Chapter 481 – Repairing the Formation Flag

After being scorched by the earthfire, the talismanic symbols on the flag’s surface became even clearer, as though they were about to peel away from the cloth itself. The formation patterns on the flagpole also emerged from its pitch-black texture. Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Xiaohua’s expression grew more solemn. He took a deep breath, let his entire body’s true qi surge forth, and, following the incantations of [Refining the World of Artifacts], flicked his fingers one after another, sending all the hand-seals he had just formed into the two separated pieces of the formation implement.

The little flag and the flagpole, drawn by the force of the incantations, gradually drew closer. Yet as the two approached, a tremendous repulsive force seemed to arise between them, faintly pushing each other apart. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but furrow his brows. [Refining the World of Artifacts] contained no mention of such a situation—this was something that could only be encountered in actual practice. Still, Zhang Xiaohua did not grow anxious; he continued methodically sending in different incantations. Based on what little experience he had, he even repeated certain incantations a few extra times. Through his persistent effort, the two objects drew nearer and nearer, yet just as they were about to meet, beads of sweat began to form on Zhang Xiaohua’s forehead.

Zhang Xiaohua could not help but lament inwardly. When he had previously refined protective jade pendants using artifact-refining techniques, it had felt rather easy, which made him underestimate the art of refinement. In recent days, he had been using the earthfire and pill furnace to refine elixirs, working with fire constantly, and thus came to believe that the Dao of Alchemy and the Dao of Artifact Refining were nearly the same. So today, without giving it much thought, he directly began repairing the little flag using artifact-refining methods. But now, at the final moment, just before the two pieces were to merge, he found his strength insufficient.

At this, Zhang Xiaohua closed his eyes, released his divine sense, and used his incantations to delicately control the earthfire, attempting to calm his heart.

“My incantations and steps just now were all carried out according to what was recorded in [Refining the World of Artifacts]. There wasn’t a single mistake—so why can’t I fuse the two together?”

Unconsciously, Zhang Xiaohua rapidly reviewed the entire refining process in his mind. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Artifact refining and pill refining were both acts of refinement. Pill refining extracted the essences of herbs, combining different essences together—what mattered was subtlety and precision. Artifact refining, on the other hand, melted down materials of different natures, embedding formations within them to create something entirely new—what mattered was fusion and inlaying. The two refining arts looked similar, yet were fundamentally different. The Dao of Heaven evolves, separating yin and yang, constructing the five elements—wasn’t pill refining and artifact refining precisely the two faces of yin and yang?

Zhang Xiaohua seemed to have gained some insight. He had always refined pills with utmost care and precision, but such caution was ill-suited for the firm and vigorous Dao of Artifact Refining. Thinking back to the boiling jade liquid when he had first refined jade pendants, the corners of Zhang Xiaohua’s lips curved into a faint smile. At once, he forced all the true qi in his body into his fingertips, forming incantations once more, and rhythmically sent the hand-seals into the two formation implements within the earthfire that had resisted merging for so long.

As his incantations poured in, it was as if an invisible hand seized the two artifacts and forcibly pressed them together. All of a sudden, a flash of white radiance streaked across, and the flag’s cloth and pole finally fused as one. The talismanic symbols on both vanished simultaneously, leaving behind a single, complete little flag floating above the earthfire.

Letting out a long breath, Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand, and the small flag drifted into his grasp. Examining closely where the flag met the pole, he found not the slightest trace of a seam. He could not help but be astonished and thought to himself: “Could this be that so-called ‘flawless as heaven’s robe’?”

After playing with it for a while, Zhang Xiaohua tucked the little flag into his money pouch.

Though the refinement of the flag had not taken long, the consumption of true qi was enormous—nearly exhausting all the qi in his body. He had no strength left to refine the other two at all.

Walking back toward his meditation cushion, he sighed with each step. In the past, when comparing himself with martial practitioners, he always felt himself superior, standing a head above others. Yet now, this afternoon merely deciphering the passages of [Refining the World of Artifacts] had completely drained his divine sense, and tonight repairing just a single formation implement—oh, merely repairing one!—had left his true qi utterly spent. Although there were no immortals in this world any longer, Zhang Xiaohua still felt deeply ashamed. This early-stage Qi Refining cultivation of his was truly nothing worth showing off!

And to think he had been so intent on finding methods of artifact refinement, hoping to showcase his skill by crafting a suitable weapon for himself. Now it seemed such a goal was nearly unattainable—only when he reached the late stage of Qi Refining, or perhaps even the fabled Foundation Establishment stage, would it be possible.

After pondering for a while, Zhang Xiaohua decided he should first carefully study the [General Principles of Artifact Refinement], and leave [Refining the World of Artifacts] inside his money pouch, to be practiced only when his strength had grown.

Seated cross-legged upon the emerald meditation cushion, though the hour was still early, Zhang Xiaohua no longer had any will to delve into talismans or formations. He was simply too weary today. Drawing two yuan stones from his bosom, he closed his eyes, entered meditation, and silently circulated the Carefree Heart Sutra, slowly replenishing his depleted true qi.

Over the next two days, Zhang Xiaohua followed his original plan, teaching Nie Qianyu the remaining transformations of the Great Evolution Five Elements Formation one by one, which she carefully recorded. In the afternoons and evenings, he also managed to repair the other two small flags.

Although repairing these three little flags left Zhang Xiaohua utterly exhausted, his cultivation had nevertheless improved—surprisingly, even more than from pill refining. Zhang Xiaohua vaguely understood that both alchemy and artifact refining seemed to be paths of cultivation in themselves, each capable of leading to great divine abilities.

Having obtained the complete Great Evolution Five Elements Formation, Si Yakong finally fulfilled one of his long-cherished wishes. Looking over the detailed and thorough formation, he could hardly believe it. The contents were simply too vast, far exceeding his imagination and far beyond the records of the Artifact Forging Sect. Because of this, Si Yakong made a special trip to the pill room in the inner valley to thank Zhang Xiaohua in person.

Although Zhang Xiaohua did not much like being manipulated, he had indeed gained many benefits from the Artifact Forging Sect. How could he simply ignore the man? And so, he conversed pleasantly with Si Yakong for a long time. They even agreed that after his matter with the Incense Spreading Sect was concluded and he returned to the Big Dipper Sect, he would once again visit the Artifact Forging Sect.

Si Yakong was also delighted. He had long avoided meeting Zhang Xiaohua out of guilt, but now, seeing that Zhang Xiaohua bore no grudges and even offered him much guidance on the applications of formations, he no longer brought up the matter of the [Wordless Heavenly Book]. Moreover, he readily agreed to help Zhang Xiaohua gather rare and unusual artifact refining materials, and even considered teaching him a few techniques on the spot.

Watching from the side, Valley Master Nie finally felt the weight in his heart lift completely. He could tell Zhang Xiaohua had not taken certain matters to heart. One was his longtime elder brother, the other a young hero who had shown immense kindness to his Spring Rebirth Valley—being caught between the two had been most uncomfortable for him.

After seeing Si Yakong off, Valley Master Nie hurried back and softly asked: “Nephew Ren, the matter of the formation is now complete, so what do you think about…”

Valley Master Nie felt somewhat embarrassed. Who was the master of Spring Rebirth Valley, after all? Even to refine a pill, he had to wait until someone else was free.

Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said, “Uncle Nie, don’t be impatient. These past few days, I’ve already sorted through the pill recipes. With half a day more, it can be completed. How about this—tomorrow morning, ask Elder Zhang to gather all the herbs for the Scarlet Flame Pill. I’ll be here awaiting you, and we can open the furnace and refine it together. What do you think?”

Valley Master Nie was overjoyed and was just about to speak.

But at that moment, Zhang Xiaohua’s expression grew troubled, and he said: “There is still one matter, Uncle Nie, which I must speak of plainly.”

Valley Master Nie was taken aback, then smiled and said: “My dear Nephew, if you have something to say, please do not hold back.”

Zhang Xiaohua hesitated for a moment before speaking: “Uncle Nie, strictly speaking, you are not an outsider. Many of the alchemical methods I know were also learned here in Spring Rebirth Valley. Refining the Scarlet Flame Pill is a rare opportunity for an alchemist such as myself—discussing and observing together would be of great benefit to our progress. However…”

At these words, Valley Master Nie’s face darkened. Indeed, Zhang Xiaohua had learned Spring Rebirth Valley’s alchemy, was now using Spring Rebirth Valley’s herbs to refine pills, and yet it seemed he wished to prevent Spring Rebirth Valley’s Valley Master from observing the process. Oh, and not to forget—he had even asked Spring Rebirth Valley’s young mistress to select a pill room for him and accompany him in study. And in the end, he actually intended to cast them aside? How could that be tolerated?

Seeing the shift in Valley Master Nie’s expression, Zhang Xiaohua sighed helplessly and said: “Uncle Nie, you surely know my temperament. Were it not absolutely necessary, I would not speak such words. Some of the techniques used in refining the Scarlet Flame Pill come from that ancient alchemy manual I transcribed for you last time. Sharing those with Spring Rebirth Valley poses no great issue. But there are still other techniques that are the secret transmission of my Big Dipper Sect. I received strict instructions from my elders and dare not break the sect’s rules. I can only ask Uncle Nie’s understanding.”

Zhang Xiaohua spoke with sincerity, and when he mentioned alchemical techniques, Valley Master Nie’s expression eased somewhat. What Zhang Xiaohua said was very reasonable. Since cultivating that manual, Valley Master Nie himself had already succeeded in refining simple pills, proving that the youth had not deceived him. If a single method from the book could restore Spring Rebirth Valley to the flourishing heights of ancient alchemy, then the value of the other methods could easily be imagined. It was natural that Zhang Xiaohua would not allow him to observe.

Even so, Valley Master Nie could not give up and pressed further: “Nephew, this old man understands your difficulties. But the refining of the Scarlet Flame Pill is a grand event that Spring Rebirth Valley has not seen in over a thousand years. If this old man cannot witness it with his own eyes, it will be the regret of a lifetime. And as for Elder Zhang—he has spent his long years guarding these herbs. If he cannot see the pill being refined before his own eyes, how… how could he rest in peace?”

Good heavens, he even went so far as to invoke “dying with eyes unclosed”!

Zhang Xiaohua pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: “I understand Uncle Nie’s concern. How about this: the refining process can still be watched together. But at certain times, I must ask that you and Elder Zhang step outside the pill room for a while. Once I have finished handling the matter, I will invite you back in. How would that be?”

Valley Master Nie considered it and said: “In that case, I think it may be acceptable. Let me return and discuss it with Elder Zhang first.”

Zhang Xiaohua bowed and said: “It is, after all, causing Uncle Nie some difficulty. I ask for your understanding.”

Valley Master Nie gave a bitter smile. Without the skill, one could only remain passive, subject to another’s restrictions at every step. He had hoped to use Spring Rebirth Valley’s resources to exchange for the secrets of Zhang Xiaohua’s alchemy. But in the end, he could only watch from afar, unable to touch the true essence!