Stepping out of the teleportation array, Ye Qin was immediately hit by a blast of searing heat and instinctively formed a hand seal, casting a Vajra Protection Shield around himself.

He then flashed away, putting distance between himself and the white-haired elder who was busy refining an artifact not far from the array.

The elder’s hands moved in rapid succession, sending bursts of flame onto the golden [Original term preserved], chuckling as he sensed Ye Qin’s gaze.

“Boy, no need to make such a fuss.

Just stay clear, and you’ll be fine.

My artifact refining skills are quite proficient; nothing will go wrong.

Also, all the formulas here are three spirit stones a copy.

There are some blank jade slips on the outermost shelves; go copy what you need.” Ye Qin stared from afar, eyes wide, speechless.

The innate true fire of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was far more tyrannical than Yang Fire; even a slight touch might overwhelm his Vajra Shield.

This elder’s refining process wouldn't conclude anytime soon.

Not wishing to disturb his Martial Uncle’s work, Ye Qin headed towards the distant bookshelves himself.

The second floor held significantly fewer books, and truly theoretical research texts were rare.

It was primarily filled with practical materials: artifact refining formulas, pill concoction recipes, brewing recipes, cooking formulas—recorded on books, embroidered slips, and jade slips—nearly filling an entire row of shelves.

Ye Qin searched carefully for a while, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

“Bigu Pill Formula! The Bigu Pill allows low-level cultivators, who cannot sustain long periods without food or drink, to sustain themselves for half a month while in seclusion after consuming just one.

Ingredients: Cang Shu, Huang *, Bai Zhu, Dang Shen, Mai Men Dong.

This formula is excellent; I can use it if I need to enter a life-or-death seclusion.” “Huiyuan Pill Formula! Can be taken by cultivators from the first to third layer of Foundation Establishment to increase cultivation.

Ingredients: .” “Peiyuan Pill Formula! Can be taken by cultivators from the fourth to sixth layer of Foundation Establishment to increase cultivation.” “Guiyuan Pill Formula! Can be taken by cultivators from the seventh to ninth layer of Foundation Establishment to increase cultivation.” Ye Qin rapidly scanned the second floor for pill concoction recipes he might use in the future.

If he saw something good, he snatched it up without a second thought.

There were simply too many formulas here; he couldn't possibly examine them all.

He reached the innermost part of one shelf where a prestigious wooden box held a milky-white jade slip.

Curiously, he picked it up and probed it with his spiritual sense.

“Three Marvelous Pill Formulas of the Azure Pill Sect—Foundation Establishment Pill Formula, Longevity Pill Formula, Spiritual Root Potential Pill Formula.” Ye Qin sucked in a sharp breath, his face alight with ecstasy.

He had finally found them.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was a reward item in the Azure Pill Sect’s minor competition, and the Longevity Pill was something obtainable only through participation in the major competition for Foundation Establishment disciples.

As for the Spiritual Root Potential Pill, this was the first time he had ever encountered mention of it.

Ye Qin quickly read the formula descriptions: “Foundation Establishment Pill: An essential item for cultivators at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage to break through and enter the Foundation Establishment stage.

A rare item in the cultivation world.” “Longevity Pill: Used to mend fate.

Depending on the potency of the spiritual herbs, it can increase lifespan slightly—most commonly adding five or ten years; rare ones can extend life by twenty years.

If a cultivator’s lifespan is about to expire just before attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment or Golden Core stage, consuming this pill can directly extend their life, allowing them to achieve the breakthrough at that critical moment.

The Longevity Pill mends fate and requires a significant consumption of spiritual herbs and materials.

Its refining cost is extremely high, and its quantity is exceptionally scarce.

Even the Azure Pill Sect only offers three pills at its grand competition every nine years.

Furthermore, the Longevity Pill is not infinitely ingestible; the efficacy of each subsequent pill is halved.

After consuming three or four, taking more yields almost no effect in extending lifespan further.” “Spiritual Root Potential Pill: Can directly increase spiritual root potential by one point, permanently enhancing one’s cultivation talent.

This is a heaven-defying item.

The spiritual herbs required for this pill are extremely rare, something that can only be encountered by chance.

The appearance of a Spiritual Root Potential Pill is enough to drive the entire cultivation world into a frenzy, prompting even Core Formation cultivators to violently seize it.

Although the Azure Pill Sect possesses the formula, the requisite spiritual herbs are too difficult to find; it has been five hundred years since the last Spiritual Root Potential Pill appeared.” Ye Qin’s heart pounded as he finished reading the introductions to these three marvelous pills.

Foundation Establishment Pill, for entering Foundation Establishment; Longevity Pill, for mending fate; Spiritual Root Potential Pill, for enhancing potential.

Any one of these elixirs was enough to drive people mad.

However, the issue was that the spiritual herbs needed for these three elixirs were all expensive, high-grade materials, Tier Three or Four at the lowest, requiring medicinal power accumulated over hundreds of years.

He decided to secure these formulas first.

Ye Qin continued browsing the shelves.

To his surprise, there were many bizarre formulas, such as those for brewing, cooking, and weaving.

“Chen Sang Brew Formula.

Gather a certain amount of spiritual herbs and brew them into Chen Sang Brew, which can rapidly restore mana.” “Flower Brew Formula.

Gather a single type of spiritual flower and brew it into wine.

If one can gather a hundred types of spiritual flowers, it becomes Hundred Flower Brew, capable of rapidly restoring mana.” “Fruit Brew Formula.

Gather various spiritual fruits and brew them into wine, which can rapidly restore mana.” A strange expression crossed Ye Qin’s face.

Brewing immortal wine from spiritual flowers and fruits that possessed the effect of rapid mana restoration—these were truly good things! In Immortal Fate City, a tiny sip of the Chen Sang Immortal Wine he bought cost him ten spirit stones.

Such immortal wine was incredibly difficult to purchase.

He took the slips.

Furthermore, these shelves also held artifact refining formulas, detailing the required mineral materials for refining spirit artifacts of various tiers: the Golden Light Sword, the Flame Blade, the Frost Blade, and so on.

They were all here, in a quantity so vast it made his hands go numb just holding them.

In just a short while, Ye Qin held dozens of formulas in his hands, bringing a broad smile to his face.

Ye Qin quickly gathered a large stack of embroidered and jade slips from the shelves.

Suddenly, he froze, his expression shifting rapidly, shadowed by a deep sorrow, and he fell silent.

The excitement of finding the hoard of formulas completely vanished.

The fatal flaw of the Zuo Wang Sutra at the ninth layer of Qi Refining was like a death rope constantly wrapped around him, tightening with the passage of time until it forcibly plunged him into a sealed, isolated state.

If he didn't survive this most difficult life-or-death tribulation, he would silently slip into a state of suspended animation, eventually dying in his seated meditation.

Were these piles of refining formulas he held now merely intended to be his burial goods? No matter how much he possessed, he needed life to use it.

If he couldn't pass this life-or-death tribulation, leaving behind a hoard of unusable items like a miser would only become a joke and mockery for his fellow sect disciples.

Ye Qin grew silent, gradually calming down.

The initial excitement had long since dissipated.

He placed these formulas back one by one.

“If I can’t establish my foundation, what use are these Huiyuan Pills, Peiyuan Pills—these elixirs meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators? Purely useless items.

And now, where do I have the time or the inclination to refine artifacts with these refining formulas?” Now, his sole goal was to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill and focus entirely on breaking through this tribulation.

Anything that did not help this singular pursuit was merely a burden that would only scatter his focus and energy.

Ye Qin’s movements quickened as he returned items.

In the end, only the Foundation Establishment Pill Formula and the Fruit Brew Formula remained in his hands.

The Foundation Establishment Pill Formula was essential for refining that pill.

As for the Fruit Brew Formula, he had plenty of Flame Berries and Frost Berries in his Purple Mansion; keeping them stocked was the same as letting them sit.

The brewing method was simple: just combine the ingredients and let them ferment slowly on their own; it wouldn’t consume his time, so he kept this one too.

As for the other formulas, it wasn’t too late to return and retrieve them after he survived.

The Azure Pill Scripture Pavilion certainly wouldn't close down in just two or three years.

If he didn't survive, he wouldn't be blessed enough to enjoy them anyway.

A trace of aloof yet resolute gaze flashed in Ye Qin’s eyes, and his entire demeanor relaxed considerably.

He took a blank jade slip from the shelf and copied these two formulas.

In the time Ye Qin spent upstairs, the white-haired elder was nearly finished with his refining.

After completing the final few hand seals, a golden, round, shimmering small sword covered in bizarre runes floated in mid-air.

Ye Qin approached the elder, cupped his hands respectfully, and said, “Martial Uncle, your junior took two formulas.

Here are the spirit stones.” The elder snatched the jade slip from Ye Qin’s hand, scanned it with his spiritual sense, and chuckled strangely.

“Foundation Establishment Pill Formula, Fruit Brew Formula! Boy, I’ve seen many juniors copy the Foundation Establishment Pill here.

Without exception, they all hope to see if they can actually refine it themselves.

However, I’ve never seen a single one truly succeed.

The Foundation Establishment Pill requires hundreds of high-grade spiritual herbs and materials; unless the entire sect pools its resources, it’s impossible to refine.

You couldn’t gather those herbs in a lifetime.

Now, this Fruit Brew is interesting.

Can you brew immortal wine? Send me a jar sometime, how about that?” Ye Qin’s face flushed slightly, and he murmured hesitantly, “This junior doesn't know how to brew wine yet, I just took it back to look at, to try.” “Fine, copy what you need.

Six low-grade spirit stones for the two formulas.” The elder took the spirit stones but did not let Ye Qin leave.

“Don't rush off.

This spirit artifact I just quenched desperately needs a Qi Refining disciple to test its power.

You test it!” Ye Qin hesitated briefly.

“Martial Uncle, isn't that improper? If this newly refined spirit artifact is stained with another person's mana aura, it will fetch a lower price!” The white-haired elder immediately grew annoyed.

“What’s improper about it? I’m testing it; I spent several years designing this.

I never intended to sell it.

Use your Object Manipulation technique and see if you can make it fly.” Ye Qin inwardly groaned.

This elder was intentionally making things difficult; spirit artifacts are fundamentally not controlled using the Object Manipulation technique.

A brief explanation is necessary here regarding the difference between a Spirit Artifact and a Magic Artifact.

Spirit Artifact: Normal size, refined by a Foundation Establishment cultivator using various artifact refining techniques.

When used, it is controlled by the physical body, infused with a small amount of mana, and can unleash Five Element elemental attacks.

Magic Artifact: Very small, refined by a Core Formation cultivator using various artifact refining techniques.

When used, it is controlled by spiritual sense, infused with mana, capable of flight, easy resizing, long-range attacks, and close defense—its capabilities are boundless and its power immense.

Since this white-haired elder was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the small sword quenched with innate true fire was undoubtedly a Metal Spirit Artifact.

If Ye Qin held it, he could treat it as a palm sword and use his physical body to engage in combat.

However, controlling it with the Object Manipulation technique would be extremely difficult.

This is because Spirit Artifacts have poor conductivity; controlling them to fly requires consuming a massive amount of mana and a great expenditure of spiritual sense.

The Object Manipulation technique is not an advanced spell but a foundational, entry-level art that moves objects according to one's spiritual sense.

It consumes not only mana but also mental energy, leading to mental fatigue if sustained for long periods.

An advanced iteration of the Object Manipulation technique—the Sword Control Art—is famous specifically for piloting Magic Artifacts.

The white-haired elder paid no mind to Ye Qin’s reluctance and stared at him with wide eyes, forcefully demanding he manipulate the golden small sword using the Object Manipulation technique.

If Ye Qin refused, the elder might erupt on the spot.

Unable to refuse, Ye Qin fell silent for a moment, executed the hand seals for the Object Manipulation technique, channeled a stream of mana into the golden small sword, and commanded it to fly.

To his astonishment, the golden small sword on the table merely shuddered slightly before slowly rising into the air under the control of his mana.

Ye Qin’s control was inexact, so it flew very slowly.

Ye Qin stared dumbfounded for a moment, then his hands moved swiftly, guiding it to dart quickly through the air.

In a short moment, all that could be seen was a fleeting golden shadow weaving rapidly through the space.

Crack! The golden small sword flew too fast and slammed headlong into a transparent light barrier inside the scripture pavilion.

It caused a ripple on the barrier, followed by a Clang-dong! as it lost control and fell to the ground.

Ye Qin retracted his technique, having consumed considerable mana; his spirit was weary, and his face was slightly pale.

Yet, inwardly, he was utterly shocked that this Metal Spirit Artifact could fly so swiftly under his control.

“Haha, my Pseudo-Spirit Artifact isn’t bad, is it? I carved several small Wind-element arrays onto the blade itself to make it fly so fast.” The white-haired elder looked delighted.

With a wave of his hand, he recalled the golden small sword from the floor to his grasp.

He squeezed both hands fiercely, and the small sword instantly magnified several times, then he pressed his hands down, shrinking it several times.

Kacha—numerous fine cracks appeared across the sword’s surface, clearly unable to withstand the immense tensile force of stretching and compressing.

Ye Qin was horrified and immediately retreated several paces.

A spirit artifact showing cracks from a single pull suggested this white-haired elder possessed strength equivalent to at least the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

It was best to keep his distance to avoid being injured by fragments from the fracturing sword.

“This Pseudo-Magic Artifact can’t enlarge or shrink; there’s still a gap compared to a true Magic Artifact.” The white-haired elder scratched the back of his head in annoyance, impatiently waving his hand while muttering thoughtfully, “I need to figure out a way to make it expand and contract.

Ah, the tensile toughness of this material isn't enough.

Next time, I must try a different formula, use other materials to test it.” Ye Qin froze for a moment.

This small sword was a Pseudo-Magic Artifact? Seeing that the elder had sunk into deep thought, Ye Qin didn't dare ask further.

He walked to the teleportation array, left the second floor, and soon exited the Azure Pill Scripture Pavilion.

(To be continued.

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