After being enlightened by his mother, Liu Lei gradually regained his former cheerful disposition. Now, every so often, he would "video chat" with his mother, and his mood steadily improved. Reflecting on the magical artifact "Night Demon Eye" that had brought him into this world, Liu Lei made a firm decision to prevent the inevitable clash between divine and demonic weapons. Although he knew this was nearly impossible, he was determined to try. To fulfill this wish, he had to amass great power. Since leaving the country, Liu Lei began to devote himself earnestly to cultivation for the first time.
During his cultivation, Liu Lei discovered an unexpected presence within his Purple Mansion—an unknown silver-colored figure, one foot tall. The figure was clad in blood-red armor, covering its chest and limbs—his Yuan Ying! The red armor appeared to be "Heart Armor"! At first, he could scarcely believe it, but after several careful checks, he confirmed it. Liu Lei was overcome with immense joy. Just as one might feel elated upon discovering they are a billionaire at the moment they most need money, he felt an exhilarating sense of fortune.
Taking a few deep breaths, a torrent of energy rapidly surged through his body, flowing much faster than before. The sensation was far beyond anything he had felt previously. As he circulated his internal energy through eighty-one turns, the spiritual power within him surged, and the speed of absorbing and converting the world's energy was more than ten times faster than before. Liu Lei was filled with great joy: "I am now a Yuan Ying level expert!" he thought, laughing. "Niya, you violent woman—try using 'Blood Ritual' to threaten me again, and I'll counter with a Three Lights Rebirth Array! Let's see who will prevail, ha-ha!"
He had once been struck down by Niya, forcing him to abandon his dreams of becoming a master, but now, without even realizing it, he had leaped from the Golden Core to Yuan Ying level. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a touch of pride.
After the euphoria subsided, he wondered when exactly he had reached Yuan Ying. He pondered for a long time, eventually reaching a rough conclusion. It must have been when he had fallen from Mount Braun, injuring his limbs, and during the healing process, the energy that had previously scattered into his limbs had been activated. Later, during his return journey, he unknowingly reached a state of desirelessness, and in this unintentional state, his Golden Core shattered and transformed into Yuan Ying. Truly, it was a stroke of luck, and Liu Lei silently expressed his gratitude. The process of Golden Core shattering to form Yuan Ying was perilous, and under normal circumstances, one would likely require a senior to protect them. Yet, he had breezed through the process in a daze. It could be said that all the good fortune had been on his side. In a fleeting moment, he wondered if his father's spirit was watching over him from the heavens, and a wave of melancholy swept over him.
The breakthrough in his cultivation allowed him to gain further insights into the "Pangu Axe" and understand the outermost physical attack formations. Although he still couldn't comprehend the more advanced ones, and had no clue about the deep formations related to "piercing the void," Liu Lei understood that only celestial beings might be able to decipher them. With a sigh, he concealed his regret and decided not to dwell on it. He began refining the "Heaven Cleansing Sword" again, incorporating six attack formations from the "Pangu Axe" and three magical arrays from a scroll he had obtained. The "Heaven Cleansing Sword" was now at the "Qi Sword" level, and ordinary engraving methods were no longer effective. Liu Lei used his powerful Yuan Shen to imprint the arrays as a mental mark. Since they were within the sword, the arrays became a part of the sword's attributes, seamlessly merging with the "Qi Sword" to unleash its full destructive potential. Liu Lei believed that his "Heaven Cleansing Sword" could now rival any divine or demonic artifact.
Having reached Yuan Ying, Liu Lei decided to attempt crafting a weapon on his own. Previously, he had only crafted a magical artifact once during his early Golden Core stage, but that had been merely a practice run. From then on, he had always used other people's treasures and focused on his cultivation. Now, with his newfound strength, Liu Lei was ready to create his own high-level artifact. However, he wasn't in a rush, as he still needed to prepare some materials.
Liu Lei retrieved a communication jade talisman and, using the incantation, contacted Lian Feng. Excitedly, he told him about his breakthrough to Yuan Ying. Lian Feng, equally thrilled, responded, "Really? That's great! I knew from the start you'd make it. I had a feeling you would achieve this, which is why I sought you out in the first place. I'm quite perceptive, aren't I? Ha-ha…" Liu Lei rolled his eyes. "Alright," Lian Feng continued, his tone turning serious, "You've finally reached this point. Back then, I was worried because your constitution was unique. If you couldn't break through to Yuan Ying, you wouldn't truly be a cultivator." Liu Lei shared his sentiments, and Lian Feng went on, "Now that you've reached Yuan Ying, the items left to you by Xuanyuan, before his ascension, can be passed on to you." Liu Lei was moved. "Xuanyuan left me something?" he asked. "Yes, but he specifically told me to wait until you reached Yuan Ying before giving it to you." Lian Feng conjured a Qiankun bag, saying, "I'll send it over to you." A flash of green light passed from Lian Feng's hand to Liu Lei's, and the Qiankun bag appeared in his hands through a high-level transmission technique.
Liu Lei opened the bag and found some crafting tools and materials. Most importantly, there was a "Overlord Cauldron" and some rare materials. High-level cultivators often used a cauldron to shield against external demonic interference during artifact crafting, allowing them to forge more advanced treasures. The "Overlord Cauldron" left to him by Xuanyuan was a supreme-quality cauldron, perfectly solving a problem Liu Lei had been facing. After inspecting the contents of the Qiankun bag, Liu Lei arranged the materials according to the five elements—wood, water, fire, earth, and metal—and reviewed the records on crafting from "The Great River True Explanation" and "The Refining Blood Method." With the materials and the "Overlord Cauldron" prepared, he was ready to begin his first serious crafting endeavor.
First, Liu Lei refined the "Overlord Cauldron." Clearly, Xuanyuan had thought ahead, as he had already removed his Yuan Shen mark, making it easy for Liu Lei to imprint his own Yuan Shen into the cauldron. After a smooth process, Liu Lei performed the necessary incantations, and the cauldron expanded to engulf him entirely. A good cauldron not only shields against demonic disturbances but also absorbs the world's energy, creating a higher density of energy inside, which aids in crafting. The vast amounts of spiritual energy accumulated within the cauldron would also imbue the crafted artifact with greater spirit. The "Overlord Cauldron" was a perfect example of such a cauldron.
Sitting cross-legged inside, Liu Lei closed his eyes in meditation and breathed out the Three Flames. His goal was to forge a powerful attack artifact with both lightning and fire attributes. He began by refining the hardest material, Deep Sea Xuan Iron, using the Three Flames to melt it. Under the red, yellow, and blue flames, the metal slowly transformed into a black liquid, glowing with an eerie, bewitching light. Next, Liu Lei refined a high-grade Thunder Stone and purified it, drawing it into an invisible thread that he embedded into the Xuan Iron, forming a Nine Catastrophe Five Thunder Formation, with each formation node strengthened by a tiny Thunder Pearl.
Next, Liu Lei refined a piece of Heavenly Fire Crystal, pulling it into another fine thread to create a Seven-Layer Heavenly Fire Array within the Nine Catastrophe Five Thunder Formation. He used condensed Fire Droplets to reinforce the formation nodes. To link these two primary attack formations, he used Heavenly Meteorite Iron, which was perfect for connecting different attributes.
Finally, he shaped the Xuan Iron into a hammer form and inscribed several amplifying attack formations he had learned from the "Pangu Axe" onto it, along with a top-tier magical formation that induced spiritual pressure from a scroll. His first attempt at crafting had succeeded!
Testing it, Liu Lei found the weapon's full power to be roughly equivalent to a normal "Heavenly Sovereign Sword" but much faster. Liu Lei felt a surge of pride—his first weapon had turned out better than expected. It seemed the mysterious formations from the "Pangu Axe" had played a crucial role. Contemplating the hammer-shaped artifact, Liu Lei wondered what to name it. "Thunder Hammer" was too mundane. After considering its attributes, he decided: "Thunderfire!"