The space quieted down once more. The Lihuo flames had completely disappeared, and the process of refining that single crystal-clear water drop had used up all the profound-grade spirit stones that Meng Qi had thrown out.
Neither she nor Li Che uttered a single word, both holding their breath as they stared at the unconscious Yan Xuan. The person lying on the ground remained motionless, and no one knew what was happening inside his body at that moment. After a while, Meng Qi frowned as she looked at the still unmoving Yan Xuan.
In Three Thousand Worlds, there were many possible natal artifacts that a cultivator could refine—the possibility was simply boundless. In fact, some cultivators, with the help of a proficient refinery cultivator, could even refine unprecedented natal artifacts that met their specific needs.
Most medical cultivators chose either needles or cauldrons. Needles were small but flexible. When cultivated to the finest level, the natal artifact and its master could be connected in mind, and by attaching a strand of aura onto its tip, the needle enabled its master to examine the patient’s blood vessels, meridians, organs, and even their spiritual sea with great precision.
In contrast, cauldrons played a vital role in the refinement of medicine. For the most part, spiritual materials needed to be refined and their medicinal properties extracted before being utilized for healing purposes. Ordinary cauldrons could refine some of them, but for the highest-grade materials, only a medical cultivator’s natal cauldron could extract their essence and ultimately create medicine. The higher the medical cultivator’s cultivation, the stronger their natal artifact. Different methods of refining these artifacts could also lead to different final effects, and some might have special functions if they were made using particular methods or materials—just like Meng Qi’s Five Spirit Cauldron.
Despite its immense potential, the Five Spirit Cauldron was, ultimately, just a cauldron; it could never work as a needle. So, while she and Li Che had no idea what Yan Xuan was going through at this moment, they could only watch without being able to do anything.
Meng Qi’s face remained calm, but countless scenes flashed through her mind in an instant. In each scene, vast clouds of darkness loomed overhead. Beneath these clouds lay shattered mountains and lakes, with countless stars breaking apart and falling, finally disappearing into the void. Where the stars shattered and fell, only bottomless black whirlpools were left. These whirlpools seemed to have a mysterious power—one look into them, and they could suck away a person’s soul.
This scene was utterly unfamiliar; Meng Qi had no memory of ever seeing it before. Even in her most terrifying memory prior to meeting her death in the Devil Realm, she had never seen such an apocalyptic scene.
“Meng Qiqi.” In her daze, someone grabbed her arm and shook it forcefully.
Meng Qi snapped back to reality and looked up, meeting Li Che’s worried gaze. “I’m fine,” she shook her head and subconsciously looked up at the sky.
High above, a few wisps of white clouds drifted lonely in the sky, with no trace of the oppressive black clouds from her memory. She lowered her gaze somewhat despondently, her eyes falling back on Yan Xuan, who was still lying quietly on the ground.
The young man’s face was pale, and he remained motionless. Meng Qi’s expression shifted slightly, and a strand of aura quietly drifted toward him, entering through his wrist, following his blood vessels, and finally reaching his spiritual sea.
For a cultivator, allowing another’s aura to invade their spiritual sea was incredibly dangerous, almost equivalent to handing over their life to the other person, and even with his spiritual sea shattered and his consciousness gone, Yan Xuan’s natural reflexes as a cultivator caused his aura to instinctively generate a force of resistance, blocking Meng Qi’s aura.
Meng Qi sighed softly, looking up at the sky in a daze. If she were dealing with an ordinary cultivator or just investigating a regular injury, there would be no need to use a natal needle. But Yan Xuan had once been too strong, too talented, and he was now severely injured, with his entire spiritual sea shattered, along with the meridians connecting to it.
At this moment, the nether aura was permeating his meridians and spiritual sea, triggering Yan Xuan’s own aura, making it impossible for Meng Qi’s aura to reach his spiritual sea. In other words, they could only… leave it to fate.
Meng Qi couldn’t help but curl her lips into a bitter smile. Sure enough—it was still no use. She had encountered such dilemmas before. Choosing between a cauldron and a needle for a natal artifact was something every medical cultivator had likely struggled with, a debate that had persisted for thousands of years.
She glanced back at Li Che, who also happened to turn his gaze toward her.
The two exchanged a look, and both shook their heads in helplessness.
“We’ve done all we can,” Meng Qi paced back and forth, muttering.
“Meng Qiqi.” Li Che frowned, as if struggling with something.
“Yes?”
“I…” Li Che opened his mouth but stopped midway, clearly hesitating. His eyes met Meng Qi’s, and the slender figure clad in the blue robe was reflected in his gaze. They were both medical cultivators, so he naturally knew what Meng Qi was desperate to do now, and he understood where her frustration came from.
“My…” Li Che gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind. “My sect… has a technique that’s only passed down to personal disciples.”
“Hmm?” Meng Qi looked at him with some surprise. She knew that Li Che’s sect had a long and ancient history in the Southern Realm. However, the Southern Realm had never placed much emphasis on medical cultivators, and most medical sects had since declined, including Li Che’s Canglang Academy.
When she heard Li Che’s sudden statement, Meng Qi understood. Any sect that could survive for thousands or even tens of thousands of years surely had its secrets.
“Although our sect has declined, the legacy has never died out.” Li Che smiled bitterly, “It’s all because of this technique.”
“I see,” Meng Qi nodded.
Li Che continued, “Our sect has not only declined but also weakened. In fact, we have been barely maintaining our place among the top ten sects in the Southern Realm. Perhaps our ancestors foresaw this when passing down the legacy, which is why this technique carries a built-in prohibition. The thing is…” Li Che paused, hesitating.
“Ah?” Meng Qi was a little surprised. “No one has been able to break the restriction for thousands of years?”
“Correct. No one has broken it.” Li Che said, “I know that some restrictions are often broken by later generations during the inheritance process, but this secret technique has been passed down generation after generation within our sect and remained unbroken.”
“Meng Qiqi,” Li Che fell silent for a moment before continuing slowly, “I have already been taught this secret technique by my master.”
“Ah?” Meng Qi was startled, but not surprised. Li Che was one of the most talented disciples at Canglang Academy. Moreover, he was kind-hearted, skilled in healing, and had always been highly regarded by his sect. She still remembered how the Li Che in her previous life would later vow to spend three years traveling the Southern Realm on foot, practicing medicine, every time he made a small breakthrough in cultivation.
He might not be as skilled as the disciples of the Feng Alliance, but among all the people Meng Qi knew, his medical cultivation was the most solid. She had no doubt that Li Che’s achievements in the future might surpass those of many genius medical cultivators.
“Congratulations,” Meng Qi said sincerely.
“Thank you,” Li Che responded politely. “But now I can teach it to you.” He paused, then slowly added, “This secret technique allows for the temporary transformation of a natal artifact.”
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