not surprised. Between sect disciples and Rogue Cultivators, whether in bearing, foundations, or style of conduct, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. It was not strange that she had seen through him.

Recommending a child for entry into a sect was indeed no more than a lift of the hand for him.

If the girl's aptitude was decent, the sect would even grant a considerable amount of contribution points as a reward for the recommendation. If she failed, there would be no loss.

After pondering for a moment, he did not directly agree. Instead, he flipped his hand and took out a pale-green talisman, handing it to Ruan Yu.

"This is the child talisman of a Parent-Child Message Talisman. If the Profound Heaven Sect opens its gates widely to recruit disciples within the next three years, activate this talisman, and someone will naturally come to recommend her."

After a pause, he added, "However... whether she can truly knock open the gates of immortality will ultimately depend on her own fate and affinity."

Though she had not received a definite answer, obtaining such a talisman was already an enormous blessing.

A lone Rogue Cultivator without connections or backing found it very difficult to enter an immortal sect.

Ruan Yu was beside herself with excitement and thanked him again and again. "Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior, for granting this!"

The two women then left in complete satisfaction.

After seeing Ruan Yu and her daughter off, Shen Qingzhou was finally the only person left along the shores of Kan Water Lake.

His figure flashed, and he vanished from where he stood, preparing to find a hidden place to break through to Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.

Silence returned to the shores of Kan Water Lake.

Shen Qingzhou stood beside the lake, his divine sense like invisible feelers slowly sinking into the land beneath his feet.

What Su Yu had said was true.

She had taken away the core treasure of Kan Water Lake, but the spiritual qi accumulated here over several centuries remained. Shen Qingzhou quickly found the place at the bottom of the lake where the spiritual qi was most concentrated.

Without hesitation, he dove to the lakebed and dropped himself into a hollow. The muddy water around him immediately parted of its own accord, leaving an open space at his side.

He closed his eyes and circulated the Abyss-Sinking Formula with all his strength. The black pool within his dantian immediately transformed into a massive vortex.

The dense spiritual qi around him seemed to have found an outlet. It became streams of visible blue water that desperately burrowed into his body, all of them finally flowing into his dantian.

At the critical juncture of breaking through the bottleneck, Shen Qingzhou's consciousness was utterly clear. He began reorganizing his foundational cultivation method—the Abyss-Sinking Formula.

Cultivation was cultivation. If one did not use one's mind or think, one was destined not to go far.

The profession panel only granted him the most basic abilities of every kind; it could not completely replace his own thought.

Cultivation was like building a house. Those profession abilities were like bricks one after another. If he himself did not know how to stack them, it would still be impossible to construct a house.

The cultivation method came from Cloud Hermit. It could be said that his original purpose in entering his master's sect had been this very method.

This method perfectly matched his natal Qi Seed, [Kan Water Lineage · Abyss-Hiding Sword], and was the foundation of his entire Dao Path.

During the Early Qi Refining Stage, the true meaning of the method was "hide the edge within gentle ripples."

Upon reaching the Mid Qi Refining Stage, its true meaning became "gather slaughter within a still abyss."

When still, all things sank; when moving, it struck like thunder.

Now, he stood at the peak of the Sixth Level of Qi Refining and was about to enter the Late Qi Refining Stage.

Where did the road ahead lie?

The description of the Late Qi Refining Stage in the jade slip bestowed by Cloudveil True Person surfaced in his mind.

If the early stage was concealment and the middle stage was restraint, then the late stage was "draw forth grand qi, lead the Heavenly River into the abyss."

At this step, merely cultivating bitterly and accumulating dharma power was no longer enough. He had to rely on spiritual materials whose imagery aligned with the Ginseng Water Dao Lineage, such as Star-Seer Grass and Heavenly River Sand, to elevate the "standing" of his dharma power.

Every three levels formed a new heaven and earth, each with its own scenery.

He could clearly feel that the gap between the first and third levels was far smaller than the gap between the third and fourth levels.

Likewise, the difference between the Seventh Level of Qi Refining and the sixth was enormous. Even the benefits granted by [Dao Strife] had been greatly reduced. Hoping to simply lie low and cultivate behind closed doors was nearly impossible.

Fighting across realms was also exceedingly difficult. Since he preferred not to suffer when he could avoid it, he would rather suppress others with his cultivation realm. That was more reliable.

Personal strength was ultimately limited. Only by integrating oneself into the great momentum of a Dao Lineage could one pry upon the power of heaven and earth and glimpse the scenery at greater heights.

This was the true mystery of Dao Lineage cultivation.

Having understood this, Shen Qingzhou no longer had any obstruction in his heart.

With a thought, the vast spiritual qi accumulated within his meridians, long since at its critical point, surged thunderously toward that invisible barrier!