Li Yundong drew a deep breath, concentrating his vital energy and slowly channeling it towards the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan. At first, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan showed nothing extraordinary; the vital energy Li Yundong channeled into it seemed to vanish like a stone sinking into the ocean, eliciting no response whatsoever.

Li Yundong looked up at Ziyuan with a flicker of surprise. Ziyuan seemed to read his mind and retorted, "Something valued at a million, you expect to acquire it with just a hundred thousand?

Is that possible?" A realization dawned on Li Yundong: she meant his infusion of vital energy wasn't substantial enough. She could have just said so; why did this girl always prefer beating around the bush?

As if she could read his thoughts, Ziyuan spoke again, "If I didn't do this, you wouldn't cultivate the habit of diligent thought. On the path of cultivation, far more terrifying than suffering Qi deviation is the failure to think diligently!" Li Yundong smiled without speaking, refocusing completely to continue pushing his internal vital energy into the fan.

After continuously channeling his energy for about five minutes, Li Yundong noticed the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan suddenly pulse faintly, but the movement was so slight that he almost suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him. But after a short while longer, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan gave another distinct jolt.

Only then did Li Yundong truly believe the fan was moving on its own! The notion that a heavy, cold iron fan weighing over a hundred catties could move by itself was something no one would believe; if he hadn't personally experienced so much already, Li Yundong himself would have scoffed at the idea.

Yet, the reality was laid bare before him, leaving no room for disbelief. Initially, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan merely twitched a couple of times, much like a fish that had only recently died, but soon it began to tremble incessantly, producing a sharp zheng zheng sound as the leaf edges collided.

If Li Yundong hadn't observed that everything around him remained perfectly still, he might have thought a minor earthquake had struck, causing the fan to shake uncontrollably. Li Yundong’s eyes widened, unable to grasp why the magical artifact reacted this way when he infused it with his vital energy.

However, upon reflection, applying the knowledge he had acquired, he began to see a glimmer of understanding. In Li Yundong’s view, the primary difference between the Yang Qi he previously possessed and his current vital energy (Zhen Yuan) was this: Yang Qi was an internal aura, controllable by will while contained within the body, but once released externally, it became ungovernable—like a fired bullet that cannot alter its course mid-flight.

Vital energy (Zhen Yuan), conversely, was different. It was the most refined essence distilled from Yang Qi, emanating from the inner core, cohesive rather than dissipating.

Even when expelled from the body, it remained subject to the cultivator's control, akin to the body extending an invisible tentacle that could touch objects, and if strong enough, even grasp them! This was the simplest form of divine ability: 'Telekinesis' or 'Moving Objects from a Distance.' When this power reached a sufficient magnitude, this purest form of energy could arbitrarily seize various elements of heaven and earth for one’s use, much like Su Chan’s master, Ao Wushuang, who could summon the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—at will to attack opponents.

As Li Yundong continued to pour vital energy and magical power into the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan, he could sense a force within the artifact constantly resisting and pushing back against his incoming Zhen Yuan. But with his continuous infusion, this resistance began to wane, bit by bit.

A thought stirred in Li Yundong’s mind: Could this be the residual power left by the artifact’s previous master? If I dispel this power now and inject my own, will this Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan absorb my magical imprint and obey my command?

As this realization struck him, Li Yundong felt a profound breakthrough in his understanding of divine abilities. He held nothing back, instinctively increasing the intensity and flow of his internal vital energy into the fan.

This Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan was originally the dedicated artifact of the founding patriarch of the Fox Zen Sect, Old Man Panshi Hu. Only those possessing immensely powerful magic and divine abilities could wield it.

However, since the emergence of the monstrous Celestial Mystic Fox, the Fox Zen Sect had experienced a decline in its dominant Yang energies, with no truly accomplished male foxes capable of using such an artifact. Over the long expanse of centuries, the potent magical imprint Panshi Hu had imbued into the artifact had gradually dissipated.

Li Yundong’s continuous input of vital energy was precisely the process of sweeping out the power condensed by Panshi Hu. If this were a thousand years ago, when Panshi Hu's magical infusion into the fan was at its most vigorous peak, given Li Yundong’s current level of divine power, he might have needed to continuously channel energy for a year or two without rest or food just to completely cleanse the fan's vital energy imprint—and he might even have suffered a backlash from the power within!

But after over a millennium, even majestic architecture weathers into mere sand and stone; how much more so a magical artifact? After Li Yundong sustained the input for over an hour, the resistance within the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan finally ceased, and the treasured fan gradually settled back into stillness.

Li Yundong let out a long breath, exhaling a plume of condensed white mist. He felt as if he had just emptied his entire reserve of vital energy, leaving him utterly hollow.

Just as Li Yundong was about to stop and rest, Ziyuan spoke from the side, “Do not rest now. Commanding an artifact is like taming a beast; if you cannot conquer it when it is at its weakest and most depleted, attempting to subdue it once it recovers will be twice as hard!” Li Yundong forced himself to rally, drew a deep breath, and resumed channeling his internal vital energy into the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan.

This next infusion had a startling effect. Li Yundong’s eyes widened as he gazed at the fan before him, completely stunned!

Wherever his vital energy flowed, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan emitted a faint golden radiance. When the energy reached the fan leaves, the golden Sanskrit characters inscribed on them also began to shine brightly.

A moment later, the fan suddenly lurched violently and snapped open, the leaves spreading out like a peacock displaying its tail. In an instant, the room was bathed in dazzling golden light.

Immediately upon opening, the fan’s outer ribs remained steady, while the central leaves seemed to become independent, rotating at high speed like gears on a turbine, so fast they almost created afterimages, emitting a dense, sharp zheng zheng sound. Within these phantom trails, the golden Sanskrit characters on the fan appeared to burn and leap like flames in the golden light, almost seeming ready to leap off the surface.

Li Yundong sensed that these burning golden characters condensed a vast, majestic, and powerful force, like a Buddha preaching sutras or a Vajra revealing an angry glare. As if possessing life, the Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan slowly rotated once around the room.

When it faced Ziyuan, the golden light flared intensely, and the burning golden Sanskrit characters on the leaves grew exceptionally fierce, as if they might instantly transform into balls of golden fire to rush toward Ziyuan and incinerate her to ash. Li Yundong stammered, "What is happening?" Ziyuan met the fan’s fierce hostility without change in expression, seemingly unaffected by the power.

She stated calmly, "This is the process of an artifact recognizing its master. It is like when young animals first open their eyes; they instinctively take the first thing they see as their mother.

However, an artifact possesses sentience. It will immediately search for a master whose internal aura matches its own and reject all surrounding energies." Li Yundong marveled, "Truly miraculous!" He watched the fan leaves whirl like a chainsaw, the golden Sanskrit script around them flickering like fire; he dared not even reach out to touch it.

Li Yundong couldn't help but ask, "Then how do I use it?" Ziyuan replied, "When an artifact first acknowledges a master, it automatically protects you; you don't need to consciously operate it. But when your magical power significantly surpasses its inherent power, you can attempt to refine and transform it, imbuing it with even greater strength." Li Yundong asked with excitement, "How should I do that?" Ziyuan smiled faintly, "That is a matter for later.

You can take your time to figure it out yourself. For now, you can greet your first magical artifact.

From this day forward, it is your exclusive property; you must keep it with you at all times, never letting it leave your hand by so much as half an inch." "But you must remember this: if you encounter a cultivator with greater magical power than yours, never force a confrontation to the death, lest they snatch your artifact and forcefully erase your imprint. If that happens, your artifact will effectively belong to someone else." Li Yundong secretly committed these words to memory.

He nodded, then cautiously stretched out his hand to touch the dazzlingly bright Seven Treasures Spirit-Attuning Fan. The moment Li Yundong's fingers brushed against the fan, it shuddered violently, then, with a shua, quickly closed.

The room’s golden light and dancing characters vanished instantly. The heavy iron artifact, now over a hundred catties, reverted to being a dull, thick iron lump, floating motionlessly near Li Yundong's chest.

Li Yundong was secretly astonished. He reached out and touched the tail end of the fan bone; a faint golden light immediately emanated from that spot.

His curiosity deepening, he traced his finger upwards from the bottom; wherever his fingertip passed, a ripple of golden light emerged, exquisitely beautiful. Watching him, Ziyuan was instantly reminded of the moment her own master first handed her an artifact.

She fell into a reverie, her gaze softening significantly. Ziyuan couldn't help but smile gently and say, "From this day forward, you are officially a cultivator.

Li Yundong, welcome to the world of cultivation."