Chapter 2046: Foundation

Qin Sang followed the instructions. He saw Daoist Master Luohua cast the "Unobstructed Seal," which split into six streams of spell light, one of which shot towards him.

Suppressing his instincts, Qin Sang allowed the spell light to land on him. He immediately felt a strange spiritual energy appear within his body, but when he tried to grasp it, the energy suddenly dispersed.

Vaguely, Qin Sang sensed a new connection within him, pointing towards Daoist Master Luohua.

This connection was quite profound, as if a channel had opened between him and Daoist Master Luohua. However, Qin Sang felt no sense of being controlled or deluded.

Daoist Master Luohua stopped his movements and quietly observed everyone.

After a moment of focused perception, everyone opened their eyes. They confirmed that the Unobstructed Seal did not significantly impede them; at the very least, Daoist Master Luohua could not use it to control them. Reassured, they remained vigilant, awaiting further instructions.

Daoist Master Luohua nodded. "Everyone, please proceed with refining the spiritual materials before you, according to the pre-established method!"

With that, Daoist Master Luohua gently flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand. Its bristles fanned out, and countless silver threads shot downwards, some clinging to the treasure furnace, others piercing into the high platform. All the onlookers saw was a dazzling silver light, obscuring everything within.

Qin Sang sensed briefly, realizing he couldn't perceive the spiritual treasure's presence. He wasn't anxious; if Daoist Master Luohua needed their assistance in refining it, it would eventually be revealed.

His gaze fell upon the spiritual items before him. Without hesitation, he immediately drew one towards himself.

This was a round white stone, about the size of a chicken egg, called Turbid Wave Stone.

It is said that from its inception, the Turbid Wave Stone first forms a cocoon-like outer shell. Once the internal development reaches a certain stage, a second layer forms, and so on. Each successive layer refines the stone further, eventually forming multiple thin shells around the purest spiritual essence within.

These thin shells are incredibly fragile; if broken, the spiritual essence disperses immediately. The same applies during refinement: there's no way to delay or preserve it. Therefore, refining this item requires first dissolving the layers of thin shells into an invisible force that encases the spiritual essence without interfering with the artifact forging process.

Having learned about the properties of these treasures during his time at Luohua Temple, Qin Sang found their refinement straightforward.

Before him, the thin shells of the Turbid Wave Stone were peeled away layer by layer, each revealing unique, wave-like patterns.

He proceeded methodically, without any errors, until the white stone in front of him disappeared, leaving only a single "water drop" seemingly enveloped by an invisible outer membrane.

He carefully moved it aside and then summoned a second spiritual item. In this manner, one spiritual item after another was refined in his hands.

While busy, Qin Sang suddenly felt something. He paused briefly and looked towards the treasure furnace, noticing that Daoist Master Luohua had, at some point, retracted the silver threads. The high platform and the treasure furnace now felt completely different than before.

"So it's a sophisticated spiritual array," he thought. "The treasure furnace gains immense benefits from it. I wonder if this array is universal, or if it can only be used with this specific furnace?"

Qin Sang glanced at the high platform, this thought crossing his mind. He could tell that this treasure furnace was quite extraordinary.

Most alchemists and artificers possess their own treasure furnaces or cauldrons, which greatly enhance the efficiency of their refining or forging processes. Qin Sang mused that he had yet to find one suitable for himself and should start looking for one.

He couldn't help but think of the green copper block he obtained from the Ziwei Palace. Its original form, whether a forging cauldron or an alchemy cauldron, was unknown, but it might offer some insights.

These extraneous thoughts flashed through his mind but were quickly suppressed as Qin Sang refocused on refining the spiritual items.

At that moment, Daoist Master Luohua swept his gaze around. Once everyone had finished refining, he flicked his horsetail whisk, and points of clear light rained down.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

The high platform's array activated, and the treasure furnace vibrated violently.

"Everyone, please immediately enter meditation and achieve a state of selflessness!" Daoist Master Luohua ordered again. Simultaneously, the high platform glowed with spiritual light, and six beams enveloped the group.

Qin Sang entered deep meditation, and immediately felt the power of a spiritual array descend, his body enveloped by its light.

Daoist Master Luohua's expression was solemn. Holding the horsetail whisk in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other, he chanted incantations. Finally, with a low shout, he forcefully pressed his palm downwards.

Just then, Qin Sang, in his meditative state, suddenly felt the Unobstructed Seal emit a peculiar fluctuation. It wasn't his own power, yet it blended harmoniously with his personal spiritual energy. This unseen fluctuation subtly guided him, prompting him to perform an action.

If he had consciously resisted, he could have suppressed it, but that would have affected the artifact refinement.

He did not interfere, observing like a bystander as his hands automatically formed a spell seal—a secret technique he had never practiced, yet successfully executed.

The others experienced the same sensation as Qin Sang, though each formed a different spell seal. Ultimately, all the seals simultaneously struck towards the high platform.

*Boom!*

A vast spiritual light shot skyward, as if to rip open the very dome above.

Outside the fire chamber, Luohua Mountain cultivators were standing by, ready to conceal the spiritual energy fluctuations of the area with their spells.

Everyone awoke from their meditative state, immediately sensing a difference. They felt as if they had become masters of the high platform's spiritual array, and the treasure furnace felt more connected to them. However, each person could only control a sub-array; the true master remained Daoist Master Luohua.

Daoist Master Luohua's aura seemed slightly restless, indicating that guiding six people to cast spells simultaneously was no easy feat. This was merely the beginning, with more challenges yet to come.

Daoist Master Luohua closed his eyes to regulate his breath for a moment, then issued another command. Qin Sang and the others immediately activated the sub-arrays they controlled.

The purpose of this array was to assist with refinement. Without a deep understanding of artifact forging, it would be difficult to fully unleash its power. Qin Sang, naturally, had no such concerns. He silently activated the spiritual array, drawing a cluster of spiritual essence.

The spiritual essence, upon entering the array, was immediately separated by its power, transforming into strands of vital energy. Guided by the array, it underwent another transformation before finally merging into the treasure furnace.

The others were performing similar tasks. Daoist Master Luohua bore the heaviest responsibility; he had to carefully refine the spiritual treasure to avoid damaging its spiritual nature, while also guiding the essences systematically into the furnace.

Just then, Qin Sang's heart stirred. He finally sensed the spiritual treasure within the furnace.

A vision appeared in his mind: a jade ruler quietly floating in the flames. It was quite substantial, less than a foot long, with a pristine white surface and an internal glow of azure-green.

Qin Sang clearly felt a spiritual embryo nurturing within the jade ruler.

This spiritual treasure was on the verge of transformation. Qin Sang observed its spirituality; due to Little Five's unique nature, a direct comparison was impossible, but the Wandering Sword's spirituality was surprisingly comparable.

Did this mean the Wandering Sword was also close to transformation?

Without external references, Qin Sang didn't know how far the Wandering Sword had progressed. By his estimation, after being blessed with essence and enlightened by the Ziwei Daoist Child, the Wandering Sword had been nurtured for nearly six hundred years. It should finally be time for a tool spirit to manifest!

Perhaps the Wandering Sword could take that step even sooner than Little Five.

Given the karmic implications of the *Ziwei Sword Scripture*, even if the Wandering Sword advanced to a Post-Heaven Spirit Treasure, he wouldn't dare use it lightly in combat, so it might not offer much assistance to Qin Sang. However, with a true spirit contained within the sword, the time would finally come to see if Wanderer could be reborn through it!

Qin Sang's thoughts raced, but his actions remained unaffected. Sensing Daoist Master Luohua's subtle prompting, he accelerated the array's operation a bit more.

Various spiritual essences continuously flowed into the treasure furnace, causing multi-colored flames to appear within. Under Daoist Master Luohua's guidance, the spiritual fire grew increasingly intense. Finally, a layer of glaze-like sheen appeared on the jade ruler's surface, a sign of melting.

Unexpectedly, Luohua Temple's artifact forging technique was far more intense than Qin Sang and the others had imagined. Daoist Master Luohua once again guided everyone to cast a secret technique. A thunderous explosion erupted within the furnace. When Qin Sang emerged from meditation, he found the jade ruler had completely disintegrated into a cloud of powder. Surprisingly, the spiritual embryo remained completely unharmed.

Fierce flames billowed from the furnace mouth, engulfing Daoist Master Luohua in their light.

Everyone knew it was the most critical moment. With undivided focus, they exerted themselves to assist Daoist Master Luohua, maintaining the powder's spiritual energy and refining the various essences. As time passed, most of the spiritual essences around them were consumed.

Daoist Master Luohua activated the Unobstructed Seal once more. This time, it lasted much longer than before, and the secret technique employed was far more complex.

Qin Sang felt spell seals being cast from his body. Being in meditation, he could only sense the spiritual embryo's presence, unaware of what the jade ruler had become.

After an unknown period, Qin Sang suddenly perceived an unusual movement within the spiritual embryo. It seemed a living entity was nurturing inside, and the once chaotic spiritual essence was transforming, about to give birth to a true consciousness.

It was like a seed germinating, at the very beginning of sprouting.

"How did Daoist Master Luohua achieve this?"

Qin Sang was intensely curious, but he couldn't make any movements, or he would destabilize the Unobstructed Seal.

Perhaps Daoist Master Luohua had refined other unknown spiritual items, but it certainly had a significant connection to this secret technique. Unfortunately, what Daoist Master Luohua had him perform was only a portion of the secret art. Even if he discussed it with Lady Shuanghua and the others later, they wouldn't be able to deduce the complete technique, as its core secrets were known only to Daoist Master Luohua.

Such foundational sect teachings could not be transmitted externally. Qin Sang could only wait for the jade ruler to be fully refined, then try to comprehend the partial secret technique, which would still yield significant benefits.

The genesis of a spiritual essence is a very long process.

Everyone forgot the passage of time, motionless like statues, with only the flickering firelight illuminating the chamber.

Unbeknownst to them, half a year had passed.

Outside the fire chamber, the Luohua Temple cultivators had formed an array and had been patiently waiting there the entire time.

Aside from the initial period when intense fluctuations emanated from within the fire chamber, the subsequent time had been unusually calm.

"Why is there still no reaction inside? I wonder what stage of refinement they're at..."

Out of sheer boredom, the cultivators within the array communicated with each other via spiritual transmission.

"Given how cautious the sect is, what's strange about it taking a year or two to refine?"

Another person shook their head, about to say something more, when their expression suddenly changed.

Simultaneously, everyone sensed something. They all looked towards the fire chamber, instinctively activating the grand array to its fullest, and a thick gray mist isolated the chamber from the outside world.

Inside the fire chamber, everyone was startled awake. The moment Qin Sang opened his eyes, he looked not at the treasure furnace, but at Daoist Master Luohua.

Daoist Master Luohua's complexion was dim, and his face was etched with exhaustion.

Qin Sang quickly scanned the area but found no lingering aura of other spiritual items. With a silent sigh, he gave up and focused on the treasure furnace.

At this moment, Daoist Master Luohua also ceased all movements.

Everyone sensed that the spiritual embryo in the treasure furnace had reached a critical juncture. This was a crucial step; if it could be taken, it would lead to a monumental transformation!

In an instant, strong fluctuations emanated from the spiritual embryo.

*Whoosh!*

The spiritual fire within the furnace scattered and converged erratically.

The vibrations of the spiritual embryo grew increasingly intense. It seemed an awareness within desperately wished to break through the embryonic wall and achieve rebirth!

Just then, Qin Sang tilted his head back, his gaze seemingly piercing the dome to look towards the heavens. He felt a faint, familiar aura converging there, imbued with heavenly might—the aura of a heavenly tribulation!

The others also sensed it, and Daoist Master Quan's face showed excitement.

The heavenly tribulation was beginning to brew; could it be succeeding?

Outside the fire chamber, the Luohua Temple cultivators stirred in commotion.

Heavenly tribulations cannot be concealed. Currently, the tribulation was only at the nascent stage of brewing, its aura very faint, barely concealable by the grand array. However, once the tribulation descended, all cultivators in Yanling City would sense it.

But once a tool spirit was born, drawing down the heavenly tribulation, there would be no need for them to conceal it anymore!

"I wonder what a spiritual treasure's heavenly tribulation looks like?"

Qin Sang looked at Daoist Master Luohua, only to find him the calmest of all. His heart stirred: could there be another turn of events?

As this thought arose, Qin Sang saw a flicker of regret in Daoist Master Luohua's eyes.

The next moment, the spiritual fire inside the treasure furnace abruptly contracted, and the vibrant spiritual energy exploded with a roar—not a transformation, but a burst from being overwhelmed. Chaotic power surged wildly from the furnace mouth.

The aura of the heavenly tribulation immediately dispersed.

"Temple Master!"

Daoist Master Quan exclaimed in disbelief, unable to accept such an outcome.

It had failed!

Even though Qin Sang and the others weren't Luohua Temple cultivators, they couldn't help but feel regret. This was likely their only chance in this life to "personally" refine a Post-Heaven Spirit Treasure.

"It seems we were too hasty," Daoist Master Luohua sighed softly. "Ultimately, our foundation was insufficient, and we fell short at the final step."

Daoist Master Luohua sighed lightly. His true essence transformed into a large hand, reaching into the treasure furnace, manipulating the chaotic forces to retrieve the jade ruler. Although the transformation failed, the jade ruler was not destroyed, but it had lost most of its spiritual energy and might take a long time to recover its former state.

All the spiritual items were wasted, and Luohua Temple's extensive preparations came to naught. It was a significant blow to the morale of the Luohua Temple cultivators.

"The sect prepared for so long, how could it fail? How, how could this happen..." Daoist Master Quan couldn't accept it, his gaze at Daoist Master Luohua filled with worry.

"Brother Quan, do not worry," Daoist Master Luohua transmitted. "Even if this attempt failed, I still have one more chance. However, there will be no turning back; it will be an all-or-nothing endeavor. These fellow Daoists are trustworthy individuals, unrelated to those other forces. When you become Temple Master, remember to maintain contact with them; they will be valuable external allies in the future."

After transmitting his comforting words, Daoist Master Luohua withdrew the Unobstructed Seals from everyone and then said aloud, "Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your full assistance. Perhaps you should return to your respective sects to rest and recover."

Everyone felt a lightness in their bodies, as if a layer of restraint had been lifted. They exchanged glances, seeing Daoist Master Luohua's calm expression, and didn't know how to offer comfort.

Daoist Master Tonghu bowed and said, "This setback was not our wish either. If your temple intends to refine this treasure again in the future, please notify us. This humble Daoist will certainly come to assist, without seeking any reward!"

Everyone else echoed his sentiments. Qin Sang nodded silently, still pondering Daoist Master Luohua's recent words.

"Insufficient foundation. What exactly is this foundation? Little Five was born from the demon child, then devoured him, and was later enlightened by the Ziwei Daoist Child. The Wandering Sword, on the other hand, benefited even more from the Ziwei Daoist Child. I wonder if its foundation is sufficient?"