Chapter 55 : The Artisan's Path to the Dao

"Then follow me."

Liu Seraphina offered a slight smile and led the two into the Third Rank Middle Grade Earthfire Chamber [a specialized chamber that channels geothermal fire energy for crafting and alchemy].

Upon entering the Earthfire Chamber, Eldrin Chen looked up and saw, at the chamber's center, an ancient and imposing cauldron. Directly beneath it was a fire vent sealed by a formation.

Gazing at this great cauldron, Liu Seraphina said with a smile, "My master says that using a furnace for alchemy is to embrace unity and return to the origin, thus aligning with the Heavenly Dao [the fundamental natural order]. But using a furnace for artifact crafting seems too constrained."

"A great cauldron, however, upholds heaven and bears earth, making it far more suitable for forging peerless treasures. This 'Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron' is the treasure my master often uses to craft magical tools."

As an Artificer [a cultivator specializing in crafting magical tools], Chen Thalion could not help but caress the Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron with loving admiration. He said with barely contained excitement, "Senior Jiang's cultivation is profound, allowing her to glimpse the profound mysteries of the Dao. Her mastery of alchemy, formations, artifact crafting, and talismans is all astonishing. This junior is far from her equal."

"Indeed," Liu Seraphina replied with deep reverence. "My master has said that all the Hundred Arts of Cultivation [the various specialized skills practiced by cultivators] are pathways that subtly align with the Great Dao."

"Delving deeply into the art of alchemy can help a cultivator comprehend the microcosm within their own body. The art of formations, even more so, contains the hidden mechanisms of heaven and earth. Cultivated to its ultimate extreme, one can even gaze directly upon the grand momentum and creative power of the vast cosmos."

Eldrin Chen listened quietly, a flicker of awe passing through his eyes.

He had originally thought Lyra Jiang was merely a bit more profound in cultivation, excessively beautiful in appearance, and impossibly perfect in form. He never imagined such vast inner vision resided within her. Find this and other novels at @udio-novel.com.

Both were highly satisfied with this artificer's workshop and the cauldron, and thus they decided to rent this third-rank Earthfire Chamber [a specialized chamber that channels geothermal fire for forging and alchemy] for a period of two months at a cost of three hundred Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] per month.

After Liu Seraphina departed, the pair wasted no time and immediately set about forging the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a magical sword imbued with the power of Separated Flame and the concept of the returning abyss].

Chen Thalion activated the formation, channeling the third-rank earthfire into the cauldron. As he placed the sword embryo inside, he began his explanation.

"To forge the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, pure Millennium Crimson Iron [a rare metal refined for a thousand years within an earthfire vein] is the finest material."

"So-called Millennium Crimson Iron, it originates as the essence of myriad irons, known as Mysterious Iron [a foundational spiritual metal]. It then falls into an Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean channel of potent geothermal fire] where it is tempered by earthfire for a millennium, absorbing Fire Vein Power [the concentrated fiery energy of an earthfire vein] in the process."

"Although called Crimson Iron, after such prolonged tempering by earthfire and absorbing so much Fire Vein Power, its hue actually shifts to a pale blue."

"The finer the grade of Millennium Crimson Iron, the purer and more translucent its color tends to be. I see this sword embryo possesses a clear, luminous hue—its material is a rare, superior-grade specimen."

"Such a superior-grade natural treasure contains very few impurities. Furthermore, as it hasn't been alloyed with other materials, simply re-smelting it will yield high-quality Millennium Crimson Iron."

The Old Patriarch slowed his movements, patiently explaining the profound intricacies of the artificer's art to Eldrin Chen.

Smelting the Millennium Crimson Iron was a tedious process. Even with the aid of the earthfire, the Old Patriarch spent a full seven days before he finally reduced the metal into a mass of liquid essence, clear and luminous like molten glass.

This was merely the beginning. Next, he retrieved the Li Fire Crystal [a rare crystal formed from the concentrated essence of an earth fire vein] and, with a grave expression, placed it inside.

Compared to Millennium Crimson Iron, melting the Li Fire Crystal proved far more arduous. This substance was the refined essence of an earth fire vein, containing a sliver of the vein's creative power.

This was a wonder of heaven and earth's profound artistry. It could be used to refine high-grade precious pills or assist a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in opening their Purple Mansion [the spiritual sea within a cultivator's dantian, where True Essence is refined into Mana], thereby transforming their True Essence [the refined energy cultivated in the Foundation Establishment Realm] into Mana [the more potent spiritual energy used by Purple Mansion cultivators].

If this material were fused into a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally bonded enchanted artifact], it could naturally and greatly enhance the treasure's power and latent potential.

However, such a fire-attribute supreme treasure was no easy thing to refine. Chen Thalion proceeded with utmost caution and concentration, using the Eight Desolations Cauldron to melt it down, fearful of damaging this precious object.

The Eight Desolations Cauldron proved itself worthy of its status as a Third Rank High Grade Purple Mansion Treasure Cauldron. It amplified the power of the earth fire severalfold. After the labor of over half a month, it gradually melted the Li Fire Crystal into a mass of Separated Flame Essence [the pure, liquefied essence of Separated Flame].

Then, the Old Patriarch channeled his True Essence, merging the Crimson Iron essence with the Separated Flame Essence. He repeatedly tempered the mixture with his True Flame [a cultivator's personal, refined flame], finally refining it into a radiant, deep-blue liquid substance.

At this critical juncture, the Old Patriarch, heedless of the sweat upon his brow, reduced the earth fire's intensity by nine-tenths. He used a gentle flame to temper the mass while simultaneously shaping the deep-blue liquid into the form of a sword.

"Now!"

Just as the sword form solidified, the Old Patriarch suddenly shouted.

Eldrin Chen, who had long been prepared, stepped forward immediately. He continuously channeled his spell seals, engraving the Lifebound Formation Runes of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss into it.

These Lifebound Formation Runes were the closely guarded secret of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, the very core mechanism for controlling a Lifebound Immortal Sword [a cultivator's personally bound and most powerful sword], and had to be inscribed by the sword's master personally.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen had long committed the formation patterns to memory. With guidance from the Old Patriarch on formations and having practiced the inscription many times beforehand, he managed to complete the task without error.

After a full quarter of an hour [the time for one Ke-time, approximately fifteen minutes], the runes were fully inscribed, and both men let out a sigh of relief.

The Old Patriarch wiped his brow, a trace of a gratified smile appearing. "The sword is forged!"

At this stage of the forging, the major hurdles for this Lifebound Immortal Sword had been overcome. What remained was the process of continuously tempering it by infusing Five Elements Essence [refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], allowing the blade to take its final form. The story continues at (audio-novel.com).

This step required Eldrin Chen's personal attention. He took out three thousand strands of Separated Flame Qi [the refined essence of the Fire element] and Metallic Essence Qi [the refined essence of the Metal element], beginning to meticulously fuse them into the blade.

Five Elements Essence was originally a byproduct of the five types of refined Qi [vital energy] naturally expelled by cultivators as they absorbed spiritual energy.

When a cultivator practiced, they ingested spiritual energy. During this process, they would separate out the spiritual attributes they did not require, which naturally resulted in the production of Five Elements Essence.

For example, a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the Fire element] would expel the Metallic Essence Qi when absorbing Metal-attributed spiritual energy for cultivation. Conversely, a cultivator with a Metal Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the Metal element] would expel Separated Flame Qi when absorbing Fire-attributed spiritual energy.

The separated Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] represents the purest quintessence of heaven and earth, a treasure highly sought after even by high-level cultivators.

Whether it is for refining ordinary magical treasures or Lifebound Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact bound to a cultivator's soul and life force], or for cultivating divine abilities, this substance is often essential. For instance, the Chen Clan's divine ability, the Blazing Heaven Sword, requires absorbing vast quantities of Metallic Essence Qi [the refined spiritual energy of the Metal element] and Separated Flame Qi [the refined spiritual energy of the Fire element] to be successfully forged.

Therefore, these five types of spiritual essence, much like Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], function as a universal currency. The higher a cultivator's realm, the greater their demand for these five essences becomes.

For certain mighty cultivators who practice supreme divine abilities or refine high-grade Life-Bound Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact bound to a cultivator's soul and life force], this substance is considered far more precious than an equivalent value in Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy].

Eldrin Chen possessed Five Spiritual Roots [the rare and balanced affinity for all five elemental spiritual energies], which fundamentally prevented him from refining Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements]. He had never profited from this trade, yet now he had reached the stage where he needed to purchase Five Elements Essence to refine his Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sentient sword bound to a cultivator's soul, growing in power with them].

Tempering a Lifebound Immortal Sword [a sentient sword bound to a cultivator's soul] is a time-consuming endeavor. Eldrin Chen meticulously wove threads of Separated Flame Qi [the refined spiritual energy of the Fire element] and Metallic Essence Qi [the refined spiritual energy of the Metal element] into the sword embryo. In what seemed like a blink, seven times seven days—forty-nine days in total—had passed.

By the time he had finished integrating the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], the sword embryo was on the verge of taking its final, complete form.

The Old Patriarch watched from the side. Stroking his long beard in excitement, he declared, "Success is finally at hand." Join our community of readers at audi novel.com.