Chapter 335: Night Light Cup, Broken Blade, Embroidery Needle

"Here."

In order to obtain the method for 'Converting the Seven-Colored Strange Fire into the Great Sun Divine Flame' as soon as possible, and not wanting Hua Changxi to delay things by claiming a shortage of Taiyin Stones, Elder Yi Ming handed over three blank Taiyin Stones to Hua Changxi with an expression of someone having their flesh cut away.

Seeing his demeanor, Hua Changxi shook her head inwardly.

The Minister of the Heaven Division was still far more generous; this Great Elder of the Artifact Saint Palace was stingy to the extreme!

Hua Changxi took the Taiyin Stones, stored two away, then pressed the last one against her forehead; in less than a quarter of an hour, she removed the inscribed Taiyin Stone and handed it to Elder Yi Ming.

"You..."

Before Elder Yi Ming could say anything, Hua Changxi cut in: "Consider the other two Taiyin Stones as the fee for the inscription." Having spoken, she looked at Tong Yao and said, "Let us go to the treasury to select some magical artifacts."

Tong Yao glanced at the choked-up Elder Yi Ming and asked with a smile, "Does the Great Elder have any other instructions?"

Elder Yi Ming waved his hand, looking as though he did not wish to deal with the pair any longer: "Hurry up and leave."

Tong Yao agreed with a laugh and led Hua Changxi out of the Hall of Deliberation.

As soon as the two departed, Elder Yi Ming impatiently pressed the Taiyin Stone to his own forehead; after using his divine sense to read the method for 'Converting the Seven-Colored Strange Fire into the Great Sun Divine Flame,' an expression of sudden realization and astonishment immediately appeared on his face.

As for whether the method for 'Converting the Seven-Colored Strange Fire into the Great Sun Divine Flame' was exceptionally ingenious, that was not necessarily the case; its main value lay in the crucial points of fusion and conversion, offering guidance and breakthroughs akin to clearing away clouds to reveal the sun.

Without someone to provide such guidance, relying solely on one's own research, even someone like him who had played with fire for several hundred years would be unable to fully comprehend the mysteries within.

Looking at the Taiyin Stone in his hand, Elder Yi Ming knew his actions bordered on 'taking advantage of a crisis,' but for the development of the Artifact Saint Palace, he had no choice but to play the villain.

When cultivators forge artifacts, the quality of the resulting magical artifact depends not only on the forger's realm, skill level, and the materials used, but also on the type of flame employed in the forging process.

The better the quality of the flame used for forging, the higher the grade of the resulting magical artifact.

The Seven-Colored Strange Fire in the Soup Bath can be subdued by cultivators at the Core Formation realm; if they encounter favorable opportunities, even cultivators at the Qi Sea realm might possibly subdue it.

However, the Great Sun Divine Flame possesses too much power; only cultivators above the Dao Integration realm can subdue it.

Dao Integration realm...

Leaving aside the fact that the current density of spiritual energy is insufficient to produce cultivators of the Dao Integration realm, even when spiritual energy becomes abundant in the future, advancing to the Dao Integration realm will not be an easy task.

To develop and strengthen the Artifact Saint Palace, the most stable approach is to allow lower-realm cultivators to control the Great Sun Divine Flame.

If one wishes to control the Great Sun Divine Flame before reaching the Dao Integration realm, the only option is to follow Hua Changxi's example and convert the Seven-Colored Strange Fire into the Great Sun Divine Flame.

If the disciples of the Artifact Saint Palace can possess the Divine Flame sooner, it will bring immense benefits to both their combat strength and their artifact forging.

Since Hua Changxi had acted first and reported later by using the Soup Bath Pool, such a perfect opportunity presented itself before him; how could he possibly waste it?

The more Elder Yi Ming thought about it, the more he felt he had done the right thing; however, very soon, he began summoning people: "Someone come! Go inform the Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Fifth Elder that I will be waiting for them at the Soup Bath Pool; tell them to immediately set aside their current tasks and rush over."

He did not believe that Hua Changxi had been provoked by his few words of instigation; that girl might lack practical experience, making her somewhat unpolished in strategic confrontations, impatient, and easy to exploit, but she was certainly no fool.

The fact that she could produce the method for 'Converting the Seven-Colored Strange Fire into the Great Sun Divine Flame' must be related to the decline of the Soup Bath Pool.

He needed to go with the other elders to investigate exactly what had happened at the Soup Bath Pool!

Meanwhile, Tong Yao had led Hua Changxi to the exterior of the Artifact Saint Palace's Grade Five Treasury.

"Grade Five magical artifacts are specifically supplied to cultivators at the Spirit Platform realm; disciples of the Artifact Saint Palace are only permitted to enter and select artifacts after advancing to the Spirit Platform realm. Now, thanks to you, I get to enter early and broaden my horizons."

As Tong Yao led Hua Changxi into the treasury, he walked and asked, "By the way, have you found any leads regarding your stalled cultivation?"

Hua Changxi shook her head: "Didn't you say my state of mind was insufficient? I am still exploring how to improve my state of mind; for now, I can only take it step by step, feeling my way across the river by touching the stones."

Tong Yao said, "...The improvement of one's state of mind is something that comes naturally when conditions are ripe; do not be too anxious."

Hua Changxi's attention had already been captured by the dazzling array of magical artifacts; she perfunctorily nodded in response, then asked, "Are all the artifacts in here soul artifacts?"

Tong Yao chuckled: "Of course not; the materials required to forge soul artifacts are scarce, with the vast majority needing to be collected from the Nine Netherworlds, and the forging techniques are complex; therefore, soul artifacts constitute only one-tenth of the artifacts in the treasury."

Hua Changxi exclaimed in surprise: "Soul artifacts are actually this rare!"

Tong Yao nodded; although the Great Elder had been somewhat extortionate earlier, allowing Hua Changxi to freely choose three artifacts from the Grade Five Treasury meant that even if she selected three soul artifacts, the Artifact Saint Palace could not really be said to have taken significant advantage of Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi asked again: "Are there any magical artifacts that are both soul artifacts and spirit artifacts?"

Nodding, Tong Yao replied: "Yes." Seeing Hua Changxi's eyes instantly light up, he quickly added before she could speak, "Artifacts that integrate both soul and spirit properties are at least Grade Eight Dao Weapons."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately fell silent.

Afterwards, the two walked from the beginning to the end of the treasury, examining every single Grade Five magical artifact.

"Were all the artifacts in the treasury forged by you?"

"The vast majority were, though a small few have been passed down from ancient times."

The two stood before the artifact shelves at the far end of the treasury; the artifacts on these shelves either bore cracks, were missing parts, or were covered in dust, clearly appearing to be old and worn items.

Hua Changxi's gaze landed on a mottled bronze cup three inches tall; the reason she noticed this rustic cup was because the Shennong Cauldron within her sea of consciousness had trembled slightly.

"Is this a soul artifact?"

Hua Changxi held the bronze cup in her hand, yet the Shennong Cauldron in her sea of consciousness no longer reacted.

"Night Light..."

Hua Changxi saw the two characters 'Night Light' inscribed on the body of the bronze cup.

Tong Yao was also examining the cup: "This cup should be called the Night Light Cup, then."

Hua Changxi carefully observed the bronze cup and discovered that its material resembled that of the Shennong Cauldron: "May I probe it with my divine sense?"

Tong Yao nodded: "Certainly."

Hua Changxi extended her divine sense into the bronze cup and discovered that its internal space was remarkably large, causing her heart to leap with joy.

This Night Light Cup was perfect for holding the Soul River Water from within the Shennong Cauldron!

However, aside from its use for holding water, she could not detect any other functions of the cup.

"I will take this cup."

Since the Great Elder had allowed Hua Changxi to freely select three magical artifacts, Tong Yao naturally did not object; he merely looked curiously at the Night Light Cup, as he did not see anything particularly special about it.

After storing the cup, Hua Changxi looked at Tong Yao and said: "Tong Yao, for the other two artifacts, I want soul artifacts; preferably one needle-type tool and one blade-type weapon."

Among the Twelve Styles of Soul Control, both the Soul-Stabilizing Needle and the Soul-Slaying Blade require corresponding soul artifacts to unleash their lethal power.

She would definitely have to descend into the Nine Netherworlds again; setting aside the need to find her lost prayer bead bracelet, she also intended to challenge the Nine Great Passes guarding the Demon Prison.

She had not forgotten that she still needed to recruit Guardian Guards for the Pill Saint Hall.

"Tong Yao, we are friends. Last time, when Jing Liao, Yan Zhenzhen, and I discovered an opportunity, I kept you in mind."

"Jing Liao said this opportunity is especially beneficial for artifact refining cultivators."

Tong Yao looked helplessly at Hua Changxi, who was staring at him with eager eyes and an expression of complete trust, then sighed: "The Great Elder said you may only select artifacts from the Grade Five warehouse."

"However..."

"Do you want a soul artifact without a grade?"

Hua Changxi asked, "How can a soul artifact have no grade?"

Tong Yao replied, "The power of some artifacts changes along with the strength of their user."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi was immediately intrigued and asked curiously, "What soul artifact do you recommend for me?"

Tong Yao took down from the shelf a black blade, corroded by time until it was pitted and rusted, with half its body broken off: "This blade is the only ungraded soul artifact in Warehouse Number Five."

Looking at the blade, Hua Changxi felt Tong Yao was playing a trick on her.

The black blade he recommended was bad enough for being half-broken, but what was most critical was that its surface was covered with corrosion holes; it felt as though a light tap would cause the blade to shatter instantly.

Meeting Hua Changxi's dissatisfied gaze, Tong Yao explained, "Based on my experience in artifact refining, this blade is absolutely extraordinary. If it weren't so severely damaged, it wouldn't have been placed in Warehouse Number Five for someone like you to pick up as a bargain."

Hearing his words, Hua Changxi took the blade.

The moment the blade touched her hand, she felt a needle-like sting on the back of her right hand, which vanished in an instant.

Hua Changxi looked at the black blade, her expression slightly shaken, and quickly closed her eyes to inspect the black flame upon her Nascent Soul heart.

The black flame had not grown larger; it merely flickered, as if awakened from slumber.

Seeing her reaction, Tong Yao hurriedly asked, "What is wrong?"

Hua Changxi opened her eyes. Without mentioning the strange sensation she had felt, she simply said, "I must ask, can you not repair this broken blade?"

Tong Yao replied, "We cannot find the materials needed to forge it." He paused, then added, "Do you want to take a gamble?"

Hua Changxi looked at him and said, "I feel you are trying to sell me defective goods from the Artifact Saint Palace. However, since you recommended it, I will take this blade."

Tong Yao chuckled, "I think you clearly have your eye on this blade."

Hua Changxi shook her head. "I do not have my eye on it, truly I do not. I just feel... I have a fate with this blade." Holding the black blade in her hand, her heart inexplicably leaped with excitement, much like the flickering black flame.

This blade seemed capable of stirring the black flame, which made her wary, yet she was unwilling to miss the chance because of it.

For the final soul artifact, which was of the needle type, Hua Changxi chose a soul hairpin named 'Embroidery Needle'; this soul hairpin could shoot out eighty-one soul needles, recall them, and reuse them in a cycle.

Having selected her three soul artifacts, Hua Changxi followed Tong Yao out of the warehouse.

Once outside, Hua Changxi said, "Tong Yao, send a message to Jing Liao and Zhenzhen. Tell them I am going to explore that strange region and ask if they wish to meet up with me."