Chapter 350

Besides, there were several auxiliary materials: the crystal-clear, space-sharp-aura-containing "Void Blade Crystal"; the vermilion-gold, utmost-yang-and-rigid, evil-and-yin-demon-destroying "Sun Essence Gold".

And a constantly shifting, smoke-and-mist-like "Invisible Sword Killer", which could enhance the flying sword's concealment and surprise assassination ability.

Finally, Wang Ping unfolded the《Chaotic Immortal King's Artifact Forging Insights·Fragmented Scroll》to the chapters on "Sword Artifact Forging" and "Spirit Endowment", letting it hover nearby.

Preparations complete. Wang Ping opened his eyes, chaotic hues flowing in his pupils, his divine sense surging like a tide, enveloping all materials before him and the chaotic fire eye below.

"This time, I must not only forge artifacts, but also 'consecrate artifacts'." Wang Ping silently recited. The so-called "consecrating artifacts" was not blood sacrifice sorcery, but using one's own essence blood, Dao resonance, and even part of the divine soul origin as a guide, deeply binding the artifact with the artifact during the forging process, so that from birth it shares life cultivation with the owner, heart and mind in unison like arm and finger, with greater growth potential. But this method is perilous, imposing great loss on the artifact forger; unless one has extremely high demands for their natal artifact and sufficient confidence, few attempt it.

He decided to perform this ancient method for his first natal flying sword.

"Rise!"

The chaotic fire eye was stirred again, gray-white fire pillars rising. Wang Ping first handled the hardest-to-melt materials: the "Chaotic Yuan Magnetic Crystal" and the "Calamity-Destroying Thunder-Struck Wood".

Chaotic Immortal Essence mixed with divine sense carefully wrapped these two main materials, guiding the chaotic true fire's properties to slowly permeate. This time, he clearly felt it was more strenuous than handling the "Earth Star Pattern Iron". The "Chaotic Yuan Magnetic Crystal" had an extremely stable internal structure, and its yuan magnetic power naturally interfered and repelled divine sense; the "Calamity-Destroying Thunder-Struck Wood" contained violent calamity-destroying thunder intent, and a slight mistake could trigger backlash.

Wang Ping was neither hurried nor agitated, calming his mind, following the "Ten Thousand Things Return to Origin" method, using his own higher-quality Chaotic Immortal Essence as a guide, like the most patient artisan, bit by bit dismantling, organizing, and purifying. This process took longer than expected, full four days and three nights, before the two main materials were preliminarily "returned to origin" into a cluster of deep purple intertwined silver-gray magnetic light, and a cluster of blue-gray containing traces of dark-gold thunder patterns of origin spiritual light.

The processing of the remaining auxiliary materials went relatively smoothly. When all materials had become pure origin essence, Wang Ping took a deep breath, bit his tongue tip, and forced out a drop of "Chaotic Essence Blood" exuding rich chaotic aura and vigorous vitality, simultaneously separating a wisp of tenacious divine soul origin, merging it into the essence blood.

The essence blood and divine soul origin transformed into a mysterious rune, injected into the "Chaotic Yuan Magnetic Crystal" origin cluster.

"Ong——"

The origin spiritual light violently trembled, as if infused with a soul, the purple-silver light blazing, producing an exceptionally clear blood-soul divine sense connection with Wang Ping. A faint thought, carrying naive longing and closeness, emanated from within.

"Fuse!"

Wang Ping lowly shouted, divine sense exerting full control, beginning to guide the "Calamity-Destroying Thunder-Struck Wood" origin and other auxiliary material origins toward the "Chaotic Yuan Magnetic Crystal" origin already branded with his life mark, to fuse.

The fusion process was more difficult than that of the Heaven-Overturning Seal. Different attributes, even some conflicting powers, needed to be perfectly unified under the chaotic framework, requiring extremely exquisite balance and powerful control. Wang Ping's forehead veins faintly bulged, chaotic immortal essence pouring out like a sluice flood, his divine sense stretched to the limit.

Two more days passed. Fusion finally neared completion. A cluster about a chi in diameter, constantly shifting through purple, silver, blue, gray, and gold hues, internally seeming to have chaotic vortices rotating, lightning birthing and dying, yuan magnetic intertwining, this strange light cluster hovered in the chaotic flames, emitting a heart-pounding sharpness and destructive aura.

Next came shaping and inscribing Dao patterns.

With a thought, Wang Ping caused the light cluster, under divine sense's pull and chaotic fire's forging, to begin slowly stretching and deforming, gradually outlining a sword prototype. The sword was three chi three cun long, the spine broad, lines flowing and ancient, the sword body not yet fully solidified, still with chaotic light halos flowing.

While shaping, Wang Ping again used his finger as a brush, with chaotic immortal essence and divine sense as ink, began to inscribe in the void. This time, he inscribed not "sealing" Dao patterns, but a new Dao pattern network containing multiple intents: "sharpness", "law-breaking", "severing", "chaotic evolution", "void traversal", etc.

He would fully integrate the sword intent prototype he had comprehended in the immortal palace fragments—"Severing the False, Only I Am True"—into it; transform his understanding of chaotic power into the ceaseless generation and unpredictable change of sword qi; convert part of his grasp of gravity technique into the spatial stagnation and power stacking upon drawing the sword; and carefully inscribe that sliver of "severing heavenly secrets", destroying all laws calamity intent comprehended from the "Calamity-Destroying Thunder-Struck Wood" onto the sword's very core edge.

The process of inscribing Dao patterns was also Wang Ping's systematic organization and elevation of his own sword way. With each Dao pattern stroke, his understanding of the "sword" deepened one point, and the vague chaotic immortal sword phantom in his sea of consciousness correspondingly solidified a thread.

When the final set of representing "heart-intent in unison, following like a shadow" spiritual connection Dao patterns was completed and perfectly embedded into the entire sword body's Dao pattern network—

"Clang——!!!"

A sound exceedingly clear, piercing straight to the divine soul, the sword's cry, suddenly rang from the not-yet-fully-solidified sword embryo, instantly piercing through the artifact chamber's layers of restrictions, echoing throughout the Heavenly Craft Hall! Within the sword's cry were newborn joy, law-breaking sharpness, and a trace of chaotic vastness.

Immediately after, the chaotic fire eye surged again! A grander phenomenon appeared: amidst the surging flames, it was no longer the scene of initial chaos, but a vision within chaos where formless sword light birthed and died, cleaving Hongmeng, severing law lines, shattering illusion, ultimately establishing a vague Dao sword phantom! Within the phantom, faintly visible calamity thunder surged, yet was absorbed and tempered by the sword light.

"Another artifact dao phenomenon! This time, sword cry breaking the void, chaotic severing the Dao!"

"Heavens, how little time has passed? What heaven-shaking treasure is Master Wang Wang forging again? Hearing this sword cry, could it be his natal flying sword?"

"The phenomenon surpasses last time! If this sword is completed, then……"

The Heavenly Craft Hall trembled again, countless divine senses directed toward the chaotic fire eye direction, filled with shock and disbelief.

In the artifact chamber, Wang Ping paid no heed to the renewed commotion. His entire mind and spirit focused on the sword before him, its light gathered inward yet emitting a sharp aura that made his very soul tremble faintly.

The sword embryo was formed, Dao patterns inscribed, spirit generated. But still lacking the final, most crucial step—sharpness tempering and shaping.

Ordinary artifact forging uses cold springs or spiritual liquids to quench fire. But Wang Ping was forging a chaotic calamity sword—how could he use mundane methods?

A flash of resolve crossed his eyes, his hand seals abruptly changed, and he actively stirred the Chaotic Nascent Infant power within his dantian!

The Chaotic Nascent Infant, embracing the Fusang tree seed, opened its mouth and spat out a strand of utterly pure, containing Wang Ping's own Dao foundation "Chaotic Elixir Fire", which, guided along meridians, shot from his fingertip, becoming a line of gray-misty yet seemingly capable of burning laws fire, straightly falling onto the hovering sword embryo!

"Hiss——!"

The Chaotic Elixir Fire fused with the chaotic fire eye's earth fire, erupting with indescribable high temperature and Dao resonance. Under this dual chaotic fire's forging, the sword embryo violently trembled, emitting denser clear rings; its not-yet-stabilized material and Dao patterns were at this moment thoroughly smelted, solidified, and elevated!

Wang Ping's face instantly paled, for using his own natal fire to temper a natal artifact consumed the most fundamental origin! But his eyes were firm, unwavering, he continued outputting the elixir fire.

Just as the sword embryo's radiance was about to peak and its form completely stabilized, an anomaly arose again!

Perhaps because this sword contained overly heaven-defying "calamity-destroying" and "severing" Dao resonance, it drew a thread of law feedback from the dark. Above the artifact chamber, outside the formation-constituted dome, the sky above the Ninth Path Institute unexpectedly gathered a small patch of black calamity clouds without warning! Within the clouds, lightning snakes darted, though far less than the heavenly tribulation scale when cultivators undergo tribulation, yet exuding an aura of destruction targeting "artifact defiance of heaven".

"Artifact tribulation?! Merely forging a magical artifact, actually drew a miniature artifact tribulation?" Outside the Heavenly Craft Hall, a knowledgeable elder exclaimed in shock.

Inside the artifact chamber, Wang Ping also sensed that locking and pressing feeling from the sky. He was not startled; instead, his eyes blazed with sharp light!

"Good timing! Just lacking the final tempering!"

He rose to his feet, chaotic immortal essence surging, actually using divine sense to pull the about-to-be-completed sword embryo, transforming it into a stream of light, rushing upward toward the artifact chamber's upper direction! Simultaneously, he activated the formation, temporarily opening a passage at the top of the artifact chamber!

"Boom—Crack!"

A bolt of dark-red calamity lightning, only slightly thicker than an arm yet extremely condensed, precisely struck down, hitting the sword embryo soaring to the heavens!

The blinding lightning instantly engulfed the sword embryo, the destructive calamity lightning power wildly rampaging, attempting to destroy this heaven-defying object. The sword embryo violently trembled, mournful cries echoed, even its surface showed fine blackened cracks.

Wang Ping's mind and spirit connected with the sword embryo, likewise feeling it, a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. But he forced himself to stabilize, not only did he not retract the sword embryo, but rather activated the sword embryo's contained "calamity-destroying" Dao patterns and chaotic power, actively absorbing and refining the destruction-and-rebirth-coexisting law power within this calamity lightning!

The calamity lightning lasted a full nine breaths. When the last trace of lightning light was difficultly absorbed and refined by the sword embryo, the black calamity clouds gradually dispersed.

And that sword hovering in midair had completely changed its appearance.

The blackened faded, cracks healed. The sword body presented a deep dark-chaotic hue, neither black nor gray, seeming able to swallow light. On the sword spine, a naturally generated straight, like-severing-heavenly-secrets bright silver fine line ran from guard to tip. On both sides of the sword body, faintly hidden were chaotic vortices and fine calamity lightning patterns, flowing endlessly. The guard was ancient, taking the form of yin-yang chaotic fish intertwined. The hilt was wrapped with seemingly real yet illusory chaotic airflow.

The entire sword was about three chi three cun long, slightly wider than ordinary flying swords, now with radiance fully gathered, silently hovering, yet emitting a terrifying aura of severing causality, destroying myriad laws, returning to chaos. Its grade had indeed steadily entered fifth-rank supreme, and even due to undergoing miniature artifact tribulation tempering, its material and Dao patterns had undergone some unknown elevation, foundation extraordinarily solid, potential immense, surpassing even the Heaven-Overturning Seal!

A feeling more intimate than the Heaven-Overturning Seal, as if it were another arm, another soul, came from the sword. The sword body slightly trembled, emitting a pleased low hum, then flew back on its own to Wang Ping's front.

Wang Ping reached out, slowly grasping the hilt.

Upon grip, it felt slightly heavy, icy cool with a hint of post-thunderstorm warmth. Heart and mind in unison, like arm and finger. A slight thought, and the sword became a stream of chaotic-colored light, entering his dantian, hovering beside the Chaotic Nascent Infant, responding afar to the Heaven-Overturning Seal, quietly nourishing.

At the very instant the sword entered his body, Wang Ping's mind "Boomed"—as if some barrier had been severed by the sword's edge. The "severing" true intent hidden at the sword embryo's core, his understanding of the chaotic Dao, and his pursuit of the sword way suddenly merged, forming an exceptionally clear enlightenment—

Severing Heaven Sword Intent!

Not a specific sword move or style, but a sword dao realm realization. Seizing one thread of heavenly secrets, severing the myriad laws' source, establishing one's own Dao within chaotic evolution. Once this intent is attained, all his future sword arts and divine abilities can attach to this supreme sword intent, power doubled, plus profound law-breaking mystery.

Wang Ping closed his eyes, silently savoring this unexpected joy. After a long while, he opened his eyes, his pupils seeming to have a flash of chaotic sword light, then immediately returned to tranquility.

This time, refining artifacts took longer, consumed more, and even triggered an artifact tribulation, but the gains far exceeded expectations. The natal flying sword "Chaos Tribulation" was completed, the Severing-Heaven Sword Intent was comprehended, and the shortcoming in offensive means was greatly compensated.

He wearily put away his refining notes and straightened his robes again. Though his face was slightly pale and his breath a little weak, his spine was straight, and deep in his eyes lay the sharpness and calm of rebirth through tempering fire.

Pushing open the door of the refining chamber, the outside sunlight was somewhat dazzling. In the distance, more cultivators who had heard the news had gathered, their gazes complex as they looked over. Wang Ping acted as if he hadn't seen them, gave a slight nod to the disciple on duty, then transformed into a streak of escape light that was not swift but extraordinarily steady, heading straight back to Profound Subtlety Peak.

Mist swirled around the peak's summit, the abode tranquil. Wang Ping sat cross-legged on the futon in the quiet chamber, inwardly observing his dantian: the Chaos Nascent Soul cradled the seed of the Building Tree, the Overturning Seal hung on the left, dripping with chaotic qi, while the Chaos Tribulation Sword inhaled and exhaled chaotic sword light on the right. One seal, one sword, one defense, one offense—all cultivated in tandem with his own life, their Dao rhythms intertwined.

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, and within that breath, faint traces of chaotic sword qi and the arising and passing of sealing Dao patterns could be discerned.

Refining was complete, seal and sword both attained. Next, it was time to properly seclude himself for a while, thoroughly digest what he had gained, and transform this newly acquired offensive weapon and sword intent comprehension into actual combat power.

Outside the window, the sea of clouds surged, just like the chaotic power within him that ceaselessly surged and grew ever more mighty. Though the road ahead might hold myriad tribulations, at this moment he held the sword that breaks tribulations in his hand and harbored the seal that stabilizes the world in his heart.

In the quiet chamber of Profound Subtlety Peak, time slipped by silently amid the flow of chaotic qi rhythm—seven days passed.

Wang Ping finally awoke from deep breath regulation and contemplation. Within his dantian, the Chaos Nascent Soul bore a solemn countenance, embracing the verdant, almost dripping seed of the Building Tree, as thread after thread of vitality and spatial Dao rhythm nourished the Nascent Soul and the two treasures hovering beside it.

The left Overturning Seal stood firm as a mountain, its descending chaotic flow growing ever more substantial; the right Chaos Tribulation Sword lay still as a deep abyss, occasionally a thread of Severing-Heaven Sword Intent flowing within, sharpness inwardly restrained, yet all the more dangerous for it.

Seven days of secluded practice not only fully compensated for the loss incurred in forging the Chaos Tribulation Sword, but his cultivation, tempered by this ordeal, became even more pure and condensed. More importantly, his comprehension of "Severing-Heaven Sword Intent" had initially solidified; a slight thought could now draw forth a trace of the artistic conception that severs the false and destroys laws, attaching it to his divine sense or spiritual power—though far from mastery, it already bore an embryonic form.

Yet Wang Ping did not indulge in the joy of his strength increasing. His thoughts dwelled more on the content of the "Chaos Immortal King's Refining Notes · Fragmentary Scroll," vast as a sea of smoke and every word a pearl.

Though he had fortuitously succeeded in refining the Overturning Seal and the Chaos Tribulation Sword, even triggering an anomalous artifact tribulation, he knew deep down that his success owed more to the super-high chaos affinity brought by the Building Tree Seed, a hint of true intent from the Immortal King's inheritance, and a measure of luck.

Regarding the Way of Refining itself, especially the foundational theory and subtleties of the chaos refining system, his understanding remained superficial; he knew how to perform many operations but not why, like a child waving a divine weapon—powerful, yet unable to wield it with smooth ease.

"Closing the door and making a cart will eventually hit limits." Wang Ping thought to himself. The Ninth Dao Academy has stood for countless millennia, its foundations deep; within it must be masters who have deeply studied the Way of Refining. Exchanging ideas with them, verifying his own learning, filling the gaps in his foundational knowledge—perhaps this would be more efficient than burying himself in solitary study.

He did not intend to pour out the Immortal King's notes in full; such inheritance carries too great a weight and may not suit everyone.

But some of the profound yet non-core ideas and methods within—such as "material essence insight" and "the affinity and conflict balance of law imprinting"—when organized and refined, could inspire deep inspiration in today's refining arts and also serve as his "knocking brick" and "doctrinal provisions" for dialogue with the academy's masters.

With his resolve set, Wang Ping acted. He took out a blank jade slip, immersed his divine sense within it, and began to combine his practical experience from two refining sessions to organize, translate, and annotate the relevant parts of the Immortal King's notes.

In the chapter "Material Essence Insight," the Immortal King's notes emphasized that all things are composed of more fundamental energy and law fragments. A chaos refining master must possess the "Chaos Law Eye."

Or at least master the secret method of "microcosmic inner observation" using chaos divine sense—to penetrate material appearances, directly observe the flow of internal energy currents, the types, distribution, affinity, and conflict relations of law fragments, and even the "historical imprints" materials underwent during their formation.

Only by discerning the essence can one accurately judge its utility, potential, and possible changes when combined with other materials. Wang Ping combined his own experience observing "Great Earth Star-Pattern Iron" and "Chaos Elemental Magnet Crystal" to describe this "inner observation" state, its key points, and how to mobilize specific frequencies and penetration methods of chaos divine sense.

As well as several typical energy-law structure models that might be "seen," explained in a relatively easy-to-understand way, and supplemented with basic material suggestions for practicing this method.

The chapter "Affinity and Conflict Balance of Law Imprinting" is even more subtle. The Immortal King's notes point out that high-level refining, especially crafting treasures containing multiple laws and possessing growth potential, essentially involves constructing a stable yet vibrant "microcosmic law ecology."

The law fragments or tendencies contained in different materials—such as metal's sharpness, wood's growth, water's moistening, fire's violence, earth's heaviness, and even wind-thunder, time-space, life-death—cannot simply be piled together to coexist harmoniously.

A refiner must, like the most skilled gardener, discern the "temperament" of each "law characteristic"—its affinity direction and its manifestation in conflict.

Using chaos power as a "binding agent" and "harmonizing agent," through specific arrangements, energy channel construction, and Dao pattern inscription techniques, guide them from conflict opposition toward mutual complement and symbiosis, even catalyzing a synergistic effect where "one plus one is greater than two."

Wang Ping used his own fusion of "Five Elements Source Root Wood Heart" (harmonizing the five elements) and "Great Earth Star-Pattern Iron" (extremely heavy) as an example, explaining how to utilize the wood heart's "growth" and "harmonizing" traits to soften and guide the star-pattern iron's "extreme heaviness," which might bring sluggishness, and to draw forth its earthly essence, thereby nourishing the wood heart in turn, forming a virtuous cycle of "thick earth bearing wood, wood ventilating earth."

He also mentioned how, in the Chaos Tribulation Sword, he handled the "Chaos Elemental Magnet Crystal" (chaotic repulsion) and the "Tribulation-Destroying Thunder-Struck Wood" (violent tribulation-destruction), using chaos's "inclusive evolution" essence as the core framework, constructing a Dao pattern network to guide the magnet crystal's chaos toward orderly "law-breaking sharpness," and refining the tribulation-destruction's violence into the sword intent of "severing heavenly secrets," achieving dynamic balance within chaos's flow.

This is no easy task. Translating the profound and mysterious Immortal King's concepts into knowledge that refiners of this realm can understand and even partially verify requires Wang Ping himself to have deep comprehension, along with strong abilities in induction and expression.

He spent a full ten days repeatedly pondering, revising, and supplementing, until he finally completed a jade slip with rich content, clear logic, and though only covering two major aspects, already worthy of the phrase "every word a thousand jin." He named it "Initial Glimpse of the Chaos Artifact Way."

The jade slip completed, Wang Ping did not rush to make it public. He first held the Chaos Star Command, went to the Dao Academy's "Myriad Phenomena Sutra Pavilion," followed the guidance of the "Dao Academy Secret Pivot" jade tablet, and went straight to the "Hall of Authentic Appraisal," responsible for collecting, authenticating, and grading newly acquired classics.

The receptionist was an old cultivator with white hair, deep breath, wearing a crystal monocle, Daoist name "Mingjian," Late Nascent Soul stage, who had overseen classic appraisal for more than three hundred years, with piercing eyes, stern yet most just in character.

"Newly appointed Instructor Wang Ping? What business do you have?" Mingjian True Person adjusted his monocle, his tone flat, his gaze sweeping over Wang Ping, lingering slightly on the aura that was steady and inwardly restrained yet subtly merging with the surrounding space, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but quickly returning to the calm of an ancient well.

"Recently, I have organized my gains from refining, had some realizations, composed a volume titled 'Initial Glimpse of the Chaos Artifact Way,' wish to offer it to the Sutra Pavilion for reference and correction by fellow Daoists of the academy, and also wish to use this as grounds to apply for small-scale doctrinal exchange with the academy's masters who deeply study the Way of Refining. I implore True Person to review it."

Wang Ping presented the seemingly ordinary cyan jade slip with both hands, neither humble nor arrogant.

"'Initial Glimpse of the Chaos Artifact Way'?" Mingjian True Person took the jade slip, his brows slightly raised, "Named after chaos? Young one, the Way of Refining is vast and profound, the chaos attribute is especially mysterious and unfathomable—no mere utterance without supreme talent and deep accumulation."

"Though you are a first-rank instructor and your cultivation is not bad, the 'Way' of refining and the 'Power' of combat are not the same thing." His words carried clear doubt.

In his view, Wang Ping might have astonishing combat power and deep opportunities, but on the "Great Way" of refining, which requires painstaking effort and countless accumulations of experience, for someone so young to dare write and establish doctrine, even crown it with "Chaos Artifact Way," is perhaps overambitious, even ignorant of heaven's height and earth's thickness.