As the ghost king perished, a red crystal dropped from the remains of its disintegrating form. Without hesitation, Lu Fan picked it up, feeling a faint sinister aura still lingering within. He didn't know what it was, but anything left behind by such a powerful spirit had to be valuable.
He didn't stick around to investigate. The city was in chaos.
The moment the formation fell, everyone with any real power fled instantly. Cultivators, Tiger Escort guards, and even rogue martial artists—all vanished like a tide receding from the shore. Only terrified commoners remained, watching in horror as their city burned.
Even though Lu Fan had eliminated many evil cultivators, there were no witnesses from the cultivation world. The only ones who saw his actions were ordinary people, and they wouldn't be able to spread his name beyond the city's ruined walls.
That was fine. He preferred it that way.
Before leaving, he tracked down the altar used for the blood sacrifice. The dark stone slab reeked of death, its surface covered in faint inscriptions glowing with evil intent.
Without hesitation, he ignited his True Sunfire, letting it wash over the altar in an all-consuming blaze. The stone cracked and melted, and whatever wicked formation had been in place was completely erased.
Only after ensuring it was completely destroyed did Lu Fan finally turn and leave Baihu City, blending into the darkness like a shadow.
Lu Fan didn't take the main roads. Instead, he traveled through the wilderness, avoiding any lingering eyes that might connect him to the city's destruction. His body was still surging with power from the battle, but he forced himself to remain calm.
As he moved, he examined the red crystal he had taken from the ghost king. It was smooth, dark red, and pulsed faintly, as if it were still alive. Holding it in his palm, he felt a strange energy swirling within—neither pure nor entirely evil.
"This isn't an ordinary spiritual crystal… but what exactly is it?" he murmured to himself.
There was no way to tell without further study, so he stored it away in his system space, ensuring any lingering tracking marks would be severed.
Back in the tranquility of his valley, Lu Fan pondered the recent battle. While his unique cultivation had granted him formidable abilities, the confrontation with the ghost king highlighted a significant gap in his arsenal:
Lack of a Specialized Weapon: His current cultivation level limited his use of conventional weapons, as they couldn't effectively channel his stored electricity or the True Sunfire within his dantian.
Underutilization of Power: During the fight, he had only managed to harness a fraction of his potential, indicating the need for a medium to fully unleash his energy.
Recognizing these limitations, Lu Fan concluded that he required a weapon tailored to his unique cultivation. Such a weapon would not only serve as a conduit for his stored energies but also amplify his combat effectiveness, ensuring he could face future adversaries with greater confidence.
Upon studying the Evil Weapon Refining Manual, Lu Fan discovered that the creation of demonic weapons was surprisingly straightforward. The process emphasized quantity over quality, where the power of a weapon was directly proportional to the strength and number of souls or materials used. For instance, a Ghost Flag crafted with the souls of Foundation Building experts would elevate its potency to match that realm. Other examples included the Bone Sword, Blood Cauldron, and Ghost Bottle, each utilizing specific materials to enhance their power.
This insight sparked an idea: Lu Fan could adopt a similar approach to forge a weapon tailored to his unique cultivation. In the mortal world, certain materials held significant value in immortal cultivation, particularly metals like Silver Essence, renowned for their utility in weapon crafting. He realized that by incorporating such materials, he could create a weapon capable of channeling his stored electricity and the True Sunfire within his dantian.
After careful consideration, Lu Fan decided upon a mirror as his weapon of choice. A mirror, with its reflective properties, could serve as a versatile conduit for his energies, allowing him to harness and direct his powers with precision. This choice was not only innovative but also symbolically resonant, reflecting his journey and the dual nature of his cultivation.
With a clear vision in mind, Lu Fan set forth to gather the necessary materials and begin the intricate process of crafting his unique Mirror Weapon.
To craft a weapon that could effectively channel his unique energies, Lu Fan decided to create a specialized mirror. He chose copper for its excellent conductive properties and availability. After extensive research, he commissioned a custom-made, perfectly round copper mirror from an online retailer. One side was meticulously polished to a high sheen, while the reverse featured a laser-engraved satellite image of the sun, symbolizing his inner power source. He invested a significant sum to ensure the mirror was crafted from 100% pure copper, rejecting any pieces with even minor defects. Once he obtained the flawless mirror, Lu Fan began the process of infusing it with copper essence to enhance its quality and attune it to his cultivation needs.
To further enhance the mirror's connection to his cultivation, Lu Fan separated a ray of True Sunfire from his miniature sun and infused it into the sun image engraved on the mirror. This act deepened his bond with the artifact, aligning it more closely with his unique energies.
Recognizing the need for copper essence to elevate the mirror's quality, Lu Fan began refining common copper using his True Sunfire. However, this manual process proved time-consuming.
To streamline the refinement, he purchased a large, customized furnace online. To enhance its heat resistance, he re-refined the furnace using tungsten essence, ensuring it could withstand the intense temperatures of his True Sunfire.
With the upgraded furnace, Lu Fan efficiently refined copper essence in larger quantities, significantly accelerating the enhancement of his mirror.
Over the next few days, Lu Fan diligently refined a substantial amount of copper essence, amassing a considerable supply. He then utilized this essence to enhance his mirror, elevating it from a mere mortal item to a Level 1 spiritual weapon, then to Level 2, and eventually to Level 3. Upon reaching Level 3, the mirror attracted a Thunder Calamity, a tribulation that tests the resilience of advanced artifacts.
In preparation, Lu Fan anointed the mirror with his blood to strengthen their connection. As the tribulation commenced, the mirror ascended into the sky, where it was struck by successive bolts of thunder. With each strike, the sun engraving on the mirror pulsed, transforming from a static image into a dynamic, lifelike emblem. Previously, the sun engraving had been a mere symbol, but now, infused with the energy of the Thunder Calamity, it seemed to come alive, resonating with Lu Fan's inner power.
Upon reaching Level 3, the mirror established a profound connection with Lu Fan's miniature sun, effectively integrating with his unique cultivation system. Typically, Qi cultivators find it challenging to wield weapons designed for Golden Core experts due to the immense power requirements. However, this mirror, now intrinsically linked to his mini sun, draws energy directly from it, enabling Lu Fan to harness the full potential of his inner sun on a much larger scale than previously possible.
Upon the mirror's advancement to Level 3 (Low Grade), Lu Fan decided to halt its further enhancement. He recognized that the mirror's current power was already at the threshold of what his body could manage. This realization underscored that his miniature sun was of a higher level than the mirror itself. While the mini sun possessed greater strength, it remained a self-contained entity within him, whereas the mirror served as an external conduit for channeling its immense energy.
The self-contained nature of Lu Fan's miniature sun effectively contains its immense pressure and energy within itself. This containment ensures that, despite its formidable power, the mini sun does not exert undue strain on Lu Fan's body or cultivation system. However, when channeling this energy into external artifacts like the mirror, he must exercise caution to avoid overwhelming his current physical and spiritual capacities.