Suddenly hugged by Li Shuang, Luo Mingyue was momentarily flustered.
Li Shuang's eyes sparkled: "Senior Sister, you're so kind."
Luo Mingyue was a little overwhelmed.
She... she had some thoughts she shouldn't have, and Xiao Shuang still said she was so kind?
Li Shuang's eyes curved into a smile: "Those thoughts aren't your own, Senior Sister. You don't need to be troubled by them."
Li Shuang's words were very firm, and Luo Mingyue's expression relaxed.
She had told the truth because she felt she couldn't get past it in her heart.
But since Xiao Shuang trusted her so much.
That hint of trepidation completely vanished.
Li Shuang tilted her head to look at her: "So, Senior Sister, do you not need to walk with me anymore?"
Luo Mingyue coughed lightly: "No, no need! I'm going back to watch the fun at Lingxu Peak. Junior Sister, you just go about your business."
Luo Mingyue had an undisguised look of schadenfreude on her face.
Li Shuang couldn't help but laugh.
Luo Mingyue happily went back, and a warmth spread through Li Shuang's heart.
Those ten years were the ten years she doubted herself the most.
While doubting herself, she even began to doubt the world.
But.
The people of Wuqing Peak made her understand.
This world is worth it.
"Senior Sister, why did Junior Sister suddenly hug you just now?" Liu Juncheng asked in a low voice.
Jiang Yi also couldn't help but look over with some interest.
Luo Mingyue said somewhat proudly: "Isn't this standard procedure? What about you? Hasn't Junior Sister hugged you? Maybe your feelings aren't deep enough."
Liu Juncheng raised an eyebrow: "When we were in the Langya Secret Realm, Junior Sister gave me something. What about you? Hasn't Junior Sister given you anything? Maybe your feelings aren't deep enough."
The two of them looked at Jiang Yi in unison.
Jiang Yi became anxious, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out two words: "Childish!"
Luo Mingyue and Liu Juncheng ignored her and continued to argue about who was Li Shuang's favorite Senior Sister/Senior Brother.
Jiang Yi showed a dejected expression.
These two were indeed too childish!
Although she was the youngest, she would never do such boring things!
Yes, absolutely not!
Unaware that she had triggered the childish side of Luo Mingyue and the others, Li Shuang had already arrived at the refining room.
Li Shuang handed over her sect token: "Rent a C-grade secret room."
The disciple guarding the refining room took it and said: "A C-grade secret room is rented for three days at a time, costing 5 contribution points per rental."
Li Shuang said: "Rent it for three days first."
The disciple responded: "Contribution points have been deducted. The room is C-5, Senior Sister can go there herself. The information has been entered, Senior Sister can open the secret room door with her token."
"Thank you," Li Shuang replied.
Within the sect, contribution points were needed everywhere.
However, she currently had plenty of contribution points, so she didn't need to worry about it for now.
It wasn't Li Shuang's first time in the refining room. She skillfully went to the door of room C-5, inserted her token into the slot on the door, and the door opened by itself.
Li Shuang, holding her token, stepped inside.
A wave of heat washed over her.
Underneath this place, a fire vein was connected. The Sword Sect elders had refined this fire vein, dividing it into different grades for disciples with different needs.
A C-grade secret room could be used to forge first to third-grade swords.
A B-grade secret room could be used to forge fourth to sixth-grade swords.
An A-grade secret room could be used to forge seventh and eighth-grade swords.
As for the legendary ninth-grade swords, other methods would be required.
Even if this earth fire was operated to its extreme, it probably couldn't melt ninth-grade materials.
Basically, there were two ways to refine ninth-grade swords. Cultivators with supreme fire spiritual roots, after cultivating to the Tribulation Transcending stage, their cultivated flames could process ninth-grade materials.
If one didn't possess a fire spiritual root, they would have to seek out the legendary Heavenly Fire as an aid.
Of course.
These matters were still too distant for Li Shuang.
Her current goal was just to refine a second-grade sword.
Now.
In room C-5, a cluster of earth fire burned day and night, and all kinds of refining tools were readily available, ready for use.
But Li Shuang didn't rush to refine.
She found a corner and sat down cross-legged, then took out the Black Abyss Sword and all the selected upgrade materials.
Lili sat on Li Shuang's shoulder, her expression also a little nervous.
Was she about to...
...upgrade?
Li Shuang closed her eyes.
Locking onto the Black Abyss Sword and the prepared materials with her spiritual sense, Li Shuang silently recited.
"Exchange the Black Abyss Sword and the materials: second-grade Frost Forging Stone, second-grade Sharp Gold Stone... and a bottle of Spirit Quenching Water, for a perfectly forged second-grade Black Abyss Sword!"
A faint prayer stirred in Li Shuang's heart.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace had made it very clear.
All things in heaven and earth could be exchanged.
Currently, it seemed to be true; as long as she offered the price, there was nothing the Heaven and Earth Furnace couldn't exchange.
So now?
Could the Heaven and Earth Furnace skip the forging process and directly combine the Black Abyss Sword and the materials to exchange for a second-grade Black Abyss Sword?
If it truly could.
In the future, as long as she collected the materials, the upgrade of the Black Abyss Sword would no longer be a problem.
Sometimes, craftsmanship was more precious than materials.
Looking across the Southern Azure Continent, many people had collected ninth-grade materials, but very few possessed ninth-grade magical artifacts.
It wasn't that they didn't want to upgrade their magical artifacts, but that they lacked suitable refining masters.
The same logic applied.
High-grade alchemists were also extremely rare, which kept the price of high-grade elixirs consistently high.
If the Heaven and Earth Furnace could skip this refining process and directly produce the finished product.
This thing would truly be heaven-defying.
As Li Shuang anticipated.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace displayed information: "Unequal value, success rate is ninety-three percent."
Li Shuang's eyes flickered slightly, and she took a careful look.
The items on both sides still differed by 100 value points.
Li Shuang added another high-grade spirit stone, and the values on both sides became completely equal.
"Values are equal, success rate is one hundred percent."
"Choose: 1. Directly forged by the furnace. 2. Guided by the furnace, personally completed by the user."
After the values became completely equal, the furnace actually offered two choices.
One was for the furnace to complete it directly, skipping the forging process.
The other was for Li Shuang herself, under guidance, to personally complete the perfectly crafted second-grade sword.
Li Shuang made her choice after only a brief thought.
"Choose 2. Guided by the furnace, personally completed by the user."
She had just made her choice.
The next moment.
Many related pieces of knowledge instantly appeared in her mind, and Li Shuang stood up uncontrollably.
Her original forging skills were quite good; at least, forging a second-grade sword was no problem.
But at this moment, looking at these materials, she had a strange feeling.
Li Shuang stepped forward and skillfully took out a piece of five-colored clay.
This material was very common and, when used in forging, could act as a binder for materials.
Li Shuang knew how to process five-colored clay before, but this time, many more details appeared in her mind.