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Yu Jizi removed the ring from his index finger and handed it to Li Xiaonan, saying, "Li Xiaoyang, the Martial God Formula is different from ordinary cultivation techniques; it emphasizes the cultivation of one's own abilities. It has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. In today's cultivation world, battles usually involve spells flying around, but that assumes those spells can actually hit someone, right?"
Li Xiaonan nodded and replied, "Master, I understand. The techniques in the Martial God Formula are very useful for fighting." He had already experienced its advantages during his battle with Wang Qin.
Yu Jizi smiled knowingly. "The Martial God Formula can empower us, allowing us to rely less on pills, magical artifacts, and other external aids. However, this also brings its drawbacks; when it comes to Transcending Tribulation, one can only rely on their own strength to withstand it. Regardless of whether I succeed in Transcending Tribulation or not, my time to guide you is limited."
Li Xiaonan suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and said, "Master..."
Yu Jizi waved his hand dismissively. "Li Xiaoyang, everyone has their own fortune; don't worry about me. After I'm gone, Haozi will be in your care. He is a Loose Cultivator by birth and may have some shortcomings in temperament. I don't have any parting gifts for you, but this Soul Ring is quite a treasure. It not only has a large storage space but can also conceal your cultivation level."
A silly grin spread across Li Xiaonan's face as he thought to himself: Isn't this exactly what I need?
Without further hesitation, he put the Soul Ring on his index finger. The metal surface bore patterns of a shield and sword, exuding an imposing aura. The space within the ring was indeed vast—over five hundred square meters—yet it was empty. He sighed inwardly: Our sect really is poor.
Yu Jizi wore a serene smile as he thought: This kid is following the same path I did back then; it's just that while I pretended to be mad, he’s outshining me by playing the fool.
After Li Xiaonan left, Yu Jizi's expression remained calm as he broke through to the Tribulation Stage.
Upon returning to his small courtyard, Li Xiaonan practiced diligently. When he finally awoke from his meditation, over twenty days had passed, coinciding perfectly with the monthly Outer Academy lecture.
He opened the door and felt sunlight warm his face as he grinned foolishly.
A breeze swept by, causing a drop of dew to slide off a leaf and bounce on the ground before scattering and stirring up a bit of dust. Nothing escaped his keen observation.
At this moment, two hearts within him were beating in sync—one in his chest and the other atop the lotus in his Dantian—marking him as being at the Late Stage of Heart Movement.
"Xiao Nan!" Just as he reached the doorway, Zhang Hao called out to him.
Zhang Hao noticed the Soul Ring on Li Xiaonan's index finger and was momentarily taken aback. "The ring... did Master give it to you?" he asked.
Li Xiaonan nodded and smiled, "What's wrong, Senior Brother?"
Zhang Hao's expression turned serious as he cupped his fists and bowed to Li Xiaonan. "Disciple Zhang Hao pays respects to the one hundred twenty-third generation Sect Leader of the Martial God Sect."
This time, it was Li Xiaonan who was stunned. A thought flashed through his mind, and he finally understood what Master had meant by those earlier words—he had passed the position of Sect Leader to him. He felt both shocked and moved, as two hearts within him began to beat erratically, no longer in sync.
He took a moment to adjust his breathing, realizing that the Heart-Moving Period was indeed a hurdle for any Cultivator; he would need to be more cautious moving forward.
Looking at the Soul Ring on his hand and then at Zhang Hao, Li Xiaonan smiled and said, "Senior Brother, Haozi will always be Li Xiaoyang's Senior Brother."
The two brothers exchanged smiles and headed toward the Outer Academy's Bolearning Institute.
The Bolearning Institute was akin to a university's lecture hall. At the beginning of each month, a lecture was held in the main hall on the first day, followed by sessions from the representatives of the four halls—Qinglong, Zhuque, Baihu, and Xuanwu—on spells, weapon forging, alchemy, and formations from the second to the seventh day. Cultivation disciples could choose which lectures to attend based on their interests.
Li Xiaonan squinted as he observed the Bolearning Institute. It was a typical blue-brick building with a large main hall that could accommodate at least five or six hundred people. Inside was a garden, with lecture points set up along its path.
Zhang Hao led Li Xiaonan toward the main hall. At the entrance stood two attendants who required anyone wishing to enter to present them with a Foundation Pill. Zhang Hao shook his head helplessly as he handed over four pills before pulling Li Xiaonan inside to find a seat.
About one hundred eighty people were already present in the hall, but it was remarkably quiet; even when someone spoke, it was merely in hushed tones.
Li Xiaonan gradually grasped the dynamics of the Outer Academy. It seemed that no matter what one did here, it all revolved around benefits. No wonder there were only these few people in the main hall. Those who could study at the Outer Academy either had connections or talent; ultimately, connections triumphed over talent since they could access more resources.
He then took out the Storage Belt he had seized from Wang Qin and handed it to Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao looked at it in surprise. "What is this?"
Li Xiaonan grinned foolishly and said, "Senior Brother, don't refuse."
Zhang Hao nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you!"
Li Xiaonan finally understood what Master meant by the heart knot of a Loose Cultivator. He smiled and said, "Senior Brother, whatever I have in the future, you will have too! Just focus on your cultivation."
Zhang Hao fell silent, nodding quietly as he put away his belt.
"Xiao Nan! What are you doing here?" Li Yanrong and Li Rongluo arrived at the Bolearning Institute hall, and Li Rongluo was quite surprised to see his foolish younger brother there.
Zhang Hao smiled and said, "I saw Xiao Nan had nothing to do, so I brought him along to take a look."
Li Rongluo shook his head disdainfully and said, "He's just a fool; it's such a waste of elixirs." He then pulled Li Yanrong to sit down elsewhere.
Li Xiaonan lowered his head. Zhang Hao couldn't see his expression, but he felt a pang in his heart, thinking: It seems that even the children of wealthy cultivators don't have it easy. I must take good care of this junior brother from now on.
The first day's lecture covered various points to note during cultivation, such as controlling one's mind during the Heart-Moving Period, managing emotional fluctuations, and avoiding attempts to break through before reaching the appropriate level.
The second day was the main event. Zhang Hao went to the White Tiger Hall to learn alchemy, while Li Xiaonan went to the Vermilion Bird Hall to study artifact refinement.
Li Xiaonan was indeed lucky; this time, the lecturer was Huang Yan, the master of Vermilion Bird Hall.
Huang Yan had an extremely cold demeanor but possessed a beautiful appearance. However, Li Xiaonan wasn't in the mood to admire beauty; he focused intently on listening. The Outer Academy's lectures did not allow disciples to take notes; everything learned depended solely on one's own ability. Naturally, Li Xiaonan had no distractions.
Artifacts were classified from low to high as magical tools, spiritual tools, precious tools, and Celestial Artifacts, each further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. They were categorized by purpose into offensive types, defensive types, and spatial types.
The most common offensive type was the Flying Sword. Defensive types included Armor. Storage Rings and Storage Belts fell under spatial types.
Huang Yan spoke at length about the classification of artifacts, refining materials, and methods of artifact refinement while Li Xiaonan committed everything to memory.
"Today," Huang Yan said, "I will demonstrate a forging technique for you all. Pay close attention."
As Huang Yan spoke, a Black Iron, Silk of the Celestial Silkworm, Soft Crystal, and a strand of her own hair appeared in her left hand.
In her right palm, a white flame ignited, and she proceeded to place the Black Iron, Silk of the Celestial Silkworm, and Soft Crystal into the fire one by one to eliminate impurities.
Her left hand continuously traced out a formation. Although Li Xiaonan could not understand it, he recorded all the gestures. Half an hour later, a device identical to Huang Yan's appeared before everyone.
Huang Yan said, "I have used Black Iron as the bone, Soft Crystal as the body, and Silk of the Celestial Silkworm as the skin, with my hair as the guiding thread to create a replica of myself. This is what I consider refining. You still have five days; use the attack formation, energy accumulation formation, and defense formation I provided to refine an item."
A Cultivator asked, "Elder Huang, what category does this item belong to based on its usage?"
Huang Yan shook her head and did not answer; instead, she closed her eyes and sat in meditation.
Li Xiaonan pondered with his head down. A glimmer of insight flashed in his eyes as he looked at Huang Yan and instantly understood her intention: refining is about creation and should not be limited by categories.
Li Xiaonan took out some refining materials his mother had prepared for him. They were not precious but were suitable for a beginner Cultivator. He couldn't help but think how insightful his mother was. Remembering that gentle woman made his heart flutter with excitement.
He thought to himself: I happen to need a suitable weapon. A Flying Sword? It's mainstream, but how big can the sword body be? Carving formations is too difficult. Wait! After some contemplation, he immediately began refining.
He didn't expect that refining would consume so much True Essence Power. He took two Foundation Pills midway and finally succeeded in creating the item in his hand. He sighed inwardly: I've got my first weapon! The Carefree Fan! How elegant!
Before he could even assess his creation, someone else grasped it in their hand.
It was Huang Yan. When he came back to his senses, he realized he was alone in the hall. He thought: How long have I been refining?
Huang Yan seemed to know his thoughts and said lightly, "Seven days."
Looking at Li Xiaonan's creation, she remarked, "Not bad; it's a low-grade spirit weapon. The fan ribs are made from Black Iron, each inscribed with energy accumulation formations. The fan surface is made from cold jade; it combines attack and defense formations—capable of both offense and defense. You have quite an imagination; this fan surface is indeed much larger than a Flying Sword."
Huang Yan waved the fan a few times in surprise and exclaimed, "Oh? There are steel needles between the fan surfaces that trigger flying needles using energy accumulation! The refining technique may be lacking somewhat, but you really put thought into this. You’re quite interesting!"
At that moment, Li Xiaonan was staring blankly at Huang Yan. She had a pair of enchanting eyes, usually concealed by her indifference. Now, as she played with her fan and smiled charmingly, Li Xiaonan couldn't help but sigh at her overwhelming allure.
Noticing his unusual reaction, Huang Yan scolded, "Hey! What are you staring at? What's your name?" As she spoke, she returned the fan to Li Xiaonan, only to be startled by the Soul Ring on his hand.
Li Xiaonan swallowed hard and replied, "Li Xiaonan."
Huang Yan's expression turned frosty again, a hint of anger on her face. "Who is the old man from the Star Picking Tower to you?"
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Li Xiaonan confessed, "Elder Yu Jizi is my master."
"Hahaha! So it's you, Yu Jizi! You don't care about my forging skills? I’ll make sure to train your disciple into the world's best forger. Let's see what face your Soul Gate has left!" Huang Yan laughed heartily, completely shedding any semblance of an elder's demeanor as she doubled over in laughter.
Li Xiaonan shivered slightly and thought to himself: This woman is mentally unstable... Why are all the elders from the Outer Academy so eccentric? The theory that great figures are often oddballs was once again validated.
"Kid, what does your master call you?" Huang Yan's beautiful eyes sparkled as if she had transformed into a different person.
Li Xiaonan hesitated before answering, "Li Xiaoyang."
Huang Yan covered her mouth with a laugh and tossed him a Jade Eye Tablet. "Li Xiaoyang, study this Heart Refinement Method well. You need to refine your Soul Ring properly; it’s been in your master’s hands for so long that it’s quite pitiful."
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