Chapter 83: Chapter 84: Asking a Tiger for Its Skin, Qi Separation of Yin and Yang

"In that case, who should go?" A long-bearded Clan Elder stood up and looked at the other Elders.

Luoxia City was far away in Bian Province, and the journey was fraught with danger. A Foundation Establishment Pill was no small matter, so to be safe, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had to be the one to go.

Song Luyao stood up, not yielding her ground. She looked everyone in the eye and said, "Twenty-first Uncle is in charge of the clan’s general affairs, and Fifth Brother needs to preside over the Hundred Arts Hall. Neither of them can be easily spared. Since I was the one who proposed this, I should be the one to go."

"Very well. Luyao, when will you depart?" There was no one more suitable, so Song Xianyun agreed immediately.

"Naturally, the sooner the better."

"I’ll gather the Spirit Stones as soon as possible," Song Luzhou said with a sigh of resignation. When it came to official business, he never equivocated.

After the meeting, Song Luyao met secretly with Song Xianyun. No one knew what they discussed, only that for the next few days, Song Xianyun looked grim...

In a private Seclusion Chamber at Bright Mirror Lake on Little Cyan Mountain, Song Changsheng sat cross-legged before a large cauldron. His expression was grave as he periodically added pinches of mineral powder into it.

This was the twenty-first day of his seclusion to refine the Treasure Gourd. The Jellyfish Refined Steel and Earth Core Flame Iron had already fused with the gourd, and its red and blue hues were growing ever more distinct.

The Bronze Cauldron glowed red-hot, periodically spewing bursts of radiant light. The Magical Artifact’s refinement had reached its most critical stage. The outer shell was complete; the next step was to shape the interior.

Song Changsheng had already erased all the previous Arrays. Now, he needed to nurture a "Spirit-Slaying Blade" within it—this was the very essence of the Spirit-Slaying Gourd.

This "Spirit-Slaying Blade" wasn’t a physical blade to be forged and placed inside. Instead, it required Song Changsheng to split off a portion of his Divine Soul and nurture it within the gourd. The day the Magical Artifact was completed would be the day the blade took form.

This was the secret behind the Spirit-Slaying Gourd’s ability to harm the Divine Soul but not the Physical Body. A blade made of Divine Soul could, naturally, only strike a Divine Soul.

Before splitting his soul, Song Changsheng made sure to get a full night’s sleep. Once he felt mentally prepared, he opened the lid of the Bronze Cauldron, focused his mind, and calmed his qi. A unique "presence" began to build within his Sea of Consciousness.

About an hour later, a sharp light flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes. "Sever!" he commanded calmly.

He felt a slight, sharp pain in his mind as he severed a wisp of his Divine Soul and cast it directly into the gourd.

Song Changsheng’s seated body trembled, and his face paled. In an instant, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

’Thankfully, my Divine Soul is powerful,’ Song Changsheng mused, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. ’If an ordinary Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator had tried this, they would have crippled themselves.’

The Divine Soul was a Cultivator’s most critical aspect and not to be trifled with. Even though he had only severed a single wisp, it had damaged his vitality, and he would need at least several days of recuperation to recover.

’Once the ’Spirit-Slaying Blade’ is fully nurtured, the Spirit-Slaying Gourd will be complete,’ he thought. ’My combat prowess will see a significant boost then. It’s a shame I haven’t reached Foundation Establishment yet, so I can’t begin nurturing a spirit within it.’

Closing the lid of the cauldron, a flicker of regret crossed Song Changsheng’s pale face. The transformation from a Tier Two Magical Artifact to a Spiritual Artifact required an immense investment of time and resources to nurture its spirit—an exceedingly long process.

Since his Cultivation had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, Song Changsheng couldn’t draw the Magical Artifact into his Dantian to nurture it. This would undoubtedly cost him a great deal of time.

He knew that the Major Sects possessed Secret Techniques to accelerate this process, but such methods were far too precious. Not only did his branch of the Song Clan lack one, but even the main Ancestral Vein of the Song Clan—an old Golden Core Family—did not possess such a technique. All he could do was wish he had one.

’Perhaps I could try using that wisp of Primordial Qi in my Dantian?’

Suddenly, an idea flashed in Song Changsheng’s mind—the Primordial Qi stored in his Dantian. This substance, formed from the convergence of Sun Essence and Moon Radiance, had endless miraculous uses. He had used half a wisp to refine a Poisonous Insect and still had a little over one wisp remaining.

He had a theory: if he integrated this wisp of Primordial Qi into the Spirit-Slaying Gourd, might it lead to a pleasant surprise?

The moment the thought appeared, it spread like wildfire in his mind, impossible to suppress.

’In any case, Primordial Qi is essentially Yin Yang Qi. Even if refining it into the gourd doesn’t produce the result I’m hoping for, it can only be beneficial. There’s no downside.’

’If I use up the Primordial Qi, I can just accumulate more,’ Song Changsheng decided, gritting his teeth. ’It’s just sitting there doing nothing right now, anyway.’ He resolved to give it a try.

He reached out, opened the lid of the cauldron, and guided the wisp of Primordial Qi out of his Dantian. To the naked eye, it looked like nothing more than an unremarkable stream of gray mist.

Under Song Changsheng’s control, the mist slowly flowed into the mouth of the gourd.

In an instant, the Treasure Gourd erupted in a brilliant glow. Radiant light shone through the gourd’s walls, illuminating the Seclusion Chamber as brightly as day.

Song Changsheng’s face froze, and a wave of panic hit him. ’Is the gourd going to explode?’

Thankfully, his fears were unfounded. However, the infusion of Primordial Qi did cause the gourd to undergo a series of subtle changes.

Song Changsheng didn’t know what the outcome of these changes would be. ’But adding something this good couldn’t possibly be a bad thing, right?’

’It shouldn’t be... right?’ For a moment, Song Changsheng felt a pang of doubt. ’I didn’t just screw this up, did I?’

Speculation was pointless. He would only know if it was for better or worse once the gourd’s refinement was complete...

「Liuyun Mountain Range, Fire Tripod Mountain. Inside the Earth Fire Sect’s Minor Affairs Hall.」

Chang Wudao was reclining on a soft couch, his gaze cold as he looked down at Li Tiancheng. "The news you’ve brought me—is it reliable?"

"It should be. Song Xianming damaged his foundation when he forced his way out of seclusion all those years ago, and he’s been in and out of seclusion ever since. Although he managed to defeat you by a single move last time, it certainly wasn’t easy for him."

"We were all bluffed by his show of strength, assuming his injuries had fully healed. But if you think about it, why would Song Xianyun have rushed to the Treasure Vault to retrieve something? And why hasn’t Song Xianming made an appearance since?"

"All of it points to only one conclusion: Song Xianming is injured, and badly," Li Tiancheng said with a sneer.

A flicker of resentment flashed in Chang Wudao’s eyes, and he subconsciously clenched his fists. He stood up and said coldly, "We’ll test it and see if it’s true."

Li Tiancheng paused. "Sect Leader, you mean...?"

"Isn’t that Song Luyao going to bid on a Foundation Establishment Pill for that little whelp? Leak the news to *him*. Then we’ll just sit back and watch things unfold."

"Sect Leader, if the Song Clan is an injured lone wolf, then those people are a vicious tiger! Are we really going to cooperate with them?" Li Tiancheng’s eyes widened. "That’s asking a tiger for its own hide!"

Chang Wudao shot him an indifferent glance, his voice turning severe. "What? Are you questioning my decision?"

A hint of resignation flashed in Li Tiancheng’s eyes. He bowed his head. "As you command!"

...