Refining a Life-Bound Sword required long years of nurturing. It had to be nourished with one's own essence, energy, and spirit, and continually tempered through one's understanding of the Dao. Over time, it would gradually become a part of one's life.
Not only would its power surpass that of ordinary refined artifacts, but it could also grow alongside Jiang Ming's cultivation.
A Life-Bound Sword could change size at will. With a single thought, it could merge into one's divine sense and kill enemies thousands of miles away. As far as divine sense could reach, so could its attacks.
Jiang Ming picked up a thumb-sized piece of Star-Pattern Iron beside him. With a thought, the half-foot-long Azure-Edge Glazed Sword rapidly shrank until it resembled an embroidery needle. With a whoosh, it pierced into the Star-Pattern Iron.
Star-Pattern Iron was one of the finest materials available to Wheel of the Sea Secret Realm cultivators for refining artifacts.
Unfortunately, a thumb-sized piece was a little too small. If it were as large as a goose egg, that would have been enough.
Still, Jiang Ming intended to use this precious piece of Star-Pattern Iron to nurture his Life-Bound Sword.
Buzz~~~
As Jiang Ming circulated his technique, a halo appeared on the surface of the embroidery-needle-sized Life-Bound Sword. Crystalline ripples flowed across it as it continuously devoured the essence of the Star-Pattern Iron as though drinking water. Specks of radiance were absorbed by the Azure-Edge Glazed Sword, while fragments gradually began to fall from the Star-Pattern Iron's surface, which had once shimmered with deep-blue starlight.
About ten minutes passed. The tiny sword trembled happily and let out a resonant clang of sword song.
The thumb-sized piece of Star-Pattern Iron had already turned into a small pinch of ash-like impurities.
Jiang Ming did not stop nurturing his Life-Bound Sword. He still had enough true essence and divine sense. With a soft hum, the embroidery-needle-sized Life-Bound Sword trembled again and pierced into a soybean-sized piece of Purple Copper.
This bit of Purple Copper was spoils taken from that dead man of the Li Family. It was even more valuable than Star-Pattern Iron, on the same level as Star Iron. It was the finest artifact-refining material for cultivators of the next secret realm, the Dao Palace Secret Realm.
But now it benefited Jiang Ming. Originally, even with fragments of Yimu Heartwood added, his sword had been fairly ordinary, because Yimu Heartwood itself was comparable in quality to Star-Pattern Iron.
As for the main material, Azure Wood, it was the heartwood of a century-old Tree Demon, refined into the sword.
Jiang Ming's master had given it to him. Otherwise, with Jiang Ming's strength, he certainly would not have been able to defeat a century-old Tree Demon.
After Jiang Ming had reforged the sword just now, it had become centered around fragments of Yimu Star, having devoured the essence of the original Azure Wood Heart.
After half an hour, the soybean-sized piece of Purple Copper had been stripped of all its essence. Almost nothing remained, save for a wisp of purple smoke rising into the air.
Jiang Ming could feel the joy of his Life-Bound Sword. It was a wonderful sensation. When he had chosen to refine it into his sole Life-Bound Sword, he had endowed it with spirituality. It was now like a quasi-Spirit Artifact, naturally a tier above ordinary refined artifacts.
In the Immortal Sword World, treasures refined by cultivators were roughly divided into artifact, Spirit Artifact, magic treasure, and Spirit Treasure.
Based on Jiang Ming's understanding of the Shrouding Method, only treasures refined by Dao Palace Secret Realm cultivators could truly be called Spirit Artifacts.
Now, after devouring so many resources, his Life-Bound Sword had risen another level in essence.
Jiang Ming looked over the artifact spoils: a golden awl, a purple net, a silver buckler, a small bronze hammer, a blood-red spear, and the Green Wood Sword.
They were all standard artifacts, made from common materials that Sea of Bitterness cultivators could acquire. Jiang Ming found them beneath his notice. There was no need for his Life-Bound Sword to devour their essence; it would make little difference either way.
He could simply sell them in exchange for cultivation resources.
These artifacts were all common goods, so he did not need to worry about anyone recognizing their origins.
Jiang Ming's Life-Bound Sword had now changed from its original green glazed appearance into a glazed sword flowing with a purple halo and specks of deep-blue starlight.
Nurturing and refining a Life-Bound Sword could not be accomplished overnight. For an ordinary sword cultivator, it would likely take ten years of hard work to nurture one into a Spirit Artifact-grade Life-Bound Sword.
But Jiang Ming was different. With his Sword Dao realm and the Great Freedom God-Demon Sword Intent he had comprehended, he could nurture a flying sword more than a hundred times faster. He believed that within a month at most, his Life-Bound Sword would become a Spirit Artifact.
When he had become a demon, he had comprehended the Great Freedom Demonic Sword Intent.
When he ascended, a single thought had made him an Immortal, and he had comprehended the Great Freedom Divine Sword Intent.
"Come."
Jiang Ming reached out. His Life-Bound Sword floated before him, expanding rapidly from the size of an embroidery needle. Purple and green radiance bloomed from it, adorned with blue starlight, until it reached a full three feet and one inch in length. It was like an ordinary sheathed sword as he reached out and grasped this divine sword.
This was a Life-Bound Sword. It could be nurtured in the dantian or carried on one's back, constantly nourished by one's aura, true essence, and even divine sense.
After being consumed, these things could be restored. This was also one of the cultivation advantages of sword cultivators.
The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold; the sharpness of a treasured sword comes from relentless grinding.
Jiang Ming's cultivation was now at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage. In theory, he was comparable to a Life Spring cultivator of the Shrouding Method.
At the very least, in this area, as long as he did not provoke elder-level figures, he was capable of protecting himself.
Jiang Ming certainly would not be content with such a level of cultivation. He had only just awakened his memories.
He had yet to obtain a Shrouding Method worthy of him. From his understanding of the Heavenly Tyrant Body, his innate essence was exceptionally abundant. Correspondingly, he would consume more resources during cultivation.
But that was also a good thing. Every additional bit of cultivation resources he used would become accumulated foundation. In the end, he himself would be the one to benefit.
It was like ordinary people: some elders from the older generation could eat ten steamed buns in one meal and still carry three hundred jin up eight flights of stairs at sixty.
Yet some young adults could eat only two steamed buns in one meal, and carrying one hundred jin up four flights of stairs would nearly kill them.
Only by eating could one have strength.
The fact that his constitution could consume resources was also a good thing for Jiang Ming.
What was certain was that his resource consumption was nowhere near as outrageous as Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body. After all, the Heavenly Tyrant Body had not been cursed. Paying some price was perfectly normal.
Since he currently had no Shrouding Method suited to his constitution, there was no need to rush into cultivation. He could not just practice any random method and waste this Heavenly Tyrant Body, could he?
Besides, he could still cultivate the methods of Chinese Paladin. This world was not overly harsh. The Desolate Heavenly Emperor was generous; it was not as though he forbade later generations of the Human Race from creating their own methods.
He just wondered whether there would be a Law-Creation Tribulation, and when it would descend.
As he cultivated bit by bit, even if there was a Law-Creation Tribulation, it should logically strike him according to his realm. It could not possibly exceed his cultivation realm just to insist on killing him.
There was still some time before dawn. Jiang Ming began meditating and practicing Qi Refining. Even without cultivation resources, he could still refine and absorb the world's natural essence.
For him, cultivation had now entered the proper track. He could completely replace sleep with meditation.
Time rewound to daytime.
Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven!
During the day, Elder Lei, Jiang Ming's master, heard a disciple's report and saw Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming had been in terrible condition, seemingly crazed.
After chasing after him, Elder Lei failed to find Jiang Ming. Later, news of what had happened at Smoke Glow Ridge spread. Many cultivators had witnessed the Lightning Bird flock wreaking havoc there.
Elder Lei rushed to Smoke Glow Ridge and naturally saw Green Bamboo Slope, which the Lightning Birds had blasted into a field of ravines.
Elder Lei had already roughly inferred what had happened. He had warned Jiang Ming and Lingzhi not to pick the Three Yin Cold Lotus. Even he did not dare go there.
Yet the two disciples had still refused to listen. He had not expected that they would survive the claws of Old Cold Chi in the freezing pool, only to provoke the Lightning Birds afterward. Could they have been bold enough to pick Lightning Grass?
Lightning Grass was a rare spirit herb that grew on cliffs around Lightning Bird nests. It was more than ten times as valuable as Jade Snake Orchid.
"Alas, foolish disciples. Too foolish for words. Rotten wood cannot be carved."
Elder Lei's aged body was draped in a purple robe, making him look like a piece of cloth hanging from a flagpole. Even gaunt and skeletal was insufficient to describe his hunched frame. He stretched out his dry, veined hands, their protruding veins like black chi dragons. His skin-wrapped bones clenched tightly as he spoke hoarsely in disappointment.
He stood a full one meter seventy tall. It was certain that he had been at least one meter eighty in his youth. Now, his snow-white hair was disheveled, with only a few meticulously combed strands smoothed behind his head. His face was already little more than skin and bone, his cheekbones high and prominent, making him look like someone who had spent his entire life refusing to yield.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
At that moment, the old man broke into a violent coughing fit. He turned into a streak of purple light and left.
Though he did not know exactly what had happened, Elder Lei had seen much in his nearly one hundred and sixty years of life. It was not as if disciples had never gone out to gain experience and died outside before.
But this disciple, Jiang Ming, possessed outstanding talent, comparable to half an Immortal seedling. Elder Lei had placed great hopes upon him, believing Jiang Ming could go farther than he had and help watch over his descendants.
Lingzhi's talent was also excellent, second only to Jiang Ming's. As husband and wife, supporting one another, perhaps both of them could become Divine Bridge cultivators in the future and have the chance to see the Other Shore.
Yet everything had gone to waste.
Sure enough, by nightfall, neither Jiang Ming nor Lingzhi had returned to Smoke Glow Grotto-Heaven.
Disciples generally did not dare spend the night outside. This situation seemed to foretell something.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Late at night, a piercing bout of coughing came from Elder Lei's cave dwelling.
"Father, you must take care of yourself. Junior Brother Jiang Ming is blessed by fate. He will definitely be all right."
Inside the cave dwelling, another equally aged old man looked at Elder Lei with concern.
He was a Sea of Bitterness cultivator, already over a hundred years old, and he did not have much longer to live.
Elder Lei was a Life Spring cultivator and should theoretically have been able to live to around one hundred and fifty. However, he had taken some Longevity Pills and stubbornly held on for another three to five years.
Elder Han of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven was a few years younger than Elder Lei and had similar cultivation. He too only had a few years left. That was why, in the original story, he had set his sights on Ye Fan and wanted to use Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body to refine pills and extend his life.
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