Chapter 81

It was soon the end of January, and the old man didn't hesitate to take all the spirit stones from the box, then turned around and gave Luo Li six hundred spirit stones as his wages!

By then, Luo Li had accumulated a total of eighteen hundred spirit stones. However, during these days, he had refined over thirty spirit pills.

After entering the Fourth Level, which is the middle stage of the Spirit Condensation realm, his Sea of Qi expanded more than ten times, completely different from before. He needed to absorb a large amount of spiritual energy to fill his Sea of Qi.

Moreover, after the Fourth Level, the spiritual energy consumed by spells began to increase sharply. The spiritual energy absorbed at night was almost entirely depleted by a single spell, causing the amount of spiritual energy to decrease rather than increase.

Fortunately, with Luo Li's Black Dragon Body, all spells were instinctive reactions of his body, unlike other cultivators who needed to consume a large amount of spiritual energy when using spells. However, the advancement of the Black Dragon Body required ten times the amount of spiritual energy compared to other cultivators at the same level to fill the Sea of Qi!

At this point, absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones was not enough. He had to absorb the spiritual energy from spirit stones while consuming spirit pills to maintain his cultivation speed. Once he started this path, there was no turning back. No cultivator was willing to regress in cultivation, even a slight step back would feel like a knife in the heart, making them wish to die. Unless absolutely necessary, no cultivator would allow their cultivation to regress!

Therefore, now that Luo Li was at the Fourth Level, his demand for spirit pills greatly increased. If this continued, Luo Li would need to prepare some spirit stones to buy spirit pills to maintain his cultivation.

No wonder cultivators' spirit stones were never enough. At this point, Luo Li understood the importance of spirit stones. Looking at the old man's treasure refining, Luo Li felt that this business was highly profitable. With the foundation of the "Ten Thousand Questions of Kunlun Craftsmanship," he also wanted to learn how to refine treasures.

The old man was very generous and immediately taught Luo Li the methods of treasure refining. Luo Li carefully began the process.

Following the techniques taught by the old man, Luo Li opened the furnace, lit the fire, and prepared the materials, each step being perfectly correct, not a bit off, and the old man nodded continuously from behind!

However, when it came to the refining process, Luo Li was unable to control the furnace fire, and with a loud bang, the furnace exploded!

The old man said, "It's fine, it's fine, continue, continue!"

Luo Li continued, and again, he completed each step perfectly, but when it came to controlling the fire, another loud bang, and the furnace exploded again!

The old man's expression changed, but he still encouraged, "It's fine, it's fine, just an accident! Continue, continue!"

Continuing, the furnace still exploded. After the seventeenth explosion, the old man could no longer find words to encourage him. He said,

"Luo Li, it seems there's a problem with your Fire Spirit Root, it's extremely unstable, causing you to be unable to control the furnace fire.

It seems that refining pills, treasures, and swords are not meant for you in this life!"

Luo Li shook his head. No wonder Liu Fan didn't sell him the secret techniques for refining pills, treasures, and swords. It turned out he knew Luo Li couldn't control the furnace fire and couldn't refine at all. Fortunately, he didn't insist at the time, or he would have been in a bind!

The heavens open one door but close another. Luo Li had no talent for refining treasures and had to give up!

Luo Li didn't know that the old man, watching him, shook his head in the shadows and muttered,

"What a pity, this child. I wonder why he can't control the furnace fire. It seems he can't become my seventh disciple. What a pity, what a pity!"

The old man valued Luo Li greatly. With the Black Dragon Body, Luo Li could control Dragon Flame after the Foundation Establishment stage, which was no less powerful than the heavenly spirit fire. Therefore, the old man had always wanted to take him as a disciple. However, he didn't expect that Luo Li, who could do anything, had an unstable Fire Spirit Root and couldn't refine treasures!

In fact, neither Luo Li nor the old man knew why Luo Li's Fire Spirit Root was unstable. It was because the acquired Dao body fruit was taking effect, subtly changing Luo Li's spirit roots. Therefore, Luo Li couldn't control the furnace fire and thought he had lost the path to refining pills, treasures, and swords!

Unable to refine treasures, and with only six customers a day, Luo Li gradually had more time. He began to look for other ways to make money.

Right, Luo Li remembered the spirit wood sword he had bought. He took out the sword and found the Chenlei Talisman Water in the workshop, which was a refining material, and was everywhere in the workshop.

Luo Li used the talisman water to wash the sword. Soon, the spirit wood sword changed, emitting a spiritual light. The spiritual nature within was awakened, and an endless ancient and vast aura emerged. This was the aura left by the spirit wood after ten thousand years. As this aura spread, the sword underwent a mutation.

The mutation of the spirit wood sword caught the old man's attention. He picked up the sword and remained silent for a long time, as if he was comprehending something.

The fifth and sixth elders, who were working, stood up nervously, looking at the old man. Could this be the so-called opportunity?

However, after a long time, the old man shook his head and said,

"No, no, it's still lacking something!"

He pointed, and a ball of magma appeared. The old man refined the sword in the air, adding various materials to it. Seeing these materials, the sixth elder looked very reluctant!

At the peak of the refining process, the old man shouted, "Little Six, Qinghong!"

The sixth elder immediately opened his storage bag and took out a ball of green light. The light resembled a rainbow, like a living thing, struggling as if it knew its fate.

The old man grabbed the Qinghong and pressed it into the sword. With a loud bang, the sword transformed into a three-foot-long green blade in the old man's hand.

The blade was as clear as ice, the light contained within, light as nothing, faintly visible, yet hiding an incomparable sharpness. The blade trembled, and countless starlights danced on it, making it incredibly beautiful.

The old man said, "The spirit wood sword, no matter how it mutates, remains wood-based. A sword should be sharp and able to cut through anything, so it's not suitable as a sword.

This sword has been refined using the secret techniques of our Dust Refining Sect, changing its nature. The wood has turned to fire, transforming from a wood-based to a fire-based sword. This is a pure Yang fire sword. Your Fire Spirit Root is unstable, so it's perfect for you to wield. It can unleash powerful attacks at any time.

Additionally, I infused a Qinghong beast, a spirit beast from the Nine Heavens, into the sword. After infusion, a light slash will produce Qinghong sword qi. I hope this Qinghong can become the sword spirit, so I named this sword the Burning Sun Qinghong Sword!

The quality of this sword can reach the third rank of divine swords. I didn't leave any Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions to avoid hindering your future refining.

When you reach the later stage of the Spirit Condensation realm, you can find pure fire-based Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions, gather seventy-two Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions, and combine them to form a Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibition. This will truly elevate the sword, transforming it from a flying sword to a first-rank divine sword.

If you have enough luck, you can gather a second Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibition, and the sword will become a second-rank divine sword!"

Luo Li asked, "So, gathering three Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions would make it a third-rank divine sword?"

The old man shook his head and said, "Dream on. A divine sword that gathers four Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions is a third-rank divine sword.

After that, gathering nine Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions will form a Lesser True Yang Spirit Prohibition, making it a fourth-rank divine sword!

Similarly, anything below seventy-two Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions is a magical treasure. Gathering seventy-two Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions to form a Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibition makes it a first-rank magical treasure. Two Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions make it a second-rank magical treasure, four make it a third-rank, and nine forming a Lesser True Yang Spirit Prohibition make it a fourth-rank magical treasure.

As for divine swords and magical treasures above the fourth rank, I won't go into detail, because it would be pointless. I've been refining for years and only have one fourth-rank divine sword. Ordinary Golden Core True Men can only wield third-rank divine swords."

Luo Li said, "So difficult?"

The old man said, "Of course. Gathering spirit prohibitions is extremely difficult. Don't even mention Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions; even Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions are hard to gather, as they cannot be reused.

Identical prohibitions will only overlap, which is meaningless. Only different prohibitions can be combined."

Luo Li said, "Ah, to refine a third-rank flying sword, you need four Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions, which is four hundred and thirty-two Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions?"

The old man said, "Yes, but it's not that absolute.

Whether it's Heavenly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions or Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions, they can be combined in various ways. When refined into magical treasures or flying swords, they produce different magical effects.

For example, the Mixed Yuan One Qi Hammer you obtained is actually made by combining thirty-six different Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions from the Metal, Fire, Light, and Qi elements in a specific order, creating a powerful magical treasure.

Although it only has thirty-six spirit prohibitions, it is a top-tier magical treasure, classified as a high-grade magical treasure. The order of the Earthly Fiend Spirit Prohibitions was developed by the Mixed Yuan Sect, hence the name Mixed Yuan One Qi Hammer. These combinations of magical treasure spirit prohibitions are closely guarded secrets of each sect!

What we call refining is first refining the main body of the magical treasure, then infusing it with spirit prohibition combinations. Remember, these spirit prohibitions are very valuable. They are treasures beyond spirit stones and spirit pills, the most worth plundering, collecting, selling, and exchanging."

Only then did Luo Li understand what spirit prohibitions were. He had seen such spirit prohibitions in the scripture hall of the Konyuan Peak but paid no attention to them, ignoring them all. Now he realized he had entered a treasure mountain without knowing it.

The old man took a deep breath and said,

"Alright, I've said enough. Prepare to recognize the sword as your own by dripping blood!

I will mark it clearly so that others will see it's a recognized flying sword and won't have the intention to plunder. Otherwise, I fear you might be killed and the sword taken after you draw it!"

The sword needed to be recognized by dripping blood. Luo Li bit his middle finger and dripped blood on the sword. At the same time, he softly recited:

"Heaven above! Earth below! Good deeds confirmed, rewards delayed!"

As Luo Li said these words, one of the two remaining good deeds in his body dissipated, and the power of heaven and earth descended, infusing the sword!

With the infusion of Luo Li's blood and the power of heaven and earth, the sword transformed. Seven ancient runes appeared on the blade: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Seeing this, the fifth and sixth elders couldn't help but shout, "Sword spirit, it's a sword spirit!"

"Unbelievable, a sword spirit has actually been born!"

They watched nervously, but a green light rose from the sword, opposing the runes!

Originally, the infusion of good deeds would have formed a sword spirit, but the Qinghong had already been infused into the sword during its creation. Although it wasn't a sword spirit yet, it considered the sword its home and wouldn't allow another sword spirit to form, so it fought!

The Qinghong, being part of the sword, had a natural advantage. Gradually, the seven runes of the new sword spirit were shattered, and the sword spirit, which had not yet fully formed, dissipated.

The fifth elder couldn't help but exclaim, "What a pity, what a pity, it was so close, the sword spirit was about to be born!"

The sixth elder also said, "Yes, yes, sigh, heaven, it failed just like that, what a pity!"

The seven-colored runes shattered, and the Qinghong swallowed them, the colors disappearing, leaving a strange rune on the sword.

The old man, who had been silent, suddenly burst into laughter, shouting,

"I understand, I understand!"

Although the sword spirit had shattered and not been born, the old man had gained enlightenment. He shouted,

"I understand, I understand, why all things return to dust, why one must blend with the light and dust, it's like this, it's like this!

The sword itself has a spirit, and the spirit infused later competes with it. The original spirit has an advantage, and the later spirit cannot exist. Only by deceiving the original spirit can it survive, swallowing the original spirit, remaining unsoiled by the six dusts, transcending the mundane!

I understand, I understand, hahaha, my opportunity is here, my destiny is here!"

As he spoke, the old man's body erupted with the sound of bones cracking, and the fifth and sixth elders hugged each other, crying and laughing.

Thus, after enduring for three hundred and sixty years, Mu Yixiong finally achieved the great path, breaking through the bottleneck and advancing to the Golden Core realm, just one step away from the Nascent Soul realm!

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3600-word chapter, please recommend, please vote!

Thank you: Hongxiu Yanlan, Rebel Ai Yuan, Qingyi Boshan, Mubu Shou, Xukong Wuming, Dangdang Laodou, Snail Xiaojian, Xiangxin3854, Shuchi168, Mashang Hengxing for your support, thank you all!

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