Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 28: Preparation

The closer the array pattern is to the core of the magic artifact, the more important its position is in the overall magic artifact. The array pattern has more lines that make up it, and the difficulty of refining it naturally increases accordingly.

Whenever the amount of mana consumed by the Azure Water Sword reaches a certain level, Tong Bingfeng will not hesitate to mobilize the remaining mana in his dantian to effectively replenish it, in order to maintain this indomitable momentum and strive to refine the Azure Water Sword in one go in the shortest possible time.

However, he was only a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator, and the amount of mana stored in his dantian was also limited. Such a large-scale consumption was destined to be unsustainable.

Moreover, due to his limited funds, Tong Bingfeng did not purchase one or two mid-grade first-level spirit-restoring pills from the market in advance, relying solely on the mana in his dantian.

The Rejuvenation Pill is the cheapest and highest quality elixir specifically designed to restore a cultivator's dantian mana during the Qi Refining stage of cultivation.

A single mid-grade first-tier Spirit Recovery Pill can restore 80% of a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator's mana to its maximum within one incense stick's time if the cultivator's mana is completely depleted.

"The mana in my dantian is almost gone. Counting from both ends, this is already the twenty-first array pattern inside the Azure Water Sword that I have refined."

"Under normal circumstances, a high-quality Azure Water Sword would have at most twenty-three array patterns. This direct descendant of the Chen family, who is known for exploiting rogue cultivators, could not possibly provide an Azure Water Sword of mid-grade peak quality with more than twenty-five array patterns. Victory is just ahead."

Tong Bingfeng meticulously counted the number of array patterns that had already been refined. At this moment, there was no more power in his dantian that could be mobilized as reinforcements for further refinement.

"Buzz"

Before his thoughts could settle, when the little remaining mana in the Azure Water Sword reached the next array pattern, a series of strange, clear, and unusual buzzing sounds with a slight vibration emanated from it.

The fatigue caused by the excessive consumption of dantian mana vanished instantly at this moment, which is a normal reaction after the core array pattern of a magic weapon is refined.

The "Spiritual Water Manual" also contains relevant records on this matter, and Tong Bingfeng's search for information in the market also contains similar explanations.

"Water benefits all things without striving; water dripping wears away stone."

Tong Bingfeng let out a loud shout, and the magic power that had already dissipated within the Azure Water Sword quickly condensed into a rope under the guidance of his divine sense. Ignoring the tremors and resistance from the core array patterns of the Azure Water Sword, he gathered his last bit of magic power and surged upwards with an indomitable momentum.

Aquamarine magic covered the array patterns, and Tong Bingfeng could clearly sense the resistance emanating from them. Each tremor was almost always aimed at breaking free from the magic's refinement.

The array pattern immediately crushed and dissipated the light blue magical imprint and aura that had just been imprinted on it with high-frequency vibrations. After a struggle and contest, only a small amount of surviving magical power remained, sticking firmly to it like a plaster, gradually increasing the amount of magical power.

Judging from the unique aura and resistance frequency of the array patterns throughout the refining process, Tong Bingfeng could basically determine that the Azure Water Sword, which he had rented at a great cost, was undoubtedly a brand new magic weapon.

On the one hand, during the entire process of refining the array patterns, no deep-level mana imprints left by other cultivators that had not yet dissipated were detected; on the other hand, the core array pattern was resisting so strongly.

Under normal circumstances, even if the original owner of a magical artifact has perished, a magical artifact refined by other cultivators will still leave a mark of magical power in its core array patterns. On the other hand, the core array patterns of a magical artifact refined by a cultivator will not usually produce such a fierce resistance to the refinement and nourishment from the cultivator's magical power.

"The core array pattern is more than half-infiltrated; if not now, when?"

Tong Bingfeng endured the exhaustion and weakness emanating from his empty dantian. Ignoring the excessive consumption, he forcibly drew some mana from his dantian with his divine sense to supplement the power needed to refine the core array patterns of the Azure Water Sword.

"Buzz, buzz"

This wisp of magical power successfully became the last straw that broke the camel's back. As the magical power increased, the last bit of resistance of the core array pattern of the Azure Water Sword disappeared instantly under its refinement, and a series of humming power with a sense of obedience came from the Azure Water Sword.

"Azure Water Sword, Return to Nest"

With a loud shout, Tong Bingfeng used his divine sense as a guide, and the Azure Water Sword transformed into a stream of light, returning to its own scabbard on his back.

As combat tools exclusive to cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, magical artifacts do not have the ability to directly enter the cultivator's dantian to nourish it with magical power.

Therefore, magical artifacts are usually stored in scabbards and storage bags. The scabbards are also specially made during the artifact making process, and are engraved with array patterns that specifically refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which can effectively nourish the magical artifact.

Storage bags are naturally more convenient and have the effect of catching the enemy off guard. Before they are used, no one knows the specific means of attack, so they can have a more powerful effect in battle. However, Tong Bingfeng is a real pauper. Even with the cultivation level of the fourth level of Qi Refining, he still does not have a storage bag, which is quite pitiful.

After the Azure Water Sword returned to its sheath, Tong Bingfeng did not waste a single moment in indulging in sentimentality. He immediately began to circulate the Great Cycle according to the requirements of the Water Spirit Technique, capturing the sparse spiritual energy wandering between heaven and earth, and refining it to replenish his empty and void dantian.

If it weren't for his lack of funds, Tong Bingfeng would naturally have been most efficient at refining and using a mid-grade first-tier Spirit Restoration Pill under such circumstances. However, even a proud cultivator can only bow his head in the face of cruel reality.

As the great cycle of the universe continued, night turned to day, and the night passed without causing any disturbance.

Tong Bingfeng's dantian, which had been completely depleted due to refining the Azure Water Sword, has now recovered about half of its light blue water-attribute spiritual power.

Although it is still some distance from its peak condition under normal circumstances, it has made initial progress and has a certain ability to protect itself.

"My purse is empty, and the monthly corpse of a mid-grade first-tier demonic beast is like a sword of Damocles hanging over my head. Although my magic power has not yet recovered to its peak, I still have the strength to fight against ordinary mid-grade first-tier demonic beasts. It's time to show the power of the Azure Water Sword."

As a qualified Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator, one must equip oneself with basic supplies in the shortest possible time, such as essential storage bags.

Although it was already broad daylight, there was still plenty of time to search the ice domain, and with the help of his two pairs of large teeth, Tong Bingfeng was confident.

For other cultivators, the most difficult step is finding the traces of demonic beasts and determining their lair, but this is not difficult for him with the help of others.

After half an hour of rapid travel, in a relatively remote area of ​​the Northern Frontier Ice Region, Tong Bingfeng was using Big Fang's sensitivity to ice-attribute spiritual power to confirm and lock onto today's target.