After the spring rains came boundless vitality.
Two days after Grain Rain, bamboo shoots poked up through the grove, and green buds burst from the stalks. Verdant plants bathed in a new dawn, the entire earth painted gold by the sky. Heaven and earth shared a single hue, dreamlike and unreal.
Counting that dinner, Qidunston had cooked more than six meals for himself by now.
He quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor and drew close to sense the room. The Elemental Spirit Qi pouring out had not diminished. Instead, it had grown denser and more concentrated. It seemed the young man was still immersed in condensing his artifact, which pleased Qidunston but also stirred a trace of worry.
When Elemental Artifact Masters first condensed an Elemental Artifact, they often struggled to get things right, much as a blacksmith's apprentice struggled to judge the temperature of molten iron. This affected the subsequent condensation process, slowing it at best and rendering it fruitless at worst.
Qidunston could not help recalling his own first attempt. Back then, he had spent an entire half month using elemental spirit energy to form inscriptions before finally condensing a handful of soil into an Earth Elemental Artifact.
"Your talent for Elemental Artifacts knows no bounds. Even if this is all I teach you, you'll still be able to draw out their limitless potential in the future." He still remembered every word of his master's praise that day.
The boy had already spent three days in his room, yet the Elemental Spirit Qi remained just as concentrated and abundant. With his wealth of experience, Qidunston could naturally tell that successful condensation was still a long way off. But he could also see the young man's determination. Just like Qidunston in his younger days, he evidently wanted