I Have an Omen System

Cold Abyss Valley

In the heart of the volcano, Qin Xuan stood wielding a Black Gold Heavy Hammer, repeatedly striking a piece of crystalline Cold Star Iron Essence.

Over a dozen young men and women watched from a distance under the protection of two middle-aged men, not daring to approach.

CRACKLE!

Sparks flew as the Earth Lung Poison Fire burned fiercely.

"Runjiang, bring them a little closer. Watch carefully. Don’t probe recklessly with your Divine Sense; feel the flow of Spiritual Power with your heart!"

Qin Xuan’s voice was not loud, yet it clearly penetrated the multiple layers of Arrays.

It reached the ears of several nervous yet excited youths nearby.

The middle-aged man in the lead, Wang Runjiang, who was already at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, heard this and immediately responded with respect.

"Yes, I will obey the Old Ancestor’s command!"

He cautiously led the other four Wang Family disciples a few steps forward, stopping about fifteen zhang away from Qin Xuan.

The few Wang Family disciples at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer had only moved a few zhang closer when their Protective Spiritual Light began to waver, and sweat poured down like rain.

However, Wang Lanfeng, at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, was faring the best.

The youths with other surnames behind them also wanted to get closer, but Wang Runhe, who was standing nearby, shot them a fierce glare.

The youths resentfully fell back.

"Artifact Refining is divided into four steps: Guiding Spirit Back to the Origin, Shaping and Foundation Establishment, Rune Engraving and Tempering, and Pulse Communication with the Divine!"

Qin Xuan’s voice was unhurried, carrying a trace of the weariness of old age.

The air distorted and shimmered, letting out a sorrowful SIZZLE.

"The first step, Guiding Spirit Back to the Origin, is the beginning of Artifact Refining. The key is the word ’purity’!"

Qin Xuan explained in a deep voice as he continued his work.

His hands formed seals, his ten fingers fluttering like butterflies through flowers, moving so fast they left only afterimages.

Wisps of fiery red, pure True Essence emerged from his body.

"Although the Cold Star Iron Essence has already been purified, the Metal Qi within is too fierce and volatile, and its impurities are invisible to the naked eye.

You must use Wood Element True Essence as a guide to slowly comb through it, tempering its sharpness and coaxing out its inner resilience. Only then can it withstand the force of the subsequent Shaping and Foundation Establishment!"

As Qin Xuan spoke, the roiling ball of silvery-white light gradually calmed.

A purer, more condensed Golden Attribute Spiritual Energy slowly emerged.

"What exquisite Fire Control and True Essence Manipulation!"

Wang Runjiang couldn’t help but exclaim under his breath, his eyes filled with awe.

"Using Wood Element Magical Power to comb through Gold Element Spiritual Materials... the slightest mistake would cause a Five Elements Clash, blowing up the furnace and destroying the materials...

Yet the Old Ancestor makes it look so effortless, even taking the time to teach us juniors... His technique is probably a cut above even that Artifact Refining Elder from the Wu Family back in the day!"

"More than just a cut above!"

The other middle-aged Cultivator beside him, Wang Runhe, had a brilliant light in his eyes as he looked at his Old Ancestor in the center of the earth fire with adoration.

"Look at that Earth Lung Poison Fire. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators wouldn’t dare try to use it for themselves. The slightest carelessness, and the fire poison would invade their bodies.

But not only has the Old Ancestor drawn it out, he can even use its rampaging power as the core of his furnace to refine Spiritual Materials. Such courage and Cultivation... not even the Wu Family’s former ancestor, Hua Tiemei, could have managed that!"

Wang Runjiang and Wang Runhe were from a branch of the Wang Family, born of Wang Zezhou’s concubine in years past. They had been assigned to guard the Spiritual Fields outside Thousand Lakes Island.

When the Wu Family invaded, the two of them were not with the clan.

Later, Qin Xuan sought them out. Although their Cultivation wasn’t high, after being force-fed several bottles of Pills, they barely managed to advance to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer.

They were inducted into the Second and Third Branches, essentially replacing the original Wang Runtian and Wang Runsong.

Just as the two were discussing in amazement, Qin Xuan’s movements suddenly changed.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, like a cold bolt of lightning cutting through a heat wave.

"Condense!"

He spread his five fingers and pressed down through the air toward the now much more docile ball of silvery-white light.

HUMMM!

A low yet soul-shaking hum resonated.

The ball of light was violently squeezed as if by a giant, invisible hand, causing it to collapse rapidly inward!

The silvery-white light instantly flared, so bright that Wang Lanfeng and the other youths instinctively narrowed their eyes.

"The embryo is formed through Shaping and Foundation Establishment. This is the moment that determines the fundamental form of the Magical Artifact. Where the mind goes, the Magical Power follows. There can be no hesitation or deviation."

"Visualize its shape and guide the inherent nature of the Spiritual Material, and you can mold its foundation!"

Qin Xuan’s aged voice rang out slowly.

A roiling, head-sized sphere of silvery-white liquid now hovered silently before him.

This was the newly refined Cold Star Iron Essence.

Under the guidance of Qin Xuan’s powerful Divine Sense and Magical Power, the collapsing sphere rapidly stretched and transformed...

In the blink of an eye, the crimson embryo of a shield, about a chi square, took its initial form!

"The shield embryo is formed! This is the step I failed at last time!"

Wang Runjiang said excitedly.

"Shh! Don’t interrupt, watch carefully!"

Wang Runhe focused his full attention.

They watched as Qin Xuan began to carve into the air before the hovering crimson shield embryo.

He outlined complex and profound circuits inside the embryo.

"Next are the third and fourth steps, Rune Engraving and Tempering, and Pulse Communication with the Divine. These form the meridians of the Magical Artifact, the very foundation of its Divine Techniques.

You must use your Divine Thought as the brush and your Spiritual Power as the ink to inscribe the Profound Gang Array Patterns unique to the Red Copper Shield!"

Qin Xuan’s voice carried a strange rhythm, as if resonating with the runes flowing from his fingertips.

"These patterns are primarily for defense... Pay attention. It must be done in one go. If there is the slightest pause, the Spirit Patterns will not flow smoothly, and the resulting Magical Artifact will be a mere shell, useless for any real purpose!"

BOOM!

As the golden light from Qin Xuan’s fingertip traced its path, the inside of the shield embryo seemed to light up.

Intricate and profound golden patterns emerged within the crimson body of the shield.

With the birth of each pattern, the aura of the shield embryo climbed steadily higher.

Finally, a Spiritual Pressure as steady as a mountain, with a hidden sharpness, slowly spread out.

The spectating Wang Family Cultivators, old and young alike, all held their breath, their eyes fixed on the Red Copper Shield bobbing in the poison fire!

Golden light slowly traced the outlines, and a heavy aura emerged.

"The Red Copper Shield... it’s done!"

Wang Runjiang cried out in a low, excited voice, his dark face flushing red.

A Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact was fresh out of the forge.

The youths behind them watched, completely mesmerized.

This was the first time they had ever observed Artifact Refining from such a close distance.

Qin Xuan’s masterful refining techniques had delivered a huge shock to their worldview.

After all, the Old Ancestor had accomplished all of this in less than a single shichen!

With the Red Copper Shield’s refinement complete, Qin Xuan seemed to have his Essence, Qi, and Spirit completely drained.

"COUGH, COUGH... I’m old and useless now. It takes so much effort just to refine a single Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact."

Qin Xuan hunched over, coughing a few times as he spoke.

"Old Ancestor, you’ve worked hard."

The moment the Red Copper Shield was forged, Wang Runjiang trotted forward and offered a white handkerchief for Qin Xuan to wipe his sweat.

’Tsk, shameless!’

Wang Runhe spat lightly in contempt. Then, with a flip of his hand, he produced a small, exquisite green gourd and followed close behind with a fawning expression.

"Old Ancestor, you must be thirsty. I personally went to your favorite Jade Spring Lake to fetch this mountain spring water. It’s cool and delicious. Please, have a taste."

Qin Xuan chuckled and scolded them, "If you two put this much effort into your Cultivation, you would have succeeded at Artifact Refining long ago!"

The two of them grinned shamelessly and laughed along, seeming to take Qin Xuan’s words as a compliment.

"Lanfeng, Yun Tao, did you commit the refining techniques you just saw to memory?" Qin Xuan asked with a gentle smile, wiping his palms with the handkerchief.

The older he got, the more kindly and benevolent Qin Xuan appeared.