From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 91 Crisis 4: Still Strong

Taking a deep breath, I suppressed the lingering doubts and fear in my heart, focusing all my attention on the furnace before me. The three materials were still slowly fusing together, like a slowly rotating nebula, beautiful yet fraught with danger. I reached out, tiny arcs of electricity dancing on my fingertips, carefully guiding the raging energy within the furnace, attempting to readjust the balance between the magical artifacts.

Sweat streamed down my forehead, soaking the hair at my temples. Every wisp of energy I manipulated felt like walking on a knife's edge. The slightest misstep would undo all my efforts, or even trigger an explosion far more violent than before.

Master Yan stood to the side, his gaze fixed intently on my every move. He didn't offer any verbal guidance, but simply observed silently. He knew that in the art of weapon crafting, one could only gain true understanding through personal experience. I felt the calm aura emanating from him, which gradually calmed my initially flustered heart.

"Stay calm and control your rhythm." Master Yan finally spoke, his voice deep and powerful, like a resounding bell, echoing in my ears.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to control my trembling hands. The spiritual energy within me surged like a raging river, rushing wildly to my fingertips, and then flowing through them into the furnace. I could feel the fusion of the three materials accelerating, but also becoming more unstable, with increasingly violent energy fluctuations.

The furnace emitted a deep hum, like a colossal beast about to awaken. The runes on the furnace walls shimmered with dazzling light, like stars twinkling in the night sky. I felt an immense pressure bearing down on me, almost crushing me.

"Hold on!" Master Yan's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and banished all distracting thoughts, focusing on only one idea: Success! I must succeed!

Time ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity. My mental focus was at its peak, almost to the point of collapse. I felt my body go numb, only my fingertips continued to twitch, manipulating the energy within the furnace.

Suddenly, a powerful energy surge erupted from the furnace. I jerked my eyes open and saw a crack appear on the furnace wall. Oh no! The furnace is going to explode!

My heart sank, and I instinctively wanted to back away, but my legs felt like lead, unable to move. Just then, a warm, large hand pressed down on my shoulder.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." A familiar voice rang in my ears. I turned my head and saw... Pavilion Master Lu? What was he doing here? His expression was complex and unreadable. He pointed to the furnace and said in a deep voice, "Look..."

Pavilion Master Lu's hands were warm, the warmth seeping through his thin clothes onto my skin, bringing a strange sense of peace. But I had no time to care about that; all my attention was focused on the furnace that was about to explode. Following the direction of Pavilion Master Lu's finger, I saw that the previously raging energy inside the furnace had strangely calmed down, and the three materials had stopped rotating, hovering quietly in the center of the furnace, as if time had stood still.

The cracks were still there, a shocking sight, but the furnace miraculously didn't explode. I was stunned. What was going on? I looked at Pavilion Master Lu, but he only smiled slightly and didn't explain.

I heard Frost's sneer, accompanied by whispers. I didn't need to look to know she was talking badly about me again, thinking I was doomed this time. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the distractions and refocus my attention on the furnace.

I carefully controlled my spiritual power, attempting to guide the three materials to fuse once more. This time, the energy fluctuations were much smoother, the humming of the furnace disappeared, and the runes on the furnace walls shimmered with a soft light, as if responding to my efforts.

I felt like I was walking a tightrope, every step had to be taken with extreme caution, one wrong step and I would fall into the abyss. I dared not relax for a moment, my mind was highly focused, sweat kept sliding down my forehead, soaking my clothes.

Pavilion Master Lu remained standing beside me, his presence like a mountain, giving me a strange sense of security. Although he didn't offer any assistance, I could feel that he was always watching over me, silently protecting me.

Time ticked by, and the three materials within the furnace finally began to slowly fuse together, blending perfectly like water and milk. I saw a dazzling light appear in the center of the furnace, gradually coalescing and eventually forming an exquisite magical artifact.

I made it!

I let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all my strength had been drained. I turned to look at Pavilion Master Lu, wanting to thank him, but found that he had already left without a sound.

Leng Shuang's sneer abruptly stopped. Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the magical artifact in my hand. The surrounding disciples also cast surprised glances, and the whispers ceased.

I gripped the magical artifact tightly, feeling the powerful energy emanating from it, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment welled up inside me. I had finally proven myself; even without spiritual roots, I could become an excellent artifact refiner!

Suddenly, I felt a scorching heat emanating from the furnace. Looking down, I saw the cracks in the furnace were rapidly widening, and the runes on the furnace walls were beginning to dim and lose their luster. Oh no! The furnace is about to explode!

This time, without any hesitation, I immediately threw the magic weapon in my hand into the air and then turned and ran.

"Xiao Yao!" A steady voice rang out, tinged with a barely perceptible worry... Madam Qin strode over, her gaze fixed intently on me. She reached out, as if to grasp something, but then stopped mid-air...

"Xiao Yao!" Madam Qin's voice was filled with genuine worry, and I could sense the complex emotions in her eyes. She must be thinking, why is this child so stubborn, insisting on using such an ancient and dangerous method? I staggered to a stop, turned to look at her, and forced a smile: "Madam Qin, I'm alright."

The explosion arrived as expected, deafeningly loud. The shockwave threw me to the ground, my back slamming against the hard wall, a sharp pain shooting through me. I groaned, struggling to get up, but found my limbs weak and powerless. Thick smoke billowed, choking me and making me cough uncontrollably, blurring my vision.

Through the smoke, I saw Madam Qin running anxiously towards me. Behind her, Leng Shuang wore a barely perceptible schadenfreude on her face. I knew she was hoping I'd be blown up.

"Xiao Yao, how are you?" Madam Qin helped me up and asked with concern.

I shook my head, trying to speak, but found my throat terribly dry, only managing to utter a few hoarse syllables: "I...I'm fine..."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Madam Qin sighed. "This furnace is inherently unstable, and you used such a radical method. It's a miracle you survived."

I gritted my teeth and didn't argue. I knew she was right; I had taken too much of a risk this time. But I didn't regret it. If I had to do it again, I would still choose to do it this way. Because I know that only by constantly challenging my limits can I continuously break through my own limitations.

"Xiao Yao, you've gone too far! If I hadn't intervened in time, you would have been blown to ashes long ago!" Master Yan's voice came from the smoke, tinged with anger.

I saw him stride towards me, his face terribly grim. I lowered my head, not daring to look at him, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Master Yan, I..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'do you know how dangerous this is! You're practically playing with your life!' Master Yan's roar made my eardrums buzz."

I silently endured his scolding, knowing that he meant well.

Suddenly, I sensed an unusual energy fluctuation. This energy fluctuation was extremely chaotic and filled with an evil aura. I abruptly looked up towards the direction of the furnace.

Despite the thick smoke, I could still vaguely see a dark figure flash by in the mist. It was Old Monster Mo!

My heart sank. He knew I had successfully fused with the magic weapon, so he was trying to sabotage it! He must have taken advantage of my momentary distraction to secretly cast some kind of evil spell, making the energy in the fusion of the magic weapon even more chaotic.

"Watch out!" I shouted, trying to warn Madam Qin and Master Yan, but it was too late.

The energy fluctuations within the furnace grew increasingly violent, as if it were about to explode at any moment. I felt a powerful force impacting me, an evil and chilling force that seemed poised to devour me. I gritted my teeth, forcibly calming my mind, and continued operating.

"Xiao Yao!" Madam Qin exclaimed, reaching out to grab me.

However, at that moment, I felt an even more powerful force surge into my body… “No…”

This force was domineering and ruthless, as if it wanted to destroy all my meridians. I groaned, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of my mouth. My internal organs felt as if they were being churned, and the pain was unbearable. I knew that this was the work of Mo Laoguai's evil magic. He wanted to disturb my mind and disrupt my fusion process.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and my hands flew into hand seals. My spiritual energy surged wildly within me, resisting the corrosive power of that evil force. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead, dripping onto the scorching ground and evaporating instantly.

"Xiao Yao!" Madam Qin's anxious voice rang out again, accompanied by Master Yan's furious roar: "Old Monster Mo, how dare you!"

I had no time to pay attention to them; all my energy was focused on the furnace. The evil force was growing stronger, and I felt my body was about to give way. But I knew I couldn't give up. If I gave up, all my previous efforts would have been in vain.

I took a deep breath, channeling the last ounce of spiritual energy within me into the furnace. The furnace emitted a hum, its light suddenly intensifying. I felt a powerful rebound force, which jolted me back several steps. I staggered to my feet, my vision momentarily blacking out.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, the light in the furnace dimmed. I looked closely and saw a long, pure white sword lying quietly inside. The blade emanated a faint chill, its edge was incredibly sharp, and it exuded a powerful aura.

I was overjoyed, but before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, I felt an even colder aura approaching. I looked up abruptly and saw Old Monster Mo's figure slowly emerging from the smoke. He wore a sinister smile, and his eyes were filled with malice.

"Little girl, do you think you've won just like that?" Old Monster Mo's voice was hoarse and grating. "I haven't had enough fun yet!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of black flame suddenly appeared in his hand. The flame flickered, emanating a chilling, evil aura. He hurled the flame at the furnace.

"No!" I cried out, trying to stop them, but it was too late.

The black flames instantly engulfed the furnace, which let out a mournful wail and trembled violently. I felt a powerful force impacting the furnace's seal, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

My heart sank; I knew that Old Monster Mo was going to completely destroy my magic weapon. I couldn't let him succeed!

I endured the excruciating pain and once again channeled my spiritual energy to stabilize the furnace's power. However, Old Monster Mo's evil magic was far too powerful; my strength was simply no match for it.

I felt my power being consumed little by little, and the furnace trembled more and more violently. Looking at the magical artifact that was about to fail in its fusion, I was filled with resentment.

"Is this... the end of it all..." I murmured to myself. Suddenly, a cold voice rang in my ear... "Stop."