Chapter 35: Sign-in Reward

When Qin Tian woke up, the night sky was already adorned with a full moon and a vast expanse of stars.

It was a breathtaking sight. Seeing that Qin Tian had stirred, Bai Xiaoru ceased her meditation.

"If you're awake, get up quickly. My tail has gone numb from you using it as a pillow."

Qin Tian sat up in a hurry. "Have I been asleep for a long time?"

Bai Xiaoru pointed toward the sky. "It’s well past midnight. What do you think?"

Qin Tian offered an awkward smile and shifted the subject. "The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?"

"Yes, though it’s not as lovely as the moonlight in Qingqiu," Bai Xiaoru replied softly, a trace of homesickness in her voice.

Qin Tian patted her back and said, "For a cultivator, time passes in the blink of an eye. It won't be long before you can return to Qingqiu. You don't need to worry about the contract either; I can release it whenever you wish."

Hearing this, Bai Xiaoru felt a flicker of emotion.

"Why are you so good to me?" she asked, looking at Qin Tian with curiosity. At that moment, he felt like the very light illuminating her life.

"Because I am your master."

The next day, Qin Tian began his study of artifact forging. He started by using low-grade materials to practice, verifying the knowledge he had acquired.

Artifact forging and alchemy shared many similarities, allowing Qin Tian to learn rapidly. Three months later, he prepared to attempt the creation of an Emperor-grade weapon.

There are three essential steps in forging.

The first is tempering—the process of removing impurities and refining the material. Qin Tian selected three complementary, low-grade Emperor-tier materials and began the process using the Ten Thousand Fold Sky Hammer technique. With each strike, the layers increased, and so did the physical strain. Fortunately, Qin Tian possessed the Eternal Indestructible Body, which allowed him to endure until the end; any other Saint-realm cultivator would have failed, rendering the materials useless.

Once the materials were tempered, Qin Tian moved to the second step: fusion. This involved merging the refined materials into the desired weapon prototype. Qin Tian channeled his spiritual energy, intensified the flames, and melted the materials before beginning the fusion.

Then came the third step: arrays. This process, also known as enchantment, imbued the weapon with formations to enhance its power and grant it additional functions. The scarcity of Emperor-grade weapons in the Central Plains was largely due to the backward state of their forging arrays. Only powerful arrays could fully unlock a weapon's potential. Having understood many arrays previously and spent months studying forging-specific ones, Qin Tian was quite proficient.

Ultimately, it took Qin Tian three days to complete the forging of the Emperor-grade weapon.

At that moment, a celestial phenomenon appeared above the Hidden Sword Pavilion. However, because the disturbance was localized, only the four Sages of the Spirit Sword Pavilion noticed. Though surprised, they restrained their curiosity upon realizing the source and did not come to investigate.

After successfully forging the first Emperor-grade weapon, Qin Tian was delighted. He envisioned a future where he forged a vast arsenal of such weapons, leading a legion of Emperor-realm subordinates to sweep across the Central Plains and help An Miao-ling and the little fox exact their revenge.

He immediately prepared to forge more.

In the Central Plains, when forging quasi-Emperor weapons, smiths usually prepared two sets of materials to increase the chances of success. For true Emperor-grade weapons, the requirements were much higher, and the success rate was notoriously low. Furthermore, few in the Central Plains were even qualified to attempt such a feat.

For the second weapon, Qin Tian forged a long saber, and for the third, he returned to the sword, as it was the most commonly used weapon.

Qin Tian forged four low-grade Emperor-tier weapons in one go, causing the phenomenon above the Hidden Sword Pavilion to trigger repeatedly.

An Miao-ling and Bai Xiaoru could not help but come to watch, and eventually, even Shangguan Ya and the other three Sages of the Spirit Sword Pavilion were drawn in. When they saw that Qin Tian had truly forged Emperor-grade weapons, they were completely stunned.

An Miao-ling and Bai Xiaoru, having once been in the Emperor realm and living in the Central Plains, understood the immense value of such weapons; they were the bedrock of major factions. The few individuals in the Central Plains capable of forging them were people whom every faction vied to court, yet even they found it incredibly difficult to succeed.

Qin Tian had once again shattered their perceptions.

Seeing their astonishment, Qin Tian flashed an innocent smile. "From now on, those who follow me will be rewarded with Emperor-grade weapons once they reach the Emperor realm."

Hearing this, Shangguan Ya and the other Sages were left speechless. Beyond the prestige, an Emperor-grade weapon made cross-rank challenges trivial. Combined with the Emperor-tier cultivation techniques Qin Tian had already provided, they began to look toward the future with newfound hope.

Qin Tian put away the four weapons and brought out his only piece of mid-grade Emperor-tier material, along with other ingredients.

"Master, are you attempting a mid-grade Emperor weapon?" An Miao-ling asked.

Qin Tian nodded. "I'll give it a try."

He began the process step by step, but the difficulty was significantly greater than that of the low-grade weapons. During the first step of tempering, he had to apply twice the number of folds as before. Even with his Eternal Indestructible Body, he was exhausted, sweat beading on his forehead. An Miao-ling tenderly wiped his brow with her handkerchief.

After a day and a half of hammering, he completed the first step. The fusion took another five days of meticulous work. When the prototype finally took shape, everyone was bewildered.

Qin Tian had forged a kitchen knife.

Shangguan Ya and the others thought to themselves that their boss was truly eccentric. An Miao-ling and Bai Xiaoru also looked at him with strange expressions, though they managed to accept it once they realized the knife was intended for cooking for them.

Finally, Qin Tian spent six days setting the arrays. After about twelve and a half days in total, the mid-grade Emperor-tier kitchen knife was complete.

After the forging, Shangguan Ya cast a flirtatious glance at Qin Tian before returning to the Spirit Sword Pavilion with Long Yi and the others, now filled with motivation to cultivate.

That evening, when Qin Tian used the Emperor-grade knife to slice meat, he found the experience extraordinary—it cut as easily as if it were tofu. Once he finished cooking, the three of them ate and drank under the moonlight, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

After the meal, Qin Tian began his own cultivation.

Years passed in the mountains like shifting shadows.

"Check-in!"

"Ding!"

[You have accumulated five years of check-in points. Would you like to claim your reward?]

"Claim!"

"Ding!"

[Check-in reward: Spirit Gathering Bead (Peak Emperor-grade). It enhances the wearer's cultivation speed and replenishes spiritual energy.]

[Check-in reward: "He-Hua Zi-Zai" technique promoted to the thirteenth level.]

[Check-in reward: Eternal Indestructible Body upgraded to the third level.]

His realm did not increase this time, as he had previously broken through to the second level of the Saint realm through medicinal aid, leaving his technique at its original level. Now, the reward had finally elevated the technique. The Spirit Gathering Bead was an excellent auxiliary treasure, which he immediately equipped.

The greatest gain was the upgrade of his Eternal Indestructible Body to the third level. He now had the confidence to challenge those in the Emperor realm.

Just as he was reveling in his success, he heard the system's voice again.

"Ding!"

[Detected that the host's current cultivation realm was forcibly elevated by this system. The host lacks a path of his own. It is recommended that the host seal his spiritual energy and live as a mortal to perceive the world and cultivate his own path.]

[If you agree, your spiritual energy and storage ring will be sealed in three days. Any attempt to actively use them will result in failure.]