Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 521 - 516 Making Allies, Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure’s Heavenly Tribulation_1
Even before Ji Ning advanced to the Lianxu Stage, he had the strength to slay higher-level Lianxu Stage Magical Beasts. After reaching the Lianxu Stage, his combat power increased further. Even when facing the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger, a formidable Sixth Rank Magical Beast, he displayed astonishing prowess. No wonder he became first in the Combat Law Sequence, the favored prodigy of the Lingbao Sect.
The Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger’s wings were severed. It felt an unprecedented crisis, its dark golden eyes, filled with dread, fixed on Ji Ning. Once Magical Beasts reach the Fifth Rank, their intelligence is considerable, comparable to that of humans. Its wings were its weakest defensive point; having them so easily severed was enough to demonstrate the enemy’s extraordinary ability. Furthermore, his opponent was protected by what seemed like an indestructible ’turtle shell’!
The Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger felt the urge to flee, its body retreating bit by bit.
"Thinking of leaving? You can stay behind and serve as compensation for Master Jia’s fright!"
"Divine Skill: Sword Qi Forest!"
With a swing of the Slashing Gang Spirit Sword, countless Sword Qis shot out, weaving into a forest that sliced towards the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger from all directions. Although the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger was a Sixth Rank Magical Beast, it was no weakling. Its hide shimmered with golden light. Each Sword Qi that landed on it merely sliced through its fur, leaving behind tiny specks of blood, unable to penetrate further.
Even a clay figure has a temper, let alone a vengeful Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger. Seeing that its opponent’s techniques were merely superficial, the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger lunged, its claws flashing with a brilliant metallic glint, ready to strike. It had barely lunged halfway when its body stiffened, a human-like terror etched on its face. Its body exploded in mid-air, as if sliced by an invisible blade, turning into countless chunks of flesh. Each chunk of flesh was nearly identical in size, as if carved by a master butcher, a testament to the astonishing precision.
Each Sword Qi Ji Ning unleashed carried, at its tip, sword-threads condensed through the technique of ’Transforming Sword into Threads’. A multitude of Sword Qis, along with the sword-threads, pierced the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger’s body. The sword-threads formed a web within its flesh, shredding it into mincemeat from the inside out in a single strike.
His mastery of Divine Skills was profound. He wasn’t limited to their original forms but enhanced them with his own understanding, their power far surpassing the ordinary. Such proficiency had already reached the Grandmaster Level, so it was no surprise that Ji Ning could attain first place in the Combat Law Sequence.
The Demon Soul of the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger, panic-stricken, soared into the sky. Before it could flee far, it was sucked into a small, azure flask.
"Flesh and Blood, Reassemble!"
A gentle breeze emanated from Ji Ning’s palm, sweeping over the scattered flesh. Wherever the breeze passed, the flesh reassembled, reforming the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger’s body. It was devoid of its Divine Soul, leaving only a massive beast corpse.
Ji Ning handed the azure flask to Jia Ren, smiling. "Master Jia, would you accept this favor from me?"
This was a substantial favor: he had slain the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger and now offered both its reformed body and Demon Soul to Jia Ren, to do with as he pleased. A Sixth Rank Magical Beast was immensely valuable. Its Demon Core, Demon Soul, tiger blood, and other parts were all treasures, enough to trade for a Spiritual Treasure of decent quality.
The Second Nascent Soul had no intention of making an enemy of Ji Ning; it was always better to have another friend than another foe. What Ji Ning seeks is my help in refining Spiritual Treasures and Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures. As long as Ji Ning can gather enough materials, why not refine one for him? After befriending Ji Ning, if I encounter scum like Li Zhongyuan again, they would have to think twice before acting, lest they provoke Ji Ning. Artifact Refiners are different from Combat Law Sequence Cultivators. Offending an Artifact Refiner with extensive connections means facing enemies everywhere. Li Zhongyuan had dared to attack Jia Ren partly because Jia Ren kept to himself in the Second Spirit Treasure Sect. Befriending Ji Ning would bring numerous benefits.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ji!" Jia Ren accepted the azure flask with a smile and stored the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger’s corpse in his Spirit Storing Bag. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Seeing this, Ji Ning’s smile grew even brighter. "Master Jia, would you be interested in continuing the adventure? The Source Treasure Cave Heaven is vast, with many treasures, and finding Heavenly Spirit Material is not difficult."
Ji Ning was keen on adventuring in the periphery of the Source Treasure Cave Heaven because risk came with reward. A chance discovery of a top-tier treasure like Heavenly Spirit Material far outweighed the rewards for being first in the Combat Law Sequence. Previously, when Ji Ning was only at the Spirit Transformation Stage, he could only deal with weaker Sixth Rank Magical Beasts. Now that his Realm had advanced to the Lianxu Stage, his power had significantly increased, expanding his range of activity.
He and Jia Ren had only just met, Ji Ning thought. Although there was the favor of me killing the Gold-Winged Soaring Tiger, our friendship is still shallow. If we adventured together and shared common experiences, our bond would surely deepen.
Ji Ning bears no ill intent; he purely wishes to befriend me, the Second Nascent Soul mused. Currently, relying on my own strength, I cannot delve deeper into the Secret Realm, let alone map it.
"I have achieved my goal for this trip, so I won’t continue to take risks." The Second Nascent Soul shook his head, deciding against venturing deeper. The depths of the vast forest in the Source Treasure Cave Heaven teem with High-Rank Magical Beasts. Ji Ning, at the early Lianxu Stage, cannot guarantee his own complete safety. Unless Cloud Tiger of the Body Integration Realm personally comes... The map of the Source Treasure Cave Heaven can only be drawn up to this point. It’s less than half complete.
Ji Ning did not urge further, and the two parted ways.
The Second Nascent Soul encountered no danger and returned safely to the Second Spirit Treasure Sect to begin closed-door cultivation.
Meanwhile, Jia Ren’s Artifact Refining continued, drawing close to completion. Crafting a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure was an extraordinarily lengthy process; the most complex ones could take a century at minimum. The Birthless Killing Sword wasn’t overly complicated, but crafting it was by no means an easy task. The fusion of the Sky Slaughter Stone and the Extinction Demon Jade—two types of Heavenly Spirit Material—required a slow, subtle influence, guided by the complementary auxiliary materials. Forcible intervention would not only nullify all previous efforts but also cause irreversible damage to the Heavenly Spirit Material itself.
Had anyone else encountered such fusion problems midway through Artifact Refining, it might have damaged the artifact or even risked a furnace explosion. But relying on his exquisite skills, Jia Ren had navigated these dangers time and again, turning peril into safety.
The observing Artifact Refiners watched, utterly transfixed. Any thoughts they might have previously harbored about challenging Jia Ren had now vanished, leaving them speechless. Witnessing Jia Ren’s Artifact Refining, they felt as if a true master was demonstrating before them, the vast gap in their understanding of the Dao of Artifact Refining starkly apparent.
Cao Shenggui’s heart had been unsettled. He had come this time partly with the intention of understanding his ’enemy’s’ capabilities—the classic strategy of ’know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ But after witnessing Jia Ren’s Artifact Refining, that thought had long been cast to the nine heavens. He watched, completely engrossed. Every technique and detail of Jia Ren’s Artifact Refining brought Cao Shenggui considerable insight. After observing this promotion assessment for a Heaven-reaching Refiner, I’m sure to make significant progress. Once I fully assimilate this new knowledge, my chances of crafting a Supreme Spirit Treasure will greatly increase! Jia Ren, I am truly no match for you. The competitive spirit in his heart had long since vanished, replaced only by admiration and devout reverence for the art of Artifact Refining.
Elder Qing and Elder Liu reacted similarly. Elder Qing’s gaze was meticulous and focused, his expression shifting several times. Undoubtedly, regarding the handling of certain Artifact Refining details, even Elder Qing, a Heaven-reaching Refiner, felt a sense of inferiority. Jia Ren’s demonstrated Refining Level is even higher than my own. Thinking back on my previous dissatisfaction with Jia Ren participating in the Heaven-reaching Refiner assessment, when I considered him arrogant and conceited, I can only feel my old face flush with embarrassment now.
Elder Liu was different from Elder Qing. He had participated in the Heaven-reaching Refiner assessment in his younger years but ultimately failed. Even for a Refining Master, collecting Heavenly Spirit Material was no easy task. He had been despondent ever since, with no further opportunity to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner. It wasn’t until much later, when he was unexpectedly chosen by the Sect to enter the Source Treasure Cave Heaven, that his circumstances changed; he stayed there for nearly a thousand years. He rendered meritorious service to the Sect, and with the rewards he received, he finally had a second chance to attempt crafting a Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure.
Unlike Jia Ren, who advanced boldly and vigorously in the path of Artifact Refining, Elder Liu had become timid and overly cautious after his one failure, never daring to make a second attempt. Towards the seemingly radical Jia Ren, I had adopted an attitude of ’if you don’t listen to an elder’s advice, you’ll suffer the consequences right before your eyes.’ Only after witnessing Jia Ren’s Artifact Refining did he realize how terribly mistaken he had been. We are both Spirit-level Refining Grandmasters, and I reached this level fifteen hundred years before him, yet there’s such a clear disparity in our Refining Levels!
Elder Liu observed meticulously, not missing a single detail. He gained a completely new understanding of crafting Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures, and his insights were profound. Indeed, from observing Jia Ren’s promotion to Heaven-reaching Refiner, Elder Liu might have been the one who gained the most.
After this is over, once I’ve assimilated what I’ve learned, I too must advance to become a Heaven-reaching Refiner! The flame that had lain dormant in his heart for many years rekindled at this moment, burning more intensely than ever before. Elder Liu understood this was his opportunity; if he missed this providential chance, his lifelong hope of becoming a Heaven-reaching Refiner would be extinguished.
The Heavenly Treasure Patterns and material fusion were flawless, achieving near perfection—even Elder Qing felt a sense of inadequacy before it. With the aid of the Blood Fiend Womb Treasure Technique, the sword embryo of the Birthless Killing Sword gradually took shape, blood-red patterns continuously flowing along its nascent blade. Its sharp edge and bloodthirsty slaughter aura condensed. Even watching through the light screen of a protective treasure, the Artifact Refiners present felt an overwhelmingly intense killing intent. It felt as if countless swords hung over their heads, poised to descend and impale them at any moment.
"The Birthless Killing Sword is finally taking form!"
Jia Ren had refined many treasures, but Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures were the most complex, their crafting difficulty considerable. Yet, thanks to his superb Artifact Refining skills, everything proceeded in an orderly manner. As the sword embryo gradually solidified, aided by the Blood Fiend Womb Treasure Technique, the embryo of the Birthless Killing Sword slowly began to gather a faint Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Nature of Heavenly Spirit Material was many times stronger than that of Supreme-grade Spiritual Material, making it much easier to nurture its Spiritual Nature. Not long after the embryo of the Birthless Killing Sword was formed, it already possessed Spiritual Nature. This is something I’ve never encountered before when crafting Spiritual Treasures!
BOOM!
The moment the Birthless Killing Sword’s embryo took its final form, a muffled, thunderous crack resounded from the sky above the Refining Workshop. Dark clouds rapidly gathered overhead, the atmosphere growing increasingly somber. Thunderclouds blanketed the sky, and streaks of lightning danced wildly like serpents. It was as if Heaven and Earth themselves were enraged, unwilling to allow such a treasure to come into existence, intent on destroying it.
The Heavenly Tribulation had arrived, signifying that the Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure was on the verge of completion. Whether the Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure would truly be successful, however, depended on its own quality and its ability to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation. The Heavenly Tribulation was not entirely without hope; a sliver of a chance for survival always remained. If it survived the Heavenly Tribulation, the Spiritual Nature of the Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure would give birth to its own consciousness and intellect, granting it profound wisdom and astonishing power.
Jia Ren was fully confident in the Sky-reaching Spirit Treasure he had forged, yet even he could not guarantee it would survive the Heavenly Tribulation with absolute certainty.
Whether I can become a Heaven-reaching Refiner all depends on whether the Birthless Killing Sword is up to the task. Success or failure hinges on this!
