Translator: AnubisTL
Forty-nine days passed in a flash. Seated atop a spirit peak, the Ghost Sword Sect Leader slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed intently on the giant cauldron below.
As roars of dragons and howls of tigers echoed from the cauldron, even his usually composed demeanor betrayed a hint of excitement.
"The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron... it's finally complete."
Refining the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron was the most crucial step. To ensure its success, he had spared no expense, hiring four core formation realm cultivators specializing in artifact refinement.
With their combined efforts, he had finally achieved the desired result.
"Hmm, Fellow Daoists, you've done well. This sect leader will not forget your rewards."
"I've already informed Ji Sha. He will deliver the dragon marrow to you shortly."
As he spoke, Gui Li leaped from the mountain peak, his figure hovering above the giant cauldron, his eyes unable to tear themselves away.
He sensed the extraordinary power surging within the cauldron—the potent energy born from the fusion of the four symbols!
Now, only the final step remained in completing the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, a step he would personally undertake.
Eager to fully refine the rare treasure, he immediately dismissed the four cultivators:
"Thank you all for your hard work. After so many days of tireless effort, your minds must be utterly exhausted."
"Why not return to your residences and rest? Ji Sha will deliver the dragon marrow here soon enough."
"As for the additional rewards, I'll have Ji Sha discuss them with you in detail."
Li Qing and the others immediately recognized Gui Li's intention to dismiss them and wisely accepted the suggestion.
"Then we'll express our gratitude to Ghost Sword Sect Leader Gui Li in advance!" Li Qing said, cupping his fist in salute.
True Bone Immortal chuckled softly. "Thank you for your consideration, Sect Leader Gui Li. This old man was just thinking of returning to recuperate. These past days have nearly worn me to death."
"Heh, then this concubine will also take her leave to rest."
TL/N: 那妾身 – "then this concubine / I (a humble way for a woman to refer to herself, especially toward a man of higher status)." (WTF Chinese?)
"Sect Leader Gui Li, farewell!"
"..."
With these words, the group departed from the Forbidden Area of the Back Mountain in Sword Valley, showing no further attachment to the cauldron.
After watching the four figures fly away and confirming that the surroundings were secure, Gui Li finally condensed streams of true essence and began refining the giant cauldron single-handedly.
Boom!
The nearly completed Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron began to tremble violently, shaking the surrounding mountain supports as well.
Cracked rocks tumbled down like a minor earthquake.
Meanwhile, Li Qing had already returned to his cave abode.
"Whew, the intensity of this refining session was almost too much. Even I nearly couldn't endure it," he sighed, finally relaxing.
Despite the ordeal, Li Qing had gained significant insights during the artifact refinement process. He had glimpsed several secrets of the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron.
While he hadn't fully grasped all the cauldron's mysteries, the experience had sparked numerous inspirations.
Upon returning to his cave abode, he didn't rush to rest. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, allowing the insights from the refining session to settle.
Images of the Red Phoenix Feather's refinement process flooded his mind.
Gradually, Li Qing retrieved half a jar of Moon Palace Brew from his storage pouch.
He cracked open the mud seal and, before the intoxicating aroma could fully dissipate, took a long, deep swig straight from the jar.
The sweet, jade-like nectar flowed down his throat, and a warm intoxication gradually washed over him.
Yet Li Qing's mind remained remarkably clear. His eyes glowed faintly as he once again touched that profound, ineffable state of enlightenment.
This time, Li Qing's enlightenment regarding artifact refinement lasted even longer, nearly a full day before he finally emerged from the trance.
"The artifact refinement techniques of the Ancient Era truly differ significantly from modern methods," he mused.
Fully awakened, Li Qing felt as if his entire spirit had undergone a baptism. The mental fatigue accumulated from dozens of days of continuous artifact refinement vanished completely.
He now possessed a deeper understanding of the art of artifact refinement.
At this stage, seeking out so-called artifact refinement inheritances held little significance for Li Qing.
Unless he could obtain artifact refinement diagrams for unique rare treasures, artifact refiners at this level needed to forge their own path.
After all, beyond ordinary magical artifacts lay heaven-piercing spirit treasures!
Refining such treasures required more than just rare spiritual materials; it demanded a unique mastery of artifact refinement.
Each heaven-piercing spirit treasure was unique, the only one of its kind in the world, impossible to replicate!
Throughout history, the cultivation world had seen only a handful of heaven-piercing spirit treasures. Most had either vanished into obscurity or ascended to the upper realm alongside their masters.
In the Great Wilderness Domain, the ancestral imperial sword, once considered the most promising candidate to become a heaven-piercing spirit treasure, had now disappeared without a trace.
Having severed its connection to the dragon vein, the sword's chances of achieving heaven-piercing status had likely been extinguished.
"It's still too early to be thinking about heaven-piercing spirit treasures," Li Qing murmured, shaking his head. "Refining such supreme treasures is far too improbable." He dismissed the thought, refusing to dwell on such distant possibilities.
Refining a heaven-piercing spirit treasure required not only extremely rare spiritual materials but also artifact refinement skills that had reached the pinnacle of mastery.
At least for now, Li Qing saw no hope of achieving such a feat.
His immediate priority remained advancing his cultivation.
With this thought, Li Qing set aside all other matters, sat cross-legged, and began circulating the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, focusing on breathing exercises and qi refinement.
Before he could cultivate for long, a hearty laugh echoed outside his cave abode:
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Limitless is truly diligent! Barely a day after finishing artifact refinement, you're already immersed in arduous cultivation. I'm ashamed of my own lack of dedication."
True Lord Ji Sha!
Hearing these words, Li Qing halted his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Ji Sha, you flatter me. As the saying goes, 'A clumsy bird must take flight early.' With my limited talent, only relentless effort can barely keep me on pace with your cultivation progress."
Li Qing emerged from his cave abode to find True Lord Ji Sha standing in mid-air before it, a smile on his face.
"Fellow Daoist Limitless, I've brought the reward the sect leader promised you. Half a portion of dragon marrow is stored within this black jade gourd."
With that, Ji Sha tossed a small black jade gourd to Li Qing. The gourd's surface shimmered with a faint luster, indicating it was crafted from a special spiritual material specifically designed to preserve dragon marrow and prevent its spirituality from dissipating.
Catching the gourd, Li Qing activated his divine sense and quickly sensed the golden, gelatinous liquid filling more than half of it.
It was identical to the dragon marrow he had obtained from Gui Fan, and the quantity was roughly half a portion—exactly as promised. No problems!
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Ji Sha!" Li Qing clasped his hands in gratitude.
"Fellow Daoist Limitless, no need for such formalities. This is your rightful reward. The Ghost Sword Sect honors its word!" Ji Sha chuckled and waved his hand dismissively before continuing:
"Furthermore, I've come with another matter: to discuss the sect leader's promised reward for successfully refining the treasure cauldron!"
A substantial reward indeed! The Ghost Sword Sect certainly lived up to its reputation for generosity.
A smile crept across Li Qing's face as he thought this. "May I ask what this reward entails?"
True Lord Ji Sha replied, "Three options: first, two high-grade spirit stones!"
High-grade spirit stones!
A single one was worth ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!
Moreover, they were exceedingly rare, seldom found even in the richest Spirit Stone Mines.
In fact, almost no one would ever exchange high-grade spirit stones for low-grade ones!
Moreover, many powerful Grand Formations require these precious spirit stones for their construction, making their true value even higher.
The first option was straightforward and brutal: a value equivalent to over twenty thousand spirit stones. Li Qing couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock.
However, he didn't rush to accept. While high-grade spirit stones were indeed precious, he currently had no immediate need for them.
The only significant expense was feeding his three little golden silkworms, but Li Qing wasn't in a hurry to accelerate their growth and planned to let them develop naturally.
True Lord Ji Sha continued with a smile, "The second option is a favor. The Ghost Sword Sect will owe you a favor. Whether you face future difficulties or require assistance, within reasonable bounds, the Ghost Sword Sect will spare no effort to help you. Even the sect leader himself will personally intervene once!"
This time, Li Qing was genuinely tempted!
A favor from the Ghost Sword Sect was no empty promise.
Judging by the sect's demonstrated integrity, this favor could prove exceptionally valuable.
Consider, for example, the sect leader's willingness to personally intervene—that alone made this option priceless.
This was no ordinary nascent soul realm cultivator!
Having personally participated in the refining of the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, Li Qing deeply understood that once the cauldron was fully refined, Gui Li's combat prowess would skyrocket.
With this treasure, Gui Li might even be able to dominate the entire Great Wilderness Domain!
A favor from such a powerful figure, if used wisely, would be of immeasurable value.
Yet Li Qing didn't rush to accept. He continued to observe Ji Sha, curious about the third option.
Sensing his hesitation, Ji Sha patiently continued:
"For the third option, the treasure vault of the Ghost Sword Sect will be opened to you once. You may choose any item to take with you!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing finally couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The Ghost Sword Sect was a supreme immortal dao faction in the Great Wilderness Domain. Though its foundational strength couldn't quite match the other two demonic path factions, the difference was negligible.
Moreover, this sect had participated in the division of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's legacy. The treasures within their vault were so numerous they might as well be as plentiful as grains of sand.
After hearing all three options, Li Qing found himself torn.
After careful consideration, he asked, "I'd like to know what the other three fellow Daoists have chosen."
(End of the Chapter)
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