Chapter 683: Heavenly Dao Refining Artifacts

Hearing the sound, Luo Qiqi's eyes reddened as she saw Zhang Xuan had arrived nearby. The true qi surging from his palm halted her backward momentum.

She quickly turned her head to look and saw over a hundred formation flags neatly planted all around. Although they were arranged in a special alignment, for some reason, there was no activity whatsoever.

"Teacher, have you set up the formation?"

"Almost!"

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist, and a formation plate flew straight out.

The formation plate opened in the air, and immediately, the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn in, forming a thick vortex of spiritual energy.

"This is… a Spirit Gathering Formation?"

Luo Qiqi was stunned. Hadn't a formation already been set up around them? What was the purpose of using a Spirit Gathering Formation? Moreover, this type of formation was for cultivation; she had never heard of it being used to counter a puppet comparable to a Saint.

The puppet in front, seeing him throw out the formation plate, was also momentarily stunned. However, sensing no attack, it charged at them again, like a rabid beast, exuding a fierce aura.

Seeing the opponent draw closer, ready to reach them at any moment, Luo Qiqi was nervously at a loss, when she heard a cold snort from the young man nearby.

Immediately, he stomped his foot on the ground. Immediately after, she saw a blur before her eyes; the puppet vanished, and the room became quiet again. It was as if the previous scene had been a dream, something that never existed.

"What happened?"

Luo Qiqi quickly looked around. She found the Crimson Flame Cauldron and numerous books still there. However, the place where the puppet had been seemed to have vanished; it was invisible and intangible, utterly dark. It was as if, with the young man's stomp, she and the cauldron had been simultaneously detached from that space, leaping into another world.

"A Hidden… Formation?"

She suddenly thought of something. There was only one way this could be achieved… a Hidden Formation! This type of formation could conceal a specific area, making it impossible for others to discover, just like when they couldn't find the entrance to the underground palace in the valley. If that formation hadn't been broken, even if they had another three years to dig up the entire area, they might still not have found it. She hadn't known what kind of formation Teacher Zhang intended to set up, but seeing those formation flags and the strange scene before her, she instantly recalled this.

"But… Hidden Formations consume an enormous amount of spiritual energy, and at least a Grandmaster Formation Master of Six Stars is required to activate them. How did Teacher activate it…?"

Even though she confirmed it, she still couldn't believe it. A level six formation, and such an abstruse Hidden Formation at that, would require at least a Saint realm expert to activate. This Teacher Zhang was only at the Spirit Unification realm… the disparity in levels was too great!

"Could it be… the Spirit Gathering Formation from just now?"

Her pupils constricted. Teacher Zhang had thrown out a Spirit Gathering Formation plate earlier, and she hadn't understood its purpose then. Now, combining it with this grand formation, she immediately understood. It must have used the five-star Spirit Gathering Formation as power to fully activate this Hidden Formation. Using one formation to trigger another… this was the legendary Composite Formation, something even a peak six-star Formation Master would find difficult to achieve! Not only had Teacher Zhang done it, but he had done so with such confidence and ease…

Luo Qiqi's eyes widened. Formations create special power boosts by utilizing the surrounding environmental magnetic fields; it's not a simple one-plus-one-equals-two scenario. Under normal circumstances, placing two formations together could easily cause them to interfere with each other, rendering both useless. Using a Spirit Gathering Formation to power and activate a Hidden Formation… even seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn't believe it. How profound must one's understanding and control of formations be to accomplish this?

Unaware of her shock, Zhang Xuan walked over. "Alright, now that we're hidden and they can't find us, let's quickly refine weapons to obtain Elder Wu Yangzi's legacy!"

He could indeed set up a level six Hidden Formation with his current strength, but he genuinely lacked the ability to activate it, or even sustain it if activated. It was like a snail pulling a cart; although his true qi was abundant, it was still insufficient to maintain the operation of a level six formation. Left with no choice, he took out the five-star Spirit Gathering Formation. He still had hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones on him, and with the five-star Spirit Gathering Formation providing spiritual energy, he could easily drive the grand formation and keep it running smoothly. As for how to integrate the Spirit Gathering Formation with the Hidden Formation so they would assist each other without conflict, this was not a difficult problem. And indeed, he had succeeded.

"Yes, the most important thing now is to refine a weapon, meet Elder Wu Yangzi's conditions, and find a way out…" Recovering from her shock, Luo Qiqi nodded. At the same time, she asked with doubt, "Teacher, are you going to refine the weapon yourself?" This teacher before her, though younger than herself, had given her too many shocks. It wouldn't be surprising even if he could refine a high-grade spirit weapon, something only a peak five-star artifact forger could accomplish.

"Me?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. Even if he wanted to refine, he needed to know how! The artifact forger profession was one of the top nine professions, and just like alchemy, fundamentals were crucial, requiring years of practice and study. He knew nothing about artifact forging; how could he refine anything? Not to mention this, even with alchemy, he had studied countless books, yet wasn't he still half-baked and unable to personally refine elixirs?

"Teacher isn't going to do it?" Luo Qiqi was stunned.

"I won't be doing it; you will refine it!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Me?" Luo Qiqi jumped in surprise.

"Hmm, I already have another teacher, so I can't take on another master! If my artifact forging were to be recognized by them, and they insisted on taking me as a disciple, I wouldn't be able to refuse!" Zhang Xuan looked at her faintly.

"This… Teacher is referring to Master Yang, right! He… also teaches you artifact forging?" Luo Qiqi was stunned.

That day, at the Purification Lake, Master Yang arrived riding a fire dragon. One of his shoes had averted a crisis, earning her immense admiration.

She had thought he was only Teacher Zhang's cultivation master, but unexpectedly, he also taught artifact forging.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"But…"

Hearing his admission, Luo Qiqi was filled with envy. Then she wore a bitter smile, her brows furrowed into a knot. "I am only an initial five-star artifact forger; even if I refine it, I might not be able to satisfy them…"

"Don't worry, I will guide you…" Zhang Xuan said.

"Thank you…" Hearing that he would guide her, Luo Qiqi's face was filled with excitement.

This Teacher Zhang was the one who had guided her in refining a level six medicinal liquid!

"Hmm, quickly recover from your injuries. Otherwise, once the refining begins, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on…" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Okay!"

Knowing she was severely injured at the moment, and even with his guidance, she wouldn't have the energy to refine a weapon, Luo Qiqi immediately sat cross-legged, took out a healing pill, and swallowed it.

The medicinal effects spread throughout her body, making her feel warm all over, and her wounds slowly began to heal.

Seeing her heal, Zhang Xuan knew he couldn't afford to delay. He turned and walked towards a bookshelf on the side.

To be honest, he was currently just bluffing. He knew a bit about artifact forging, but not much. In Tianxuan Kingdom, Tianwu Kingdom… although he had read some books on artifact forging, they weren't systematic, and he hadn't even been certified as an artifact forger. Guiding others to refine ordinary weapons was fine, but refining high-grade spirit weapons… he was still far from capable.

His only plan now was to seize this time to study quickly. The Spirit Gathering Formation could sustain the Hidden Formation by consuming mid-grade spirit stones, but this was not the outside world, where natural elements combined to gather spiritual energy from thousands of kilometers around… Once those hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones were depleted, the Hidden Formation would naturally lose its effect. At that point, if the puppet charged in, there would be nothing left to do!

He took a few steps and arrived in front of the bookshelf. As expected, it was filled with secret manuals on artifact forging.

They were either collected by Elder Wu Yangzi himself or left behind by those who captured him, specifically for reference and study. Regardless of the reason, having these books was a good thing for him. Without further thought, he immediately ran his fingers over them, rapidly recording them.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, hundreds of thousands of books on the bookshelf were all recorded into his library.

"Correct!" With a thought, several books appeared before him. These were precisely all the Heaven's Path methods for artifact forgers from One-star to Six-star.

This was the so-called Heaven's Path of Artifact Forging. Once he finished studying them, his understanding of artifact forging would be no weaker than that of a true six-star artifact forger, and might even surpass it.

He casually opened them.

"An artifact is a tool. Artifact forging is the refinement of tools suitable for humans. The best weapon is humanity itself; to forge weapons based on the human body is the true method of the Heaven's Path…" The principles from the books entered his mind, invigorating him and clearing his mind.

Whether it was artifact forging or alchemy, regardless of the level, the core principle remained the same; there was always a fundamental standard. And this Heaven's Path of Artifact Forging precisely documented that. Once learned, it meant fully grasping the 'truth,' making the refinement of other weapons simple.

He closed his eyes and studied book after book.

One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours… Six hours later.

He had completely finished studying all six volumes of Heaven's Path of Artifact Forging. And Zhang Xuan, who had previously known nothing about artifact forging, had transformed into a true Grandmaster of Artifact Forging.

Even if Wu Yangzi were resurrected, in the path of artifact forging, he would likely be far inferior. Of course, even after learning the Heaven's Path of Artifact Forging and knowing a vast amount about it, actually refining an artifact would still be extremely difficult for him, just like with alchemy. This was because, unlike calligraphy, painting, or formations, it was akin to 'discussing tactics on paper.' Setting aside other aspects, just forging the artifact embryo would require an unknown amount of time to be successfully honed. It couldn't be accomplished in a single attempt. To become a true artifact forging master, an unknown amount of practice time would still be required.

"It seems… there are no body cultivation methods here!"

After completing his study of Heaven's Path of Artifact Forging, he re-examined the books he had just collected. Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head, feeling a little disappointed. His main purpose in coming here was to obtain Wu Yangzi's body cultivation technique. Now it seemed, those were not on this bookshelf.

He shook his head and stood up. He looked at Luo Qiqi nearby, and upon seeing her, his brows involuntarily furrowed. "Your… injuries still haven't healed?"

Luo Qiqi was still sitting cross-legged, healing. Although her aura was much stronger than before, her internal injuries were still not fully healed. It could be heard from her breathing that she was still uncomfortable.