C21 Refining the Magic Weapon(1)

The Five Tigers weren't the only ones who found the recent silence unnerving; Xue Chen shared their sentiment.

It was just as well; the quiet provided Xue Chen with the perfect opportunity to engage in his desired activities.

Beyond reading and meditating, his current priority was the refinement of his magical instrument.

Despite failing in his past hundred lifetimes of cultivation, Xue Chen was fortunate to retain his Golden Core Stage abilities in this life.

For a cultivator at the Golden Core Stage to be without a magical instrument was not only embarrassing but also a tactical disadvantage in battle. With a magical instrument in hand, one could seize the initiative.

Had Gu Sanqi not possessed the Green Jade Soul Chasing, he would have surely been defeated by now.

Xue Chen had acquired Gu Sanqi's Green Jade Soul Chasing, and though he now had a magical instrument, it was useless without the corresponding Magic Spell to activate it.

Thus, Xue Chen needed to reforge the Green Jade Soul Chasing to make it his own.

A universal trait of magical instruments is their allegiance to their master, meaning they are highly responsive to their owner's commands.

To make the Green Jade Soul Chasing obey him, Xue Chen's first task was to strip it of its original properties, turning it into a "bare instrument." He would then infuse it with his Fate Spirit Essence and establish a new activation spell to gain full control.

This "resetting" process was far from simple.

If the instrument's original owner had a higher level of cultivation, even slightly, the refiner risked a dangerous backlash during the process. Therefore, reforging a magical instrument was fraught with peril.

Luckily, Gu Sanqi's cultivation level was still within the Qi Refining Stage, and he had only controlled the Green Jade Soul Chasing with his divine sense and a Magic Spell—a far cry from true object manipulation. Xue Chen, being two full levels above Gu Sanqi, faced little difficulty in the task.

However, the refinement of any magical instrument, even a "bare" one, presented its challenges due to the strict and intricate procedures involved.

Having cultivated for a hundred lifetimes, Xue Chen was intimately familiar with these procedures and steps. By following them meticulously, he was confident in his success.

He began by eliminating the original attributes of the Green Jade Soul Chasing.

Xue Chen retrieved the Green Jade Soul Chasing from his sleeve and examined it closely.

The instrument resembled a small arrow, three inches in length, with a crystalline green sheen and a soft glow. Even disregarding its magical properties, it was an object of beauty.

Xue Chen placed the Green Jade Soul Chasing on his desk, then settled onto the cushion below, and commenced circulating his Genuine Qi.

After a full cycle of circulation, Xue Chen concentrated his Genuine Qi into his right index and middle fingers. With a sword-like gesture, he pointed at the Green Jade Soul Chasing on the desk. In a flash, a beam of purple light burst forth, striking the Green Jade Soul Chasing directly.

As soon as the purple light penetrated the Green Jade Soul Chasing, the magic tool's "reset" would be complete. Yet, before the light could merge with the Green Jade Soul Chasing, it halted abruptly in midair, causing Xue Chen to stagger backward several inches. Clearly, he had experienced a backlash.

How could this be? Xue Chen had seen with his own eyes that Gu Sanqi's cultivation level was merely at the Qi Refining Stage. How could he...

What Xue Chen didn't realize was that the Green Jade Soul Chasing, Gu Sanqi's magic tool, was a gift from his master, Xu Daozhen, who had infused it with his own Fate Spirit Essence. The Magic Spell it contained was also Xu Daozhen's teaching. Gu Sanqi was not only Xu Daozhen's most accomplished and cherished disciple, but they also shared a profound bond of friendship, their essences intertwined.

Xu Daozhen had reached the third stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Xue Chen, having exerted only thirty percent of his power during his practice, suffered only a minor backlash.

Xue Chen brushed his hands across his forehead, opening his Heaven's Eye. His gaze, emitting a blue light, locked onto the Green Jade Soul Chasing. Inside, a figure resembling a cultivator sat in meditation. This person was not Gu Sanqi.

It dawned on Xue Chen that the true owner of the Green Jade Soul Chasing was the meditating cultivator within, whose cultivation level was clearly superior to Gu Sanqi's and possibly matched his own. This realization meant the "reset" of the magic tool would be far more challenging.

The eradication of the cultivator within was now essential to proceed with the "reset." This cultivator was one of Xu Daozhen's spiritual and physical souls. If all of Xu Daozhen's spiritual and physical souls were housed within, the task of their destruction would be formidable.

To obliterate this single soul, a direct confrontation was necessary.

Xue Chen rose and secured the door. He was about to perform a soul-separation technique, and his physical body could not afford any interruptions, lest he be utterly destroyed.

With renewed focus, Xue Chen summoned his two spiritual and three physical souls, ensuring no room for error. A tendril of green smoke drifted into the Green Jade Soul Chasing.

"Who goes there?" inquired Xu Daozhen.

"The one who will end you," replied Xue Chen.

With his cultivation surpassing Xu Daozhen's, and wielding two spiritual and three physical souls against Xu Daozhen's single pair, Xue Chen expelled him from the Green Jade Soul Chasing in less than two exchanges.

Meanwhile, Xu Daozhen, seated in meditation at the Cloud Deriving Sect's Sky No. 4 room, felt blood trickle from the corner of his mouth, a sign of a minor internal injury. Unaware of his assailant's identity, he set aside his curiosity to focus on healing, drawing back his spiritual and physical souls to recover.

Once Xue Chen's own souls were realigned, he took a moment to regulate his breath. With the path cleared, he resumed the "reset" of the Green Jade Soul Chasing. No sooner had he completed the task than a knock echoed at his door.

Thank heavens, the two spirits and three souls have been restored to their rightful places. Had they not, the consequences would have been dire.

Upon opening the door, Xue Chen was greeted by Wuh Zhihao and Lee Chunhu.

"What brings you two here at this hour?" inquired Xue Chen.

Wuh Zhihao, scratching his head with a sheepish grin, replied, "We came to collect the cultivation spell. Slipped my mind last time."

Xue Chen fetched the spell and handed it over to Wuh Zhihao.

"Make sure to practice daily, or it won't be effective," he advised.

"Understood, Young Master. We'll be diligent. It's late; we should head out. And you, Young Master, should rest early too," Wuh Zhihao responded.

As Wuh Zhihao and Lee Chunhu made for the door, Xue Chen stopped them.

"Hold on!"

They turned back in unison. "Is there anything else you need, Young Master?"

Xue Chen considered that he would soon be instructing the Five Tigers in their cultivation journey. Mastering the art of refining magic tools was essential for any cultivator, so it was best they start learning now.

"I need your help with something!" declared Xue Chen.

"Whatever concerns the Young Master concerns us. What do you need?" Lee Chunhu eagerly asked.

Xue Chen gestured toward his desk.

"Do you see what that is?"

Wuh Zhihao exclaimed, "Young Master, isn't that the magic tool from that worthless cultivator of the Cloud Deriving Sect we encountered at Soong Mansion? How did it come into your possession?"

"Didn't you notice? I claimed that magic tool," Xue Chen explained.

"Ah, now I remember! When that thing showed up, we, the Five Tigers, were suddenly outmatched. But then the tables turned. So it was you who seized the magic tool! Young Master, you're incredible! By the way, what's the name of this magic tool?"