NOVPUBChapter 182
The Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace.
Originally crafted from a natural spirit-gathering stone, it had been imbued with numerous ninefold formations. However, the stone’s potential far exceeded its current state as a top-tier artifact.
Back then, Ning Changge had resolved to one day reforge the furnace when his cultivation reached greater heights, allowing it to fully evolve.
Now, that time had come.
“The Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace’s spiritual liquid can no longer keep up with my pace. At best, it’s useful for nurturing the spiritual herbs in the garden. Its benefits for alchemy and artifact refinement have diminished significantly, and the ordinary spiritual fire within the furnace is no longer sufficient,” Ning Changge mused, carefully considering ways to optimize the furnace.
Gradually, a plan began to take shape.
First, the spirit-gathering formations and spiritual fire formations needed to be completely overhauled, both in quantity and quality.
Next was the spatial formation.
A spatial formation would allow the furnace to contain its own internal space, unlocking even greater potential.
“Perhaps I can integrate my understanding of the Five Elements Avatar into the design. If I can achieve mastery over size, the furnace could expand to the size of a mountain during battle. That would be immensely satisfying,” Ning Changge thought, an idea sparking in his mind.
The Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace shouldn’t be limited to assisting with alchemy and artifact refinement—it could also be a weapon.
Deciding not to rush into the reforging process, Ning Changge closed his eyes and began meditating.
The principles of the Five Elements Avatar flowed through his mind, and a five-colored light shimmered faintly around him. Nearby, Golden Spirit, the spiritual monkey, watched with awe. He knew that his master’s cultivation had grown even more unfathomable. Only he truly understood how powerful Ning Changge was.
The Five Elements Avatar was Ning Changge’s own creation.
Separating the support of the Five Elements’ power and focusing solely on the transformation of the avatar itself wasn’t difficult for him.
Within a few hours, Ning Changge opened his eyes, a look of satisfaction on his face.
He extended a finger, and a thread of mana hovered at its tip. With a series of hand seals, the mana transformed into a unique formation and landed on a Daoist scripture. The scripture instantly expanded a hundredfold in size, pinning down the small monkey who had been dusting it.
Golden Spirit froze, but upon realizing it was Ning Changge teasing him, he broke into a silly grin, scratching his head in confusion.
Moments later, under Golden Spirit’s astonished gaze, the scripture rapidly shrank to the size of a fingernail.
—
[System Notification]
– Inspired by the Five Elements Avatar, you have removed the support of the Five Elements’ power and mastered the transformation of size. You have created the Ruyi Formation!
—
The Ruyi Formation!
This formation allowed objects to change size at will—expanding to the size of a mountain or shrinking to the size of a speck of dust. Its applications were extraordinary.
Golden Spirit’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He immediately bowed before Ning Changge, his gaze filled with eager anticipation.
Ning Changge laughed heartily. “You want to learn this, little monkey?”
Golden Spirit nodded vigorously.
Ning Changge smiled faintly. “You’re close to achieving your Four-Zhang True Form. If you succeed within a month, I’ll teach you.”
If Golden Spirit could achieve his Four-Zhang True Form, he would rival a Land Immortal in power.
Ning Changge decided to give him a little motivation.
Golden Spirit’s eyes shone with determination. After bowing respectfully, he dashed out of the Library Pavilion, eager to train and reach the Four-Zhang True Form as soon as possible. The promise of a reward from his master filled him with boundless energy.
For a moment, the little monkey’s enthusiasm amused Ning Changge.
Shaking his head with a smile, he turned his attention back to the Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace.
With the Ruyi Formation successfully comprehended, it was time to reforge the furnace!
—
The Five Elements Spiritual Tree within Ning Changge swayed, releasing waves of mana that sharpened his spiritual clarity. Adjusting his state to its peak, Ning Changge extended a hand, summoning a black flame.
Samadhi True Fire!
The flame burned silently, radiating an unsettling energy.
“Refine!” Ning Changge commanded.
The black flame surged, engulfing the Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace. The goal wasn’t to completely melt the furnace but to purify it of all impurities.
The terrifying power of the Samadhi True Fire was undeniable.
In mere moments, the originally black-and-red furnace began transforming into a pure black color. The red hue represented impurities that Ning Changge, during his earlier cultivation, had been unable to fully remove.
Now, after refinement, the half-human-tall furnace shrank noticeably.
One by one, rare materials flew out of Ning Changge’s Storage Ring, supplementing the furnace’s essence.
The black flame burned steadily, and the Library Pavilion remained silent, betraying no hint of the extraordinary artifact refinement taking place within.
The furnace’s original formations were completely erased by the Samadhi True Fire.
At this stage, the furnace appeared unremarkable, making it the perfect time for reconstruction.
Ning Changge’s eyes gleamed with divine light. As the pioneer of artifact refinement, he had mastered every level of the craft. Refining an artifact of this caliber was effortless for him.
His mana surged.
His fingers moved like shadows, weaving one formation after another and embedding them into the furnace.
—
Ninety-Nine Samadhi True Fire Formations!
Ninety-Nine Seven Stars Spirit-Gathering Formations!
These were upgraded versions of the spiritual fire and spirit-gathering formations.
Not only were they of higher quality, but their quantity had also increased from nine to ninety-nine, resulting in an exponential leap in power!
As the formations were inscribed, the Mountain River Spirit Gathering Furnace turned completely black. Intricate flame patterns, a gift of the Samadhi True Fire, began to spread across its surface.
