Chapter 38: The Formation of Combat Power Often Requires Only a Flash of Insight

“???” Feng Xue was utterly baffled by Liu Yunxi’s words—when had he ever consecrated a personal artifact? But then his eyes darted, and he suddenly understood:

“Oh, you mean yourself! Come to think of it, there is some truth to that…”

“Who said I’m your personal artifact?” Liu Yunxi immediately bristled—she could never accept such a thing, and hurriedly retorted:

“I mean the seal! The seal!”

“Seal? Oh, you mean this?” Feng Xue reached into his pocket and pulled out the jade seal he’d used yesterday to practice the Spirit-Infusing Spell—it had been given to him as part of a ghost-keeping set by the owner of Moyu Pavilion, but after he’d used the Spirit-Infusing Spell dozens of times yesterday, it was still thickly entangled with residual magical energy; according to the test results, it would take nearly half a year for it to fully dissipate.

Though it carried magical energy, it was merely charged—like a battery not connected to any device, it did nothing at all.

“This thing is called a personal artifact?”

“Why not? My skin is just ordinary snake sheddings! A personal artifact is simply something continually infused with demonic energy or magical power until it becomes an extension of your body, isn’t it?”

Liu Yunxi replied as if stating “Food is for eating,” then casually picked up another piece of squirrel mandarin fish and happily popped it into her mouth.

Feng Xue pinched the bridge of his nose—he felt this world’s personal artifacts were nothing like the life-and-soul-cultivating weapons he’d imagined, and reluctantly said:

“So what’s the use of this thing? Just to wear as clothing after transformation? No other supernatural qualities?”

“Isn’t wearing it as clothing enough?” Liu Yunxi waved her “chopsticks,” seemingly baffled by Feng Xue’s thinking:

“A personal artifact is just the most convenient tool. The Fox Immortal Grandma said some top-tier Wu Xiu cultivate their weapons with their own blood and qi—making them sharper and more responsive—but even that counts as a personal artifact. As for supernatural qualities? Add them yourself!”

“…” Though he clearly understood that different worldviews couldn’t be mixed, Feng Xue still struggled to shift his mindset—but he glanced at the jade seal and unconsciously infused a trace of magical energy into it.

Yet this tiny action made him sense something different.

On the surface, it still looked like an ordinary jade seal—but the instant his magical energy touched it, he felt something entirely distinct.

It was like suddenly switching from a gridlocked city street to a highway—the instant his thought moved, the magical energy responded, giving him a fleeting illusion of “My divine art has reached completion.”

But it was only an illusion.

The jade seal hadn’t actually improved his magical efficiency—it simply contained his own stored energy; when he touched it, that energy activated effortlessly, already solidified within the seal by [Spirit-Infusing], requiring no maintenance or stabilization during activation.

Yet Feng Xue currently knew no complete spell—he had the vessel, but didn’t know how to shape this pure, clumped energy into anything, so he put the seal away, though now he felt a flicker of anticipation toward personal artifacts.

Though his control and technical experience were abysmal, because of Ding Tianming, he could effortlessly produce vast quantities of magical energy, and use it as a foundation to forge countless personal artifacts.

If he could solidify one spell into each artifact…

At this thought, Feng Xue sucked in a sharp breath—he suddenly knew how to fight!

In an instant, he grew eager, restless, desperate to put his idea into practice immediately.

Noticing Feng Xue’s emotional shift, Liu Yunxi didn’t know exactly what he was thinking, but sensed lunch would end soon—and her chopstick movements grew even faster.

Watching the chopsticks blur across the table, Feng Xue realized her intent and smiled:

“Don’t rush, don’t rush—I’ve got plenty of discipline!”

Of course, he said that—but the two of them still finished lunch quickly; Feng Xue turned Liu Yunxi back into a ring and headed straight for the century-old rice shop the waiter had mentioned.

The inquiry was simple—she ran a mediation business, dealt with ordinary folk, needed no secret codes; Feng Xue paid properly, and the shopkeeper immediately sent a clerk to guide him through a back door, down an alley, to a hidden hall.

Though Lucheng County was far larger than Pingan County, this hall was nowhere near as grand as Jiu Gu’s—but upon reflection, Pingan County had only three Xuan Xiu besides the “foreign monk,” and Jiu Gu was the only full-time practitioner—making her hall the county’s sole one.

Here in Lucheng, there were five rice-asking halls, plus temples and churches—each shop naturally held a smaller share.

Slipping sideways into the hall, Feng Xue raised an eyebrow—the seated practitioner was also a woman, but older, around forty, and her Yu Shou still showed over twenty thousand days—she had some cultivation, but surely not as strong as Jiu Gu.

“Young guest, fellow cultivator—you didn’t come here to ask for rice or summon spirits, did you?”

Before Feng Xue could speak, the woman struck first—he didn’t flinch, and nodded:

“Madam, I’m new here and unaware of local taboos, so I’ve come boldly, hoping for peace of mind.”

As he spoke, Feng Xue pulled out money as usual; seeing he wasn’t here to provoke trouble, the woman relaxed slightly, declined the money, and softened her tone:

“Don’t call me Immortal—just Aunt Liu. As for matters, it depends on what you wish to ask.”

Feng Xue nodded, sat where Aunt Liu’s gaze indicated, then said:

“First, I’d like to know which Xuan Masters are in Lucheng, so I don’t accidentally offend anyone; second, I’d like to know where to buy cultivation supplies; third, I’d like to know where I can learn spells—no apprenticeship, just clear pricing.”

“So you’re a wandering student,” Aunt Liu immediately understood his intent at his clear questions, and nodded:

“There are about twenty Xuan Xiu in total, but only five qualify as masters—the oldest monk at Tianfu Temple and his Daoist neighbor are the strongest; the foreign monk in Chengnan is also formidable.

“There’s also that little girl from the Deng family—she herself is nothing special, but the Gray Immortal her family worships has considerable power; if you’re doing business, you might want to consult her.

“The fifth one—I only know he exists, never seen him myself, but he’s a senior elder.

“For supplies: incense, candles, ritual tools—I have them here; for jade and artifacts, visit the Bird Market in the west; if you’ve got good eyes, go to the Ghost Market outside the city at midnight—you might find useful things.”

As she spoke, Aunt Liu pinched her fingers into a seal—a shadow swept in, dropping seven or eight books onto the table—

“As for spells, these are all I can sell you—others likely offer the same; pick any you like, one tael per book.”

(End of Chapter)