Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 635 - Awakening of the Artifact Spirit

Liu Wuxie nodded at the hazy explanation. He had heard of something similar, like the ruler of a star, who would be called Star Lord.

The benefits of ruling the entire plain were evident, as one could continuously draw power from the planet itself, and the lord wouldn't die as long as the planet existed. The revelation that the Southern Province could bless someone with the power of an entire realm was unexpected, and it left Liu Wuxie momentarily stunned.

There must’ve been a reason since Mu Tianli mentioned it to him, and he would do his best. This didn't go against his goal of growing stronger.

With that, everyone stepped into the Blacksmith Pagoda. On this trial, Mu Tianli advised Liu Wuxie to keep a close eye on Deng Yong, a renowned prodigy as a blacksmith. At the last Ten Grand Ceremony, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was greatly humiliated during the blacksmithing trial and mocked by the Indigo Cloud Gate.

Aside from Deng Yong, Bai Yuan couldn't be underestimated either. The Indigo Thunderflame could also be used for crafting, and he was an ideal candidate for the first place.

The fact that he finished third on the alchemy trial was a disgrace to the Heavenly Origin Sect, and they could only restore their pride by winning first place.

"Yuan'er, this is your chance. Make the most of it, and don't let the pressure get to you," Bai Jin said, patting his son's shoulder. The alchemy trial was a significant blow to Bai Yuan, especially since he had nearly died in the Spiritual Array Tower.

"Father, I'm no longer a child, and such setbacks mean nothing to me," Bai Yuan replied confidently. He was determined to obtain first place during the blacksmithing trial.

On the other hand, the Indigo Cloud Gate's sect master also offered guidance to Deng Yong. Alongside Deng Yong, the Demonic Heart Palace's Qiu Kui was also a competitor that couldn't be underestimated, and they all had a chance to make it into the top three.

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's Murong Yi and Misty Sect's Xu Lingxue were placed among the first-tier contenders through the first two trials. Though they failed to reach the top three in the Alchemy Tower since they were women, they probably wouldn't give up on the blacksmithing trial.

Every blacksmithing chamber had an incomplete meteorite; the goal was to purify it immediately. Speed and purity were key; the results would be examined through the crystal orb before the participants reached the next level.

After all, forging a complete weapon was too time-consuming, so the competition focused on technique and precision. Some people could remove the impurities for the same material, while some couldn't, no matter how hard they tried.

Liu Wuxie glanced at the meteorite on the desk, roughly the size of two adult fists. The meteorite radiated a powerful aura, and it was no small feat for the Divine Sun Palace to gather so many meteorites. After all, they were only ranked tenth among the ten major sects.

Seventy percent of the spectators outside had their attention firmly fixed on Liu Wuxie, their curiosity mounting as the trial began.

"How do you think Liu Wuxie will fare in this trial?" someone whispered in the crowd.

"Judging from his performance on the two previous trials, I'd say that his forging skills shouldn't be weak," said an elder from a second-tier sect.

"Don't be so sure about that. Blacksmithing isn't the same as alchemy; flame control wouldn't help much. It requires a strong understanding of each material and precise techniques," an elder from the Grand Banner Gate stepped forward to refute. He wasn't wrong because each material required different techniques and temperatures.

The remarks sparked a debate among the crowd. Some believed that Liu Wuxie would continue to shine in this trial, while others were skeptical and believed that blacksmithing might be his weakness.

The meteorite on the desk hovered before Liu Wuxie, and with a wave of his hand, a demonic flame began to engulf it.

With a flick of his finger, a tiny rift appeared, leaving the spectators stunned. They began to wonder what spiritual rune Liu Wuxie was drawing to make it so powerful.

Liu Wuxie began to form seals with his hands and guided them into the meteorite.

"What extraordinary technique!" An elder from the Sky Rift Valley got up on his feet. Unlike Liu Wuxie's alchemy techniques, his forging techniques were highly profound, as the runes would manifest into various diagrams before merging into the meteorite.

"Why have I never seen such techniques before?" many people asked, looking bewildered. That was especially the case for an Indigo Cloud Gate’s elder, who was a Grandmaster Blacksmith. He had seen all sorts of techniques before but wasn't familiar with Liu Wuxie's.

"He's just showing off. If he can forge any weapon with his technique, I'll kneel and kowtow to him!" scoffed a disciple from the Grand Banner Gate.

"As you wish!" Elder He cackled, his voice dripping with malice. He had developed a perverse delight in shattering the kneecaps of others, finding excitement in watching them writhe in humiliation and despair.

When all the runes were injected into the meteorite, it began to expand and contract as though it was breathing.

"H-How is this possible? " The elder from the Indigo Cloud Gate was left speechless, his voice trembling as what he saw exceeded his comprehension.

"An artifact with its artifact spirit! What a monstrous prodigy!" a Misty Sect's elder exclaimed. Ordinary artifacts required a xiantian spirit to awaken their artifact spirit, but Liu Wuxie's technique involved adding his spirituality when forging it, allowing the artifact to awaken its artifact spirit.

This was the technique Liu Wuxie had used when forging the Heretic Blade. The power was comparable to a xiantian treasure when it was still a spiritual treasure because the spirituality within was strong. After obtaining the dragon bones, he had fused them into the blade and successfully awakened its artifact spirit.

Liu Wuxie's forging lasted only ten breaths before he stopped, and the meteorite hovering in the air had changed. It had shrunk in size, but it emanated a terrifying spirituality that could be felt thousands of meters away.

The grading was differentiated into four colors when the meteorite was placed on the crystal orb. But when the meteorite was put on it, the crystal orb released a dazzling purple beam that shot into the sky.

"This..." The Transcendent Plume Gate's sect master stood up with a grave look in his eyes.

"Sect Master Mu, where did you find such a monstrous prodigy?" asked Deng Li, the sect master of the Divine Sun Palace, his eyes glinting with curiosity and envy as he turned to Mu Tianli.

If the Divine Sun Palace could recruit a prodigy like Liu Wuxie, they might finally break free from their fate as the weakest of the ten major sects within a few years.

"You'll have to find out for yourself," Mu Tianli shrugged. He had no intention of revealing Liu Wuxie's background to anyone.

After finishing, Liu Wuxie stowed the meteorite into the interspatial ring and headed to the second level.

"It's your turn now!" Elder He roared and slammed his palm down. Before the Grand Banner Gate’s disciple could react, he already found himself lying on the ground.

Liu Wuxie's performance engrossed everyone so much that no one noticed what was unfolding. A blood-curdling scream echoed through the air across the Heavenly Mountain.

Seeing a disciple crippled, the Grand Banner Gate's sect master could only grit his teeth, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could only issue strict orders for his sect's disciples to remain silent, and everything else had to wait until the Ten Grand Ceremony ended. They couldn't bear to suffer any more losses.

Upon reaching the second level, it wasn't a meteorite but an incomplete weapon that required contestants to refine it. Like the first level, the higher the quality, the higher the points.

This time, nearly all eyes were turned to Liu Wuxie as they wondered how he had awakened the artifact spirit earlier.

As the demonic flame gushed out, Liu Wuxie began forming bizarre seals that fused into the sword embryo. Through a series of intricate moves, the sword began to expand and contract as though it were breathing.

"Am I seeing things?" Dugu Shan rubbed his eyes. These incomplete swords were all refined by the Dugu Clan and forged with the same materials and technique. Yet, none of them could accomplish what Liu Wuxie did.

"Yan'er, this brat is really the reincarnation of a monster like mentioned," Dugu Shan turned to the young woman beside him.

If Liu Wuxie were here, he would've recognized her immediately. She was Dugu Yan, and they had gone to the Blood Sea Abyssal Island together in the past.

"Everyone in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island died except for him. Don't you think that's enough to prove that he's a monstrous prodigy?" Dugu Yan replied.

Though a year had passed since the incident in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, what happened there continued to remain a mystery.

Dugu Shan nodded solemnly. He had also heard about what had happened in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, but no one could find any answers.

All the sect masters of the ten major sects looked in disbelief. Though they could also achieve what Liu Wuxie did, they only managed to do it by relying on the laws of the True Profound Realm to forcibly awaken the spirituality in a weapon.

However, the fact that Liu Wuxie could accomplish it in the Astral River Realm was enough to prove his heaven-defying talent.

In less than the time it takes to brew tea, Liu Wuxie was already done refining the sword embryo. It was an ordinary spiritual treasure, but the spirituality rivaled a xiantian treasure.

When Liu Wuxie placed the sword on the crystal orb, a radiant purple beam shot into the sky, illuminating half of it; the beam lasted for three seconds before it gradually died down.

"Sect master, what do we do now? At this rate, the young master can't obtain first place!" murmured a concerned elder of the Heavenly Origin Sect. After all, Bai Yuan hadn't obtained first place in any trials, a humiliation that weighed heavily on the sect.

"Are you certain that the materials are flawless this time?" Bai Jin asked as he glanced at Wang Ba.

The gaze made Wang Ba flinch, and he quickly stood up, trembling. What had happened in the Spiritual Array Tower had caused a rift between him and the Heavenly Origin Sect. The sect master's trust in him had visibly declined no matter how he tried to atone for his mistakes.

"I swear on my life that there are no issues this time," Wang Ba said, patting his chest as he reassured the sect master. They had checked everything thoroughly, and the other two elders had cross-verified it.

Bai Jin's expression softened at the assurance.

As time passed, Liu Wuxie continued to ascend the tower, reaching the seventh level in just four hours. His performance in the past few days had left all the spectators numb. He climbed to the eighth level after he was done refining the spear on the seventh level.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan had reached the sixth level and was only two levels behind Liu Wuxie. The gap wasn't significant, and Deng Yong was only one step behind Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan and Deng Yong were evenly matched in terms of blacksmithing, and it came down to whoever could perform better.

The test on the eighth level was a black pagoda, an unexpected challenge. After all, refining a pagoda was more challenging compared to ordinary weapons. The pagoda was capable of housing its own world through complex spiritual arrays.

Demonic energy seeped ominously from the pagoda and was unmistakably a demonic artifact.

The Demonic Heart Palace had set up the eighth level, and they had no plans for anyone to clear this stage easily.

However, after glancing at the pagoda, a cold smirk rose on Liu Wuxie's lips.