Because Xu Ziqing had not yet formed his Golden Core, he could not nurture origin fire within his dantian. For artifact refinement he therefore had to rely on the fire seed stored in the talisman.
Even if an externally acquired fire seed recognized a master, it could not compare with a cultivator’s own origin fire. This particular seed had been given to Xu Ziqing by Su Xin.
After Xu Ziqing received Yun Lie’s advice and passed it on to Su Xin, Su Xin had successfully remained in the Wuling Immortal Sect. During the tournament, he even came to watch Xu Ziqing’s battles.
However, the two now followed different lineages within the same sect, and Su Xin had his own path to pursue. He had not shown himself, but had entrusted someone else with five talismans to deliver to Xu Ziqing. Each contained a different fire seed he had carefully selected, intended for Xu Ziqing’s use before Golden Core. The gifts also expressed the bond between them.
The fire Xu Ziqing had released now was especially useful for the Dao of artifact refinement. Called Scarlet-Gold Fire, it burned with tremendous vigor, making it particularly suitable for rough, preliminary refining.
The Scarlet-Gold Fire surrounded the bamboo tube and burned furiously, seemingly intent on melting it.
Artifact refinement generally required combining different spiritual materials, removing impurities and retaining their essence, then applying artifact-refining formulas one by one. Under the control of spiritual sense, the materials would gradually condense into the shape the artificer intended.
When refining one’s own magical artifact, an additional step was required: tempering it with blood essence before the process could be considered complete.
Xu Ziqing intended to refine the bamboo tube into a form of his choosing. After considering it briefly, he arrived at an idea.
His plan was sound, but matters were far from easy.
The flames burned fiercely, yet the bamboo tube merely floated within them without showing the slightest sign of melting.
Crackling sounds continued without cease, but the tube proved more obstinate than solid rock.
Xu Ziqing forcefully exhaled a mouthful of true essence into the flames. They shot up three chi, their heat intensifying enormously. Still the bamboo tube remained utterly unchanged and would not melt at all.
He smiled bitterly inwardly. Was the fire simply not high enough in rank? Or was the bamboo tube itself the problem?
Controlling the fire was no easy task for Xu Ziqing, and he could not sustain the effort indefinitely. Sighing, he asked, “Senior Brother has always been unwilling to say. Surely you can tell me now: what exactly is this bamboo tube?”
An object so difficult to refine must have an extraordinary origin. Yet Xu Ziqing understood Yun Lie’s thinking well enough. Whatever its rarity or importance, his senior brother would never deliberately boast about it. He had simply treated it as something suitable for Xu Ziqing and given it to him. Even when mentioning it afterward, Yun Lie had only reminded him that it could help in dangerous situations and should not be forgotten.
Consequently, Xu Ziqing still did not know the tube’s origin. He had carefully studied records of spiritual plants in the great world and had deliberately searched for it, but never found a match. Now he needed to know, or he would be unable to choose a different method of refinement.
Yun Lie answered, “A surviving branch of Purifying Bamboo.”
Xu Ziqing’s eyes widened. “…A descendant of Bitter Bamboo, the innate spiritual root?”
Yun Lie nodded faintly.
Xu Ziqing drew a sharp breath, almost losing control of the fire and letting it fall.
In ancient times, there had been ten great innate spiritual roots. Bitter Bamboo was one of them.
Legend said that a mighty expert once uprooted Bitter Bamboo and refined it into the Six-Senses Purifying Bamboo, which could seal a person’s six senses. Anyone restrained by that bamboo could no longer circulate even a trace of power and would be utterly helpless.
Purifying Bamboo also possessed the power to clear the heart and ward off evil. Whoever possessed it would be free of deluded thoughts and inner demons, and no evil thing among the countless horrors of the world could approach. It was truly a supreme spiritual treasure.
Yet for all Bitter Bamboo’s virtues, its roots had been severed long ago. Over countless years, the few surviving rootlets did not produce another identical divine plant, but gave rise to other kinds of bamboo. After further ages of evolution and branching, the original species had finally disappeared.
Now only a few ancient secret realms, major sects or exceedingly old cultivation clans might preserve remnants of its surviving lineages. Even these were generally not complete plants, merely scattered branches.
The bamboo tube Yun Lie had given Xu Ziqing was only about one chi long, yet extraordinarily rare.
Who knew where Yun Lie had acquired it? But since it descended from Bitter Bamboo, it was perfectly natural that ordinary fire could not refine it.
Xu Ziqing gazed at the piece of bamboo, overwhelmed by complicated feelings.
Years ago, he had painstakingly memorized numerous ancient texts on spiritual herbs in the Hundred-Herbs Garden and thought himself reasonably knowledgeable. Only when he began studying alchemy more seriously and examining the spiritual plants of the great world did he learn that every plant containing spiritual energy was technically called a “spiritual plant.” Because spiritual herbs were the most numerous, however, people generally referred to all such things as spiritual herbs.
Among the twelve ranks of spiritual plants, surviving branches of the ten ancient innate spiritual roots were also known as subspecies. Yet even these subspecies were all considered twelfth-rank spiritual plants. How precious and rare they were!
In an instant, the bamboo tube seemed almost too valuable for him to hold.
He had used such a treasure to tie up his hair every day. Was he not courting disaster by openly carrying something so coveted? His heart tightened, then gradually relaxed.
Within the sect, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator and seldom attracted much notice. Those who did notice him might not recognize the bamboo. Those who did recognize it were likely to possess great experience and cultivation far above his own, and might consider it beneath them to steal it.
But now that he was traveling outside, he had to be far more careful. He should refine the tube quickly and disguise its appearance.
The concern furrowed his brows.
How was he supposed to refine a surviving ancient spiritual root that would not melt even under intense flame?
The more he considered it, the more he sighed.
If he could cultivate the Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting to Golden Core or above, he would be able to transform the remnants of many spiritual plants, such as branches and leaves, into seeds and then use his heart-planting method.
But at his present cultivation level, such a thing was utterly impossible.
This demonstrated that the most frustrating thing in the world was not having no solution, but knowing exactly what to do while lacking the strength to carry it out. One could only stare helplessly at the problem.
While he was growing anxious, Xu Ziqing suddenly sensed a familiar presence behind him. It was his senior brother. He immediately called, “Senior Brother Yun?”
The person behind him did not reply, but a hand settled against his back, firm-boned and slightly warm.
Xu Ziqing instantly understood and hurried to say, “If Senior Brother is helping too, then who will stand guard? We’re in Ruyi Immortal Estate, not on our own mountain…”
Only after his rapid stream of worried words ended did Yun Lie answer, “I have already laid down sword intent.”
Xu Ziqing breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I can be at ease.”
Seeing that he had no more questions, Yun Lie said, “Do not resist.”
Xu Ziqing naturally obeyed. “Yes, Senior Brother Yun.”
In the next instant, a mighty torrent of true essence burst from Yun Lie’s palm and entered the acupoint on Xu Ziqing’s back, forcing its way into his body.
The stream was immense, containing a fiercely sharp power, like countless steel blades carrying an unstoppable, domineering force!
Xu Ziqing opened his meridians completely and offered no resistance. Even so, the incoming true essence slightly injured him.
Its sudden invasion made his chest tighten, leaving an unpleasant sense of congestion.
Yun Lie’s true essence traveled back and forth through his meridians, its overwhelming presence impossible to ignore.
Foreign true essence was deeply uncomfortable within one’s body. Xu Ziqing felt Yun Lie’s power coursing through him, almost usurping control of his own channels. But this was his senior brother’s intention, and so he endured the strange sensation, allowed Yun Lie to proceed and dared not move recklessly.
After his true essence had filled every one of Xu Ziqing’s meridians, Yun Lie spoke again. “I will send true essence into your dantian. Merge your own with it.”
Xu Ziqing answered, “Yes,” and opened his dantian as well. Most of his true essence was stored there. Feeling the continuing influx from Yun Lie, he directed his own power forward to receive and fuse with it.
Wood-attribute true essence was gentle and lively, whereas metal-attribute true essence was sharp and forceful. Yun Lie had comprehended the Dao of Geng Metal, while Xu Ziqing had comprehended the Dao of Yi Wood. Geng Metal could cut Yi Wood, yet Yi Wood could also accommodate Geng Metal, so fusing these two streams of true essence was not difficult.
Soon Geng Metal and Yi Wood became one. Although the force of Geng Metal was stronger and initially took the upper hand, they were inside the territory of Yi Wood. Once they merged, the two became evenly balanced, neither surpassing the other.
Yun Lie did not withdraw his hand. “I will transfer more true essence. Do as you have just done, then project it outside your body to refine the artifact.”
Xu Ziqing could not succeed with his own strength, but Yun Lie possessed a Golden Core and might be capable of it.
Yun Lie infused Xu Ziqing with true essence, allowing the two energies to merge. Even though most of the resulting power belonged to Yun Lie, because it emerged from Xu Ziqing’s body, it could be treated as Xu Ziqing’s own.
This was a technique of “borrowing strength.” But it required the lender to give everything while the borrower simply received. Unless two people were extraordinarily close, few were willing to sacrifice their own reserves so selflessly.
Xu Ziqing felt deeply grateful, yet dared not relax his concentration for an instant.
He gave a clear cry. “Go!”
An overwhelming burst of power erupted from his palm and poured into the flames, making them leap violently. The fire changed from red toward purple, its heat growing more than a hundredfold!
At last the surface of the bamboo tube began to whiten and gradually soften under the continuous influx of Yun Lie’s true essence. But melting the entire tube and reforging it from scratch would require too much time and energy.
As Xu Ziqing refined it, his spiritual sense grew more focused. He repeatedly formed artifact-refining seals, guiding the flames to seven specific points.
Gradually, seven holes formed while the rest of the bamboo remained undamaged. When the tube had taken the shape of a bamboo flute, its initial form was finally complete.
Xu Ziqing immediately bit his forefinger and swiftly drew a talismanic symbol in the air. Then he bit the tip of his tongue and forcefully spat blood essence onto it!
A blood-red pattern appeared on the bamboo flute, forming the shape of the talisman before quickly vanishing within it.
Xu Ziqing finally relaxed. He beckoned, drew back the flames and sealed them into the talisman again. Only the pale-green bamboo flute remained suspended in the air, circling and releasing a soft, hollow woo-woo sound.
The initial refinement had succeeded at last.
The bamboo flute quickly flew back and slipped neatly into Xu Ziqing’s hair, fastening his long locks in place.
At the same time, Xu Ziqing sensed something mysterious and unfamiliar, as though a profound connection had formed between himself and the flute.
Yun Lie also withdrew his hand and stood.
Turning his head slightly, he glanced toward the deep shade not far away.