Ninth-Rank Refiner

Chapter 118: Return to Phoenix Mountains

"I think you're more like an Incomplete Manual," Liu Boli floated out of the Golden Toad. "Magic Treasure and scrolls are dead; people are alive."

With his Cultivation restored to the Heavenly Human Realm, Liu Boli's range of activity expanded. He could now move invisibly and without a trace in most parts of the Sect.

But he said that on Preaching Mountain, there were a few auras approaching the Heavenly Human Realm, so he still couldn't be too casual.

These Cultivators with auras close to the Heavenly Human Realm should be the Grand Elders of the Refining Spirit Sect, the strongest existences in the Sect.

A few days ago, when the Sect Leader Niu Jinshui said he was going to meditate in the back mountain on Preaching Mountain, he was actually consulting with several Grand Elders.

Liu Boli sat cross-legged, looked at Qian Duoduo, and explained the "Encyclopedia of Weapon Refining": "The weaponry scroll discusses basic principles and provides basic diagrams. How to combine them with materials and Formations requires each Artifact Refiner to research it themselves. This is why there is both an Encyclopedia and Magic Treasures. Ordinary Artifact Refiners only refine according to recipes, while excellent Artifact Refiners can refine according to materials and according to people."

"For example, the Golden Rooster Sword and the Golden Claw Armor?" Liu Boli had already helped Qian Duoduo repair these two Magic Treasures after returning to the Sect.

"Yes," Liu Boli nodded. "Look at the Golden Rooster Sword, this offensive Magic Treasure. In the weaponry scroll, it only provides the shape of a sword. How to use the main and auxiliary materials for refining requires the Artifact Refiner to choose themselves. Your personality is sunny and not good at scheming, so the offensive Magic Treasure you use is suitable for fire attributes, and the claws and beaks of male Spirit Chickens happen to have this attribute. Using only Spirit Chicken materials, the fire attribute would still be a bit weak, so hao gold and blazing flame grass are used to enhance it."

"hao gold strengthens hardness and weight, and blazing flame grass enhances yang fire," Qian Duoduo echoed.

"At that time, you only had Qi Condensation Level 3 Cultivation, so you couldn't add too much hao gold. If there was too much, you wouldn't be able to control it. Adding too much blazing flame grass wouldn't work either; it would affect the sword's strength."

"Elder Liu, how did you think of adding rainbow stone and dragon throat scales?"

"The core difference between Magic Treasures in the Immortal Cultivation World and weapons in the Mortal world lies in Spells. The essence of Spells lies in light, sound, shadow, and soul. When choosing auxiliary materials for refining Magic Treasures, you must consider the main material. The characteristic of a male Spirit Chicken is its crowing, 'one crow makes the world white, specifically breaking the world's darkness.' Using rainbow stone and dragon throat scales is to give the Golden Rooster Sword the magical power of sound wave attacks that break dark Spells."

"I understand now. I only now understand why these materials were needed when refining the Golden Rooster Sword," Qian Duoduo exclaimed, "Tens of thousands of materials, different combinations, different refining methods, can refine endless Magic Treasures and form endless Magic Treasures."

"Exactly. However, among the endless Magic Treasures, the higher the grade, the more valuable they are. And the higher the grade of the Magic Treasure, the more difficult it is to refine. Not only are the materials hard to come by, but more importantly, it's due to the Artifact Refiner's ability. When there's an Magic Treasure, it's easier to handle. When there's no Magic Treasure, you have to innovate and create."

Liu Boli pointed to his head, "If one can't integrate and innovate, an Artifact Refiner will never Breakthrough to Fifth-Rank."

"Fifth-Rank? What's the difference between a Fifth-Rank Refiner and a Four-Rank Refiner?"

"A Four-Rank Refiner can refine Profound Weapons, and a Fifth-Rank Refiner can refine Spiritual Artifacts. Profound and Spiritual, a difference of one character, yet like heaven and earth," Liu Boli began to stroke his beard again.

"What's the difference between Profound Weapons and Spiritual Artifacts?"

"Spiritual Artifacts have spirits. Spiritual Artifacts can produce Artifact Spirits and begin to have their own lives."

"What? Magic Treasures can produce Artifact Spirits like the Spirit Beasts and Spirit Birds in the Manor?" Qian Duoduo took out the Golden Rooster Sword, imagining what it would be like if there were little chickens inside.

"No. Artifact Spirits will be as intelligent as humans."

"Th-th-this..." Qian Duoduo stammered for a long time before saying, "I want to become a Fifth-Rank Refiner."

After refining Magic Treasures all night, Qian Duoduo had just left for Purple Gold Manor, planning to set up a cowshed today, when he heard a bell ring from the top of Mengyuan Mountain, followed by his Jade Slip vibrating: "Palace Lord Dajiu has ordered an assembly at the Sect gate within a quarter of an hour for outdoor training."

Qian Duoduo's heart tightened; it was time to start mining the gold.

"Are you included in the outdoor training?" Qian Duoduo quickly asked Huang Guiren, who was busy in the Manor.

Huang Guiren shook his head blankly. Fortunately, he wasn't on the training roster. If both of them left, no one would manage the Manor.

"I'll be out for a month of training. Call a few handyman and Outer Sect Disciples to help you. The treatment will be excellent, and Cultivation fees will all be doubled," Qian Duoduo simply instructed a few words and then ran down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, ten Winged Vehicles were parked on Lingwu Avenue, with Elder Hu standing at the very front. Orange and blue figures rushed out of the Sect gate and boarded the Winged Vehicles. On each Winged Vehicle, there was one Inner Sect Disciple and ten Outer Sect Disciples.

Qian Duoduo sat on the foremost Winged Vehicle. This type of Dan artifact, the Winged Vehicle, had the same control method as other Magic Treasures. The Cultivator in the driver's seat used Spiritual Awareness to control its up, down, forward, backward, left, and right movements.

A quarter of an hour passed in a flash. Elder Hu waved his hand, and ten Winged Vehicles soared into the sky.

In the air, Tang Honggong's face was solemn. Unbeknownst to them, he was already waiting there, riding a Seven-Colored Golden Bull.

Elder Hu, who was standing on a Flying Sword, cupped his hands to him, "Palace Lord Tang, the training Disciples have all arrived."

"Depart," Tang Honggong ordered.

With the Golden Ox and Flying Sword in front, and ten Winged Vehicles following behind, they flew at full speed for three or four hours. The Phoenix Mountains were already in sight.

About an incense stick's time away from the Zhu Family castle, Qian Duoduo saw a Winged Vehicle waiting in the air. Outside the vehicle stood Zhu Pingdao, the Clan Chief of the Zhu Family, on a Flying Sword. Inside the vehicle were eleven Zhu Family Disciples, led by Zhu Anshun.

"Follow," Tang Honggong said after Zhu Pingdao saluted.

After another hour of flying, the training team slowly descended, quietly landing in the forest on the west bank of a river.

This river was hundreds of feet wide, and its water was turbid. The current in the middle of the river was rapid, but a thin layer of ice had formed along the riverbanks.

"This river, which we call Phoenix River, is the boundary river with the enemy Sect, Shengling Sect. To the west of the river is our Phoenix Mountains. To the east of the river is the Shengling Sect's Magic Crow Mountain Range. Our training mission this time is to comprehensively inspect and repair the defensive Formations along the Phoenix River and to establish a defensive castle on Fengtou Mountain," Elder Hu introduced.

The defensive Formations of the boundary river had existed for thousands of years and served as the Warning Line of their Sect's territory. Previously, they were routinely inspected once every thousand years. This inspection was brought forward significantly.

Under Elder Hu's arrangement, the Meng Yuan Legion Disciples were divided into ten teams, and the Zhu Family Disciples formed their own team. They traveled through the mountain forest along the river, moving from south to north.

Tang Honggong, Elder Hu, and Zhu Pingdao coordinated from the center, ready to provide support at any time.

Qian Duoduo led a team of Outer Sect Disciples, standing on the outermost perimeter. The sparsely populated Phoenix Mountains were a paradise for Spirit Beasts and Spirit Birds. Along the way, they found traces of Spirit Beast and Spirit Bird activity on the damaged defensive Formations. They either frequently passed through the Formations or built nests within them, slowly eroding the Formations' spiritual power and causing them to fail.

The training team repaired the Formations and drove away the Spirit Beasts and Spirit Birds near the Formations. When they encountered powerful ones, the Seven-Colored Golden Bull's gentle bellow solved the problem.

However, five days later, Qian Duoduo discovered a ten-zhang wide area along the boundary river where the Formation was completely Invalidation.

A blank in the alert system had appeared in the direction from the boundary river to Fengtou Mountain!

Chapter 118: Return to Phoenix Mountains