Chapter 32: Song Family

He closed his eyes, recalling the process of Wang Mingmei and the other four refining artifacts.

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Changsheng opened his eyes and began refining.

He placed the silver needlewood at the bottom of the Azure Lotus Cauldron, lit the spiritual wood, and stuck a piece of dough onto the cauldron's lid.

When the dough turned from white to yellow, Wang Changsheng threw the profound iron into the Azure Lotus Cauldron.

A short while later, he poured in a box of iron filings.

When a piece of spiritual wood had finished burning, he struck the Azure Lotus Cauldron with a spell incantation. The green lotus patterns on the cauldron's surface rotated sixty degrees, and the molten iron flowed through small holes into the mold.

Wang Changsheng took out some spiritual liquid and struck it with a series of spell incantations.

The spiritual liquid quickly deformed, transforming into two mysterious green characters, which then vanished instantly into the iron block.

The iron block immediately burst with a brilliant green light, and the two green characters flickered wildly.

Only the quenching stage remained, which was the most crucial part of artifact refining.

Wang Changsheng took a deep breath and carefully poured cold water onto the iron block, causing a cloud of white smoke to immediately rise.

As the smoke dispersed, a gleaming green short sword appeared before everyone.

"Did it succeed?"

Wang Changsheng's face showed wild joy. He took out the green short sword, examined it carefully, and couldn't put it down.

An spiritual artifact had taken shape in his hands, and a sense of pride spontaneously arose within him.

"Seventh Uncle, what do you think of this spiritual artifact?"

Wang Changsheng handed the Azure Moon Blade to Wang Yaoxi, asking him to inspect it.

Wang Yaoxi took the Azure Moon Blade, examined it carefully, and nodded in satisfaction. "For your first time refining, succeeding in forging a spiritual artifact is already quite good," he said. "However, your control over the heat is insufficient. The molten iron was taken out a bit too early, and some of the iron filings haven't completely melted. If this Azure Moon Blade were to clash with the one your fifth aunt forged, your blade would surely break. You must pay attention to the heat; it can't be too early, nor too late. Even the slightest deviation will affect the quality of the spiritual artifact. Take a break, then continue refining."

"Yes, Seventh Uncle."

Wang Changsheng acknowledged, closed his eyes, and carefully reviewed the refining process he had just completed.

Fifteen minutes later, he opened his eyes and continued refining.

In the next two refining attempts, Wang Changsheng took the artifacts out of the furnace a bit late, delaying the time for engraving spiritual patterns, and the resulting spiritual artifacts had a dull luster.

With three sets of materials, he successfully refined spiritual artifacts. Although the quality of the spiritual artifacts wasn't exceptionally good, it was still considered quite good.

"Today you are just starting to refine artifacts. Don't be discouraged if you fail; novices are bound to fail. Don't be arrogant if you succeed; arrogance leads to stagnation. The path of artifact refining requires continuous improvement and no deviation. Each of you should describe your refining process and discuss and compare with each other. This will facilitate easier progress."

Wang Mingmei nodded and said, "I'll go first! I followed our ancestors' refining method, lighting the spiritual wood to preheat..."

Wang Mingmei and the other four took turns describing their refining processes, discussing with each other, and all gained considerable insights.

The day quickly passed, and they returned to their respective rooms to cultivate.

******

In Pingyang County, there was a valley filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs.

Outside the valley was a vast expanse of dense white fog, while inside, there was a large complex of buildings, which was the Song family's ancestral residence.

The Song family had a history of over four hundred years, with over 160 cultivators within the clan. The highest-cultivated among them was Song Tianming.

Song Tianming was currently 140 years old and at the third level of Foundation Establishment. He usually cultivated in seclusion in a secret chamber, and unless there was a major event, other clan members would not disturb his cultivation.

One day, a tall, slender man in a green robe knocked on the stone door of the secret chamber.

"Second Uncle, your nephew has something very important to report to you."

The man in green robes said respectfully.

He was Song Ziyang, the current head of the Song family, 65 years old this year, and at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Ah, Ziyang! Come in!" Song Tianming's voice suddenly rang out, and the stone door swung open.

Song Ziyang quickly walked in. The secret chamber was only about a hundred feet in size, containing only a stone bed, a stone table, and a few chairs. However, the spiritual energy within the chamber was quite rich.

Song Tianming was sitting cross-legged on a futon, and seeing Song Ziyang enter, he asked, "Ziyang, what major event has occurred?"

"Nothing major has happened," Song Ziyang replied, "but it seems our neighbors, the Wang family of Changping County, have discovered some kind of spiritual ore vein. Your nephew has come specifically to report this to you, Second Uncle."

Song Tianming's brow furrowed, and he asked, "An ore vein? Explain clearly, what exactly is going on?"

"It's like this: A month ago, many clan members discovered that a quarry in Qingshi Town, Ping'an County, had been set up with formations and was guarded by Wang family cultivators. Outsiders would be driven away if they approached. Your nephew sent people to secretly investigate and found that at irregular intervals, several Wang family cultivators would leave the quarry and return to Azure Lotus Mountain. The timing and routes were inconsistent. Your nephew had people monitor it for over a month before discovering a clue. Your nephew's analysis suggests that the Wang family has likely discovered some kind of ore vein."

Song Tianming's eyes lit up, and he asked solemnly, "An ore vein? Are you certain?"

"Your nephew is ninety percent certain it's an ore vein," Song Ziyang replied. "If it were anything else, the Wang family wouldn't have set up formations and regularly sent people to transport things back to Azure Lotus Mountain. The explanation of an ore vein is the most logical."

"An ore vein discovered within Ping'an County is due to the accumulated virtue of the Wang family ancestors," Song Tianming said. "What? Do you intend to seize it?"

Song Ziyang gave an awkward smile and said, "Second Uncle, our clan's life isn't easy; we're barely making ends meet. We haven't been able to cultivate talents in the four arts of cultivation, so we can only earn spirit stones by selling spiritual grain, and with the market's rent, we barely manage to keep the family running. The quarry where the ore vein is located isn't far from our Guanglin County. A piece of prime meat is right under our noses. Even if we can't swallow it whole, getting a bit of the profits wouldn't be too much, would it?"

"What do you intend to do?" Song Tianming asked. "You're not thinking of having me intervene and destroy that Wang family outpost, are you? If there truly is an ore vein there, the Wang family would certainly have defensive formations set up. I recall the Wang family has a second-tier spiritual beast, a Golden-Beaked Eagle, whose flight speed is even faster than ordinary flying magical artifacts. It wouldn't even take half an hour to get from Azure Lotus Mountain to Qingshi Town. If news of this leaks, the Wang family won't let it go easily. By then, how will you appease the Wang family's wrath?"

Song Tianming frowned and reprimanded him unceremoniously.

"If it were just our Song family, there would naturally be no need to fall out with the Wang family," Song Ziyang countered. "However, if the Liu family and Sun family also get involved, with three families uniting, I believe the Wang family would have to swallow their anger. Even if the Wang, Huang, and Li families were to unite, by the time they come knocking, we could still manage to get some ore and make a small fortune."

Song Tianming rubbed his eyes and pondered the pros and cons of the matter.

"I understand this matter," Song Tianming said. "We can unite with the Liu and Sun families, but I cannot take action. There's an unwritten rule among Foundation Establishment cultivators in Ningzhou: Foundation Establishment cultivators must not arbitrarily attack Qi Refining cultivators. Otherwise, if I kill a Wang family Qi Refining cultivator today, Wang Yaozong could kill a Song family Qi Refining cultivator tomorrow. This would only benefit others."

Song Ziyang nodded and said, "Your nephew also understands this principle. I merely wanted to consult with you, Second Uncle; I wouldn't presume to trouble you to act. If our three families unite, each sending five Qi Refining cultivators, it would be best if we win, and if we lose, the losses wouldn't be significant. After all, it's a joint operation by three families. If the Wang family seeks revenge in the future, they would also be somewhat apprehensive."

"Do you intend to directly attack that outpost?" Song Tianming asked. "If you can't take it down, and Wang Yaozong arrives, the clan members you send will be doomed. By then, the Wang family would have the moral high ground, and it would be difficult for me to act."

"Second Uncle's advice is correct," Song Ziyang replied. "Your nephew plans to attack the Wang family cultivators escorting the ore, to first weaken the Wang family's guarding strength. Then, we will jointly besiege that outpost. If we cannot take it down within a quarter of an hour, we will immediately retreat without delay. What do you think, Second Uncle?"

Song Tianming thought this idea was good and nodded, saying, "Good. Send unfamiliar faces so you don't leave any traces for them to seize upon."

"Yes, Second Uncle."