Upon hearing Guo Xingyue mention the Tao Te Ching, Lingxu paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "This is the ultimate classic of cultivation. Its origins are unknown, but it has been passed down since ancient times. Despite the myriad of sects and varying practices in the cultivation realm, they all ultimately stem from this text." After a brief pause, he continued, "The cultivation world is vast and immense, and no one has ever traversed the entire realm. According to celestial beings who descend from the upper realms, there are many other cultivation realms similar to ours, and even celestial beings cannot ascertain how many cultivation realms exist. Many original cultivation realms have ceased to have practitioners for various reasons, yet mortals still survive there. Your home, Pangu Star, likely doesn't belong to the same cultivation realm as ours. However, regardless of which realm, the ultimate principles of cultivation remain the same; only the terminology differs."
Curious, Guo Xingyue asked, "So the cultivation realms should be interconnected. I arrived here on Jujiao Star through a teleportation array, but I don't know where the return array is located." Lingxu smiled and replied, "The teleportation array you used is the Universal Teleportation Array. The one in this realm is located on Guyang Star, but if you don't know the coordinates of Pangu Star, you won't be able to find your way back."
Seeing a hint of disappointment on Guo Xingyue's face, he added, "Perhaps you might find the answers after you ascend to the celestial realm." Guo Xingyue was naturally open-minded, and though he felt a twinge of loss, he quickly brushed it aside, thinking: Though it's hard to leave my homeland, I can take my time to investigate when the opportunity arises. Right now, I have a master craftsman in front of me from whom I should learn as much as possible.
He then delved back into the jade pendant, rapidly browsing through its contents. Besides the introductory principles, there were also chapters detailing methods to control the advancement of one's cultivation and insights into weapon forging. Guo Xingyue placed significant importance on the methods for controlling his cultivation advancement—after all, he had progressed far too quickly, and any misstep could lead to irreversible consequences. While he did not fear death, he did not wish to die unjustly due to his own mistakes.
As for weapon forging, while Lingxu's insights held considerable value due to his high level of cultivation and status as a master craftsman, Guo Xingyue realized that his own knowledge of weapon forging, learned from Haotian, far surpassed that of Lingxu. Haotian was a prodigy known throughout the cultivation world, and the techniques he had passed down were naturally of a higher caliber than those of Lingxu.
Guo Xingyue thought to himself: Though the Jingshi Sect is renowned for its weapon forging, there seems to be room for improvement in their techniques. Lingxu, being such a humble gentleman, has shared his years of insights with someone as unknown as myself; I should offer something in return. He bowed slightly to Lingxu and said, "Thank you for your guidance, esteemed elder. I have some insights into weapon forging myself. I'd like to try forging a weapon, and I hope you can offer your pointers."
Lingxu nodded, indicating that Guo Xingyue could proceed with the forging. Knowing that Lingxu had a fire attribute, Guo Xingyue took out Xuanjin, Haininsha, Lvqinjing, and Huojindian from his storage ring. With a flick of his hand, he made the various minerals float in mid-air. Then, with a hand seal, he summoned a stream of Three Flames True Fire from his palm, directing it toward the suspended minerals. The Xuanjin, Lvqinjing, and Huojindian began to melt rapidly. The Haininsha, being a material used for forging celestial artifacts, was only slightly melted by the Three Flames True Fire. However, Guo Xingyue swiftly cast another hand seal, sending a bolt of lightning from his fingertip, blending it with the Three Flames True Fire, causing the Haininsha to quickly melt into a liquid state.
He then executed a series of hand seals, mixing the melted Haininsha with the Xuanjin to ensure an even distribution before adding Lvqinjing and Huojindian in a two-to-one ratio. Next, he changed his hand seals to shape the suspended liquid into the form of a flying sword, followed by a rapid succession of hand seals that infused various formations into the liquid. He layered the formations with four Wind Walking formations, four Attack formations, and four Defense formations.
Although Guo Xingyue was now at the early stage of Spirit Division and could still only layer four formations, it was far easier than when he was at the late stage of Out-of-Body cultivation. Once satisfied with the formations, he withdrew his hand seals, allowing the suspended flying sword to cool and solidify. A striking red, treasure-grade flying sword now hovered in the air. With a gesture, Guo Xingyue summoned it into his hand.
Just as he prepared to present the flying sword to Lingxu for evaluation, he suddenly noticed that the spacious hall had filled with people, likely drawn in by the excitement of his weapon forging. The disciples of the Jingshi Sect, who held certain statuses, were now crowding around the hall, their faces filled with awe and admiration for Guo Xingyue's forging techniques.
The Jingshi Sect had produced many masters over the millions of years it had existed, and while many could forge treasure-grade artifacts, no one had ever effortlessly created a treasure-grade weapon like Guo Xingyue had just done. For the masters, the chances of successfully forging a treasure-grade artifact were quite low; firstly, the materials were difficult to procure, and secondly, controlling the power and heat was challenging. A momentary miscalculation could lead to the failure of the artifact.
It was unheard of for anyone to achieve what Guo Xingyue had done by entering the path through martial prowess, with an impeccable grasp of strength. Furthermore, it was a known fact in the cultivation world that no cultivator had been able to melt Haininsha before, yet Guo Xingyue's lightning orb easily melted the material, showcasing his profound skills in weapon forging—a true miracle in the cultivation realm.
Guo Xingyue presented the flying sword with both hands to Lingxu and said, "Please offer your insights, esteemed elder."
Lingxu accepted the sword, his hand caressing its surface, continuously praising, "Excellent materials, superb technique, fine sword—what a remarkable method you have, my friend."
Throughout the history of the Jingshi Sect, many treasure-grade artifacts had been forged, but due to various reasons, only three remained. Lingxu had initially planned to forge a fire-type treasure for his tribulation, but he had been lacking the Huojindian and had not yet succeeded. Seeing this fire-type treasure-grade flying sword, he was enamored and couldn't help but caress it.
Guo Xingyue smiled slightly and said, "I am honored by your appreciation, esteemed elder. Please accept this flying sword as a token of my gratitude."
Lingxu, not wanting to be overly polite, smiled gently and said, "Thank you for the gift, but I have a question: this technique of layering formations is indeed a remarkable innovation in the cultivation world, something I cannot achieve. But why did you include a defensive formation in this attack-oriented flying sword? What is your reasoning behind it?"
Guo Xingyue replied with a grin, "This defensive formation differs from ordinary ones. Its purpose is not to block an opponent's attack but to enhance the weapon's intrinsic defenses. I layered four Wind Walking formations and attack formations into the weapon, significantly increasing both its offensive capabilities and flight performance. While the material used for the weapon is exceptionally hard, during extreme attacks, there's a risk that the weapon may fail due to excessive pressure. Hence, I included the four defensive formations to bolster the weapon's stability."
As soon as Guo Xingyue finished speaking, the people in the hall began to bombard him with questions, turning the grand hall into a lively workshop for discussing weapon forging techniques.