This was the treasure’s nascent Artifact Spirit, lending its aid for the very first time.
Lü Zhong knew what this meant.
It meant the Thunder-Attracting Needle had reached the end of its Metamorphosis. If he killed the Whale Person in this battle, he might be able to use its Blood Soul Sharp Will to temper the weapon and help the Artifact Spirit take that final step.
If it succeeded, it would become a Spirit Treasure!
"In that case, I’ll give you a hand!"
Lü Zhong laughed heartily and charged the Whale Person once more.
"BZZZT!"
The Thunder-Attracting Needle buzzed in response, its cry filled with joy and the hope of rebirth.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Lü Zhong gripped his Sword with both hands and unleashed three straight slashes. The Sword Technique looked simple, but it was wreathed in the might of thunder. With every slash, the heavens shook and the earth quaked. Relying on such a shocking Sword Technique, he actually managed to suppress the Whale Person, forcing it to retreat again and again.
"ROAR!"
The Whale Person was enraged. The Emperor Whale clan had never suffered such humiliation!
Its whale-like eyes instantly turned blood-red. The Bone Crown on its head pulsed with a crimson, ripple-like glow, and a layer of blood-colored flames ignited across its body. Influenced by its Demon Qi, its form swelled to ten zhang tall. Its aura surged, quickly breaking through to the Quasi-Saint Realm—the equivalent of a cultivator’s Quasi-Deification realm.
"Die!"
With that, it thrust its trident forward.
The attack was simple and unadorned, yet it ionized the very air with friction.
With a clang like striking iron, Lü Zhong met the blow head-on.
’The will of the Thunder Sword is to always press forward!’
As the master of the Thunder-Attracting Needle, he understood the temperament of its Sword spirit perfectly. If he wanted to use this battle to help the Thunder Sword advance, he absolutely could not retreat.
’No matter what cataclysmic waves you throw at me, you will never make me yield an inch!’
The battle reignited, both combatants fighting to the death with no thought of retreat.
Everywhere they passed, the earth shattered and mountains crumbled.
Plains became deep valleys, and shallow seas transformed into mountain ranges.
The landscape was remade.
...
Another Sword Slash cut through the air, followed by a sharp CRACK.
Lü Zhong pressed down with his Sword. He felt resistance from the blade and knew what it meant. He had not only broken the Whale Person’s long trident but had also pierced its Protective Demon Qi, carving a gash seven feet long and three feet deep into its body. A pillar of mercury-like blood gushed out, only to be quickly stanched by its owner.
"You... are strong!" the Whale Person rumbled after a long silence.
"You are as well," Lü Zhong replied honestly.
Though he had managed to wound the Whale Person first, the final outcome of the battle was still far from decided.
’One careless move, and I could still lose everything.’
The Whale Person touched the wound on its left chest, and the blood-red light in its eyes receded like the tide. Then, she raised her head and spoke again. "I am Huazhong of the Emperor Whale Dao, the Extreme East Water Monarch. Since my strength is not your match, according to the rules of my clan, I can no longer hold you accountable for what happened before. May I know your name?"
Hearing this, Lü Zhong answered without hesitation:
"Chen Dong!"
"...Chen Dong. We shall meet again!"
With that, Water Monarch Huazhong turned and left.
Watching her departing figure, Lü Zhong considered it carefully but decided not to give chase.
There was simply no need.
He looked down at the Sword in his hand. After absorbing his opponent’s Blood Soul, the Thunder-Attracting Needle’s surface appeared unchanged. In truth, however, its Artifact Spirit had fallen into a deep slumber to undergo its Metamorphosis. Once the reborn Artifact Spirit awoke, the Thunder-Attracting Needle would become a Spirit Treasure.
It would be an Acquired Spiritual Treasure, and a Thunder Sword Spiritual Treasure at that.
In terms of power, it would be anything but lacking.
Lü Zhong glanced around and realized that their brief exchange had completely wiped Binhai City, which once belonged to the Red Earth Alliance, off the map. In its place was now a bay littered with hidden reefs. The lingering aftershocks of their battle meant the area would likely be uninhabitable for a long time to come.
Naturally, he couldn’t be bothered to clean it up.
’Red Earth is a vast place. A new city can be built anywhere.’
...
Lü Zhong chose another suitable location and established a cave residence.
Next, he needed to think carefully about how to design the Array and what kind of Prohibitions to use to properly utilize those two "Biological Batteries."
After much consideration, he decided the Death-Suppressing Chains were the safest option.
After all, they were items that had once trapped a Demon Saint to its death. Two Great Demons would have no chance of causing trouble.
This would prevent any disasters from arising within the Floating Fortress.
With the decision made, he moved on to the specifics of the Array and Prohibitions.
For this, Lü Zhong decided to follow a proven model.
He would build a small-scale Death Suppression Tower.
This would serve as the seal, suppressing the two Great Demons inside.
Then he would design the corresponding Spirit Pattern circuits to draw out the two demons’ Demon Power, channel it into the Creation Secret Array, and convert it into Spiritual Qi to supply the Floating Fortress’s needs.
Of course, considering the two demons would not be willing participants, a necessary energy storage pool also needed to be prepared. This process would inevitably involve the liquefaction of Spiritual Qi, which was another difficult problem to solve.
By the time he had a detailed plan, three years had passed.
On this day, Lü Zhong sat cross-legged in his Quiet Chamber.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes. A golden light shot out from his sleeve—it was the Thunder-Attracting Needle.
The Sword trembled slightly, letting out a clear, ringing cry.
As strands of Spirit Patterns appeared, the Artifact Spirit that had been slumbering through its Metamorphosis finally awoke, causing the Thunder-Attracting Needle to erupt in bursts of golden light.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered outside.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.
The Thunder-Attracting Needle shot into the sky to receive the baptism of endless lightning.
It shed its mundane shell, reborn at its apex.
As it pierced through the clouds, the vast expanse of dark clouds retreated, as if paying homage to a king.
The Thunder-Attracting Needle continued its ascent. It had to rush beyond the ninth heaven to be baptized by the Gang Wind and Celestial Thunder. Only by taking this final step could it truly become a Spirit Treasure.
Lü Zhong watched this scene quietly.
Here in the desolate lands of Red Earth, there was no one to attempt to kill him for his treasure.
The entire baptism lasted for three full days and nights.
When the Thunder-Attracting Needle slowly descended from the sky, its brilliant golden radiance illuminated the land for hundreds of miles.
He caught it. Though it radiated with the majestic light of thunder, it did not harm Lü Zhong in the slightest. He could feel the Artifact Spirit’s joy and congratulated it from the bottom of his heart. Only then did he begin to carefully examine the differences in the Thunder-Attracting Needle from before.
"Huh? It’s transformed into a Thunder Sword!"
Lü Zhong realized after a closer look that the Thunder-Attracting Needle had now shed its physical form, becoming a tangible beam of lightning. He couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of a Spirit Treasure; this was something he had never anticipated.
Even using his Celestial Net Secret Eye, he found it difficult to look directly at its brilliant light.
If he forced himself to look, his eyes felt like they were being pricked by needles. He would be blinded in just a few moments.
As for its power...
The Thunder-Attracting Needle was truly worthy of being called a Sword of the Thunder Dao. It could freely command the might of lightning, leveling mountains for several miles with a single strike. He estimated that if he were to unleash its full power, it could even flatten a plateau.
"A fine Sword!" Lü Zhong praised.
This treasure was a perfect match for his Purple Sky Thunder Skill. The two combined could unleash immense power.
He had another trump card up his sleeve.
It took him a while to calm down. He absorbed the Thunder-Attracting Needle into his Dantian to nurture it and couldn’t help but wonder, ’The difference in the Thunder-Attracting Needle before and after its advancement is like night and day. I wonder what kind of changes my Lifebound Treasure Star Mirror will undergo when it advances into an Acquired Spiritual Treasure?’
Filled with anticipation, Lü Zhong slowly entered a state of Meditation.
His daily cultivation could not be neglected for even a single day.
If he wanted to advance to the Divinity Transformation realm, he could not afford to slack off in the slightest.
Although he had already achieved Five Elements Unification, his cultivation was still a long way from Nascent Soul Perfection. For many Great Cultivators, this gap was like an insurmountable chasm. Often, even with a lifetime of effort, and no matter how talented or blessed with fortune one had once been, it was a gap that could not be crossed.
Once his mind was calm, he consumed a Six Yang Sandalwood True Pill.
He activated his Cultivation Body and began to slowly refine it.
...
「Nineteen years later.」
In a Quiet Chamber on Red Earth Nameless Mountain.
For all these years, Lü Zhong had been cultivating with Pills. Although his progress was not dramatic, it was steady. He could see improvement after each period of training.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that the nurturing of his Nascent Soul would be completed first.
’Then again, that makes sense.’
His cultivation speed was slow, after all.
The moment his Nascent Soul reached Perfection, Lü Zhong felt his Divine Sense strengthen once again, its range extending to over five thousand zhang. His perception of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi became unprecedentedly clear. But just like before, no matter what he tried, he couldn’t manipulate even a single sliver of it.
This was because his "Yang Spirit" was not yet formed.
The so-called Yang Spirit was the fusion of the Nascent Soul and the Primordial Spirit.
Only when the two merged could it be achieved.