NOVPUB
Chapter 363: Artifact Refinement
Shaohua Mountain.
Qin Sang appeared at Dao Peak.
The disciples coming and going on Dao Peak were all unfamiliar faces. Using the Spirit Evasion Art, Qin Sang concealed his cultivation to avoid unnecessary trouble. He followed the stone steps up to the wooden hall of Dao Peak.
The hall doors were open, and disciples were moving in and out. Entering the hall, Qin Sang did not see Senior Brother Wen but instead spotted a long-lost acquaintance—Zhuang Yan.
"Senior Brother Zhuang."
Qin Sang noticed that Zhuang Yan had successfully broken through to the Foundation Building Realm. It seemed that his years of diligent cultivation had not been in vain.
"Junior Brother Qin!"
Zhuang Yan was in the middle of assigning tasks to a disciple. When he looked up and saw Qin Sang, his face immediately lit up with joy. After sending the disciple away with a few words, he strode over and laughed heartily. "I heard news from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield that you've already reached the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm. Calling you 'Junior Brother' now feels a bit unconvincing! Luckily, we didn’t meet a few years earlier, or I would have had to address you as Senior Uncle for several more years. I wouldn’t have known where to hide my old face! Hahaha..."
Qin Sang chuckled and clasped his hands playfully. "Congratulations, congratulations! Senior Brother Zhuang has finally turned over a new leaf... Where is Senior Brother Wen?"
Zhuang Yan shook his head helplessly and said, "Master has decided to spend his remaining years in peace, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs. He’s probably playing chess with some old friend right now, leaving all the hard work to his disciple instead."
"Master?"
Qin Sang was taken aback, realizing that Zhuang Yan must have received Senior Brother Wen’s guidance and formally taken him as his master.
The way the three of them addressed each other sounded rather confusing, but in the world of immortal cultivation, this was normal.
Qin Sang referred to Senior Brother Wen and Senior Brother Zhuang based on the common customs of the immortal cultivation world and their personal relationships, allowing for considerable flexibility as long as it did not offend anyone.
Zhuang Yan formally becoming Senior Brother Wen’s disciple was a private matter.
The bond between master and disciple was of utmost importance. Even if the disciple surpassed the master in cultivation, he still had to show proper respect and follow tradition.
Public and private matters were kept separate. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
Each maintained their own relationships.
Zhuang Yan pulled Qin Sang into a quiet chamber and had him sit. "Master was overjoyed when he heard you broke through to the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm. He even cheered loudly. I'll send him a message right now—he’ll definitely be thrilled. But first, tell me, what is the real situation inside the Ancient Immortal Battlefield..."
"Senior Brother Zhuang, are you planning to train in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield?" Qin Sang caught the underlying meaning in his words.
Zhuang Yan nodded. "Staying within the sect is safe, but it’s hard to make great progress. Only by venturing outside can I find opportunities. Master agrees with this as well."
Seeing the hidden longing in Zhuang Yan's eyes, Qin Sang could guess that he probably believed Qin Sang had encountered a great fortune in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, allowing him to break through. Qin Sang didn’t refute him and instead mused, "Senior Brother Zhuang, now might not be the best time to go to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. You’ve heard about the approaching Spirit Tide, haven’t you?"
Zhuang Yan let out a hum and leaned in slightly, speaking in a hushed tone. "Rumors have been spreading lately, and even the disciples in the Qi Refining Realm are whispering about it. How could I not know? To prepare for the coming changes, Senior Brother Qi has taken charge of sect affairs, while Sect Leader Yu has been reduced to a mere figurehead, solely to prevent panic among the disciples. The sect is also assembling forces to patrol Yuncang Marshlands. I’ve been hesitating—should I go to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, or should I stay and patrol Yuncang Marshlands?"
"The Spirit Tide is approaching, and chaos is already stirring in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Compared to patrolling Yuncang Marshlands, it’s hard to say which is more dangerous. However, since we have the sect as our backing, if you are determined, there is still some time before the Spirit Tide fully erupts—you might still be able to make a trip to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield," replied Qin Sang.
With that, Qin Sang detailed his experiences in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, leaving the decision to Zhuang Yan.
Zhuang Yan fell silent, deep in thought.
From his words, Qin Sang learned that not only Shaohua Mountain but also several major sects were organizing forces to patrol Yuncang Marshlands and Tianduan Mountains. It was only then that Qin Sang truly felt the growing tension in the situation.
He needed to carefully plan his own path forward as well.
Not long after, Senior Brother Wen returned. The three of them reunited and had an enjoyable conversation, talking and laughing until dusk. Then, Qin Sang bid farewell to the two and made his way to Treasure Tower Peak.
At Treasure Tower Peak, Qin Sang first selected a few spells to cultivate in the future. Then, he delved into the vast collection of ancient texts, searching meticulously.
The next morning.
A streak of evasion light shot out from Treasure Tower Peak, heading toward a verdant peak on the outskirts of Shaohua Mountain's sect grounds.
Though this peak appeared unremarkable among the surrounding mountains, it was uniquely situated on a spirit vein of Shaohua Mountain. The peak itself was not particularly grand, but it housed several cave dwellings suitable for Foundation Building cultivators.
The evasion light circled the peak once before stopping in front of a cliff on its western side. The person who arrived was none other than Qin Sang.
Sweeping his gaze across the cliff face, Qin Sang raised his hand and activated a barrier. The cliff shimmered momentarily before revealing a hidden cave entrance. This was the cave dwelling Zhuang Yan had chosen after breaking through to the Foundation Building Realm, and for now, Qin Sang intended to borrow it.
After entering the cave dwelling and sealing the barrier, Qin Sang reflected on the previous night's efforts and couldn't help but shake his head.
Despite spending the entire night searching, most of the information related to Ziwei Palace was vague and elusive.
It was evident that any truly valuable knowledge was not stored in Treasure Tower Peak. It might even be restricted to Core Formation cultivators, a level he had yet to reach.
Another possibility was that Shaohua Mountain simply had very little knowledge of Ziwei Palace.
Ziwei Palace was shrouded in mystery. Even after so many Spiritual Infant grandmasters had ventured inside, only a fraction of it had been explored.
After pondering for a while, Qin Sang flipped his palm and retrieved the jade slip given to him by Shopkeeper Wu.
Back when he had first examined it in front of Shopkeeper Wu, he had only skimmed its contents without fully comprehending them. He had a vague sense that the jade slip contained insights beneficial to his ebony sword but had no idea how significant those benefits were.
Qin Sang speculated that this was likely due to the unique refinement method of the ebony sword.
According to the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, if he could obtain top-level spiritual wood, he could refine a life-bound spiritual sword at the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm, one that would rival an astra in power.
This suggested that the method recorded in the art for refining a life-bound spiritual sword had always followed the principles of astra refinement from the very beginning.
Given this, it was not surprising that he could extract insights from the jade slip that would aid in refining his ebony sword.
However, as Qin Sang delved deeper into the jade slip’s contents, he found it increasingly difficult to comprehend. Gaining a thorough understanding was far from easy.
He could already guess the reason—he knew nothing about artifact refinement. Without even a basic understanding of artifact forging, it was unrealistic to expect himself to grasp the profound knowledge within the jade slip.
His gaze shifted to the notes left behind by Shopkeeper Wu’s ancestor.
Compared to the jade slip, these notes were much more elementary. However, even these required practical application to be fully understood—sitting in a cave dwelling in silent meditation would not be enough.
Would he have to divert his attention to learning artifact refinement?
It wouldn’t be a complete waste. Once he reached the Core Formation Realm, such experience would surely prove useful when refining a life-bound astra. But at the moment, he simply couldn’t spare the energy.
Qin Sang shook his head in resignation and placed the jade slip back into his Mustard Seed Pouch.
From then on, he alternated between cultivation, visiting friends, and handling various trivial matters.
Unknowingly, the time for his departure had arrived.
