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

If it succeeds, it's the finishing touch, a masterpiece; if it fails, it's total failure, all previous efforts wasted! There is no third possibility!
Time passed silently in the deathly stillness, each second feeling like an eternity.

Jiang Xuan's consciousness struggled, sank, and deduced at the edge of its limit. After an unknown amount of time, as if catching a glimmer of light in endless darkness, he finally locked onto the core of the problem!
The crux of the problem lies in this final pivotal spirit rune pattern itself!
In his original design, this spiritual rune was intended to act like a strong thread, connecting the forty-eight scattered "pearls" to form a perfect closed loop, playing a crucial role in connecting, transitioning, and controlling the overall situation.

It is static, fixed, a connection point, a hub.

However, when Jiang Xuan actually reached this stage of engraving, he was shocked to realize that the power and structural characteristics inherent in this battle sword, which he had personally designed and which embodied all his efforts and expectations, were in fundamental conflict with the concept of a "static hub"! The fierce, agile, and seemingly life-like unruly aura emanating from the blade blank itself demanded a more active and inclusive core, rather than a rigid node!

Either we can completely overturn and start over, changing the form and function of this pivotal spirit rune, but that would mean all forty-eight perfectly engraved spirit runes would be scrapped, and the entire blade blank might also be damaged due to structural imbalance!
Alternatively, if the engraving is forced according to the original plan, the result will inevitably be a conflict of spiritual patterns, a runaway energy, and damage to the blade and people!
This discovery instantly chilled Jiang Xuan's heart, as if he had fallen into an ice cave!
He had rehearsed countless times and considered countless variables, but he never expected that the biggest flaw was hidden in his most confident and considered perfect core concept! And it was only exposed at the last moment!

Despair, like a cold, venomous snake, coiled around his heart.

"No! We can't give up! There must be a way!"

A near-mad, stubborn light erupted in Jiang Xuan's eyes.

He stared intently at the forty-eight spirit rune nodes on the blade blank, emitting a faint glow, like a dying beast searching for its last chance at life.

Change! This pivotal spirit rune must be changed! It must no longer be a connecting "line," but... a "source point" capable of containing, guiding, and even stimulating the power of all spirit runes?
How to change? Where is the new trajectory?

Just as his thoughts were at their lowest point, a flash of inspiration, like lightning tearing through the night sky, suddenly struck Jiang Xuan's chaotic mind!

He recalled the scene when he first stepped into the Heavenly Secret Realm and challenged the first level of the Azure Cloud Path, "Refining the Spirit"!
He remembered the stone wall covered with mysterious patterns!
He recalled the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" that he had deciphered from that stone wall!
That was a completely different kind of spiritual energy!
It was not static, but rather like a real stream of light, its spiritual patterns slowly flowing and cycling! More importantly, while comprehending the flowing spiritual patterns, he unexpectedly glimpsed the secrets of the "Minor Netherworld Divine Art"! It was a dynamic, ever-renewing, and wondrous pattern containing the profound mysteries of the soul!

"Move! Cycle! Life goes on!"

Jiang Xuan's heart pounded as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer!
He grasped at this straw as if it were his only hope!
Yes! That's the feeling! A static nexus cannot match this battle sword that possesses "life"!
What it needs is a core that can circulate, can cycle, and can evolve itself! Like the heart to the blood, like the soul to the body!

There was no time to hesitate! The alarm bells of mental exhaustion screamed wildly from the depths of his soul!
A resolute glint flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes!
He abandoned all the established trajectory deductions, relying entirely on the flash of inspiration at that moment and the profound understanding accumulated from countless times of comprehending the flowing light spirit patterns. His wrist suddenly sank, and the spirit pattern pen, fully dipped in the last bit of spirit ink shimmering with chaotic colors, fell fiercely towards that final pivot point!
The brushstrokes no longer follow the original, rigid path, but rather seem to have come to life!
It began to shift, to twist, and to move along an unprecedented trajectory, full of agile and mysterious rhythm! With each stroke, it was no longer a rigid line, but rather like a living stream, meandering and flowing naturally into the forty-eight surrounding spirit patterns!

There was no awkward connection, only a seamless integration! The new spirit rune trajectory no longer attempted to "connect" or "control" the other runes, but rather, like a living "core," it began to actively guide, accommodate, and even stimulate the power of the other spirit runes!
It is itself in flux, breathing, and circulating!

Buzz!

When the last stroke is made, perfectly closing that dynamic, cyclical trajectory!
The entire jet-black blade suddenly erupted with an indescribable, dazzling light! Forty-nine spirit runes lit up simultaneously, resonating with each other, their energy flowing like rivers converging into the sea, instantly connecting them! A powerful, fierce, yet strangely vibrant energy surged forth like a sleeping ancient beast awakening, bursting forth with a deafening roar!
Become!

However, just as the ecstasy of success surged into his heart, Jiang Xuan's heartstrings, which had been stretched to their limit, suddenly snapped! He could no longer hold on, having exhausted all his strength.

With a "plop," a mouthful of scalding blood from his heart gushed out uncontrollably, specks of it like crimson plum blossoms, splashing onto the jet-black blade that had just been inscribed with spirit patterns and was now shimmering with light!
The night was deep in the courtyard.

Xue Jin remained lazily reclining in the deck chair, sipping his drink intermittently. Qiu Qiu, having regained some energy, was dozing off on his lap.

It's been three days.

There was still no sound coming from the room, not even a trace of spiritual energy could be sensed; the deathly silence was unsettling.

Xue Jin wasn't in a hurry.

He had seen too many spirit pattern masters seclude themselves for days or even months when inscribing powerful spirit patterns.

The more powerful the spiritual artifact, the more mental and time-consuming the engraving of its core spiritual runes becomes, allowing no room for disturbance.

Although Jiang Xuan is a cunning fellow, Jiang Xuan's talent in the art of spirit patterns and his ruthlessness are undeniable.

He believed Jiang Xuan could pull through.

Just as he closed his eyes to rest, two figures appeared silently outside the courtyard.

One of them was none other than Granny Feng, whom Xue Jin described as a "stingy and protective old hag"!
She leaned on her wooden cane, her face so gloomy it seemed to drip water, her cloudy old eyes brimming with suppressed anger.

Beside her stood Chu Feng, his face contorted with grief, looking utterly dejected, like a wilted eggplant.

His steps were unsteady and his eyes darted around, clearly indicating that he had been "invited" by Granny Feng in some "gentle" way to lead the way.

"This is...this is the place, Granny Wind."

Chu Feng's voice was choked with sobs as he pointed to Jiang Xuan's small courtyard.

"Jiang Xuan... he usually lives here... Master Xun... I really don't know where he is..."

Granny Feng snorted coldly, not even glancing at Chu Feng, her gaze like an icy probe piercing directly at the tightly closed courtyard gate.

She came today to find that "Master Xun" and get some answers!
She was unwilling to be outsmarted by that sly Jiang Xuan, and even suspected that the kid was deliberately stalling for time!
She wanted to see just who this "Master Xun" was, capable of teaching a disciple like Jiang Xuan! And while she was at it, she'd also teach that arrogant brat a lesson!
Without further hesitation, she stepped forward to push open the simple courtyard gate.

However, just as she took a step, a lazy yet powerful voice, carrying an invisible barrier, rang out from inside the courtyard.

"Old woman Feng, isn't it a bit inappropriate to come uninvited so late at night and disturb people's sleep?"

Xue Jin's figure had appeared at the courtyard gate at some point, blocking Granny Feng's path.

He leaned against the doorframe, a gourd of wine still in his hand, his cloudy old eyes watching Granny Feng's ashen face with a half-smile. Granny Feng paused, her cloudy eyes narrowing sharply as she stared intently at the suddenly appearing Snow Gold!
She hadn't even noticed that there was such a person in the courtyard! And this person... gave her an extremely dangerous and unfathomable feeling!

"who are you?"

Grandma Wind's voice was wary and cold.

"Looking for a master?"

"Looking for a master?"

Xue Jin chuckled and took a swig of wine.

"That old fellow is currently in seclusion refining a weapon; it's a critical moment, and he won't see any guests."

"Old woman Feng, what is it? Come another day."

Granny Feng's face turned even uglier.

"Secluded cultivation for weapon forging? Hmph! What I'm looking for is that brat Jiang Xuan! Make him come out and see me!"

"Jiang Xuan?"

Xue Jin picked at his ear, looking languid.

"That kid is busy too, he doesn't have time."

"Old Lady Feng, if there's anything you need, just tell me. I'll pass it on for you once they're done."

"you?!"

Granny Feng's anger was almost bursting out of her head! This seemingly slovenly and lazy old drunkard in front of her was clearly protecting Jiang Xuan and deliberately delaying things!
"Get out of my way! Or don't blame this old woman for being impolite!"

Her aura began to rise, and a heavy pressure spread out, locking onto Xue Jin.

Xue Jin's lazy expression faded somewhat, and a sharp glint flashed in her cloudy eyes as she retorted sharply.

"Old woman Feng, this isn't your Purple Bamboo Villa. I told you, they're in seclusion and won't see any guests. If you want to force your way in, you'd better think twice!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense! Invisible forces collided in the air, emitting soft hissing sounds! Chu Feng trembled under the pressure of these two terrifying auras, almost collapsing to the ground.

Granny Feng's eyes flashed with cold light, and she slowly raised her withered hand. A faint earthy yellow spiritual energy flowed on her wooden staff, clearly indicating that she was truly enraged!
At this critical moment.
"Qiang!!!"

A clear, resonant, and strange sword cry, seemingly containing endless ferocity and indomitable will, suddenly burst forth from Jiang Xuan's tightly closed door without warning, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger!

The sound of the sword wasn't deafening, but it carried a sharpness that pierced the soul, instantly tearing apart the tense atmosphere in the courtyard!
It roared like a newborn dragon, its first cry proclaiming its arrival to the world, soaring straight into the sky! Its voice was clear and sharp, its intent fierce and powerful, and its potential was beginning to emerge!

hum!
The withered hand that Granny Feng had raised froze in mid-air!

An unprecedented glint flashed in Xue Jin's eyes!
The limp Chu Feng was jolted awake by the sudden sound of the blade!
The three of them changed color in unison, their eyes turning sharply towards Jiang Xuan's tightly closed door, filled with undisguised shock!

Based on their experience and knowledge, they made the same judgment almost the instant the sound of the sword rang out: a spiritual treasure had been born!

Only divine weapons that have truly developed their own spirituality and entered the level of spiritual treasures can evoke such a soul-stirring resonance upon their birth!

This is not the end!
As if to confirm their judgment, strange phenomena suddenly appeared in the originally silent night sky!
The deep night seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, and vast swathes of magnificent colorful clouds emerged without warning. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—the seven colors flowed and swirled, like a rainbow spread across the heavens! In the center of that dazzling glow, a blurry yet incomparably sharp phantom of a battle blade appeared and disappeared, radiating a chilling sharpness! Though it was only for a moment, it was enough to be imprinted deep into the souls of those who witnessed it!

"Spiritual light reflects in the sky... Divine weapon projection!"

Xue Jin gasped, his cloudy old eyes flashing with unprecedented brilliance as he stared intently at Jiang Xuan's door, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"It truly is a spiritual treasure! And... a spiritual treasure that possesses such grandeur even at birth!"

The shock he felt was like a raging storm! Three days! Just three days! This kid Jiang Xuan actually managed to forge a genuine spiritual treasure under extreme conditions!
He's only fourteen! This isn't just extraordinary talent; it's practically... defying the heavens! For the first time, Xue Jin realized with such clarity that he might have underestimated the terrifying potential of this monstrous young prodigy!
Granny Feng, standing to the side, had long since replaced her anger with utter shock.

Her cloudy eyes widened in shock as she stared intently at the lingering glow of the sunset and the tightly closed door. Her horror surpassed even Xue Jin's! If she had harbored any doubt about the existence of "Master Xun" behind Jiang Xuan before, this earth-shattering phenomenon of the birth of a spiritual treasure was now the most powerful proof! A spirit pattern master capable of crafting a spiritual treasure must possess a status far beyond imagination!
All her previous anger and resentment vanished instantly in the face of this undeniable fact, and even... a strong sense of awe and an urge to pay homage rose involuntarily in her heart!

Xue Jin and Granny Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing the same realization in each other's eyes.

A spirit pattern master who can refine spirit treasures has already reached the level to refine more complex and powerful spirit pattern battle armor that is enough to change the landscape of a region!
Chu Feng, who knew the inside story best, was completely stunned at this moment.

His mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg, his eyes were wide open like saucers, and his mind was completely blank!
"Seeking a master"? A sham!

Who was actually refining weapons inside? It was Jiang Xuan! The fourteen-year-old boy who had only recently joined the Spirit Pattern Master Guild!

He... he actually forged a magical treasure?!
This was no longer just shocking; it completely overturned Chu Feng's understanding of spirit pattern masters and the art of weapon crafting!
He felt like he was dreaming! (End of Chapter)