The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

Just as Xue Jin was lost in thought, his attention was once again drawn to the Nine Refining Furnace in the center of the courtyard.

Inside the furnace, the light of the shattered starlight peeked through the cracks in the furnace walls. It wasn't a static gold color, but rather, depending on the melting state of the spiritual materials inside, it transformed into a variety of dazzling colors, such as crimson, dark gold, deep blue, and silver-white! That was the primordial radiance emitted by top-grade spiritual materials of different attributes as they melted, fused, and purified under terrifying high temperatures. It was as if a condensed, magnificent galaxy had been sealed within the small furnace, breathtakingly beautiful, yet containing incomparably violent energy!
Chirp's tiny body hovered above the furnace, completely focused, its little eyes fixed on the inside.

Its small mouth opened slightly, and a condensed and steady stream of shattered golden fire continuously poured into the furnace.

Although the little guy's wings were trembling slightly from exhaustion, his eyes were incredibly focused as he carefully controlled the heat and its evenness, following Jiang Xuan's previous instructions.

As Xue Jin watched this scene, she couldn't help but sigh once again.

This Shattered Star Golden Fire is a top-tier Heavenly-grade spiritual fire, its ferocity and destructive power enough to incinerate mountains and boil seas! Ordinary smelting masters, even those at the Spirit Sea Realm or higher, need to rely on powerful magic arrays or special fire-controlling treasures to control this kind of spiritual fire to smelt spiritual materials, and they must concentrate fully. The slightest carelessness will result in the destruction of the furnace and the waste of the materials.

Yet at this moment, this terrifying flame was being controlled so effortlessly by a tiny, seemingly harmless bird the size of a palm! The intensity of the fire, the temperature, and the area covered by the flames were all so precisely and stably controlled by the bird! This completely overturned Xue Jin's understanding of fire control!

"This little thing... its talent in fire control is probably a hundred times greater than those so-called smelting masters!"

Xue Jin clicked his tongue in surprise.

"Jiang Xuan, that kid, really hit the jackpot! He's struck gold!"

Time slipped away quietly amidst the dazzling lights and Chiu Chiu's focused control of the fire.

As the sun set and night fell over the courtyard, only the Nine Refinement Furnace continued to shine brightly, becoming the only source of light in the courtyard.

Inside the furnace, the initial chaotic scene was no longer present.

All the hard spiritual materials had long since turned into liquid. Under the continuous burning of the Shattered Star Golden Fire, the impurities were completely burned away and stripped away, leaving only the purest and most original energy essence.

These essences, like flowing colorful clouds, slowly flowed and swirled within the furnace, merging together and emitting a pure and breathtaking undulation.

Chirp's condition has clearly deteriorated significantly. The flames it spews are no longer as concentrated and powerful as they were at the beginning, and its little head droops listlessly, indicating that it has consumed a great deal of energy.

But it stubbornly persisted, its small eyes fixed on the inside of the furnace, refusing to relax even for a moment.

Seeing the little guy's tired yet resilient appearance, Xue Jin felt both heartache and surprise.

He hadn't expected this little thing to be so tenacious, just like its owner, Jiang Xuan. Once it set its sights on a goal, it gritted its teeth and was determined to persevere!

"Chirp chirp, hang in there! Almost there!"

Xue Jin couldn't help but whisper a word of encouragement.

at this time!

"Buzz!"

The Nine Refinement Furnace suddenly emitted a deep and strange hum! The entire furnace body trembled slightly! The various colored liquid essences that had been flowing and blending inside the furnace suddenly contracted and condensed! At the same time, countless profound and complex spiritual patterns, seemingly containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, lit up out of thin air inside the furnace, like an invisible mold, enveloping the contracting essence!

A dazzling light shone forth! The blinding brilliance was almost too much to look at!

Xue Jin suddenly sat up straight, his cloudy old eyes wide open, staring intently at the furnace!

Under the pull and restraint of countless spiritual patterns, the liquid essence inside the furnace was being shaped and solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The outline of a battle sword is now clearly visible!

The blade blank... is complete!
With a soft creak, the tightly closed door finally opened.

Jiang Xuan appeared at the doorway.

He looked somewhat tired, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like cold stars in the night sky, fixed intently on the gradually forming blade blank in the Nine Refinement Furnace!
"Chirp chirp, it's ready!"

Jiang Xuan's voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement.

"Chirp!"

As if granted a pardon, Chirp suddenly inhaled, and the shattered golden fire that had been spewing out for who knows how long instantly rolled back and was swallowed into its belly.

As the fire went out, the vibrations of the Nine Refining Furnace also ceased, leaving only the residual heat radiating a scorching aura.

Jiang Xuan strode forward, disregarding the still high temperature of the furnace, and reached his hand directly into the furnace.

With his palm enveloped in spiritual energy, he firmly gripped the hilt of the sword and slowly drew out a uniquely shaped, jet-black battle sword blank!

The knife is two feet seven inches long, with a wide blade, about the width of four fingers held together, and its lines are smooth yet full of power.

Its entire body presents a deep and restrained black color, as if it can devour light.

The blade was extremely thin, like a cicada's wing, and gleamed with a chilling, eerie light under the moonlight.

Most striking is the center of the blade, where a straight and deep blood groove extends from the hilt to the tip, adding even more fierce and murderous aura to this already formidable battle blade! The entire blade is still unsharpened and the final spirit patterns have not yet been engraved, but the overwhelming, seemingly primal, ferocious aura it exudes has already slightly moved even a seasoned monster like Xue Jin!
“This blade blank…” Xue Jin took a few steps closer and examined it carefully. At first glance, it seemed somewhat similar to some broad-bladed battle swords commonly seen in the Empire, but upon closer inspection, its curvature, thickness distribution, the position of the blood groove, and especially the fierce aura that had not yet been fully unleashed, all revealed an unusual flavor.

"It looks ordinary, but... I feel like something's different. Kid, this knife of yours has a sinister quality."

Jiang Xuan didn't explain, but instead stroked the cold blade blank with burning eyes, as if caressing a beloved lover.

His eyes were filled with anticipation and an almost devout focus.

"Old Xue, please look after Qiuqiu for me, it's exhausted."

He hastily tossed out a sentence, picked up the freshly made knife blank, still warm from the furnace, turned around, and scurried back into the room. He slammed the door shut again.

"Hey! This brat!"

Xue Jin looked at the door that was closed again and shook her head helplessly.

He looked down at Chiu Chiu, who was perched on his shoulder, her little head nodding as if she were about to fall asleep, and his eyes were filled with heartache.

This little thing really did a great job today.

"Thank you for your hard work, little one."

Xue Jin carefully picked up the soft, fluffy chick and took out a crystal the size of a pigeon egg, entirely emerald green, radiating a rich life force from her bosom. It was the precious Azure Spirit Crystal.

"Come on, have something good to eat to replenish your energy."

Chirp smelled the scent of the spirit crystal, twitched its little nose, and barely opened its tired eyes. Upon seeing the Azure Spirit Crystal, it immediately perked up.

With a "whoosh," it swallowed it whole. The rich life essence instantly dissolved within its body, its fatigue quickly subsided, and its dull golden-red feathers regained their luster. It flapped its small wings twice and made a satisfied "cheep cheep" sound, its spirits clearly much better.

Xuejin looked at the now energetic Qiuqiu, then at the tightly closed door, and muttered to herself.

"That little rascal, he even tricked this old man into doing it! Making me babysit... But, considering how hard-working and adorable this little guy is..."

Inside the room, Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged, with the black and fierce battle blade blank lying horizontally in front of his knees.

His gaze was more focused and solemn than ever before, even carrying a hint of pilgrimage-like devotion.

This sword, from its conception and material selection to its structure and spirit pattern design, was entirely crafted by him. It is a true, tailor-made, natal battle sword for him!
It embodies his fighting philosophy, his power characteristics, and even his ambitions for the future! Every step of this journey is the culmination of countless days and nights of painstaking deduction and repeated calculations of countless possibilities, striving for perfection and allowing no room for error!
Jiang Xuan took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions.

He picked up the specially made spirit-patterned pen and dipped the tip into the first bottle of spirit ink that shimmered with a deep blue starlight.

The moment his wrist hovered above the blade blank, his entire demeanor changed!
It is as solid and imposing as a mountain! As simple and unadorned as an ancient tree! Yet, in the instant the brush touches the paper, it becomes ethereal and unrestrained, like a celestial horse galloping through the sky, or a gazelle hanging its horns on a tree!
The pen tip fell without the slightest hesitation or tremor, as steady as an unchanging rock! A mysterious and complex spiritual pattern, imbued with the charm of a celestial trajectory, was smoothly and precisely imprinted on the black blade as his wrist moved.

Every stroke, every line, embodies his pure spiritual power, powerful soul perception, and profound understanding of the laws of spirit patterns!

This is Jiang Xuan's unique style, a mark he formed through countless failures and trials!
He inherited his master's almost obsessive pursuit of perfection in spirit runes, not allowing the slightest deviation!
This time, the engraved spirit pattern is not a single one, but a massive composite array composed of forty-nine different basic spirit patterns! These forty-nine spirit patterns are independent of each other yet interconnected, subtly conforming to a certain cyclical technique, jointly constructing a complex and precise network of energy pathways! Its difficulty far exceeds any previous spirit pattern engraving!
Jiang Xuan was completely focused, without any distractions. Time slipped away quietly as his pen moved across the paper.

A day has passed...

Two days have passed...

On the third day, night fell again.

Inside the room, the lights had long been extinguished, with only the faint spiritual light flowing from the spiritual ink and the blade blank illuminating Jiang Xuan's pale, paper-like face.

His lips were chapped, his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and his forehead and temples were covered in fine beads of sweat. The long hours, high intensity, and single-minded dedication to engraving had pushed his spiritual power and soul perception to the brink of depletion! His fingers, gripping the spirit pen, trembled slightly from the excessive force, and his arm felt numb and heavy, as if filled with lead.

Forty-eight spirit patterns have been perfectly engraved, like forty-eight stars, inlaid on the black blade, emitting a faint and mysterious luster.

Only one, and most crucial, pivotal spirit rune remains, located at the core of the blood groove in the center of the blade!
However, it was this last spirit rune that made Jiang Xuan feel unprecedented pressure!
He had conducted countless calculations and deductions beforehand, and believed that everything was foolproof.

But when he actually put it into practice, especially when his spiritual power and mental strength were on the verge of their limits, he truly understood how difficult it was! This pivotal spirit rune needed to perfectly connect with the preceding forty-eight spirit runes to form a continuous cycle. Its complexity and the demands on control far exceeded his expectations! Every stroke felt like a struggle against the power of the entire array. The slightest mistake would trigger a chain reaction of collapse, rendering all his previous efforts futile!
"No... I can't fail..." Jiang Xuan gritted his teeth, his gums even bleeding, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.

His eyes were bloodshot with madness as he stared intently at that final node.

A wave of intense fatigue washed over him, and his vision began to blur.

He knew he had reached his limit.

The dual limits of mind and body.

But he knew even better that giving up now would not only mean that his efforts of not eating or drinking for three days and three nights would be in vain, but also that the natal battle blade, on which he had placed all his hopes, would be completely destroyed!
"Hold on...we have to hold on!"

Jiang Xuan screamed wildly in his heart, squeezing out the last bit of potential in his body, and concentrated all his willpower on the trembling tip of the pen. With difficulty and determination, he put the pen down towards the final pivotal spirit rune!
Inside the room, the air seemed to have solidified into lead, so heavy it was suffocating.

Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged, his face as pale as gold paper. Large beads of sweat slid down his sunken eye sockets and chapped lips, hitting the cold bluestone floor and spreading out a small dark water stain.

His body trembled slightly from extreme exhaustion and mental strain, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the spirit pen were bluish-white from excessive force.

In his mind, countless mysterious and complex spiritual symbols buzzed, spun, and collided wildly like a swarm of bees, bringing sharp pain and indescribable irritation that almost tore his will apart.

That last pivotal spirit rune was like an insurmountable chasm before him, making it difficult for him to move forward. Every stroke of his pen felt like a battle against the entire world!

"No... I must calm down!"

Jiang Xuan bit his tongue hard, and the intense pain and strong smell of blood instantly stimulated his mind, which was on the verge of collapse.

He forced himself to discard the chaotic noise in his mind, as if grabbing a piece of driftwood in a raging storm, and began to painstakingly trace back and sort out the entire refining process, especially the conception and countless deductions of this last spirit rune.

where is the problem?

Why was it that the first forty-eight spirit patterns were carved smoothly and effortlessly, but this last crucial stroke became the straw that broke the camel's back?
Is it because my understanding of the laws of spirit patterns is not deep enough? Or is it because mental fatigue during the continuous high-intensity seal carving process led to imperceptible oversights in the control of the details?
This final spiritual rune is like the last lock securing the entire intricate machine; it is the lifeline connecting all components and activating the entire cycle! (End of Chapter)