System crash? I prove it with my control panel!

"It's only been a short time since we last met, Brother Chu, why have you become so distant?"

Chen Wen made a blaming face.

Chu Feng, however, remained as serious as ever. Looking at the jade bottle in front of him, his gaze drifted to his senior brother whom he had known for many years, and the words of the village chief had not yet faded from his mind.

"The Soul Pills in this jade bottle were refined from the souls of over a hundred Qi Refining disciples. Although the auras within are complex, I cannot hide it from you; they are all relatives of the senior brother before you!"

"The other item is made from Soul-Dwelling Wood, a low-grade second-tier spiritual material. Take it back, and I'll teach you how to refine it into Soul-Dwelling Pills again. Although it will reduce some of the medicinal effects, it's still an extremely rare item..."

He was utterly shocked. Could it be that Brother Jingwen slaughtered his entire clan for this thing?

He seemed slightly wary and said:

"Put the petty person first, then the gentleman; even between brothers, keep clear accounts—this is what you taught me, Brother Jingwen!"

"Haha, since that's the case, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Chen Wen chuckled softly, taking in Chu Feng's reaction.

His purpose this time was with the old man, not Chu Feng.

Then, feigning mystery, he said:

"During this trip, I encountered extraterrestrial demons!"

Chu Feng was shocked upon hearing this, "An extraterrestrial demon?!"

The old man in his mind was also slightly taken aback upon hearing this, "Encountered extraterrestrial demons? Then what are you?"

"Exactly!"

Seeing that he was interested, Chen Wen shared with him what he had seen and heard after returning to the Chen family.

Of course, some unimportant details were cut.

He only said that he was controlled by the evil energy of the earth, and killed his relatives with tears in his eyes, but was fortunately saved by his master.

Finally, Chen Wen looked intently at Chu Feng and said:

"Brother Chu, the purpose of giving you these things is very simple. First, I hope you will come here more often in the future. In case I am corrupted by the earthly evil energy or suffer retaliation from the Lei family, it will be an extra layer of protection."

"Secondly, I want to gather resources to refine my natal magic weapon, but I'm missing a spiritual fire. I was thinking that Brother Chu has an acquired spiritual body, so he might be able to help me."

"Finally, this is it!"

Chen Wen pointed to the cylindrical object. "This object is quite miraculous, with remarkable effects in nourishing and calming the soul. If Brother Chu learns of its origin in the future, I hope you will tell me."

Finally, he looked at Chu Feng with a sincere expression, "How about these three conditions?"

Chu Feng lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He actually asked the old man, and after receiving an affirmative answer, he immediately nodded and smiled:

"My first condition is that, starting today, I will come to you once a month and send you a message every day. If you don't reply within a moment, I will come to find you."

Chen Wen nodded, "This method is excellent and feasible!"

Seeing that he agreed, Chu Feng continued:

"I can grant you the second one, but I've only found a clue to a spiritual fire. It will take some time before I can find it, and there's also the possibility of finding nothing at all. Brother Jingwen, are you willing to take the gamble?"

"It's alright. If I get it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's fate. Besides, I haven't finished collecting the materials yet, so there's no rush."

Chen Wen answered without hesitation.

If someone else said that, they might not get it, but if Chu Feng said that, then they're guaranteed to get it.

Chu Feng's eyes flashed with emotion upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Brother Jingwen to trust him so much!

He remembered what the village chief had told him to use low-grade Soul-Binding Wood to trick him into giving him this second-grade low-level spiritual material.

He felt a pang of guilt; he had genuinely been tempted.

The village chief explained that the Soul-Dwelling Wood is different from other spiritual materials. It has no spiritual energy fluctuations and its grade cannot be seen from its surface. Only by counting its growth rings can one distinguish it.

This thing takes ten years to grow one cycle, and after ten cycles it rises one rank.

Moreover, only divine sense can perceive its wheel.

Therefore, even if I lied to Brother Jingwen, he wouldn't know.

but......

Chu Feng thought to himself, "Brother Jingwen treated me with sincerity, yet I tried to deceive him. Am I even human?!"

"Brother Jingwen, I happen to have seen this item in an ancient book. It is called Soul-Dwelling Wood, a second-grade low-level material. If you use it to refine pills, it can replenish deficiencies in the soul and enhance one's innate foundation. It can also be used to improve one's soul realm. However, that is the most inconspicuous effect. It grows once every ten years..."

He shared all the information about the Soul-Dwelling Wood without reservation.

Finally, he solemnly said:

"This item is extremely important to me, so I won't stand on ceremony with Brother Jingwen. But rest assured, Brother Jingwen, when the pill is completed, half of it will be yours!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen's expression immediately turned serious, as he had not expected the item to be so valuable.

Judging from this, the identities of those two people are probably even more extraordinary. Even a true disciple of the Qingming Sect could not produce such a thing!

and......

He channeled his spiritual consciousness into his storage bag.

A dark red cylindrical object floated among them. It was neither gold nor jade, and was quite ordinary, but it was twice as thick as the one Chu Feng was already holding, and its surface was smoother and more translucent.

This was the Soul-Resting Wood he obtained from Chen Polang.

He naturally wouldn't rashly take this item out and give it to Chu Feng.

Instead, he cut off another talisman pen, took out the Soul-Dwelling Wood inside, and compared it with the other one.

Later, it was clear that the quality of this one was even worse.

Chen Wen thought it was a first-order item, which is why he took it out.

I didn't expect it to be second-tier.

Even though he still had some, Chen Wen still felt a pang of heartache. He could have taken advantage of the situation to make a profit, but instead, he gave it away for free.

Fortunately, Chu Feng was a good person and was willing to share half of the pill with him.

Chen Wen, however, did not rush to agree. Instead, he declined, saying, "How can this be? It's already agreed that it would be given to Brother Chu, so it's yours now. How can I go back on my word!"

"Brother Jingwen, there's no need to persuade me any further. My mind is made up. Otherwise, I will absolutely not agree, and this matter will be dropped!"

Despite the reprimands from his grandfather, the village chief, echoing in his mind, Chu Feng spoke firmly.

Seeing this, Chen Wen had no choice but to reluctantly agree, "Sigh, you...sigh~ whatever, whatever you want!"

After saying that, he poured Chu Feng a cup of his treasured tea.

These tea leaves were a rare find, obtained from his senior sister. Every cup he drank was one less available, so Chu Feng had really struck gold!

at the same time.

In Chu Feng's mind, the village chief was also sighing with disappointment.

"Why did I choose such a blockhead as my disciple? That kid essentially got a thug, an alchemist, and some information in exchange for just a second-tier spiritual material. He got a huge profit!"

Chu Feng firmly replied, "Master, you are mistaken. I am not stupid; I simply do not wish to go against my conscience. Didn't you accept me as your disciple because of my upright character?"

"As for losing money? Master, I don't think so. If it's just helping someone by being a henchman, and refining a pill can help you, I'm willing to do it. I think I'm not only not losing money, but I'm actually making a huge profit!"

"Hmph, you little rascal, you've grown up, and your tongue's gotten so smooth!"

The village chief sighed, but no one could detect the hint of relief on his invisible soul's face.

...

Chu Feng drank a few more cups of tea, then hurriedly left to return and refine pills.

Chen Wen then planted the green bamboo that his master had given him, and summoned Ye Fan, instructing him to take good care of it.

Ye Fan's face immediately fell, but he dared not disobey his senior brother's orders and had no choice but to agree.

Chen Wen looked him over carefully. Although his face was bruised and swollen, the determination in his eyes had returned.

It seems that their luck has recovered somewhat.

Chen Wen immediately realized that this guy hadn't just been bullied recently; he had also gained some opportunities.

But he didn't care about that; instead, he realized that the leeks were almost ready to grow!

He immediately patted his storage bag, took out a bottle of Rejuvenation Pills, and sent it to Ye Fan with a gentle breeze, smiling faintly:

"As a disciple of my Falling Cloud Valley, if you are bullied by your peers, you must avenge yourself. However, you cannot suffer from injuries and lose face. Accept this pill and go heal your wounds."

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Ye Fan was deeply moved, his eyes reddening slightly, and he gripped the pill bottle tightly in his hand.

He thought to himself, "Senior Brother Jingwen is such a good person, how could I doubt him? I deserve to die!"

The other day, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered that he had once experienced his moon plate being drained dry.

It just so happened that Senior Brother Jingwen was cultivating that time.

This time, Senior Brother Jingwen didn't cultivate, yet this situation is different. Could it be that Senior Brother Jingwen discovered my secret last time and coveted my treasure, so he deliberately lured me out?

But this bottle of pills dispelled his doubts.

I remembered what my senior brother Jingwen had told me: everyone has their own destiny.

But he still thinks that way; that's so narrow-minded!

If Chen Wen knew what he was thinking, he would definitely laugh out loud.

If Ye Fan, who possesses such great fortune, can think this way, it means that his persona is very successful.

He just didn't have the mind to keep staring at Ye Fan anymore.

Harvesting chives early only yields small profits, but if you patiently wait for them to mature, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Let's wait until Ye Fan gets a few more opportunities and recovers to the state he was in when he obtained the stone bead before we talk about it.

His current task is to find the spiritual materials needed to refine his natal magic weapon.

Crafting a natal magic weapon is an extremely important matter.

Normally, one only begins collecting and refining materials after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, Chen Wen considered that he was currently being targeted by external demons and was in great danger.

Moreover, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one will definitely be sent to the outside world, and one has nothing to rely on—compared to those second-generation disciples.

Most importantly, his natal magic weapon is more difficult to obtain than that of ordinary people—it doesn't even have a blueprint yet!

Furthermore, the cultivation method mentions that it is best to refine one's natal magic weapon during the Qi Refining stage.

The reason is unknown, but Chen Wen is a person who listens to advice.

As for whether his own strength will fail to be refined?

Chen Wen was not worried about this.

The inheritance clearly records that the crafting of one's natal magic weapon is not difficult. In essence, it is simply a matter of using a main material to wrap and condense all the auxiliary materials into a specific magic weapon shape.

The most important thing is to refine the essence, energy, and spirit, gradually fusing the spiritual materials within.

There is no difficulty at all.

There is only one thing that needs to be tempered by spiritual fire.

That's why he wanted to find Chu Feng.

Among the people he knew, the only one he could trust to use, and who most likely possessed a spiritual fire, was Chu Feng.

Chen Wen still felt regretful about the fact that he only had a single spiritual root.

Actually, he wanted all five elements to be present.

Those who possess all five elements have all five elements in their bodies, with no weaknesses or limitations imposed by terrain or environment. Apart from slower cultivation and higher resource consumption, they have no other drawbacks.

But that's not a weakness of having five spiritual roots; it's the reason people are poor.

He focused his mind on the practice.

His current technique is a fusion of two opposing techniques.

However, the method of crafting the natal magic weapon was not integrated into the inheritance.

Therefore, he wanted to design a crafting diagram for his natal magic weapon.

From his perspective as a professional weapon refiner, he should possess the characteristics of both.

Both manuals contain methods for crafting various natal magic weapons such as swords, spears, knives, banners, and staffs.

Chen Wen read through all the methods for refining natal magic treasures, and after careful comparison and analysis, he chose the one that required the most spiritual materials—the banner!

Moreover, he is not good at fighting, so the banner is the most suitable for him.

After choosing his goal, Chen Wen began to study the art of weapon crafting.

The Rongrong Buxi Banner in the Qingmu Rongyuan Manual can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones; it is a supreme treasure of medicine.

However, the Dry Wood Fusion Technique is the opposite, called the Dry Realm Annihilation Banner. Once this banner is unleashed, all things wither, plunder life force, and devour creation, just like the demonic path.

It can be said that the two have nothing in common.

This is a joke.

Actually, yes, both require nine spiritual materials.

Nine portions of second-tier spiritual materials, and both are very extreme: one requires all of them to be living spiritual materials, while the other requires them to be withered spiritual materials.

If that's the case, Chen Wen thinks it's simple.

After all, you only need to find four and a half of each.

However, the problem is that in addition to balance, weapon crafting also requires matching and compatibility.

Prosperity and decay are worlds apart.

Therefore, reconciliation is necessary.

Chen Wencai had just returned to the sect and, without even having time to rest, immediately exchanged for a bunch of first-tier spiritual materials related to two opposing concepts such as decay and prosperity, water and fire, yin and yang, and wood and metal, ranging from high to low grades.

He wanted to start by trying to refine the most basic first-grade low-level magic weapon.

Soon, the disciples of the Internal Affairs Hall delivered the spiritual materials.

Chen Wen fed the little guy until he was full, tossed him into the secluded cultivation room to play by himself, and then went straight into the alchemy room.

For his first attempt at refining, he tried using a single-attribute spiritual material.

Glory, success!

Chen Wen's eyes lit up. This was a piece of cake! It didn't seem that difficult after all!

He then continued to refine the Banner of Withered Intent, and succeeded again.

Chen Wen felt a surge of excitement.

I continued experimenting with water, fire, wood, metal...

Without exception, all were successful!

Chen Wen licked his lips, his heart burning with excitement. If he continued like this, he would succeed in no time!

Let's start with the cycle of flourishing and decay.

Four withered pieces, four flourishing pieces, and one piece where withered and flourishing coexist... Success!

Chen Wen was shocked. Could he be a genius who appears only once in a thousand years?

Following the order of the refining process... all successful!

Chen Wen was overjoyed; he had really found a way!

He immediately struck while the iron was hot and began to refine a mid-grade magical artifact.

However, this time, something unexpected happened.

While it was being refined, the withering and flourishing essence within the spiritual material suddenly surged and exploded instantly.

boom--

Fortunately, Chen Wen was protected by his magic robe and the alchemy room was protected by an array; otherwise, that attack would have been enough to seriously injure him.

Chen Wen cast a cleansing spell to clear away the smoke and dust from the explosion, then closed his eyes and pondered where things went wrong.

During the refining process, the balance of life and death forces suddenly became unbalanced, leading to an explosion.

But why is it unbalanced? They are all made from the same spiritual materials. And if that's the case, wouldn't the finished products be in a state of mutual restraint and decay?

He then picked up the low-grade magic weapon he had just crafted and infused it with his magic power and spiritual sense to examine it closely.

The processing of the spiritual materials is perfect!

The formation is perfectly drawn!

The spiritual energy is circulating perfectly!

......

Suddenly, Chen Wen's eyes widened, "I understand!"

.........