Chapter 1322: Spiritual Treasures

"If I later comprehend something on my own, that should not fall under those restrictions, correct?" Qin Sang asked.

Bing Han nodded. "Of course. I cannot possibly place too many restraints on you, and I trust that you will know where the line lies. The manuals within Xuling Sect include not only ancient artifact refinement texts we obtained in the past, but also the lifelong insights of generations of our ancestors. Every one of them is incomparably precious, treasures impossible to find elsewhere. Using them to ask for your help should be more than sufficient."

Her words were no exaggeration. These were precisely what Qin Sang valued most.

If he obtained Xuling Sect’s manuals, his artifact refinement skills would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

Even so, Qin Sang did not immediately agree. Bing Han’s urgency stirred a trace of suspicion in him.

"Daoist Bing Han, you may as well speak plainly. What difficulty have you really encountered? I do wish to study artifact refinement, but if it requires risking my life, I'm afraid it would not be worth it."

Hearing this, Bing Han smiled and calmly replied, "That concern is understandable, but Daoist Qin, you're overthinking matters. I can guarantee that none of us will face mortal danger. The greatest price would be what happened to Daoist Xiang, fire poison entering the body, damaging one’s vital energy and requiring several years of quiet recuperation to purge it. If you find that acceptable, first swear an oath, and I will reveal everything without reservation."

Bing Han was even more cautious than Qin Sang. Qin Sang knew this matter had to be of tremendous importance, perhaps even tied to the sect’s very fate.

Fire poison entering the body and damaging vital energy were costs he could bear. Several years of secluded cultivation in exchange for such priceless teachings was still well worth it.

He believed Bing Han would not lie about something like this. Otherwise, the heart-devil oath itself would lose meaning. Once he was certain there was no trap, Qin Sang swore the solemn heart devil oath according to Bing Han’s requirements.

After he finished, Bing Han’s expression visibly softened, and her attitude grew noticeably warmer. Only then did she explain, "I wish to ask you and Daoist Xiang to help me refine an astra!"

"Refine an astra?" Qin Sang stared in astonishment.

He had assumed the underground fire veins in the forbidden ground were in upheaval and that the Xuling Sect had encountered some grave crisis. He never expected such a request.

This was completely beyond his expectations.

"You govern Xuling Sect, and your attainments in artifact refinement are unmatched by almost anyone. Even a top-grade astra, given sufficiently precious spiritual materials, should be something you can refine alone, no?"

Bing Han turned toward the crater, her gaze seeming to pierce through layers of stone as she said in a grave voice, "An astra capable of becoming a spiritual treasure!"

"Spiritual treasure!" Shock flashed through Qin Sang’s eyes.

One reason he had come to seek Bing Han’s guidance in artifact refinement was to prepare for smelting scorched wood, so he would not accidentally damage Wandering Man’s true spirit.

Afterward, the ebony sword would have a chance to advance into a spiritual treasure. Yet now, Bing Han was directly attempting to refine one!

This was the first time Qin Sang had ever heard of someone refining a spiritual treasure.

The war among the three domains had raged for years, drawing in every Spiritual Infant cultivator, yet not a single spiritual treasure had appeared. Even Old Devil Ye did not possess one. His Blood Moon Wheel was merely a top-grade astra.

Only now did Qin Sang truly understand how rare spiritual treasures were, and how precious the relics left behind by Wandering Man had been.

His heart suddenly stirred. Whether or not he could help Bing Han succeed, participating in this refinement would give him invaluable experience. In the future, when he smelted scorched wood, he would have far greater confidence.

He had to agree! Even if Bing Han offered him nothing, he still had to take part.

Bing Han gently shook her head. "Daoist Qin, you misunderstood. I am not refining a spiritual treasure directly, but forging an astra with the potential to transform into one, and one that can serve as a sect inheritance astra!"

Seeing Qin Sang’s puzzled look, Bing Han countered with a question, "Have you ever wondered why spiritual treasures are so exceedingly rare in the cultivation world? Across generations, there have been no shortage of heaven-defying geniuses, and there are enduring great sects like Shangyuan Tranquility Palace that have flourished without decline. Could it be that no one among them could refine a spiritual treasure? Yet in this great war, not a single spiritual treasure has appeared!"

This was precisely what puzzled Qin Sang most.

Unless those people feared attracting disaster by possessing such treasure and dared not reveal it. But if one had a spiritual treasure protecting them, why fear others coveting it?

The advancement from astra to spiritual treasure was a metamorphosis. Surely a spiritual treasure’s power could not be inferior to the eighteen devilish banners.

Much of Qin Sang’s enormous reputation came from the banners alone. If an ordinary Spiritual Infant cultivator possessed a spiritual treasure, they could instantly rise among the top experts.

"Please enlighten me, Daoist," Qin Sang said solemnly.

"In this barren present age, it is already as difficult as ascending the heavens for cultivators to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm, let alone create spiritual treasures. The most important and greatest hurdle in forging a spiritual treasure is that spark of spiritual essence. Its mysteries are difficult to put into words." Bing Han sighed.

"I only know that comparatively speaking, the astras most likely to give birth to spiritual essence are life-bound astras, those nurtured alongside a cultivator’s life itself. A late-stage Spiritual Infant great cultivator, after countless years of nurturing, may have a chance to elevate a life-bound astra into a spiritual treasure, though I hear even that chance is slim. But if the cultivator falls, the life-bound spiritual treasure does not merely lose power. Its spiritual essence was born because of its master, and so it dies with its master, falling back to the rank of astra and becoming impossible to pass down to future generations!"

"So that is how it is!" Qin Sang finally understood.

Based on his prior experience in cultivation, he had already vaguely guessed as much.

A life-bound astra was the most special kind, existing in harmony with a cultivator’s very life.

The first astra cultivators chose to refine was almost always their life-bound astra. It was easier to nurture than ordinary astras, unless one possessed a unique supreme treasure like the eighteen devilish banners.

That same advantage naturally appeared when advancing into a spiritual treasure. The drawback was equally clear. Once the cultivator died, the life-bound astra’s power suffered greatly.

But he had never imagined that for a life-bound spiritual treasure, it was even harsher, its spiritual essence would perish outright.

After pondering for a long time, Qin Sang suddenly asked, "Does this apply only to low-grade life-bound spiritual treasures, or to all life-bound spiritual treasures? What about those with extraordinarily high spiritual essence, treasures on the verge of giving birth to an artifact spirit, or even those that have already produced one? Do they also live and die with their master, vanishing together?"

The question stumped Bing Han.

She thought for a long while before shaking her head with a bitter smile. "I don't know the answer to that question. As far as I know, once one reaches the level above spiritual treasures, it becomes difficult to divide them into clear grades, unlike artifacts and astras, which have low, middle, high, and top grade distinctions. A spiritual treasure’s power is greatly influenced by the strength of its spiritual essence, the quality of its spiritual materials, and the refinement method used. More than that, mutual generation and mutual restraint between spiritual treasures are far more pronounced than among astras or artifacts. As for artifact spirits, they exist only in legend. I know nothing about them."

"So spiritual treasures have no rank distinctions. I have fallen into a narrow way of thinking." Qin Sang felt somewhat embarrassed.

Thinking it over, it made perfect sense. Even among astras, there were examples.

Each of the eighteen devilish banners was only at the level of a low-grade astra, yet when arranged into an array, their power surpassed that of a top-grade astra. At the level of spiritual treasures and above, where supernatural abilities were unfathomable, such things would surely be even more common.

Qin Sang thought of the Killing Sword’s sword spirit. He did not know what origin the Killing Sword possessed. Its body had shattered, yet its sword spirit had survived independently until now.

Bing Han swallowed several pills, restoring her true essence, and her aura gradually steadied.

As Qin Sang continued asking her about spiritual treasures, the two walked toward the summit. Not long after, they reached the crater at the mountaintop and sensed an incomparably scorching aura rising from within.

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