To enter the Qin Kingdom from the Fengyue Kingdom, one only had to pass through Xifeng City.
However, the journey from Xifeng City to the Qin Royal City was much longer. At Hong Yu and Little Feng's pace, even after renting horses along the way, it would still take them over a month to arrive.
Along the way, Hong Yu constantly contemplated his next steps.
After so thought, he laid out a detailed plan.
First, obtain the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents* and break through to the Celestial Soul Realm.
Second, find a suitable Sect to quickly increase his strength in preparation for the Southern Ten Nations Alliance's martial tournant a year from now.
Once all that was accomplished, the next step was to distinguish himself in the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom's tournant for geniuses. He had to gain the attention of the Ancient Kingdom's Royal Family, as only then could he borrow their Teleportation Array to travel to the Desert North Wilderness.
According to his master, White Cloud Peak, the Desert North Wilderness was an unfathomable distance from the Southern Border Profound Domain.
Moreover...
Among the five major domains of the continent, the Desert North Wilderness was ranked the second most powerful, surpassed only by the Celestial Middle Sacred Land!
Recalling the information Tiger Instructor had revealed, Hong Yu was almost certain. 'My father is likely a formidable figure in the Desert North Wilderness. But he has always forbidden from going there. This must an the enemies he faces are incredibly powerful!'
'So powerful that even my father can't deal with them.'
'That must be why he won't let set foot in the Desert North Wilderness.'
'He's obviously trying to protect .'
But this very feeling of constantly being protected made Hong Yu feel powerless and resentful. He had never been a passive person; he hated having his fate in soone else's hands.
To seize control of his own destiny, increasing his strength was an absolute necessity!
'It won't be easy to get the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents* from the Qin Royal Family.' Hong Yu rubbed his brow, troubled.
"Brother, the at's ready!"
Little Feng appeared holding two fragrant skewers of roasted at. He handed one to Hong Yu, and the two began to eat with relish.
Throughout the journey, Little Feng had taken care of almost all of Hong Yu's daily needs.
It made Hong Yu quite embarrassed.
It wasn't that he was lazy, but that Little Feng was just too considerate and attentive.
Little Feng seed to know what Hong Yu needed with a single glance, always preparing things in advance.
Over ti, Hong Yu had naturally grown accustod to it.
"Damn, Little Feng, your grilling skills are almost as good as Brother Xin's!" Hong Yu said, licking his lips.
Little Feng, looking much more neat and tidy these days, blinked his bright eyes. "Brother, who is Brother Xin?"
"Oh, Brother Xin? He's a total legend!"
A broad smile spread across Hong Yu's face. "Let tell you, Brother Xin is a legendary foodie. You know what a foodie is? He's the kind of guy who can eat like a bottomless pit, but is also incredibly picky..."
"Oh, okay, I get it!"
Little Feng nodded, not quite understanding.
「anwhile...」
In the Cyan Nether Mountain Range, a certain fellow gnawing on a chicken wing let out a massive sneeze. He looked left and right, then scratched his head in confusion. "Damn it, which bastard is badmouthing ?"
After they had eaten their fill, Little Feng began packing up. "Brother, is sothing troubling you? You can tell . Maybe I can help you figure it out!"
Seeing Little Feng's earnest expression, Hong Yu chuckled. Since he was bored, he decided to make so small talk. "It's nothing, really. I just want to get sothing from the Qin Royal Family, but I can't think of a way to attract their attention and convince them to give it to ."
"That little thing has been troubling you all this ti?" Little Feng asked in surprise.
Hong Yu froze. "Is it really that simple?"
"Of course it's simple!"
Little Feng lectured Hong Yu with the air of a tiny adult. "The Qin Kingdom is known as the 'Refining City' of the Southern Ten Nations Alliance."
"In the Qin Kingdom, Spiritual Craftsn focus mainly on Artifact Refining. Everyone from the common folk to the Royal Family—even the kingdom's National Guardian Sect, the Guiyuan Sect—holds Spiritual Craftsn skilled in the Artifact Dao in extrely high regard! If you want to get the Royal Family's attention, you just need to display sufficient skill in the Artifact Dao!"
When he finished, Little Feng blinked, looking at Hong Yu with a serious expression.
Hong Yu scratched his head. "..."
He had been so focused on what he could offer in exchange for the *Celestial Soul Nine Refinents* that he hadn't considered this angle at all.
Now, after hearing Little Feng's words, it truly felt like an Enlightennt.
He swept Little Feng up in a hug and spun around on the spot. "Little Feng, you're a little genius!" Hong Yu laughed. "Thank you!"
"Hee hee, I'm so happy I could help you, Brother!" Little Feng bead.
Hong Yu nodded.
Acting on an idea as soon as it ca to him—that was Hong Yu's way.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, told Little Feng to rest nearby, and subrged his consciousness into the Profound Celestial Tower.
Xingtian was enveloped in the Unjust Death Black Lotus, in the process of self-repair.
Huhu had expended a vast amount of Spiritual Power to heal Hong Yu last ti and was still deep in slumber.
Little One was lazing about boredly, holding his Big Smoking Pipe and dozing in a rocking chair. When he saw Hong Yu enter, he cracked open his drowsy eyelids. "What's the big rush?"
"Little One, I'm going to study the Artifact Dao," Hong Yu announced.
Little One froze, then shot up into the air, a look of delight on his face. "Holy crap, you've finally co to your senses, kid! Let tell you, Artifact Refining was the old master's greatest skill. I told you to learn it ages ago, but you kept putting it off. It's about ti you saw the light!"
"Cut the crap and give the Artifact Refining technique!"
"Hold on!"
Little One took a deep drag from his Smoking Pipe and blew out a puff of white smoke, which condensed before Hong Yu into an ancient-looking to. "This *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* is enough for you to reach the level of a Tier Three Artifact Dao Spirit Master. As for more profound knowledge of the Artifact Dao, I'll tell you when you're strong enough."
"Alright!"
Hong Yu began to read.
A cyan light flickered in his left eye. With his power of mory Retention, he quickly committed the entire *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* to heart, knowing it inside and out.
The *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* provided an extrely detailed introduction to the Artifact Dao.
It roughly divided Artifact Refining into three parts...
The first part: Spirit Array Runes.
This process involved studying the structure and principles of Arrays in order to inscribe Spirit Array Runes.
Spirit Array Runes were, in essence, a type of special Rune. For example, the Cultivation Quiet Chambers in the Underground Alliance were inscribed with Spirit Array Runes, which was what allowed them to increase one's cultivation speed.
Besides the materials used for its refining, the power of the Spirit Array Rune was a crucial factor in determining a Primordial Weapon's overall strength.
The second part, naturally, was refining the Artifact Embryo.
This part required a great deal of practice—endless, repetitive practice.
The final part was the fusion of the first two.
This involved inscribing Spirit Array Runes onto a successfully refined Artifact Embryo to create the finished Primordial Weapon.
'So the Artifact Dao is this intricate... I'll start with the Spirit Array Runes, then!' With that thought, Hong Yu left the space within the tower.
His consciousness returned to his body.
Drawing on the mories in his mind, Hong Yu selected a Basic Level Spirit Array Rune: the Fla Rune.
'A Basic Level Fla Rune... it can amplify the power of Fire Attribute Elental Power by thirty percent!' Hong Yu murmured to himself.
He began to study every line and curve of the Fla Rune.
With the help of his left eye, the patterns of the Fla Rune were exceptionally clear. They seed complex, but they actually followed a logical pattern of variations and combinations. Of course, understanding it was one thing; being able to inscribe it perfectly was another matter entirely.
It was like how so people know the recipe for a complex dish, but their attempts to cook it themselves end in chaos.
Inscribing Runes required more than just high comprehension, imnse patience, outstanding Spiritual Power, and precise control; most importantly, it required the guidance of a good teacher.
Hong Yu passed all these requirents with flying colors.
Especially the "good teacher" part...
The *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* had been specially prepared for the Profound Celestial Tower's successor by the very supre being who created it. The knowledge within was comprehensive, ticulous, precise, and profound. It could be said without a doubt that although it was titled *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* and claid to only be enough to bring Hong Yu to the realm of a Tier Three Spiritual Craftsman...
...in reality, that was a judgnt made from the perspective of that supre being.
Judged by the standards of an ordinary person, this *Initial Understanding of the Dao of Artifacts* could absolutely create a Tier Four or even a Tier Five Spiritual Craftsman!
'First, I'll see if I can construct a complete Fla Rune!'
Hong Yu picked up a nearby branch, smoothed out a patch of sand in front of him, and took a deep breath.
Of course, one couldn't truly inscribe a Spirit Array Rune on the ground.
This was rely a way to practice the design and structure. Actually inscribing a Spirit Array Rune required proper materials and tools.
Most Artifact Spiritual Craftsn would first work out the frawork for a rune, record it, and only then begin refining an Artifact Embryo. Once the embryo was successfully refined, they would inscribe the pre-designed Spirit Array Rune into the Primordial Weapon Embryo.
Finally, the Spirit Array Rune and the Artifact Embryo would be fused to form a true Primordial Weapon.
'This part and this part should connect...'
'The break between this point and that one must be joined perfectly...'
'There can't be any breaks here at all...'
Hong Yu focused intently, manipulating the branch to draw the Fla Rune in the sand. With the rune's pattern clear in his mind, his body precisely replicated his ntal image, perfectly executing every line, curve, and connection.
If any Artifact Spiritual Craftsman were present to witness this, they would never have believed it was his first ti attempting to inscribe a Spirit Array Rune.
Ordinary Spiritual Craftsn, even those hailed as geniuses of the Artifact Dao, required at least a hundred attempts to perfectly replicate a complete rune.
After all, Spirit Array Runes were incredibly exacting; the slightest deviation would cause the entire Inscription to fail.
And yet...
Hong Yu had completed a perfect Fla Rune on his very first try!
If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar in the world of Spiritual Craftsn.
Of course, Hong Yu, having just accomplished this incredible feat, was completely unaware of its significance.
After completing the Fla Rune, he pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. 'It took two whole hours? Unacceptable. I have to find a way to shorten the ti. If a Basic Level Rune takes this long, what am I going to do when I get to Advanced Runes?'
And so, driven by his almost obsessive efforts, one record after another was set in that patch of sand.
At the sa ti...
a genius Spiritual Craftsman who was about to take the Qin Kingdom by storm was on the rise.
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