txolops Chapter 83: Revisiting the Yuanwu Kingdom! Divine Weapon Sect!
Chapter 83: Revisiting the Yuanwu Kingdom! Divine Weapon Sect!
If you could only read one fantasy novel in your life, it would probably be "Living in Yellow Maple Valley, a Daily Divination for Steady Cultivation!"
Inside the cave, the Spirit Eye Spring flows gently, emanating a misty spiritual aura.
Lin Chuan sat cross-legged, playing with the black jade slip he had obtained from the Yue Emperor's storage bag. He immersed his consciousness in it, repeatedly pondering the secret technique for refining the "external avatar".
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp yet also cautious.
"To refine an external avatar, one needs a living body with a cultivation level below the sixth level of Qi Refining... and one must completely extract its primordial spirit without damaging the body's foundation. This step requires extremely high control over divine sense and carries considerable risk."
His gaze turned to Qu Hun, who stood quietly in the corner of the cave, wearing a wide black robe.
This puppet body, which had been possessed by the primordial spirit of a Core Formation cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect, is now just an empty shell, possessing only a faint bodily instinct controlled by the Soul-Guiding Bell.
Its material is special, capable of containing the primordial spirit, and it has no master soul, and its cultivation level is suitable.
"The Puppet Soul, without the constraints of a primordial spirit... is simply the perfect vessel tailor-made for creating an external avatar!"
Lin Chuan had already made up his mind to choose this body as the first choice for refining his avatar.
However, he did not act immediately.
"An incarnation is not a clone."
Lin Chuan muttered to himself, "An external avatar requires a wisp of one's own divine consciousness to reside and control it for a long time in order to move freely, just like another body."
However, if the avatar is too far from the main body, the connection of consciousness weakens, and the avatar will become sluggish, or even fall into a dazed or "crashed" state, resembling a puppet.
His next plan is to travel to the Yuanwu Kingdom to find a highly skilled weapon refiner to forge the precious materials from the Golden-backed Demon Mantis into a handy magical weapon to enhance his combat power.
This journey will inevitably require travel, and may even involve venturing into dangerous places. Bringing along a nascent, clumsy avatar could become a burden or even expose the secret.
"Refining my avatar is not something to rush. I need to wait until my cultivation advances further, my divine sense becomes more refined and powerful, and I have a stable environment for seclusion before I can proceed slowly. Right now, improving my combat power is the priority."
Once he made up his mind, Lin Chuan no longer hesitated.
He carefully stored the jade slip containing the secret technique of "external incarnation" and the puppet soul, placing them in the most hidden restriction of the cave.
He then carefully inspected the "Mysterious Armor Formation" and the temporary warning barriers inside and outside the cave to ensure that everything was in order.
set off!
Lin Chuan summoned his flying artifact, flew out of the cave, and sped towards the Yuanwu Kingdom.
The stone door of the cave slammed shut, and the array of light flowed, firmly protecting the Spirit Eye Spring and many secrets inside.
……
Half a day later, Lin Chuan appeared on the border of Yuanwu Kingdom.
He didn't stop, and flew straight towards the Tianxing Sect Market he remembered.
He had come here a few years ago to purchase items related to formations, so he still had some impression of this place.
The Tianxing Sect Market remains bustling. Its renowned array formations have resulted in numerous stalls and shops displaying array plates, array flags, array-breaking tools, and various unique array materials.
Lin Chuan strolled through the area, experiencing an atmosphere slightly different from that of the Yue Kingdom's market.
However, his destination was clear: Tianxingzong Market.
In the cultivation world of Yuanwu Kingdom, three major sects stand side by side: Tianxing Sect is known for its array formations, Shenbing Sect is famous for its weapon forging, and Wanmiao Temple is renowned for its talisman-making techniques.
Lin Chuan possessed top-tier materials from a fourth-level demon beast like the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, so naturally he needed to find the best weapon refiner.
The Divine Weapon Sect was his first choice.
He came to the Tianxing Sect Market only to find out the location of the Divine Weapon Sect Market. After all, the Yuanwu Kingdom has a vast territory and many markets. Without accurate guidance, it would take some effort to find them.
After pausing briefly near the entrance of the market, Lin Chuan used his divine sense to lock onto a seemingly clever man named "Feng Xingzi," whose cultivation level was around the eighth level of Qi Refining, and who was looking around for potential customers.
"Young friend, do you know where the Divine Weapon Gate Market is located?" Lin Chuan stepped forward and asked directly, casually tossing a low-grade spirit stone over to him.
Feng Xingzi took the spirit stone, weighed it in his hand, and immediately put on a smile: "Senior has asked the right person! The Divine Weapon Sect Market is located below the Ten Thousand Trees Cliff in the central region of this country. It is the largest market directly under the jurisdiction of the Divine Weapon Sect, with numerous weapon-refining shops and masters gathered here."
"I happen to have a detailed map of the cultivation world in Yuanwu Kingdom, marking all the major markets and dangerous places. It only costs one spirit stone..."
Lin Chuan was too lazy to listen to his sales pitch, so he simply tossed over another spirit stone: "Map."
"Alright! Senior is so generous!" Feng Xingzi smiled broadly and deftly took out a pale yellow map from his pocket, presenting it with both hands.
Lin Chuan took the map, glanced at it, and confirmed that the markings were clear, especially the locations of Wanmu Cliff and Shenbingmen Market. He nodded, said no more, turned around, and rode his magic weapon into the sky.
"Respectfully bidding farewell to our senior!"
Feng Xingzi bowed respectfully behind him, secretly pleased that he was having good luck today.
Three days later, a vast, majestic, and exceptionally lush mountain range, resembling a green ocean from afar, appeared on the horizon.
The cliffs are steep and towering into the clouds, with countless thick ancient vines hanging down from the top, and waterfalls and springs dotting the landscape. The abundance of spiritual energy is no less than that of the important mountain gates of the seven sects of Yue Kingdom.
It was Wanmu Cliff.
Lin Chuan descended and, following the map, quickly found the entrance to the Divine Weapon Gate Market in a wide-open area shrouded in a light mist at the bottom of the cliff.
The mist was not naturally formed, but rather a sophisticated illusion array that was difficult for ordinary mortals to see, but posed little obstacle to cultivators.
Stepping into the market, a completely different atmosphere from that of the Tianxing Sect's market immediately hits you.
The air was filled with a faint metallic burning smell, the exotic fragrance of smelting spiritual materials, and the spiritual pressure fluctuations of various magical artifacts that were not fully contained.
Along the streets, the shop signs are mostly related to "tools", "weapons", "forging" and "refining", and what is displayed outside are mostly various magical artifact blanks, semi-finished products, or finished magical artifacts that shimmer with various spiritual lights.
Amidst the conversations of the passing cultivators, terms such as "quenching," "spirit infusion," "weapon patterns," and "material fusion" frequently appeared in the art of weapon crafting.
Lin Chuan slightly loosened his divine sense and discovered that the auras of most of the cultivators here were thick and solid, and many of them carried weapons on their backs or at their waists, clearly showing a preference for weapon crafting or combat artifacts.
Shops selling elixirs and talismans are relatively few, and their locations are often not very conspicuous.
"As expected of a market famous for weapon crafting, the atmosphere is completely different," Lin Chuan thought to himself.
He didn't rush to find a shop, but instead followed the old custom and first found a clean and tidy-looking inn in the market with a seemingly good reputation to stay in.
After settling in, he casually strolled around the market, but in reality, he was secretly keeping an eye out and inquiring.
Soon, from the casual conversations of several local cultivators and the signs of several large weapon-refining shops, he identified three weapon-refining shops that were the most famous and had the best reputation in the market:
Hundred Forging Pavilion! Divine Weapon Pavilion! Thousand Crafts Pavilion!
Among them, the Divine Weapon Pavilion has the most profound background. It is an "official" shop directly opened by the Divine Weapon Sect and occupies the most central and magnificent position in the market.
A magnificent five-story pavilion, constructed of a dark gray, hard stone combined with spirit wood, with flying eaves and brackets, decorated with patterns of various weapons and artifacts, and a constant stream of people coming and going in front of the gate.
It is said that the Divine Weapon Pavilion is divided into different levels: the first and second floors are for Qi Refining stage cultivators, selling and customizing low and medium-grade magic weapons; the third and fourth floors are for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, undertaking the forging and repair of top-grade magic weapons, and there are even master weapon refiners stationed there.
The highest level, the fifth level, is said to occasionally receive experts at the Core Formation stage, who will refine rough prototypes of magical artifacts or repair damaged ones.
Of course, one's natal magic weapon must be nurtured and refined by the cultivator's own inner fire over a long period of time; it cannot be entrusted to others. This is common knowledge in the cultivation world.
The other two, Hundred Forging Pavilion and Thousand Skill Pavilion, are long-established private shops in the market with exquisite craftsmanship and unique skills. They are renowned among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After finding out the details, Lin Chuan returned to the inn and sat quietly behind closed doors.
He needs to wait for the divination results to be updated the next day in order to avoid misfortune and choose the safest weapon-refining shop.
After all, materials from level four demonic beasts are quite rare and valuable in the Tiannan region. It's hard to guarantee that someone like him, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator from elsewhere, wouldn't be coveted if he possessed such a treasure.
Caution is the boat.
Silent all night.
The next morning, Lin Chuan sensed the golden light appearing before his eyes right on time.
Today's divination result: Minor misfortune.
[The divination reads: To be on the safe side, you didn't go to the Divine Weapon Pavilion today, but instead went to the lesser-known Hundred Forging Pavilion. The shop owner personally received you and forged a magical artifact for you, but secretly planned to steal a section of a mantis's foreleg.]
The explanation I've prepared for you is that the forging process failed; what could have been a complete set of magical artifacts ended up as a single sword...