Chapter 87 : The Sword's Priceless Legacy

This is precisely the precious nature of Immortal Sword-type magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators]. A flying sword is unparalleled in offense, can form a protective sword aura, and allows one to travel by riding upon it. Its value is often the highest among magical treasure of the same rank.

Defensive magical treasure are the foundation for preserving one's life and establishing one's path, thus ranking second in value. Following those are treasures like the Purple Sun Furnace, the Violet Light Mirror, and the Thunderbolt Demon-Repelling Shuttle, which are of Second Rank High-Grade quality.

Thinking of this, Eternal Profound Chen smiled faintly. "You are cautious and thoughtful by nature, decisive when faced with matters. My worries were unnecessary."

After speaking, he brought out some of the resources obtained from this victory.

Although they had slain three Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Lin Clan, the items useful to the two of them were not many. Unlike the most promising White Hope Lin, the other three cultivators were only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Their wealth and status were far inferior.

The Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] from their Storage Bag [a spatial pouch for storing items] added up to only a little over three thousand pieces. There was only one Second Rank Mid-Grade magical treasure, while there were six or seven of Second Rank Low-Grade quality.

Neither Eldrin Chen nor the Old Patriarch fancied these treasures. Apart from one or two decent magical treasure, which Eternal Profound Chen intended to use as Formation Artifact [artifacts used to power and stabilize formations] to strengthen Pingyang City's City Defense Grand Formation, the rest would simply be deposited into the Clan Treasury.

After handling all this, the three did not depart. Instead, they proceeded together to the Artifact Forging Chamber.

"Previously, dealing with the Lin Clan delayed the forging of your Life-Bound Magical Artifact [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force, growing with them]," Eternal Profound Chen said to the Third Elder upon entering the Artifact Forging Chamber. "Now, with Eldrin and I assisting together, forging the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword will be faster by a third."

As he spoke, he took out the Millennium Cold Iron and placed it into the artifact-forging furnace, beginning the process of crafting the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword. Your portal to cultivation novels: audi0-n0vel.c0m.

Eternal Profound Chen worked on the refinement while simultaneously fueling the flames to smelt the Millennium Cold Iron, all the while explaining the process to Eldrin Chen.

"The process of smelting Millennium Cold Iron is vastly different from that of Millennial Crimson Iron," he said. "The Millennium Cold Iron is a spiritual material of pure Yin [the passive, dark, and feminine principle in nature] nature."

"Our Chen Clan's Blazing Solar True Flame and Heaven-Scorching Solar Fire techniques are overwhelmingly potent and Yang [the active, bright, and masculine principle in nature] in nature. Using them for this task would likely damage the ore's inherent power."

"To properly smelt this treasure without diminishing its potency, it is best to employ a technique like the Stalwart Fire art for the tempering process."

"Our Chen Clan lacks cultivation methods for the Fire of Bing and Ding [specific types of fire energy in Daoist cosmology]. However, we do possess a Second Rank spell called Azure Spirit True Flame, which can serve as a passable substitute for the Stalwart Fire technique."

As Eldrin Chen listened to the Old Patriarch's detailed explanation, his understanding of the art of artifact forging deepened further.

Over the past few years, the Old Patriarch had instructed him many times in the arts of artifact forging and formation crafting. In his spare time, Eldrin would occasionally practice with first-rank materials. Though his attempts were not numerous, he had now touched the threshold of becoming both a Second Rank Formation Master and an Artifact Forger.

Ever since the Old Patriarch had examined the magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] Eldrin crafted, he had been astounded, believing Eldrin's comprehension and talent to be even more exceptional than he had imagined.

From that point on, whenever the Patriarch engaged in forging magical treasure or crafting formations, he would have Eldrin observe by his side, imparting his knowledge with meticulous care and utmost dedication.

"The Blazing Third Fire is a Primordial Solar Flame," the Patriarch continued. "Techniques like the Blazing Third Fire Divine Thunder are, in essence, Primordial Solar Divine Thunder. This type of True Flame [a pure, potent flame used in high-level cultivation arts] is far more domineering and violent. The Stalwart Fire, however, is a flame of pure Yin, more gentle and subdued. It is better suited for forging water-attribute magical treasure like this one."

It is said that the Stalwart Fire Divine Thunder [a powerful thunder technique] is also renowned far and wide, hailed as the Pure Lunar Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique of pure lunar essence], and stands shoulder to shoulder with the Blazing Third Fire Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique of the third celestial fire]. Its destructive power is truly Extraordinary. Unfortunately, this divine ability can only be successfully cultivated by female practitioners.

The Chen Clan does not possess the Stalwart Fire [a spell of unwavering flame] technique. However, they do have a relatively more yin [the passive, receptive, and gentle principle in nature] and gentle art called the Azure Spirit True Flame [a true flame of azure spirit energy], which can barely serve as a substitute for the Stalwart Fire technique.

Over the past few years, Eldrin Chen has also cultivated the Azure Spirit True Flame. Compared to the abstruse and difficult-to-comprehend divine abilities, mastering this spell was not overly challenging, and he has now grasped its fundamentals.

Without the aid of an Underground Fire Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated fire energy], the two of them could only jointly channel the Azure Spirit True Flame to refine the Millennium Cold Iron [a rare metal tempered by a millennium of cold]. It took a full half a month before they finally managed to refine the Millennium Cold Iron into a mass of clear, transparent liquid substance.

"The Essence of Final Water [the primordial essence of ultimate water, representing finality and stillness]," Old Patriarch said.

After completing this step, the Old Patriarch spoke.

Eldrin Chen promptly retrieved the Essence of Final Water and poured it into the artifact-forging furnace.

Without another word, the Old Patriarch activated the Essence of Final Water, merging it into the liquid substance formed from the Millennium Cold Iron. Using the True Flame [a cultivator's purified flame essence] to repeatedly refine the mixture, another seven full days passed before he finally produced a mass of pale azure liquid.

Next, he channeled his True Essence [the refined, foundational energy of a cultivator] to shape the sword's body. Before long, the sword embryo finally took form.

"Lior Chen."

Seeing the sword embryo take form, Eternal Profound Chen immediately called out loudly.

Lior Chen reacted swiftly, promptly channeling his True Essence [the refined life-force energy cultivated by practitioners] to continuously inscribe the formation patterns of the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword into it.

Back when Eldrin Chen had succeeded in inscribing the formation patterns in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Third Elder's comprehension was far inferior, and his grasp of the patterns was not as deep. It took him one and a half Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours] to barely complete the task.

"It is finally done."

After finishing the inscription on the sword embryo, Lior Chen let out a sigh of relief. With this most critical step completed, the remaining work would be a matter of patient, meticulous refinement.

This time, he brought out the prepared Final Water Element Energy [the purified spiritual essence of the Water element, representing its ultimate state] and the Acrid Metal Energy [a sharp, penetrating energy associated with the Metal element], beginning to slowly temper and fuse them into the magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators]. Continue your cultivation journey at audio‑novel.com.

According to the original formula for forging the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword, one should temper it with Essence of Metallic Gold [a spiritual material embodying the pure essence of metallic gold]. However, after analysis, Eldrin Chen proposed a method to substitute it with Acrid Metal Energy.

The reason for using Acrid Metal Energy instead of Essence of Metallic Gold was Eldrin Chen's belief that the Last Water [the final, most refined stage of Water essence] was living water, the water of rain and dew. This water thrives when nourished by the Yin Metal [the yielding, receptive aspect of the Metal element] represented by Xin, but is hindered and repelled by the Yang Metal [the strong, active aspect] represented by Geng.

He reasoned that if Essence of Metallic Gold were used, it would create a clash between Water and Metal, likely diminishing the efficacy of the Essence of Final Water [another term for the Last Water essence]. Conversely, by using Acrid Metal Energy for the tempering process, Metal would give birth to Water, thereby maximizing the potential power of this sword.

After pondering the matter, the Old Patriarch acknowledged Eldrin Chen's insight. Thus, he boldly decided to alter the formula for the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword, replacing the Essence of Metallic Gold with Acrid Metal Energy.

As Lior Chen refined the Immortal Sword, Eldrin Chen observed attentively from the side, gaining a deeper understanding of the art of artifact forging.

"The Final Water is the water of dew and rain," he mused. "This water brims with vitality, gentle and enduring, yet its potency is somewhat weaker."

"The Positive Water, however, is the water of rivers, lakes, and seas. If one could forge a sword with the legendary Positive Water Crystal, its power might be like the Nine Heavens Long River cascading down—vast, unstoppable, and potentially not inferior to the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword."

"It is a pity that within the vast expanse of the Chu Nation, no Positive Water Crystal is produced, let alone the existence of superior Immortal Sword forging methods attuned to the water element."

After a moment of contemplation, Eldrin Chen set these thoughts aside for the time being.

Cultivators with Five Spiritual Roots possess one additional, albeit debatable, advantage: they can theoretically consecrate and refine up to five Lifebound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts bound to the cultivator's life force].

Yet, the average cultivator exhausts their heart and soul to refine just one such treasure. Attempting to refine five simultaneously would exact a nearly unbearable toll, as it would slow their cultivation progress by severalfold.

Furthermore, the higher the grade of the Lifebound Magical Treasure, the greater its consumption of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements].

Some mighty cultivators, through purchasing vast quantities of Five Elements Essence, could even sustain an entire vast kingdom or a great Immortal Clan. This illustrates that while Lifebound Magical Treasure and high-level divine abilities possess immense power, the Five Elements Essence required to cultivate them is truly exorbitant.

Moreover, the process of nurturing and tempering a Lifebound Magical Treasure also impacts a cultivator's advancement. Managing one treasure is manageable, but attempting to refine two or three simultaneously would strain even the direct descendant of a Primordial Spirit Path Lord.

Tempering an Immortal Sword [a supreme-grade sword forged with immortal-level techniques] is a laborious and time-consuming task. The Third Elder toiled diligently for a full half-month before finally succeeding in forging the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword [a lifebound magical treasure sword named for its bright, abyssal, and ethereal qualities].

"*Huummm—*"

All present heard a clear, resonant hum of a sword. A streak of azure sword light shot forth from the forging furnace and flew directly into the center of Lior Chen's brow.

Having received the Bright Abyss Ethereal Spirit Sword, the Third Elder beamed with joy. "I never imagined that in this lifetime, I would have the day to possess a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact that bonds with its user's soul, growing in power alongside them]."

"Eldrin's deductions were indeed correct. Using the Acrid Metal Energy [a sharp, corrosive metallic spiritual energy] in the forging process has resulted in this sword's potency exceeding the recorded specifications by a full twenty percent."

The Old Patriarch stroked his long beard, his face etched with astonishment. "To apply the alchemical principles of sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy to the art of artifact forging... Eldrin's comprehension and innate talent likely far surpass anything we could have imagined." This content originates from www . audio-novel.com. Please respect copyright.