When the Spirit Weapon mold emitted a faint, resonant thrum, Jiang Chen immediately withdrew the surrounding fire qi. With practiced caution, he pried the mold open, inch by inch.

The crimson gourd revealed within was familiar.

For this attempt, he had been meticulous. Every variable—timing, temperature, material ratios—had been calibrated to perfection.

Yet, to his dismay, the result was unchanged.

4 spirit patterns. No more, no less.

Jiang Chen lined up the three completed Blood Gourds on the workbench.

The first was a rough attempt: long refining time, heavy on ingredients, average temperature control. The second was better: faster, fewer ingredients, precise control. The third was technically perfect, the culmination of all his adjustments. Logically, even if the base quality remained the same, the spirit pattern count should have increased.

But there they sat, like identical triplets.

Size, shape, luster, aura—indistinguishable.

4 spirit patterns placed them firmly in the “High-Grade” category. For most refiners, this would be a cause for celebration. But for Jiang Chen, it was a failure.

He didn’t want High-Grade. He wanted Top Grade.

To reach that tier, a Spirit Weapon needed at least 7 spirit patterns.

The more patterns an item possessed, the more Talismans and Formations it could sustain. A Top Grade artifact wasn’t just slightly better; it was exponentially more powerful due to the complexity of the enchantments it could house.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes as he forced himself to calm down.

He replayed the entire refining process in his mind.

Material ratios. Flame temperature. Refining duration.

He analyzed them one by one, dissecting every second.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

My flame.

Compared to other cultivators, his Spirit Root was an anomaly. It was a mutated Thunder-Fire Spirit Root.

It possessed the scorching heat of Fire, but also the violent, destructive judgment of Thunder. Thunder, by its very nature, was the nemesis of evil spirits and yin energy. It possessed the power to suppress evil and vanquish baleful auras.

“The Blood Gourd is a Yin-attribute artifact,” Jiang Chen realized, his eyes widening. “Its nature leans towards the dark and the wicked. My Thunder-Fire Spirit Root isn’t refining it—it’s suppressing it.”

He spread his right palm. Fire Spirit Power surged from his dantian, consuming his reserves.

A cluster of crimson flame erupted from his hand.

According to the Nine Flames Mystic Art, this was the first flame: Scarlet Fire. Violent, explosive, capable of shattering shields.

He willed the energy to shift. The crimson faded, replaced by an eerie, dancing orange flame: the Heart-Confusing Phantom Fire. It possessed deceptive, hallucinogenic properties.

Then, the flame brightened, intensifying into a blinding yellow: the Righteous and Evil Yang Fire.

This third flame was the purest expression of his Thunder-Fire Spirit Root—filled with righteous lightning energy.

“If I were using a standard Fire Spirit Root, there would be no issue,” he muttered. “But my Scarlet Fire and Yellow Fire are too aggressive. They naturally counter the Blood Gourd’s Yin nature.”

That was the bottleneck.

The innate thunder attribute in his flame was burning away the very “evil” essence the gourd needed to evolve, capping it at 4 patterns.

Jiang Chen immediately extinguished the Yellow Fire and summoned the Heart-Confusing Phantom Fire again.

The orange flame danced ghost-like on his palm. It didn’t lean towards Yin, but it lacked the violent righteousness of the other two. It was neutral. Deceptive. Gentle.

“This is the one.”

Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate. He tossed the materials for the fourth attempt into the crucible and enveloped the mold in the orange flame.

His mastery over time, temperature, and materials had already reached the realm of perfection. Now, with the correct catalyst, nothing stood in his way.

The night deepened.

Outside, the world was asleep. Da Huang, the Pearl Chicken, the Fortress, and even Lin An on the first floor were all resting.

Only the second basement level remained awake. Jiang Chen stood before the furnace, his eyes burning with an intensity that matched the flames. He felt no fatigue, only the manic focus of a craftsman on the brink of a breakthrough.

Thrum.

The mold vibrated for the fourth time.

Jiang Chen instantly extinguished the Heart-Confusing Phantom Fire. He reached out and opened the casing.

The small crimson gourd inside looked identical to the previous ones.

But as the spiritual energy settled, the spirit patterns began to glow.

Jiang Chen’s heart hammered in his chest.

1, 2, 3, 4… 5… 6…

7!

“I knew it!”

Jiang Chen pumped his fist. By switching the flame, he had broken the limit.

In the world of artifact refining, the hierarchy was strict: 1-3 Patterns: Low Grade. 4-6 Patterns: High Grade. 7-9 Patterns: Top Grade.

7 patterns meant this gourd met the minimum standard for a Top Grade Spirit Weapon. It could hold 7 distinct Talisman inscriptions and at least 3 Formation embeddings.

Since Jiang Chen lacked an Earth Spirit Root, he couldn’t embed Formations himself. But he could carve Talismans.

He immediately retrieved his Cyan Jade Carving Knife.

His focus sharpened to a razor’s edge.

The sun began to rise outside, turning the winter sky a pale grey.

But Jiang Chen was lost in his work. He was a perfectionist—some might say obsessive. If a stroke was off by a millimeter, he would scrap the entire project. He didn’t just want a tool; he wanted a masterpiece.

Other refiners would have rested after the forging. Jiang Chen worked until his goal was achieved.

Finally, as the first rays of light touched the snow above, he finished.

Spirit Weapon: Absorption Blood Gourd

Quality: Top Grade

Spirit Patterns: 7

Yi Wood Essence Solidifying Pattern

Blood River Essence Storing Pattern

Three Yin Spirit Devouring Pattern

Blood Fiend Soul Refining Pattern

Bone Corroding Heart Eroding Pattern

Blood Shadow Evasion Pattern

Blood Curse Soul Tethering Pattern

Effect 1: Sturdiness

Effect 2: Storage

Special Effect 1: Refinement

Special Effect 2: Absorption

Why did he choose these specific, seemingly redundant runes?

Because the Three Yin Spirit Devouring Pattern, Blood Fiend Soul Refining Pattern, Bone Corroding Heart Eroding Pattern, and Blood River Essence Storing Pattern formed a perfect, self-sustaining loop.

Devour -> Refine -> Corrode -> Store.

When Jiang Chen sucked a living creature into the gourd, the device wouldn’t just dissolve them into blood water. It would refine their essence and feed it back to the owner. It could restore his stamina, spiritual power, and mental energy.

This was the heaven-defying nature of high-level crafting. The Blood Gourd was no longer just a container; it was a vampiric engine of recovery.

The higher the quality of the Spirit Weapon, the more insane the potential combinations became.

Jiang Chen quickly imprinted the gourd with a drop of blood and a thread of his spiritual sense.

“Done,” he exhaled, a wave of satisfaction washing over him. “Finally comfortable.”

For a perfectionist, the process of crafting was a blend of agony and ecstasy. The struggle was torture, but the result was pure dopamine.

Now, his arsenal was formidable. For long-range snipping: The Top Grade Instant Flash Cyan Wood Needle. For close-range suppression: The insidious Top Grade Absorption Blood Gourd.

Of course, the gourd was too evil to display openly. While the Immortal Sect didn’t explicitly ban Yin-attribute tools, walking around with a soul-sucking blood gourd was a great way to ruin one’s reputation.

Jiang Chen stood up and stretched.

Crack! Pop! Snap!

His joints exploded like a string of firecrackers.

Feeling the emptiness in his dantian, he decided to call it a day. He climbed the stairs to the ground floor.

Lin An, who was sleeping on a makeshift pallet in the living room, snapped his eyes open at the sound of footsteps.

“Senior Brother Jiang?” he mumbled, scrambling to sit up.

Jiang Chen glanced at him. “I need to sleep during the day. If Wu Guangman and his team show up, handle them just like before.”

He paused at the door to his bedroom, looking back at the boy huddled on the floor.

“And Lin An,” Jiang Chen added. “Get your own house built today. You’re a Qi Condensation cultivator now. Have some dignity—stop sleeping on the floor.”