The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Jiang Xuan carefully examined the blade in his hand, his fingers gently tracing the cool yet resilient blade, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

He didn't linger. Holding the knife blank and carrying the limp Qiuqiu, he turned around and went back to his room, closing the door again.

Xue Jin looked at his hurried comings and goings, completely absorbed in his own world, and couldn't help but chuckle in surprise, shaking her head.

In the courtyard, only the exhausted Qiuqiu was left, placed on the table by Jiang Xuan. The little guy weakly chirped twice, its big eyes looking pitifully at Xue Jin.

Xue Jin felt a pang of heartache at the sight, and grumbling, he pulled out another top-grade Azure Spirit Crystal from his pocket and stuffed it into Qiu Qiu's mouth.

"Eat up, eat up. Following that kid has been the worst luck. He's done a lot of work, and I have to feed him!"

As he fed it, he muttered to himself, feeling as if he had been tricked by that kid Jiang Xuan. It seemed that the little thing's food supply might really be on his shoulders for a long time.

In reality, Jiang Xuan had no time to spare at the moment. Once he was engrossed in his work, he became completely absorbed and forgot everything else.

Inside the room, he settled the weak Qiuqiu down and immediately sat down at his desk. On the desk, his meticulously designed spirit pattern drawings were already spread out, and next to them were several kinds of spirit ink with different attributes, each shimmering with a different spiritual light.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions, and his eyes instantly became as deep and calm as an ancient well.

He took a specially made seal-writing brush, crafted from the mane of some powerful demon beast and spirit wood, and carefully dipped it into one of the spirit inks that shone with a star-like silver-blue luster.

The pen tip fell, precisely landing on the base of the black blade near the guard.

This battle sword he forged was custom-made for himself. From the selection of materials and structural design to the mixing of spirit ink and the conception of spirit patterns, everything was done by him. He had repeatedly rehearsed each step in his mind countless times, striving for perfection and not allowing the slightest flaw.

This habit was instilled in him by Mr. Lu's almost harsh teaching in his early years.

His wrists were steady, his brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes. His movements were sometimes deep and simple, like a majestic mountain, containing a profound and unyielding spirit; at other times, they became ethereal and unrestrained, like a vast ocean flowing, carrying a magnificent and unbridled style.

The tip of the seal script brush moved across the hard blade, emitting an extremely subtle yet rhythmic "shush" sound. Intricate and profound spiritual lines were perfectly imprinted onto the blade with his unparalleled precision.

Each stroke perfectly drew upon the power contained within the spiritual ink, aligning seamlessly with his own soul perception.

This time, he plans to engrave forty-nine independent yet interconnected spiritual patterns on this battle blade, each subtly conforming to a certain cyclical energy technique! These patterns are interlocked, with each change affecting the entire blade; their complexity and difficulty of achieving harmony far exceed any of the spiritual artifacts he has crafted before!
If it weren't for his soul power being far superior to his peers due to the "Minor Underworld Divine Art" and his understanding of the essence of spirit patterns being far beyond that of ordinary people, he would never have dared to attempt such a complex nesting of spirit patterns.

Time slipped away second by second as he focused intently on the seal carving.

One day, two days, three days...

Jiang Xuan was like a stone sculpture, neither eating nor drinking, neither sleeping nor resting, his entire mind focused on the seal script brush and the knife blank.

His movements remained steady, but the speed had noticeably slowed down, and each stroke appeared exceptionally heavy.

Beside the desk were dozens of empty spirit ink jade bottles.

At this moment, the blade is covered with forty-eight spirit patterns that shimmer with different attributes. They are interconnected and faintly form a spirit pattern system that is incomplete but already shows extraordinary potential. Only the last core pattern is needed to complete the system and achieve a perfect cycle!
Jiang Xuan held the seal script brush, the tip of which was dipped in the last kind of spiritual ink with a chaotic color, and slowly dropped it onto the last and most crucial core spiritual pattern node at the tip of the knife.

His face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of cold sweat that slid down his temples.

Although his gaze remained focused, it revealed an undeniable weariness and exhaustion, even showing signs of distraction.

His fingers, holding the pen, were trembling slightly.

in vivo.

The rotation of the "Storm Millstone" had become extremely slow, and its spiritual energy was almost exhausted. In the sea of ​​consciousness, the twenty-one soul stars also dimmed, their soul perception severely depleted, almost to the point of exhaustion.

The final push!

The difficulty of the actual operation ultimately exceeded his previous expectations.

This final core spirit rune requires him to gather all the remaining mental energy, spiritual power, and soul power he has at this moment, and complete it in one go without any interruption or deviation!

Otherwise, all his previous efforts would be in vain! All the precious spiritual materials he had invested, as well as his tireless efforts over the past three days and three nights, would be wasted!
The pen tip trembled, laboriously, bit by bit, falling towards that final point...

Just as the tip of the pen was about to touch the blade blank, the spirit runes that Jiang Xuan had deduced countless times in his mind seemed to come alive, spinning and colliding wildly, emitting a buzzing sound like thousands of bees flapping their wings. An indescribable sense of irritability and stagnation surged into his heart, making it impossible for him to make a perfect stroke no matter what.

He abruptly stopped writing, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Forcibly suppressing the agitation that was almost driving him to the brink of madness, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and forced himself to calm down, reorganizing the entire conception and deduction of the spirit rune system in his mind.

Once, twice, three times...

The first forty-eight spirit runes were interconnected, with a rigorous structure and no problems whatsoever. The problem lay with this last one, the most crucial "thread" connecting the entire spirit rune system! It should have perfectly linked everything, initiating the cyclical flow of energy, but now it exhibited a "malfunction"—a failure to fit together properly!
To make modifications would be tantamount to overturning all previous efforts, which is simply impossible given the already formed blade blank and the mostly solidified spirit patterns. If no modifications are made, this one stroke will either result in a conflict between the spirit patterns, leading to a failure in the forging process, or it will barely take shape, but the power of the battle blade will be greatly reduced, and it may even leave hidden dangers, far from the perfect work he wanted.

"It wasn't carelessness... it's just that there's a gap between what we did and what we expected..."

Jiang Xuan understood immediately, and a tremendous sense of powerlessness and despair began to spread through him. The mental exhaustion from three consecutive days and nights of sleepless nights had already pushed him to his limit, and this final hurdle was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Is it really going to be all for naught?

Just as he was wavering and almost giving up, a dazzling light flashed through his mind!

Those are… those flowing spiritual patterns in the “Refining God” level of the Heavenly Secret Realm, which seem to have life and are eternally in motion! Their trajectories are not fixed, but full of dynamism and change, as if they are explaining some supreme law of flow between heaven and earth, and even hiding the secrets of the inheritance of the “Minor Underworld Divine Art”!

"Fixed... trajectory... no! Spirit runes can also be alive! They can be fluid!"

A flash of inspiration, like lightning, cleaved through the fog in his mind!

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the brushstroke that was about to fall along the fixed trajectory suddenly deviated at the critical moment! No longer bound by the rigid lines that had been deduced countless times on the drawing paper, but following the sudden enlightenment in his heart, and following the natural aura emanating from the forty-eight spirit patterns on the blade blank, his wrist trembled, and the brush moved like a dragon and a snake!

One after another, seemingly chaotic and irregular spiritual patterns appeared rapidly around the final node as his pen moved.

These trajectories intersect, entwine, separate, and converge, seemingly chaotic, yet subtly forming a strange and vibrant dynamic balance, like a group of nimble little fish swimming happily in that area!

As the last stroke was made, the seemingly chaotic trajectory suddenly lit up, as if it had been infused with a soul, instantly connecting and merging perfectly with the forty-eight spirit patterns in front of it!
“Buzz——!!!”

A deep, soul-piercing hum suddenly erupted from the black blade!
Forty-nine spirit runes lit up simultaneously, emitting a brilliant yet not dazzling multicolored light. This light flowed and circulated across the blade like water, forming a perfect and profound whole! An indescribable, sharp, domineering, yet subtly dynamic sword intent soared into the sky! "Pfft—"

Jiang Xuan could no longer hold on. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning ashen. He felt as if all his strength had been drained, and his vision went black as he fell backward. The seal script brush in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

But at the corners of his mouth was a satisfied yet weary smile.

Become!

……

Outside the room, in the small courtyard.

Xue Jin remained lying in the rocking chair, sipping her wine casually, seemingly relaxed, but her gaze kept glancing at Jiang Xuan's tightly closed door.

He knew that the time required for a spirit rune master to inscribe a spirit artifact varied, and he had no shortage of patience. However, he did not know that this was Jiang Xuan's first attempt at such a complex self-created spirit rune nesting, and that he had been in seclusion for a full three days.

As the sun began to set on the third day, Xue Jin's brows furrowed slightly. Just as he was feeling that this time might be taking a little too long, his expression shifted, and he looked sharply toward the courtyard gate.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and two figures walked in one after the other.

The person in front was none other than Granny Feng, with a detached expression and holding a dragon-headed cane.

Following behind her was Chu Feng from the Spirit Pattern Masters' Guild. However, Chu Feng looked dejected and bitter, and his steps were unsteady. Clearly, he had been forced by Granny Feng to come and lead the way through some means.

Granny Feng came because she couldn't suppress the anger she felt at being tricked by Jiang Xuan.

She was unwilling to be manipulated by a mere youth and insisted on personally meeting the mysterious "Master Xun" to confirm whether Jiang Xuan's actions were truly authorized by his master, lest the boy use his master's name to line his own pockets and act recklessly.

Chu Feng was extremely unlucky. Granny Feng came directly to the Spirit Pattern Master's Society and, under her blunt threats, he was powerless to resist and could only lead the way in humiliation.

He prayed silently that if Senior Xue Jin were present, she could stop this old woman who clearly had ill intentions.

Granny Feng stepped into the courtyard, her cold gaze sweeping across the room before landing directly on the tightly closed door. She spoke softly, but her voice carried an invisible pressure.

"Where is the Master? This old woman, Granny Feng, has come to pay her a visit."

Chu Feng steeled himself, pointed to the door, and whispered.

"Master Xun... usually practices meditation here."

Upon hearing this, Granny Feng was about to go and knock on the door.

"Wait a minute."

Xue Jin's voice rang out lazily. He sat up from the rocking chair and stood between Granny Feng and the door, still holding the large wine jar that was half a person's height in his hand. "Old crazy woman, don't get so angry. Master Xun is in seclusion refining an important spiritual artifact and has instructed that no outsiders be received."

Granny Feng looked at Xue Jin, who had suddenly appeared, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected Xue Jin to be here, and it seemed she had a close relationship with Master Xun. "Xue Jin? What are you doing here? You and Master Xun..."

Chu Feng quickly added from the side.

"Grandma Feng, Senior Xue Jin is a close friend of Master Xun. He usually... occasionally protects the Master here."

He said this half-truths, hoping to fool the other party.

Xue Jin nodded in agreement, let out a burp, and said.

"good.

"Old madman, Master Xun already knows about the Ancient Law Spirit Ocarina. Since he has agreed, he will naturally handle it as soon as possible. Just go back and wait patiently."

Upon hearing that Master Xun already knew, Granny Feng's expression softened slightly, but her purpose did not end there.

She turned her gaze and said coldly.

“Since Master Xun is in seclusion, it is inconvenient for this old woman to disturb him. However, that boy named Jiang Xuan should be here, right? Tell him to come out and see me.”

Xue Jin picked at his ear and said casually.

"That kid? Who knows where he's run off to. Besides, that kid is cunning as a devil, and quite dishonest. I've disliked him for a long time, but I have no obligation to stand up for him. What, you old madwoman, a dignified senior like yourself, are you going to make things difficult for a junior?"

His words seemed to belittle Jiang Xuan, but in reality, they were pointing out Jiang Xuan's status as a "junior" and subtly mocking Granny Feng for bullying the younger.

Grandma Wind snorted coldly.

"This scoundrel is cunning and treacherous, and incredibly audacious to dare plot against me! If I don't teach him a lesson, who knows what trouble he'll cause in the future! Today, I must teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"

Xue Jin nodded in feigned agreement.

"Yes, you're right, that kid deserves to be taught a lesson! But... he's not here right now, come back another day."

He's clearly trying to protect his own.

Chu Feng quickly chimed in.

"Yes, Granny Feng, Brother Jiang Xuan may have gone out on business, you see..."

The more they tried to evade the issue, the more suspicious Granny Feng became.

Her sharp gaze swept across Xue Jin and Chu Feng's faces, then looked at the motionless door, and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Not here? Out? Hmph, I doubt it! Xue Jin, your protectiveness suggests that the kid might be in this room, up to some shady business? Or perhaps... there's no Master Xun at all, and it's all the kid's doing?!"

Her aura suddenly turned cold, a chilling aura like ten thousand feet of icy ice spreading out. She slightly tapped her dragon-headed cane on the ground, causing the entire courtyard to tremble! Clearly, she had lost patience and was preparing to use force! (End of Chapter)