Chapter 466: Refining the Flying Sword

"Don't worry, Senior."

Jiang Ding said calmly, "All the No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin I purchase will be for my own use. I won't sell any of it."

Not just No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin — synthetic materials like Electromagnetic Spirit Gold are also controlled by the sect. Occasionally some is sold, but only in exchange for urgently needed heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

It can't be as cheap as it is inside the sect, where you can buy it with low-grade spirit stones.

"That's good then."

Jin Jin Daqian breathed a sigh of relief.

"Besides the controls, the output of No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin is limited — it's a restricted supply. Of course, this restriction doesn't apply to you, since you hold Soul Transformation-level merit, so you're not subject to limits."

"It's just…"

A trace of awkwardness crossed his face.

"Our output is limited."

"Output limited?"

Jiang Ding looked at him in confusion.

Such a large immortal sect, and it's only third-tier materials for personal use — how can the output be limited?

"You may not know this."

Jin Jin Daqian gave a wry smile. "Output is actually enough, but the Sky Warships, Sky Carriers, and so on all use it. So many Jin Dan and Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect need it too, and they've all placed orders."

"At most, we can supply you with one portion of No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin every five years. As an apology, how about a price of twenty-nine million low-grade spirit stones?"

"Goods from companies fully controlled by the Sect Assets Committee will offer discounts based on citizen merit."

"One portion every five years?"

Jiang Ding frowned.

To be fair, this wasn't little — it could even be called a lot.

Top-tier third-grade material!

A Jin Dan cultivator would be doing well to refine two portions in a hundred years; it would make one's magic treasure far sharper among those of the same rank, giving a great advantage.

One portion every five years means twenty portions in a hundred years. Even if a Jin Dan cultivator spent his whole life not cultivating, he still might not be able to refine all of it.

"Give me the priority materials list for No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin."

Jiang Ding said helplessly.

Every trade in the sect has similar unspoken rules — you can exchange related scarce heavenly materials and earthly treasures for faster delivery or greater quantity. It's also a microcosm of the sect's poverty.

"Please have a look."

Jin Jin Daqian handed over a jade slip.

Jiang Ding's divine sense flowed into it.

Second-grade Void Nether Stone, first-grade Green Crystal Iron, second-grade Gold Copper Stone… a huge list of rare first- and second-grade materials — all scarce sect minerals, needed in vast quantities, often running into thousands of tons.

"You might consider trading with your classmate, Antu Zi."

Jin Jin Daqian suggested, "Dao Zi holds an extremely special position in Wuxingtian Sect. The vast majority of matters can be decided with a single word from him, without much effort."

"Antu Zi?"

Jiang Ding gave no opinion.

In his heart, he had already rejected the suggestion.

Beat the man up first, then shamelessly show up at his door asking for favors — he didn't have that thick a skin.

Besides, even if he hadn't beaten Antu Zi, he still wouldn't go.

The sect and Wuxingtian Sect were only an alliance of interests. Once the outside situation changed, a falling-out was entirely possible. When that day came and swords were drawn, having personal feelings mixed in would make the sword less clean — something he disliked.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Gold Copper Stone, Silver Star Iron, and a few other materials — they looked somewhat familiar.

After a brief recollection, he pulled the memory from his mind and quickly discovered that among these several hundred priority materials, several were second-grade materials he had found in the other world.

"Then let's start with one portion of No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin every five years, at twenty-nine million low-grade spirit stones."

Jiang Ding confirmed again, "Senior Jin, as long as I hand over these priority materials, both the quantity and the price of No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin will be more favorable, right?"

"Daoist Jiang, that is indeed the case."

Jin Jin Daqian said solemnly, "Actually, there's another method. You can apply to Clear Wind University Principal Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun for a special fund. Given your past merit, you should be able to obtain higher priority access — suspending other cultivators' orders to prioritize yours."

"Suspending other people's orders?"

"I'll think about it."

Jiang Ding shook his head and politely took his leave of this senior.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to do that.

The cultivators applying for No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin were mostly those on the front lines of combat, facing danger every day.

Suspending their orders would be no different from putting them in danger.

He disconnected from the network.

Behind Jiang Ding, the Sun Divine Tree boomed as it burst from the earth, spreading and growing, its canopy blotting out the sky. It breathed in the spiritual energy and solar essence within a fifty-kilometer radius, transforming them into a shower of starry specks.

"The Jin Dan Pian of the Wan Hua Ci Yuan Jing."

Jiang Ding closed his eyes and contemplated this chapter of scripture. The magic power aura on his body constantly shifted, circulating toward something more profound and complex. Within several kilometers, transparent ripples appeared one after another, and faintly the power of heaven and earth's myriad magnets flickered into being and faded away.

Several days later, one complete Zhou Tian circulation of the Gong Fa finished, and his magic power and divine soul returned to peak condition.

At the same time, the several dozen tons of tungsten metal and Law-Breaking Steel he had ordered were delivered by a kingfisher, placed on a mirror-flat platform. It pecked the delivery receipt and left.

"Refining the flying sword…"

Jiang Ding drew the Taiqing Flying Sword from between his brows and set it before him.

He opened his mouth and exhaled. A ball of azure dan fire sprayed out from the phantom of his Nine-Orifice Jin Dan, falling onto the Taiqing Flying Sword and burning it ceaselessly.

After several breaths' time, the Taiqing Flying Sword faintly reddened, showing little change.

"To sacrifice-refine a magic treasure and a flying sword, the first step is to scorch it with dan fire, restoring the magic treasure and flying sword from a cooled state back to a forged state — only then can the sacrifice-refining begin and new prohibitions be inscribed."

"Generally speaking, this process takes at least a year or so."

"No wonder sacrificing-refining a Ben Ming Fa treasure is so time-consuming and labor-intensive."

Jiang Ding's thoughts flew far and wide.

Of course, this is the most ordinary method.

Some cultivation practitioners choose to use external force, but this is a very risky matter — external force is, after all, no match for dan fire, and easily damages or even destroys the magic treasure.

External force is generally things like earth fire, ghost fire, and the like.

"Ri Yan Jing."

Jiang Ding took out an object.

Crystal-shaped, with clear sword-veins of flame hue visible within.

This object comes from one of the three great creations of the Dayang Dayang Tianchi — the Ri Yan Lianjian River — and has the effect of simultaneously tempering the sword body and sword intent, able to temper a flying sword with both violence and precision.

The crystallized heart-blood of countless tens of thousands of years of sword Dao research from the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

Jiang Ding's divine sense and sword intent surged into it, and he gave a light thrust.

With a whoosh, a tangerine-red flame burst forth from within the crystal, incomparably scorching and searing, and moreover contained within it a highly condensed flame sword intent, able to simultaneously forge the substance and spirituality of the flying sword.

Under the scorching of this flame and the azure dan fire, the Taiqing Flying Sword, which had shed all its defenses, began to flush red bit by bit at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In merely ten days' time,

the sword body became entirely crimson, the flying sword once again returned to an unstable, fragile state, and the divine sense brand within ached unceasingly under the roasting of the flame sword intent, forcing him to use the power of divine sense to resist and grind against it.

"The heat is right."

Jiang Ding's divine sense stirred.

A pile of Law-Breaking Steel and metallic tungsten, heaped like a small mountain, flew over from not far away, landing on the Ri Yan fire. Only the sizzling was heard, vaporizing into white smoke that rose up — the mountain-like pile of Law-Breaking Steel and metallic tungsten was rapidly dissolved, impurities burned away, the essence refined and purified.

In just a few short hours,

the mountain-high pile of metal ingots became a single drop, the size of a soybean — one silvery-white, one pitch-black — respectively the refined Law-Breaking Steel and metallic tungsten.

"Synthetic Gengjin Qi."

Jiang Ding's finger moved again, and No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin flew over, landing on the Ri Yan fire. After several days of forging, wisps of pure Synthetic Gengjin Qi emerged.

Synthetic Gengjin Qi, metallic tungsten essence, Law-Breaking Steel essence.

The three hovered around the Ri Yan fire, occasionally turning once or twice.

"Come!"

The various key points of the "Great Sun Dayang Tianchi Sword-Forging Method" surfaced in Jiang Ding's divine soul. He formed hand seals, words of incantation falling from his lips, and the Taiqing Flying Sword hummed and buzzed in cooperation.

"Swift!"

He pointed a finger.

Buzz!

In an instant, Synthetic Gengjin Qi, metallic tungsten essence, and Law-Breaking Steel essence spun round and round, each sending out strand after strand that surged into the Taiqing Flying Sword. Using these as ink, they inscribed array patterns of the Great Sun Divine Prohibition one by one upon the sword body, bit by bit, spreading from the outer perimeter inward toward the divine sense brand.

The three streams of metallic ink moreover seeped from time to time into the other array patterns that had originally existed, within the sword body, ceaselessly absorbing.

One day, two days…

Jiang Ding activated the dormitory's defensive array formation, heedless of the shift between day and night, wholly focused on sacrifice-refining his Ben Ming Fa flying sword, paying no attention to the outside world.

Another two months later.

The metallic tungsten essence and Law-Breaking Steel essence were utterly exhausted, and the final stroke of the Great Sun Divine Prohibition array pattern was completed.

Buzz!

The Taiqing Flying Sword trembled violently.

At the same moment, the newly inscribed prohibition array patterns in all directions flickered, drawing in and exhaling the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, pouring into the array patterns.

Unceasing sacrifice-refining, unceasing fusion.

In the end, bright light actually flickered, and near the divine sense brand a complex Earthly Fiend Prohibition was generated, tightly connecting with the divine sense brand and the first Earthly Fiend Prohibition.

"The second Earthly Fiend Prohibition — success!"

Jiang Ding opened his eyes and gently exhaled a breath.

Two months alone, and one more Earthly Fiend Prohibition.

If spoken of, it would simply be shocking to hear — no Jin Dan cultivator would believe it at all — but if one knew it was driven by a Nascent Soul-grade divine soul, it would not be hard to understand.

He put away the considerably depleted Ri Yan Jing and No. 21 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin.

The Taiqing Flying Sword gradually stabilized, but still maintained its entirely crimson appearance.

"It requires a great deal of time to wait for it to cool naturally, or alternatively external force."

"But no matter which method, the alternation of high heat and cold will cause minute damage to the sword body."

Jiang Ding's gaze flashed: "Therefore, after each sacrifice-refining of a magic treasure, one must use spiritual medicines of over a hundred years old refined into spiritual liquid to nourish the sword body and repair the damage… truly many places to spend money, and it takes a great deal of time as well."

He flipped his hand and took out an ice crystal wreathed in white mist.

Moon Stream Crystal!

A high-grade condensation of the power of one of the Dayang Dayang Tianchi's creations — the Moon Stream Sword-Forging River — a rare sword-Dao heavenly material and earthly treasure.

Jiang Ding's divine sense surged into it, and instantly the crystal cracked open a little, a stream of icy white mist ceaselessly billowing forth, covering the crimson-hot body of the Taiqing Flying Sword.

In the alternation of hot and cold,

only the sizzling sounds were heard unceasingly, water droplets falling, the icy sword intent and flame sword intent clashing, annihilating each other — and again letting the Destruction Sword Intent undergo a round of ice and fire tempering.

And the sword body, on the contrary, generated from within the Moon Stream Crystal a gentle spiritual force that soothed and repaired the minute damage caused by the violent sword-forging method, tempered the flying sword, and raised the sharpness and toughness of the sword body to a higher level.

Several days later, the white mist dispersed.

After tempering, an azure flying sword gleamed brilliantly, its aura somewhat strengthened.

Four

(End of Chapter)