Immortal Refiner

Learning about the different grades of spirit treasures from the Azure Flood Dragon King, who had lived for countless millennia, Li Qing felt a surge of longing.

It turned out there were three grades above yellow-grade spirit treasures, and only heaven-grade spirit treasures truly deserved the title of ”heaven-piercing spirit treasure.”

Just how powerful must such a spirit treasure be?

Li Qing struggled to imagine it. After all, with his self-refined Wind-Thunder Silver Wings, he had effortlessly slain countless opponents of equal rank, achieving victory in every battle.

If even stronger profound-grade, earth-grade, or the legendary heaven-grade spirit treasures existed, what unimaginable levels of power would they possess?

Li Qing stopped dwelling on such thoughts. For now, those matters were far beyond his reach.

He preferred to keep his feet firmly on the ground, rarely indulging in lofty ambitions.

Dreaming occasionally about higher-grade spirit treasures was fine, but wasting too much energy on such impractical pursuits would be unrealistic.

Under the Azure Flood Dragon King’s guidance, Li Qing thoroughly explored the treasure vault of the Undersea Dragon Palace.

The collection of rare spirit treasures and spiritual objects was truly vast. He even spotted multiple spirit herbs nearly ten thousand years old.

This collection rivaled, if not surpassed, that of the Ten Thousand Treasures Merchant Guild.

In the end, Li Qing chose a profound azure spirit gold, the Azure Cloud Spirit Gold, another highly valuable spirit gold.

While it couldn’t compare to the top-tier spirit golds in the treasure vault, it was, in Li Qing’s opinion, perfectly suited as an auxiliary material for artifact refinement.

This choice puzzled the Azure Flood Dragon King, who asked, ”Fellow Daoist, you’ve only selected this Azure Cloud Spirit Gold Pillar? My Dragon Palace treasure vault contains a wealth of top-tier spirit golds. Don’t hesitate to take more if you need them!”

The Azure Flood Dragon King’s words exuded wealth and generosity, as if he wished Li Qing would take all the top-tier spirit golds to refine treasures!

Li Qing shook his head with a gentle smile. ”Senior Azure Flood Dragon King, refining spirit treasures isn’t simply about using the most extraordinary spirit materials. The innate compatibility of the materials is crucial. If they clash, it can even produce the opposite effect.”

”Since we already have the Flood Dragon Horns and Sea Heart Crystal Marrow as primary materials, there’s no need to choose such high-grade auxiliary materials.”

”This Azure Cloud Spirit Gold is perfect. Its gentle nature ensures it won’t conflict with the innate properties of the primary materials.”

Hearing Li Qing’s clear explanation of the primary and secondary spirit materials, the Azure Flood Dragon King slowly nodded in agreement.

He knew little about artifact refinement, so he naturally deferred to Li Qing’s judgment in this matter.

With all the spirit materials gathered, it was time to begin refining the spirit treasure for the Azure Flood Dragon King.

Li Qing wasted no time in requesting a secluded location, completely free from any disturbances, and rich in spiritual energy.

Such a place was easily found within the Undersea Dragon Palace.

The Azure Flood Dragon King immediately led Li Qing to a secret chamber within the Dragon Palace, a place where he had previously cultivated in seclusion, and where no one dared to intrude.

Moreover, with the Azure Flood Dragon King personally guarding the chamber, it was unlikely anyone in the world would dare to force their way in.

Li Qing didn’t rush into the refining process. Instead, he pondered the types of dao patterns he should inscribe next.

Although the Azure Flood Dragon King had provided ancient dao patterns collected by the Flood Dragon Clan for reference, each pattern required for refining a spirit treasure was unique, representing the great dao principles. Simply copying them would be unacceptable.

After a long period of contemplation, Li Qing finally began to formulate a plan.

With a single clap of his hand, he summoned forth several spirit materials.

A pair of azure Flood Dragon Horns emanated a dense and profound aura, brimming with spirituality. Their presence was even more substantial than the fifth-tier demonic bird true bone Li Qing had obtained earlier.

”Horns from a Divine Transformation stage flood dragon,” Li Qing murmured softly. ”The Flood Dragon Clan’s foundation truly runs deep.”

The Azure Flood Dragon King’s horns were perfectly intact, making it clear these massive horns couldn’t be his. As for their origin, since the other party hadn’t elaborated, Li Qing refrained from asking further.

Next was a large chunk of Sea Heart Crystal Marrow, a spirit material found only in the deepest sea territories and extremely rare on land. This substance was immensely valuable, rivaling even the top-tier spirit golds stored in the Dragon Palace’s treasure vault.

Finally, there was the Azure Cloud Spirit Gold Pillar Li Qing had chosen earlier. Its surface shimmered with cloud-like patterns, the entire pillar a pale azure hue, radiating an exceptionally dense spiritual aura.

These three materials were all that would be needed for the artifact refinement—each a world-shaking treasure. Even a single piece would likely cause a massive uproar if brought into the outside world.

Boom!

Li Qing acted decisively, immediately activating the heavenly spirit fire within his body.

The Profound Yellow True Flame erupted forth, causing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to tremble faintly, as if suppressed by its overwhelming presence.

The Azure Flood Dragon King, personally guarding the area outside, sensed the aura of the heavenly spirit fire.

”This man’s fortune is truly extraordinary,” the Azure Flood Dragon King mused inwardly, nodding to himself. ”To possess a heavenly spirit fire... he must be blessed with immense luck. Entrusting him with artifact refinement seems a wise decision.”

Li Qing unhesitatingly enveloped all three spirit materials with the Profound Yellow True Flame simultaneously, without any specific order. He placed them together in the furnace and began the melting process.

This was Li Qing’s latest insight into artifact refinement, a technique he had personally developed and named the Hundred Spirits Nurtured in a Single Furnace Method.

Now was the perfect opportunity to put it to the test!

This method offered several advantages. First, it accelerated the shaping process, allowing him to forge the spirit materials into his desired form in the shortest possible time. Second, the embryonic spirit treasure forged using this method effectively fused the spirituality of the materials, simplifying the subsequent spirit tempering and inscription stages.

The Azure Dragon Mace was a relatively rare type of spirit treasure. Though Li Qing had never refined such a weapon before, he knew its proper form.

The mace’s body should be four-sided, tapering towards the front and widening towards the rear, with eight distinct lines running along its surfaces, creating a unique aesthetic.

The entire mace, from the hilt to the body, was forged from a single piece of Flood Dragon Horns, then fused with Sea Heart Crystal Marrow and finally capped with a guard made of Azure Cloud Spirit Gold. The three materials were seamlessly joined.

Under Li Qing’s skilled craftsmanship, the Flood Dragon Horns rapidly took shape.

As the Profound Yellow True Flame blazed, the remaining two spirit materials swiftly permeated the nascent Azure Dragon Mace.

In no time, the substantial Flood Dragon Horns had transformed into a majestic, azure mace with distinct lines and eight sharp edges. A lifelike dragon head, radiating imposing authority, emerged from the hilt, where it met the guard.

The mace’s body was a deep azure, its sharp edges glinting with a chilling, metallic light.

The forging process proceeded unexpectedly smoothly, perhaps due to Li Qing’s prior experience with the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings. He now handled such top-tier spirit materials with greater ease and familiarity.

Even in its initial form, the Treasure Mace radiated an astonishing spiritual energy, its inner spirituality far exceeding expectations.

Yet Li Qing meticulously followed the established procedures, completing a spirit tempering process to refine the Azure Dragon Mace’s spirituality, concealing its radiant power within a subdued, profound glow.

The third step: inscribing dao patterns.

Although the Azure Flood Dragon King had provided Li Qing with an ancient dao pattern, Li Qing refrained from copying it verbatim. Such an approach would inevitably lead to failure in the refining process.

”This dragon-shaped dao pattern must have been comprehended by an ancestor of the Flood Dragon Clan who was skilled in artifact refinement. It certainly has its merits.”

By gaining insight into this dao pattern, Li Qing had essentially obtained a small but precious fragment of artifact refinement inheritance, further deepening his understanding of dao patterns.

However, each spirit treasure required a unique dao pattern. Simply copying the patterns from other spirit treasures would only result in a forbidden artifact—a weapon with limited uses and diminished power.

Such a result would be unacceptable to the Azure Flood Dragon King.

Therefore, Li Qing only borrowed certain elements from the original pattern, refining and simplifying them before supplementing them with his own accumulated knowledge of dao patterns.

Of course, this wasn’t the complete dao pattern.

Li Qing knew that once the Treasure Mace was refined, it would inevitably face a massive heavenly tribulation.

During this cataclysmic event, as thunder roared across the heavens, the Treasure Mace would autonomously inscribe itself with natural dao patterns.

Just as no two snowflakes are identical, each strike of Heavenly Thunder is unique. The dao patterns it imprints upon a spirit treasure are similarly distinct.

Without rest, Li Qing immediately began inscribing dao patterns onto the Treasure Mace.

This inscription process took over ten days!

During this time, Li Qing failed countless times. Each surge of spiritual energy that shattered sent tremors through the Azure Flood Dragon King, who was waiting anxiously outside.

Though the Undersea Dragon Palace housed vast treasures, the loss of spirit materials due to refining failures would still sting him deeply. After all, fifth-tier spirit transformation Flood Dragon Horns were exceedingly rare.

If these horns were lost, he might have to resort to dismantling the horns on his own head as the primary material for artifact refinement.

Even so, such a massive Sea Heart Crystal Marrow was a top-tier spirit material, one that appeared only once in a millennium.

In short, the Azure Flood Dragon King experienced a rare bout of heart-pounding anxiety during those days.

In contrast, Li Qing remained remarkably calm, unfazed by his repeated failures.

This wasn’t due to carelessness in his artifact refinement; rather, with each failure, his powerful divine sense allowed him to pinpoint the exact cause.

With the aid of his divine sense, the refinement process gradually approached perfection. Three days later, endless dark clouds began to gather above the Undersea Dragon Palace.

The thunder tribulation descended!

Rumble!

Accompanied by the distant roar of thunder, the entire sky was shrouded in thick tribulation clouds.

In an instant, the primordial energy between heaven and earth surged violently. The vast, boundless sea, which had been gently undulating with slow waves, suddenly stilled.

Under this Heavenly Might, every living creature in the sea territory trembled in fear. Even sea beasts lurking in the deepest trenches desperately swam further into the abyss.

Meanwhile, within the Undersea Dragon Palace, an immeasurable azure light erupted in a dazzling burst.

Sensing the surge of spiritual energy, the Azure Flood Dragon King’s face lit up with joy. He knew the Treasure Mace had been forged!

The next moment, within the secret chamber he guarded, a sharply angled, azure Treasure Mace with a dragon-shaped hilt materialized on its own.

The spiritual energy throughout the Undersea Dragon Palace surged violently, converging rapidly toward the Azure Dragon Mace. In an instant, the surrounding sea territory was drained of spiritual energy, creating a temporary vacuum.

With its final spiritual essence complete, the Azure Dragon Mace was poised to ascend to the heavens and face its tribulation.

Only by enduring this monumental heavenly tribulation, withstanding the trials of the great dao principles, and earning their recognition could the Azure Dragon Mace truly be considered a spirit treasure!

Even the Azure Flood Dragon King couldn’t maintain his composure. He knew the terrifying tribulation the Azure Dragon Mace was about to face would be no less formidable than the heavenly tribulation he had endured when advancing to the divine transformation stage.

He transformed into his flood dragon form and surged upward, soaring toward the sky above the sea territory.

The impending creation of a spirit treasure had shaken the entire Flood Dragon Clan within the Undersea Dragon Palace. Not only the Black Flood Dragon King, but flood dragons of every hue craned their necks to witness the spectacle.

”It’s complete! Fellow Daoist Li Qing, your artifact refinement skills are truly extraordinary,” the Black Flood Dragon King exclaimed, his voice filled with awe.

Li Qing showed little pride in his accomplishment. With such precious spirit materials, success had been almost inevitable.

”Brother Black Dragon, you flatter me. This Li merely did what was necessary.”

”Moreover, the Azure Dragon Mace isn’t truly complete yet. If it fails to withstand this heavenly tribulation, all our efforts will have been in vain.”

After a brief moment of meditation, Li Qing soared into the sky above the sea territory, eager to witness the spirit treasure tribulation firsthand.

The Black Flood Dragon King followed closely behind. Such heavenly tribulations were rare, and he naturally wished to witness the creation of a spirit treasure belonging to his Flood Dragon Clan.

Above the sea territory, thunderclouds had been gathering for a long time, with flashes of lightning flickering intermittently within their dense layers. This awe-inspiring Heavenly Might was rarely seen in the world!

Finally, after prolonged accumulation, a sea of lightning formed from tens of thousands of zhang of thunder descended.

The thunder seemed intent on annihilating all existence, its mere sight suffocating.

Beneath the sea of lightning, the Azure Dragon Mace autonomously soared upward, as if to confront the tribulation itself—a testament to the spirit treasure’s sentience!

Meanwhile, a massive deep azure Old Flood Dragon coiled above the sea surface, its eyes revealing human-like concern as it intently watched the spirit treasure undergoing its tribulation in the sky.

Boom!

A deafening thunderclap erupted as violent lightning struck the Azure Dragon Mace head-on.

But this was only the beginning. The entire sea of lightning surged, relentlessly suppressing the mace.

The Azure Dragon Mace writhed within the sea of lightning, transforming into a lifelike Azure Dragon.

Amidst the thunderous roars, true lightning of various colors materialized, each wave testing the newly born spirit treasure in succession.

These trials were no mere tests; it was as if the heavens sought to obliterate the mace entirely. The tribulations were terrifyingly severe.

Li Qing and the Black Flood Dragon King, fearing the heavenly tribulation’s collateral damage, observed from a safe distance.

The thunder roared incessantly, each bolt of lightning thousands of feet long carrying terrifying power. Even the residual shockwaves caused countless fish in the sea territory to flip belly-up.

”Fellow Daoist Li Qing, can this spirit treasure withstand it?” the Black Flood Dragon King asked, his voice trembling with awe. ”How did the spirit treasure you refined earlier survive?”

Li Qing shook his head with a wry smile. ”Whether it survives depends on the spirit treasure’s own good fortune. But this Heavenly Thunder is indeed overwhelmingly powerful.”

As for the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings he had refined earlier, he had relied on a clever trick. The Azure Dragon Mace, however, couldn’t replicate that method.

Although the Azure Dragon Mace was forged from Flood Dragon Horns, and the Azure Flood Dragon King possessed such horns, the two were fundamentally different in origin and aura. How could they assist each other in resisting the Heavenly Thunder’s bombardment?

Such an attempt would only bring disaster upon the Azure Flood Dragon King.

Therefore, everything now depended on the Azure Dragon Mace’s own good fortune.

If it endured, it would become a spirit treasure renowned throughout the Human Realm, with few comparable artifacts in existence.

If it failed, it would be reduced to calamity ash, ending in ignominious defeat.

With each successive wave of thunderous strikes, the Azure Dragon Mace grew increasingly dim, its radiant glow fading significantly.

Yet there was also a benefit. Each bombardment of Heavenly Thunder imprinted unique heavenly tribulation dao patterns onto the mace, laying the foundation for its future enhanced power.

(End of the Chapter)

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