Mortal Alchemy

He didn't announce his name; he merely touched the token.

The token then actively displayed his name.

Such a divine soul secret technique leaves one with nowhere to hide.

Chen Ping picked up the token, cupped his fist, and said, "Senior artifact spirit, are you present? This disciple, Chen Ping, has a matter to ask."

"..."

No one responded to him.

Chen Ping speculated inwardly:

"Tens of thousands of years have passed; could it be that this artifact spirit has also encountered problems?"

Chen Ping obtained the token, and the restrictions on the main hall immediately dissipated.

He could now leave this place.

"Now I can try to see if I can step onto the stairs and accept the inheritance assessment."

Chen Ping hurriedly left with the token.

He came to the outside of the stairs in front of the towering ancient tree once again.

Holding the token, he took a step forward.

Then, a huge, gentle force enveloped him, dissipating after a moment, allowing Chen Ping to steadily step onto the first step.

Immediately afterward, a sudden change occurred.

The steps seemed to transform into a cage.

A spiritual pressure belonging to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm immediately pressed down on Chen Ping.

"This is the assessment?"

Chen Ping also released his spiritual energy to resist.

After a while, Chen Ping's expression changed drastically.

A divine sense power belonging to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm attacked him!

"Boom!!!"

Facing it head-on, Chen Ping instantly felt immense pressure.

The grayish-white bead on his neck immediately began to glow red-hot, helping Chen Ping share the pressure.

Allowing Chen Ping to barely withstand the resistance.

After a quarter of an hour.

"Thump—"

Chen Ping couldn't stand firmly on the first step and flew backward, his body trembling slightly.

This step assessment was too outrageous.

To think that he entered the Foundation Establishment realm with a Qi Refining fifteenth layer cultivation technique, his spiritual power was the sum of three ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and his divine soul power had already reached six hundred feet. All of this surpassed the strength of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Yet, here, he was evaluated as having a medium-low aptitude.

"Medium-low aptitude, not qualified to compete for the position of true inheritor."

"Reward: a leaf of Sword Dao insight."

The artifact spirit's emotionless voice sounded.

Then, Chen Ping saw a leaf engraved with Sword Dao runes fall from the tree and fly toward Chen Ping.

"A leaf of Sword Dao insight?"

"What is this?"

Chen Ping held this golden-threaded green leaf.

He didn't know how to use it.

He tried to activate it with spiritual power, but there was no reaction.

Then, he tried to activate it with his divine soul.

"Rumble!!!"

The leaf suddenly dispersed, turning into golden light and pouring into Chen Ping's brow.

Vast Sword Dao insights flooded into Chen Ping's divine soul.

Chen Ping was shocked: "This is enlightenment!"

In an instant, Chen Ping's Sword Dao artistic conception was forcibly elevated from the first realm, Sword Qi Condensing Silk, to the second realm, Sword Qi Forging Steel!

Vast Sword Dao enlightenment knowledge surged in.

"Sword Qi Forging Steel requires condensing sword qi into the size of a fine needle, submerging it into the sword body, and then tempering it with the power of the divine soul to condense it into steel. When a move of sword qi is unleashed, the sword qi will be as indestructible as steel."

"One hundred and eight strands of Condensed Silk Sword Qi, compressed and condensed to the size of a fine needle."

"Sword Qi Forging Steel, based on Condensed Silk Sword Qi, doubles in power and doubles in speed."

"And how to compress Condensed Silk Sword Qi to the size of a fine needle..."

Many spiritual objects related to the Sword Dao artistic conception flooded his mind, and Chen Ping slowly digested them.

Enlightenment forcibly pushed Chen Ping's Sword Dao artistic conception to the second realm!

And the third realm of Sword Dao artistic conception is Sword Steel Condensing Fiend!

Once Sword Fiend emerges, it covers the sky and earth like smoke, with mana unable to dispel it and Dao techniques unable to break it.

If Sword Qi Condensing Silk and Sword Qi Forging Steel can still be dispersed by force.

Then Sword Steel Condensing Fiend can only be accepted head-on.

What a domineering offensive technique is this?

Superior Person Gong Yue comprehended the Sword Steel Condensing Fiend artistic conception with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, sweeping invincible within the Foundation Establishment stage. The third realm of Sword Dao allowed her to exchange a move or two with Golden Core cultivators.

Sword cultivators are truly terrifying.

A full seven days passed before Chen Ping finally emerged from digesting and comprehending the Sword Dao artistic conception.

"This... succeeded..." Chen Ping felt incredulous:

"The core inheritance of this Celestial Venerable Sect actually has the effect of enlightenment! It's too amazing!"

Chen Ping was excited and overjoyed.

The second realm of Sword Dao, which he had been comprehending for a long time without success, he now understood!

With the battle power of the second realm of Sword Dao, Chen Ping had much more confidence in the upcoming Demon Clan war.

This Sword Qi Forging Steel was already extremely powerful!

He immediately wanted to try Sword Qi Forging Steel and summoned the Azure Cloud Sword.

Then, strands of Condensed Silk Sword Qi submerged into the sword body.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

The sound of the sword suddenly changed to "Clang clang clang!"

The Azure Cloud Sword's body actually emitted a kind of unbearable wail.

Then—

"Bang—"

The Azure Cloud Sword's body could not withstand Chen Ping's Sword Qi power and exploded, shattering into countless pieces.

Chen Ping was dumbfounded:

"My Azure Cloud Sword, which I bought for six or seven thousand spirit stones, hasn't been used many times, and it's already shattered..."

"This..."

Chen Ping couldn't accept it.

He was heartbroken.

Although he earned money quickly, he couldn't stand such wasteful behavior!

"I underestimated the power of Sword Qi Forging Steel. Ordinary magic tools can't withstand it at all..."

Chen Ping couldn't undo it no matter how heartbroken he was.

He had to take out the Obsidian Moon Sword to test its power.

"Clang clang clang!!!" The Obsidian Moon Sword emitted a clear and loud sword sound.

The power of the sword qi condensed on it was so terrifying that even Chen Ping, who was unleashing the move, felt alarmed.

"This spiritual tool is a level higher than a magic tool; it's just different."

The spiritual tool that Superior Person Gong Yue prepared for him was truly not bad!

With a single sword strike, one-third of the spiritual power in Chen Ping's body was instantly emptied!

But the power was quite pleasing!

The cyan sword qi struck the third-order black stone, actually creating a tiny crack on its surface!

"Hahahaha!" Chen Ping was immediately overjoyed.

Domineering! Extremely domineering!

If he stepped into the third realm of Sword Dao, Chen Ping would even want to find a Golden Core cultivator to exchange blows and test its power.

"Alas, I can't be too ambitious..." Chen Ping's mood calmed down.

He looked at the towering ancient tree, his eyes filled with joy.

"Then, can't I use this assessment to fleece the sheep, be enlightened again, and improve my combat power?"

This Celestial Venerable Sect's sect ruins are truly a good place.

With his aptitude, it would be basically impossible to comprehend the third realm in the Foundation Establishment stage.

But with this sect assessment, Chen Ping was not without a chance to comprehend Sword Steel Condensing Fiend in the Foundation Establishment stage!

"After resting for a while, I'll try the step assessment again..."

Just now, that one move emptied one-third of his spiritual power; Chen Ping's current state was not the best.

Chen Ping returned to the deck of the White Jade Flying Boat, took out pills, swallowed them, and refined them to restore his state.

Just at this moment.

"Creak—"

The door of the elegant room on the flying boat was pushed open.

Mu Xingling's alluring figure appeared, her face pale, her steps weak, with a smile on her face:

"Ping, my love~"