Even though the Glacier Rain Sword was a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, due to its cold attribute, its melting point was significantly lower than other weapons of the same tier.
The crux behind upgrading a weapon was to fuse one or a few rare metals into the original weapon. One of the greatest taboos in this process was to melt the original weapon.
If the original weapon were to lose its original shape, it would lose its original attributes, and the weapon would have to be reforged from scratch. That would mean an increase in the difficulty by severalfold!
As Luo Qiqi had been multitasking, she hadn't been paying attention to the Glacier Rain Sword. Who knew that while she was preoccupied with placing a few medicinal herbs into the pill cauldron, the Glacier Rain Sword would actually reach its melting point!
Upgrading a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon to high-tier was simple, but forging a Spirit high-tier weapon from scratch… At the very least, given Luo Qiqi's current capability, she didn't think that she was capable of it!
Just as she was completely flustered by the sudden situation, Zhang shi confident voice sounded, "Add a droplet of Purplestar Grass's medicinal extract onto the Glacier Rain Sword."
"Purplestar Grass's medicinal extract? Alright… Hmm?"
As soon as she took out the medicinal extract, she suddenly froze as she came to a realization. "Onto the Glacier Rain Sword?"
What kind of insanity was this?
Glacier Rain Sword was a weapon whereas the Purplestar Grass's medicinal extract should be used for pill forging!
Adding the medicinal extract to the weapon? That was no different to adding some minced meat and tomato ketchup on a metal ingot while trying to cast a metal pot! Are you sure you are forging a weapon and not barbecuing it to eat?
Are you certain you didn't issue the wrong instruction?
"That's right, hurry up!" Zhang Xuan urged.
"Alright!"
With twitching eyelids, Luo Qiqi flicked her wrist, and the medicinal extract immediately fell on the melting Glacier Rain Sword.
Tzz la!
The sizzling sound reminiscent of barbecued meat echoed in the air. The medicinal extract flowed down the sword as it gradually turned into a white mist, emanating a deep aroma.
"How fragrant…"
The aroma wafting in the air made Luo Qiqi subconsciously draw in a deep breath.
The Purplestar Grass did leave a pleasant smell upon contact with flames. Perhaps she could make something to eat with it in the future…
Just as she was harboring such thoughts, intense vertigo suddenly assaulted her, and her legs began wobbling weakly.
"This is bad!"
Luo Qiqi's eyes narrowed as it suddenly dawned on her what she had just done, and her heart froze.
The Purplestar Grass was an extremely rare medicinal herb. Its name originated from the purple spots reminiscent of little stars on its surface. The medicinal herb usually served as a mediating factor to facilitate the forging process of other pills, but if used individually, it carried a slight poison that could induce hallucination and dizziness!
Mesmerized by the pleasant scent, she actually neglected this!
They were currently at a crucial moment in the pill forging and smithing. If she were to faint, there was little doubt that a cauldron explosion would occur!
To be killed by a simultaneous explosion of a pill cauldron and a smithing cauldron… Should their bodies be found, they would probably go down as the first to do so in the long history of Hongyuan Empire!
Luo Qiqi attempted to gather her concentration, but her eyelid kept drooping down persistently. As hard as she struggled, drowsiness clung to her tightly, unwilling to relinquish its grasp over her.
Zhang Xuan's face darkened.
"This is bad!"
He had refined his plans in anticipation of the many different things that could possibly go wrong in the forging process, but how could he have expected Luo Qiqi to be so careless as to inhale the poisonous fume of the Purplestar Grass!
It was unbecoming of a 5-star apothecary to be so careless!
But still, Luo Qiqi couldn't be entirely blamed for the matter. The Purplestar Grass was a rare medicinal herb that was hardly used by apothecaries, and even on occasions that it was required, it would usually serve as a mediating factor. As such, it wasn't too surprising for her to neglect its other properties.
Furthermore, with her attention devoted to multitasking between the smithing and the pill forging, she had little capacity to process other thoughts either. It was the unfortunate combination of such factors that made her fall prey to the poisonous fumes.
If Luo Qiqi were to lose consciousness, they would be doomed. Even though Zhang Xuan had vast knowledge of pill forging and smithing, he was unable to translate them into practical skills for his own use… Under current circumstances, a double cauldron explosion would be inevitable!
Or perhaps… could the formation be retracted so that they could draw the puppet over to kill it through the explosion?
But Zhang Xuan couldn't control the timing and might of the explosion accurately either. If the explosion proved to be too strong, even if they were to survive the primary impact, there was a chance that the ceiling might collapse inward, burying them alive.
More importantly, the puppet possessed extraordinary defensive ability. The might of the explosion might be fearsome to them, but there was no guarantee that it would be fatal to that fellow.
Gu gu gu gu!
Anxious, Zhang Xuan was just about to rush forward to wake Luo Qiqi wake up when the cauldron before him shook intensely once more. Violent energies rampaged within it, and an explosion was imminent.
The essence of the Limit Revolving Pill Forging Technique was to keep the cauldron teetering just before the breaking limit. As a result, even the slightest lapse in concentration could easily result in an explosion.
With the sudden onslaught of the drowsiness spell, the forging sequence was already delayed by nearly two breaths. If the medicinal herb wasn't added in at this very instant, an explosion would really occur!
But given Zhang Xuan's current proximity to the medicinal herbs, even if he were to dash forward at this very instant, he still wouldn't make it in time!
"Add the Red-leafed Beard into the cauldron…"
Overwhelmed by anxiety, Zhang Xuan shouted. But this time, perhaps due to his sheer determination willing it to happen, his voice was subconsciously imbued with Impartation of Heaven's Path.
Hu!
Despite her lack of consciousness, Luo Qiqi's movements remained as fluid as ever. She stretched her hand forward to grab the Red-leafed Beard and threw it into the cauldron.
Huala!
As the medicinal herb fell into the cauldron, the signs of explosion finally calmed down.
"This…"
Surprised by the turn of events, Zhang Xuan blinked in a daze for a short moment before excitement gushed through his body.
Why didn't he think of this from the very start?
As long as one's words were aligned with the quintessence of nature, one could induce another to follow one's instructions, willingly or not. Luo Qiqi might have fallen into a semi-conscious state, but this didn't hinder the effects of Impartation of Heaven's Will on her!
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In fact, with her emotions out of the equation, the pill forging was progressing smoother than before!
"Place the Cold Emerald Stone beside the Glacier Rain Sword. Following which, use the Bamboo Drawing Forging Technique to add a blade of Frozen Yin Grass into the pill cauldron…"
Having succeeded once, Zhang Xuan continued using his Impartation of Heaven's Will.
Before this, Luo Qiqi still had to process the differing sets of instructions for the two cauldrons and work simultaneously, and this had caused her to fall into a fluster. However, under the effects of the Impartation of Heaven's Will, her hands could operate freely from one another—one focused on smithing while the other focused on pill forging.
In an instant, her efficiency doubled.
Tzzzzz!
As the Cold Emerald Stone was placed with the Glacier Rain Sword, 'tz la!', the two began fusing with one another.
Frowning, Zhang Xuan said, "Take out the sword and use the Layered Tempering Technique to hammer it 779 times!"
Hearing the instructions, Luo Qiqi shook her left hand, and the sword immediately fell onto a stone platform. She grabbed the hammer that Wu Yangzi had left behind and started hammering the sword.
Zhang Xuan continued instructing her.
"Add the Leisure Flower Stem and Baoxing Extract into the pill cauldron and raise the intensity of the flames by 30%. After that, use the Lucid Pitching Hands to shake the cauldron seven times!"
Hua hua la la!
Luo Qiqi followed his instructions calmly, without the slightest error.
Humans are subordinate to their emotions. Never having forged a pill and smithed simultaneously before, it was natural that Luo Qiqi had felt trepidation upon seeing the pill cauldron being brought to the verge of explosion. With this kind of fear plaguing her, her movements had become restricted, thus making it hard for her to succeed.
Who could have known that her losing consciousness would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, raising the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire forging process altogether?
Zhang Xuan's instructions grew more and more rapid, and Luo Qiqi's movements became faster and faster as well. The both of them were working together with such harmony that it seemed as though Zhang Xuan was forging the weapon and the pill himself.
Even though the cauldron seemed as though it would explode at any moment, under Zhang Xuan's astute instructions, it was actually extremely safe.
After hammering the Glacier Rain Sword, which was fused with Cold Emerald Stone and Purplestar Grass, it regained its form as a sword, and it looked much sharper than before.
After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows suddenly shot up. Driving his Soul Depth to its maximum, he instructed, "Alright, open the pill cauldron!"
Hu!
Luo Qiqi's right hand reached forward and opened the lid of the pill cauldron. The concentrated bulk of medicinal energies immediately gathered, and a pill was about to form at any moment now.
"Place the Glacier Rain Sword into the cauldron!"
Upon hearing the instructions, the young lady subconsciously threw the long sword into the pill cauldron.
Weng!
A sharp buzzing sound reminiscent of a melody hummed by the dragons echoed in the stone chamber. It sounded so melodious that one could get drunk on it.
Hu!
Following which, the Glacier Rain Sword flew out from the pill cauldron and danced in the air, as though a bird which had just fled from its cage, releasing an excited call.
A cold gleam flashed from the body of the sword, and it felt as though it could easily tear apart any metal or jade. Just by looking at its sharp edge, one would feel as though one's eyes might be pierced through by it.
"Come here!"
Beckoning with his hands, the sword immediately flew over and landed in Zhang Xuan's outstretched hand.
Lowering his head to examine it, the Glacier Rain Sword was still of the same length. However, it looked much lighter, and its previously clear surface was now twinkling with stars. It felt as though the power of a celestial was infused into this blade, bringing an extraordinarily majestic disposition to the blade.
Flicking his finger on the blade lightly, the sword immediately released a loud metallic call. It seemed as though it would transform into a mighty dragon and rule the heavens.
"This is… Half-Saint?"
Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in shock.
Having mastered the knowledge contained within the six Heaven's Path Smith Art manuals, his eye of discernment for weapon had reached a new height. Even without the Library of Heaven's Path, he could easily tell that the Glacier Rain Sword had exceeded the boundaries of Spirit pinnacle to reach Half-Saint!
Weapons could be divided into God, Saint, Spirit, Phantom, and Mortal.
Even though a Half-Saint weapon hadn't truly reached Sainthood yet, it had already broken free from the shackles of Spirit, reaching an entirely different level of existence.
Even a 6-star pinnacle blacksmith like Wu Yangzi couldn't hope to successfully forge a sword of this quality!
Only a 7-star blacksmith could possibly forge such a masterpiece!
In other words, using the Impartation of Heaven's Will, Zhang Xuan actually forged a Half-Saint weapon through Luo Qiqi's hands. If word were to spread, innumerable people would surely die of shock!
Weapons of such a tier were rare even within Hongyuan Empire!
Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan put away the sword before turning to Luo Qiqi.
At this moment, she was meditating on the floor with her eyes closed, seemingly in a state of enlightenment.
Even though she was unconscious during the forging process, the experience she gained from forging the Frigid Yin Pills and upgrading the weapon through the Impartation of Heaven's Will remained with her as her muscle memory.
With this, both her pill forging and smithing techniques would advance to greater heights.
Seeing the other party's state, Zhang Xuan fell into deep thought.
'Even though she was unconscious throughout the forging process, her movements and her zhenqi circulation will stay with her as her muscle memory, forming a much stronger impression. The benefits she obtained from this were even greater than the guidance back in the Apothecary Guild!
'It seems like Impartation of Heaven's Will doesn't only impart the way of cultivation to others. It also encourages them to cultivate and tempers their mental resilience, thus paving their way for improvement in the future!
'Indolence and fear are a part of human nature, and inevitably, it is such. Should words fail to persuade them, enforcement will be necessary. Through forming muscle memory, this will pave the way for their future growth…"
Coming to an enlightenment, the underground chamber suddenly shook. A unique aura descended from the sky and shrouded Zhang Xuan entirely.
The third acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher!