Chapter 235: Ancestor's Divine Manifestation? (Combined Two-in-One)

"Use the Divine Fire as a guide, and heavenly treasures and earthly wonders as aids, to turn the rotten into the miraculous," this thought naturally arose in Li Yuan's mind when he touched the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform.

Repairing weapons and enhancing them was his own understanding.

"Heavenly treasures and earthly wonders contain divine patterns within; forging them with Divine Fire can extract the divine patterns, arrange them into arrays, and thereby turn the rotten into the miraculous..."

Divine patterns, array arrangement, turning the rotten into the miraculous.

The information obtained from the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform was profound and mysterious, but based on Li Yuan's own understanding, it roughly meant this.

"Combine weapons, enhance... Tch, the Ancestor is truly trendy..."

Li Yuan pondered for a while, then took out a pair of Third-Rank 'Six Harmonies Boots'.

The enhancement effects were Third-Rank: Striding as if flying, walking as if on level ground, swift as a galloping horse, and fast as a soaring eagle.

Most boots were related to movement techniques, more or less the same.

"Hmm, let's try a pair of Unranked ones first..."

Li Yuan thought for a moment and still took out a pair of Unranked Six Harmonies Boots remaining after combining weapons; the control effect was only Unranked 'Striding as if flying'.

A wisp of faint white incense smoke drifted over and merged into the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform.

"Heavenly treasures and earthly wonders, does silver and gold count too?"

Li Yuan felt no regret over the Unranked boots; he tossed them in along with a handful of crushed silver.

Wooo!

The flames on the Weapon-Forging Platform shot up high, then extinguished.

"Any changes?"

Li Yuan leaned closer and saw the pair of boots emitting a shimmering Bai Guang; their rank remained Unranked, and the Unranked control effect had not changed either.

"Incompatible affinity?"

Li Yuan frowned inwardly and fetched an Unranked long sword.

Voom!

The flames extinguished.

【Bin Iron Sword (Unranked)】

【Control Condition: None】

【Control Effect: Unranked (Gray): Proficiency in Grass-Cutting Sword Technique】

【Trait: First-Rank Trait (White): Sharpness】

Sharpness!

In the cabin, Li Yuan opened his eyes, spread his five fingers, and the Bin Iron long sword was already gripped in his palm.

"Trait..."

Li Yuan chewed on this word, then took out another long sword of the same rank, holding one in each hand, and lightly tapped them together.

Crack~

Li Yuan's control over force was precise; under the same strength, the enhanced long sword remained intact, while the unenhanced one was sliced open instantly, breaking in half.

"Is this Sharpness? But silver's trait has nothing to do with Sharpness..."

Li Yuan was somewhat surprised.

He was an expert in weapon forging; with two Unranked long swords, he could tell at a glance that their rank and material were nearly identical, yet the enhanced one easily severed the other.

"Can this trait also be controlled and enhanced?"

Li Yuan's mind shifted, and he immediately tossed that Bin Iron long sword into the Weapon Control Talisman.

Wooo!

Li Yuan closed his eyes slightly; enhancing an Unranked weapon was negligible for him now, but with careful perception, he could naturally sense it.

He paid no attention to the fragmented Grass-Cutting Sword Technique, simply extending his palm to sense the enhancement of 'Sharpness'.

"No change at all... The trait exists only within the weapon; even when controlled, it does not enhance me."

Li Yuan sensed for quite a while but did not jump to conclusions; instead, he entered the Weapon Control Space again and made multiple attempts.

"Silver, cold iron, hundred-refined steel can only 'enhance' weapons; among them, knives and swords work best, clubs and hammers slightly weaker, while boots are completely unaffected..."

"Enhancements from silver and iron are mostly Sharpness, a few are Toughness, very few are Sturdiness, and the rarest is Wear Resistance."

"Gold is versatile; it can 'enhance' all weapons—knives, spears, swords, halberds, clubs, axes, and sickles all work, and even boots show effects..."

"Metals like gold, silver, copper, and iron are indeed considered heavenly treasures and earthly wonders, but they seem to be of very low rank..."

"Not enough incense smoke; these three pairs of Fifth-Rank boots cannot be enhanced. What a pity..."

Li Yuan's action speed was astonishing; within a short while, he had tried nearly a hundred times, testing various weapons, and finally drew a conclusion.

The enhancement from the Weapon-Forging Platform is limited to the weapon itself; even when controlled, it does not enhance oneself.

"Well, that's acceptable, I suppose?"

In the cabin, Li Yuan played with a brand-new pair of 'Six Harmonies Boots'.

【Trait: Third-Rank Trait (Deep Blue): Lightness and Agility】

"Although the trait cannot be enhanced through control, I can wear them!"

Li Yuan muttered to himself, put on the boots, and immediately felt his feet light and swift, as if a cloud were beneath his soles, soft, with a kind of...

"Stepping-on-dung sensation?"

Li Yuan walked back and forth a couple of steps, feeling the Lightness and Agility trait.

"A Third-Rank Lightness and Agility trait is equivalent to two, no, at least three lower-grade lightness skills at full mastery, comparable to a Third-Rank control effect..."

Li Yuan's blood qi and internal energy great circulation covered his entire body, allowing him to keenly perceive even the slightest changes.

Over these years, as he controlled more and more weapons, his understanding of the Weapon Control Talisman had deepened.

Taking boots as an example, mastering a pair of first-tier boots grants a boost equivalent to one inferior lightness skill cultivated to Great Completion or above; third-tier is equivalent to at least three inferior lightness skills at Great Completion.

Fourth-tier is equivalent to at least nine inferior lightness skills at Great Completion, and even more than that.

"This is equivalent to one extra mastery slot? No, that's not right—boots, gloves, inner armor, outer robe, bone ornaments, belt… hmm, if fully equipped, wouldn't that be equivalent to mastering six or seven more Weapon items?"

Although he knew it couldn't be calculated that way, Li Yuan's heart still stirred; although right now a Weapon item only has one trait, that doesn't mean more couldn't be added later.

If a Weapon item has three or more traits, then it truly equals one mastery slot.

Although this Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform isn't the forging platform he had guessed, it seems even better?

"Many thanks, Founding Patriarch!"

Although he knew it wasn't that simple, Li Yuan was still very satisfied in his heart; with so much gold and silver thrown in, if there had been no effect, he would truly have wanted to spit blood.

"The only hidden worry is—if these boots fall into someone else's hands and they wear them, would they also receive the trait boost?"

Li Yuan's brows furrowed slightly.

The mastery effects of various items and weapons—if he doesn't master them, just wearing them provides no boost, but this trait acts directly upon the weapon itself.

This point, he had already verified from the previous clash between the two refined-iron long swords.

"Mm…"

Li Yuan turned his head and looked at the bed, where the little mouse sat with a listless face.

"Squeak?"

Sensing Li Yuan's gaze, the little thing gave an immediate start, but before it could let out a second sound, it was already grabbed in hand.

……

For an entire night, Li Yuan remained in a state of excitement, constantly experimenting, only stopping after the gold and silver on him, as well as the beast hides and beast bones he had gathered, were completely used up.

The incense offerings below third-tier were also mostly consumed.

After tinkering all night like this, he actually managed to produce two good items.

【Grey-Hearted Ape Bone Ring (Third-Tier)】

【Mastery Requirement: Spirit Ape Form】

【Mastery Effect: Third-Tier (Deep Blue): Focused Mind, Steadfast Heart】

【Trait: Third-Tier (Deep Blue): Sharp Ears, Bright Eyes】

【Yellow Earth Ivory Tiger Claws (Third-Tier)】

【Mastery Requirement: Spirit Elephant Form】

【Mastery Effect: Third-Tier (Deep Blue): Steadfast and Immovable】

【Trait: Third-Tier (Deep Blue): Calming the Spirit, Fixing the Nature】

One tiger-claw, one bone ring.

When Li Yuan put them on his hands, he immediately felt the excitement in his heart dissipate; his whole person calmed down, feeling as if his mind and spirit were soaking in cold water, and his thoughts turning much faster.

"Good stuff!"

Li Yuan lightly turned the tiger-claws; although he hadn't slept all night, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

This night, he had tried various combinations and enhancements of metals and all kinds of Weapon items, even using spirit-beast hides and bones.

He had gained an initial understanding of the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform.

"Enhanced Weapon items can only take effect when worn, and they also work when the little mouse wears them; the good thing is, they don't seem to require mastery conditions, and multiple pieces can apparently be worn at once…"

Looking at the tiger-claws and ring on his left hand, Li Yuan was in excellent spirits; this forging platform's function was no less than the Weapon-Merging Furnace, and for him, its usefulness was immense.

The same trouble was the incense offerings…

"Fifth-tier and above incense offerings—probably only the Xieshen Sect and the imperial court have them?"

Li Yuan sat cross-legged, lightly turning the tiger-claws; even his scattered thoughts moved much faster than before, and with a slight sensing, visualizing his Ling Self became much more agile.

He sorted through his gains.

Apart from the Divine Fire Weapon-Forging Platform, after the Soldier-Forging Register advanced to seventh-tier, he could simultaneously master seven weapons, and at the same time, his perception range of weapon radiance doubled again—within eighty meters in all directions, he could detect them with only slight focus.

At the same time, the time to switch mastery was reduced to less than one hour.

"Hoo!"

After a long while, Li Yuan finally rose, took out the spirit five-sacrifice blood and spirit five-sacrifice meat, and prepared the Heaven-Bestowing Register ceremony.

Every time after the Soldier-Forging Register advanced, he would do this once.

With very practiced movements, he hung the five-sacrifice meat in the five directions, then sprinkled the spirit five-sacrifice blood according to the positions, after which he stepped through the four directions, muttering in his heart:

"Disciple Li Yuan…"

Li Yuan paced slowly within the ship's cabin, walking unhurriedly through the four directions, his long sleeves trailing on the ground, and bowed deeply:

"Disciple Li Yuan, beseeching Heaven to bestow the Register!"

Silence!

Li Yuan maintained his posture of bowing deeply, and for quite a while received no response.

"Still not working?"

He felt a slight disappointment in his heart, thinking perhaps the grade of his Soldier-Forging Register was still insufficient, but just as he was about to rise, he suddenly heard a long and grand humming sound come through.

Hum!!!

Li Yuan's body and mind both trembled, and delight surged into his eyes:

"It's here, there's a response!"

Li Yuan, who had not been holding out much hope, even though the great sound had shaken his whole body to trembling and brought a surge of dread, could not help his heart racing faster.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

This time, he felt more clearly than the last; the great sound reverberated 'rumbling' through his mind-sea, and around him, the flesh and blood of the spirit sacrifices, as if burned by raging flames, rapidly vaporized, thick smoke billowing.

Hum!

But very soon, Li Yuan had sensed something was wrong—the thunderous roar in his mind-sea was fading, and the surrounding smoke was dissipating along with it.

"No…"

Li Yuan instinctively reached out, only to grasp a handful of ash. He looked around and found that the spirit-sacrificial beast's flesh and blood had all vaporized and vanished—even the smell of burning was gone.

"Damn!"

Li Li Daoye immediately jumped in place, a great surge of regret rising in his heart, impossible to suppress:

"The grade of the offering wasn't high enough…"

He took a deep breath to suppress the irritation in his heart. Li Yuan's temples were even twitching—this was because his emotions were too agitated, causing his blood to surge faster.

After quite a while, he finally calmed down. There wasn't the slightest trace left in the cabin. He sensed into the Soldier-Bearing Space; darkness churned like tides all around, and a deep, gloomy light glimmered on the Soldier-Bearing Register, yet no new talisman had appeared.

"Just a little short… The flesh and blood of a fifth-grade spirit beast still isn't enough, but—the Heaven-Bestowed Register ritual wasn't wrong, and the Patriarch truly did respond!"

Li Yuan pushed open the window. The morning river breeze carried a slight chill, and his tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

Though the failure left him frustrated, the ritual had received a response, proving his earlier thoughts were correct: the Heaven-Bestowed Register wasn't the only path. Previously, it had only been because the Soldier-Bearing Register's tier was too low.

Now, it was the tier of the fifth-grade spirit beast blood that was too low.

"If even fifth-grade spirit beast blood isn't enough…"

Li Yuan walked out of the cabin.

The morning dock was shrouded in a layer of mist, with a group of sailors weaving between the ships.

Li Yuan stepped off the ship quickly, entered the city, and soon arrived at the Cloud-Relaxation Tower.

The layout of Cloud-Relaxation Towers across the various prefectures was largely the same. After entering, the main hall had various display stands holding pills, weapons, and other items—the most numerous, naturally, being various rankings and intelligence reports.

"Honored guest, what can I do for you?"

As soon as Li Yuan entered, a clerk came up to greet him.

"Do you have a complete ranking of spirit beasts? The more detailed, the better."

Li Yuan asked.

"Spirit beasts?"

The clerk thought for a moment, then asked, "We do have detailed ones, but—how detailed do you want?"

"The more detailed the better. Silver isn't an issue."

"You got it!"

The clerk immediately beamed with joy, trotted off to the second floor, and soon came down holding two thick volumes.

"These two—one is the Changlin Prefecture Hundred-Beast Ranking, and this one is the Huizhou Thousand-Beast Ranking. They record in detail information on spirit beasts of various grades, as well as their habitats…"

"Mm."

Li Yuan took them casually, flipped through the table of contents, which listed many kinds of spirit beasts.

"Do you have anything more detailed?"

"Well…"

The clerk paused briefly, said "one moment," then hurried off to the second floor. Soon, an old man with a goatee came downstairs and approached.

"Could it be that this honored guest wants the Mount Hengshan Ten-Thousand-Beast Ranking?"

The old man identified himself as the third Shopkeeper of this Cloud-Relaxation Tower, surnamed Liu.

"Mm."

Li Yuan nodded.

"The Mount Hengshan Ten-Thousand-Beast Ranking—we do have it here, but…"

The old man sized up Li Yuan: "May I ask which sect and which school this young hero hails from?"

Cloud-Relaxation Tower had plenty of rules—the higher-grade the intelligence, the higher the status required. But even a spirit beast ranking required this?

Li Yuan frowned slightly, but still produced the Dragon-Tiger Elder Token.

"This is?"

Shopkeeper Liu was clearly knowledgeable. One glance and his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly returned the token and bowed, inviting Li Yuan up to the second floor.

Many people on the first floor saw this scene and were all astonished.

Cloud-Relaxation Tower had a second floor, but that second floor wasn't something just anyone could go up to.

"Young hero, please wait a moment."

Once upstairs, fair-featured maidservants attended to them. Shopkeeper Liu personally served tea, then only then went into the inner room.

So much trouble?

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly. While waiting, he surveyed his surroundings. The second floor of Cloud-Relaxation Tower also had display cases. At a glance, there were quite a few famous weapons, but that was all there was to it.

Cloud-Relaxation Tower's main business was still selling intelligence.

Soon, Shopkeeper Liu came over holding a thick volume:

"Young Hero Li, this is the Mount Hengshan Ten-Thousand-Beast Ranking. It records all spirit beast information within the territories of all the prefectures, departments, and counties of Mount Hengshan—even those that once appeared are all recorded within…"

So he already knows my identity?

Li Yuan wasn't surprised. After all, the target of the Wave-Breaking Great Ship was so large, it couldn't be hidden from people no matter what. He reached out and took the volume: "How much?"

"Whatever are you saying, Young Hero Li?"

Shopkeeper Liu bowed with an apologetic smile: "It's just a volume of the spirit beast ranking. If I were to take your silver, I'm afraid the Tower Master would blame this old man upon learning of it."

"Then many thanks."

Li Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and opened the volume right there.

The detail of the Ten-Thousand-Beast Ranking far exceeded the Hundred-Beast Ranking he had obtained before. Just the table of contents ran over thirty pages, and was extremely detailed.

"Our Tower Master divides all spirit beasts under heaven into three grades. Whether they fly in the sky or swim in the water, all fall within the three grades."

Shopkeeper Liu's attitude was very good, and he explained softly from the side:

"The 'Thousand Gold' tier, as the name suggests, covers spiritual beasts whose prices mostly fall within the range of a thousand taels of gold; even those of great age and substantial size do not exceed ten thousand taels. The vast majority of spiritual beasts on the market belong to this tier."

"... Very fitting."

Li Yuan's mouth twitched.

There are many species of spiritual beasts in the 'Thousand Gold' tier. Li Yuan flipped through the list and found that the Red Dragon Fish was also in this tier; however, the Red Dragon Fish King belonged to the second tier, the 'Ten Thousand Gold' tier.

Any single Red Dragon Fish King is valued at no less than ten thousand taels of gold.

"Although the spiritual beasts of the 'Thousand Gold' tier are not lacking in ferocity, a Form-Shaping Martial Artist can easily handle them. But the beasts of the 'Ten Thousand Gold' tier are extremely ferocious; every single one is a king of spiritual beasts. Even a great master who has successfully cultivated the Organ Refining stage could be counterattacked and killed by a spiritual beast if they are not careful..."

Shopkeeper Liu spoke.

The spiritual beasts of the 'Ten Thousand Gold' tier possess high spiritual intelligence and are exceptionally ferocious. They are rarely seen even across the various prefectures of Huizhou; they usually dwell in deep mountains and ancient forests, or in perilous lands.

Or, they reside within the mountain gates of major sects, such as the Red Dragon Fish King of the Divine Weapon Valley, the Two-Headed Poison Python King of the Dragon Fire Mouth in Dechang Prefecture, and the Two-Winged Lei Quan King of the Wind and Thunder Valley in Pingshan Prefecture.

These are recorded ferocious beasts that have killed masters of the Organ Refining stage.

"Indeed very ferocious."

Li Yuan nodded, recalling the Red Dragon Fish King in the Cold Pool. That was a ferocious beast capable of withstanding Old Han's hammer strike without dying, and they existed in swarms.

He only learned later that the one who had fought and slaughtered the swarm of Red Dragon Fish Kings in the Cold Pool previously was He Yi, the Hall Master of the Xieshen Sect's Huizhoutang, a great master who had successfully cultivated the Marrow Refining stage.

Li Yuan flipped through the catalog and quickly found the five spiritual beast kings corresponding to the five domestic animals in the 'Ten Thousand Gold' list.

"The third tier, which my Master Master Baili calls the 'Priceless Spiritual Beasts.' These spiritual beasts almost never appear in the world; even if they do, they are found only in places so utterly lethal that even Grandmasters dare not venture there."

Shopkeeper Liu walked Li Yuan all the way to the door, his attitude very good. Not only did he provide this 'Myriad Beast List,' but he also gifted several copies of the Hengshan Dao List.

Such as the 'Hengshan Talent List' and the 'Dragon and Tiger Heavenly Prodigy List.'

"This Yunshu Tower truly knows how to manipulate human nature..."

Li Yuan returned with a full load, feeling a sigh of emotion in his heart.

Struggles in the Jianghu revolve around nothing but fame and profit. Information that no one asks about is stuffed into various chaotic lists; not only does the price skyrocket, but there is never a lack of buyers.

Even he felt some interest in these two scrolls of lists.

However, he only flipped through them casually; his main concern remained the Myriad Beast List.

"If ordinary spiritual beasts are not enough, then at least one must be a Spiritual Beast King. But these monsters are not easy to deal with..."

Li Yuan returned to the Breakwave Ship and flipped through the Myriad Beast List in his own room.

Yunshu Tower has many rules, but the intelligence is truly detailed. Information on various spiritual beasts is complete, marking not only their habitats but also various deeds.

"The Two-Winged Lei Quan King of the Wind and Thunder Valley in Pingshan Prefecture ranks fifty-seventh on the Hengshan Myriad Beast List. Its nature is cruel; it runs like the wind and possesses two wings, capable of leaping and soaring a hundred zhang in a single bound. Only a Grandmaster can capture it..."

"In the last three hundred years, dozens of people have died from its jaws, including many famous masters of Huizhou. The Headmaster of the Dragon Fire Temple once died in the Wind and Thunder Valley..."

Li Yuan continued flipping through the pages.

The 'Five Domestic Animals' are cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens, or alternatively elk, deer, wild boar, wolves, and rabbits. None of these are particularly rare beasts, so they naturally have entries on the list.

But obtaining them is truly not easy.

Take the Two-Winged Lei Quan King, for instance; it inhabits the Wind and Thunder Valley, one of the three miraculous lands of Huizhou, which is perpetually accompanied by wind, thunder, and lightning. The land itself is already extremely dangerous.

And those Lei Quan live in packs.

The other species are also not easy to deal with; they are either in absolute dead ends or kept in captivity within various major sects.

"The Bai Tan Spirit Sheep King and the Spirit Fire Ling Ox King are both within the Dragon and Tiger Temple. This is good news..."

Li Yuan closed the Myriad Beast List, his brows slightly furrowed.

Many spiritual beasts are kept in captivity within the Dragon and Tiger Temple, not only these two types of Spiritual Beast Kings; it is rumored that the Jiao Dragon and Bai Hu are also there, though the latter two are not among the 'Five Domestic Animals.'

"It is not easy to gather them myself, and it is not easy to buy them either."

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

The reason they are called spiritual beasts rather than ferocious beasts is that their numbers are small. The Spiritual Beast Kings of the 'Ten Thousand Gold' tier are especially rare. Yunshu Tower says they are worth ten thousand gold, but often they have a price but no market.

And whenever they do appear, they mostly end up in the Dragon and Tiger Temple.

The bones and blood of Spiritual Beast Kings are excellent materials for refining spiritual pills.

"Huff!"

After a long while, Li Yuan yawned, fatigue surging up. He closed the doors and windows and took a short nap.

? c〇

In his dream, he heard that loud crash again, dreaming that he had received a new talisman...

The Pingjiang Grand Canal runs through various circuits, prefectures, and commanderies, but it splits into three main branches and does not intersect until it finally flows east into the sea.

After passing through Changlin Prefecture and reaching the borders of Youzhou, Li Yuan and the others could only disembark and switch to land travel.

"It is better to have one's feet on solid ground!"

On the shore, watching the Breakwave Ship return, the group felt somewhat reluctant, though some also breathed a sigh of relief. The ship had been tossing about for over a month, which was truly unbearable for many landlubbers.

Wind opened the map and flipped through it for a while before looking up:

"Thirty li to the east, there is a post station. Let us rest there first. Tomorrow, we will find a small town to purchase some horses or a carriage before continuing our journey!"

The others naturally had no objections and followed him eastward.

"Stop squeaking."

Li Yuan frowned slightly and tucked the little mouse into his chest. Since disembarking, this little creature, perhaps having not seen soil for too long, was crazily trying to dig a hole...

"Squeak squeak!"

"Just eat your food!"

Li Yuan had no choice but to stuff a pill into it.

Everyone traveled quickly, and before nightfall, they could already see the relay station far in the distance.

"How is this relay station so big?"

Liu Zheng shaded his eyes with his hand.

As they drew closer, everyone was somewhat surprised. This relay station occupied no small area, with high walls and a grand courtyard, and two stone lions squatting outside the gate. Calling it a relay station was less apt than calling it some wealthy family's estate.

"This…"

The group exchanged glances, then looked toward the seasoned wanderer Feng Feng Zhongyi.

"Perhaps the map has some errors or omissions?"

Feng Feng Zhongyi frowned slightly, then suddenly stopped speaking. The estate's main gate swung wide open, and a young servant dressed as a Retainer poked his head out.