Meng Lin placed her spiritual will against the barrier within her mind palace, probing it cautiously. A sharp resistance pushed back, forcing her to stop.
Not minding it in the slightest, Meng Lin began to explore all the other areas that were not restricted, and as she did so, she discovered small intricate details about her spiritual consciousness.
She quickly discovered the true extent of her spiritual consciousness; her maximum radius was an impressive 29 miles, a vast range that was almost double the normal amount.
She could sense everything within this radius—every fluctuation in spiritual energy and every living being within it; even the ants on the ground wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Focusing her concentration, Meng Lin realized that she could also condense all her spiritual consciousness into a single point, a new move that drastically enhanced its potency.
Meng Lin quickly stopped using the Spiritual Body Analyzer, spreading her spiritual consciousness outward, quickly encompassing the whole island and beyond.
She began experimenting, directing all her spiritual consciousness at some poor low-rank 1 sea beast by the shore.
The result left her slightly surprised. The intensity of her spiritual consciousness, now focused to a single point, struck the mind of the beast with overwhelming force.
She didn’t even feel a single resistance as their mental defenses shattered under the pressure, reducing their consciousness to nothing. It was a precise and brutal attack—mind destruction in its purest form.
She continued to experiment, even utilizing the Spiritual Body Analyzer again on her spiritual consciousness while it was spread out.
She discovered that it resembled the ocean she had seen in her head; however, it was more spread out, as if one inch of water covered the whole 24-mile radius.
Done with her experiment, Meng Lin stood up, stretching her limbs, feeling the raw power coursing through her veins. She missed the feeling of Qi running through her body; it made her feel lighter.
Her Qi was much denser, and her spiritual consciousness was sharper than ever before. Even the ambient Qi in her surroundings seemed to respond to her presence, swirling slightly as if drawn toward her.
Her gaze fell on the empty bottles and pill containers scattered around her cultivation chamber. With a wave of her hand, she stored them away. “A small price to pay,” she muttered.
The resources she had consumed might have been considered extravagant by others, but to her, they were a necessary investment for the road ahead.
She also realized that consuming so many pills all at once lessened each pill's effect one after the other; otherwise, she calculated that the pills consumed would be enough for her to reach the peak stage if consumed moderately.
"And now I have almost no pills," Meng Lin sighed.
Of course, she was only talking about pills that had an effect on her. Currently, within her inventory, she still had multiple bottles of rank 2 and rank 3 pills.
"Now for the blacksmith panel," Meng Lin grinned, in a good mood as she stepped out of the alchemy room, heading toward the blacksmithing room.
The soft hum of residual Qi lingered in the air as Meng Lin arrived at the blacksmithing room. The room was a stark contrast to the serene alchemy chamber she had just left.
Here, heat and fire energy dominated the atmosphere. The walls were lined with fire Qi, and Meng Lin felt slightly uncomfortable being within the room.
Her gaze swept across the room before she walked forward to the center. Apart from the fiery Qi in the air, the room was also empty.
After sitting down, Meng Lin finally opened her blacksmith panel, noticing a small change within.
[Blacksmith (Advanced) 50% > 80%]
Weapon slot: none
Ingredients: none
Chance of success: 50% > 80% (+10)
Meng Lin’s gaze lingered on her blacksmith panel, a subtle change catching her attention. The “Advanced” status was familiar, and the 30% increase was within expectations.
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She had broken through multiple realms, from the early stage of the Gold Core Realm when she last refined something to the late stage of the Soul Wandering Realm; she had gained a lot more knowledge compared to before.
It was the "+10" next to her chance of success that was something she didn't expect at all.
She paused, feeling the residual fire Qi that filled the room. The heat seemed to press against her, making her body tingle with the intensity of the energy around her.
"It must be the environment..." she murmured, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. It was clear that the atmosphere in the blacksmithing room was somehow boosting her proficiency.
But how? And more importantly, did her master intend for this effect to happen? Meng Lin couldn’t help but wonder.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I’ll have to ask Master about this next time." Her curiosity grew.
Taking a deep breath, Meng Lin focused on the task at hand. "Let’s see what I can create," she whispered as she entered the weapon slot before selecting the item options.
She was quickly shown items that she could create; she scrolled down through the options and finally found something that caused her to pause.
Before her was a middle-grade item that seemed too simple, almost mundane compared to the more refined options. It was called Mystic Serpent Scale.
The materials required were not overly rare; she quickly found all of them within the market for just 200 system coins.
It was an item she would never have paid much attention to in the past, but it brought back her memories of the Mystic Serpent Amulet that she still had not used.
After receiving the amulet, which summons the ancient spirit seal of a mystic serpent, Meng Lin stored it within her inventory, forgetting about it.
It seemed now was the perfect starting point, something she could expand on.
[Blacksmith (Advanced) 80%]
Weapon slot: Mystic Serpent Scale
Ingredients: Serpent Bone x2, Iron Ore x3, Viper Venom x1, Cobra Scale x1, Bloodstone Powder x1.
Chance of success: 80% (+10)
She took a deep breath, feeling a bit of excitement and nostalgia as she prepared to create the dagger. She carefully placed the Serpent Bones, Iron Ore, and the rest into the refining cauldron.
Without wasting any more time, she focused her attention on the start button of the second panel.
The refining cauldron began to heat up at once, and a countdown timer appeared.
1:59 seconds.
Meng Lin felt the intensity of the spiritual energy within the cauldron as it interacted with the ingredients, slowly transforming them into the desired form.
As the countdown timer ticked away, the cauldron's heat intensified, further molding the ingredients together. A misty silver mist swirled and twirled within the cauldron until finally, the timer reached zero.
The cauldron's flames subsided, and the misty silver dissipated, revealing a blood-red scale floating above the cauldron.
Meng Lin stared at the Mystic Serpent Scale, a small panel appearing right afterward.
[Congratulations! You have successfully created a middle-grade item: Mystic Serpent Scale]
[You have gained Experience]
The Mystic Serpent Scale floated gently before her, emanating a faint aura of venomous energy mixed with an unusual metallic sheen.
Meng Lin smiled faintly, recalling her attempts at blacksmithing long ago. This time, the process felt smoother, more natural.
Meng Lin reached out and picked up the scale. It was surprisingly light but sturdy, and when she channeled a small thread of Qi into it, the scale shimmered, releasing a faint toxic mist that quickly dissipated.
[Mystic Serpent Scale]
A middle-grade item that can be fused with weapons or armor to imbue them with toxic properties. Provides slight poison resistance when carried. Can evolve through blacksmith refinement or fusion with higher-grade items.
Her thoughts shifted to the Mystic Serpent Amulet she had stored away. It was still lying dormant in her inventory.
"Perfect," Meng Lin murmured, her fingers tightening around the scale.
****
Two whole days passed in a blur as Meng Lin created over a dozen medium-grade items in preparation for high-grade weapons. On the second day, her blacksmithing skills reached expert level, and she crafted four high-grade items.
Incorporating the Dark-Gold Spirit Ore with multiple other ingredients, like the crystal of pure yin, the soul water drop, as well as the crystal from the crystal serpent's cave, she was able to create custom items and weapons.
The first was the Armor Shattering Axe, a massive battle axe forged with pure Dark-Gold Spirit Ore. Its blade was dull, yet once used, it could shatter most high-grade items.
Next, she crafted the Soul Binding Chain, a chain infused with the crystal of pure yin and soul water drops with the Dark-Gold Spirit Ore. It could bind and trap souls, drawing out their essence and rendering them powerless.
The third item was an upgraded Mystic Serpent Amulet. Using the Mystic Serpent Scale along with the Dark-Gold Spirit Ore and the original mystic serpent pendant, Meng Lin created an amulet that could not only summon the ancient spirit seal of a mystic serpent, but it could also store vast amounts of venom.
Finally, the last one was called the Frostpetal Hairpin, an elegant yet powerful accessory crafted from both the ore and the rare Ice-Touched Crystal, which was the name given by the system to the crystal from the crystal serpent's cave.
The hairpin granted her the ability to manipulate a small amount of elemental Qi of ice, although its main purpose was in its ability to create ice elemental Qi, allowing her to slowly comprehend the elemental Qi.
"Now," pleased with her work, Meng Lin admired the four items before focusing on the Dark-Gold Spirit Ore in each of them.
It was an ore that could be used to enhance other items to top grade; utilizing it in all four items ensured that they all had the potential to reach top-grade items if nurtured properly.
Smiling slightly, Meng Lin was about to take out the four broken weapons that she bought a few days ago when suddenly she felt something within her inventory react.
Meng Lin paused, frowning slightly; she mentally reached toward the source, summoning it to her palm.
A smooth, palm-sized golden token appeared in her hand, its surface shimmering faintly with intricate engravings of clouds and mountains—the symbol of the Soul Shattering Sect.
As she inspected it closely, a wave of spiritual energy surged from the token, and a voice emerged within it.
“All Soul Shattering Sect disciples are to return to the sect immediately.”
Meng Lin’s brows furrowed as the voice faded, leaving the golden token pulsating faintly in her hand and the spiritual energy lingering in the air.
She flipped the token over, inspecting its engravings. The color it emitted was red, meaning the highest order of summon. For such a summon to be issued, something significant must have happened.
"Why now?" she muttered, placing the token back into her inventory. The last time the sect issued such an urgent recall was during the attack by the Scarlet Demon Sect.
"Is the stalemate broken?" Meng Lin stood, her gaze shifting to the items she had crafted. The timing couldn’t have been more ironic; she had just completed several powerful weapons and tools, perfect for battle.
Her thoughts turned to De Sijie, Xi Lin, and Xi Lan, and she strode out of the blacksmithing room, walking towards the open platform of the castle.
A fresh breeze carrying the faint scent of sea salt drifted over, and the open sky stretched endlessly above. Meng Lin stopped at the edge, her gaze lingering on the horizon.
Suddenly, the air beside her shimmered, and the space there was ripped open. A faint golden glow illuminated the open space, and through it, Li Yu's voice drifted out.
"You're going."
Meng Lin turned to face the portal and held up the golden token. "Yes. I did swear an oath after all."
Li Yu’s voice carried a note of concern. "The sect wouldn't issue such a recall lightly. It’s clear the situation is dangerous. If you encounter anything beyond your strength, use the Void-State Tablet without hesitation."
Meng Lin nodded solemnly. "I understand. I’ll be cautious."
A moment of silence followed before Li Yu continued, her tone thoughtful. "Do you intend to inform the others, that Xi Lan could come in handy?"
Meng Lin hesitated, glancing toward the castle where the others remained deep in their cultivation chambers. "I could, but they’re focused on their progress. Besides, I can't guarantee their safety."
Li Yu’s voice softened. "Hmm. For now, trust your instincts and prepare for what lies ahead."
"Yes, Master," Meng Lin replied firmly.
The space began to shimmer, its light fading as Li Yu’s presence gradually withdrew.
As the space closed up, Meng Lin turned her gaze back to the horizon. "War or not, I'll be ready."
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned her Crimson Tortoise Dragon. The creature emerged in a burst of fiery light, its majestic form towering over her.
“Let's go to the nearest ancient teleportation formation,” Meng Lin instructed, climbing onto its back. The dragon let out a low hint of acknowledgment before soaring into the sky.