Chapter 415: Spirit Nourishing Dust, Half-Step to Eighth Rank
After obtaining what they needed, Mo Yu and his companions didn't linger any longer. They headed straight for the first floor and left the Blacksmiths' Trading Conference. Thanks to Feng Mu's arrangement, Mo Yu settled into a small courtyard that belonged to him.
The courtyard was located in the center of the city, a great location, and not far from the headquarters of the Weapon Alliance, making it ideal for Mo Yu to stay.
"Junior brother, you can stay here for now. I, Junior Sister Yingying, and Teacher are nearby, so if anything happens, we'll be able to respond quickly. Also, don't forget the Blacksmithing Tournament in three days," Feng Mu said with a smile after leading Mo Yu into the courtyard.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Feng," Mo Yu replied, cupping his hands in gratitude. He couldn't help but feel a growing sense of respect for his senior brother.
"Heh, we're all family. No need to be so formal," Feng Mu waved his hand.
After settling Mo Yu into the courtyard, Feng Mu and Lan Yingying said their goodbyes, leaving Mo Yu alone.
As night quickly approached, Mo Yu couldn't wait to shut the courtyard gate behind him and head into his room.
Inside the room, Mo Yu stood by the table where the strange copper fragment he had just acquired was placed.
The fragment was a pale yellow in color and covered in twisting green rust that looked like wriggling earthworms. The rust had corroded and obscured the patterns on the surface of the copper fragment.
Mo Yu squinted his eyes slightly and then brought his fingers together. A wisp of Dou Qi gathered at his fingertips, forming a thin Dou Qi needle. Holding the needle, he carefully inserted it into the rust-covered surface of the copper fragment.
Under Mo Yu's delicate touch, the green rust slowly began to fall away, flaking off onto the table.
Time passed, and after nearly half an hour of careful work, Mo Yu had completely removed all the rust from the copper fragment.
With that done, Mo Yu curled his palm, and a suction force pulled all the green rust into his hand, forming it into a thumb-sized green ball.
"This really is an ancient relic—there's definitely something special about it. But it still needs to be refined," Mo Yu muttered, eyeing the green ball with a raised eyebrow. He summoned a red lightning flame and engulfed the green ball in it.
Under the intense heat of Mo Yu's fire, the green ball began to melt after about ten minutes.
As the melting process accelerated, Mo Yu noticed that the green color of the ball was gradually fading. Tiny particles of pale yellow dust began to separate from the molten rust, floating in the fire like shimmering fireflies. These dust particles exuded a strong spiritual energy, making them appear almost alive.
After around two minutes, the dust stopped falling, and the green ball disintegrated into nothing.
Once the ball had disintegrated, five specks of pale yellow dust, glowing with a vibrant spiritual essence, hovered in the red lightning flames. No matter how intensely the flames burned, the dust remained unchanged.
"It really is Spirit Nourishing Dust!" Mo Yu's eyes sparkled as he stared at the five tiny specks of dust, and a smile of excitement spread across his face.
When Mo Yu first saw the copper fragment, it had felt familiar. After thinking it over carefully, he realized that it resembled an ancient treasure from Xiao Yan's original story.
That treasure turned out to be none other than Spirit Nourishing Dust!
In ancient times, Spirit Nourishing Dust was quite famous. It was not only a necessary ingredient for refining eighth-rank or higher-tier pills, but it also had the ability to enhance the soul. By integrating it into one's soul, it could gradually increase the spiritual energy within, allowing a soul to step into what was known as the "Spiritual Realm."
The Spiritual Realm required the soul to possess the spiritual qualities found in powerful pills, and just as refining an eighth-rank weapon required infusing it with spiritual energy, the same principle applied here.
However, in order to enhance one's soul in this way, the soul had to be filled with enough spiritual energy, something that could only be felt through specific soul-cultivation techniques. While Mo Yu's Divine Sky Soul Art possessed this ability, its rate of absorption was slow due to his current strength.
Spirit Nourishing Dust, on the other hand, was different. As an ancient relic, it could significantly increase the absorption of spiritual energy.
Moreover, when refining an eighth-rank weapon, adding Spirit Nourishing Dust would not only improve the success rate but also greatly enhance the weapon's quality.
Realizing this, Mo Yu's eyes lit up.
The Blacksmithing Tournament would start in three days. Though Mo Yu was confident in his chances of winning, the Dou Qi continent was full of hidden talents, and unexpected surprises could arise. Having this Spirit Nourishing Dust would be an extra layer of protection, increasing his chances of victory even further.
After calming his excitement, Mo Yu focused on the five specks of pale yellow dust floating before him. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't resist. He gestured with his hand, and one speck of Spirit Nourishing Dust floated toward him, hovering in front of his face.
Mo Yu stared at the speck intently before closing his eyes. As soon as his eyes shut, a suction force emanated from him.
In response to this pull, the speck of dust transformed into a stream of light and shot into Mo Yu's forehead, disappearing from view.
The moment the Spirit Nourishing Dust entered his forehead, Mo Yu's body trembled violently, and his face tightened in pain as a sharp ache suddenly pierced his mind.
Frowning, Mo Yu gritted his teeth against the pain. He could feel the speck of dust hitting his soul like a bullet before sinking into it.
Fortunately, the pain didn't last long and gradually faded away.
As the pain subsided, Mo Yu let out a breath of relief. But just as he did, he felt a strange energy ripple through the surrounding space. Thin streams of energy began to seep through the air, slowly entering his forehead.
"It's spiritual energy!"
Recognizing the special flow of energy, Mo Yu was momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile. The spiritual energy he was absorbing now was far denser than anything he had absorbed before.
Excited, Mo Yu immediately sat down cross-legged. While absorbing the abundant spiritual energy, he activated the Divine Sky Soul Art to maximize its intake.
The spiritual energy, like chaotic mist, slowly seeped out of the surrounding space and into Mo Yu's forehead, continuously filling his body.
This absorption process continued for about three hours before the speck of Spirit Nourishing Dust began to dim, and its effects gradually lessened. Eventually, the spiritual energy in the air faded, and the dust dispersed.
As the dust dissolved, Mo Yu felt a massive surge of strange energy rush into his soul. At the same time, his soul's strength increased rapidly, as if it had consumed a powerful tonic.
With his soul rapidly growing stronger, Mo Yu felt an increasing sense of pressure in his head. He hadn't anticipated the Spirit Nourishing Dust to have such a profound effect on his soul.
However, after some thought, it made sense. The Divine Sky Soul Art had accumulated spiritual energy over time, and the Spirit Nourishing Dust acted as a catalyst, pushing Mo Yu's soul to a whole new level.
As Mo Yu's soul strength soared, he could feel the surrounding energy being drawn toward him, further enhancing his power. Eventually, after reaching a certain limit, the growth of his soul finally stabilized.
"Half-step to the eighth rank!"
Mo Yu's eyes shot open, and a smile spread across his face as he sensed the new strength of his soul.
He hadn't expected just one speck of Spirit Nourishing Dust to bring him such a huge breakthrough. With a soul now half a step into the eighth rank, Mo Yu felt confident that his blacksmithing skills had reached the level required to craft eighth-rank weapons!
With this newfound strength, his chances of winning the Blacksmithing Tournament were all but guaranteed!
For the first time, a hint of ambition flickered in Mo Yu's usually calm eyes.
Seventh-rank blacksmiths were considered masters, while eighth-rank blacksmiths were revered as grandmasters. Despite being separated by only one rank, the gap between them was immense.
The Master Swordsmith, despite being called "master," had long since reached the level of an eighth-rank grandmaster. However, people continued calling him "Master Swordsmith" out of habit.
Nevertheless, the Master Swordsmith's fame stretched across both the Western Region and the Central Plains. Even powerful factions like the Myriad Sword Pavilion and the Jade Sword Sect revered him. His influence gave a glimpse of just how powerful an eighth-rank blacksmith could be.
If it weren't for the Golden Warhorse Clan's old patriarch owing Snake Uncle a favor, they wouldn't have risked offending the Master Swordsmith to protect Mo Yu.
Now that Mo Yu had reached the eighth-rank level of blacksmithing, even powerful Dou Zun experts would have to show him respect. With this status, Mo Yu's ambition grew.
Leveraging his eighth-rank blacksmithing skills and the vast knowledge from his previous life, Mo Yu believed he could eventually bring the entire Weapon Alliance under his control.
Though the Weapon Alliance was far weaker and more disorganized than the Pill Tower, it had immense potential.
If Mo Yu could take control of it, he was confident that, within ten years, he could raise the Weapon Alliance to rival the Pill Tower. In time, they might even compete with one of the eight ancient clans, the Yao Clan.
Under Mo Yu's leadership, blacksmiths could rise to the same level of respect and power as alchemists across the Dou Qi continent.
With the Weapon Alliance's support, the Yuan Clan would be able to establish itself quickly in the Central Plains, eventually growing into a first-rate power on the continent.
However, Mo Yu knew this ambition would take time. For now, with the Master Swordsmith still in the way, it would be impossible to fully control the Weapon Alliance.
First, he had to win the Blacksmithing Tournament, earn the rank of honorary elder within the alliance, and eventually eliminate the Master Swordsmith.
With this plan in mind, Mo Yu rose from his seat and stretched.
The Blacksmiths' Trading Conference had truly been rewarding. Not only had he gained the favor of the powerful Iron Sword Venerable, but he had also obtained the ancient treasure, Spirit Nourishing Dust.
Mo Yu carefully stored the remaining three specks of Spirit Nourishing Dust in his beast ring, setting one aside for future use. Its ability to absorb spiritual energy was invaluable.
Mo Yu felt that his soul had reached its current limit at half a step into the eighth rank. He had pushed this far thanks to the accumulation from the Divine Sky Soul Art, but progressing to a full eighth-rank would require more time.
For now, he decided to keep the remaining specks of dust for other uses, such as when refining weapons.
With that thought, Mo Yu summoned the broken heavy sword that belonged to the Iron Sword Venerable.
Running his hand over the crack in the sword's blade, Mo Yu gathered the materials he had prepared, including the piece of Ten Thousand-Year Green Spirit Wood.
Sitting cross-legged on the stone platform, Mo Yu took a deep breath, allowing his Dou Qi to recover. He then murmured to himself, "With my current skills, repairing this broken sword should be no problem. But with the Blacksmithing Tournament starting soon, I don't have enough time to complete it. I'll need to use some Spirit Nourishing Dust to speed up the process."
Mo Yu had a hunch that the upcoming tournament might bring unexpected events. He might need the Iron Sword Venerable's help, so it was crucial to repair the sword first. Mo Yu knew that as long as he fixed the sword, the Iron Sword Venerable wouldn't hesitate to assist him.
With this thought, Mo Yu summoned the various materials and suspended them in the air. He flicked his fingers, sending the materials into the blacksmithing furnace. As his hand seals shifted, the Dou Qi flames within the furnace roared to life once more.
The process of repairing the heavy sword had begun…
(End of chapter)
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