"I hope the Ancient Demon Hall can settle down a bit, so I can also take good care of the Water Lake Rat."

With Xu Ping’s current strength, as long as there is someone cooperating, slaying a late Fourth Rank ancient demon isn’t too difficult a task.

It just requires a bit of time.

....

Two years passed by in the blink of an eye.

On the frontline of Burial God Bend, the Ancient Demon Hall, as Xu Ping had hoped, was plunged into a strange tranquility.

Ever since that earth-shattering battle, the ancient demons seemed to have completely lowered their flags and laid down their arms; aside from occasionally sending out small groups of demon soldiers to harass, there was no other movement.

The unfathomable Ancient Demon Hall, like a silent behemoth, lurked in the dense demonic qi, making it impossible for anyone to discern its reality.

This calm didn’t bring peace of mind to the cultivators stationed there; instead, it felt like the oppressive calm before a storm.

But anyway, the absence of large-scale battles was ultimately a good thing, granting the Human Race a precious chance to catch their breath.

Seeing that a battle was unlikely to erupt anytime soon, Xu Ping made use of the Teleportation Array to return to Blood Bone Island.

Blood Bone Island.

After spending some tender moments with Duan Shuang, Xu Ping returned to his underground cave dwelling.

He sat cross-legged on the stone bed, flipped his palm, and the Life Creation Pill appeared in his hand.

Without hesitation, Xu Ping tilted his head slightly and swallowed it for refinement.

On the frontline of the Ancient Demon Hall, one never knows when a battle might break out, so of course, it was inconvenient to consume and refine the pill there.

Half a month later.

Xu Ping opened his eyes, his lips curving into a slight smile: "Not bad, even though it’s my third time taking it, I’ve added more than 120 years to my lifespan."

This fully compensated for the lifespan he had lost.

According to Xu Ping’s estimation, after taking at most two more Life Creation Pills, there would be no further lifespan increase.

Still, it’s not too bad.

After spending a few more days to completely refine the residual medicinal power, Xu Ping took out the Obsidian Spiritual Ore.

"I wonder how much spiritual essence this Obsidian Spiritual Ore can add to the Canghua Divine Wood Sword."

Xu Ping gazed at the strange, dark stone suspended mid-air, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.

Of course, the Obsidian Spiritual Ore needed to be refined before it could be integrated into the Canghua Divine Wood Sword.

Thus, in the following days,

Xu Ping devoted all his energy to the refining and melting of the "Obsidian Spiritual Ore" and the upgrading of the Canghua Divine Wood Sword.

...

Deep within the cave dwelling, the Earth Fire chamber was heavily shielded with restrictions.

Xu Ping sat cross-legged in the center, with the vividly verdant Canghua Divine Wood Sword, intricately connected to his mind, floating before him.

Nearby lay the dark, luminescent Obsidian Spiritual Ore.

He formed hand seals with both hands, the immense power of Divine Sense enveloping the Obsidian Spiritual Ore like the finest carving knife.

Simultaneously, the Nascent Soul’s True Flame was summoned, turning into a meticulously refined crimson serpent of flame, coiling around the ore.

The refining process was extremely slow and mentally taxing.

The Obsidian Spiritual Ore had a unique material that resisted flames highly, and its internal spiritual essence required careful guidance with special techniques; any slight mishap might cause it to lose its spirituality, wasting all efforts.

Xu Ping was fully focused, slowly refining and peeling away the impurities on the stone’s surface, guiding out the resplendent spiritual essence within, akin to a black galaxy.

Day by day passed.

A year later.

All impurities of the Obsidian Spiritual Ore had been removed, leaving only a fist-sized blob of spiritual essence, resembling a slowly flowing liquid black diamond.

"Merge!"

Xu Ping’s eyes gleamed, and he forced a drop of his essence blood from his fingertip into the blob of Obsidian Spiritual Essence.

Immediately, he altered his magic technique, guiding the essence to slowly and evenly cover the blade of the Canghua Divine Wood Sword.

Sizzle...

Like cold water splashing onto hot oil, a strange sound was heard the moment the blade touched the essence.

The Canghua Divine Wood Sword quivered violently, emitting a series of joyful yet slightly painful hums.

On the blade, those natural wooden grains seemed to come alive, greedily absorbing the black spiritual essence.

Xu Ping closed his eyes and concentrated, using his own Divine Sense as a bridge, cautiously harmonizing the two to allow this foreign spiritual essence to perfectly merge with the sword’s essence, nourishing and strengthening the sword spirit.

Another one and a half years passed.

When the last trace of the Obsidian Spiritual Essence was completely absorbed by the Canghua Divine Wood Sword, the entire sword had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

The blade remained a verdant color, but the green had deepened and become more restrained.

And at the center of the sword’s spine, there was now a fine but very distinct black pattern, running from end to end like a spine, within which tiny, star-like specs flickered unstably.

The spiritual pressure emitted by the entire sword surged significantly, and the intent conveyed by the sword spirit became much clearer and more vibrant, even carrying a touch of heavy stability.

"It’s done!"

Xu Ping’s eyes flashed with a hint of ecstasy.

After taking two and a half years, he finally succeeded in refining it into the Canghua Divine Wood Sword.

He beckoned with his hand, and the Canghua Divine Wood Sword turned into a stream of azure light, falling into his hand.

Grasping the hilt, a sense of perfect unity, as if it were an extension of his own limb, surged through his heart.

Xu Ping sensed it carefully, while joy filled his heart.

The power within it should have increased by one or two levels, which is quite remarkable.

After all, the Canghua Divine Wood Sword is a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, and enhancing such a treasure by even a small margin is overwhelmingly difficult.

The most crucial thing is that the intent conveyed by the sword spirit has become several times clearer and more vibrant, filled with a desire for growth and a powerful sense of strength!

"Not bad!"

Xu Ping exclaimed, "In due time, when its spirituality is nourished to the fullest and it develops complete intelligence, it will be no different from a cultivator, even capable of fighting autonomously!"