"Princess..." "Get lost!" Lucifer kicked over Raphael with one leg and activated his bloodline power, cautiously heading deeper into the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea: "Qian Jing, you will die by today!"

The moon rose high, and the searing heat of the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea during the day gave way to a coldness like an ice cellar.

The fierce winds did not cease their ravage just because the sun had vanished; they still swept across the surface of the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea, laced with an ice-piercing chill.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge felt as if he was about to turn into a block of ice. Holding two bronze swords in his hands, he struggled in the desert, desperately absorbing the jin qi (metal energy) contained within them.

Compared to the high-speed absorption possible when the intense daytime heat melted everything, the jin qi at night seemed completely frozen by the cold currents. The speed of absorbing the jin qi was nearly a hundred times slower than normal, as if all the metal energy had died or fallen dormant.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge had no room to complain; this was a task left by Qian Jing. While absorption was rapid during the day, the nighttime absorption, though much slower, required a greater expenditure of Battle Qi for every small gain, which not only tempered the Battle Qi but also made the absorbed jin qi significantly more solidified.

Moreover, the jin qi absorbed into the body during the day, which was like molten metal flowing over a furnace, became even harder when frozen by the chilling air at night.

"If you cannot freely control your frozen Great True Metal Battle Qi, the day you encounter an enemy with ice-attribute Battle Qi will be your doom. Once the Great True Metal Battle Qi is frozen, your body will become as rigid as steel, making movement extremely inconvenient. Only when you can move freely under low temperatures will you no longer need to bury yourself in the sand, and your body will also become more resilient."

Qian Jing leaned against a mountain peak, turning over the Sand Python Demon Core he had obtained from Duan Feng Bu Er. This was a core brimming with magical power, containing not just magic, but the Sand Python's most potent essence poison!

The world held countless magical beasts, each possessing different abilities. Some beasts carried poison in their bodies, others in their fangs, but the Sand Python's most lethal toxin did not come from its teeth or body—it came from the Demon Core.

Poison is also a form of magic! And poison is many forms of magic.

The Sand Python Demon Core housed nineteen magic arrays, each with a different capability. The largest among them was the array responsible for generating the poison. Victims poisoned by it felt no pain, only numbness, gradually being killed without awareness—this was the highest level of poison. Coincidentally, the Sand Python possessed exactly this type of poison magic array.

The Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline naturally possessed a special instinct for Devouring. By utilizing a newly constructed, immature altar, this instinct could be stimulated to swallow the magic arrays within the Demon Core, transforming them into unique personal abilities.

Which of the nineteen arrays contained the poison? Duan Feng Bu Er couldn't tell; most people in the world couldn't.

"How is it? Figured it out yet?" Duan Feng Bu Er leaped out of the cave and sat beside Qian Jing. "If you really can't, just find a professional inscription master."

"No need." Qian Jing tossed the core back to Duan Feng Bu Er. "The one in the very center, the largest one, is the magic array you need. After swallowing that array..."

"I know." Duan Feng Bu Er patted Qian Jing's shoulder. "Give the Demon Core to Bi Luo, right? I truly admire and am moved by that little girl's efforts. This Demon Core can last her a very, very long time."

Qian Jing smiled and took out the Demon Core of the Sand Scorpion King from his Battle Realm. The Sand Scorpion's poison derived entirely from its tail; the core contained no poisons, only magic related to sand—Desert Claws, Sand Spikes, Sand Armor, and so on.

These could be used for magic runes, but they weren't the most captivating runes; the greatest fascination remained with the largest array at the core.

Sand Ball! This wasn't truly about controlling sand into a sphere, but rather the Sand Scorpion's ability to use this magic to alter the shape of its carapace, turning its body into a ball. Normally, it would rest buried in the sand, only reverting to its original form to attack when prey passed by. Naturally, this transformation also helped it evade predation by many other magical beasts.

"If we figure out this magic array," Qian Jing tapped the core, "then armor wouldn't need to be worn or kept in the Battle Realm. Imagine having an iron ball on your person that instantly transforms into armor with a single press."

"Dream on," Duan Feng Bu Er grinned wryly. "That's an ability reserved for Saint Artifact sets."

Saint Artifact sets? Qian Jing's attention was fixed on Duan Feng Bu Er. Saint Artifacts were superior to Soul Artifacts and were reputed to be the highest grade of weapons and equipment. Not a single forger in the current era could craft a Saint Artifact; all existing ones were legacies left behind by generations of master smiths from the past.

"They say the Dynasty is progressing..." Qian Jing handed Duan Feng Bu Er a cigarette. "Battle Qi is getting stronger, magic is getting stronger, so why has forging regressed?"

Duan Feng Bu Er shrugged and smiled dismissively. "What's strange about that? Old-time forgers thought about how to craft top-tier equipment. Modern forgers think about how to use minimal materials to forge more valuable gear. Their pursuits have changed."

Qian Jing nodded; indeed! Strictly speaking, the forging technique hadn't regressed, but the focus of production had shifted. In the past, the amount of metal used wasn't a concern as long as high-grade equipment could be forged. Now, smiths constantly conserved materials, which resulted in a general decline in the quality of equipment. Even if the ancient smiths who forged Saint Artifacts were brought back and given the same amount of material to forge Battle Weapons, the current generation of smiths might actually do better—their daily study was focused on material conservation and making money.

"Actually, one should use sufficient materials...," Qian Jing shook his head. "Conserving materials is ultimately not the correct path."

"Oh, right!" Qian Jing turned to look at Duan Feng Bu Er. "I found a method. The Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family will definitely agree to let you use the altar without you having to join them."

"Really?" Duan Feng Bu Er suddenly sprang up from the sand, staring fixedly at Qian Jing. Although he now possessed the Demon Core and knew which array to swallow, actually setting foot on the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family's altar was almost impossible.

Every bloodline warrior family possessed an unexplainable pride in their very bones, a stubbornness that even His Majesty the Emperor could not correct.

"I never thought..." Duan Feng Bu Er looked seriously at Qian Jing, then sat back down heavily on the sand. "I spent so much time thinking about just awakening it directly, seeing what luck brings. Going to the Pan family of the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline? How could that be possible?"

Qian Jing pointed to the cave behind him. "It's the water inside there. Because the Sand Python soaked in it for too long, and the surrounding environment is very unique, that water has the specific quality of stimulating snake-type bloodline awakening. Taking that to the Pan family should not be difficult to exchange for one chance, right?"

Duan Feng Bu Er looked thoughtful. Every bloodline warrior family desperately wished for every member to awaken their bloodline power, yet no one had ever managed it. Even managing to awaken a few more bloodline powers, or making an already awakened bloodline power awaken again, held immense value.

"It might work, but," Duan Feng Bu Er's expression clouded with worry, "there is one huge question: the origin of that water source. You know the bloodline warrior families aren't benevolent. If such a special awakening water source exists, they won't just be satisfied by us giving them the water."

Robbery, Qian Jing nodded slightly. If such a water source truly existed, the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family would surely seize it; they wouldn't simply agree just because a little bit of water was offered.

"Find a dried-up pool, take some water there, and pour it in," Qian Jing shrugged. "Then, just say you found it inside. Wouldn't that work?"

Duan Feng Bu Er stared blankly at Qian Jing, slowly raising his thumb and shaking his head repeatedly. "I really can't see it. Normally, you seem to think very little, yet you can immediately devise such a plan when faced with this kind of situation? You really are a rascal through and through. We truly are friends!"

Qian Jing looked speechlessly at Duan Feng Bu Er. A perfectly good strategy had turned into 'a belly full of bad intentions' coming from that man's mouth... The full moon climbed to the very center of the sky. Qian Jing smashed the sand, which had frozen nearly into steel, and dragged Fen Tu Kuang Ge out to return to the cave for recuperation.

Upon returning to the Endless World, the familiar small village was as peaceful as ever.

Blake looked at Qian Jing entering the courtyard and paused slightly. In such a short time, he had managed to mend that soulless, purely functional Battle Heart, turning it into a true Battle Heart. Though, what kind of Battle Heart it was remained unknown.

Qian Jing was slightly surprised to see two other people in the courtyard. Uncle Blake was diligently working in the smithy, but today, the village's most disagreeable figures, Master Eulala and Master Adams, were also present.

And... that large black medicine vat was also in the courtyard!

"Two Masters..." Qian Jing looked hesitantly at the two, unsure what question to even ask.

"Hmph!"

Adams and Eulala glared at each other, simultaneously snorting coldly before turning their heads away, chin held high towards the sky. Clearly, if they weren't in Uncle Blake's smithy, they might have already started fighting, staging the kind of street brawl between a mysterious alchemist and an alchemist frequently seen in the True Dynasty.

Blake stood up, tapping the sole of his shoe with his pipe, and looked up at the two Battle Qi practitioners. "Begin, then." Eulala and Adams immediately deflated like punctured balloons and walked towards Qian Jing.

End of this chapter. To know what happens next, please listen to the next installment~~ Support the genuine version, support Gao Lou!