From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 90 Survival in Desperate Circumstances: Hoping for a Turning Point

The furnace trembled more and more violently, like a heart about to burst, pounding against my chest. Old Monster Mo's chilling laughter echoed outside the door, like a death knell, relentlessly eroding my will. I knew he was outside, waiting to see me fail, waiting to see me blown to pieces.

But I cannot lose, nor can I give up! I've poured countless efforts into collecting these three rare and precious materials: Warm Jade, Refined Gold, and Profound Ice Crystal Marrow. If this fusion fails, all my previous efforts will be in vain. More importantly, if I cannot forge this magical artifact in time, I will be unable to cope with the impending crisis.

I forced myself to calm down and focused my attention on the inside of the furnace. The light of the warm jade dimmed, the luster of the refined gold also became dull, and the Xuanbing Crystal Marrow was emitting a violent chill. The three forces repelled each other, like three ferocious beasts about to go out of control.

Old Monster Mo's evil power was like a venomous snake, constantly eroding the furnace's defenses and intensifying the conflict between the three materials. I felt an immense pressure that almost crushed me.

No, I can't stay passive like this! I must take the initiative and find a solution.

I carefully observed the energy flow of the three materials, trying to find the root cause of their repulsion. Warm jade belongs to Yang, refined metal to Yin, and Xuanbing crystal marrow to extreme cold. Their energy attributes are inherently conflicting, and with the interference of Mo Laoguai's evil power, the difficulty of fusion has increased exponentially.

Wait, conflicting energy attributes... the art of Yin and Yang harmony... something suddenly occurred to me. Since there's a conflict in their energy attributes, does that mean there's some kind of special connection between them? Yin and Yang are mutually generating and restraining; perhaps I can use this connection to resolve their mutual repulsion.

I took a deep breath, mobilized all the spiritual power within my body, and poured a stream of pure spiritual energy into the furnace. This spiritual energy was not simply fire-attribute energy, but rather a fusion of my understanding of the Yin and Yang principles, containing a power of balance and harmony.

I carefully controlled this spiritual energy, guiding its flow among the three materials, attempting to establish a delicate balance. This process was extremely delicate; the slightest mistake could lead to failure or even cause the furnace to explode.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, and my hands began to tremble slightly. I could feel that the repulsive force of the three materials still existed, but it was no longer as violent as before. It seemed to be gradually being guided by my spiritual power, moving towards a balance.

The energy fluctuations within the furnace gradually stabilized, and the light from the warm jade, refined gold, and mysterious ice crystal marrow began to return, though it still carried a trace of instability, as if it might go out again at any moment.

Master Yan appeared outside the weapon-refining room at some point. He stood there quietly, staring intently at me, his eyes filled with expectation and pressure.

I feel like I'm carrying a mountain on my shoulders, pressing down on me so hard I can hardly breathe. But I can't give up, I can't back down. I must succeed!

I increased my spiritual energy output again, focusing more on harmonizing the energy. Suddenly, a crisp sound came from inside the furnace... click.

A sharp click, like a thunderclap, exploded in my mind. Though the sound was faint, it clearly reached my ears, and also the ears of everyone present.

My heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. That sound...it sounded like something shattering. Could it be...my magical artifact?

I dared not look inside the furnace, fearing I would witness the scene I least wanted to see. My hands clenched tightly into a magic seal, my knuckles turning white from the force.

Master Yan's gaze remained fixed on me, his eyes deep and complex, and I couldn't discern his thoughts. But I could feel the pressure emanating from him had intensified, like an invisible mountain pressing down on me, making it almost impossible to breathe.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Now is not the time to panic; I must remain calm to find a solution.

I cautiously probed the furnace with my divine sense, carefully observing the condition of the three materials. I saw that the light from the warm jade, refined gold, and mystic ice crystal marrow had become extremely dim, as if they might be extinguished at any moment. What filled me with even more despair was that a tiny crack had appeared at the junction of the three materials.

Although the crack was small, it was like a fatal wound, announcing that all my efforts were about to be in vain.

"Crack, crack..." The sound of cracking grew clearer and more frequent, as if the cracks were about to completely shatter at any moment.

My heart sank to the bottom, and a deep sense of powerlessness washed over me. Was I really going to fail?

Just when I was about to despair, I felt a cold gaze fall on me. I turned my head and saw Leng Shuang standing not far away, looking at me with a gloating expression.

A slight smirk played on her lips, as if to say, "See? I knew you couldn't do it."

The appearance of Leng Shuang made my already tense nerves even more strained. I knew she had always seen me as a rival and couldn't wait for me to fail.

She crept closer, muttering something under her breath. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but I could feel a chilling aura creeping towards me. It was faint, but enough to disturb my mind and make it even harder for me to concentrate.

I gritted my teeth, trying my best to remain unaffected by her. I knew this was a crucial moment; I couldn't afford to be distracted or let her interfere.

I took another deep breath and focused all my attention on the inside of the furnace, trying to find a way to repair the cracks.

Time ticked by, the cracks inside the furnace grew larger, and my hope dwindled.

Just when I was about to give up, something suddenly occurred to me.

I suddenly looked up at Pavilion Master Lu, who had been standing silently to the side. He stood there quietly, as if he were an outsider, observing everything with a detached eye.

His face was expressionless, making it impossible to read his thoughts. But I always felt that he seemed to be waiting for something.

A thought suddenly popped into my head: Perhaps, he can help me!

“Pavilion Master Lu…” I had just opened my mouth when he raised his hand to interrupt me.

He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on me, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

“Xiao Yao,” his voice was low and hoarse, “you…have one last chance.”

Pavilion Master Lu's words struck me like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through my chaotic thoughts. The last chance? What did that mean? I looked at him, hoping to glean more information, but he merely gave me a deep look and fell silent, as if it were all none of his concern.

Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. Was I really going to fail? No, I refused to accept it! I had put in so much effort, how could I give up so easily?

My gaze swept over the crowd. Master Yan remained grave, a barely perceptible sneer playing on Leng Shuang's lips, while Madam Qin wore a worried expression. Wait, Madam Qin! I suddenly remembered that Madam Qin had once given me an ancient manual on weapon crafting, containing some lost secret techniques. Perhaps, there I could find a solution!

I quickly took the book from my storage bag and began flipping through it rapidly. Time was of the essence, so I skimmed through each page, almost reading ten lines at a glance. Suddenly, a passage caught my eye, and my heart began to race.

"Fighting with one's life to forge all things, this method is called 'Blood Refinement,' an ancient secret technique. Use with caution!"

Blood Refinement? Forcibly fusing materials of different attributes using one's own blood essence as a catalyst? This is an extremely dangerous method; failure could result in severe injury or even death!

My hands trembled slightly, my heart filled with hesitation. Was this really my last chance? I looked up at the furnace; cracks had spread throughout the entire magical artifact, and it could shatter completely at any moment.

There was no time to hesitate! I gritted my teeth and made my decision. Rather than sit and wait for death, I might as well take a gamble! I took a deep breath and, following the instructions in the ancient texts, forced out a drop of my essence blood. The crimson essence blood hovered at my fingertips, emitting a faint golden light.

I poured my essence blood into the furnace, silently chanting an incantation. As soon as the essence blood entered the furnace, it transformed into a red light and merged into the three materials. The magical artifact, which was on the verge of shattering, miraculously stopped the spread of cracks.

I was overjoyed; it seemed this method was working! But I dared not let my guard down, for I knew this was only the first step. The Blood Refining Method was extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could result in a backlash.

I focused intently on controlling the energy within the furnace, carefully guiding the three materials to fuse. As time passed, I felt an immense pressure emanating from the furnace, as if it were about to engulf me entirely.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, and my face turned pale. I felt my strength rapidly draining away, and my body began to tremble. But that wasn't the worst of it. I discovered that although the cracks in the magical artifact had stopped spreading, the repulsion between the three materials remained, and the energy during the fusion process was becoming unstable, threatening to explode at any moment.

I gritted my teeth and persevered. I couldn't give up; I had to keep going! The image of Wen Chen flashed through my mind; his smile and his encouragement gave me endless strength.

I forced out another drop of my essence blood and threw it into the furnace. My vision began to blur, and a buzzing sound filled my ears. I knew I was nearing my limit. But there was still a long way to go before complete fusion…

"Xiao Yao!" Master Yan's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with anxiety, "Stop!"

But I couldn't hear what he was saying anymore; all I could see was the shimmering furnace... My hand slowly reached towards the center of the furnace, where the energy was most violent...

Master Yan's voice grew fainter and fainter, like a muffled, buzzing sound coming from behind a thick layer of cotton. I felt my body light and airy, as if my soul was about to leave my body. The light from the furnace flickered in my eyes, like a star about to explode. My outstretched hand trembled, almost touching the raging energy center.

"Xiao Yao! What are you doing?!" A startled cry pierced the chaos, and Madam Qin's anxious voice reached my ears, trembling slightly.

I turned my head in confusion and saw Madam Qin rushing towards me, her face filled with worry. Behind her, Master Yan also looked anxious, rapidly forming hand seals, seemingly trying to stop me. Leng Shuang stood to the side, a complex expression on her face—a mixture of surprise and… a barely perceptible hint of schadenfreude?

I tried to pull my hand back, but found my body was no longer under my control. That violent energy seemed to have a tremendous attraction, holding me firmly. I felt my life essence burning, my life force rapidly draining away like flowing water.

"Stop her! She's about to be attacked!" Master Yan's voice was filled with anxiety.

Backlash? A jolt of shock shot through me, and I realized I was on the verge of disaster. The Blood Refinement Technique was inherently perilous, especially since I was already at my limit. If I suffered a backlash, the consequences would be unimaginable!

I desperately tried to control my body, to pull my hand back, but to no avail. My consciousness grew increasingly blurred, and everything before my eyes became distorted. The light from the furnace grew ever more blinding, as if it would devour me.

Just when I was about to give up, a cool sensation suddenly rushed into my body, like sweet rain nourishing my parched meridians. I felt my consciousness clear up a little, and my body was no longer so stiff.

Who is it? Who is helping me?

I struggled to open my eyes and saw a blurry figure standing before me. The figure was tall and imposing, radiating an aura of reassurance. Although I couldn't see his face clearly, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“Wen…Chen?” I uttered two words weakly.

The figure paused slightly, then reached out and gently pulled my hand away from the center of the furnace. A warm power flowed into my body through his hand, repairing my damaged meridians.

I felt my strength gradually returning, and my consciousness slowly clearing. I turned to look at the furnace and found that the raging energy had miraculously calmed down, and the fusion of the three materials was more stable. Although it wasn't completely fused yet, at least the danger of explosion was gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart filled with gratitude. If he hadn't appeared in time, I probably would have…

I looked at the figure before me again, trying to make out his face. But his figure became increasingly blurry, and finally disappeared completely.

"Wen Chen..." I murmured softly, my heart filled with doubt. Was he really Wen Chen? But how could he be here?

"Xiao Yao! Are you alright?" Madam Qin's concerned voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

I turned to look at her, forcing a smile: "I'm fine, Mrs. Qin, thank you."

"Silly child, why are you thanking me?" Madam Qin gently patted my shoulder. "You were in such danger just now! You must never take such risks again!"

I nodded, but my mind was still filled with doubt. What exactly happened? Did Wen Chen really save me? Or was it just my imagination?

I looked at the furnace; the fusion of the three materials continued, slowly but steadily. I took a deep breath, a glimmer of hope rising within me. Perhaps, I really could succeed!

However, there's still a long way to go before complete fusion. Can I overcome the remaining difficulties and finally forge this supreme treasure?