As dusk approached, Ji Yuan and Qian Ni Chang, having just departed from the Prefect's mansion, boarded a carriage bound for Ming Xin Xuan.
Meanwhile, the news of the Qian family patriarch's two-hour stay in the Prefect's mansion spread with even greater speed throughout Guan Xia City.
Several factions, who had been coveting the Qian family's influence in recent years, largely fell silent, quietly retracting some of their hidden maneuvers.
Combined with the Qian family's sole third-realm elder, Old Chen, entering the Prefect's mansion a few days prior, and the gradual recovery of Young Master Fan San's cultivation, some forces began to sense that something unusual was afoot.
It was possible that the Qian family, which had been struggling to survive, was truly on the verge of a comeback. At the very least, within Guan Xia City, not many forces dared to continue making subtle moves in the shadows.
Within the span of less than an hour, another piece of news further solidified these factions' belief in this idea.
It was that Young Master Fan San had sent out numerous invitations, announcing a banquet to be held tomorrow at noon, where he would introduce his newly sworn sworn sister to his friends.
No one had expected that the precarious Qian family would, in such a silent manner, forge a connection with Young Master Fan San of the Prefect's mansion, and that the Qian family patriarch would even become sworn siblings with him!
Although Fan Su Liu did not explicitly state who the sworn sister was, any discerning individual could tell it was undoubtedly Qian Ni Chang.
Otherwise, why would Young Master Su have sent out invitations so quickly after this person had just left the Prefect's mansion?
However, the machinations of the various forces within the prefectural city were, for the moment, irrelevant to the two individuals involved.
They arrived at Ming Xin Xuan and directly ascended to the seventh floor, the highest level, arriving outside the private chamber of Mo Zi Gui, a master of artifact refinement.
Before Qian Ni Chang could even knock, the door before them swung open, and a wave of heat immediately washed over them. The entire chamber was like a furnace.
Ji Yuan's gaze sharpened as he saw a square cauldron before Mo Zi Gui, within which crimson flames leaped, and vaguely, one could see horse-sized fiery steeds galloping within.
"Third hundred and sixty-third on the Spirit Fire Ranking, the sub-fire of the Crimson Bright Fiery Steed!"
Qian Ni Chang murmured, then quickly led Ji Yuan inside and swiftly closed the door.
He glanced at Mo Zi Gui, who stood with a solemn expression, his hands constantly forming seals, and then softly inquired, "What is the Spirit Fire Ranking, and what is the Crimson Bright Fiery Steed?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Ni Chang immediately replied, "There are countless spirit fires in the world. Some divine figures, unparalleled in an entire province, joined forces to create a ranking, listing the three hundred and sixty-five most powerful spirit fires in heaven and earth."
And what Mo Zi Gui possessed was a sub-fire that originated from the Crimson Bright Fiery Steed, ranked at three hundred and sixty-third place.
Even though it was just a sub-fire, its innate grade already surpassed many spirit fires not on the list. If cultivated well, it was not impossible for it to evolve into another Crimson Bright Fiery Steed.
"Spirit fires not only possess immense power themselves, capable of rivaling magical treasures in combat, but also possess various mystical abilities that are of great assistance in alchemy and artifact refinement," Qian Ni Chang said solemnly.
Cultivators in the world yearned to possess a spirit fire, especially alchemists and artifact refiners, as it could help them progress further and more smoothly on their respective paths.
Even unranked spirit fires could increase the success rate of non-grade pills by thirty to fifty percent, and grade pills by ten to thirty percent.
If it were on the Spirit Fire Ranking, even the lowest-ranked spirit fire could increase the success rate of grade pills by at least thirty percent!
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's eyes lit up, and he gazed at the fiery steeds within the square cauldron, a look of longing appearing on his face.
In just a few brief sentences, he had gained a general understanding of the immense help a spirit fire could provide for his alchemy and cultivation.
Not to mention, according to Qian Ni Chang, every grandmaster of alchemy, in addition to their profound attainments in alchemy, possessed a spirit fire accompanying them in one way or another.
This was almost a prerequisite for becoming a grandmaster of alchemy!
Furthermore, spirit fires could not only be used for alchemy, artifact refinement, and combat, but they could also purify one's cultivation and temper one's physique, making it tougher, and bestowing certain unique characteristics depending on the spirit fire.
"Although there are thousands of spirit fires, they are inherently too rare, truly things that are met by chance and sought by fate," Mo Zi Gui suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of both individuals.
He had now stopped his hand seals and turned to look at Ji Yuan, "This treasure is complete. If there is anything you need to do, seize this opportunity."
As his words fell, the flames in the square cauldron surged, and a seven-story pagoda of celestial blue then emerged.
By this time, the demonic aura of the pagoda's body had been completely purified, and all the demonic materials within had been refined and filled into the spiritual materials provided by Ji Yuan.
Without any hesitation, he stepped forward. Unafraid of Mo Zi Gui and Qian Ni Chang watching, he quickly formed a series of hand seals with both hands. The pure and profound vital energy within his body began to circulate according to the core principles of the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture.
Soon, a seal, condensed from his own vital energy, spirit, and mind, appeared. With a pointed finger, it merged into the depths of the seven-story pagoda.
In an instant, Ji Yuan established a connection with the pagoda, a process that was almost seamless, far easier than refining the White Jade Flying Sword and the thirty-six Heavy Water Pearls.
This was not to say that the treasure's quality was too low, but rather that it was being recast, akin to an unfinished semi-product. At this stage, anything done to it would naturally be achieved with ease.
After seeing Ji Yuan nod, Mo Zi Gui let out a low roar, and the spiritual power within his body surged forth, flowing into the cauldron along with his hand seals.
Approximately half an hour later, the fluctuations of spiritual power on his person gradually subsided, and the seven-story pagoda within the cauldron suddenly erupted with boundless radiance.
Witnessing this scene, Ji Yuan felt inspired. He immediately formed a hand seal, and the recast pagoda immediately flew over, landing in the palm of his other hand.
The pagoda remained seven stories, but its color had changed from ink black to celestial blue. As the boundless radiance receded, only a faint halo flowed upon its surface.
A connection, far closer than that with the White Jade Flying Sword and the thirty-six Heavy Water Pearls, appeared in his heart. Even without having refined it, with just a thought, he could command it to engage in combat independently.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Mo, this time!"
Ji Yuan, holding the pagoda in one hand, prepared to bow in gratitude.
However, Mo Zi Gui shook his head, putting away the square cauldron and its spirit fire sub-fire, and sighed, "I should be thanking you for this matter."
Under their bewildered gazes, he slowly said, "The vengeful spirits and ghosts imprisoned within the pagoda, after being released and purified, truly allowed me to gain a significant amount of merit."
This merit, when infused into the sub-fire of the Crimson Bright Fiery Steed, caused the flame to grow considerably, saving him at least ten years of arduous cultivation and countless expenditures of silver.
Therefore, this artifact reforging was, in fact, him owing Ji Yuan a favor, and he did not know how to repay it.
"How about you choose a few magical artifacts, or do you have any other needs? Even my artifact refinement insights are acceptable," Mo Zi Gui said earnestly.
Favors, if they could be repaid, should be repaid as much as possible. Even if they could not be entirely cleared, it was best to do so with a clear conscience.
Otherwise, the karma that might be involved, if it accumulated too much, could become an obstacle to a cultivator's progress on the great path.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan immediately smiled, "If I could have Fellow Daoist Mo's artifact refinement insights, that would naturally be the best possible outcome."
The paths of alchemy, artifact refinement, talismans, and formations were almost mandatory subjects for every cultivator. While not everyone had to master them, one should absolutely not be ignorant of them, and it was best to have some understanding of each.
This was true even for hermits living in the wild; no matter how poor their circumstances, they would strive to put in effort in these areas.
Mo Zi Gui, upon hearing this, was quite forthright. He took out three jade slips and tossed them directly to Ji Yuan, as if they were not the most precious artifact refinement insights of an artifact refinement master but ordinary items.
However, despite his casual demeanor, Ji Yuan could not be too informal. He received the three jade slips with a solemn expression and then, along with the seven-story pagoda, stored them in his Shan He Bag.
"Since the matter has been settled, let us return," Qian Ni Chang said expressionlessly and turned to walk outside.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's expression showed some hesitation. He felt that leaving so abruptly was not quite right, but he saw Mo Zi Gui gently shake his head at him, so he did not voice any objections.
Just as the two of them walked out of the private chamber and were about to reach the stairs, a maidservant hurried upstairs, arriving before them with an anxious expression.
"Young Mistress, a group of people have come downstairs, claiming to be disciples of the Shen Xuan Sect and specifically asking to see you."
The maidservant lowered her eyes and spoke with extreme haste.
People from the Shen Xuan Sect!
Ji Yuan and Qian Ni Chang exchanged glances, and a look of solemnity appeared on both their faces.
Neither of them had expected people from the Shen Xuan Sect to appear at this moment, and to be specifically looking for the latter.
It seemed the other party likely suspected that the items they had been robbed of had very likely fallen into Qian Ni Chang's hands, and that she had offered them to the Prefect's mansion, leading to the recovery of the Prefect's son's cultivation and their sworn sibling relationship.
In reality, they had anticipated this, but they hadn't expected the Shen Xuan Sect's reaction to be so swift. The news had likely only just spread, and they had already arrived at their doorstep.
And if they were told that the other party wasn't here for this matter, neither of them would believe it.
"We can't always avoid it. Besides, within the prefectural city, they likely won't act overtly within Ming Xin Xuan," Ji Yuan said.
If they were on the street at this moment, he would have unhesitatingly tried to escape with Qian Ni Chang. However, within Ming Xin Xuan, there were fewer concerns.
This place was covered by over a dozen formations. Even a third-realm cultivator could not act with impunity, and once they were restrained by Ming Xin Xuan's formations, and if it took too long, it would attract the attention of the Prefect's mansion.
Once the dozens of formations within the prefectural city were activated, even a Golden Core grand cultivator would be unable to escape. They would have their cultivation sealed, be captured and brought to the Prefect's mansion for questioning, or be directly killed by the power of the formations on the spot.
Hearing this, Qian Ni Chang nodded, holding the same thought in her heart.
Thus, as they descended the stairs, she took out her exclusive owner's jade token to communicate with Ming Xin Xuan's dozens of formations. With a mere thought, she could directly suppress enemies.
Led by the maidservant, the two soon arrived at the lobby on the first floor, where they saw a group of seven people standing, ignoring the gazes of those around them and refusing to move to a private chamber, regardless of what the shopkeeper said.
"Young Mistress!"
When Qian Ni Chang approached, the shopkeepers and waiters immediately called out respectfully.
In the lobby, the gazes of numerous customers converged on the elegant and noble Qian Ni Chang.
To the patrons of this establishment, one of the three esteemed owners of Ming Xin Xuan, renowned throughout the prefectural city, was certainly not unfamiliar.
"You are Qian Ni Chang?"
The middle-aged man leading the group of seven spoke with a blank expression.
He was dressed in white, with a long sword at his side. Merely standing there, he exuded a sharp aura, like a peerless sword not yet drawn from its scabbard, emitting a piercing sword energy even through its sheath.
As this person spoke, the waiters of Ming Xin Xuan immediately glared at him. However, as his gaze swept over them, their faces turned pale, and their auras suddenly weakened.
Seeing this, Qian Ni Chang let out a cold snort. A glow flowed and vanished from her body, and formation patterns immediately appeared throughout the lobby.
With the aid of the formations, her aura instantly surged severalfold, barely managing to enter the threshold of the third realm.
"You injured my Ming Xin Xuan's waiters in front of such a crowd. Are you not being too presumptuous?"
Qian Ni Chang took a step forward, a cold glint in her eyes.