I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 215: Artifact Refinement & The Top-Grade Spirit Treasure

Following the wedding night, Wei Zhaoli immediately entered secluded cultivation.

The spiritual energy contained within a single drop of Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk was too volatile and vast; she needed absolute focus to refine it safely.

Shen Xian personally arranged a Spirit Gathering Array around her chamber and laid down three layers of defensive restrictions outside the quiet room to ensure she remained undisturbed.

With his wife settled, Shen Xian turned away and threw himself into his own preparations.

The Soaring Cloud Evasion Art.

Before the first rays of dawn broke the horizon, Shen Xian stood at the edge of the cliff in the Shen Family’s rear mountain.

The mountain wind was savage here, biting at his skin and snapping his robes like war flags.

He closed his eyes, focusing his mind. Spiritual energy surged through his meridians, and arcs of cyan-purple lightning began to crawl across his skin.

“Wind and Thunder Triple Turn.”

Bang.

With a push of his toes, his figure blurred into a phantom.

Step one: He crossed 100 feet in a heartbeat, landing on the surface of the mountain lake. The water barely rippled beneath his weight.

Step two: Mid-air, without any leverage, his body twisted violently. Like a swimming dragon whipping its tail, he carved a sharp, impossible arc through the air, shooting toward an ancient pine on the far bank.

Step three: Just as he was about to smash into the trunk, lightning detonated around him. He reversed momentum instantly, shooting back the way he came like a rebounding lightning bolt, finally landing softly at his starting point.

“Still… not smooth enough.”

Shen Xian panted heavily, sweat beading on his forehead.

The Wind and Thunder Triple Turn required absolute precision. The circulation of spiritual power had to be flawless; a millisecond of hesitation meant losing control.

Just days ago, he had miscalculated during the second turn and nearly plastered himself against the cliff face. If he hadn’t forced a painful twist at the last second, he would have smashed his skull open.

But the near-death experience didn’t deter him. It only made him practice with more ferocity.

The Northern Region was a graveyard for the unprepared. He had to be flawless.

Noon. The sun beat down like a hammer.

Shen Xian stood in the center of the lake, his feet resting on the water as if it were solid ground.

He formed a seal with his hands. The lightning around him intensified until he was wrapped in a cocoon of blinding light.

Zip.

He vanished.

When he reappeared, he was three hundred meters away.

“Lightning Flash Evasion!”

This was the explosive burst technique of the Soaring Cloud Evasion Art. It sacrificed subtlety for raw, instantaneous speed, burning through spiritual reserves at a terrifying rate.

He practiced it over and over, flashing across the lake until his Dantian was nearly dry.

Sweat dripped from his jaw, soaking his collar.

“Again!”

He gritted his teeth and forced his weary meridians to fire. His figure flickered, disappearing into the light once more.

As dusk fell, Shen Xian dragged his exhausted body back to his residence.

His robes were drenched, his hair disheveled, his face pale from exertion.

The servants in the mansion exchanged stunned glances as he passed. Was this really the same Third Young Master who used to spend his days lounging in the sun?

“Young Master, you…” Xiang’er approached cautiously, offering a cup of hot tea.

Shen Xian took it and drained the cup in one gulp. He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. Prepare a medicinal bath.”

“Yes, Young Master.” Xiang’er hurried away.

In the distance, Shen Xiong watched his son’s retreating back from a pavilion. A rare look of pride flashed in the Clan Head’s eyes.

“The boy finally has some ambition.”

Twenty days later.

Shen Xian stood at the cliff edge, hands clasped behind his back, gazing north.

He moved.

Crack.

Cyan-purple lightning exploded. His body became a ghost, folding through the empty air three times in rapid succession—left, right, back. He landed exactly where he started, his breathing even, his robes settling gently around him.

“Finally.”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

He had reached seventy percent mastery of the Soaring Cloud Evasion Art. His short-range maneuverability was now lethal.

But it wasn’t enough.

Speed ensured survival, but it didn’t guarantee victory. The Northern Region was fraught with unknown dangers; he needed teeth.

“I need to enhance my offensive power.”

Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed as he considered his options. His cultivation realm was capped for now, but his equipment wasn’t.

He summoned the Traceless Sword. The blade hovered before him, cold and transparent. It had served him well, but against the true monsters of the North, it might fall short.

“Nine Tribulations Thunder Pattern Crystal…”

Shen Xian flipped his palm. A jagged, purple-gold crystal appeared. The surface was etched with natural lightning runes, and tiny arcs of electricity jumped between his fingers.

It was a Rank 7 material he had retrieved from the Treasure Pavilion. It contained the fury of heavenly tribulation. If he could fuse this into the Traceless Sword, the weapon’s power would skyrocket.

“Time to see if the Nine Heavens Artifact Refining True Explanation lives up to its reputation.”

With a thought, Shen Xian transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting toward the family’s Artifact Refining Pavilion.

The pavilion was a massive crimson tower located in the restricted area of the back mountain, built directly over a vein of earth fire.

Shen Xian strode inside. The guarding Elder jumped to his feet.

“Third Young Master.”

“I need a high-grade refining chamber,” Shen Xian said calmly.

“At once!” The Elder didn’t dare ask questions. He immediately led Shen Xian to the top floor.

This chamber tapped into the purest vein of earth fire and was equipped with a high-grade Spirit Gathering Array. It was the best facility the Shen Family possessed.

The Elder was confused—since when did the Young Master know how to refine artifacts?—but he wisely kept his mouth shut, activating the privacy restrictions and retreating.

Alone, Shen Xian sat cross-legged.

He waved his sleeve, and the Traceless Sword floated before him. The blade hummed, its dual attributes of Ice and Li Fire weaving together in a cold, sharp harmony.

“First, let’s see if you can handle the pressure.”

He tapped the blade, injecting a thread of energy from the Li Fire True Seal. The sword sang a clear note, the ice and fire energies welcoming the intrusion.

“Good.”

Shen Xian summoned the Burning Heaven Cauldron.

Boom.

Earth fire surged from the vents in the floor, transforming into nine fire dragons that wrapped around the cauldron.

Shen Xian tossed the Nine Tribulations Thunder Pattern Crystal inside.

The refining began.

A Rank 7 material was no joke. Even inside the Burning Heaven Cauldron, the crystal remained stubborn, resisting the flames.

“Burn!”

Shen Xian’s eyes blazed. The Li Fire True Seal on his forehead lit up, amplifying his control. Above his head, the Heavenly Mechanism Disk spun into existence, focusing the ambient fire spiritual energy into a laser-like intensity.

Whoosh.

The temperature in the room spiked. The air shimmered. Even the Burning Heaven Cauldron began to emit sizzling white steam.

Hours passed.

Sweat poured down Shen Xian’s face. Despite his artifact refining skills being at the Deity Transformation level (via the system’s knowledge), his actual cultivation base made the process exhausting.

Finally, the crystal yielded. It melted into a globule of purple-gold liquid, crackling with the chaotic energy of a thunderstorm.

“Now, the merger.”

Shen Xian took a deep breath. His hands flew through a series of complex seals, guiding the lightning essence toward the sword.

Hiss—CRACK!

The moment the liquid touched the blade, the Traceless Sword screamed. Spiderweb cracks appeared instantly along the steel. The violent tribulation lightning was tearing the vessel apart.

“Not good!”

Shen Xian’s eyes widened. The sword was rejecting the foreign power.

“Submit!”

He roared, mobilizing the full power of the Li Fire True Seal. He slammed a wave of heavy, domineering fire Qi onto the blade, crushing the rebellion and forcing the lightning to bind with the ice and fire.

“Fuse!”

For days, the refining chamber was a chaotic storm of lightning and fire. Explosions rocked the room, contained only by the shimmering barrier of the restrictions.

Five days later.

The noise subsided.

Shen Xian sat amidst the cooling embers, his chest heaving, his clothes soaked. But his eyes shone with a manic excitement.

Floating before him was a transformed weapon.

The Traceless Sword was no longer just transparent crystal. It was now veined with intricate purple-gold lightning patterns. The blade pulsed with three distinct energies—Ice, Fire, and Lightning—perfectly balanced in a deadly cycle.

“It is done.”

Shen Xian grabbed the hilt.

HUM.

A terrifying power rushed into his arm.

A beam of tri-colored sword Qi erupted from the tip, slashing upward. Shen Xian barely suppressed it before it cut through the ceiling.

“Incredible power…”

The Traceless Sword had jumped from a High-Grade Spirit Treasure to a Top-Grade Spirit Treasure. It was now touching the very ceiling of what a Spirit Treasure could be.

“If it gains an Artifact Spirit in the future, it could become a True Spirit Treasure,” Shen Xian mused.

But even without a spirit, a weapon possessing Ice, Fire, and Lightning attributes was a monstrosity.

“With this blade,” Shen Xian whispered, swinging it casually, “I am invincible among my peers.”

Shing.

A testing stone in the corner of the room silently slid apart, sliced in two. The cut surface was mirror-smooth, cauterized by heat and crackling with residual electricity.

Shen Xian sheathed the sword, a confident smile playing on his lips.