Chapter 204: Artifact Venerable · Soul Refiner!
'I can feel that my body is undergoing some kind of change, and that change carries both a crisis and an opportunity.'
Since Jiang Lin was practicing both the Forging Fire Art and the Soul Refining Art, the little chubby Lin in his spiritual platform could subtly sense that something terrifying was happening to his body. The reason it was described as "terrifying" was because his spiritual perception was warning him.
'You can always trust your spiritual perception.' The words his mother had conveyed to him through Mr. Yao seemed to echo in his ears again.
Inside Room 404 of the Weapon Refining Guild, Jiang Lin sat cross-legged on the stone floor, beginning the first training of the Forging Fire Art since his breakthrough to Da Dou Shi.
"One thing I misjudged, the Forging Fire Art has no rank. This great and simple technique will continue to evolve with the improvement of the practitioner's realm. It's not really an upgrade, if I were to describe it with code, the code of the Forging Fire Art will automatically expand, and it expands in a very simple way—by exponentially self-replicating."
"And another thing I got wrong, this technique isn't just for me to build a foundation. Well, it is for building a foundation, but the true goal is to refine the Spirit Clan blood inside my body!" Through introspection, Jiang Lin was able to observe that the color of his blood was quietly changing. If his spiritual perception wasn't so strong, he would have never noticed. Although his blood appeared red to the naked eye, through spiritual perception, it revealed a different color!
"Before I started practicing, my blood appeared cyan, then slowly turned into cyan gold, and then gold. But now... it has completely turned into crimson gold."
In the invisible rising aura inside the room, Jiang Lin closed his eyes, internally observing the 'crimson gold spirit blood' surging like a roaring wave through his veins. His eyes dimmed slightly.
At first, Jiang Lin hadn't realized how much was happening, but as the Forging Fire Art's rank increased, the intensity of refining the bloodline grew stronger. Only then did Jiang Lin truly notice the subtle and overt effects of the Forging Fire Art.
"So, this is to build my divine foundation and sever my past?" Jiang Lin silently murmured in his heart.
He was sure that his mother was from the Spirit Clan. His eyes and spiritual perception were inherited from her. So, if Yaocen wasn't lying, then his mother must have known the effects of the Forging Fire Art, which was why she left it for him as a final gift.
"'Trust your spiritual perception.' If I believe in these words, then my mother must be telling me something through them—something like..."
"Under the Forging Fire Art, once the ratio between my body and Dou Qi reaches a certain level, Dou Qi can no longer drive my body, thus refining myself."
Sigh... Jiang Lin sighed softly, slowly finishing his training for the day. He looked at the stone floor around him, which seemed to have burn marks from the high temperature, and the last remaining hint of cyan in his eyes was finally replaced by crimson.
"In the end... has the last trace of my Spirit Clan's mark vanished?"
Jiang Lin opened his brilliant and deep crimson-gold eyes, silently observing the world in front of him.
In the Soul Palace's territory in the Central State of the Dou Qi continent, at a certain mysterious residence, Hu Lei, with his silver short hair, stood respectfully outside the mansion. Beside him stood a group of black-robed individuals, all seemingly here on business. These black-robed figures shared a common characteristic: their aura was extremely cold and evil, and even a glance seemed to affect one's mind, potentially devouring one's soul.
Although Hu Lei appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already in his throat. These people were far too dangerous! Their ominous aura was almost tangible, and he could feel the countless greedy, mocking eyes glaring at him. But he dared not respond; he could only silently lower his head, waiting for the voice of his master from within the mansion.
Although he knew that every time he came to visit his master, he would be watched by these unknown entities—be they human or ghost—he had prepared himself mentally. Still, every time he faced such a scene, Hu Lei felt his spine shiver.
Creak...
Finally, just as Hu Lei couldn't hold back the sweat forming on his back, the mansion doors creaked open. A pale, indifferent young woman dressed in black with a veil walked out. As she emerged, Hu Lei finally let out a silent sigh of relief. He noticed that all the ominous figures around him had shifted their attention to the black-clad woman, their gazes filled with intense eagerness and expectation.
Upon seeing this, the black-clad woman's pretty brows furrowed slightly. A flash of disgust passed through her cold gray-purple eyes, and she spoke with an icy tone, "There are only three Soul Orbs this time. You figure it out yourselves!"
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and three gray lights flew from her palm, each heading in different directions. Once the Soul Orbs were thrown, the black-robed figures outside scrambled like wild dogs catching food, scattering and chasing the Soul Orbs. In an instant, they vanished into the horizon, and powerful soul fluctuations erupted as a fierce battle began!
"Hu Lei, don't mind them. Come inside. Master happens to be free now." The black-clad woman, Soul Ke'er, gave Hu Lei a slight nod, then turned to walk inside, leaving the powerful soul bodies outside in a frenzy over the Soul Orbs. Hu Lei, seeing this, couldn't be bothered to be surprised anymore and hurriedly followed, fearing that in such a ghostly place, he might be eaten by some unknown entity that might pop out of nowhere.
"Don't mind it, Hu Lei. The Soul Palace has its annual madness with these soul bodies. They are like discarded tools, no one cares about them. Master is kind-hearted, willing to forge Soul Orbs to give those about to self-destruct a chance at rebirth."
Soul Orbs were special soul artifacts with the sole function of stabilizing one's mind.
Soul Clan's Soul Artifact Venerable, special supply.
Although Soul Ke'er referred to Hu Lei as "senior brother," Hu Lei knew that the cultivation of the person in front of him wasn't inferior to his own, so he didn't dare be careless. He immediately nodded, saying, "Master is kind-hearted!"
"Let's go. You're Master's only foreign disciple. There's no need to be so restrained. Just remember not to speak out of turn. Master has been in a bad mood lately. I'm not sure if you'll bring anything interesting enough for him." When speaking to someone she was familiar with, Soul Ke'er's tone became much more conversational, but it was still limited.
"Go inside, but remember, don't speak unnecessarily." Arriving at the front of a simple yet imposing hall, Soul Ke'er stood outside, signaling for Hu Lei to enter alone.
Outside, Hu Lei respectfully bowed and said, "Disciple Hu Lei, coming to pay respects to Master!"
"Come in," a faint voice echoed in Hu Lei's mind.
He pushed open the hall doors and finally met his master.
The peak of Nine Turn Dou Zun, known as the "Soul Refiner," the Artifact Venerable, Soul Craftsman.
(END CHAPTER)
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