A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 97 Refining Magical Treasures

Luo Ming took a deep breath, slowly adjusting his mindset and suppressing the joy of his advancement.

After ordinary cultivators form their core, they often become complacent and think they can rest easy from then on. But Luo Ming knew very well that the Chaotic Star Sea was never a peaceful place.

The Reverse Star Alliance and the Star Palace are probably already secretly vying for power. In less than a hundred years, when the Void Heaven Palace opens, the two major forces will have a direct and open clash, and the impact will become increasingly widespread. Even Nascent Soul cultivators will inevitably perish, let alone him, a newly promoted Core Formation cultivator.

If one thinks that hiding in the open sea will bring peace of mind, that is wishful thinking. He remembered that there had been several disturbances caused by demonic beasts, and he remembered that one of them was caused by Old Demon Han.

That monster rampage leveled Qiyuan Island, which is enough to show how terrifying monsters can be when they go berserk.

In fact, the overall strength of the sea monsters is very strong. If it weren't for the lack of unity among human cultivators, they wouldn't have been forced to live in the outer sea.

"Creating the Golden Core is just the beginning; the road ahead remains fraught with peril."

Luo Ming sighed inwardly and began to organize his next plan.

After advancing to the Core Formation stage, each step requires a massive amount of spiritual energy and time to refine. In addition, there are several important matters waiting for him to do.

The first level of the Qianyang Fire Eye has been partially mastered, and the cultivation method of the second level needs to be comprehended as soon as possible, as its practicality increases with each level. The Spirit Fire Forging Divine Technique also needs to be further improved, as the stronger a cultivator's soul, the more exquisite their control over magic power, and the more advantageous they will be in combat.

Using these two secret techniques together greatly enhances Luo Ming's strength.

There's also the cultivation of one's natal spirit beast. Looking at the current situation of several spirit beasts, the Fat Sun Bird and the Black Tortoise are closest to level five. We'll see who advances first.

If the Fat Sun Bird advances to the next level, its offensive capabilities will be greatly enhanced; if the Black Tortoise advances to the next level, its defensive capabilities will be virtually invincible against attacks from ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

"No rush, let's take it one step at a time."

Luo Ming exhaled, suppressing the urgency in his heart. He reached out and patted the storage bag at his waist. Two flashes of spiritual light appeared, and two magical artifacts appeared in his hand.

One was an ancient bronze mirror about a foot in size, its surface engraved with intricate flame runes; it was the Xuanhuo Mirror.

The other was a small black banner with countless demonic souls vaguely moving on it, exuding a sinister aura; it was the Thousand Demon Banner.

Both of these magical artifacts are based on magic treasures and have considerable potential, making them perfect for use.

"I've already acquired two protective magic treasures just by reaching the Core Formation stage, which is far more fortunate than those cultivators who have to spend a lot of time collecting materials for magic treasures after advancing to the Core Formation stage," Luo Ming said with a slight smile.

Unlike magical artifacts, which can be easily purchased and suited to one's own needs, magical treasures require nurturing within the dantian. Without the corresponding spiritual root attribute, it is difficult to unleash their full power.

No Core Formation cultivator would willingly store an unsuitable magic weapon in their dantian and painstakingly nurture it; that would be a thankless and arduous task.

"This Xuanhuo Mirror can only be refined once for now and used as a temporary measure. We'll deal with it again when we find a suitable fire vein in the future." Luo Ming picked up the Xuanhuo Mirror, brushed his fingertips across the mirror, and shook his head slightly.

This Xuanhuo Mirror is quite powerful, but unfortunately, his spiritual root is not of the fire attribute, so he cannot unleash its true power.

The power of the Xuanhuo Mirror depends entirely on the strength of the demonic fire sealed within it; the stronger the flame, the greater the power.

When he helped Lu Xuan refine this magic weapon, he already knew the method to improve it: one day later, he would find a place of fiery energy and use his powerful magic power at the Core Formation stage to refine it again, so that the Xuanhuo Mirror could truly reach the level of a magic treasure.

Actually, there is another way to enhance the power of this treasure: wait for the Zhiyang Bird to advance to level five. At that time, tempering it with the Zhiyang Bird's supreme Yang fire will greatly increase the treasure's power, and it will also have a remarkable restraining effect on some special beings.

"This treasure suits me best! I wonder what kind of punishment Dongmen Xiao will receive for losing it."

His gaze fell on the Thousand Demon Banner, and he chuckled, becoming more and more satisfied with it.

This Thousand Demon Banner was crafted by the Yuling Sect using a large amount of rare materials. It was originally intended to be cultivated as a treasure of the sect. When facing an enemy, it can release thousands of demon souls to disturb the enemy's mind and devour their life force. It is extremely insidious and domineering.

It can be described as an all-around magic weapon with huge growth potential, since its power is related to the strength and number of demon souls sealed within it.

"The Spirit Control Technique I cultivate records that my natal magic weapon is the Demon Binding Rope. It requires the large tendons of high-level demon beasts as the main material, supplemented by various rare materials. The higher the cultivation level of the demon beast, the stronger the Demon Binding Rope will be."

Luo Ming pondered, repeatedly comparing the Demon-Binding Rope and the Thousand Demon Banner in his mind. The more he compared them, the more he felt that the Thousand Demon Banner was more suitable for his fighting style. "Could it be that this Thousand Demon Banner is a magic weapon recorded in the Spirit Control Technique of the Nascent Soul stage?"

He increasingly felt that the Spirit Control Technique in his hands was just a censored version, and that the true core content should be controlled by the Spirit Control Sect.

If you can't figure out the details, just stop worrying about it. After all, what suits you best is the best.

"I'll just use you for now!" A decisive glint flashed in Luo Ming's eyes.

"First, refine this Thousand Demon Banner with the Elixir Fire. As for the Demon Binding Rope, we can collect materials and refine it later when we hunt high-level demon beasts. Having more magic weapons means having more protection."

He sat cross-legged, placed the Thousand Demon Banner in front of him, chanted incantations, and made hand gestures to perform a refining incantation, continuously pouring his own Core Formation power into the banner.

"As expected—refining this Thousand Demon Banner is much easier with the mana of a Core Formation stage cultivator!"

As he felt the resistance on the Thousand Demon Banner weakening and gradually connecting with his mind, Luo Ming was overjoyed.

He had tried to refine this banner when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage, but he found it extremely difficult. Now that he has advanced to the Core Formation stage and his magical power has increased several times, refining it is much easier now.

While Luo Ming was immersed in the joy of refining the magic weapon and consolidating his newly advanced cultivation, he was unaware that he, a newly promoted Core Formation cultivator, had already become the focus of attention in the vicinity.

Several days later, Luo Ming finally completed the refinement of the Thousand Demon Banner. With a slight thought, the Thousand Demon Banner transformed into a black light and merged into his dantian, faintly resonating with his golden core and being slowly nurtured by the fire of the dantian.

He had just stepped out of the secret room when he suddenly heard a soft "rustling" sound.

Looking up, they saw dozens of communication talismans attached to the outside of the cave's protective barrier, trembling slightly.

"So many?"

Luo Ming was taken aback, then realized that his advancement to the Core Formation stage must have caused quite a stir, likely already alerting nearby cultivators.

He raised his hand and waved it, opening a crack in the barrier. The communication talismans filed in and landed in his hand.

After checking them one by one, Luo Ming understood.

These communication talismans were either congratulatory messages from nearby Core Formation cultivators who wanted to befriend him, or recruitment letters from smaller forces offering him the position of guest elder with very generous terms.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to be obligated to serve it; it's much more comfortable to be alone!"

Luo Ming completely ignored the attempts by smaller factions to recruit him.

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