Chapter 21: Refinement

Li Zhen couldn’t clearly see what type of flying sword Principal Wang was using; he only sensed its spiritual aura as that of a high-grade first-rank object.

Principal Wang didn’t even pause at the entrance to the cultivation room. He simply sheathed his flying sword before charging inside.

Wielding his authority as headmaster, he forcibly opened the door to Cheng He’s cultivation room. Inside, he found Cheng He with a deathly pale face, blood still oozing from his mouth.

Naturally, Principal Wang recognized Cheng He - he was considered an exceptional student in his eyes.

With a wave of his hand, he cast a water-based healing spell onto Cheng He. Then, using his own spiritual energy, he guided Cheng He’s body towards the exit.

“Make way! We need to get this student to the infirmary immediately!” Principal Wang barked loudly.

The school nurse in the infirmary was a professional healer cultivator. With the aid of the infirmary’s advanced medical equipment, they were far better equipped to handle such situations than Principal Wang alone.

Of course, thanks to Principal Wang’s initial water-based healing spell, Cheng He’s condition wouldn’t deteriorate further anytime soon.

Teacher Zhang arrived on the scene just after Principal Wang. When he saw it was his own classmate Cheng He who had been injured, his mood instantly soured.

Li Zhen and his classmates were unaware of what had transpired earlier. However, during afternoon classes, Teacher Zhang entered the classroom with a weary expression.

“Students,” she announced solemnly, “at noon, Cheng He collapsed in the cultivation room. The school has asked me to explain the situation and draw some lessons from it.”

Yu Nan, as class president, was quick to ask, “Is Cheng He alright?”

“For now, he’s out of immediate danger,” Teacher Zhang replied gravely. “But by consuming too many medicinal pills and forcefully attempting to break through his cultivation realm, he suffered damage to his qi passageways. He’ll need at least a month to recover fully.

“I want to emphasize that before any student attempts promotion, they must first use the simulation device to assess their chances of success. If the probability is low, I strongly advise against forcing the advancement!”

What Teacher Zhang didn’t reveal was that Cheng He’s attempt to ascend while harboring impure spiritual energy had damaged his spirit roots. The full extent of this damage would only become clear after his month-long recovery period.

Spirit roots were the most mysterious aspect of a cultivator. Once compromised, they were exceedingly difficult to restore to their original state.

The eyes of several students, including the class president, flickered with concern. They had all been close with Cheng He, and his current predicament left them uncertain about how to proceed.

Li Zhen shook his head; he had already heard Han Wenqin’s conjectures about what happened to Cheng He, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Despite how cultivators channel spiritual energy into their bodies to transform it into usable spiritual power, both forms of energy—spiritual or otherwise—are inherently extremely dangerous.

Without exceptional mental fortitude, no cultivator can truly master their spiritual power.

Cheng He stood as a classic cautionary example: compared to other cultivators, he possessed superior spiritual roots, yet due to issues with his temperament, problems arose during his cultivation practice.

Upon returning home, Li Zhen found that even his parents were aware of the incident at school, though they weren’t sure if it made the news.

After dinner, he spent an hour cultivating in his family’s private training room before retiring to his bedroom.

While the pace of learning at school was somewhat slow, his time at the Going Beyond Swordplay Club taught him much beyond swordsmanship—for instance, how to refine magical artifacts.

Of course, the refinement techniques taught at the club were merely those publicly known within the Xian Nation, not any precious secret methods.

The advantage of this common tempering method was its versatility; it could be applied to most magical artifacts with few restrictions. However, its effectiveness on special artifacts was mediocre at best, and it fell short in nurturing these items.

Tempering a magical artifact wasn’t merely about infusing one’s spiritual energy into it. It also required constant nourishment using spiritual power, allowing the user and the artifact to harmonize better and ultimately perform more effectively when used.

Li Zhen sat cross-legged on his bed, retrieving the web-shaped artifact from the Dragon Heart Space. After some research, he had discovered its name: Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web. This wasn’t a mass-produced item from a major company but rather a personal creation by an artificer.

The artificer’s skill level couldn’t have been high; otherwise, they wouldn’t have crafted a first-rank low-grade ‘Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web.’

First-rank low-grade artifacts were among the poorest quality. If not for the unique function of the Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web, Li Zhen would have long ago fed it to the Dragon Heart Space for absorption.

He mobilized what little spiritual power remained within him, his hands dancing through the air. As simple runes formed before him, part of his spirit was drawn away by their influence.

Fighting against his weakening spirit, he channeled the runes appearing before him into the ‘Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web’.

In an instant, an inexplicable bond formed between himself and the Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web. Through this connection, he effortlessly infused spiritual energy into it, activating the artifact.

After refining the Spirit-Sealing Silver Spider Web, he rested for a while, allowing his spirit to recover before proceeding to refine his second magical item.

The Nine Heavens C045 Mid-Grade Flying Sword was classified as a mid-tier first-rank flying sword. For Li Zhen, currently at the first layer of Qi Refinement, this was the only type of flying sword he could effectively wield in combat.

Even so, wielding the Nine Heavens C045 Mid-Grade Flying Sword greatly enhanced his attack power due to its mid-tier first-rank quality.

Without any spiritual energy enhancement, the first-rank mid-tier Nine Heavens C045 Mid-Grade Flying Sword could already penetrate the defenses of cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refinement. When imbued with spiritual energy, even Li Zhen could use it to breach the defenses of cultivators in the middle stages of Qi Refinement.

This exemplified the crucial importance of high-grade offensive magical items; they had the potential to significantly influence the outcome of a battle when needed.

After consecutively refining two magical artifacts, he could barely hold on any longer. His body crumpled onto his bed as sleep claimed him.

The Nine Heavens Group’s annual auction in Yunxi County had been advertised on television. Li Zhen noticed a significant increase in cultivators’ presence around town.

Even his school sent out notifications, urging students to exercise caution while traveling. It was recommended that they only move between home, school, and the school bus for safety.

The Security Bureau deployed additional patrol personnel, working diligently to maintain peace throughout the city.

Li Zhen’s life remained tranquil. Aside from attending classes, he spent most of his time at the Going Beyond Swordplay dojo practicing. Cultivating spatial divine abilities proved far more challenging than he imagined, with progress advancing excruciatingly slowly.

It was now November 19th, and as usual, Li Zhen arrived at the swordplay dojo.

Han Wenqin and Rong Honghui were nowhere to be seen; Lou Zichen and Teng Si, being seniors, had different training schedules.

He entered a private practice room reserved exclusively for advanced members, equipped with all necessary amenities.

“Hey there, Master Li!” As Li Zhen retrieved his practice sword, a burly man in his thirties strode into the specialized training chamber.

“Coach Wu, I’m troubling you again!” Li Zhen said politely.

This Coach Wu was a swordsmanship instructor hired by the Going Beyond Swordplay for him. Han Wenqin had noticed that during their matches, he held back his full strength to avoid affecting her. She then applied for a swordsmanship instructor from the Going Beyond Swordplay specifically for him.

Coach Wu had achieved mastery in the Xian Nation’s basic sword techniques, making it more than sufficient to guide Li Zhen, who hadn’t even reached minor accomplishments yet.

“Master Li, today we’ll follow the plan: half an hour of sparring practice, followed by half an hour of sword technique explanation!” Coach Wu stated directly.

His cultivation base was at the third level of Qi Refining. Apart from earning credit points at the Going Beyond Swordplay, he also hoped to obtain medicinal pills for breaking through the early stages of Qi Refining through the academy’s channels.

Many instructors were in a similar situation. Achieving mastery or higher in swordsmanship required not only talent but also long-term dedication; those without a strong drive upward could never reach such proficiency.

Once these instructors broke through to the intermediate stage of Qi Refining, few chose to stay on. Instead, they ventured into dangerous lands to slay mythical beasts, seeking greater resources.

“Begin!” Li Zhen gestured with his sword.

The instructional match commenced. While maintaining a 98% proficiency in basic sword techniques, Li Zhen occasionally executed dazzling attacks.

In one of Going Beyond Swordplay’s offices, a live broadcast displayed the duel between Li Zhen and Coach Wu during the class.

“That’s the student Han Wenqin has her eye on. His mastery of basic swordsmanship already surpasses hers!” Han Siming observed with a smile.

“Wenqin holds him in high regard. Just being a premium member costs ten thousand credit points per month; he must have more than just exceptional swordsmanship talent!” Director Zhang, who had a deeper understanding of Li Zhen, responded.

Han Siming, an elder of the Han Clan, had come to inspect Going Beyond Swordplay today, also taking the opportunity to assess the caliber of students his clan was courting.

“I’ve asked Han Wenqin about him. Although she was vague, I know how discerning she is. Anyone at his age who catches her attention won’t be ordinary!” Han Siming said with a laugh.