Jingxuan woke up in the evening when people were returning home from work. He was fully refreshed from his sleep. Focusing on the aperture, he saw that the Iron Nail Mingji was submerged in the primordial essence sea, with about half of the aperture filled with primordial essence.
The Space Ring Mingji, however, had taken root at the bottom of the aperture—it resembled a plant growing from the ground more than something submerged like the Iron Nail Mingji.
He then commanded the Iron Nail Mingji to emerge from the ring aperture. Extending his palm, he signaled to it, and it landed on the back of his hand—specifically, on his index finger. Strangely, it attached itself there, forming a tattoo of a finger and nail atop his own index finger.
It looked odd, like having a tattoo of a finger on his index finger. Jingxuan didn't care. He carefully transferred a small amount of his primordial essence into the threads specific to the Iron Nail Mingji.
The nail on his index finger hardened like iron and extended slightly. Before it could gain full flexibility and become like a whip, Jingxuan stopped. There was a good reason why he only let it grow a little before halting. As mentioned before, it could grow—but the twist was that it couldn't return to normal. The growth wasn't temporary but permanent, meaning the user would have to cut their nails every time after using it.
That was the weakness of this Mingji. However, the nails produced by the Iron Nail Mingji were extremely tough; ordinary swords couldn't even scratch them. He would need to buy a special knife just to cut them off.
Checking his primordial essence sea within the aperture, Jingxuan noticed it had decreased only slightly—almost unnoticeably—since he had used very little essence and stopped after the nail had grown barely an inch.
He then walked toward the wooden wall and made a scratch on it. Seeing the result, he felt satisfied.
After succeeding in his refinement, he was in the mood to celebrate, so he decided to visit the tavern near the school to enjoy some wine.
Locking his dorm room, he left. However, before heading to the tavern, he went in the opposite direction—to another place near the school and dorms. He needed to buy food for the Iron Nail Mingji. He had already visited the shop yesterday to buy food for the Iron Nail Mingji, but the shop had only one vine—enough to feed it for a single day. The shopkeeper had told him that new stock would arrive the next day, which was now.
When he arrived at the shop, he saw several students and Mingji wielders already at the counter, purchasing what they needed.
The shop had a board on top with the name 'Mingji Material Residence.'
Jingxuan went toward the counter. Two Mingji wielders were managing the shop—one at Rank One Peak Stage and the other at Rank One Upper Stage. Both were more advanced in cultivation than Jingxuan.
He slipped through the crowd and approached the younger shopkeeper, who was at the Rank One Upper Stage.
"Shopkeeper, vine of Nail Vine Tree—seven," Jingxuan said.
The shopkeeper recognized him immediately; he had noted Jingxuan's request yesterday. "Yes, young sir." He searched for a moment before packing the vines into a bag and handing it over. "Here, it's three and a half Genesis Stones, sir."
Jingxuan handed over the stones and took the bag.
"Have a nice day, sir," the shopkeeper said politely.
Jingxuan only nodded in response.
Next, Jingxuan made his way to the weaponry shop beside the Mingji Material Residence. Unlike the bustling material shop, this one was quiet and nearly empty.
Weapons lined the walls—swords, daggers, and curved blades that caught the dim lamplight. Inside the counter, several small knives were displayed in neat rows. Behind it sat an old man, short and slightly hunched, his aura faint but steady—a Rank One Mingji wielder.
"I'm looking for a blade or knife made of Black Iron," Jingxuan said.
In this world, metals came in countless varieties—some rarer and stronger than ordinary iron, and others refined as Mingji materials. Black Iron was one of the simpler kinds, only slightly stronger than regular iron, but strong enough to cut through the hardened nails produced by his Mingji—with some effort.
The old man brought out a few blades for him to examine. Jingxuan scanned them one by one. He dismissed the sword—it was too large and inconvenient to carry around. His gaze then settled on a small knife with a serrated, hacksaw-like edge on one side and a clean, sharp edge on the other. It was compact, practical, and perfectly suited for trimming his nails.
Jingxuan asked, "How much is it?"
The old man replied, "Only seven Genesis Stone fragments, young lad."
Genesis Stones, as mentioned before, were also used as currency. A single Genesis Stone was a huge sum for mortals and even Rank One wielders, so most transactions were conducted in fragments. One Genesis Stone equaled a hundred fragments.
Jingxuan found the price too high. "This price is high—three fragments," he countered.
The old man frowned. "Lad, you're being too petty. This blade has a unique edge, and its durability is excellent. Six fragments."
After some bargaining, the old man finally gave in, and Jingxuan bought it for four fragments.
By the time night fell, it was dinner hour. Jingxuan made his way to the tavern—a weathered, two-storied building with a sign above the entrance that read "Autumn Moon Tavern."
The place was lively, with people constantly coming and going. As he entered, the scent of roasted meat and wine filled the air. His gaze swept to the corner window seat—his usual spot—but a few mortal workers were sitting there, laughing and drinking.
Jingxuan approached them. "Move," he said plainly.
That corner seat had always been his. If the ones occupying it had been Mingji wielders, he might have let it go, but since they were mortals, he saw no need to yield.
The mortals stopped eating and turned toward Jingxuan, noticing the badge on his chest that marked him as a Mingji wielder. Their expressions changed at once, and they quietly moved to another table.
It wasn't entirely their fault—Mingji wielders usually drank upstairs on the second floor, but tonight the lower floor was crowded, leaving them no choice but to sit upstairs on the second floor. The tavern didn't enforce any formal rules, but it had become customary for mortals to remain on the first floor.
In this town, wielders mostly wore badges. Wearing a Mingji wielder badge gave people high reputation and status; it was worn with pride. It told others that the wearer was a Mingji wielder—the masters of this world.
Previously, Jingxuan had come here wearing only his uniform, and even then, the tavern workers had been very respectful to him. This time, he wore a casual brown outfit and a green leaf badge. This badge represented that he was a newbie starting his journey at the academy. Once graduates passed out, they would be given a red badge if they reached Rank One, orange for Rank Two, and so on.
Even a Rank One Mingji wielder was far above ordinary mortals, though most lower-grade talents could never surpass Rank One Peak Stage. Rank One was already enough to surpass mortals. If it weren't for space restrictions, even Rank One wielders would clearly outclass mortals. As previously mentioned, even among Rank One Mingji, the academy had only provided Mingji with up to three spaces. There were many Rank One Mingji that were far more powerful and could easily surpass mortal abilities.
Among the Rank One Mingji, only three with extra spaces were kept in the storehouse. Two Mingji requiring five spaces were taken by Zhiwei and Haoyu, while the four-space Iron Nail Mingji was taken by Jingxuan.
These Mingji were not provided by the academy. They were arranged by Instructor Long, who took teaching very seriously and passionately. He had exhausted himself organizing all the best Mingji with three spaces, while also including three Mingji that required more than three spaces.
Most students had chosen Mingji that required only three spaces. In the most optimized strategy for Mingji wielders who could reach at most Rank One Peak Stage, the recommendation was to have two primary Mingji and one secondary Mingji.
At this point, they had only chosen their secondary, support Mingji. Once they reached Rank One Upper Stage, they could select their primary Mingji, and everything would change.
But what about their Core Mingji?
The Core Mingji's property of not dying easily didn't matter to the lowest-grade talents, whose potential was at most Peak Stage. Why that was so would be a matter for another time.
Jingxuan waved at the waiter. "Waiter."
The young man hurried over. "Yes, young sir. What would you like?"
"I'll have one sweet lily wine, half a roasted chicken, and some rice," Jingxuan said calmly.
"Right away, young lord," the waiter replied, bowing slightly before hurrying off to prepare the order.
In Yelan City, inside Ye Meng Die's room, she was seated on her bed, her eyes closed, in a meditating pose , cultivating.
Her loyal servant, Chen Xi, knocked on the door.
"Come in," Ye Meng Die said.
Chen Xi's face looked troubled and sad. "My lady, there is bad news."
Ye Meng Die raised her eyebrows "What news could make your face so sorrowful?"