An indescribable sensation burst forth on Song Changsheng's tongue like tiny arcs of electricity dancing across his palate nearly causing him to swallow his tongue out of sheer shock.
"This…"
Song Changsheng dug in with his chopsticks like a storm, devouring nearly half the plate of dried meat before he finally restrained himself through sheer force of will. If not, he would've cleared the whole dish right then and there.
Zhu Yiqun was pleased with Song's reaction. With a leisurely air, he picked up another piece of dried meat, took a sip of wine, and chewed. A look of bliss appeared on his face as he slowly closed his eyes in enjoyment.
Song mimicked his method pairing a bite with a sip of wine and immediately found the taste elevated to another level. What's more, the moment the spiritual wine entered his stomach, it transformed into pure spiritual energy that flowed straight to his dantian. He could feel a faint increase in his cultivation.
At that moment, he realized just how extraordinary the seasoning truly was.
"You've felt it now, haven't you?" Zhu Yiqun smiled with satisfaction. "This seasoning not only enhances flavor it helps the body absorb and refine the spiritual energy in food to the greatest possible extent."
"Truly remarkable, Fellow Daoist. I believe you now. Compared to your cooking, Yu Shi Fang's cuisine isn't worth mentioning," Song Changsheng admitted with genuine admiration. This wasn't just empty boasting.
If a mere bottle of seasoning could elevate the food to this degree, just how astounding would the taste be if Zhu cooked it himself?
"You flatter me, truly. But your mastery of formations and artifacts is no less impressive."
After a round of mutual compliments, the two continued to drink and chat well into the evening. By the time the sun began to set, neither of them could remember how much they had drunk. Arm in arm, they finally staggered out of Yu Shi Fang.
The meal had cost Song Changsheng thirty spirit stones a truly extravagant sum.
Before parting, the two exchanged divine sense imprints via their communication jade tokens to stay in touch. Only then did they reluctantly say goodbye.
Upon returning to the Treasure-Seeking Pavilion, Song Changsheng noticed Song Changqian standing at the entrance as if waiting for someone.
This surprised him a bit. Ever since he had effortlessly defeated Cheng Xiao, Song Changqian hadn't shown her face in front of him for more than half a year.
Was the sun rising from the west today?
Still, it wasn't his concern. Reeking of wine, he was planning to head back to clean up and ignored her, walking straight past.
But just as he reached the stairs, he heard her whisper so soft it was almost inaudible:
"…Thank you."
Song Changsheng paused for a moment, then replied without turning around,
"We're all working for the family. No need for thanks."
With that, he headed back to his room, leaving Song Changqian standing dazed at the doorway.
Back in his room, Song Changsheng washed away the stench of alcohol. Then, he laid out the spoils from his trip to the market earlier that day.
"Let's see if this Kongming Iron has any surprises in store for me."
He took out a short dagger and began to carefully peel away the outer shell of the ore, like unwrapping silk layer by layer. Fine powder trickled down with each stroke.
Soon, the fist-sized raw ore had been reduced to the size of an egg. At this point, Song Changsheng could sense the water-element spiritual energy radiating from within.
"At least Tier Two quality. This is a win," he said with a faint smile, as he began removing the final, thin outer layer.
As the blade rose and fell, an oval-shaped piece of metal was revealed before Song Changsheng.
The metal was a dreamlike shade of blue, its surface smooth and mirror-like, with flowing, wave-like gradient patterns visible across it.
"This… could it be Gui Water Essence?"
Song Changsheng was overjoyed, turning the piece over and over in his hands, examining it with delight.
After a moment, he pulled out his badly damaged defensive artifact from a previous battle the Water Origin Shield, and chuckled,
"Looks like your lucky day has come."
This artifact had been one of his early crafting attempts, but over the years it had protected him through many trials. After it was damaged in his last fight, he was unable to find a suitable material to repair it.
But now, he had found the perfect match.
Gui Water Essence was a relatively rare Tier-Two water-element spiritual material. Tough in texture, when used in artifact refinement, it could greatly enhance the quality of the item and amplify the power of water-element cultivators making it a perfect fit for the Water Origin Shield.
Refining the shield anew with this material would undoubtedly improve it significantly.
Without delay, he locked himself in the refining chamber once more. After several days of effort, he successfully upgraded the Water Origin Shield to a top-grade Tier-One artifact and even re-inscribed its internal formation arrays.
Looking at the completely transformed Water Origin Shield in his hand, Song Changsheng sighed in relief,
"Ever since I started cultivating the Water-Fire Control Technique, my sensitivity to water and fire spiritual fluctuations has greatly increased. If not for that, I might've missed out on this opportunity."
Next, he smelted a few other pieces of ore using a bronze cauldron. This batch was more ordinary, altogether worth about four or five spirit stones.
After handling those, Song Changsheng finally brought out the damaged formation base and a broken jade piece.
The formation base, originally disk-shaped, was now only two-thirds intact. Its surface was covered with web-like cracks, and the spiritual light it once held had completely faded.
Such a worthless piece wouldn't even attract a glance if left on the street yet Song Changsheng had spent ten spirit stones to purchase it.
It wasn't because he was foolish or had too much money to spare, but because he had seen something within it.
At first glance, the cracks on the surface appeared to be damage from an attack. But from a formation master's perspective, Song Changsheng recognized a pattern within the cracks they resembled formation patterns used in actual formations.
Focusing his mind, he gently traced the lines with his fingertips, and soon a complete image of the pattern emerged in his mind.
He had reproduced the entire thing using spiritual power within his Sea of Consciousness.
As the picture in his mind gradually became complete, Song Changsheng grew more and more certain this was indeed a formation pattern and an incredibly advanced one that was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Formations were said to originate from powerful beings of the upper realm in ancient times. They represented a cultivation technique that embodied the laws of the great Dao.
High-level cultivators, through their comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth, could manipulate natural forces into formation patterns.
Different patterns could be arranged into various formation arrays the foundation of formation arts.
The Song Clan had a Tier Three formation legacy, and Song Changsheng had studied those texts diligently since he was young.
After careful comparison, he confirmed that what he had seen was a Tier-Two primitive formation pattern.
This discovery excited him greatly such patterns represented the purest essence of formations and contained traces of the laws governing the natural world.
If he could fully comprehend this pattern, his skills in formation arts would rise to an entirely new level.
"Even though a third of it is missing, with my understanding of formations, I still have hope of reconstructing the rest. These ten spirit stones were well spent."
Song Changsheng quickly took out a jade slip and copied the incomplete pattern from his Sea of Consciousness into it for safekeeping, intending to study it further when he had the time.
Finally, he turned his attention to the broken jade piece.
The first two items had already surprised him he couldn't help but feel hopeful for this one as well…
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