Spirit Realm

Tang Siqi’s eyes were filled with fury and a cold expression as she demanded Qin Lie to give an explanation.

Qin Lie was silent for a while before he explained, “I do know how to inscribe spirit diagrams, but I cannot be called a true artificer. Before coming to Armament Sect, I’ve only used the smelting furnaces a few times and my experience in forging is pitifully little. The things you arranged for me to do were exactly what I desired to learn the most. That was why I didn’t make a sound, because I was willing and happy to do it.

“Inscribing spirit diagrams is much harder than forging. How were you able to learn spirit diagram inscription first? Tang Siqi did not believe it.

“I can’t explain this.” Qin Lie’s brow creased. “Regardless of whether you believe me or not, I came here to learn artifact forging. Having me prepare spirit materials for you and being your assistant, as well as helping you forge small items, were the things I had to learn the most.”

Usually, artificers would first learn how to recognize spirit materials, prepare spirit materials, and then slowly work up to forging small parts. After they were well practiced, they would finally learn how to smelt complete spirit artifacts.

The last step was to learn how to inscribe spirit diagrams and bestow a soul onto the artifact through the spirit diagram.

Tang Siqi and all the disciples and elders of Armament Sect had progressed in this manner, one step at a time. They had all been admitted to the inner sect and received attention from the sect before they were qualified to study spirit diagrams.

So she found it hard to understand Qin Lie’s artifact forging experience.

However, Qin Lie’s serious attitude did not seem as though he was lying. She was confused. “You really learned spirit diagrams first?”

Qin Lie nodded.

“Who did you learn from?” Tang Siqi asked.

Qin Lie did not make a sound.

Tang Siqi knew that her inquiry was too intrusive and changed the topic, “Have you learned the Materialization spirit diagram in the past?”

“No,” Qin Lie replied honestly.

“Then why was Elder Mo Hai so shocked after inspecting the spirit tablet that he directly admitted you into the inner sect?” Tang Siqi’s face was full of disbelief.

“I don’t know this either.” Qin Lie shook his head.

“Fine, fine, you’re not willing to say anything so there’s no meaning to keep asking.” Tang Siqi was helpless. She didn’t want to keep nagging and said a few more things before she left.

Qin Lie put his possessions away and inspected this cavern. He found that the cavern was large and multiple times larger than his stone tower at the base of the mountain.

The cavern was divided into several caves, and each stone cave was about half an acre in size. The artifact forging room used specifically for forging was the largest, five times as large as the forging rooms he rented at the base of the mountain.

There were three smelting furnaces of different sizes at the center of the artifact forging room. Channels criss-crossed under the furnaces in order to guide the earth fire to be the source of flame.

Qin Lie came between the three furnaces, and as he reached out and rubbed the furnace, his eyes filled with excitement.

He finally had a forging space that belonged to him, smelting furnaces that belonged to him!

In here, he could use a portion of the spirit material rations he received every month to practice inscribing spirit diagrams and learn how to smelt spirit artifacts.

In here, he could focus on artifact forging without being disturbed. When he encountered walls in his understanding of spirit diagrams and spirit artifacts, he could ask the elders inside the sect…

There was only one stone door to the entire cavern. If he sealed it from the inside, the people outside would not know what was happening inside unless they forced their way in.

—This was specifically made to stop the owner of the cavern from being disturbed by others.

This meant he could go to the underground area of the Arctic Mountain Range with ease!

After Tang Siqi left, Qin Lie cleaned the cavern and then sealed the door from the inside. This way, unless the people outside were powerful and disregarded the protocols of Armament Sect to break through the door, they definitely could not enter.

Taking out the Eye of Frost, he activated the crux inside and suddenly arrived at the underground area of the Arctic Mountain Range.

Sitting on the peak of the glacier, he slowly calmed down. As he comprehended the frost picture scroll’s concept, he channeled the cold power inside his Natal Palaces.

In the cruel, cold glacial world, the harsh cold mist gradually gathered and entered his Natal Palaces through the pores on his body.

When the frost power in his Natal Palaces was completely full, his aura suddenly changed. Rumbling thunder came from his bones, and electricity arced across his entire body.

“Heavenly Thunder Eradication! Thunder Lightning Ball!”

Qin Lie’s palms faced each other as he suddenly channelled thunder and lightning. Amidst the thunder claps, blue lightning gathered in his palms and formed into a flashy blue ball.

“Boom!”

The Thunder Lightning Ball flew out and struck the glacier in front of him. However, the thick glacier did not move, nor did the explosion of the Thunder Lightning Ball leave a large mark on the ice. It didn’t have any effect on the spirit beasts that had been frozen for so many years inside the glacier.

“Frost concept, frost energy, so… I’ll call this Frost Arts. It has to have a name.” Qin Lie’s mind moved, and then, the energy suddenly changed into frost energy. The cold energy inside his Natal Palaces was released and streamed out through the pores in his body.

As Heavenly Thunder Eradication circulated, the thunder and lightning energy came out of the acupoints on his body. Next, when his Frost Arts was cast, the cold energy sprouted from the pores in his body. The circulation method of these two spirit arts was not normal, and Qin Lie didn’t know if he should be happy or worried.

In this extreme land of cold that seemed eternally desolate, he switched between Heavenly Thunder Eradication and Frost Arts to allow both kinds of power to appear repeatedly on his body.

Multiple days later, during a night where lightning and thunder roared, he walked out of Armament Sect.

He returned to the little yard that Li Mu had left him and stood there. Looking at the lightning flashing blindingly in the darkness, there was electricity flowing through his eyes.

“Clap clap clap!”

The lightning dragons and snakes rampaged within the black night. After a while, several bolts of lightning cut across the darkness and suddenly headed for the courtyard.

They struck him, who was within the courtyard!

The powerful and ferocious thunder energy flooded in through his head and arms, and reached every part of him in an instant. It filled his organs, and like a flood, it charged towards his spirit sea’s dantian!

At this time, the thunder and lightning Natal Palace inside his spirit sea was full—it could not accept any more thunder and lightning energy.

“Zzt zzt zzt!”

Lightning and thunder gathered and scattered through his dantian. Just as his body was in piercing pain, the spirit energy in his body suddenly went crazy and gathered together with that thunder and lightning energy.

“It’s creating a new Natal Palace!”

Qin Lie grinned. He had a feeling that he would be breaking through to the middle stage of the Natal Opening Realm which was why he had left Armament Sect and came to this place to take advantage of the terribly weather of lightning and thunder so he could cultivate Heavenly Thunder Eradication.

When the thunderbolts came down, he immediately channeled Heavenly Thunder Eradication and absorbed the savage power that descended from the sky.

He sat down in the yard and continued to gather thunder power to create a new Natal Palace in his spirit sea.

“Miss, the lightning over there is so dense it is strange,” pointed out Liang Zhong after looking at it while he was in a corner of Armament Sect.

Xie Jingxuan was dressed in white and was giving orders to the fighters of Dark Asura Hall. Hearing this, she raised her head in curiosity and glanced at the lightning in that area.

“I’m going out for a moment.” Her expression shifted, and then, she disappeared like dissipating smoke.