Chapter 1877: Initial Exploration of the Storm

Mortal Realm

Qin Sang took in Master Qi's direct disciple and two sturdy nominal disciples. Both were originally Master Qi's nominal disciples, specially chosen by Qin Sang to inherit *The Book of Profound Mysteries*. However, Qin Sang had no intention of re-establishing the Chongxuan Observatory, and he didn't allow them to call him Master. Instead, he wanted them to establish their own sects once they achieved mastery.

Qin Sang activated his true essence, fully powering the great array of the fire chamber. The fiery power grew increasingly intense, becoming exceptionally scorching.

Although it wasn't their first time observing Qin Sang refining artifacts, the previous instances were merely practice pieces. The five disciples stood cautiously to the side, barely daring to breathe, for fear of making any mistake.

"No need to be nervous," Qin Sang said calmly, glancing at them. "What you have learned already surpasses your former master. As long as you haven't been lax in your usual studies, remain calm, and follow my instructions, there will be no problems."

"We will remember your teachings and dare not be lax," the five bowed in unison.

Qin Sang said no more. With a flick of his finger, streams of precious light flew out, revealing the damaged Bright Mountain Armor, as well as various spiritual objects and rare materials. The most valuable parts had all been obtained from the Daoist Court.

He planned to re-forge the Bright Mountain Armor into an inner vest, but he wouldn't completely revert it to its original form. Master Qi had laid a very good foundation back then and had many ideas that he couldn't realize due to his limitations; Qin Sang was now capable of achieving them.

Except for a few of the most crucial spiritual materials, the refining of the rest was largely completed by the five disciples. Qin Sang continuously held the Bright Mountain Armor, engraving something onto it.

The five knew this opportunity was rare. They worked diligently and conscientiously, and with Qin Sang occasionally offering a few pointers, there were no major mistakes.

After completing the initial preparations, the five were all visibly exhausted, but none were willing to leave at that moment. Instead, they felt somewhat excited, because Qin Sang was about to open the furnace.

In the subsequent refining process, there wasn't much for them to do. However, Qin Sang would occasionally offer explanations, and every word and action proved immensely beneficial to them.

A month later.

The fiery power gradually receded. Qin Sang gazed at the crimson flames. He extended his hand and made a gesture, and a red light landed in his palm, the flames scorching his palm.

The five disciples watched Qin Sang's palm expectantly.

Gradually, an object emerged from the flames. It was an inner vest that appeared incredibly soft and pliable. When rolled up, it was small enough to fit in one's grasp, and it felt weightless. Yet, it was neither silk nor fine cloth. Lingering flames still flickered on its surface, but could not harm it in the slightest.

As the flames dissipated, Qin Sang felt a cool warmth in his palm. He infused it with his true essence, and it unfurled, revealing an inner vest as thin as a cicada's wing.

Qin Sang conjured his palm sword and thrust it towards the inner vest.

'Swish!' With a resonant clang like metal striking metal, the inner vest merely rippled, completely unharmed, without even a single scratch.

"Excellent! There's no need to change its name. Let's keep calling it the Bright Mountain Armor."

Qin Sang smiled and nodded in satisfaction. After a brief consecration, he activated the Bright Mountain Armor and wore it beneath his robes, where it felt as light as nothing.

"You all should cultivate diligently. I will return to examine your progress when I have time."

With that, Qin Sang deactivated the great array of the fire chamber, stood up, and walked out.

The five humbly acknowledged his command. They respectfully escorted Qin Sang out of the residence and then quickly entered secluded cultivation.

After leaving Qi's residence, Qin Sang traveled west alone. As was customary, he first went to visit Venerable Zhenru to discuss the Sunwheel Seal.

Through years of contemplation by Qin Sang and the esteemed monks of Mirror Terrace Temple, their understanding of the Sunwheel Seal had gradually deepened.

However, Qin Sang clearly felt that once he understood the path of inner and outer scenery and began to comprehend Dharma Manifestations, his speed in grasping the Sunwheel Seal also accelerated.

After a brief stay at Mirror Terrace Temple, Qin Sang continued his journey west, entering the White Stone Prefecture's governing altar, where he met with True Person Yuan.

"Decided?" True Person Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. "Oh? So your cultivation has advanced again. It seems you have a considerable chance this time."

"Whether it succeeds or not, I cannot delay any longer," Qin Sang stated candidly. "If I were to miss this strategic opportunity, this junior fears that even a hundred deaths would not atone for it."

"The situation hasn't reached that point yet, but early preparation is always good," True Person Yuan said. He did not return the battle drum to Qin Sang. Instead, he took out a jade slip. "Inside are my insights from these past years. Take them and study them. Before opening the furnace, you must make corresponding adjustments to the fire array to better suit the treasure. These are also described in *The Book of Profound Mysteries*. There are many taboos within the governing altar that only I can personally handle."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior," Qin Sang said, taking the jade slip and bowing respectfully. He was then led by golden-armored guards to a golden hall, where he entered secluded cultivation to study.

This secluded cultivation lasted nearly half a year. Qin Sang had, in essence, received guidance from both Master Gu and True Person Yuan, and his confidence had grown even stronger.

Inside the fire chamber of the governing altar.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged on one side of the roaring flames, while True Person Yuan sat opposite him. He glanced at Qin Sang through the flickering firelight. "Begin," he said.

Qin Sang took a deep breath. He tossed the battle drum in his hand towards the flames. At this point, the battle drum had already been restored by True Person Yuan to its damaged state.

Simultaneously, one by one, precious spiritual objects were conjured by Qin Sang and began to be refined.

With True Person Yuan assisting in controlling the flames, Qin Sang felt significantly more at ease.

He wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that merely by receiving the Chongxuan Observatory's heritage and True Person Yuan's guidance, he could single-handedly repair a Post-celestial Spirit Treasure.

Had it not been for the two artifact-refining masters successively passing on their insights to him, providing clear approaches, and pointing him in the right direction, if Qin Sang had to start from scratch, he truly wouldn't know how much longer he would have needed to accumulate knowledge.

Qin Sang firmly remembered every word from Master Gu and True Person Yuan. His goal was to grow from this refining experience, rather than to act independently.

The spiritual flame transformed in countless ways in Qin Sang's hands. One by one, the essence was extracted from the spiritual objects. To prevent failure, True Person Yuan had prepared three sets, but Qin Sang's performance was far more effortless than he had anticipated.

Gradually, True Person Yuan relaxed his control over the spiritual flame. He found that Qin Sang still handled it with great ease, his flame control ability was extraordinary, and his spiritual senses were extremely keen. He couldn't help but show an approving expression.

Once the spiritual objects were fully refined, Qin Sang immersed his mind into the battle drum, focusing intently without distraction.

At the same time, he formed hand seals, manipulating wisps of flame to lightly or heavily strike the drum's surface.

'Boom! Boom! Boom!' The drumbeats resonated continuously, sealed within the fire chamber by the spiritual array.

Before long, the battle drum's surface began to glow red, becoming increasingly dazzling, almost rivaling the spiritual flame itself.

Surprisingly, at this point, Qin Sang's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. Evidently, this step was quite challenging.

As time passed, the battle drum underwent further changes. Fine threads subtly appeared amidst the red glow. These were countless incredibly complex restrictive runes, enough to make an ordinary cultivator dizzy just by looking at them.

Qin Sang was tireless, his gaze intensely fixed on the drum's surface.

In artifact refining, one step is crucial, called 'permeating the spiritual meridians'. Repairing treasures also begins with this step. Qin Sang's current action was to activate the battle drum's remaining spiritual meridians, to sort them out and repair them.

The battle drum was damaged, its spiritual meridians withered and exceptionally chaotic. Even with the 'guidance' of two artifact-refining masters, Qin Sang still felt immense pressure.

Inside the fire chamber, day and night became indistinguishable.

Qin Sang was completely immersed in the process, steadily completing every step.

The essences extracted from the spiritual objects floated quietly around Qin Sang. After an unknown period of time, a wisp of azure spiritual qi was finally drawn by Qin Sang, slowly drifting towards the battle drum's damaged hole.

The azure spiritual qi covered the hole, coiling and swirling erratically. Qin Sang continuously changed his hand seals. Streams of flowing light struck the hole. The drum's surface and the azure spiritual qi resonated together, and the qi gradually condensed, transforming into a thin veil that perfectly adhered to the hole.

Upon completing this step, Qin Sang let out a long breath, and his face showed a look of excitement.

"Very good!" True Person Yuan nodded repeatedly, moving to help Qin Sang stabilize the battle drum. "I prepared five stalks of Source Silk Grass for you; I didn't expect you to succeed on your first try. It seems you have considerable talent, you just lacked guidance from a renowned master before. Rest for a bit."

Even though Qin Sang was no longer at an age that required encouragement, hearing the Grand True Person's praise still greatly uplifted his spirits. He immediately entered meditation to regulate his breath.

As clusters of spiritual essence were struck into the flames, the damaged holes on the drum's surface were gradually filled, leaving almost no trace of the damage.

Occasionally, there were minor missteps, but they were harmless.

However, it was not yet complete. As the saying goes, the last leg of a journey is always the hardest. The next step—truly fusing the spiritual objects with the drum's body and permeating the spiritual meridians—would be the most difficult!

"Whew!" Qin Sang regulated his breath once more. He exhaled lightly, his face solemn, and plunged both palms directly into the flames.

The spiritual flame blazed intensely. Initially, the battle drum showed no change. Then, it seemed to melt, displaying a glaze-like luster that spread over the mended holes and flowed across the entire drum's surface.

Finally, the battle drum's original appearance was no longer discernible. It had transformed into a crimson spiritual embryo, overflowing with shimmering light.

"Do not miss this opportunity, do not hesitate!" True Person Yuan urged.

Qin Sang did not hesitate. He immediately struck a pre-prepared hand seal into the crimson spiritual embryo.

'Whoosh!' The crimson spiritual embryo burst forth with a wave of energy that vibrated the spiritual flame, but it was promptly suppressed by True Person Yuan.

Qin Sang now had no time for distractions. He intently watched every subtle change in the crimson spiritual embryo and acted swiftly.

'Thump! Thump! Thump!' The crimson spiritual embryo continuously vibrated and contracted inward. The glaze-like layer flowed ever faster, indicating that fusion was occurring within.

Finally, when the spiritual embryo shrank to a certain size, no matter what hand seals Qin Sang performed, he could not make the embryo change even slightly.

Drops of sweat again trickled down Qin Sang's forehead. Firstly, his consumption was immense; secondly, it wasn't as smooth as expected, as he had encountered a difficult obstacle.

'Crack!' Qin Sang clasped the crimson spiritual embryo tightly with both hands. A rich surge of vital blood qi emerged. He did not hesitate to consume his prime essence to use a secret art of the Chongxuan Observatory. The vital blood qi surged frantically into the spiritual embryo, finally causing it to distort and subtly take the shape of a battle drum's outline.

Every subsequent step was extremely difficult.

Later, a complete battle drum was almost ready to emerge, but Qin Sang found that no matter what he did, he always lacked that final push.

Seeing that his consumption was becoming increasingly severe and he could not continue, Qin Sang finally shifted his gaze towards True Person Yuan.

The next moment, powerful true essence surged forth from True Person Yuan's palm. The temperature in the fire chamber soared, and the spiritual flame instantly condensed to its peak, completely immersing itself into the crimson spiritual embryo.

'Boom!' A wave of fire swept across the fire chamber. At the center of the fire wave, a spiritual drum strikingly appeared. The damaged holes on its surface were nowhere to be seen, and the precious light emanating from the drum's body was even richer and mellower than after Master Gu's repair.

Qin Sang took it in his hand and examined it. He sensed it for a moment, then handed it to True Person Yuan. As he recalled the refining process, he felt a touch of regret.

If it had been Master Gu, he surely would have done better than Qin Sang. Yet, Master Gu's cultivation was not even as high as his. Thus, the difference wasn't in cultivation, but in the understanding of the artifact-refining path.

However, with this experience, Qin Sang had gained many insights. He was eager to find a place to meditate and comprehend them, confident that once he assimilated what he had gained, his artifact-refining techniques would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

'Boom!' The drumbeat roused Qin Sang from his contemplation.

True Person Yuan struck it a few times. He mused, "Its residual power is close to that of a Spirit Treasure. I will be entering secluded cultivation for a long time now... Fellow Daoist, you must also be eager to enter seclusion. I won't keep you any longer."

Qin Sang stood up, bowed in thanks, and exited the fire chamber. Counting on his fingers, he realized that more than three months had passed.

His transaction with the Daoist Court was complete; the battle drum no longer belonged to him. However, True Person Yuan had not refused him from seeking guidance in the future.

Considering all aspects, Qin Sang felt he had profited greatly.

With True Person Yuan entering seclusion, it was inconvenient for Qin Sang to stay long at the governing altar, so he borrowed a quiet chamber from Master Gu.

A year later.

Qin Sang emerged from seclusion. He left the White Stone Prefecture, traveled north alone, and after an uneventful journey, returned to the Jushan Prefecture's governing altar.

Passing through auspicious clouds and entering the golden hall, Qin Sang sent out a signal. Before long, a streak of light sped towards him; it was Mo Xingdao.

"I was delayed for some time discussing artifact refining techniques with Master Gu," Qin Sang said apologetically.

"No matter!" Mo Xingdao sighed. "Upon receiving your message, I came here. I ventured in to explore on my own. Unfortunately, I had not yet approached the storm illusion you mentioned when I already felt strained, and I dared not continue to take risks. It is indeed completely unrecognizable inside!"

As they spoke, the two passed through the Nine Bend Star River, moved through the illusions, and arrived at the edge of the illusionary storm.

Mo Xingdao stood before the storm, silent for a long time.

Qin Sang, for his part, said, "What the inside of the storm is like, we will only know once we enter!"

With that, Qin Sang conjured his Talisman Altar, opened its eight gates, and summoned Gui Hou.

Gui Hou's divine ability was indeed remarkable. In just a few decades, he had recovered his physical body, and his strength had also recovered by eighty percent.

Upon learning they were to brave the illusionary storm, Gui Hou felt a chill in his heart, but dared not defy Qin Sang's order.

Next, Qin Sang took out some protective talismans. The three each deployed their divine abilities, formed a Tripartite Array, and tentatively flew towards the storm.

Qin Sang was in the lead. He activated all his protective divine abilities, including the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, the Separating and Joining Divine Light, and the Bright Mountain Armor. The Cloud Roaming Sword hovered above their heads, its sword light enveloping all three.

The moment they entered the storm, chaotic currents of qi rushed towards them. The gale was like blades. Qin Sang's body jolted. He stomped heavily on the void, forcefully stabilizing their forms. The Cloud Roaming Sword's light flared intensely, enveloping all three.

With Qin Sang leading the charge, Gui Hou and Mo Xingdao faced significantly less pressure. They fully maintained the battle array, assisted Qin Sang, and slowly flew towards the storm's center.

Their speed was slow; they moved in fits and starts, only advancing once they confirmed it was safe.

The situation was somewhat better than expected. The original boundaries of the illusion could still be found at the storm's periphery, indicating a possibility of recovery.

However, as the three delved deeper, the sight before them became increasingly alarming.

Qin Sang followed the route in his memory. Further in, even traces of the illusion were gone. It was almost entirely chaotic, a man-eating storm, becoming increasingly perilous.

Eventually, with a considerable distance still to the Crimson Gold Spirit Needle, Gui Hou and Mo Xingdao began to feel their strength fail. They had no choice but to retreat.

Gui Hou's current strength was the lowest among the three. He gasped for air, still feeling a lingering fear.

Mo Xingdao's expression was grim, and he said nothing.

Qin Sang knew what he was thinking. He could only comfort him with a few words, explaining that the Daoist Court possessed artifact-refining inheritances similar to puppetry, and even if they couldn't find the path to ascension, he could find a way to acquire it for him.

As he spoke, Qin Sang was actually thinking of the Grand Unity Star Chariot.

As it now appeared, to brave the storm, even with enough personnel, a powerful protective treasure was necessary. According to Granny Bao's message, the Grand Unity Star Chariot possessed both evasion and defensive capabilities. It was time to begin its repair.