Chapter 499: I Got It

Ji Yuan was now certain that the Samadhi True Fire, at the right temperature, would not incinerate the golden silk rope but merely alter its state.

However, Ji Yuan was also convinced that other materials he possessed, such as his specially refined silk or golden scales, would all be consumed by the True Fire. Perhaps only the Tribulation Lightning would not be immediately destroyed by it.

It's said that in the Five Elements, wood feeds fire. While other wooden items would likely be incinerated by the Samadhi True Fire before one could react, if the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning were intertwined with the Samadhi True Fire, even a slight loss of control...

The mere thought sent shivers down Ji Yuan's spine. An uncontrolled eruption of this Samadhi Thunder-Fire would perhaps be one of the most terrifying things imaginable.

"However, control has always been my forte," he mused.

The next moment, as flames combined, even Ji Yuan's specially refined silk could not withstand them for a single instant, turning directly to ash. Ji Yuan felt a little embarrassed, but fortunately, the Samadhi True Fire was also his signature ability.

He then tried with a golden scale, wrapping the golden silk rope around it. As the Samadhi True Fire burned, a shimmering film appeared on the scale. Due to the incompatibility of water and fire, the essence of Gui Water emanated ripples, briefly resisting the Samadhi True Fire.

The next instant, "Boom..."

"Splash..."

The room seemed to explode with a waterfall, sending waves of water everywhere. Ji Yuan was drenched from the waist down, but the water quickly evaporated. This left Ji Yuan's entire body enveloped in mist, appearing ethereal.

The failure of the initial attempt was not unexpected for Ji Yuan. Crafting magical artifacts was never simple; cultivators specializing in this art needed years of dedicated effort. Although Ji Yuan possessed exceptional control and significant talent in immortal cultivation, he knew success wouldn't come overnight.

"Now, this is the only thing left untried..." Ji Yuan glanced at the lightning-flashing Edict Thunder Charm, hesitating for a moment.

'Perhaps I should try refining the silk again,' he thought. 'Maybe I can first refine the golden rope with True Fire, then immediately extinguish the flames and weave the silk, replacing the original gold threads, into the newly altered golden rope!'

Acting on his idea, Ji Yuan didn't use a new golden silk rope but instead took the section that had been previously scorched and began refining it again.

Even in this state of mild excitement brought on by interest and anticipation, Ji Yuan remained calm, meticulously experimenting for the artifact he envisioned.

Unbeknownst to him, a night had passed. Despite seemingly making no progress, Ji Yuan had gained some crucial insights.

Crafting artifacts or magical treasures sometimes wasn't just about superior technique. Experience, ingenious methods, and opportune conditions were equally crucial. Perhaps he was lacking an earth-attribute spiritual material, or something else entirely.

Naturally, he also needed to broaden his understanding and humbly seek advice from an expert. As for an expert, a true one resided right across from him, someone with whom Ji Yuan had a good relationship and whom he could trust.

It was already dawn. Since this was Qiao Manor, Ji Yuan promptly lifted the restrictions, allowing the morning light to paint the paper screens of the doors and windows with the soft glow of sunrise.

Ji Yuan, who hadn't slept all night, rose from his bed feeling refreshed and walked to the door.

As he opened the door with a creak, the rising sun truly fell upon Ji Yuan, making him feel a pleasant warmth.

The old beggar, who also hadn't rested all night, opened his door at that moment and smiled, greeting Ji Yuan.

"Good morning, Mr. Ji," he said. "Did you rest well?"

"Very well, thank you," Ji Yuan replied. "And you, Elder Lu?" Ji Yuan answered with a smile.

"I'm doing alright too," the old beggar responded. "It would be even better if I knew what Mr. Ji was up to last night..."

Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head. Just as the old beggar expected him to either say nothing or speak in riddles, Ji Yuan said something that surprised him.

"Actually, I was just trying to refine a treasure using yesterday's golden silk rope."

"Oh?" The old beggar's expression turned very interested. "How did it go?"

Ji Yuan pointed to the stone table in the courtyard. "I have many questions, and I'd like to seek your guidance, Elder Lu."

The old beggar looked closely at Ji Yuan, saw the sincerity in his expression, and smiled even more happily. He quickly stepped out of his room and walked toward the stone table.

"Come, come, Mr. Ji, tell me all about it. This old beggar will share everything he knows!"

Ji Yuan nodded, walked to the table in the courtyard, and with a flick of his sleeve, a steaming teapot and teacups appeared on the table, along with a jar of fragrant honey on a tea tray.

"Hehehe, this honey is truly a treasure!" the old beggar chuckled. "Only you, Mr. Ji, have it in all the world. This old beggar is fortunate once again!"

A person of the old beggar's caliber could naturally discern the quality of spiritual objects. He had felt the honey was special when he first encountered it in Ji Yuan's courtyard years ago, and tasting it again in Ji Yuan's cooking yesterday confirmed its uniqueness. For it to affect even someone of his cultivation, it was clearly no ordinary spiritual substance. Ji Yuan hadn't refined this honey; it was completely natural, suggesting that the flowers from which it was made were extraordinary.

"Heh heh, if Elder Lu likes it," Ji Yuan said, "when the honey flowers bloom again in the future, I will specifically set aside a jar for you."

"Two jars!" The old beggar wiggled two fingers back and forth, and Ji Yuan quickly shook his head.

"No, no, that's not possible. It's not that I'm stingy, but this honey is incredibly rare. To spare even one jar is a testament to our deep friendship. Most people would consider themselves lucky to receive just a spoonful from me."

The phrase "deep friendship" made the old beggar very happy.

"Hahaha... Indeed, this old beggar knows Mr. Ji is not a stingy person. One jar it is, but don't you forget it! Otherwise, this old beggar will be squatting by the entrance of Ju'an Small Pavilion begging for food every day."

After the pleasantries, the two immediately got down to business. Ji Yuan held nothing back, fully explaining the various transformations of the golden thread and his thoughts to the old beggar.

If anyone else had said these things, the old beggar would have simply smiled them off. But because it was Ji Yuan speaking, even if some of the content sounded like "common-sense" absurdities to him, the old beggar couldn't help but ponder them deeply.

"It's inherently beyond the Five Elements, yet here it integrates into them, creating something from nothing, establishing innate balance while also incorporating Yin and Yang..." If anyone else had said something like that, the old beggar would surely have snapped "idiot!" at them. But after Ji Yuan spoke, he remained silent for a long time, pondering the possibilities intently.

"Precisely," Ji Yuan affirmed. "The other four elements are manageable, but I currently lack an earth-attribute spiritual material, so I can't attempt its integration."

The old beggar's expression didn't change, but his heart trembled. He understood Ji Yuan's words to mean that he had mastered the integration of the other four elements and Yin and Yang, with only the earth element remaining.

"If you temporarily lack earth-attribute spiritual material, Mr. Ji, how will you proceed? In this old beggar's opinion, it would be best to integrate them sequentially following the principle of mutual generation."

"Hmm, I think so too," Ji Yuan replied. "However, all things in heaven and earth originate from Yin and Yang, and artifact crafting, after all, requires refinement. So, I plan to use the Samadhi True Fire as a base, demonstrating the fire element while also accounting for Yin and Yang, and then first integrate the wood-attribute Heavenly Tribulation Lightning to amplify the fire. What do you think, Elder Lu?"

The old beggar frowned. "Samadhi True Fire? Heavenly Tribulation Lightning?"

As Ji Yuan was humbly seeking advice, he naturally spoke frankly, elaborating on his two ultimate abilities.

"I wouldn't claim to be an expert in fire manipulation," Ji Yuan stated, "but I possess a powerful fire-attribute divine ability called Samadhi True Fire. Additionally, I have an equally extraordinary lightning-manipulating divine ability called the Edict Thunder Charm."

Ji Yuan was quite modest, a fact the old beggar understood well. Even with an extraordinary divine ability like "Sleeve Universe"—which he'd recognized as exceptional from a mere glimpse on paper years ago, and which Ji Yuan always demurred from revealing, claiming shyness—if Ji Yuan now described something as "powerful," it must truly be unfathomable.

"May this old beggar have a look?"

"Of course!" As Ji Yuan nodded, he slightly parted his lips.

"Whoosh..." It wasn't merely the essence of True Fire, but a direct expulsion of a ball of Samadhi True Fire.

The True Fire, having long resided in a conceptual realm, instantly manifested as an overwhelming inferno in the mind of someone with the old beggar's cultivation. Mountains, water, wind, clouds—nothing seemed safe from its blaze.

Shaking off the momentary illusion, he looked closely at the True Fire hovering before them. The flames flickered steadily, displaying a reddish-grey hue, and surprisingly, did not seem to raise the surrounding temperature.

Dangerous, this fire was very dangerous!

"The Samadhi True Fire is one of my favored divine abilities," Ji Yuan explained. "It is formed by refining the Dantian True Fire, which is the divine fire of the heart, and the Yin-Yang True Fire, born from the Qi of Yin and Yang. These represent the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Man, combined into one, hence 'Samadhi.' Those struck by it find it difficult to escape. Its power is immense, so I rarely use it."

The old beggar took a deep breath and nodded gravely, having no desire to test it himself. He allowed Ji Yuan to retract the True Fire, then watched as Ji Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a spirit rune glowing with lightning flew out.

"Crackling... Zizzzizzzizzz..."

The oppressive feeling this time was significantly stronger than the latent state of the Samadhi True Fire, primarily because this thunder charm had not yet fully recovered.

The lightning shifted between gold and red, the spiritual script flickered erratically, and the aura of Tribulation Lightning occasionally spilled from it, stirring up wind in the surroundings and causing sand and pebbles to roll around the stone table.

The old beggar looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds and wind were automatically gathering, a clear sign, simply because the thunder charm had appeared.

"This spiritual talisman is called the Edict Thunder Charm," Ji Yuan explained. "Years ago, an ancient ink dragon was severely wounded, and its vital essence was dispersing. I used an edict method to forcefully collect its essence, imbued it with the intent of expelling evil and upholding righteousness, and condensed it into this thunder charm. Since then, it has absorbed lightning year after year, and it even absorbed an incredible Heavenly Tribulation Lightning. It still needs a bit more time to fully stabilize." Ji Yuan added after a moment's thought, "This charm, likewise, should not be easily unleashed."

The old beggar forced a smile. "If this charm were unleashed, it would likely be a divine punishment. Mr. Ji, with your benevolent heart, will naturally use it with great caution."

Since he had already discussed the fire and wood elements, Ji Yuan decided to talk about others and took out a golden scale.

"This item was obtained from the Mirror Sea within the Mirror Profound Sea Pavilion. It is the vitalized essence of Gui Water..."

"Mirror Sea Golden Scaled Sturgeon?"

"Precisely, that fish. I previously forced most of its Gui Water essence into its scales, then removed them to serve as a water-attribute material."

"To serve as...?" The old beggar's eyes widened slightly.

"And then there's the metal attribute. Although it may seem slightly inferior, its excellent ductility makes it a crucial component..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough, Mr. Ji," the old beggar interrupted. "This old beggar knows how formidable you are, please stop. Let's talk about the earth element, the earth element. You're missing the earth attribute; let's figure something out..."

"Let's first discuss the refining methods," Ji Yuan said. "My expertise in this area is not deep, certainly not compared to Elder Lu. Last night, I tried to..."

Finally, Ji Yuan seemed genuinely humble in his request, no longer trying to impress or startle him. The old beggar visibly relaxed and quickly got into the spirit of things, even feeling a surge of excitement greater than Ji Yuan's.

With so many rare treasures at hand, and two experts like himself and Ji Yuan discussing, perhaps even refining them together, what an extraordinary artifact would they create? Just the thought alone made a supreme immortal like the old beggar incredibly excited.