"Originally, the Three Cave Masters were going to help with engraving and spirit implanting. I had planned to choose a basic Frost Rune, along with a Gale Rune. Combined, they should possess decent defensive-breaking abilities. But now, if I have to engrave the runes myself, I'm not sure I can succeed," Yuan Ming looked at the Green Fish Sword and spoke slowly.

"I've seen you drawing talismans, and you have a bit of talent in this area," Xi Ying said slowly.

"It might have something to do with my practicing drawing since I was young. I did practice engraving on some iron ingots before, but my mindset was completely different back then. Afterward, I had someone else take a look; I never really did spirit implantation, so there's no way to verify whether it was a success," Yuan Ming hesitated.

Xi Ying nodded in acknowledgement after hearing this.

"It's impossible for everything to be foolproof. Cultivation is about opportunities and fate. Today is your chance, so just give it a try. Besides, this isn't exactly quality material—if it's ruined, you can just find a new one," said Xi Ying, untroubled.

Indeed, rather than missing out, it's better to take a chance when there's still a possibility. If I hesitate, I'll lose everything.

Besides, the arrow is already on the bowstring, I must shoot. If this attempt fails, there's no room for further doubt.

Yuan Ming found a rock to sit on, twisted his wrist, and a strange engraving knife, about three inches long, appeared in his palm. The tip of the knife had no blade but was inlaid with a very small, dark red, polyhedral crystal stone.

"My disciple is quite prepared, even bringing a Spirit Awakening Engraving Knife," Xi Ying began to instruct.

Yuan Ming couldn't rebut; he was already regulating his breathing, calming his mind, and no longer responded to Xi Ying.

He held the Green Fish Sword by its hilt and placed it across his knees; with the other hand, he held the engraving knife but didn't hurry to start. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.

At this moment, the designs of the Frost Rune and Gale Rune began to take shape in his mind.

After a while, Yuan Ming's eyes snapped open, no longer showing any hesitation.

His engraving knife moved close to the sword guard, touching the blade. Mana flowed into it, and the dark red crystal stone inlaid at the tip of the knife lit up and grew hot.

Huo Chan'er was attracted by the light and moved closer to Yuan Ming but was chased away by the silver cat with a swipe of its paw.

Yuan Ming's engraving knife glided over the blade without making any harsh sounds. No indentations appeared on the sword, but a clear mark began to emerge.

As Yuan Ming moved, the knife traced the patterns, and a Frost Rune, resembling a snowflake, was engraved onto the sword.

Yuan Ming's gaze was focused, his entire being concentrated on the blade. Without pausing, he connected it with a gentle curve and engraved another rune, resembling a whirlwind—the Gale Rune.

As soon as the runes were complete, Yuan Ming quickly lifted the knife, and no additional marks were left on the blade.

The silver cat had been crouching on the casting furnace, seemingly indifferent, but its gaze never left Yuan Ming's hand.

Now that the engraving was finished, and Yuan Ming was about to look up, the silver cat turned its head away, looking elsewhere.

Throughout the process of engraving the runes, Yuan Ming was so tense that he almost stopped breathing. Only when he lifted his head did he take a deep breath, then rose and approached Xi Ying.

"Xi Ying, take a look for me. How is it?" he asked eagerly.

He believed that the silver cat's judgment was far superior to his own.

However, Xi Ying didn't even look, and a voice rang out in his Sea of Consciousness, "Whether it works or not, you'll know once you try it."

"Then let's give it a try," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

As he spoke, he placed the Green Fish Sword into the furnace chamber of the casting furnace.

"What's the rush? You need to light a fire to activate the Gathering Spirit Formation first, to refine the Spirit Stones. Only afterward can you insert the sword for spirit implanting," said the silver cat as it got up.

Yuan Ming awkwardly retracted the sword and began to rummage through his Storage Bag for materials to start the fire and fuel it.

"Don't bother looking, it's time for it to pull its weight," Silver Cat Xi Ying's gaze shifted to Huo Chan'er on the ground.

Hearing this, Huo Chan'er stopped grooming itself and looked at Yuan Ming with a puzzled expression.

"Its innate flames are much better than ordinary coal or such. Besides, we are not smelting, merely lighting a fire to activate the formation. It should be sufficient," Xi Ying explained.

At this, Yuan Ming picked up Huo Chan'er and aimed it at the casting furnace.

"Huo Chan'er, help me out here, and I'll give you something tasty," Yuan Ming said with a smile, pulling out an elixir to feed Huo Chan'er.

After eating the elixir, Huo Chan'er understood Yuan Ming's gesture. Its eyes shone, its cheeks puffed out, and then it opened its mouth to spit out a burst of intense flames that shot straight into the fire pit, landing precisely on the Flame Rune in the center.

The next moment, the Flame Rune lit up, and streaks of red light spread along the runes of the Array, lighting up the surrounding five Gathering Spirit Talismans one by one.

The entire rune formation lit up, blooming like a five-petaled fire lotus.

The furnace chamber instantly heated up. Since the Sealing Door was open, a wave of scorching heat immediately spewed out.

Yuan Ming watched intently as spiderweb-like, delicate patterns emerged on the several reddish Spirit Stones, starting from the bottom and spreading upwards.

Along with a series of crisp clicking sounds, all the Spirit Stones shattered.

Streams of Spiritual Power oozed from them, turning into trickles that converged upward toward the formation, forming a red Spirit Fog. The formation constrained it, preventing it from dispersing.

"It's ready," Xi Ying reminded just in time.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming immediately placed the long sword into the furnace.

The Green Fish Sword entered the fire pit and was immediately supported by an invisible force, suspending it mid-air.

The red spirit fog encircled the sword, yet it did not infuse into the sword's body.

"Close the casting furnace's Sealing Door, then start transferring your mana into the furnace. Use your mana as the conduit to lead the spiritual power into the sword," Xi Ying reminded once again.

Without hesitation, Yuan Ming promptly closed the Sealing Door and pressed his hand onto the casting furnace.

The scorching heat passed through the furnace, almost causing Yuan Ming to retract his hand.

But he knew this was a critical moment for Enriching, and he absolutely could not show any sign of relenting, otherwise it would certainly be a failure.

He immediately circulated the Nine Elements Technique and mobilized his Dan Tian Power, directing it through his arm's meridians and into the casting furnace.

Following that, rays of cyan light illuminated beneath his palms, just as he had seen with the Three Cave Masters artifact refining previously. The light streaks flowed along the rune lines on the furnace, brightening the entire casting furnace.

Yuan Ming could clearly feel his mana flowing through the runes on the furnace's body, steadily pouring into the bottom of the furnace cavity, merging with the Gathering Spirit Formation.

Simultaneously, the burning sensation in his hand also receded.

Then, he saw a wisp of green light rising from the center of the Gathering Spirit Formation, like a towering tree growing from a sea of fire, connecting straight to the Green Fish Sword.

The stationary Green Fish Sword began to tremble violently at that moment.

And the hovering spiritual power, like ownerless objects finding their master, poured into the Green Fish Sword under the guidance of Yuan Ming's mana.

The cyan light on the Green Fish Sword flourished, and the specks of white on the blade lit up like stars.

The Frost Rune engraved upon it was the first to shine a bit of light, as spiritual power began to reside in it, filling the rune's lines bit by bit.

Only when the entire rune was fully lit would the Enriching be truly complete.

Just as Yuan Ming felt his mana rapidly depleting, he suddenly noticed the floor's runes, that were already present, were now flickering with a faint glow.

Immediately, he used his other hand to strike a surge of mana onto those runes.

As his mana fell upon them, the ground runes were instantly lit up, and a yellowish Array immediately brightened, with a steady but not strong stream of spiritual power rising from beneath the ground and flowing into the casting furnace.

Yuan Ming instantly felt the pressure lighten, and his mana drained away less rapidly.

"I underestimated this one called Hei Mu; the setup is quite impressive, even including underground Arrays for assistance," Xi Ying couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing this.

At this moment, Yuan Ming was fully concentrated and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

But the Enriching process was exceedingly slow, and after a long time, only half the Frost Rune's lines had lit up.

Yuan Ming, sensing the swift depletion of his mana, and fearing insufficient reserve, quickly took out a Spirit Stone and clutched it in his hand. While he recovered with all his might, he persisted in channeling his power.

Time trickled by, and the spiritual power within the Gathering Spirit Formation was rapidly depleting.

Silver Cat Xi Ying observed the changes in the furnace body, and her eyes flashed slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

"Yuan Ming, what runes did you engrave?" Xi Ying inquired.

"The Frost Rune and the Gale Rune," Yuan Ming repeated.

In the silver cat's unusual eyes, doubt surfaced, and it stepped forward, waving its paw.

The Sealing Door of the casting furnace immediately swung open, with a blast of scorching air sweeping out, which it ignored completely.

Upon witnessing the nearly completed Enriching of the Frost Rune on the Green Fish Sword, its emotional state shifted subtly, and it no longer communicated with Yuan Ming through telepathy, but instead spoke aloud:

"This is not any Frost Rune, but the rarer Extreme Cold Rune!"

Yuan Ming was taken aback by this revelation, not even noticing the silver cat's speech.

He remembered seeing the description of the Frost Rune in Master Hei Mu's pen notes, which stated its power was greater than the common Five Elements Rune, without much further explanation.

"I see," Yuan Ming said.

Hearing this, Xi Ying didn't respond to his words but instead instructed, "Do you have more Spirit Stones? Throw in five more."

Yuan Ming, discerning the urgency in its tone, didn't dare delay and hastily took out five Spirit Stones and cast them into the furnace.

With a glint in its eyes, Silver Cat Xi Ying summoned an invisible force that captured the five Spirit Stones, guiding them precisely onto the five Gathering Spirit Talismans.

As the Spirit Stones settled, the Array affected them immediately, converting them into spiritual mist that rose and enveloped the Green Fish Sword.

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