Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 239 The Champion of the Heavenly Guard Examination
"The three-layered sword embryo is finally complete!"

Looking at the three-tiered sword that had condensed inside the weapon-refining furnace, Zhou Ling's face was full of smiles.

In less than half an hour, the three-layered sword embryo was forged.

That's an incredibly fast speed.

Keep in mind that this is a third-tier sword embryo.

Let alone a third-tier sword embryo, even a second-tier sword embryo usually takes longer than this.

Of course, Zhou Ling's ability to do so was the result of a combination of many factors.

But most importantly, it has the fourth-grade Qianyang True Fire and the [Six Revolutions Transformation] talent.

The Qianyang True Fire has reached the fourth rank, and it has also incorporated the spirit of the Golden Soul Burning Heaven Flame, giving it magical refining properties.

The [Sixth Transformation] talent significantly reduces the difficulty of forging sword embryos.

Of course, Zhou Ling did not immediately begin refining the Three-Fold Sword Seal. Instead, he put away the Three-Fold Sword Embryo and let it cool down first.

He then took the medicine and rested for a while.

There is still an hour and a half left, which is more than enough for him.

Everyone around stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

Is this all there is to a Tier 3 sword embryo?
Moreover, it's a sword embryo with three attributes!

How is this done?
And surprisingly, it was successful on the first try.

If one can refine a third-tier sword embryo in half an hour, and refine five or six in a day, that would be a profit of several thousand spirit stones.

"How can Zhou Ling be so terrifying?"

"Such a genius has actually emerged from Qingyun Immortal City, a mere fourth-grade immortal city!"

"How come this person's strength seems even greater than He Yunshan and Bai Jing's?"

"Didn't you see he was resting and recovering?"

"Although it's fast, how can someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage withstand such a drain?"

"That's right. They already don't have an advantage in cultivation compared to others, and they still insist on speed. How will they have enough magic power later on!"

"Perfectly forging a sword embryo, but failing to truly become a sword, is meaningless!"

"The fact that this person can forge a sword embryo so quickly proves that he is already very skilled!"

In the square, the monks watching were all discussing in surprise.

Because of his control over a fourth-grade spiritual flame, Zhou Ling has attracted a lot of attention.

The fact that a third-tier sword embryo could be forged so quickly astonished the cultivators present.

This speed is much faster than that of He Yunshan and several other Tiangong Guards who are ranked in the top five.

It was truly unexpected.

"This kid's weapon-refining skills are truly unique!"

Dean Shen was increasingly delighted as he looked at it, and couldn't help but praise it aloud.

This strengthened his resolve to promote Zhou Ling as the representative of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

"interesting!"

Qiao Daojian touched the jade bracelet, nodded and smiled.

"Hehe, this kid is still too young. It would be a loss to expend so much of his magic power to refine the sword embryo!"

The head of the He family narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head.

Although he said it, his tone had changed at that moment.

I initially thought Zhou Ling was just trying to attract attention by choosing to forge the Triple Sword, which I thought was simply a sign of ignorance and recklessness, a gamble.

But now, Zhou Ling's ability to forge the triple-layered sword embryo so quickly undoubtedly demonstrates his formidable strength.

Of course, refining a magical artifact is an ongoing process.

The sword blank is only the first half, and for the swordsmith, the most important thing is to carve the sword mark.

This is much more difficult than forging a sword blank.

The other two judges also looked at Zhou Ling with curiosity.

Especially the head of the Wang family, since Zhou Ling is the Wang family's son-in-law.

Moreover, Wang Xin has a special status.

Therefore, if Zhou Ling becomes a Heavenly Guard, it will have a significant impact on the Wang family.

Of course, given the Wang family's reputation, they wouldn't force Zhou Ling.

In his view, as long as there are enough benefits, then other problems are not problems.

The main focus of this Heavenly Guard assessment was originally the Heavenly Guards from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy or Tian Xia Dao Academy, and who would get the most people in the end.

Normally, the five people ranked in the top five have the highest probability.

In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Tianxia Dao Academy will likely occupy three of the spots in this allocation.

There are two Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

However, with the appearance of Zhou Ling, the situation in the top five was completely disrupted.

The focus of people's attention is no longer on the competition between the two Taoist temples.

Instead, they wanted to see if Zhou Ling could forge this triple-layered sword in the future.

Now, news of Zhou Ling's situation has spread among everyone.

It's astonishing that someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage could forge a third-tier treasure.

It can also control fourth-grade spiritual flames.

Moreover, the fact that the three-layered sword embryo was forged so quickly immediately aroused the curiosity of many people.

Everyone wanted to see if this unknown dark horse from Qingyun Immortal City could defeat the renowned He Yunshan and others.

Of course, almost no one was optimistic about it, given the difficulty of this triple sword seal.

Even He Yunshan and his group dared not make that choice.

That shows how difficult it is!
Of course, it's not that they can't refine it.

They simply chose the treasure they were more familiar with.

After all, it's rare for a craftsman to successfully forge a magical artifact on their first try.

If one can master the crafting process after three or four failed attempts, it is already a testament to exceptional talent.

They only learned about the Triple Sword yesterday.

Therefore, their proficiency is definitely insufficient.

Choosing that way would be too risky.

After all, the assessment period is too short, and it can be said that there is only one chance.

If we fail, then we'll have to try again next year.

Of course, if you are over nineteen, then you have absolutely no chance.

After resting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhou Ling used his [Restore to Original State] talent to refine two pills, and his internal mana was almost completely restored.

Only after fully restoring himself to his perfect state did Zhou Ling begin to refine the Triple Sword Seal.

The difficulty of the Triple Sword Seal is self-evident.

Constructing three sword imprints of different attributes simultaneously is something that an ordinary third-tier weapon refiner absolutely cannot do.

Even if it's constructed with the same attribute, it still consumes a huge amount of one's own spiritual power.

Although the triple sword seal was successfully forged last night.

But back then it was on spirit paper; now it's on a sword blank, which is much more difficult.

And the key is that there can be no mistakes whatsoever.

However, he has another advantage: you can directly condense spiritual flames to draw sword seals.

The step of developing spiritual ink was eliminated.

Moreover, all three spiritual flames were his natal spiritual flames, making them easy to use together.

It's much smoother than controlling a magic brush and ink.

Zhou Ling reached out and grasped the three-layered sword embryo in his hand.

It was initially cold, but soon became somewhat hot, with the three main materials on it constantly changing their energy.

With a slight thought, he infused his magic power, and the Triple Sword immediately burst forth with sharp, three-colored sword light, like three sword rainbows, shining brightly.

Immediately, Zhou Ling moved his mind, and the Qianyang True Fire, the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, and the Beast Flame condensed simultaneously.

Three spiritual flames rose and roared in his palm like three fiery spirits.

The mysterious flames of blue, gold, and red illuminated Zhou Ling as if he were coated with a three-colored rainbow, making him appear incredibly divine.

"Congeal!"

Zhou Ling gave a soft shout, and three spiritual flames instantly rose up, enveloping the three-layered sword embryo like three precious swords. At the same time, divine souls and spiritual power also fell into them.

The Triple Sword Seal is composed of three sword seals with different attributes. It is extremely complex and requires a high level of skill from the weapon refiner.

It tests not only the magic power and spiritual sense of the weapon refiner, but also their weapon refining skills and talent.

It is extremely difficult to control three attributes at the same time.

It can be said that when simultaneously controlling three types of magical power, he achieved a level of precision that was almost imperceptible.

This is also a skill that a high-level mage must possess.

A typical weapon refiner needs to simultaneously control three different types of magical power and inscribe sword marks, which is certainly not an easy task.

For Zhou Ling, this was not difficult at all.

[You are attempting to condense the Triple Sword Seal. Sixth Transformation +1, Triple Sword Seal Shrinkage +2]

As the three streams of spiritual flame were injected into the three-layered sword embryo, a prompt appeared on the panel, and Zhou Ling also felt the three streams of spiritual flame in his hand lighten.

The speed became extremely fast.

"What? Simultaneously control three spiritual flames to create sword seals? I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"How did they manage to control three spirit flames at the same time?"

"One fourth-grade spirit flame and two third-grade spirit flames? How is that possible?"

"Wasn't he supposed to be a rogue cultivator? How could he possibly possess three spiritual flames?"

"Simultaneously controlling three spiritual flames to forge a weapon, that's just too heaven-defying!"

"I've never heard of such a person before. Was this kid just being too low-key?"

······
As Zhou Ling skillfully manipulated the three spiritual flames, the cultivators in the audience gasped in disbelief.

They were already shocked that Zhou Ling, in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, could control a fourth-grade spiritual flame.

But now he actually controlled three spiritual flames at once, which almost made all the cultivators present drop their jaws in astonishment.

Most of the cultivators present were from Qingyang Immortal City.

You should know that Qingyang Immortal City is a seventh-grade immortal city.

The cultivators who can survive here are definitely much stronger than those in the fourth-grade immortal city in every aspect.

Therefore, they would look down on Zhou Ling and the other cultivators from the fourth-grade immortal city to some extent.

But Zhou Ling's performance at this moment completely exceeded their expectations.

With just these three spiritual flames, Zhou Ling's wealth is already no less than that of the direct descendants of top families like the He and Wang families.

Moreover, at such a young age, how did a rogue cultivator manage to conceal three spiritual flames?

And each of these dishes is of a high grade!
In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on Zhou Ling.

To control three spiritual flames at the early stage of Foundation Establishment is truly incredible!

"Three different spiritual flames, no wonder they dared to forge the Triple Sword!"

"This kid seems to have been confident all along! Interesting!"

A glint of light flashed in Qiao Daojian's eyes, and he said with great interest.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, could he be someone your Wang family has been secretly cultivating?"

The head of the He family looked at the head of the Wang family and said with a slightly solemn expression.

Just now I thought it was absolutely impossible for Zhou Ling to forge the Triple Sword, but now I see that Zhou Ling actually controls three spiritual flames at the same time, and all of them are of high grade.

This is definitely not something a rogue cultivator could do.

This strength is now on par with He Yunshan's.

As Wang Sixian just mentioned, this man is the son-in-law of the Wang family.

That must be someone the Wang family has been secretly cultivating.

The head of the Wang family shook his head. "This boy has received help from members of my Wang family, but he is not considered someone cultivated by my Wang family!"

From Zhou Ling's information, he also knew that Wang Yu had been a great help to him.

Therefore, there's nothing wrong with saying that.

Patriarch He didn't believe this. With the talent this kid has shown so far, he will definitely be a strong competitor to He Yunshan in the future.

If he can forge this triple-layered sword, becoming a Heavenly Guardian won't be a problem.

And even if it doesn't succeed this year, it will definitely succeed next year.

There is also considerable competition among the members of Skyguard.

After all, becoming a Heavenly Guardian means being someone the Heavenly Crafts Bureau is focusing on cultivating.

Those who would later take control of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau were basically born from these Heavenly Guards.

Undoubtedly, Zhou Ling's current talent poses a significant threat to He Yunshan.

"Regardless of whether this child can become a Heavenly Guardian, our Heavenly Crafts Division will focus on cultivating him!"

At this moment, Ye Zhishou said with a smile.

A cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment was actually able to control three spiritual flames.

This has unlimited potential.

Even if he cannot reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future, the growth of these three spiritual flames will still be of great use.

Moreover, Zhou Ling is now a third-grade weapon refiner.

Upon hearing Ye Zhishou's words, the others knew that Zhou Ling's success or failure in refining the item was now in serious trouble.

They will all receive special attention from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Of course, this was inevitable.

After all, the Heavenly Guardian Assessment is designed to select Heavenly Craftsmen with exceptional talent.

Zhou Ling's current talent absolutely makes him worthy of becoming a Heavenly Guard.

"What? The Triple Sword is complete!"

At this moment, Qiao Daojian, who had been looking arrogant, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

His face showed disbelief.

Upon hearing this, the other four judges all looked towards Zhou Ling's assessment platform.

On the assessment platform, Zhou Ling stood calmly.

A sword floated in front of him.

This sword is over three feet long, with an ancient and heavy design. The blade is three-colored, with faint three-colored light flowing across it.

At this moment, it is radiating rays of three colors.

"So fast, even faster than when you were forging the sword embryo? How did you do that?"

The head of the He family is a sixth-level top-grade weapon refiner, and he is only one step away from refining a seventh-level treasure weapon.

Looking at the sword in front of Zhou Ling, he also showed an expression of disbelief.

Such talent is simply terrifying!

The other three judges also looked shocked.

Having served as judges for the Heavenly Guardian's assessments for many years, they have seen all kinds of exceptionally talented disciples.

However, Zhou Ling's ability to forge the Triple Sword so quickly is undoubtedly unprecedented in the last few decades, or even centuries.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, is this kid really only at the early Foundation Establishment stage?"

Dean Shen asked the Wang family head with some disbelief.

"That's absolutely right!"

The head of the Wang family nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.

Dean Shen is already a Nascent Soul cultivator, so how could he not see Zhou Ling's cultivation level?

Such a question could only express shock.

He never expected Zhou Ling to have such an extraordinary talent in weapon crafting.

"Haha, it seems that Zhou Ling will have no problem winning the Heavenly Guardian Assessment this time!"

"That's really good. At such a young age, he has both courage and ability. He's worth nurturing."

Qiao Daojian laughed heartily.

It was clear that Zhou Ling was extremely happy, even somewhat overjoyed, to have successfully forged the Triple Sword.

"No one can surpass him!"

Ye Zhishou smiled.

He Yunshan's expression darkened.

(End of this chapter)