Translator: AnubisTL
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed through the Black Furnace as a bone spear within it developed a crack that spread from bottom to top.
"What's happening? Is this incompatibility?"
Li Qing took a deep breath, his fists clenching as he watched the crack spread across the bone spear.
Just moments ago, he had used his Innate True Fire to extract the essence from a yellow jade stone, intending to infuse it into the bone spear and transform it into a battle spear imbued with earth attribute power.
But halfway through the process, the bone spear—taken from a Second-Tier Demonic Beast—suddenly cracked. The fissure spread across the entire spear, looking alarming.
Calming his initial panic, Li Qing began to investigate the cause.
He released his spiritual sense, enveloping the cracked bone spear and carefully examining its condition.
This setback in refining his first battle spear was completely unexpected.
Though he still had six bone spears left, he couldn't afford to waste them. He absolutely wouldn't continue refining until he understood the reason for the failure.
Li Qing soon discovered the reason for the failure.
"So that's it. The white ape itself doesn't have a special affinity for the Five Elements. When incorporating materials with other attributes, the process must be gradual, especially for earth-attribute materials like this. Haste is the enemy."
With that, Li Qing retrieved the remaining yellow jade stone essence he hadn't yet incorporated and resumed his experiments with the cracked bone spike battle spear.
This time, instead of flooding the spear with the essence as before, he first coated the bone spear entirely, as if performing a ritual cleansing.
The earth-yellow essence, like molten jade, slowly seeped into the cracked bone spear. The process was now incredibly slow, but also remarkably stable, without any further complications.
"Indeed, this is how it should be. The slower, the better!"
Having identified the cause, Li Qing nodded to himself and stopped experimenting with the cracked bone spear.
The spear was already flawed. Even if he managed to refine it, it would only be a defective high-grade magical artifact.
This didn't quite align with Li Qing's original plan. He had intended to refine four high-grade magical artifacts and then combine them into a single combined magic artifact. Of course, he was striving for perfection, allowing no room for even the slightest flaw.
Setting aside the cracked bone spear for now, Li Qing retrieved another unprocessed White Ape Bone Spike. He continued to use the Innate True Fire to purge the malevolent energy, then used the Wandering Dragon Dagger to grind and carve it into the form of a complete spear.
Next, he took out the final piece of yellow jade stone and continued extracting its earth-attribute essence. He then used the same method to encase the bone spear in this essence.
As the earth-attribute essence slowly permeated the bone spear, it finally began to imbue it with the properties of earth-attribute spiritual energy.
The entire process took nearly a full day. By the time the last trace of yellow jade stone essence had fully integrated into the bone spear, the Mountain Spear of Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain had taken its final form, already a true high-grade magical artifact in its nascent state.
"Excellent. Even in its current form, its power likely surpasses all the magical artifacts I've refined before."
Li Qing patted the earthy-yellow bone spear with satisfaction. It gleamed with a texture like yellow jade stone, radiating a profound, weighty aura.
Next, Li Qing continued using the same method to extract the spirit essence from a centennial spiritwood branch, spending nearly half a day slowly infusing it into the second bone spear.
The forest spear from the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain set carried a faint, pale-green aura. When Li Qing held it, his physical body faintly resonated with the spear.
"Ah, right. My current physical form was forged through nourishment from vast amounts of spirit wood qi. It's only natural that there would be resonance."
After storing the second high-grade magical artifact pseudo-magical artifact, Li Qing's hands were now quite skilled. However, he remained cautious.
The next two bone spears would be special. One had once injured him, stained with his blood and heavy with malevolent energy. The other was meant to incorporate materials from a wind-attribute demonic beast, a type of wind-attribute spirit creature. Combining these two materials would be no easy task.
After careful consideration, Li Qing decided to refine the fire spear first.
The primary material needed for refining the fire spear was naturally Molten Fire Marrow.
He possessed only one portion of this extremely precious substance, a rarity even within the entire Lingyun Sect.
Therefore, Li Qing approached the task with utmost seriousness. If he failed and wasted the Molten Fire Marrow, he would have to substitute it with Firecloud Stone Essence, which would significantly diminish the spear's power.
Molten Fire Marrow required no refining, as it was already a pure fire-attribute essence naturally formed within an earthfire vein.
Li Qing directly wrapped the Molten Fire Marrow around the bone spear, then activated his Innate True Fire to awaken the fire-attribute spirituality within the marrow, causing it to slowly merge with the bone spear.
Throughout the process, Li Qing maintained constant mental awareness, fearing the slightest mishap. He remained meticulous and unwavering, never allowing himself to relax.
After two full days and nights, the lava-like Molten Fire Marrow finally seeped completely into the bone spear, leaving it perfectly intact.
Boom!
The white bone spear now bore a deep crimson hue, radiating intense heat that threatened to erupt from within, like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.
The spirituality within the spear was even more remarkable, requiring almost no tempering. Simply being near it was enough to feel the abundant spirituality it contained.
"Excellent! Truly worthy of the Molten Fire Marrow. After merging with the bone spear, its quality is nearly equivalent to the prototype of a top-grade magical artifact!"
Li Qing held the fire spear in his hand, his expression one of complete satisfaction. It was absolutely perfect to serve as the primary spear in the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain formation.
His confidence in the combined magic artifact he was about to refine grew with each passing moment. Once completed, its power might truly rival that of a top-grade magical artifact!
Now, for the fourth and final wind spear!
Wind fuels fire, making its role absolutely crucial and indispensable.
Shen Ningbing had traded him two sets of wind-attribute demonic beast materials. One was a pair of wings, and the other a large quantity of scales, all taken from the Second-Tier wind-attribute demonic beast.
Both the bat-like wings and the scales were incredibly precious, imbued with potent wind-attribute spiritual energy.
"Let's do it all at once," Li Qing decided. "Cover the bone spear with the azure scales, and finally fuse the pair of wind wings onto it, making it a single, unified whole."
With a plan in place, Li Qing immediately set to work.
He retrieved all the scales and used his Innate True Fire to purge the minimal malevolent energy they contained.
Once purified, Li Qing manipulated each scale to tightly adhere to the bone spear, blending seamlessly into a single unit.
The two wind wings also needed purification. Under the heat of the Innate True Fire, the pair of wings began to shrink considerably.
Li Qing remained unfazed, as this was entirely expected.
The wings of the two wind-attribute demonic beasts were too large. If he were to attach them to the bone spear as they were, the proportions would be off. Reducing their size was essential.
Moreover, despite the reduction in volume, the wind-attribute spiritual energy within them remained undiminished. Instead, it seemed to have condensed into a concentrated essence.
Through the two pre-existing openings in the scales, Li Qing fused the shrunken wind wings onto the bone spear.
The scales and wind wings, both originating from the same source, integrated seamlessly. Once complete, the spear appeared as if it had always been this way.
The upper half of the wind spear was covered in dense, fine azure scales. Just a few inches below the spearhead, a pair of small azure-blue wings sprouted!
Li Qing swung the bone spear, finding it much lighter than before. Each thrust generated a powerful gust of wind, and even the small wind wings below the spearhead fluttered slightly with each movement.
"Hahahaha, only one bone spear wasted. This price is well within my expectations."
Li Qing was quite satisfied. Next came the spirit tempering and inscription carving. Once all four spears were refined, they would undoubtedly become a powerful trump card for him in the foundation establishment realm!
He didn't allow himself to bask in his satisfaction for too long. His mana was once again nearing depletion, and he needed to meditate and recover quickly.
This time, three more days passed as he practiced breathing techniques to restore his spiritual energy. Only then did the scarlet true essence in Li Qing's dantian once again become full and vibrant.
The moment he opened his eyes, he would begin the spirit tempering process!
Although the four bone spears possessed an astonishing abundance of spirituality, Li Qing insisted on undergoing spirit tempering, much like an old craftsman with strict requirements for his craft.
Tempering could imbue the pseudo-magical artifacts with greater spirituality and enhance their power. This step was absolutely essential.
Li Qing had extensive experience in tempering, and the four bone spears themselves were already brimming with spirituality.
It took almost no time at all to complete the tempering of all four bone spears in one go, without a single mistake.
The final step: inscribing spirit patterns!
Inscribing spirit patterns on four high-grade magical artifacts simultaneously would undoubtedly be a massive challenge for Li Qing.
He had never refined a high-grade magical artifact before. The closest he had come was helping repair the spirit boat of Nine Heavens once and modifying the spirit patterns of the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat in a critical situation.
But these were still not true refinements of high-grade magical artifacts, worlds apart in complexity.
Over the years, he had amassed a considerable collection of artifact refinement inheritances, especially the ancient artifact refinement legacy he had obtained at the Soul Nurturing Temple. Many of the surviving spirit patterns in that legacy had been highly enlightening to him.
With this accumulated knowledge, he was now fully qualified to refine high-grade magical artifacts!
Time flowed by serenely, and in the blink of an eye, another half-month had passed.
For the past half month, Wild Cloud Peak had been anything but peaceful!
Boom!
A powerful surge of spiritual pressure erupted, immediately stirring the dense spiritual energy of the Second-Tier Spiritual Vein. Vast amounts of spiritual energy rapidly converged toward Li Qing's cave abode.
"Here we go again! This new Junior Brother Li is really causing a ruckus. This is the third time already!"
A frustrated voice echoed from another cave abode on Wild Cloud Peak.
"Is he refining artifacts? Or is he trying to refine three magic artifacts at once? If he's got that kind of skill, why isn't he working as a Refining Elder in the Refining Hall?"
After a long while, the spiritual energy in the heavens and earth finally began to settle.
Only then did the complaints from the owner of the peak cave residence fade away. Over the past half month, the heaven and earth spiritual energy had been agitated repeatedly, and anyone would have grown weary of it.
Yet just seven days later, the heaven and earth spiritual energy stirred again.
Boom!
A massive influx of heaven and earth spiritual energy once more converged toward Li Qing's cave abode, forming a tangible vortex that poured into his dwelling.
An outsider might even have mistaken it for Li Qing undergoing a breakthrough, his cultivation soaring to new heights.
This time, even the elder residing in the peak cave residence couldn't help but emerge. With a helpless expression, he stepped out of his cave abode and patiently waited for the spiritual energy disturbance to subside.
Though he had his reservations, Li Qing was still a fellow sect member. Interrupting someone's artifact refinement process would only create resentment, so he waited for Li Qing to finish this refining session.
Finally, the small tidal surge of converging spiritual energy gradually receded, and the spiritual energy around Wild Cloud Peak returned to its tranquil state, no longer agitated.
At that moment, the elder chuckled and said, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Li, on your successful artifact refinement. I'm curious, what earth-shattering magic artifact did you create that caused such an extravagant commotion? Would you mind letting this senior brother take a look?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, four beams of spiritual light, each a different color, shot out from Li Qing's cave abode.
Boom!
They were a cyan wind spear, a green forest spear, a scarlet fire spear, and a yellow earth spear!
The Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain spears were complete!
The four bone spears, each a distinct color, looked extraordinary. Each one radiated a formidable aura, making them high-grade magical artifacts of exceptional quality.
The scarlet fire spear in particular caught the attention of the elder, who had come to seek an explanation. His gaze sharpened, becoming much more focused.
Four bone spears floated silently around Li Qing's cave abode, hovering in the air.
At that moment, Li Qing's voice, filled with apology, finally broke the silence. "Senior Brother, please forgive me. I was seized by a sudden inspiration and found my refining skills improving rapidly in a short time. That's why I refined all four magic artifacts in one go."
"I hope my recent disturbance hasn't caused you any offense, Senior Brother."
As his words faded, Li Qing's tall figure emerged slowly from the cave entrance, cupping his hands in a respectful bow toward the black-robed elder.
(End of the Chapter)
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