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Chapter 174: Third-Order Earth Fire (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 174: Third-Order Earth Fire (Please Subscribe)

"I am merely a mirror of fair exchange. . . you give me Battle Glyphs, and I give you recompense!"

Inside the Peach Blossom Pavilion's secluded cultivation chamber.

Fang Xi opened his eyes, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.

He was preparing to open up a bit, to become a purveyor of knowledge.

For the 'mirror holders,' this was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The cultivation world had countless cultivation methods and secret arts; there was always one that the other party would need.

And he, in turn, only required Spirit Glyphs and Treasure Glyphs as recompense.

This way, the higher the cultivation of the 'mirror holders,' the better.

Therefore, Fang Xi easily chose to abandon Qing Lang and instead become a partner with the Great Wu.

"No need to worry too much about matters over there for now; best to handle the tasks at hand first. . ."

He took out two jade slips and carefully copied the 'Xun Wind Spirit Glyph' and the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' into them.

Then, he began to meticulously study and comprehend them.

A long while later, Fang Xi opened his eyes once more:

"The Dao of Battle Glyphs indeed has its merits!"

"Currently, I must make a choice. . . should I inscribe the 'Xun Wind Spirit Glyph' or the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' onto the spirit artifact?"

These two great Spirit Glyphs were not entirely impossible to engrave together onto a third-order spiritual wood.

However, if done that way, the material would be ruined!

Law Glyphs form Spirit Glyphs, and Spirit Glyphs form Treasure Glyphs – this was the core of the Battle Glyph system!

The Xun Wind Spirit Glyph and Geng Gold Spirit Glyph, however, appeared to have no combination potential.

If combined, it might temporarily create a powerful spirit artifact, but there would be no possibility of further upgrading it.

With hardly any deliberation, Fang Xi confirmed his choice:

"I am preparing to refine a spirit artifact flying sword. . . since it's a sword, I naturally choose the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' to enhance its sharpness. . ."

As for what kind of Spirit Glyphs the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' would need to combine with in the future, and what kind of Treasure Glyph it would ultimately form, Fang Xi currently had no clue.

After all, the Great Wu was only a second-order practitioner.

Precious knowledge about 'Treasure Glyphs' was only held by the 'Wu Kings' in those great cities.

'Sigh. . . when will the Great Wu die and have his treasures seized by others. . . I hope the next person to kill him is a Wu King. . . '

Fang Xi muttered a complaint, then began to comprehend the method of combining the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' with a spirit artifact.

With his previous extensive experience in refining magical tools, this matter was not without a starting point.

...

Several months later.

Beneath the peach blossom tree.

Fang Xi sat alone, sipping peach blossom wine, with Ruan Xing Ling seated across from him.

The woman still, as ever, enjoyed drinking Green Bamboo Wine.

"These are the spirit stones from the Pill & Artifact Pavilion's last year. . ."

Ruan Xing Ling tossed over a small pouch; inside were a paltry few dozen spirit stones. . .

Fang Xi received them without a change in expression.

The relationship between him and Ruan Xing Ling remained very clearly defined.

This was also a shared philosophy between the two of them; both were dedicated to seeking the Dao, and would not let romantic entanglement delay important matters, nor would they become inextricably linked.

"I wonder if the rates for hiring Artifact Refiner Ruan have changed?"

Only after receiving the spirit stones did a hint of a smile appear on Fang Xi's face: "I, for one, wish to refine a spirit artifact. . ."

"Oh? What form will it take?"

Ruan Xing Ling's interest was piqued.

The next moment, she saw Fang Xi toss over a jade slip.

Ruan Xing Ling's Divine Consciousness swept over it, and she was immediately somewhat surprised. She didn't speak aloud, but instead sent a mental message: "A third-order spiritual wood as the main material? A wood-attribute flying sword? Is Brother Fang truly entrusting this task to Xing Ling? Wouldn't it be better to entrust it to Grandmaster Ouyang. . . his success rate is higher. . ."

"I only trust Xing Ling. . ."

Fang Xi smiled faintly, replying with a mental message as well: "What's more. . . you don't need to refine it completely; only a rough blank is needed. Then, I will embed the formation patterns. . . Hmm, during refinement, you also need to make sure to leave enough space for additional formation patterns in the future. The detailed design schematics are all in the jade slip. . ."

"It seems Brother Fang finally gained something from comprehending those special formation patterns last time? Xing Ling must congratulate Brother Fang. . . I presume your path in array formations will soon advance to second-order mid-grade, no? " Ruan Xing Ling's beautiful eyes lit up.

"Oh, no, no. . . I merely gained a slight understanding of array formations and found a few Law Glyphs that can be combined."

In truth, if he hadn't obtained the formula for the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph,' even if he were given all the other lower-level Law Glyphs, he might not have been able to combine them!

This was the limitation of talent and insight!

...

Two days later.

Inside White Peace Immortal City's inner district, within a rented third-order earth fire chamber.

Ruan Xing Ling watched as Fang Xi took out a jade box. After he opened it, a section of spiritual wood inside glowed with dazzling brilliance.

"It truly is a third-order spiritual material, enough to refine even a magic treasure. . ."

She took a sharp intake of breath, looking at Fang Xi: "Xing Ling always feels that Brother Fang is unfathomable. . ."

"Oh, no, no, it's merely good luck. . ."

Fang Xi waved his hand.

In truth, he really didn't need to open a shop to earn spirit stones; the corpses of second-order demon beasts in his storage bag weren't even fully depleted yet.

But there was no need to flaunt his wealth.

Ruan Xing Ling smiled faintly but did not press further. She was, by nature, a woman with a strong sense of boundaries, knowing that if she probed deeper, she might not even be able to remain Fang Xi's friend. It was better to maintain their current relationship.

She pondered for a moment before speaking: "Third-order spiritual wood is not easy to refine. Even for a rough blank, the few fire crows I raise wouldn't provide enough heat. As expected, Fellow Daoist had foresight to rent such an earth fire chamber. . ."

White Peace Immortal City originally had fire veins, which were then leased out.

Back then, Fang Xi had even entertained the idea of renting an earth fire chamber here to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, but he later gave up on it.

However, with him and Ruan Xing Ling both at Foundation Establishment, and the Evergreen Wood being equivalent to merely a low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill in terms of value, protecting it was naturally more than enough.

Moreover, this was the worst-case scenario, where White Peace Immortal City constantly monitored the earth fire chambers and even harbored covetous thoughts.

Fang Xi felt that matters wouldn't escalate to such an extent.

Nevertheless, before refining the artifact, he still, as usual, set up an array formation to conceal the internal situation of the refining chamber.

Ruan Xing Ling, meanwhile, walked around, observing the structure of the earth fire chamber.

The earth fire chamber's four walls were all made of dark black rock, and the floor was paved with a layer of ice jade. Even so, the temperature inside the chamber was quite high.

In the center of the earth fire chamber was a ferocious Horned Dragon's head, with thick brass pull-rings on all four sides.

When these brass rings were pulled, the Horned Dragon's mouth opened, and a terrifying inferno surged forth!

'The earth fire chambers in White Peace Immortal City are divided into three major grades: 'Vermilion Bird,' 'Blazing Dragon,' and 'Fire Turtle'. . . The Vermilion Bird fire is the most docile, suitable for both alchemy and artifact refining, and is only open to the White Peak Mountain lineage. . . The earth fire inside the Fire Turtle chambers is milder, but its temperature is insufficient, only suitable for alchemy. The earth fire inside the Blazing Dragon chambers is violent and difficult to control, only usable for artifact refining; otherwise, its terrifying flames would utterly ruin the medicinal properties of pills. . . '

As a second-order alchemist, Fang Xi had considerable authority regarding various types of flames.

At this moment, Ruan Dan was seen smiling gently, taking out a few ores, placing them into the Horned Dragon's mouth, and beginning to warm the furnace.

...

The two of them stayed in the Blazing Dragon-grade earth fire chamber for over half a month.

Inside the earth fire chamber.

The scorching high temperature transformed into heatwaves, continuously sweeping outwards.

Even Fang Xi found his forehead beaded with sweat.

He swallowed a pill and looked at Ruan Xing Ling, discovering that this Peach Blossom Fairy was in an even worse state than him, her entire body nearly drenched, revealing her graceful curves.

"Brother Fang. . . it's time to act!"

Ruan Xing Ling's voice was calm, her gaze intently fixed on the spiritual material within the third-order earth fire.

By now, various materials had already melted, and she had embedded them into the 'Evergreen Wood,' transforming it into a three-foot-long green sword embryo.

Within it, many blank spaces had been specifically reserved according to Fang Xi's requirements.

"Grand array, activate!"

The next moment, Fang Xi performed a hand seal, and his magic power surged forth wildly.

One by one, the 'Geng Gold Array Flags' he had refined beforehand instantly rose, emitting a sharp aura.

Countless golden patterns converged, forming ancient, profound symbols, imbued with an aura of desolation and antiquity.

Those were the four Law Glyphs that comprised the 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph'!

By engraving Law Glyphs onto array flags, at the very instant the spirit artifact took shape, the four great Law Glyphs would merge into a Spirit Glyph!

This was the optimal path Fang Xi had chosen, combining his knowledge of array formations.

"Manifest!"

As the liquid magic power from the 'Green Wood Longevity Art' continuously depleted, Fang Xi fused the four great Law Glyphs, condensing them into a 'Geng Gold Spirit Glyph' that emitted a faint golden radiance, which he then forcefully struck onto the Evergreen Wood sword embryo.

"Condense!"

Seeing the Evergreen Wood sword tremble, with faint golden threads woven within its wooden grain, Ruan Xing Ling seized the opportunity to also perform the final step.

A layer of warm, lustrous light settled upon the wooden sword, causing the patterns formed by the golden threads to permeate deep into the sword's body.

The Evergreen Wood sword, meanwhile, had its brilliance restrained internally, its surface as if covered with a layer of patina, radiating a soft, warm glow.

"Brother Fang, now is the moment! Blood-sacrifice the spirit artifact, and from this point forward, your minds will be connected!"

This was a suggestion Ruan Xing Ling had made after seeing Fang Xi's spirit artifact crafting plan in the jade slip.

Within her inherited artifact refining techniques, there was a 'Blood Sacrificial Art' that emphasized refining magical tools or spirit artifacts upon their completion using the cultivator's own essence blood, thereby allowing them to be wielded with perfect ease, increasing their power during combat, and making them difficult for an enemy to refine even if stolen temporarily.

Hearing this, Fang Xi flicked his finger.

A drop of dark red blood landed on the green sword embryo, instantly melding into it.

"It's done!"

Ruan Xing Ling finally struck a few more incantation gestures, causing the Evergreen Wood sword embryo to gradually cool. A large, green hand of magic power flew out and grasped the wooden sword.

Fang Xi observed it closely, seeing that the Evergreen Wood sword was three feet long, one inch wide. Its primary color was green, with wooden grain, and its blade shimmered with a faint golden halo. Simply touching it, a sharp aura assailed one's face.

"Generally speaking, wood-attribute flying swords are known for their toughness, but Brother Fang's flying sword is exceptionally sharp. . ."

Ruan Xing Ling wiped away some sweat, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she said: "In Xing Ling's opinion, this sword can be ranked among the finest of mid-grade spirit artifacts. Furthermore, its material is sturdy, allowing it to clash with even high-grade spirit artifacts without fear of damage. . . I greatly look forward to Brother Fang adding more formation patterns in the future, causing it to advance to high-grade, or even peak-grade spirit artifact status!"

That was right. . . what Fang Xi had told Ruan Xing Ling was that this sword, with more formation patterns added in the future, might be able to advance to the high-grade spirit artifact tier, or even rival rare peak-grade spirit artifacts.

As for the changes into Treasure Glyphs after the Spirit Glyphs converged, that was completely concealed.

"For the success of this sword, I must thank Xing Ling for her assistance!"

Fang Xi cupped his hands in thanks and directly handed over a pouch of spirit stones.

Ruan Xing Ling accepted it without ceremony, then asked solemnly: "I wonder if Xing Ling may name this sword?"