Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 511 - 506: Heavenly Spirit Material Illustrated Handbook, Face is Earned by Oneself_1
"This is the Sky Slaughter Stone, the Heavenly Spirit Material for refining the Birthless Killing Sword. Its murderous aura is extremely terrifying. You must be careful to keep it safe," Elder Qing’s voice followed.
The Jade Slip for refining the Birthless Killing Sword, a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, fell into Jia Ren’s hands. Besides that, there was a wooden box holding the Sky Slaughter Stone.
The wooden box was covered with enchantments to prevent the leakage of the Heavenly Spirit Material’s aura.
Jia Ren couldn’t wait to take the Jade Slip, observing it carefully.
A Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure is different from a Spiritual Treasure.
There are two types: one with a Heavenly Treasure pattern and three Spirit Treasure Patterns.
The second type has two Heavenly Treasure patterns, corresponding to two kinds of Heavenly Spirit Materials.
The former requires one kind of Heavenly Spirit Material and three Supreme-grade Spiritual Materials, and the auxiliary materials are also at the Spiritual Material level.
This is also the limit that a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure can withstand.
A Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure can bear at most two Heavenly Treasure Patterns.
Although the former has more patterns, its power is not as great as the latter.
The Birthless Killing Sword has two Heavenly Treasure Patterns, and the power of each pattern is substantial.
The former is known as "Birthless," with all living beings as the targets of this sword’s slaughter. When the sword is drawn, life ceases. The Birthless Sword Intent can instantly suppress a Void Refining Stage Cultivator.
The latter is known as "Kill," which divides into the Killing Path and sensing of Killing Intent.
The Killing Path is nourished by murderous aura, murderous energy, and treasures of the Killing Sha type, enhancing its killing power.
As long as one possesses the Birthless Killing Sword, any target with Killing Intent cannot escape its perception.
The power of the Birthless Killing Sword will grow stronger as it devours more murderous aura and Killing Intent, eventually becoming a treasure comparable to a Mysterious Heavenly Spiritual Treasure.
This Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, by its refining method, was also considered a top-tier existence among Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures.
The only flaw is that its Killing Path is too dominant. For each use, a powerful cultivator must be killed. Otherwise, it will turn against its owner, and Low-Order Cultivators or Magical Beasts cannot be used as substitutes.
Holding this Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure for a long time, a cultivator will be eroded by the killing aura, affecting their temperament.
Lastly, there was a note: "The method of refining the Birthless Killing Sword originally came from the Stop-Killing Palace."
The Stop-Killing Palace?
To create such a ferociously lethal treasure as the Birthless Killing Sword, and still have the audacity to include "stop-killing" in their Sect’s name?
Could it be that they kill everyone to achieve the effect of "stopping killing"?
Jia Ren had never heard of the Stop-Killing Palace. Could it be an ancient sect?
The precursor of the Xuantiandao Sect was the Celestial Phenomenon Sect. Could the Stop-Killing Palace be related to the Seven Fiends Temple?
Even if there was a Stop-Killing Palace, it’s highly likely to have been destroyed.
Otherwise, the refining method for Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of the Lingbao Sect.
"This kind of Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure is too murderous. If you refine this Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure one day, you must be careful," Elder Qing said.
Jia Ren nodded solemnly, smiling, "I am an Artifact Refiner, and I have never been fond of conflicts."
Elder Qing, having heard of Jia Ren’s ’reputation,’ was quite satisfied.
"Hall Master, do you have a catalogue of Heavenly Spirit Materials?"
Jia Ren thought of the Heavenly Spirit Materials that Ancestor Ji Kong had given him, which he still couldn’t recognize.
So far, the treasures he could identify didn’t include Heavenly Spirit Materials.
"You’ve been calling me Hall Master, which is rather impersonal. You can call me Elder Qing from now on."
"This is the compendium of all Heavenly Spirit Materials known to the Lingbao Sect. You must not reveal it to others," Elder Qing said, tossing another Jade Slip to Jia Ren.
The Lingbao Sect kept a tight lid on Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures, encompassing not only their refining methods but also the identification of Heavenly Spirit Materials.
Without recognizing Heavenly Spirit Materials, merely knowing they are valuable materials, means keeping them has little practical use. They could only be exchanged for other treasures that could be utilized.
If others failed to recognize the gem for what it was, the Lingbao Sect had an opportunity to profit from the difference.
If everyone recognized Spiritual Materials and Heavenly Spirit Materials, where would the chance to find a bargain be?
The knowledge of Heavenly Spirit Materials was extremely valuable. Otherwise, the Lingbao Sect wouldn’t guard it so secretly.
Had Jia Ren not become a Refining Seedling, entered the Source Treasure Cave Heaven, and refined a Supreme Spirit Treasure of extremely high quality, Elder Qing would not have made an exception to present the compendium.
"Of course."
Jia Ren took the Jade Slip. The recorded number and variety of Heavenly Spirit Materials inside were vast, indeed exceeding three hundred types.
Each type was meticulously recorded with its characteristics, likely regions of origin, scarcity, and suitability for refining various types of Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures.
Regrettably, over seventy percent of the Heavenly Spirit Materials were noted as extinct or nearly so.
Its value to many Sects was no less significant than the refining method for a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure.
"Do not aim too high. After you return, don’t rush to comprehend the Birthless Killing Sword’s Treasure Refining Method," Elder Qing advised.
"Prioritize refining other types of Spiritual Treasures to ensure your Artifact Refining Technique becomes more comprehensive, without weaknesses," he continued.
"Only when you can make no further progress should you learn the refining method for Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures. It’s not too late then." Elder Qing’s guidance came from experience, helping to avoid detours.
Although Jia Ren’s foundation in artifact refining was solid, his shortcoming was that he hadn’t been a Spirit-level Refiner for long and mastered few types of artifact refining. He was most skilled in refining defensive-type Spiritual Treasures.
This time, he was learning about an offensive-type Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, the Birthless Killing Sword—a leap too significant.
Since Jia Ren had not yet refined an offensive-type Supreme Spirit Treasure, Elder Qing was reluctant to let him start learning about the Birthless Killing Sword right away.
"I will heed Elder Qing’s teachings."
Jia Ren hurriedly nodded in gratitude.
For now, he possessed only a single piece of Sky Slaughter Stone, a Heavenly Spirit Material. Aspiring to refine a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, he was willing but lacked the means.
Moreover, there were corresponding auxiliary materials required.
The Birthless Killing Sword, as a premier refining method for a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure, used Supreme-grade Spiritual Materials as auxiliary components.
His plan was that, after securing first place by refining an offensive Supreme Spirit Treasure in the Sequence Competition a hundred years later, he would then have the materials needed to refine the Birthless Killing Sword.
By then, it would not be late to refine the Birthless Killing Sword.
After parting with Elder Qing, Jia Ren left the Refining Palace and hurried to his residence.
Outside his Cave, dozens of cultivators with familiar faces gathered.
On one side were the Spirit Treasures Fire-Seeds who had arrived with him, and on the other were cultivators from the Second Lingbao Sect, numbering over thirty. A clear divide existed between the two groups.
Having been in the Source Treasure Cave Heaven for twenty years, the two factions still showed no sign of merging, their contention growing more intense.
Over the course of twenty years, the Spirit Treasures Fire-Seeds who had entered the Lingbao Sect together had made significant progress.
Their Spiritual Root Aptitude and talent were top-notch; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been selected as Spirit Treasures Fire-Seeds.
Using the cultivators of the Second Lingbao Sect as Sharpening Stones, they would spar every few years, and their combat skills improved remarkably.
In the Combat Law Sequence rankings, more and more of the Lingbao Sect’s Spirit Treasures Fire-Seeds advanced to the top, surpassing most cultivators from the Second Lingbao Sect.
Only the top three of the latter still remained unshaken, with a considerable gap in strength.
Both groups stood on a knife-edge, ready to burst into conflict at any moment.
Jia Ren’s face darkened with displeasure. Do they wish to fight? Why gather before my Cave? Could it be...
that Cao Shenggui, seeing himself trampled underfoot and holding a grudge, had invited these people to deal with me?
But the reality differed from his speculations. Upon seeing Jia Ren, the previous tension evaporated instantly. They turned and said with a smile, "Greetings, Master Jia."
"Congratulations to Master Jia for your triumphant victory and for securing the top spot."
"If Master Jia has any leisure time, could you perhaps gather with us and lend your assistance in refining a Spirit Treasure?"
All sought to foster a relationship with him and ask for help in refining Spirit Treasures.
Back in the Main Lingbao Sect, Jia Ren spent time refining Spirit Treasures for others while incidentally earning Spiritual Materials.
After entering the Source Treasure Cave Heaven though, the situation was utterly different.
So long as he maintained the first position in the Refining Sequence, he would receive ten portions of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material and one portion of Heavenly Spirit Material yearly, in addition to a vast array of cultivation resources.
In comparison, refining a Supreme Spirit Treasure for someone else would at most earn him one portion of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material, which wasn’t very appealing.
Jia Ren had just learned the Heaven-Refining Treasure Technique for the Birthless Killing Sword and had no interest in refining Spirit Treasures at the moment.
Having acquired a Heaven-Refining Treasure Technique, he knew the treasures he would refine would gradually transition from Spirit Treasures to Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures.
Jia Ren’s true Artifact Refining Technique was at the level of creating Supreme Spirit Treasures, and he was now qualified for assessment as a Heaven-reaching Refiner.
Since he had revealed a part of his Refining Level, it would be unwise to continue spending time on Spirit Treasure refining.
"I have just successfully refined my first Supreme Spirit Treasure and must thoroughly comprehend the process. Later, I intend to learn the methods for refining Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures, so my focus cannot be divided now."
"Once I have honed my skills further, it will not be too late to refine Spirit Treasures for everyone."
Jia Ren did not explicitly refuse, leaving some room for negotiation.
Moreover, any discerning individual could see that his next focus would undoubtedly be on researching Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures as he strove to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner.
Jia Ren’s future was promising, and many sought to curry favor with him.
Once he became a Heaven-reaching Refiner, his status within the sect would be incomparable to his current one.
The Second Lingbao Sect had only one Heaven-reaching Refiner; Vice Hall Master Liu was merely a Spirit-level Refining Grandmaster.
If Jia Ren were to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner, then even if these cultivators advanced to the Lianxu Stage, let alone the Body Integration Realm, they would still need to find ways to curry favor with him.
Some recognized Jia Ren’s refusal but showed no hint of anger on their faces, instead smilingly said, "Whenever Master Jia finds the time, it will be at your discretion."
"As fellow Spirit Treasures Fire-Seeds, we hope Master Jia will continue to look out for us."
After exchanging these pleasantries, they finally departed.
Jia Ren entered the Formation, fully activated it, and found inside numerous Sound Transmission Talismans.
They generally congratulated Jia Ren for becoming a Refining Master, expressing their hopes for him to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner.
Beyond that, they still hoped to enlist his help in refining Supreme Spirit Treasures.
Jia Ren glanced at them and casually burned the Sound Transmission Talismans to ashes.
Respect is something one must fight for.
As long as one has enough strength and capability, there is no need to ingratiate oneself with others. Instead, others will try to please you.
The difference between a Spirit Treasure Refiner and a Heaven-reaching Refiner was like leaping over the dragon gate. Once he crossed that threshold, he would truly ascend to become one of the High-level Elders of Lingbao Sect.
Unfortunately, despite the title and status of a Heaven-reaching Refiner, if the Sect were to fall, top-tier Sects would still capture such a refiner and imprison them.
In the Cultivation World, power commanded ultimate respect, and refining Spirit Treasures was, in the end, a secondary path.
Jia Ren did not lose his way amidst the flattery. As a cultivator who had climbed from the very bottom as a Loose Cultivator, he had faced trials far beyond what ordinary Lingbao Sect Cultivators could imagine.
His mind remained clear, keenly aware of what he truly needed.
Strength to protect his path and advancement in his Cultivation Level.
He still needed to advance to the Lianxu Stage as soon as possible.
Having clinched first place in the Refining Sequence, he had received rewards for a hundred years in advance; one hundred million Lingbao Sect Contribution points was no small sum.
He wondered if the Lingbao Sect’s treasury held any treasures, other than the Returning Void Pill, that could aid advancement to the Lianxu Stage.
Jia Ren planned to go into seclusion for a few years to let the current attention die down, and then spend the one hundred million Lingbao Sect Contribution points.
