Chapter 413: Bitter Training

Early this morning, the Sword Pavilion's doors remained tightly shut.

At that moment, Qin Sang was in his cave residence in the backyard. With the residence's protective formation activated, he focused intently on a spiritual array before him, free from distractions.

This spiritual array was a family heirloom of Shopkeeper Wu, specifically designed for refining magical artifacts.

The array could gather spiritual energy to form a flame. Its setup requirements were not complex, and the most valuable material needed was a unique spiritual substance called Flame Core Stone.

Using the Flame Core Stone as a catalyst, it generated a spiritual flame, which Shopkeeper Wu referred to as "Flame of Stone."

This Flame of Stone bore no resemblance to the legendary divine fire, Samadhi True Fire; their powers were vastly different.

However, the Flame of Stone produced by this spiritual array had an advantage: it was remarkably gentle and easy to control, making it perfectly suited for beginners.

Furthermore, it had other merits; its power depended on the quantity of Flame Core Stone used. If enough Flame Core Stone was supplied, it could even be used to refine high-grade magical artifacts, albeit with some difficulty.

With this spiritual array, Qin Sang temporarily didn't need to rent earth fire for artifact refining, saving a considerable amount of money.

However, Flame Core Stones were not cheap either. It was foreseeable that Qin Sang would operate at a loss for a long time.

As the spiritual array unfolded, Qin Sang sat cross-legged in its center. Before him, a thumb-sized, pale flame materialized out of thin air. The flame was incredibly still, without any flickering, appearing almost like a static object at first glance.

Yet, the flame's temperature was intensely high, with waves of heat radiating outwards.

The air around it shimmered.

Qin Sang enveloped the flame with his spiritual sense. Just as Shopkeeper Wu had described, the flame was indeed gentle and easy to control once familiarized. During artifact refining, there would be no need to worry about a failed attempt due to improper flame manipulation.

Such a small flame was clearly insufficient for artifact refining.

Qin Sang flipped his hand, took out several white Flame Core Stones, and flicked them into various points of the array. Immediately, the flame swelled, expanding several times in size.

The temperature inside the cave residence surged dramatically.

Qin Sang nodded in satisfaction, gaining control of the enlarged flame. Then, with a sweep of his hand over his interspatial bag, several items flew out and hovered beside him.

Among them were several white spider silks and some dark green jade stones, which shone more brilliantly than the most precious gemstones in the mortal world.

These were threads spun by the Cold Spider beast and Azure Mist Stones. Both were common spiritual materials in the cultivation world, with somewhat impure spiritual energies, suitable at best for refining low-grade, unimpressive magical artifacts.

Qin Sang planned to start with low-grade magical artifacts to build a solid foundation and gradually improve.

He chose these two spiritual materials to refine a spiritual sword imbued with water elemental power, which would be an excellent weapon for low-level cultivators.

Every step was meticulously planned, including the specifics of the artifacts to be refined. This was a carefully devised strategy, the result of an all-night discussion between Qin Sang and Shopkeeper Wu.

It was thanks to Shopkeeper Wu's unreserved sharing of knowledge that Qin Sang felt confident enough to proceed.

Qin Sang picked up a palm-sized Azure Mist Stone. With a slight pressure of his fingertips, the stone cracked with a 'snap.' Qin Sang expertly applied just enough force to precisely remove the most impure parts of the Azure Mist Stone, not a bit more, not a bit less.

Afterward, Qin Sang tossed the fragments of the Azure Mist Stone into the Flame of Stone.

The flame flickered as the impurities in the Azure Mist Stone were gradually burned away, leaving only the purest essence, imbued with abundant water elemental power.

However, this water elemental power was extremely volatile, making it difficult to coalesce and form a sword.

Qin Sang immediately picked up a strand of spider silk and dropped it in. The silk melted, resembling a cold, viscous essence. As it dripped onto the Azure Mist Stone, its volatile nature was gradually pacified.

This process was repeated, with the two spiritual materials intertwining and eventually merging into one, then gradually transforming into the shape of a sword.

Finally, Qin Sang reached into the flame and pulled out a three-foot-long green sword.

The sword had a slender blade, entirely dark green, with a striking white streak down its center.

His first attempt at artifact refining was successful, which was quite normal. Given Qin Sang's mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level, his control over spiritual sense and spiritual power far surpassed Shopkeeper Wu's. Failing to refine a low-grade magical artifact would have been truly baffling.

After examining the spiritual sword for a while, Qin Sang reflected on the recent process, then casually set the sword aside and continued refining.

One low-grade spiritual sword after another emerged. Qin Sang grew increasingly proficient, even able to multitask by recalling the contents of the jade slip. He felt his comprehension had deepened further than before.

Along the way, he failed a few times when attempting new techniques, but these were minor setbacks.

A month later, Qin Sang finally emerged from his cave residence and entered the shop. He looked around, then pointed a finger, and a display shelf materialized out of thin air in an empty space, filled with spiritual swords.

There were not only low-grade spiritual swords but also several mid-grade ones.

The small shop finally possessed some of the ambiance of a 'Sword Pavilion.'

This was the fruit of Qin Sang's month-long effort. He had diligently practiced for a month, experimenting with all his ideas, and had even begun attempting to refine mid-grade magical artifacts to thoroughly master the content of the jade slip.

His gains were substantial, though some content still required time for deeper comprehension. However, there was no need to stay idle in the cave residence. He could spend this time in Boundless Valley.

He could gain experience while reflecting on his insights, and also collect spiritual materials needed for artifact refining in Boundless Valley.

Upon returning from his excursions, he would focus on artifact refining and cultivation.

In the years to come, he would live a life of asceticism, not wasting a single moment. His motivation stemmed from the substantial rewards he could foresee in the future!

He pushed open the main door.

The midday sun streamed in, warming his body.

Passersby on the street heard the movement and looked over in surprise, wondering which shop owner was so lazy as to open for business only at this hour.

“Time to find a shop assistant,” Qin Sang murmured.

That day, Qin Sang went to the brokerage firm in the mortal residential area. After looking around, he brought back two people.

One was a lanky boy, thin as a stick, named Ning Youwei. He was a cultivator, but only at the second level of the Qi Condensation stage.

The other was Ning Youwei's mother, who had just recovered from a severe illness and was still frail.

Ning Youwei and his mother were original residents of Qingyang Market. When Ning Youwei's mother was young, she married a cultivator, who was Ning Youwei's father.

His father had poor talent and a low cultivation level, but as a recognized immortal master and thanks to ancestral blessings, he owned a cave residence in the market, allowing them to live a relatively affluent life.

Unexpectedly, fortune turned. Ning Youwei's father encountered an accident during an excursion outside the market and was never heard from again. Mother and son relied on each other, and then Ning Youwei's mother fell gravely ill.

The boy proved to be filial; he sold all of his father's belongings, and finally sold the cave residence to another cultivator, managing to acquire spiritual medicine to cure his mother's illness.

However, this left them utterly destitute, without even a place to stay.

Ning Youwei's talent was even worse than his father's, and his cultivation level was barely stronger than a mortal's, making it extremely difficult for them to turn their lives around. If they couldn't find a livelihood in the market within half a year, they would be expelled.

Qin Sang verified the truth of Ning Youwei's story and brought them back to his shop.

Since he needed a shopkeeper anyway, employing such trustworthy people put him at ease. He wasn't seeking a booming business; he merely needed someone to mind the shop.