14: Chapter 14 Three Days and Three Nights of Seclusion

In an instant, Zhao Ruoan felt as if his brain had been replaced by a Tianhe supercomputer.

He picked up the heavy copy of 《Atlas of Myriad Ores of Cang Prefecture, and his fingers had just flipped open the first page.

The "Red Copper Ore" pattern drawn on the page was no longer lifeless.

Its texture, its density, at what earth fire temperature it would melt, with what spiritual wood powder its Fusion would enhance toughness, and with what beast bone it would be ground to elevate spirituality...

Countless streams of information poured directly into his mind like a waterfall.

He didn't need to "read" at all, let alone "memorize".

This knowledge felt as though it was innate to him, his forgotten instinct.

"So that's how it is."

Zhao Ruoan casually tossed the 《Atlas of Myriad Ores》 aside.

The contents of the entire book had already established a complete database in his mind.

He casually picked up the second book, 《One Hundred and Eight Earth Fire Flame Control Techniques》.

The moment his fingertips touched the cover, one hundred and eight complex techniques, from the most basic "Gentle Fire Nurturing" to the profound "Dragon Breath Forging", were all autonomously deduced in his mind once.

Moreover, the System automatically associated and matched these techniques with the Ore knowledge "downloaded" just moments before.

Red Copper Ore was most suited for smelting with the thirty-seventh technique, "Spiral Flame", which could preserve its fire-attribute Spiritual Qi to the maximum extent.

As for Mysterious Iron Stone, it required the seventy-second technique, "Oscillation Fire", to weed out Impurities.

Looking at the mountain of books, he had originally thought it was a formidable task.

Now it seemed that this was merely an appetizer.

Zhao Ruoan no longer picked them up one by one.

He walked up to the mountain of books, extended both hands, and pressed them directly onto the stack of heavy classics.

[Ding! Detected that the host actively contacted a large number of knowledge carriers, Grandmaster Insight Card effect maximized, beginning data torrent infusion...]

Boom!

Zhao Ruoan's body shook slightly.

《Introduction to Spiritual Material Identification》, 《Records of Hundred Herbs: Metals and Stones Chapter》, 《Basics of Forging and Shaping》, 《Essentials of Rune Inscription》...

The contents of hundreds and thousands of classics transformed into the purest stream of knowledge, crossing the barriers of text and pictures, crazily pouring into the depths of his consciousness.

He closed his eyes.

In his mind, countless Ores were melting, countless spiritual Materials were combining, and countless runes were flashing.

Like a bystander, he watched as an Artifact Refining Grandmaster whose experience spanned across eternity was imparting everything he had learned throughout his life within his spiritual world.

Even more, this "Grandmaster" would draw inferences from one instance.

"The 'Spirit-Gathering' rune recorded in 《Essentials of Rune Inscription》 is far too basic. If its third and seventh strokes are slightly modified and combined with the starting form of the 'Sharp Gold' rune to be inscribed onto a Flying Sword, its sharpness can be increased by thirty percent, and spiritual power consumption will be reduced by ten percent..."

"Idiots! The 'Thousand-Forging Method' mentioned in 《Basics of Forging and Shaping》 is merely meant for apprentices. True forging requires listening to the lament of the metal, feeling its pulse, and every falling hammer strike is an exchange..."

...

Qinghan Peak, Main Hall.

Qiuyin and Xiamo knelt side by side on the cold jade stone floor, their heads lowered deeply.

Above the grand hall, Yun Qinghan sat upright upon an ice crystal throne.

She did not speak.

But the air pressure throughout the entire grand hall was so low that the two maidservants of the Body Refining Realm felt as though their bones were creaking.

"So, you two just let him fool around?"

After a long while, Yun Qinghan finally spoke, her voice devoid of any warmth.

"Peak Revered Master, please forgive us!"

Xiamo's body trembled, and she hurriedly kowtowed, "The Young Lord... he has already made up his mind, we... we couldn't persuade him."

"Couldn't persuade him?" Yun Qinghan repeated, the end of her tone lifting slightly, "He is the Young Lord of Qinghan Peak, and you are his maidservants, but even more so, you are people of my Qinghan Peak. Have you forgotten my orders as well?"

"This Disciple wouldn't dare!" Qiuyin buried her head even deeper, "It was this Disciple's poor supervision, please punish us, Peak Revered Master!"

Yun Qinghan did not reply immediately.

Within her heart, a nameless rage was rising.

She had thought that she picked up an unequaled divine jade.

And the result?

This divine jade, instead of being properly carved into an heirloom treasure, actually ran off to the neighboring construction site, eagerly learning how to chisel iron!

What a waste of heavenly gifts!

"Peak Revered Master, the Young Lord said... he is only going for seven days to understand it, and will absolutely not indulge in it." Qiuyin argued softly.

"Seven days?"

Yun Qinghan looked as though she had heard some kind of joke.

"Good, very good."

She stood up from the throne and slowly paced back and forth in the grand hall.

"Since he has such an 'elegant interest', if I, as his Revered Master, do not fulfill his wish, it would instead make me appear unfeeling."

"Pass down my decree."

"This Disciple is here!"

"Doesn't he want to learn Artifact Refining? I will give him this opportunity." Yun Qinghan stopped her steps, "Within seven days, if he can personally refine a... even the lowest-grade-ranked Spiritual Artifact, this matter will be dropped."

Qiuyin and Xiamo abruptly raised their heads, their faces full of astonishment.

Seven days to refine a Spiritual Artifact?

Are you kidding me?!

Those veteran Revered Masters on Tianhuo Peak who had immersed themselves in this Dao for decades did not dare claim a hundred percent success rate.

A beginner who couldn't even recognize all the Ores—being able to learn fire control in seven days would already be considered a divine gift, let alone refining a Spiritual Artifact?

This was simply an impossible task to complete!

"Then... what if... what if the Young Lord fails to complete it?" Xiamo asked stammeringly.

"Fails to complete it?" The corners of Yun Qinghan's lips curled into an ice-cold arc, "Then his cultivation plan for the next hundred years will all be personally formulated by me for him. Every day, aside from eating and sleeping, all other time will be used entirely for practicing the sword."

"And," her gaze fell upon the two maidservants, "You two, poor supervision, share the same crime. Starting immediately, go kneel at the entrance of the Back Mountain's Cliff of Reflection until he returns from Tianhuo Peak. During this period, no one is allowed to visit him, and you are not allowed to set foot on Tianhuo Peak for even half a step."

"Yes... Peak Revered Master."

Qiuyin and Xiamo's faces turned pale as paper, yet they dared not raise any objections and could only accept the order.

After the two retreated, the grand hall returned to silence.

The anger on Yun Qinghan's face slowly receded, turning into helplessness.

She walked outside the hall, gazing remotely in the direction of Tianhuo Peak, where the sky was dyed crimson by the earth fire.

"Little fellow, I hope you won't let me down."

"The immortal path is long, talent is merely one aspect, but Heart-Nature is the fundamental root."

She murmured softly to herself, then turned around and walked into the secret chamber deep within the main hall.

...

Time flashed by, and three days had already passed.

Tianhuo Peak, inside a heavily guarded earth fire Immortal Cave.

"Bang!"

A newly formed prototype of a Pill Furnace violently shattered during the final quenching step, countless fragments mixed with scorching sparks flying everywhere in all directions.

"Failed again!"

A burly red-robed Elder with bristling hair and beard kicked over the anvil in front of him, cursing and swearing.

"Damn it! Exactly how is the heat for this 'Purple Gold Profound Sand' supposed to be controlled! It was just the final step away, just a single step away!"

This person was none other than Tianhuo Peak's Artifact Refining Elder Fu Gao.

He had been in closed-door cultivation for three months just to refine a High Grade Spiritual Artifact-level Pill Furnace, yet on the final step, he had failed three consecutive times, and the rare Materials consumed were enough to give Duan He heartache so severe he wouldn't be able to sleep for three months.

Just as he was flying into a rage, the Restriction outside the Immortal Cave was triggered.

"Who is it! Don't you know Laozi is in closed-door cultivation? Scram!" Elder Fu Gao roared impatiently.

"Junior Martial Uncle, Junior Martial Uncle, calm your anger, it's Disciple Duan He!"

Outside the Immortal Cave, Duan He's iconic voice, carrying a hint of flattery, came through.

Elder Fu Gao frowned and unsealed the Restriction.

Duan He tumbled and scrambled as he ran in.

"What is it? Are the Materials not enough again? Let me tell you, if you fail this time, Laozi will stuff you into the furnace to be refined!" Elder Fu Gao glared with bristling beard and hair.

"No, no," Duan He hurriedly waved his hands, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "Junior Martial Uncle, there is... there is a bizarre matter that this Disciple feels is necessary to report to you."

"Spit it out!"

"It's like this," Duan He organized his words, "Three days ago, Uncle-Master Zhao from Qinghan Peak came..."

He told the whole story from beginning to end about how Zhao Ruoan wanted to learn Artifact Refining and had already stayed in the Class-B Artifact Refining Room for three days and three nights.

Elder Fu Gao didn't care at all at first.

Sword dao Genius? Learning Artifact Refining? Just playing around, right.

But when he heard "three days and three nights, not stepping out a single step, earth fire never extinguished", the expression on his face changed.

"What did you say?"

Elder Fu Gao grabbed Duan He by the collar and lifted him up.

"That kid named Zhao Ruoan, stayed in the Class-B room for three days and three nights?"

"Y-Yes, Junior Martial Uncle." Duan He was choked until his eyes rolled back.

"During this period, has he ever come out? Has he ever asked someone to deliver food? Has he ever... sought guidance from Elder Wang?"

Duan He shook his head with difficulty: "No, none at all! The door to that Artifact Refining Room has never opened once!"

Elder Fu Gao's hand loosened.

The irritability and impatience on his face were gradually replaced by an emotion called "shock and suspicion".

A beginner locked himself inside an Artifact Refining Room for three days and three nights.

Without eating or drinking, without sleeping or resting.

"That brat, couldn't he be inside... suffering from Qi Deviation?"