Chapter 474: Space-Rending Slash Perfection

After finishing his cultivation of the Cold Stream Spirit Fusion Skill, Li Yuan began to practice Demon Shadow Step.

After three consecutive days of intensive practice, casting Demon Shadow Step transformed from a deliberately controlled process into a conditioned reflex.

[Demon Shadow Step: Proficient → Minor Achievement]

At Minor Achievement, Demon Shadow Step’s teleportation distance stabilized at around thirty feet. Its casting speed was extremely fast, with almost zero wind-up. When combined with the breath suppression of Ghostly Stealth, it enabled short-range repositioning without being detected.

Li Yuan did not dwell on Demon Shadow Step, instead turning his full attention to Rending Void Slash.

He had long since reached Great Success with Rending Void Slash. After his Inherent Spatial Perception had been made permanent, the resulting massive boost to his spatial awareness caused a qualitative leap in his control. Combined with the strength of his late-stage Golden Core Divine Sense and the aid of the Profound Nether Bead’s Nascent Soul perspective, every cast of Rending Void Slash was approaching a certain threshold.

The final step from Great Success to Perfection was not a matter of power, but of perception.

The essence of Rending Void Slash was to tear a fissure in space.

At the Great Success stage, he could control the fissure’s direction, length, and arc, but he couldn’t precisely manage its thickness and depth. When the fissure was torn open, the edges of the spatial tear were coarse and uneven. The resulting cut was like wood chopped by a dull knife, covered in splinters and jagged fragments.

Perfection, however, meant the surfaces of the tear would become as smooth as a mirror.

The evening of the fifth day.

His right index finger traced an arc. A gray fissure bloomed from his fingertip, carving a five-foot-long arc through the air before silently dissipating.

This time, the edges of the fissure were like silk sliced by an exceedingly sharp blade—level, glossy, and without a single frayed thread.

[Rending Void Slash: Great Success → Perfection]

The Perfected Rending Void Slash was no longer just an offensive Magic.

Li Yuan raised his right hand, his fingertip hovering about an inch above the surface of the stone table.

An extremely fine gray fissure emerged from his fingertip, no wider than a strand of hair and precisely controlled to a length of two inches. The fissure skimmed horizontally across the tabletop. In its wake, the stone was carved as if by an invisible, precise blade, leaving a shallow, hair-thin groove.

The walls of the groove were as smooth as a mirror.

Li Yuan continued to guide the “blade” along the groove. Under his control, the fissure made two right-angle turns, carving out a neat L-shape.

Its precision far surpassed that of any Array Pattern Carving Knife.

The most difficult part of inscribing an Array was not designing the Spirit Patterns, but precisely carving the designed patterns onto the Array Hub material. The harder and denser the material, the greater the difficulty of carving. The Spirit Pattern density of a Tier Three Array was several times that of a Tier Two, demanding extremely high precision that ordinary Array Pattern Carving Knives often could not handle.

But the spatial cutting of the Perfected Rending Void Slash was not limited by the material’s hardness.

Li Yuan took a fragment of Tier Three Spiritual Material from his storage pouch and used the micro-fissures from Rending Void Slash to test-carve a few basic Spirit Patterns on its surface.

The cuts were perfect. The depth was uniform, the lines precise, and the connections between the Spirit Pattern nodes were flawless.

The value of this new skill was immeasurable.

Li Yuan ceased his practice, organized the trade goods in his storage pouch, and left the market district.

First, to Yunyang.

The trading area of Yunyang’s market district was as crowded as ever. Li Yuan spent half a day completing his purchases and sales for the Liangzhou route, and while he was at it, he restocked on goods that were in short supply in Jingzhou and Shuizhou from several Spiritual Material shops.

After leaving Yunyang, he took a Teleportation Array to White Mirror District.

His business on the Jingzhou end went smoothly. The 5% discount from his Token further lowered his purchasing costs. The marine Spiritual Materials he had left on consignment at several shops had all sold out, and the Spirit Stones were waiting for him on the counter.

After finishing his business in Jingzhou, Li Yuan returned to Mozhou via a Teleportation Array.

At the entrance to the settlement, Old Shen was sitting on a stone bench as usual, carving a wooden staff.

“Old Shen.” Li Yuan sat down across from him.

“How much of the Profound Nether Sect’s legacy is left? Specifically, the parts concerning Magical Artifacts and Talismans.”

Old Shen’s hand, which was carving the staff, paused.

“There isn’t much of the legacy for Talismans and Arrays left.” He shook his head. “We’ve been barely surviving here for hundreds of years. There are fewer and fewer people who can use them, so many things have been slowly lost from lack of use.”

“What about Magical Artifacts?”

“The Magical Artifacts are in better shape than the Talismans. At least we have the ore.” Old Shen rummaged through an old wooden chest beside him and took out two beast-hide scrolls and two items wrapped in coarse cloth.

“These two scrolls are legacy records for the Artifact Refining Technique. They’re not a complete Cultivation Technique, but rather the notes of a craftsman from the sect’s old Artifact Refining Hall. They record the forging methods and Spirit Pattern configurations for some special Spiritual Materials.”

“They also contain the refining methods for two Magical Artifacts. I have two Artifact Embryos for them right here.”

He unwrapped the coarse cloth.

Two half-finished Magical Artifacts lay quietly on the cloth.

The first was a short dagger. Its body was pitch-black, about seven inches long, and the edge was unsharpened. Its surface was covered in dense forging patterns. The style of the patterns was unlike any Magical Artifact Li Yuan had seen before, with dark, fierce lines and faint, dark-red points of light glittering at the nodes.

Demonic forging materials from the Profound Nether Sect.

The second was a palm-sized circular disc. The disc was grayish-white and felt as warm and smooth as jade. An incomplete set of Spirit Patterns was carved on its face. The flow of the patterns was similar to the standard configuration for Spirit Vein-detecting Magical Artifacts, but there were many unconventional modifications in the details.

A spirit-type Artifact Embryo from the Profound Nether Sect.

“The main forging for these two items is eighty to ninety percent complete.” Old Shen pointed to the dark-red light spots on the short dagger.

“The demonic forging material of the dagger’s body is Dark Erosion Iron, unique to the sect. Its hardness and affinity for Demonic Qi are both extremely high, but the final sharpening of the edge and activation of the Spirit Patterns require a Tier Two or higher Artifact Refining Technique to complete. The Spirit Disc is the same; most of the Spirit Patterns have been carved, but it hasn’t been finished.”

“I’ll take them, refine them, and return them to you.”

Old Shen waved his hand dismissively.

“Return them for what? If you can refine them, you should use them yourself. They’re just scrap iron in my hands.”

Li Yuan carefully stored the two Artifact Embryos and the two scrolls on Artifact Refining, bid farewell to Old Shen, and left Mozhou.

He crossed towering mountain ranges, traversed the Spiritless District, made landfall at Luoxia Port, and followed the coastline straight to Nanyuan District.

The docks at Nanyuan District were much livelier than during his last visit.

A dozen merchant ships of various sizes crowded the harbor, with a few large, deep-draft sailing vessels occupying the best berths. The number of Cultivators and sailors on the docks had more than doubled, and the din of hawking and haggling lasted from morning until night.

The most conspicuous sight was a huge notice newly posted on the west side of the docks.

Written on the notice in thick, bold strokes: The Kunpeng Island Alliance and the Celestial Peak Sect jointly host the Inland Sea Trade Fair, cordially inviting all Cultivators and traveling merchants to attend. The Trade Fair will be held on the main isle of Kunpeng Island, deep within the Inland Sea.

Below the announcement, attendance guidelines and route information were listed in dense script.

‘A trade fair.’

Li Yuan glanced at the notice before walking into the trading area. He sold the terrestrial Spiritual Materials he’d brought from Jingzhou and Liangzhou in batches. The prices were still considerable; the scarcity of land-based resources in Shuizhou hadn’t changed at all.

After finishing his sales, Li Yuan took the marine Spiritual Materials he had purchased and headed to the stone chamber on the uppermost level.

Zhou He was brewing tea.

“Have you heard about the Trade Fair?” Zhou He poured him a cup of tea.

“I just saw the notice.”

“It’s being put on by the Kunpeng Island Alliance and the Celestial Peak Sect. It’s a huge affair. I heard that even a few of the old island powers from the deep outer sea, who rarely show themselves, will be attending. There are bound to be plenty of good things.” Zhou He took a sip of his tea.

“Are you interested in going?”

“When does it set out?”

“It’s still a ways off. At least a month or two. The main thing is that the journey takes time.”

Zhou He put down his teacup, his expression turning serious.

“But there’s something I have to warn you about. A lot of those small merchant ships at the docks are rogue vessels flying passenger flags. Not only are they unfamiliar with the routes, but stories of them turning on their passengers mid-journey happen every year. The waters deep in the Inland Sea are treacherous, Demon Beasts appear frequently, and small boats simply can’t handle it.”

“Will Nanyuan District be arranging large ships?”

“Yes. A few old friends and I have pooled together for a large merchant vessel. When the time comes, travel with us. It’ll be safe.”

Li Yuan nodded.

After taking his leave of Zhou He, Li Yuan used his Token to enter the Artifact Refining workshop on the middle level of Nanyuan District.

The two medium-sized furnaces in the stone chamber were just as he remembered. Li Yuan ignited his Spiritual Fire and placed the two Artifact Embryos from Old Shen on the workbench.

After looking through the artifact refining texts, Li Yuan began the refining process.

First, the Ghostly Erosion Short Dagger.

The dagger’s main body was already forged. The forging patterns of the Dark Erosion Iron were extremely precise, and its affinity for Demonic Qi was very high. Li Yuan took over the subsequent steps with his skill at the Perfection level of Tier Two Artifact Refining. He first used the micro-fissures from his Perfected Rending Void Slash to precisely cut the final set of Spirit Pattern channels onto the dagger’s surface, then infused it with Demonic Qi to activate all the forging pattern nodes.

A moment later, a layer of dark, cold light suddenly flared across the dagger’s surface.

‘It’s done.’

Within a three-foot radius, his entry perception triggered.

[Equippable Item Detected: Ghostly Erosion Short Dagger (Complete)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Bone-Corroding Cold Edge (Green)]

[Effect: Magical attacks are imbued with Demonic Qi corrosion. Upon hitting, continuously consumes the target’s protective Spiritual Power at the wound. Corrosion effect is doubled against Cultivators below the Golden Core Stage.]

[Permanence Condition: Kill or critically wound three Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators (0/3)]

A green entry. The attacks carry Demonic Qi corrosion, continuously consuming the target’s protective Spiritual Power on hit. The effect is doubled against Cultivators below Golden Core.

Li Yuan placed the Ghostly Erosion Short Dagger into his personal space and began refining the second Artifact Embryo.

The process for the Profound Nether Spirit Disc was simpler than the dagger’s. The Spirit Pattern structure of a spirit-type Artifact Embryo leaned toward support functions and didn’t involve aggressive energy circuits. This meant the precision requirement for the Spirit Patterns was actually higher, but the Spiritual Power load was lower.

Li Yuan used the micro-fissures from Rending Void Slash to inscribe the missing sections of Spirit Patterns on the Spirit Disc’s surface, then activated all the nodes one by one with his Spiritual Power.

The surface of the Spirit Disc shimmered with a faint, grayish-white luster as the energy circuits within the Spirit Patterns began to operate on their own.

‘It’s done.’

[Equippable Item Detected: Profound Nether Spirit Disc (Complete)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Spirit Vein Sensing (White)]

[Effect: When held, increases sensitivity to Spirit Vein fluctuations within a one-hundred-foot radius by twenty percent. Allows for a rough judgment of a Spirit Vein’s grade and orientation.]

[Permanence Condition: Detect a cumulative total of fifteen Spirit Veins (0/15)]

A white entry. Its effect was support-oriented, further enhancing his ability to sense and judge Spirit Veins. When stacked with his existing permanent Spirit Vein-related entries—like Water Vein Overview, Vein Pattern Microsensing, and Earth Vein Resonance—his ability to detect Spirit Veins was bolstered even further.

The permanence condition was to detect a total of fifteen Spirit Veins. Given the frequency of his travels between Shuizhou and Mozhou, he could easily accumulate progress by casually scanning along the way.

Both Magical Artifacts were now completely refined.

Li Yuan extinguished the furnace, tidied up the refining workshop, and walked out of the stone chamber.

Outside Nanyuan District, the sun was setting over the sea. The merchant ships at the docks cast overlapping shadows in the afterglow. A few sailors were on deck organizing their ropes, preparing for the upcoming voyage to the Trade Fair.