Qin Yu had just entered the courtyard when Feng Yuzi also happened to step out of the secret chamber. Seeing Qin Yu, he paused in surprise and then smiled, "Little Yu, what a coincidence. Just as I have successfully completed the refining, you've come out."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's heart surged with excitement.
Spiritual Artifacts, these were weapons only owned by Upper Immortals. While Qin Yu was excited, Qin Feng and Qin Zheng immediately came out from the nearby room. Upon seeing Feng Yuzi, the two of them also showed exhilarated expressions, "Uncle Feng, have you already finished crafting Little Yu's weapon?"
"It's done, it's done. Little Yu, here are the gloves you wanted to protect your knuckle joints, and the short sword designed after the Fish Intestine Sword." With a wave of his hand, Feng Yuzi sent a pair of gloves and a short sword flying towards Qin Yu.
The gloves were a dark red color, the surface even bearing faint flames. The short sword, however, was dark, with the flames completely concentrated inside, resembling the sword qi of a Flying Sword breathing on its surface.
"Thank you, Uncle Feng." Qin Yu forcefully contained the excitement in his heart as he received the gloves and short sword.
Feng Yuzi sighed and said, "Little Yu, limited by Uncle Feng's own cultivation, the level of Samadhi True Fire is not high enough. So for such precious Stone Burning Iron, I could only refine it into a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact. If a Cave Void Stage expert were to refine it, it would be certain to become an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact. Moreover, Spiritual Artifacts are not like ordinary mortal weapons; you just need to use blood recognition to take these Spiritual Artifacts into your body, and they can appear in your hand as you wish."
Stone Burning Iron was indeed a precious Artifact Refining crystal stone. Feng Yuzi was only at the Golden Core Middle Stage, with Samadhi True Fire at its weakest level, so naturally, he couldn't fully unleash the potential of Stone Burning Iron and could only refine it into a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact.
"It's enough. A Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact is sufficient for me," Qin Yu knew what a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact represented in the Cultivation World. Even Feng Yuzi's own Flying Sword was just a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.
What excited Qin Yu the most was the blood recognition, which allowed him to take the Artifacts into his body at will.
"Little Yu, why didn't you forge a set of battle armor?" asked Qin Zheng with a slight frown.
Qin Feng said, "The Stone Burning Iron was such a large block. Even forging a set of battle armor would probably only need one third of it. With battle armor, most of the vital parts of your body could be protected. Why would you only refine a short sword and a pair of gloves that merely protect the joints, and not even the kind that fully covers them? The two combined only used a little bit of Stone Burning Iron."
For the brothers Qin Feng and Qin Zheng, their youngest brother was the most important. Their mother had passed away early, and since Qin Yu was unable to cultivate, they were naturally very concerned about him.
"Little Yu wants to use less Stone Burning Iron to leave more for his father," said Feng Yuzi, standing off to the side. As Qin Feng and Qin Zheng stiffened, they found themselves at a loss for words and looked at Qin Yu, their eyes reddening slightly.
With a smile, Qin Yu said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, it's nothing. You know, when practicing Outer Strength, if I'm protected by battle armor, naturally the progress of my cultivation would slow down. It's better without it. Besides, having the gloves and short sword is already enough."
Self-deception.
Both Qin Feng and Qin Zheng were exceptional individuals and were naturally not fooled by Qin Yu's simple words. That would be a Spiritual Artifact battle armor, which could be taken into one's body if desired. One could use the Protective Battle Armor when encountering unavoidable danger.
Qin Feng and Qin Zheng could see through Qin Yu's heart.
"Little Yu, you discovered it, it belongs to you. You decide how many Spiritual Artifacts to refine, and no one would have anything to say about it. Even Father wouldn't say anything," said Qin Zheng, looking straight at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, but said nothing.
"Spiritual Artifacts really are extraordinary," chuckling, Qin Yu changed the subject, as he had already dropped blood onto the gloves and short sword. In an instant, with just a thought from Qin Yu, both the gloves and short sword vanished from his hands.
Qin Feng and Qin Zheng momentarily shifted their focus to the Spiritual Artifacts.
"Indeed impressive. If in combat, originally with no weapon in hand, and later one suddenly appears, it would certainly take the enemy by surprise and could be used to kill them," said Qin Feng, his eyes lighting up as he immediately recognized the benefits of the Spiritual Artifacts.
Qin Yu clearly felt the gloves and short sword residing within the boundless space of his Dantian.
Though the Dantian is but a small part of the body, the principle is the same as 'a grain of sand, a world'— much like the sun and the moon held within a flask, the gloves and short sword were like mere specks, located in a corner of the Dantian.
Qin Yu clenched his fists firmly, and suddenly the gloves appeared on his hands, the dark red gloves protecting the joints of his fingers and knuckles.
The best part of a fist to attack with is the joints. Protected by Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact gloves, Qin Yu's fists could clash directly against Divine Weapons without fear of injuring his hands. The comfort Qin Yu felt was most notable; the gloves felt like skin and in no way interfered with the flexible movements of his finger joints.
"Hu!"
A streak of dark light flashed, and Qin Yu's hands remained empty. In that brief moment, a black short sword appeared in Qin Yu's hand, then vanished once again.
"Since it's forged of Stone Burning Iron, let's call these Flame Burning Gloves and the short sword shall be the Flame Sword," Qin Yu said with a smile, his heart brimming with excitement. A martial artist, receiving his favorite weapon, was certainly a cause for great joy.
Feng Yuzi smiled and said, "Little Yu, I have imbued the short sword with restrictions, hence its subdued brilliance and dark appearance. Alright, I'm heading back to the secret chamber to continue refining." Feng Yuzi returned to the chamber to forge a Flying Sword for himself.
With Stone Burning Iron available, his previous Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact Flying Sword could naturally be discarded.
"Little Yu." Qin Feng and Qin Zheng looked at Qin Yu.
"Big Brother, Second Brother…" Seeing the expressions in his brothers' eyes, Qin Yu couldn't help a bitter smile and quickly said, "Little Black, let's go back." Black Hawk immediately swooped down from the sky, and with a light jump, Qin Yu was on his back, then hastily left Prince Mansion like an escapee.
Qin Feng and Qin Zheng exchanged a glance, both feeling helpless.
"We've been too neglectful of Little Yu," Qin Feng sighed deeply, while Qin Zheng remained silent. As brothers, and Qin De as a father, they had always been busy with their own affairs and hardly had any time to care for their youngest brother.
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If it were not for the significant discovery of the Stone Burning Iron by Qin Yu this time, Qin Feng and Qin Zheng would probably still be busy with their own affairs.
...
Three days later.
Feng Yuzi emerged from seclusion with a joyful expression, having finally refined his own Flying Sword. This Flying Sword was a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact. Although a Middle Grade and a Lower Grade only differed by one level, the power was many times greater. With this Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, Feng Yuzi dared to fight against a Golden Core Late Stage expert—provided that the opponent used a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.
"Brother Feng, congratulations, congratulations," said Qin De, bowing to Feng Yuzi. Qin De only returned to the Prince Mansion the previous night.
The dark-red Flying Sword hovered above Feng Yuzi's head and then merged directly into his body.
"Haha, Prince, I must thank Little Yu for this. Without the Stone Burning Iron, I wouldn't have this treasure," Feng Yuzi said cheerfully.
Qin De nodded in agreement.
"Prince, haven't you always been troubled by the two Upper Immortals within the Xiang Family's camp? Those two old fellows, one at the Golden Core Middle Stage and the other at the Golden Core Late Stage, with the Stone Burning Iron I can handle that guy Wood. As for Wu Xing, who's at the Golden Core Middle Stage, if several Innate Level Experts with Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts surround and attack him, it would still be effective," Feng Yuzi said with a smile.
Whether it's a Golden Core Stage expert or a Nascent Soul Stage expert, once their physical body is destroyed, the soul that relies on it naturally dissipates. Only when one reaches the Cave Void Stage can the soul attach to the Nascent Soul and have an unlimited lifespan.
However, even for those at the Cave Void Stage, the Kongming Stage, or the Tribulation Crossing Stage, once they are without a physical body, they can only cultivate as an Independent Immortal. Hence, the physical body is very important to a Cultivator.
What Feng Yuzi proposed, sending some Innate Experts with Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts to ambush and attack Wu Xing in the Golden Core Middle Stage, would be a great success once they destroyed his physical body. A Cultivator's True Essence Power Protective Body normally cannot be penetrated by weapons, but a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact can.
The importance of the Stone Burning Iron obtained by Qin Yu was comparable to an army of two hundred thousand troops.
"Little Yu has indeed made a great contribution this time. I've always been troubled by the two Upper Immortals on the other side, and now I have some confidence," Qin De praised, and then it dawned on him, "Where is Little Yu? Why hasn't he come yet?"
Qin De had ordered someone to find Qin Yu as soon as he returned.
"Little Yu once returned to Cloud Mist Villa riding on Black Hawk, and afterward disappeared somewhere. That Black Hawk flies extremely high and fast, so it's impossible to find where Little Yu has gone," Lian Yan immediately answered.
Qin De nodded, "This time, we must properly reward Little Yu." Qin De suddenly turned towards Feng Yuzi and asked, "Brother Feng, how much of the Stone Burning Iron is left? Is there still half of it?"
"What Little Yu and I used is only one-fifth of the whole," Feng Yuzi moved his hand, and a surge of True Essence Power directly flew towards the secret chamber. Following the sound of the chamber door, the Stone Burning Iron floated out, showing a glimpse of the Divine Skills of a Cultivator.
While its height had slightly decreased, the Stone Burning Iron appeared to have had no other changes.
"What did Little Yu refine? How could he have used so little?" Qin De wondered aloud.
As Qin De had thought, since the Stone Burning Iron was something Little Yu had obtained for himself, it was estimated that half of it would have been used. To leave half for him would have been quite good, yet the small amount Qin Yu used left Qin De feeling incredulous.
"Little Yu only refined a Short Sword, as well as Fist Gloves that simply protect the knuckles, not even willing to refine Protective Battle Armor," Qin Feng sighed. And beside him, Qin Zheng also let out a sigh, "Yet, Little Yu insists on tempering himself, claiming that with Protective Battle Armor, it would be hard to achieve any breakthroughs."
Everyone present was elite and naturally understood that Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact level Protective Battle Armor could be integrated into one's body. Furthermore... When it comes to cultivating Outer Strength, throughout history, even the strongest in Outer Strength's defensive capabilities couldn't match the Protective Body of Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact Armor, could they?
If Outer Strength training to its strongest wasn't even comparable to the Protective Body of Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact Armor, then why would Qin Yu choose such a path? The answer went without saying.
It was all just for his father, the Prince.
Qin De was slightly taken aback.
"Little Yu," Qin De murmured softly, but then he was unable to continue speaking.
Qin De still remembered the day of Qin Yu's coming-of-age ceremony at sixteen, when he had confided a secret to Qin Yu in the secret chamber. Qin Yu had strongly requested to join the army and be allowed to fight, but Qin De had refused. Qin De clearly remembered the lonely figure of his son as he left.
From childhood, this son had been in continuous toil, enduring more hardships than his older brothers.
"It's maddening how unfair fate has been, Little Yu painstakingly trained in Outer Strength, but even at its peak, he could not become an Innate Expert. According to Yun Xing's estimate, Little Yu's current level of Outer Strength is probably only about the Postnatal Middle Stage, which makes self-protection difficult," Qin De silently lamented.
One can gauge the level of an Inner Power Expert by the strength of their Inner Strength. However, for Outer Strength Experts, even a Cultivator cannot judge how strong someone's muscular strength is. After all, it's very difficult to determine the range of muscular strength; it can only be measured by how many pounds one can lift with one hand.
This is also why no one was able to see through Qin Yu's true power.
In Qin De's heart, his third son Qin Yu was nothing but a child who, despite his arduous training, ultimately could not achieve success in Outer Strength.
"When we find Little Yu, have him come to see me. As for what to refine with the rest of the Stone Burning Iron, let's discuss it together tonight," Qin De finished speaking and turned to leave, "Xu Yuan, come with me, I have matters to discuss with you."
After all, the most important thing was to raise an army to eradicate the Xiang Family.
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