Daoist Competition-Chapter 937 - 208: Heavenly Furnace Reopens, Sacrificial Sword Reforged (Part 2)

He furrowed his brow, turned the fan over for a few more glances, felt a flicker in his heart, and a trace of joy suddenly appeared in his eyes. With a "snap," he closed the fan and discreetly hid it in the sleeve bag. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Since Zhang Yan had promised the two of them to choose any treasure, he wouldn’t bother with the mysteries within. With a wave of his sleeve, he collected the remaining Dharma Treasures and then tossed two jade boxes over, saying, "For your years of toil, here is a refining treasure reward."

Liang Changgong waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Since we’re granted treasure by True Master Zhang, how dare we accept further rewards? It’s inappropriate, inappropriate."

However, Wei Shudan gestured with a hand to take the two jade boxes, gave Liang Changgong a look, and said, "Since it’s given by True Master Zhang, Brother Daoist Liang, we should accept them."

Although his time with Zhang Yan was short, he could tell Zhang was not being overly courteous. In these years of refining treasure, he had not slacked off in the slightest, and he felt deserving of some reward.

Zhang Yan smiled, "Daoist Liang, there’s no need to rush to decline. I have another matter that requires your efforts."

Seeing this, Liang Changgong had no choice but to accept and cupped his hands, saying, "True Master, please feel free to instruct us."

Zhang Yan explained the matter of needing to perform sacrificial refinement on the sword ball and concluded, "On the path of artifact refining, you two are experts, but this sword ball is extraordinary. The required treasure materials are rare and hard to find. Since I am just a guest in this continent, it might be challenging to gather them all at short notice, so I need you two to assist."

Liang Changgong smiled, "This is a simple matter. I’ll have one of my men under me come to True Master’s place for orders, just instruct him on what is needed."

Wei Shudan nodded, "If there is anything else True Master Zhang needs me for, just send someone to inform me."

Zhang Yan bowed slightly, "Then I’ll entrust this matter to you."

The two returned the courtesy, "We wouldn’t dare."

The two had left the residence for several years, and seeing there were no pressing matters at hand, they took their leave. They dared not delay Zhang Yan’s affairs, and within three days, they had delivered all the necessary items.

Zhang Yan inspected them, found nothing missing, and with a flick of his robe sleeve, collected them all.

He sat silently for the whole night. On the second day at Chen time, seeing that the right time for sacrificial refinement had arrived, he flew towards the Earth Fire Sky Furnace.

Inside the Heavenly Furnace, there were 365 pits. Previously, Liang and Wei had selected the south position to borrow the fire’s momentum, using only a dozen of these pits, but Zhang Yan’s sword ball sacrificial refinement had its own requirements. The position did not concern him, but he needed to retrieve an item.

His body rose into the air, treading on clouds, heading straight for the center.

To reforge the sword ball, the treasure must be traced back to its initial path, thoroughly erasing any remaining mark left by the previous sword refiner so that it became one with his heart and spirit, entirely flawless.

If he were still a Hua Dan Cultivator, it would be impossible to achieve this.

As the treasure was in harmony with his heart and spirit, only he knew what needed to go, what needed purification. Even if he sought an elder master’s help, it would be unwise because one wrong step, and the sword ball would be wasted, likely harming himself too.

Before long, Zhang Yan reached the center of the furnace, looked around briefly, and found a large stone to land on at a high place, taking out the Prohibition Token.

With this item in hand, he didn’t need to use banners to stir the stones like Liang and Wei did. Holding it, he urged it with his mana, and the stones flew off like a swarm of locusts, swiftly revealing the furnace’s stokehole.

He peered inside, seeing it was so deep it seemingly had no bottom. The edges were scorched black, and here it connected to the Earth Vein Fire Lung. With the stone blocker removed, waves of earth fire qi surged up, feeling unbearably hot, even for him. Instantly, he willed a thought, and the treasure clothes on him glowed brightly, repelling the heat three feet away.

Settling himself on the large stone, he summoned the Star Sword Ball. Following the sword refining method, he first soothed the sword ball, then waved the Command Token in his hand, softly reciting a spell. Soon, this token trembled slightly, emitting strands of unusual light.

Seeing that he was on the right track, Zhang Yan did not pause and continued chanting without interruption.

After the time for one incense stick to burn, a mass of red and blue intermingled Spiritual Fire suddenly shot out from the furnace bottom. About the size of a palm, its flames flickered, whirling in the air but refusing to come down.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan fixed his gaze upon it, wearing a solemn expression. He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of Essence Blood, which flew several feet and landed precisely on the fire.

The spiritual fire immediately made a sizzling sound, with its red and blue colors changing a few times. Moments later, it faintly turned purple and then stopped moving, seemingly calmed down.

Zhang Yan extended a finger, and the obedient fire descended, resting on his fingertip. Despite the roaring flames, they flickered endlessly, yet felt not the least bit scorching.

He couldn’t help but smile faintly. The fire needed for the sacrificial refinement of the sword ball was unique, not the one visible now, but a strand of Kunyang True Fire buried deep underground. Even in such a large Earth Fire Sky Furnace, there were only four mouths of this true fire, which were obtained after much effort by two Cave Heaven True Masters from another place.

Each use of this true fire diminished it by a mouthful, but as long as the seed of fire remained, another could be regenerated after a hundred years. Without the Double Moon Peak’s Forbidden Array Token in hand, borrowing the fire would have cost him dearly.

He swung his sleeve, spreading out the treasure materials he brought from the ground, piling them up to form a small mound. Then with a swipe of his hand, the fire flew out to the materials, circling them once, and they melted like wax, leaving only a few grains of crystal sand. Another rotation, and they transformed into a rising wisp of clear qi.

With a thought, the Star Sword Ball hovered before his eyes. He slightly circulated his mana to guide the clear qi into the sword orifice thread by thread. When the essence was fully absorbed, the sword ball emitted a clear tone and flashed once before falling into his brow.

The sword sacrificial refinement technique recorded in the Daoist books was extraordinary and required refining within the body’s acupoints to remain untouched by outside mixed energies.

The Dharma technique was not complicated, having memorized it long before. All he needed to do was follow its steps systematically to refine it. So he closed his eyes, capturing the sword ball with his heart and spirit, and began to operate the spell.

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote with recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)