Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Qi Changchun was extremely unwilling to give up, but there was nothing he could do. His magical power was about to run out, and he knew that no matter how hard he struggled, it would be futile. However, the gains from this trip were also huge. As long as he combined this experience with a year or two of seclusion afterwards, he would definitely be able to achieve a breakthrough.

As for the Eight-Blade Disk he was refining, he couldn't wait any longer. Otherwise, the materials would be completely incinerated, leaving not even a dregs behind. That would be a truly enormous loss. So, without further hesitation, he quickly completed the fusion of the spirits, then quenched it, refining a set of top-grade magical instruments. It was only a hair's breadth away from being a top-grade instrument, yet its power was reduced by half, a truly regrettable sight.

"Friend Mei, I'm really sorry for your precious material. I'm not strong enough, but I'm willing to compensate you." Qi Changchun said unwillingly and with great guilt.

"Fellow Daoist Qi, there is no need to be like this. You have already tried your best. I believe that with this experience, you will be able to make a breakthrough after a period of seclusion." Liu Xing could see that Qi Changchun was sure to gain a lot this time.

"To be honest with Fellow Daoist Mei, I have indeed gained some insights this time. I am grateful for your precious materials, which gave me this opportunity to practice and find that opportunity for a breakthrough." Qi Changchun said sincerely.

"You're welcome. I've also benefited a lot from watching you refine weapons." Liu Xing said politely.

"I see that you are quite interested in refining equipment. I have a book called 'Basic Refining Techniques' here, which is a collection of my family's refining manual and personal experience. I'll give it to you as compensation for this time." Qi Changchun has a good impression of Liu Xing. He has also gained a lot this time. What could be more precious than an opportunity for a breakthrough?

"Thank you so much, fellow Daoist. I would be grateful if you could give me this gift." Liu Xing was overjoyed and took over the weapon refining technique without any pretense.

For him, he had five or six top-grade magic weapons in his pocket, so he had no shortage of them. What he lacked was knowledge.

Returning to his residence, Liu Xing eagerly took out "Basic Art of Refining" and began to study it carefully. The Qi family had a long lineage of Foundation Establishment-stage refiners, and through generations, they had refined thousands of different magical instruments, including some that had even been successfully crafted to the highest quality. This profound heritage was evident, and the refining techniques described in the book were unique and invaluable. This kind of heirloom was simply unavailable in any bookstore in the city, and Liu Xing couldn't let it go, feeling like he'd stumbled upon a treasure.

The first section dealt with the identification of various materials. This included minerals, plants, demonic beast bones, and even ghosts, evil spirits, and spirits, which could be refined into magical instruments to enhance the power of the artifacts. This was quite eye-opening for Liu Xing. The article also discussed the collection and preservation of fresh precious materials. Proper methods ensured long-term storage without losing their spiritual power. For example, if the black-blood spider corpse had simply been thrown into a storage bag, after ten or eight years, its spiritual power would have completely waned, leaving only a pile of waste. For example, demonic beast spirits must be preserved in a special jade bottle. Other materials, such as soul-nourishing wood, must be stored in a jade box and affixed with restraining talismans. Furthermore, when faced with an unprecedented precious material, how to assess its value and utility and sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy—a skill everyone can master and a fundamental one. Furthermore, the Qi family's unique molecular structure analysis method included a set of formulas to analyze various indicators of a precious material, such as its spiritual energy capacity, hardness, flexibility, and explosive power. Liu Xing was delighted by the discovery.

The second part dealt with the techniques of material purification. This was a fundamental skill for a refiner; practice made perfect. The text discussed how to combine the properties of precious materials, as well as techniques for controlling spiritual energy, ambient temperature, and heat. Liu Xing memorized all of this and planned to experiment with it himself when he had time.

The third section deals with the techniques of product design. The text contains thousands of structural drawings of magical instruments, each with precise dimensions and intricate mortise and tenon joints, making them extremely valuable for research. The hundreds of different shapes and structures for flying swords alone were eye-opening for Liu Xing. It reminded him of a course he took in his previous life, "Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering," which many students failed, suggesting it was quite challenging. The book also discusses methods for improving aesthetic appreciation and the techniques for designing ingenious mechanisms.

The fourth part concerns the techniques of product assembly and integration. This is the most crucial and challenging part to master, requiring the perfect integration of all product components and meticulous control of flame temperature and the intensity of spiritual power. Each refining step is unique, requiring the refiner's extensive experience, flexibility, and adaptability. This step also determines the quality of the magical instrument.

The fifth part is about the skills of product quenching. There are many kinds of quenching liquids, which vary according to the type of magic weapon. Some are clean water, some are heavy water, some are vegetable oil, some are animal blood, and so on. Quenching mainly pays attention to the technique, which must be fast, accurate and ruthless, and the precise control of temperature and duration. In the previous life, when I was forging iron, the principle of quenching was to increase the hardness of steel by rapidly cooling it with ice water. In the fairy world, the purpose of quenching is much more extensive, not only to increase hardness, but also to increase flexibility, some to increase evil spirits, and some to enhance power. There are many different ways to do this.

The sixth section dealt with the techniques of engraving restrictions. Engraving restrictions was intended to enhance the efficiency of the master's spiritual energy input, thereby increasing control and power. Liu Xing had an advantage in this area. His research on restrictions had reached a certain level, and the principles of the energy-boosting restrictions on magical instruments were relatively simple, so he understood them immediately.

Part Seven discusses the recognition and maintenance of magical instruments. Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage magical instruments, from low-level to top-tier, are still very basic weapons compared to the entire immortal realm, requiring only spiritual energy to refine and use. However, at the Core Formation stage and above, magical treasures are required, requiring the use of one's own essence and blood to recognize a master. However, some low-level demon cultivators also use their own essence and blood to refine magical instruments, a devious method of feeding the demons with their own bodies. While magical instruments are immensely powerful, they can also easily devour their masters, making them extremely difficult to control. However, there are always those who take such risks, and Liu Xing silently kept this in mind, keeping a watchful eye on them. Magical instruments also require constant maintenance, repairing damage and adding new precious materials to enhance their power. Most magical instruments are fixed upon refining, while a few possess the ability to grow. The magical instruments of advanced Core Formation cultivators are generally capable of growth, making them extremely valuable.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Liu Xing finally finished the entire thick book. He lowered his head in deep thought, digesting the contents. He also recalled the scene of Qi Changchun refining a weapon three days ago, remembering it all firmly in his mind. Of course, reading a book doesn't mean you can instantly become a master of weapon refining. Diligent practice is required. However, he didn't have time right now, so he could only commit this knowledge and experience to memory and practice it later.