Chapter 55. Refining the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure)

"Then follow me."

Liu Rumeng revealed a faint smile as she led the 2 into the mid-tier 3-stage Earth Fire Chamber.

Entering the earthfire chamber, Eldrin raised his eyes and saw an ancient, majestic cauldron positioned at the center of the third-tier earthfire chamber. Directly beneath it lay a fire vent sealed by an array formation.

Gazing at the massive cauldron, Liu Rumeng smiled faintly and said, "The Master once said that using a furnace for alchemy aligns with the Dao by unifying essence and spirit. But to refine artifacts within a furnace... that would be rather unambitious."

"In contrast, the great cauldron bears the heavens and supports the earth, making it far more suited for forging peerless treasures. This very '6 Directions and 8 Desolations Cauldron' is the treasure our master often employs to refine magical artifacts."

As an artificer, Chen Changxuan caressed the Hexahedral Cauldron of All Realms with uncontainable fondness, unable to suppress his excitement as he exclaimed, "Senior Jiang's cultivation reaches profound heights, having glimpsed the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao. His mastery spans alchemy, formations, artificing, and talismans—each field bearing astonishing achievements far beyond what this junior could ever hope to attain."

"Indeed." Liu Rumeng spoke with profound reverence, "The Master once said that all 100 arts of cultivation are secretly in accord with the Great Dao."

"Mastering the art of alchemy can help cultivators comprehend the microcosm within their own bodies. As for the art of formations, it contains the profound mysteries of heaven and earth. If 1 can cultivate it to perfection, they may even glimpse the grand momentum and creation of the vast cosmos."

Eldrin listened in silence, a flicker of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

He had assumed Lyra was merely a bit more advanced in her cultivation, excessively beautiful in appearance, and impossibly perfect in figure—never did he imagine such vast profundity resided within her mind.

The 2 were quite satisfied with this forging chamber and the cauldron, so they decided to rent this third-tier Earthfire Chamber for 2 months at a price of 300 spirit stones per month.

After Liu Rumeng (Person Name) departed, the 2 of them wasted no time and immediately began forging the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure).

Chen Changxuan activated the formation, channeling the third-grade earthfire into the cauldron. As he carefully placed the sword fetus inside, he began to explain.

"Forge the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), pure millennium-aged crimson iron is the finest material."

So-called millennium crimson iron originates from dark iron, the essence of 10 1000 irons. After falling into subterranean fire veins, it is tempered by geothermal flames for a 1000 years, ultimately fusing with the power of fire veins.

Although called Millennial Iron, this red metal had been tempered by subterranean flames for so long and had absorbed so much power from the fire veins that it now gleamed in a pale blue hue.

"The higher the grade of millennium crimson iron, the purer its color tends to be. I observe that your sword embryo possesses a translucent hue—its material is already an exceptionally rare superior-grade."

"This top-grade natural treasure contains very few impurities, and since no other materials have been incorporated, we can obtain superior millennium crimson iron simply by reforging it."

The old clan leader slowed his movements, patiently explaining the profound mysteries of artifact forging to Eldrin.

Refining the millennium-old crimson iron was an exceedingly tedious process. Even with the aid of earthfire, the old clan leader still spent a full 7 days before he could melt the millennium-old crimson iron into a translucent, glass-like liquid essence.

This was only the beginning. He then retrieved the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), his gaze solemn as he carefully placed it within.

Compared to the millennium-old crimson iron, smelting the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) proved far more challenging. This object was the essence of heaven and earth's fire veins, containing a trace of the creative power inherent to fire veins.

This is a wondrous creation of heaven and earth, capable of refining high-grade precious elixirs and assisting Foundation Establishment cultivators in opening their Dantian, transforming True Essence into Magical Power.

If this item were to be refined into 1's Natal Magic Treasure, it would naturally greatly enhance both the power and potential of the treasure.

However, refining such a fire-attribute supreme treasure was no easy task. Chen Changxu proceeded with extreme caution, channeling his full concentration into the 8 Desolates Cauldron as he melted it down, terrified of causing the slightest damage to this precious artifact.

The 8 Desolates Cauldron truly lived up to its reputation as a third-tier, superior-grade Zifu treasure cauldron. It amplified the power of the earth fire by severalfold, and after a painstaking effort spanning the better part of a month, it finally melted the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) bit by bit into a mass of Li Fire essence.

The elder clan leader then channeled his zhenyuan, merging the essence of red iron with Li Fire essence. He repeatedly tempered them with true fire, ultimately refining a radiant, azure-blue liquid substance that shimmered with intense brilliance.

At this critical juncture, the old clan leader wiped the sweat from his brow and reduced the earth flame's intensity by 90 percent. He gently tempered the azure liquid while molding it into the shape of a sword.

"Now!"

Just as the sword was about to take form, the Old Clan Chief suddenly let out a thunderous shout.

Eldrin, who had long been prepared, immediately stepped forward. He repeatedly formed hand seals, channeling the innate array patterns of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss into it.

This innate array pattern was the closely guarded secret of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure), the most crucial mystery for controlling 1's lifebound immortal sword. It required the sword's master to personally inscribe it within.

Fortunately, Eldrin had long memorized the formation patterns. With the old clan leader's guidance on the array mechanisms and numerous prior attempts, he finally completed the engraving without error.

A full quarter of an hour later, the array patterns were fully inscribed, and the 2 of them let out a sigh of relief.

The old clan leader wiped the sweat from his brow, revealing a faint, gratified smile. "This sword is complete!"

Having reached this stage of refinement, the primary hurdles for this Lifebound Immortal Sword had been overcome. What followed was the process of infusing the essences of the 5 Elements and tempering it through sustained refinement, allowing the sword to gradually take its final form.

This step required Eldrin (Person Name) to handle personally. He extracted 3,000 strands of Li Fire Qi and Geng Metal Qi, gradually beginning to fuse them within.

The 5 Elements Essence Qi was originally 5 types of vital energies incidentally produced by cultivators while channeling and refining spiritual energy.

When cultivating, practitioners absorb spiritual energy. During this process, they separate out the unwanted spiritual attributes from the energy, naturally producing the 5 Elements' essence.

For instance, when a fire spirit root cultivator absorbs metal-attributed spiritual energy for cultivation, they would separate the Geng Metal Qi from it. Conversely, when a metal spirit root cultivator absorbs fire-attributed spiritual energy, they would likewise extract the Li Fire Qi.

The separated essence of the 5 Elements represents the purest quintessential energies between heaven and earth, treasures even high-level cultivators urgently seek.

Whether refining ordinary magical treasures or life-bound artifacts, or even cultivating divine abilities, this substance is often required. For instance, the Chen Clan's divine ability, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, requires absorbing vast amounts of Gengjin (Metal Element) Qi and Lihuo (Fire Element) Qi to master.

Thus, these 5 types of spiritual essence, much like spirit stones, essentially function as hard currency. The higher the cultivation realm of a practitioner, the greater their demand for these 5 spiritual essences becomes.

For certain great cultivators who practiced supreme grand supernatural powers and high-level natal magic treasures, this item was far more precious than an equivalent amount of spirit stones.

Eldrin (Person Name) possessed the 5 Spiritual Roots constitution, making it fundamentally impossible for him to refine the 5 Elements Essence. Though he had never earned a single spirit stone from this practice, he would eventually ascend to the realm where purchasing 5 Elements Essence became necessary to consecrate his Lifebound Immortal Sword.

Forging his lifebound immortal sword was a time-consuming endeavor. Eldrin meticulously wove wisp after wisp of Li Fire energy and Geng Metal energy into its core. Before he knew it, 40-9 full days had slipped by.

By the time he had fully integrated the 5 Elements essence, the sword embryo was on the verge of complete formation.

The old clan leader watched from the side, stroking his long beard in excitement as he said, "Success is finally within reach."