If it were anyone else, obtaining such a small piece of ten-thousand-year ice essence would likely be treated as a family heirloom. Ling Tian, however, treated it as a disposable item.
Ling Tian's spiritual realm space stored a vast quantity of ten-thousand-year ice essence. Moreover, Ling Tian now possessed the Treasure Gathering Basin, capable of replicating such rare heavenly treasures in large quantities.
As for jade, Ling Tian had also stockpiled a considerable amount. If he wished, he could craft thousands, even tens of thousands, of such rings.
Ling Tian named this thumb ring, capable of releasing an ice shell, the "Ice Guardian."
Of course, besides the Ice Guardian, Ling Tian had also drawn many Vajra Talismans.
Although the protective effect of Vajra Talismans was significantly reduced against the peculiar methods of cultivators, they were still cost-effective and could withstand extensive use without causing any heartache.
Furthermore, Vajra Talismans could be distributed to those around him, making them widely applicable.
Three days later, Ling Tian first retrieved the Fire Spirit from the Soul Refining Furnace. He was astonished to find that the Fire Spirit's body had solidified to a point nearing physical form, and he could fully sense its incredible agility.
Next, Ling Tian went to the Sky Burning Cauldron. By then, the original Crimson Flame Sword and the materials Ling Tian had placed inside had all melted and fused together!
A formation was drawn on the floor of the blacksmith's shop. Ling Tian sat at the formation's eye and began to control the Sky Burning Cauldron with his mental power.
The Sky Burning Cauldron slowly levitated. Immediately after, the cauldron's lid opened automatically, and the bright mass burning within the furnace was poured out, landing directly in the center of the formation on the ground.
Under Ling Tian's mental control, a large amount of surrounding spiritual energy surged into the formation, shaping the molten metal.
Soon, a sword, entirely crimson in color, appeared before Ling Tian.
This sword was about a meter long and resembled ancient swords from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. However, Ling Tian had reshaped the sword's guard and pommel to align better with aerodynamic principles.
He intended to refine this sword into a flying sword and naturally desired the fastest possible flight speed.
The moment the sword took shape, the Fire Spirit beside it suddenly lunged towards the sword, its released flames engulfing the weapon.
Ling Tian quickly formed hand seals, chanting incantations. The entire formation on the ground lit up, and in an instant, the Fire Spirit merged with the sword!
A massive influx of spiritual energy poured into the formation and then, at specific angles, infused into the sword.
Ling Tian focused intently, controlling the formation's operation. This process lasted for a full six hours. The sword within the formation grew increasingly luminous, its shape becoming clearer and clearer!
Ling Tian sensed that the sword had reached its limit and could no longer absorb more spiritual energy. Thus, Ling Tian controlled the sword, guiding it out of the formation and over a pool of water.
This pool was filled with a deep azure liquid. This liquid was no ordinary water; it was ten-thousand-year ice essence that Ling Tian had liquefied through special means.
The sword in mid-air plunged headfirst into the pool with a swoosh. The bright sword spirit instantly extinguished. The blue liquid ten-thousand-year ice essence in the pool visibly diminished.
Ultimately, the entire pool of liquid ten-thousand-year ice essence was consumed, and the sword's final form was revealed to Ling Tian.
It was a sword with a streamlined appearance, its blade faintly emitting a red glow. While the sword's surface appeared unsharpened, Ling Tian knew it was incredibly sharp.
He immediately stepped forward, grasped the sword, and then made a cut on his left wrist!
This sword, which appeared to lack an edge, was incredibly sharp, instantly opening a deep gash on Ling Tian's wrist. Blood gushed out immediately.
All this blood dripped onto the sword. Then, an astonishing scene unfolded: not a single drop of blood fell to the ground; it was all absorbed by the sword.
Ling Tian held the sword aloft, maintaining his pose, watching as the blood was absorbed bit by bit.
Finally, after half an hour, the sword was saturated with blood. The excess blood dripped onto the ground. Ling Tian quickly circulated his energy, contracting his muscles, and sealed the wound on his wrist. By then, Ling Tian felt dizzy and weak.
This was a crucial step in refining a flying sword. The more blood offered, the higher the compatibility with the sword spirit within the sword.
During this half-hour period, nearly half of Ling Tian's blood had flowed out. It was only due to Ling Tian's robust physique that he didn't perish; an ordinary person would have died long ago.
Despite being extremely fatigued and somewhat weak, Ling Tian was incredibly excited and happy because he could already feel an aura emanating from the sword that was intrinsically linked to his own!
Ling Tian could sense that the sword possessed life, and its pulse beat in almost perfect synchronization with his own heartbeat!
However, Ling Tian no longer had the strength to test the flying sword's power. He quickly took out some blood-replenishing pills, swallowed them greedily, drank a lot of milk, and then sat cross-legged, circulating his energy to regulate his blood and qi.
It was important to remember that Ling Tian's severe injuries had not fully healed. Losing so much blood again meant that if he didn't regulate himself properly, he could develop lingering health issues. His revenge was not yet exacted, and such a hidden danger could potentially cost him his life when he was fighting at full capacity.
After another two full days of recuperation, Ling Tian had recovered somewhat. Calculating the time, he had been in the spiritual realm space for six days. Currently, the time ratio between the spiritual realm space and the outside world was 3:1, meaning that three days spent in the spiritual realm space equated to only one day passing in the outside world.
This difference in time flow further highlighted the preciousness of the spiritual realm space.
Even without exceptional talent in cultivation, putting in twice the effort within the same timeframe would yield significant rewards.
Ling Tian changed into a fresh set of clothes. With a flicker of thought, he instantly appeared by the riverbank. The moment he materialized, two electric scooters sped towards him, and eight fully armed women dismounted.
These women were all disciples of the Misty Rain Pavilion. They exuded a palpable killing intent and were extremely tense, especially considering that three days prior, the island had faced a crisis, resulting in the deaths of many sisters.
Master Misty Rain and Qiu Hong had both issued orders to strengthen the island's defenses. Many Misty Rain Pavilion disciples had been recalled, and the island's overall alert level had been raised to the highest.
They had just seen someone appear on the shore through the surveillance monitors and had immediately rushed to investigate, fearing another intruder attempting to cause trouble on the island.