Chapter Forty-Six: Forging Magical Artifacts

With his eyes closed, Zhang Xiao examined his inner world. A pill the size of a thumb was nestled in his dantian, but unlike the blue-violet hue described in the Taiyin Xuanhua Sutra, his pill was half blue and half gold. He supposed this was due to his dual cultivation of Buddhist and Daoist arts. Now that his Golden Core was formed, spiritual energy from the air gathered ceaselessly around him—even if he stopped cultivating, his power would continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace.

Despite achieving the Golden Core, Zhang Xiao was left numb and unable to move, battered by more than a dozen bolts of tribulation lightning. Even his avatar within the sea of consciousness appeared somewhat withered, as it had borne part of the lightning's burden. Lan Fang and Ni Weilan, seeing his state, each took one of Zhang Xiao’s arms and helped him back to his room. Fortunately, both women were at the Foundation Establishment stage; their strength was not overwhelming, but they managed to carry him with ease.

Lying in bed, Zhang Xiao silently activated the Taiyin Xuanhua Sutra. Spiritual energy coursed through his limbs and meridians, beginning to repair the damage from the tribulation. Though injured, the rewards far exceeded his expectations. After the tempering of lightning, the width of his meridians had tripled compared to ordinary cultivators, meaning both the storage and output of spiritual power were three times greater. His bones and tendons had also grown several times stronger; even without manifesting the Adamantine Immovable Body, he could now match his avatar’s physical strength. Once the Adamantine Immovable Body was deployed, even the avatar could not harm him.

He opened his attribute panel and found his stats astonishing: Name: Zhang Xiao, Level 45, Strength 800, Agility 700, Endurance 800—more than double what they had been upon breaking through the fourth layer of the Boru Zen Sutra. In other words, he was now essentially a small superhuman. Yet, as Zhang Xiao’s cultivation advanced, he grew increasingly puzzled by the attribute panel on his wrist. He clearly remembered the voice he heard when the sky first changed, standing atop a mountain:

"I am the Heavenly Way. Today marks the beginning of a new era—hundreds of races will reform, and from this day forth all shall enter the Age of Data. Those who transcend may attain the Supreme Dao Fruit."

Age of Data? It sounded related to numbers, but aside from the attribute panel, everything else seemed more like a world of immortal heroes than anything digital. No matter how he pondered, Zhang Xiao could not grasp its meaning. "Forget it, I’ll ask my master when I return to the sect. He appeared after the second sky change; he should know some secrets, though whether he’ll share them is another matter," Zhang Xiao thought.

He rested in his room for two days, during which Lan Fang and Ni Weilan took turns caring for him. Zhang Xiao was deeply moved by their devotion. Though he was injured, he had broken through to the Golden Core stage, and with the continuous repair from spiritual energy, he was fully recovered after two days. In truth, Zhang Xiao knew that his injuries could be swiftly healed by a single Rebirth Pill, but with only seven left, he treasured them dearly and could not bear to waste such precious medicine on mere recovery. Besides, lying in bed for a couple of days was a rare chance to enjoy being cared for—even if he could only indulge the thought inwardly.

With the Nine Sects Tournament approaching, Zhang Xiao dared not delay. Lan Fang and Ni Weilan were preparing to return to the branch to undergo the inner sect trial, so Zhang Xiao focused on stabilizing his cultivation. He watched Lan Fang’s departing gaze; once she entered the inner sect, they might not meet often, but lingering was pointless. He could not pass the Taiyin Xuanhua Sutra on to Lan Fang, and the Boru Zen Sutra was even more out of the question. Though Zhang Xiao felt reluctant, he steeled himself and sent Lan Fang off to the branch. After Ni Weilan led Lan Fang inside, Zhang Xiao had no reason to return to the manor and instead went straight to the Maoshan branch, instructing someone to summon Xia Cheng and Xia Tan.

"What’s the matter? Enjoying the good life, I see," Xia Tan remarked, though Xia Cheng—Zhang Xiao’s childhood companion—spoke more candidly, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Zhang Xiao smiled, "Good life? If anything, I’ve suffered." Xia Cheng replied, "Serves you right. Bringing Lan Fang to the manor was one thing, but then you dragged another beauty along. Two women fighting over you—you’re asking for trouble." Zhang Xiao could only sigh, unwilling to explain further. Instead, he placed two jade bottles on the table. "Take these. One for each of you. Xia Tan, use yours first, then help Xia Cheng refine his. This stuff is potent; it’s fine for Foundation Establishment, but Xia Cheng is still at the Qi Condensation stage and needs someone to guard him."

Xia Tan picked up a jade bottle and opened it, revealing a five-colored pill nestled inside, exuding a fresh grassy aroma. He quickly replaced the stopper and exclaimed, "Rebirth Pill!" Zhang Xiao was not surprised that Xia Tan recognized it—though expelled from the inner sect, Xia Tan had studied the Taiyin Xuanhua Sutra and knew the pill from its description: five colors, pill energy like grass, a unique trait of the Rebirth Pill. Though it could not push Xia Tan directly to the Golden Core stage, it would grant him a year’s worth of progress in one go—a treasure Xia Cheng could only dream of. Xia Tan was both astonished and delighted, unable to find words for a moment. After a long pause, he finally managed a heartfelt thank you. Zhang Xiao knew Xia Tan was no ingrate; his gratitude came from the heart.

Seeing his brother so moved, Xia Cheng knew Zhang Xiao had given him a treasure. He grinned, "Heh, don’t worry—when you’re courting two women, your brother will always back you up." Zhang Xiao made no attempt to explain, knowing that would only make things worse. After handing the pills to Xia Tan and Xia Cheng, Zhang Xiao took out the remaining Yin-Yang Banners. Except for the earliest banner, which had developed a spirit, he gave all five to the brothers. Spiritual treasures were no longer suitable for someone at the Golden Core stage; magical treasures would be his primary weapons now. As for the spiritual Yin-Yang Banner, Zhang Xiao kept it—the banner had become unruly after gaining a spirit, and he feared it might backfire on Xia Tan at a crucial moment. This was one reason why Zhang Xiao no longer used it after retrieving it from the Wanmo Sect branch in Guizhou.

Once everything was settled, Zhang Xiao secluded himself again. Now at the Golden Core stage, he had yet to refine a single magical treasure. Though time was short, it should be enough to refine the Bone Fan given to him by the sect leader Kong Xuan, and perhaps craft a weapon for his avatar as well. He could not let his avatar go empty-handed.

Sitting in the secluded chamber, Zhang Xiao took out the Bone Fan gifted by Kong Xuan. Bone Black Wind Fan: Third-grade magical treasure. Requirement: Golden Core stage. He did not know what kind of bone it was made from, but the jet-black fan surface exuded chilling energy, with faint beastly roars echoing from within. Zhang Xiao activated the Taiyin Xuanhua Sutra and breathed a stream of true energy onto the fan.

The Bone Fan, wrapped in true energy, struggled fiercely, but Zhang Xiao would not let it escape. Though new to the Golden Core stage, his strength far surpassed ordinary cultivators. He cast a series of talismanic seals, thoroughly subduing it, then breathed out another stream of true energy. Though the Bone Fan was a magical treasure, it was only third-grade; under Zhang Xiao’s thunderous methods, it was soon fully refined. He absorbed the Bone Fan into his body for nurturing—unlike spiritual treasures, magical treasures required internal refinement.

He summoned his avatar and retrieved all materials from his bone ring, preparing to forge a weapon. Among them was a crystal rod the size of a small tree. Mountain Crystal Rod: Top-tier material, weighing three thousand four hundred pounds, the essence of a mountain. Once forged, it would be unbreakable. His greatest gains from the Maoshan back mountain were the Rebirth Grass and the Mountain Crystal Rod taken from the silver giant ape.

Zhang Xiao waved the Mountain Crystal Rod, moving it effortlessly—he could barely lift it before, but now it was as light as his own arm. Laughing inwardly, he thought, "Even if I encounter that silver giant ape again, I need not fear him." He pushed the rod into the air and breathed out a stream of flame, enveloping it completely. This flame was dan fire, possible only for Golden Core experts. Though Zhang Xiao’s technique was of the yin variety, his flame was not hot but cold. His avatar, trained in Buddhist arts, released Buddha-flame as well, though it required tremendous energy.

Normally, yin and yang flames would explode upon contact, but since they shared a common origin, they instead merged into a peculiar new flame. In no time, the massive Mountain Crystal Rod melted into a transparent liquid. Zhang Xiao quickly controlled his avatar to infuse it with Buddhist scriptures. The weapon was meant for his avatar, so Buddhist forging methods were best. Though Zhang Xiao did not know the Buddhist techniques, he improvised, piecing together scripture patterns into a lotus flower—a special method recorded in the Boru Zen Sutra. Though untested, he believed it would be extraordinary and thus embedded over ten lotus scripture seals.

While his avatar chanted and infused various Buddhist spells, Zhang Xiao shaped the weapon. Soon, a Buddhist Demon-Subduing Staff took form. Its shaft ended in a convex spade on one side and a crescent blade on the other, modeled after the weapon used by Monk Sha in Journey to the West.