After stabilizing his newly advanced realm, Arius slowly stood up and exited the underground chamber.
The golden sunlight poured over him like a cascade, illuminating his white hair and aged appearance. Yet, despite his old and weathered visage, his body brimmed with a vast and vigorous vitality.
Having successfully broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm, Arius's lifespan was extended by thirty years, and his strength had increased tenfold.
At this level, the Bone Tempering Realm, Arius could unleash the strength of a million pounds with a single strike.
With such power, if he were to return to the Albigensians Sect, Arius would even qualify to become an Inner Sect disciple.
Of course... Arius had no intention of ever returning to the sect.
Not only were there numerous cultivators in the sect, increasing the risk of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror being exposed, but even if he could conceal the artifact's existence, Arius had no desire to subject himself to the sect's strict rules and tedious constraints.
Staying with the De Molinos family allowed him to hold a position of unparalleled authority while also ensuring the secret of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror remained secure.
Joining a sect or a major cultivation faction was typically for access to cultivation techniques, resources, or occasional guidance from experts.
But now, with the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror in his possession, Arius could use mundane wealth to upgrade cultivation techniques, spiritual herbs, and even raw materials.
With this in mind, Arius retrieved all the items he had accumulated over his years in the Albigensians Sect, including techniques, materials, and spiritual herbs.
As a low-ranking Outer Sect disciple, Arius's possessions were meager at best.
His entire inventory consisted of:
A fragmented version of the "Crimson Flame Scripture", which could be cultivated up to the Bone Tempering Realm.Two stalks of "Spirit Tempering Grass."A palm-sized piece of "Refined Steel Ore."
These items were among the most common resources in the cultivation world. Altogether, their total value was no more than two or three fragments of a low-grade spirit stone.
However, Arius did have a considerable amount of mundane gold and silver.
For disciples below the Bone Tempering Realm, completing assigned tasks in the Albigensians Sect would often result in rewards of worldly gold and silver rather than spirit stones.
In fact, most Body Tempering cultivators still used gold and silver as currency, while only those in the First Level Realm and above used spirit stone fragments—or spirit stones themselves—as their primary medium of exchange.
"I hope the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror can restore some parts of the Crimson Flame Scripture…"
Arius retrieved two gold ingots and once again placed them onto the mirror's surface.
The mysterious celestial glow radiated once more.
As the two gold ingots vanished, Arius directed the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror toward the fragmented Crimson Flame Scripture.
Under the radiant light, the single, thin page of the scripture began to transform.
In the cultivation world, the Crimson Flame Scripture was one of the most basic and renowned cultivation techniques. It was said to have been created by a mysterious immortal, and when cultivated to its peak, one could wield the flames of the world and ascend to immortality through the Path of Fire.
However, the original Crimson Flame Scripture had long been lost. The versions that circulated in the world were simplified adaptations.
Even so, the simplified Crimson Flame Scripture allowed cultivation up to the Level 5 at its peak.
The simplified scripture was divided into four parts:
The first part corresponded to the Four Body Tempering Realms (Skin, Blood, Bone, and Organ Tempering).The second part corresponded to the First and Second level stages.The third part corresponded to Level 3 and Level 4 stages.The fourth part corresponded to the Fifth Level Realm.
The version of the Crimson Flame Scripture held by the Albigensians Sect only included the second part.
A complete version of the simplified scripture was so rare that even across the entire cultivation world of the Kingdom of Aragon, few factions could claim to possess one.
Clang!
In the span of a single breath, the glow from the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror began to dissipate.
The previously thin, single-page version of the simplified Crimson Flame Scripture had transformed into a three-inch-thick tome exuding an ancient aura.
On the cover of the tome, seven bold and majestic characters radiating profound universal truths were etched:
"The Path of Crimson Flame, Volume One."
Picking up the Path of Crimson Flame, Arius couldn't help but begin reading.
But as soon as he turned to the first page, Arius was stunned.
This Path of Crimson Flame was not the simplified version commonly seen in the cultivation world—it was the original, unaltered scripture created by the mysterious immortal.
This technique… pointed directly to the path of immortality!
Of course, the Path of Crimson Flame in Arius's hands only contained the first volume. Even so, its profoundness far exceeded the complete simplified version of the Crimson Flame Scripture.
The first volume alone could guide Arius to cultivate all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Moreover, it included a variety of spells and movement techniques—features absent in the simplified version of the scripture.
With the first volume of the Path of Crimson Flame, Arius no longer needed to worry about cultivation techniques, at least for the foreseeable future.
Placing the upgraded Path of Crimson Flame aside, Arius retrieved two more gold ingots and placed them on the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror's surface.
He repeated the process, directing the mirror's radiance toward the Path of Crimson Flame once again.
Arius wanted to see if the scripture could be upgraded further.
Unfortunately, while the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror emitted its mystical glow as before, the already-upgraded Path of Crimson Flame did not undergo any further changes.
"Could it be that the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror can only upgrade and enhance items once?"
"Or perhaps… the value of the two gold ingots is insufficient to further upgrade the first volume of the Path of Crimson Flame?"
Arius pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth. He then retrieved the Refined Steel Ore he had in his possession.
Determined, he decided to use the Refined Steel Ore as a resource to test whether the Path of Crimson Flame could be upgraded further.
As soon as the Refined Steel Ore touched the surface of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror, the Path of Crimson Flame began to change once more—visibly growing thicker and larger.
Within just two breaths of time, the originally three-inch-thick Path of Crimson Flame had transformed into a tome half a foot thick, with dimensions of a full foot in length and width!
The text on the cover had also changed, now reading:
"The Path of Crimson Flame, Volumes 1-2."
Seeing this transformation, Arius began to understand the rules of the Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror's upgrades.
The key rule seemed to be this:
The Heaven-Seeking Treasure Mirror could upgrade items without restriction, but the greater the upgrade, the more resources were required.
As for the mirror's other potential abilities, Arius realized he would need to continue exploring its secrets.
Even so, the abilities it had demonstrated thus far were already astounding.
If enough resources could be gathered, Arius might be able to transform an ordinary cultivation technique into an immortal's scripture!
If enough resources could be gathered, Arius might even be able to enhance his spiritual root aptitude to Earth-grade or even Heaven-grade.