Refining the treasure gourd wasn't a sudden whim of Song Changsheng it had been part of his long-term plan.
In the cultivation world, there's a saying: "A hundred crafts, a thousand arts, ten thousand tools." The variety of magical artifacts is dazzling, each with its unique focus and function.
The treasure gourd was a support-type magical item with an independent internal space. Its base was inscribed with the Bone-Eroding Formation, which, during combat, could trap enemies inside and refine them into a pool of blood.
It was an excellent artifact in its own right. However, compared to lethal weapons like blades, spears, swords, and halberds, it lacked a certain sharpness and aggression.
Thanks to his exceptional comprehension, Song Changsheng followed the path of a spell cultivator and learned many techniques for self-defense. Now, having also mastered Water-Fire Spell Control, the power of his water and fire techniques far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.
Ironically, his magical artifact had become his weak point. Inspired by his recent experience crafting talismans, he decided to imbue his treasure gourd with the power of water and fire, transforming it into a weapon of destruction!
Naturally, refining a magical artifact wasn't as casual as crafting talismans. Song Changsheng made his way to the clan's Hall of the Hundred Arts, the place where clan members honed their cultivation-related skills and managed clan industries.
Beneath the main hall, a small section of a subterranean fire vein had been buried, providing an endless supply of natural flame for alchemy and artifact crafting.
Although Song Changsheng possessed a fire spiritual root, the flame conjured with spiritual energy couldn't compare to natural earth fire. He was a perfectionist if he was going to reforge his artifact, it had to be flawless.
Due to the time of day, the Hall of the Hundred Arts was relatively empty. Song Changsheng walked directly to a corner of the hall and respectfully cupped his hands. "Nephew greets Fifth Uncle."
In the corner sat a reclining chair, on which lounged a chubby middle-aged man with his eyes closed, lazily fanning himself with a bamboo fan. Without opening his eyes, he said, "Didn't I tell you to take a break? There's no extra work for you today."
"Fifth Uncle, I'm here to borrow the artifact refining chamber. I've made some progress in artifact crafting recently and plan to reforge one of my magical tools."
Upon hearing this, the chubby man opened his eyes and sat up to look at Song Changsheng. "You advanced to a first-rank high-grade artifact craftsman?"
Song Changsheng nodded with a smile.
"Sigh, I told you back then you should've studied alchemy. You insisted on messing with formations and tools. With your talent, you could've become a master of the alchemy path," the man said with a hint of regret.
This chubby man wasn't just anyone. His name was Song Luzhou, fifth in his generation and currently the clan's Second Elder, in charge of the Hall of the Hundred Arts.
Not only was he a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but also the clan's only second-rank high-grade alchemist.
Song Changsheng replied with a chuckle, "You can say that to me, but if Grandpa hears you, I'm afraid your ears will suffer again."
At that, Song Luzhou instinctively shrank his neck, but then quickly grinned and pointed at him. "You little rascal, joking with your Fifth Uncle now, huh? Fine, the Type-C refining room is still available. Go on, help yourself."
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Song Changsheng and lay back down for a nap.
Song Changsheng followed the steps down to the hall's underground level. Due to the fire vein, the entire area was filled with scorching heat. In some cracks between the stones, flickering flames could be seen dancing.
At the center of the refining room stood a massive bronze cauldron, covered in engravings of birds, fish, and beasts like a vivid tapestry brought to life.
This was a first-rank top-grade cauldron, vastly superior to Song Changsheng's bronze cauldron.
He sat cross-legged, gently unhooked the treasure gourd from his waist, and muttered, "Can't let this wine go to waste."
As soon as he finished speaking, he began gulping down the wine with loud "ton ton ton" sounds. Not until his tongue swept away the last drop of liquor did he let out a satisfied burp.
He opened a specially designed switch, and the fire vent beneath the bronze cauldron instantly erupted with orange-red flames, heating the cauldron.
Once the temperature was just right, he tossed in several pieces of water- and fire-attributed ore he had exchanged earlier and began roasting them using the earth fire.
As the impurities were gradually burned away, the ore melted into liquid form.
Calm and unhurried, Song Changsheng placed the treasure gourd into the cauldron, added some powdered minerals, and then closed the lid to begin the refinement process.
Under his control, all the materials fused seamlessly with the gourd. The process lasted three full days and nights. Not until sweat beaded on his nose did the treasure gourd finally complete its refinement, advancing to a first-grade high-tier magical artifact.
But he wasn't done yet. After a short rest to regulate his breath, Song Changsheng immediately began inscribing formations. He muttered to himself, "The Bone-Eroding Formation can stay. On top of that, I'll add a Water-Fire Duality Formation. Only then can I truly bring out my full strength."
With that, he focused his spiritual energy and began carving formation patterns into the gourd's interior. It took him nearly two full days and nights to inscribe a first-grade high-tier formation.
If he were laying a formation externally, it would have taken only moments, but inscribing one into a magical artifact was exponentially harder and extremely mentally taxing.
Had it not been for his exceptional mental strength, there's no way he could have finished it in such a short time.
With the formation complete, the reforging of the treasure gourd was finally done. It had transformed from a plain yellow gourd into a striking blend of red and blue, with a metallic sheen that made it feel weighty in his palm.
"Now that you've been imbued with the power of water and fire, I'll call you the Water-Fire Gourd from now on," Song Changsheng said, looking at the gourd in his hand with great satisfaction.
He tried activating it. The gourd instantly lifted into the air, tilting downward slightly. From its dark mouth, a faint red glow flickered.
"Zha!"
As Song Changsheng formed a hand seal, searing flames burst out from the gourd's mouth. In an instant, the entire refining chamber turned into a sea of fire, the heat so intense it seemed to distort the very air.
Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten where he was and quickly retracted the flames. Even so, the entire refining room was scorched beyond recognition.
"The power is indeed formidable. If the fire formation is this strong, the water one won't be any weaker. I finally have a true offensive artifact now." Song Changsheng looked at the gourd, his eyes full of undisguised joy.
After a short rest, he opened the restriction to leave. But the moment he opened the door, he was met with the sight of Song Luzhou's face dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Uh… Fifth Uncle," Song Changsheng suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Song Luzhou said nothing at first but pushed past him to look inside. One glance and his face nearly exploded with rage. He practically roared, "You little brat, what the hell did you do in there?!"
Song Changsheng cursed inwardly. His Fifth Uncle was notoriously stingy, and now he'd wrecked the refining room there was no way this would end well. His eyes darted as he immediately prepared to bolt.
But how could he possibly escape in front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Song Luzhou subdued him with ease and growled, "You punk, how do you plan to fix this?!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Song Changsheng gave a sheepish grin. "Fifth Uncle, it's all just superficial damage. Please, let me off this once."
"Hmph, letting you off is possible. Aren't you heading to preside over the Ascension Ceremony? Bring back a flask of second-grade spirit wine for me, and I'll let it slide," Song Luzhou said, a sly glint in his eyes making a hefty demand.
"Second-grade?! That's outrageous! My mother only has a few jars of that stuff I haven't even tasted it!" Song Changsheng protested loudly.
"Hey, that's your problem. Now get going and don't forget the wine." Song Luzhou chuckled and casually tossed Song Changsheng out the door.