With such a material at hand, many of the tedious steps Yu Ci could be skipped. Thus, in less than half an hour, Yu Ci’s first attempt at Artifact Refinement yielded fresh results.
The shape of the demonic creature's skull had scarcely changed, save for the widest crack atop its bald crown closing slightly, and the periphery of its withered flesh appearing somewhat revitalized. If Uncle Lu De were to witness this rushed job, he would surely kick Yu Ci over in disapproval, yet Yu Ci was quite satisfied; it met his requirements to a tee.
Without further delay, he delved into the Inner Void of the Heart, seizing the immobilized Master of the Sunken Sword Cave. With a forceful toss, the Shadow Ghost was sent spinning through the air, and by the time he regained his senses, he found himself in an entirely new place. Stunned for a moment, he then started cursing vehemently:
"Yu Ci, you brat, what have you done? Release me at once!"
Yu Ci’s laugh was cold and piercing, "What's the rush? This is your future..."
To say this individual lacked any strength would be inaccurate. At that moment, the demonic creature's skull in Yu Ci’s hand vibrated continuously, growing hot to the touch as if struggling to break free. Yet, with just a bit more force from Yu Ci, the creature’s thrashing was rendered futile. Unsatisfied, Yu Ci channeled Divine Light and swiftly inscribed a Talisman within the void, embedding it into the demonic creature's skull. The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave let out a pained groan, feeling as though hundreds of chains had bound him, leaving him utterly incapable of movement.
What was more terrifying was that he found himself involuntarily seeping into the demonic creature's skull, experiencing the sensation of being buried alive. Yet his Spirit remained unimpaired, and he was acutely aware throughout the ordeal—an experience he had never encountered even after eons in the Sword Garden.
He knew that Yu Ci intended to seal him within this inferior Magical Instrument as an Artifact Spirit. Such a method dashed all his hopes, making death seem a preferable alternative. He was simultaneously shocked, angry, fearful, and resentful, repeatedly cursing "Yu Ci, you brat," but to no avail.
Furthermore, as he merged with it, the demonic creature's skull even began to show subtle changes in expression, a sight that could terrify the faint-hearted out of their wits.
"Let's call this thing 'Ghost Prison'," Yu Ci declared, not concealing his intentions in the slightest. "I am aware that you possess the ability to absorb Outer Realm Sky Demons to restore your Cultivation Level. However, trapped here, cut off from the outside world, you need not harbor any more thoughts. Just stay put, and when I devise the rules, then we will discuss your fate."
"Yu Ci, you brat, Yu Ci, you brat!"
The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave was now fully integrated with the demonic creature's skull, henceforth becoming the Artifact Spirit of this Magical Instrument. In reality, such a rudimentary Magical Instrument, lacking even the capabilities of some crafted tools, was hardly sufficient to sustain the existence of an Artifact Spirit. If left to natural progression, the scant power it possessed would be whittled away by the dissipating nimbus Qi, until it lost even the ability to maintain its own Spirit and intellect.
That sensation was akin to the millennia-long struggles of the Xuan Huang upon the Sword Sacrifice Platform.
Having completed all this, Yu Ci felt a refreshing clarity of mind, with all his internal blockages dissolved. As he sat down again, he easily gathered his full concentration, casting aside past affairs, and recommenced the lengthy Refinement process.
Time flew by, blurring the lines between moments. Seasons were even harder to discern atop the Star Plucking Tower, and Yu Ci had lost track of precisely how long he had been there, though he estimated it to be around seven or eight months.
About a month ago, he had begun the Refinement of the Immortal Bind Rope. Now, the Refinement levels were increasing rapidly. The progress on the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal and the Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil had slowed somewhat, but as the Refinement levels rose, the subsequent Talismans became increasingly complex and profound, which was within the bounds of reason.
However, Yu Ci was far from pleased, for he had encountered a bottleneck.
Not in Refinement, but in his Cultivation Level.
The predicament was baffling. Yu Ci found that he could no longer use Refinement of Magical Instruments to increase his Cultivation Level. It was as if the marvelous effects of the Primordial Root Qi Method had vanished overnight. Whether it was due to a mistake in practice or some other reason, Yu Ci was left in confusion.
Having spent over half a year in the tower, this was the first time Yu Ci felt such a formidable obstacle in his cultivation. Perhaps it was time to descend and seek advice from Old Master Zhu?
That certainly seemed like a good idea, but then he thought, had Old Master Zhu anticipated this situation when assigning him this task? If so, rashly asking for help might seem improper. Besides, Yu Ci was accustomed to solving problems on his own. This situation had persisted for nearly ten days, yet he was not overly anxious, just continuously seeking solutions.
Like now, holding the Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil in his hand, he contemplated the flowing text, considering the cultivation of this side technique not only for its immediate impact on his strength but also because:
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Lateral learning might be a good approach.
The problem was, any attempt required time, especially for such an extremely profound method. Even with full dedication, short-term results were unlikely, and his time in the Star Plucking Tower was limited. How could he afford such expenditure?
Yu Ci shook his head, stood up, and assumed a stance. Without trying, he couldn't give up just yet.
After months of Refinement, he had memorized the hundreds of words and incantations on the Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil by heart and had used the opportunities during Refinement to comprehend and deduce the various changes of this method. Although it was not as intuitive as the demonstrations of the Slaying Gods Sword Intent and the True Essence of the Heavenly Dragon back in Return Village, with time, he believed he had mastered about seventy to eighty percent of the foundational steps.
Now, he cautiously released the Heart Demon's Evil Energy he had intentionally accumulated over time, allowing it to contaminate his Divine Soul. At the core, however, it remained like a speck of ice and snow—chill and pure—serving as the source of power for the subsequent cultivation of Sword aura.
He deliberately suppressed the effects of the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade and the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form. The Heart Demon's Evil Energy spread rapidly, and Yu Ci's sea of consciousness was tumultuous with waves. Memories that had settled completely were now stirring up, as time seemed to rewind at a breakneck pace.
Qu Thunderbolt-Free's sighs of regret, Xuan Huang's seemingly cheerful messages, Yu Qingxuan's aggressive grip on his neck, the arrogance of the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave... and even more distant memories from Cliff City, Sky Rift Valley, and the Twin Immortal Sect!
Many fragmented scenes flashed before Yu Ci's eyes, most of them negative, gloomy, and deeply unpleasant. A gray and dim tone dominated, and even trivial matters he considered long gone, like insignificant fish and shrimp, leaped out, perhaps not painful but certainly annoying.
Fortunately, at this time, he remembered that he was in the midst of cultivation and recalled the special Heart Method needed to absorb these negative emotions, treating them as if collecting venom. Then, using the "Transforming Light" technique, he refined and converted their nature.
He could feel his power growing, but the process was excruciating, as if his memories were being torn apart, crushed, and then mixed together. During this process, Yu Ci realized that his heart was not as broad as he had imagined. Even the tiniest details, perhaps just a facial expression or a glance, could trigger his negative emotions, not to mention the oppressive memories of his youth, which were like dark clouds pressing down on the roof, suffocating.
He wanted to vent, to shatter these surging dark clouds and muddy waves. The increasingly refined and gradually destructive embryonic form of sword aura gave him this impulse. Amid the far-reaching negative emotions, it brought a strange sense of pleasure, leading to an uncontrollable cascade.
The sword aura was condensing, yet the bizarre pleasure was expanding, quickly surpassing the mere stage of pain and unfolding anew. Yu Ci's thoughts were almost uncontrollable, like a great river breaking through a dam, spilling over its banks. He was reminded of joyful things, including the most direct, instinctual, and thrilling expressions, which coincided with his previous experiences at the Twin Immortal Sect. This unrestrained pleasure, a part of human nature, was universal.
And more, much more...
"Ah!"
With a loud cry, Yu Ci awoke with a start, only to see a purple aura swirling before his chest. In the Inner Void of the Heart, the fish-dragon thrashed its long body, shaking the Heart-Mind. Both internally and externally, they pulled him out of the mire from which he could not extricate himself.
In an instant, Yu Ci was drenched in cold sweat. Clearly, he had underestimated the difficulty of the Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil and had been too complacent about the dangers of indulging in the Heart Demon's Evil Energy. Just now, his Overturning of the Five Emotions had been triggered by extreme suffering and had unwittingly transitioned to the peril of indulging in pleasure and desire. It exploited a flaw in human nature, and had it not been for the collective internal and external effort, he might have been doomed beyond redemption.
Now safe from danger, Yu Ci was still shaken, his mood dampened by the memories that had been stirred. Unable to settle his mind and after some consideration, he decided to forgo his studies for the day and aimlessly wandered out of the building.
The Star Plucking Auxiliary Tower suspended seven hundred li in the air, reaching high into the clouds, and above it, piercing into the layer of the Nine Heavenly Gang winds, sat the Star Plucking Main Tower. This tower harnessed the mysterious energies of heaven and earth, drawing upon the essence of all five directions, making it a premier cultivation site, with effects far surpassing those of the auxiliary building.
Suddenly, Yu Ci remembered that he had not yet used a single day of his allotted eighteen days of cultivation time in the main tower. Would ascending to that height grant him a sliver of spiritual insight to break through his bottleneck? Moreover, it seemed that He Qing was currently in secluded cultivation there, and she had mentioned he could seek her out with any perplexing questions.
With that thought, Yu Ci no longer hesitated. He signaled to the Power Guardian Saint and leaped upwards.
The Star Plucking Main Tower stood atop the Sky-Supporting Mountain Pillar, also the nexus where billions of Talisman Divine Lights converged and circulated. By comparison, the Star Plucking Auxiliary Tower was but a bird's nest hanging off the mountain pillar, borrowing only a fraction of the main tower's splendor. As he flew to the pinnacle of the pillar and plunged into the Nine Heavenly Gang wind layer, Yu Ci felt a sudden heaviness upon him.
The external pressure was still too much for him, as Meng Wei and others had warned him before. He dared not delay and, without sparing a glance at the main tower's appearance, he exerted more force and charged towards the Star Plucking Tower's main entrance. The Power Guardian Saint cooperated splendidly, opening a crack in the large cyan-gray doors for him to enter.
Once inside, the pressure from the outside world lessened considerably, and at that moment, his spiritually sensitive nose caught the scent of Spirit wood. The main structure of the Star Plucking Main Tower was built from the rare 'Gang Nimbus Great Wood' of this realm. This timber, as sturdy as metal, possessed many wondrous spiritual effects after refinement; among them, its fragrance could dispel Heart Demons and invigorate one's vitality. Inhaling it deeply was indeed beneficial.
Yu Ci found himself in a small hall on the first floor of the Star Plucking Main Tower, with stairs leading up. Of course, not everyone was permitted to ascend; once he went up, his eighteen-day cultivation period would begin. He glanced around to take in his surroundings, but before he could look closely, a voice drifted down from the staircase:
"...'the sea of qi churns, and death strikes as swiftly as an arrow,' encapsulating the perilous nature of this technique, yet also the profound mysteries it contains. Without this approach, one can never push it to the realm of perfection."
*********
I didn't get home until ten o'clock at night, feeling utterly helpless and deeply apologetic. The adjustments of the past two days have been wasted all at once.