Lord of the Rending Stars

Three days later, at the Bronze Hall of the Star Forging Pavilion.

Venerable Peng Gong, Venerable Tian Gong, Venerable Ran Xing, and Venerable Gu Shen, Qing Yang's master, witnessed this together.

Qingyang stood in the center of the hall, holding the battle sword "Thunderclap" aloft with both hands. The hall was as quiet as the deep sea. The gazes of the four cosmic venerable-level weapon-refining masters fell on the seemingly simple purple-gold battle sword, examining it carefully.

Venerable Peng Gong was the first to stand up, walk to Qing Yang, reach out and grasp the hilt of the knife, and slightly release his divine power.

"Buzz"

The surface of the blade instantly revealed a complete network of laws, with lightning and ripples of time intertwining, illuminating the entire hall with dazzling light.

Master Peng carefully examined the direction of each secret pattern and the layout of each energy node, then slowly nodded.

"The laws are solidified and complete, the energy cycle is self-consistent, and the lightning and time runes blend seamlessly."

Venerable Peng Gong placed the knife back into Qingyang's palm, saying, "This knife has now entered the realm of great treasures."

The Ancient God Venerable smiled, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "The secret rune structure is derived from the ancient lightning rune system, yet it incorporates his own unique understanding of the fusion of lightning and time. It's not a simple reproduction, but a creation of its own. Good, very good!"

Venerable Peng looked at Qingyang with a gentle yet profound gaze. "In just five thousand years, you've gone from simply entering the Star Forging Pavilion to independently crafting ordinary heavy treasures, and your first heavy treasure has already reached such a level. King Liefeng, your talent for crafting weapons is in no way inferior to your combat talent."

Venerable Peng paused, his voice calm and deep, "What's even more remarkable is that you've come to understand that weapon crafting is enlightenment. This precious battle blade is the culmination of your five thousand years of cultivation, and a milestone on your path of weapon crafting."

"Qingyang, remember this: the path of weapon forging is long, but you must be clear about your direction."

"Qingyang will remember," Qingyang nodded.

Venerable Peng Gong took out a token from his sleeve and solemnly handed it to Qing Yang. The token was entirely dark blue-black, with a divine furnace surrounded by stars engraved on the front and the words "Forging Stars" on the back.

"This is the token of a Grade A weapon refiner from the Star Forging Pavilion," Venerable Peng said calmly. "From this day forward, you and I are fellow Daoists."

Qingyang took the token, his palm slightly warm.

At the same time, the system notification sound of the Virtual Universe Star Forging Pavilion rang in his consciousness.

[Forging Star Pavilion Notice]

"Rank B Refiner, King Qingyang of the Beacon Tower, independently refined the ordinary heavy treasure weapon 'Thunderclap' (Thunder Attribute). After evaluation by four experts, its quality was confirmed to be up to standard. He has been promoted to Rank A Refiner (Master Refiner)."

"Permissions have been upgraded: You can independently undertake ordinary-level treasure refining tasks, apply to use the core divine furnace of the Star Forging Pavilion, and participate in the compilation of the pavilion's heritage documents."

Finally, there was a reward notification visible only to Qingyang: "Treasure Point Reward: 3 Treasure Points".

Qingyang looked at the notification without getting excited. He simply gripped the hilt of "Thunderclap" lightly, feeling the pulse that resonated with his own laws.

"After five thousand years, we have finally transformed from 'those who use treasures' to 'those who create treasures,'" Qingyang sighed deeply.

The Ancient God Venerable stood up, walked to Qingyang, looked at the disciple he had raised, and said only one sentence: "You've worked hard."

Qingyang shook his head, "This disciple has not suffered any hardship."

Qingyang paused, gazing at the endless starry sky outside the hall, "This disciple has only just begun; there is still a long way to go."

Ten days after the "Thunderclap" sword was forged, Qingyang's human form remained seated in the Bingzi Seven Peaks workshop, the purple-gold battle blade floating before him. The treasure was complete, and with the token of a Grade A weapon refiner in hand, he had firmly established himself within the Star Forging Pavilion of the Virtual Universe Company. Venerable Peng Gong had not given him any new tasks, and Venerable Ancient God had only sent a single message, "Good, do not slacken," before falling silent once more.

Just as Qingyang was lost in thought, several lines of light appeared without warning above the battle blade. Qingyang focused his senses and discovered several lines of small characters.

[Yuanshi Refining Treasure Urn]

[Host has successfully crafted the common treasure "Thunderclap Blade"]

[Quality: Top Grade]

[Activate the Primordial Refining Treasure Scroll?]

"A cheat code? I've already broken through to immortality and my strength is comparable to that of an ordinary universe venerable, and you're only just now showing up?" Qingyang's composure, built up over five thousand years of crafting powerful treasures, vanished in an instant, replaced by an expression of utter disbelief.

Incredibly, Qingyang once again concentrated his soul's will, unleashing a burst of will comparable to that of a cosmic overlord, while simultaneously activating the ordinary soul treasure deep within his soul, the 'Annihilation Soul Pearl'. At this moment, Qingyang's expression was tense, but he did not sense any illusions created by a powerful illusionist skilled in soul manipulation to control him.

"It seems to be true, and it looks like it was triggered because I successfully refined an ordinary treasure," Qingyang thought to himself.

"Start," Qingyang said immediately.

Without any fluctuation, the few lines of small characters that had been shining brightly on the Thunderclap Blade vanished in a flash.

Deep within Qingyang's soul, a mysterious ancient scroll hung there. The position that originally belonged to the Annihilation Soul Pearl was replaced by the "Primordial Refining Treasure Scroll." Consequently, most of the soul defense tasks were also taken over. Qingyang felt incredibly stable deep within his soul. At this moment, even if an ordinary universe lord tried to enslave his soul, Qingyang could break free and calmly self-destruct.

Qingyang tried to communicate with it through consciousness, but the Primordial Refining Treasure Talisman did not respond at all. "It should not have a spirit or emotions, and it doesn't seem to be an intelligent life form. So how do I use this thing?" Qingyang wondered.

As if sensing Qingyang's confusion, the light on the ancient scroll reappeared:

[Host has met the activation conditions]

[Refining a Common Heavy Treasure: Thunderclap Blade]

[Quality: Top Grade]

[The host is rewarded with a common supreme weapon: the True Radiance Blade]

Qingyang's eyes blazed with excitement. "Haha, I never expected that my first treasured battle blade would be brought to me by a cheat code. It's perfect for the human race to use."

With a thought, the battle sword appeared in his hand.

Qingyang examined the ordinary treasured battle blade, the "True Radiance Blade," in his hand. The blade was long and narrow, its entire body a deep, smoky gray, like stardust solidified over millions of years. The blade was devoid of light, reflecting neither stars nor divine runes; it remained calmly concealed, like an ancient beast that had slumbered in the void for countless years, sheathing its fangs.

"What a fine blade. It's more than enough for my current Immortal Realm level. Perhaps I can retire the Heavenly Flame Blade, or keep it as a backup weapon."

"It's perfect timing. I can study the secret patterns on the True Radiance Blade, which will allow me to further enhance my swordsmanship."

"This is just like a pillow coming to my head when I was sleepy," Qingyang thought excitedly.

After Qingyang calmed down, several lines of text appeared above the Primordial Refining Treasure Scroll:

[Host, please successfully refine a common palace-type treasure within one era.]

[The host has accepted a new mission and is bestowed with an auxiliary tool for treasure refining: the Zhuochen Cauldron]

The Zhuochen Cauldron stands in the void, its body without handles. From a distance, it resembles a black star that has been cut in half, stretching across the end of time.

Its surface is devoid of any carvings or decorations, except for numerous, crisscrossing chisel marks, densely covering it like an ancient star map.

"The God of Crafts, similar to the God of Crafts, can be used to forge supreme treasures," Qingyang realized.

As is well known, the crafting difficulty of domain-type, palace-type, soul-type, and supreme treasures is countless times higher than that of weapons and armor of the same level.

"To forge an ordinary palace-type treasure within an era is more difficult than forging a top-tier treasure weapon or armor," Qingyang sighed.

Despite the difficulties, Qingyang never considered giving up. After some thought, he decided to first see if there were any tasks in the Star Forging Pavilion where he could practice.