Chapter 1124: Spar
Qin Sang knew that over the years, Wandering Man had chosen many people.
Among them must have been geniuses from both the human and demon races, each with greater talent than his own, each with better prospects of walking farther along the path.
Yet in the end, he entrusted the charred wood to him. It was not only trust. It was also recognition, and boundless expectation.
"Once an artifact spirit is nurtured, can Senior truly return?" Qin Sang’s hand tightened.
After listening to Wandering Man’s final words recorded in the jade slip, Qin Sang had agreed without the slightest hesitation. If there was even a chance to bring Wandering Man back to life, who else but me could bear it?
All at once, Qin Sang had felt a heavy weight settle upon his shoulders. On the road of seeking immortality, he had begun to carry something known as responsibility.
Seeing Qin Sang standing there in silence for so long, Li Yufu could not help but call out, "Senior Uncle."
"Yufu, from now on, it will be just the two of us relying on each other." Qin Sang withdrew his thoughts, patted Li Yufu on the shoulder, and let out a faint sigh.
He quietly put away the charred wood and the Du’e Pill. At a time like this, how could he have the heart to inspect treasures?
"Let’s go back." Qin Sang looked around once, then gazed toward the direction of Great Sui and said in a steady voice, "The departed are gone. There is no need for grief. As juniors, we can only temper ourselves and press forward, so as not to disappoint Senior’s expectations."
Although Wandering Man had left behind a contingency, both Qin Sang and Li Yufu understood that the hope was slim.
Li Yufu swore solemnly, "I will surely carry Qingyang Temple forward and make it flourish."
They erased the traces at the site and returned to the cave dwelling.
Inside, Tan Yi’en and Bai Hanqiu had already known that Wandering Man was attempting his tribulation.
If he succeeded, there would be another Spiritual Infant grandmaster watching over them.
Aside from their foundation being slightly weaker than those of the top sects, they would not be inferior in the slightest to disciples of the great factions. Now neither of them had any mind to cultivate. They sat in the main hall, waiting anxiously for the result.
The array outside the mountain stirred, and spiritual light flickered.
"They’re back!" Tan Yi’en’s face lit up with joy.
The two hurried out of the cave dwelling to greet them, only to see that Qin Sang and Li Yufu had returned alone.
Seeing their expressions, the senior brother and junior sister faintly sensed what had happened.
"Great Grandmaster... He..." the two said.
Qin Sang said in a low voice, "Senior failed the tribulation. Keep this in your hearts. Do not spread it."
The two froze in place, unable to believe it.
Tan Yi’en murmured, "The Spiritual Infant Tribulation is actually this terrifying..."
Qin Sang and Li Yufu went to the forbidden ground in the mountains.
An offering table stood there, upon which rested three memorial tablets. They belonged to Daoist Jixin, Ming Yue, and Jingtian, Li Yufu’s disciple.
Jingtian had been a mortal. Although Li Yufu had never forgotten him and had often brought spirit pills to regulate his body, it had still been impossible to defy fate.
Yet Jingtian had taken in countless disciples and revitalized Qingyang Temple’s secular Dao lineage. Now, Qingyang Temple on Cuiming Mountain had already become a flourishing temple, filled with incense offerings.
With meticulous care, Li Yufu placed Wandering Man’s memorial tablet at the highest position and kowtowed respectfully. Qin Sang stared at the familiar names carved upon the tablets.
Back then, when he had returned from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and seen Wandering Man’s memorial tablet at Qingyang Temple, he and Li Yufu had even joked about it. Now it had become reality.
"If we nurture a sword spirit, could Senior rely on that sliver of true spirit and be reborn through the sword spirit’s body?" Qin Sang communicated silently with Bai.
On the way back, he had already explained everything to Bai and sought his opinion.
There was no doubt that if the charred wood were to be fused into an astra, the ebony sword would be the best choice. He still possessed half a section of Soul-Nourishing Wood. Raising the ebony sword to a top-grade astra would not be difficult.
As his life-bound astra, the sword would be easier to control during the fusion process, minimizing the risk of damaging Wandering Man’s true spirit.
Before this, Qin Sang had been searching for a way to advance an astra into a spiritual treasure. Now he knew the method. But he would rather not have known!
Bai remained silent for a long while, then suddenly asked in return, "If I said there was no hope, would you stop?"
Qin Sang shook his head. He knew he would not give up.
After a pause, Bai continued, "The immortal path you seek is just as illusory. Among countless living beings and innumerable cultivators, who can say for certain that they will become immortal? In the vast world, nothing is impossible. In the world of cultivation, anything can happen!"
How could Qin Sang not understand this principle? Where was the immortal path? Did Mute Girl still have a chance to awaken? Could Wandering Man truly be reborn? Or were these merely beautiful wishes?
Qin Sang did not know the ending. He could only remain steadfast and walk forward step by step.
After thinking for a moment, Bai reminded him, "I never expected his true form to have been Pure Blessing Bamboo.
"If it had been an ordinary plant spirit, even capturing one alive and refining it into an astra would not have allowed it to advance so easily into a spiritual treasure.
"Such natural treasures were born from absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. They cannot be compared to ordinary vegetation. Even after dying beneath heavenly tribulations, it still had the ability to preserve its true origin spirit.
"Natural treasures awaken intelligence with unimaginable difficulty, and they have countless natural enemies. Among hundreds of millions of such treasures, there may not be a single one fortunate enough to become a spirit.
"Fusing this charred wood will at least nurture spiritual intelligence within the astra. That much is certain. As for whether an artifact spirit will be born, that is hard to say. It will depend on your cultivation and fate.
"However, if you do not wish to damage that fragile true origin spirit, you must proceed with extreme precision and care. You cannot treat it the same way you refined the Soul-Nourishing Wood. It would be best to wait until you reach the Spiritual Infant Realm.
"Truly fusing this charred wood into the ebony sword and uniting it with the true origin spirit may take a very long time.
"During that process, it would be best not to use the ebony sword in battle..."
Qin Sang nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, Daoist. I know what to do now."
Protecting Wandering Man’s true origin spirit was the highest priority. At most, he would only lose some combat strength.
He still had other astras at hand, so he was not worried.
After forming his Spiritual Infant, the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment would no longer inscribe new killing symbols. Cultivation would mainly revolve around the seven sword souls. Even if he could not use his life-bound spiritual sword, it would not affect his progress.
After paying their respects, Qin Sang stayed for a time.
"Before I form my Spiritual Infant, you do not need to consider founding a sect. Focus on cultivation. In the world of cultivation, strength is the foundation!" Before departing, Qin Sang admonished the three of them.
He glanced at Li Yufu, somewhat worried about his state of mind. "Yufu, you are extraordinarily gifted and have inherited all of your great grandmaster’s teachings. You should walk farther on the immortal path. Reviving Qingyang Temple was your great grandmaster’s wish, but compared to your own cultivation, it was a minor matter. If you developed an obsession over it and bound yourself to Qingyang Temple, that would not have been what your great grandmaster wished to see."
Li Yufu remained silent for a moment, then bowed. "I will bear your teachings in mind."
Whether he had truly taken the words to heart, Qin Sang did not know. Such inner obstacles could only be overcome by oneself.
Qin Sang sighed inwardly. He looked once more at the cave dwelling, as if Wandering Man were still cultivating within. Everything that had happened during this time felt like a dream.
Qin Sang turned and left, flying back to Peach Blossom Valley.
Mist rolled thickly. The spiritual array opened.
Just as Qin Sang was about to enter the valley, Bai suddenly emerged from the Corpse Puppet Pouch, looked at Qin Sang, and asked, "Do you want to spar?"
Qin Sang fell silent for a moment. "Alright!"
Their evasion lights flashed as they flew into Yuncang Marshlands.
