Sun and Moon Bells, Embroidered Gold

Before the sun had fully set, master and disciple finally returned to Chongming Pavilion.

"These are the supplies for your use..." The two sat facing each other in the hall. Su Fuxi handed Lin Sui a storage bag and waited for him to take it before continuing:

"Everything needed for this trip is inside: spirit stones, pills, talismans, magic treasures..."

"The most important thing is this-"

Su Fuxi took out the pair of bells she had bought that day. The little silver bells looked no bigger than pearls, tied to red cords with strings of pendants hanging from them.

The two bells bore a sun and a crescent moon, respectively, and were called the Sun and Moon Bells.

Ordinarily, they made no sound. Only when they were activated and sensed each other would they vibrate and chime softly. Su Fuxi casually handed Lin Sui the moon bell and kept the sun bell for herself.

"Make haste and refine the bell. Carry it with you at all times."

Su Fuxi stroked the sun bell, her tone serious:

"That secret realm is called the Forgotten Land. It's extremely dangerous inside. I'll follow your wishes; if you don't want to take the risk, wait at the sect for me to return."

"This disciple will naturally follow at Master's side. If I waited for Master to return, how long would I have to wait? This disciple is unwilling."

"Master has said that cultivating immortality isn't about keeping aloof from worldly strife."

Lin Sui tightened his grip on the moon bell. "How could I be a coward who shrinks from trouble?"

"Mm." Su Fuxi leisurely sipped her tea and set the cup down gently. "Make sure you familiarize yourself with all your magic treasures."

"Go on. We may be leaving in a few days."

Lin Sui rose, but before leaving, he asked, "Then, roughly when will we set out?"

"Within a month at the latest."

Master and disciple went into seclusion separately. Su Fuxi erased the soul imprint from the black spike she had obtained from the Golden Core elder and refined it into her own magic treasure. It was a magic treasure of exceptional speed and sharpness.

Besides that, the Golden Core elder's storage bag held a pile of spirit stones and materials, along with no small number of everyday consumables.

The most valuable thing, however, was a worn yellow booklet.

"Hmm... a beast-taming method. There aren't any sects in Tianshui Kingdom that practice it. Could this have been stolen too?"

Su Fuxi opened the old, musty booklet, her interest immediately piqued.

No wonder the elder had appeared in the demonic beast forest. Most of the materials in his storage bag were recorded in the booklet and intended for capturing a demonic beast. Judging by how thoroughly he had prepared, he had clearly come to refine a tamed beast.

Perhaps he had encountered Lin Sui shortly after arriving in the demonic beast forest and coveted his treasure. For someone at the Golden Core Stage to attack a Foundation Establishment junior was truly shameless.

If Su Fuxi had not arrived that day, the consequences would have been too dreadful to contemplate.

She had insisted on taking Lin Sui to the Forgotten Land precisely because the secret realm was far away and the trip would take years. She could not rest easy leaving her cultivation furnace somewhere beyond her reach.

As for the beast-taming method, it required selecting a demonic beast and controlling it with a Spirit Controlling Seal, then using other materials to refine its body, soul, and spirit, helping it advance in cultivation so it could be put to one's own use. The method could hardly be called gentle.

It also involved a kind of restriction that made even Su Fuxi's empty eyes suddenly sharpen. A soul restriction! There was actually such a restriction!

She immediately took out a blank jade slip and recorded the Beast Taming Soul Restriction separately, intending to study it thoroughly later and deepen her mastery of restrictions.

Then she touched a fingertip to the center of her brow. White light flashed, and a streak of light flew out like a shooting star, transforming into a blue crystal flying sword a zhang in front of her.

Waves of dazzling blue light shone from it, and occasional threads of purple arcing light played around its blade. This sword, too, was a magic treasure known for its speed and ability to pierce defenses.

Su Fuxi had had it for over two hundred years and had refined it for a long time. It had long been linked to her mind and spirit, and was unquestionably her lifebound magic treasure.

Since there was still some time, Su Fuxi took a piece of Golden Ring Wood from the Golden Core elder's storage bag. The wood was roughly a foot and a half long, and its concentric golden rings gave off a pale golden glow.

It was an excellent artifact-refining material, exceptionally tough in texture.

Su Fuxi tossed it into the air. Her hands formed seals at lightning speed, sending several into the block to slowly soften and grind it down. Then she gently breathed out a mouthful of her own core breath. The pink-green mist swiftly merged into the wood, slowly refining it.

When the time came, she sent a Fire Spirit Art into it, turning it into a ball of red flame that enveloped the block. She refined it like this for three days and three nights.

Beads of sweat formed on Su Fuxi's forehead. Only after another six hours did she slowly refine the Golden Ring Wood into a mass of golden liquid.

Su Fuxi immediately changed her hand seals and wrapped the blue crystal sword in the Golden Ring Wood liquid. She breathed out another mouthful of core breath, and once it had merged with the liquid, she sent out crimson flames to envelop the entire blade.

After an unknown length of time, the golden wood liquid began to seep into the blade under the heat. At that moment, she immediately drew a drop of essence blood from the center of her brow and flicked it into the blade.

The blue crystal blade swiftly absorbed the essence blood, giving off waves of bloody light, while the Golden Ring Wood liquid was gradually absorbed as well.

Twenty-one days later, the blue crystal sword was finally tempered anew.

Dazzling light shone from the entire blade. Threads of gold glimmered within its blue halo, purple arcs flashed across its surface, and its ringing was clear and resonant.

Su Fuxi traced a circle with both hands, then sank her qi into her dantian and slowly dispersed her cultivation technique. She wiped her forehead and opened her right hand. The sword moved at her will, slowly settling horizontally across her palm, its golden light gleaming.

Clang-!

She flicked it with a bent finger, and the blade vibrated with a metallic ring. It seemed to have gained a trace of resilience.

Only then did Su Fuxi smile in satisfaction. She had always worried that the sword was too brittle and easily broken. Now that she had added this excellent material, it was almost perfect.

The sword had a streamlined shape and a slender blade, several dozen inches shorter than an ordinary sword. Its form was delicate and elegant, and its speed was tremendous.

It was superb for catching opponents off guard. There was no telling how many experts had met bitter ends beneath it.

"From now on, I'll call you Embroidered Gold."

With that, she stood and patted down the hem of her robes. She formed a seal for the Dust-Cleansing Technique and silently called, Embroidered Gold. Blue and golden light flashed, and the sword turned into a shooting star that rushed into the sea of consciousness at the center of her brow.

Su Fuxi stepped lightly into the pavilion's hall, where she saw at once that Lin Sui was already waiting.

"You broke through?" She instantly sensed his increased cultivation: Late Foundation Establishment.

It was very stable, too, not the unsteady cultivation of someone who had just broken through.

"Mm." Lin Sui had held back at the qi refining stage for three years before reaching Foundation Establishment, and after that he had held back for another six years, only now reaching Late Foundation Establishment.

He had devoted most of his energy to practicing techniques, refining his sword, and studying the sword intent of the Mystic Sword. Otherwise, he would have reached Foundation Establishment Perfection long ago.

He was tall and broad now, and Su Fuxi did not like standing close to him, so she would not have to look up at him.

"What is it? Is something the matter?" Seeing that he seemed to have something he could not easily say, she could not help asking.

"Nothing..." Seated below her, Lin Sui shook his head like a man posting a sign that said, "No silver buried here."

Su Fuxi set down her teacup with a clack. "If you have questions about the trip to the secret realm, speak up!"

"It really is nothing... Master, are we going to the secret realm with the other elders?"

To outsiders, it was referred to only as the secret realm. In the upper circles of the immortal sects, however, the place was called the Forgotten Land.

"No." She glanced at Lin Sui and shook her head coldly.

Lin Sui brightened. "Oh, that's wonderful!"

Su Fuxi immediately looked at him. "Why?"

Yesterday, he had gone to the main hall to thank the sect master and had chanced upon the news that the Golden Core grand elder wanted to become Su Fuxi's Dao companion.

Lin Sui had been filled with shock, then sudden realization and annoyance. He had also heard that the grand elder was going to the secret realm, so naturally he did not want to travel with them.

Now that Su Fuxi had asked, Lin Sui could hardly tell her the reason. As her disciple, how could he dare meddle in his master's private affairs?

He hurriedly changed the subject. "Nothing... It's just, Master, I discovered that I've activated the Mystic Sword's second sword intent, and a sword inscription actually appeared."

Surprised and interested, Su Fuxi told him to release the sword from his sea of consciousness, and then...

"Idiot! That's a sword spirit!"

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