Destiny in Cinders

"To think that I would be able to gather so many mystic metals!" An Jing's haul after searching the large hall for a day was quite substantial, much to his delight. There were far more metals than he had expected, tens of thousands of jins, but most of them had been corroded on the outer layer and were no longer suitable as cultivation resources. Not to mention, mystic metals were incredibly sturdy. Without using aura and his lethal qi, he wouldn't be able to pry off whatever usable ones that he managed to find.

"That's right." Yvelbane was also quite happy with it. "It isn't much, but it should be enough for you to form a firm foundation when coupled with my sword lethal qi."

An Jing could sense what to do next. He manifested the broken sword and prostrated himself as a disciple would his master. "An Jing of the Gufeng An clan beseeches thee, revered immortal sword, to teach me the initiation technique of your revered school!"

"Though not thy master, I shall accept thine offering of rites and impart unto thee this orthodox immortal technique. May it dispel thine ignorance with illumination and guide thee on thy path of banishing evil. Mayest thou live up to the boon I have offereth thee." Yvelbane accepted the sincere rites that An Jing performed and proceeded to teach him Evenstar Ivory Divine seal.

"He who walks the path of the Grand Dao overturns heaven and earth, observing the four cardinal directions and eight poles. The Evenstar is a pole of the metal element, staying rigid, firm and clear, never rotting from countless tribulations. Clear the mud with your innate qi. Nourish your divine soul and your mortal vessel. Infuse mystic metals and derive lethal qi from it, with which you will use to form into a mystical seal. That which you strengthen your fleshy body with is called the divine seal."

Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal was a top-tier body refinement technique. Using the Evenstar metal qi, the user of the technique crafted a spirit seal akin to a mystic treasure within the body which strengthened the body to become as tough as flying swords.

As An Jing continued to receive guidance from the sword soul, he wielded the broken sword in hand as he focused on Sword of Tranquility, guiding the pure sword lethal qi within the broken sword into his own body. Then, he began forming the Evenstar seal seed.

"Honing your mind with the contemplation technique, refining your qi and body, and training in killing techniques to exterminate foes and overcome obstacles. All those three come together to form a true legacy," Yvelbane said. "Sword of Tranquility is a core fundamental of my school and contains many mystical aspects. Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal also represents the most elite cultivation technique. With these two in hand, you'd be able to forge a body and foundation so stable that it will allow you to train in killing arts far more effectively."

An Jing stilled his mind and started cultivating his qi for the first time within the old, abandoned ruins of the foreign world. Though Yvelbane could only give him verbal guidance, it was incredibly experienced and was able to point out every single mistake An Jing made in the moment and offer corrective advice.

An Jing, being a starchild gifted with the Spark, was smart to begin with. He had no trouble comprehending what he was taught and was able to rapidly follow Yvelbane's guidance and cultivate smoothly.

Though Yvelbane didn't voice it, it was rather surprised by An Jing's progress. In terms of the spirit roots, An Jing's was only slightly above average. He would be allowed to join a sect as an initiate in ancient times but likely wouldn't be passed the core legacy.

However, Yvelbane knew through the time he spent with An Jing that his strength lay in his character and impressive comprehension. Even if the Heavenly Demonic Cult hadn't spurred him to awaken his lifearc, he would've still achieved something impressive for himself and stand out. The larger sects of the present day would also notice his talent and teach him their prized techniques.

Half a day passed as An Jing learned from Yvelbane intensely. His understanding of the essence of Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal was mostly complete. Though it was a body refinement technique, it was still based on a qi-cultivation technique and didn't require him to actually hone his muscles or body. Instead, he only had to imbue his body with this power to strengthen it inside and out with lethal qi.

There were 108 seals of the Heavenly Rectifiers and Earthly Lethalizers. The formation of each additional one marked progress. Most body refinement techniques honed the outer body and spread the strength inward, whereas Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal strengthened the inner body and spread it outward as a result of forming seals within the body, making it an internal body refinement technique.

Knowing about the technique was one thing, but actually putting it into practice was another. Not only did it involve months of consistent effort, An Jing also needed lots of Evenstar metal qi that had to be refined from mystic metals. The purer the qi extracted, the more firm the seal that would be formed.

The first Evenstar seal seed was much better off with pure lethal qi. Using normal Evenstar metal qi would only result in mediocre cores which would wipe away the advantages that the technique had over other body refinement techniques. In fact, it would have even more limitations. This was a technique that only made sense to train in with the sufficient access to quality resources.

An Jing didn't have time to go out searching for pure lethal qi. The mystic metals he had collected from the building weren't as pure as they needed to be. However, he had a much better source for it: Yvelbane's broken sword and sword lethal qi.

"It's time," Yvelbane said. "Bring out your souljades and absorb the spirit qi within."

An Jing would use the qi from the souljades and Yvelbane to form a stable and high-quality core. He ventured deep into his metal landscape thanks to the effects of Sword of Tranquility.

A stream of gray lethal qi seeped out of the broken sword and into his body. It was an intense stream, but it didn't feel dense like mud, sand and rock. Rather, it felt like a flow of tiny metal granules packed densely together with the consistency of mercury.

An Jing guided the dense, mercurial lethal qi into his body with a mantra and a breathing technique, circulating it through his meridians. It should have been a painful process that felt like lava flowing through his bloodstream or mercury rotting away his innards, but all An Jing felt was a stable flow of warmth that permeated his body, limbs, spine and finally, his dantian. At the same time, many threads of qi essence emerged from his body and joined the cycle in his bloodstream.

He also planted three thin yet long roots in his sea of consciousness, leading downward from his purple mansion and to the rest of his body. These three roots appeared as gold, brown and green, and they were his spirit roots. The brown one assimilated well with the gold root and helped amplify the aspect of metal while the green root was suppressed by the gold one, which in turn suppressed the brown one, leaving only the gold spirit root glowing. An Jing used the spirit root of the metal aspect to stabilize the circulation throughout his body, funneling the spirit qi from the souljades into it and causing the golden glow to pulse.

"An Jing, don't forget the mystic metals and the echo."

He nodded and held the mystic metals in hand. He guided a thread of white-gray fire in his sea of consciousness into the spirit roots simply through the act of willing. Large amounts of lethal qi from the mystic metals entered his body and fueled the echoing profound-origin flame.

Smoke began to rise and enter his body, giving him wave after wave of pleasant sensations. The sense of nourishment caused his soul, body and spirit roots to glow brightly, increasing in intensity and sharpness. A waterway formed as his spirit roots opened.