220: I asked you to fix it, and you turned the antique into mud?

Inside the thatched hut.

Shen Nanxi sat cross-legged, the Nine Heavens Profound Iron Sword Embryo resting across his knees.

He took a deep breath and flipped open the Myriad Talismans Reaching Heaven Scripture: Micro-manipulation Chapter.

The first page: the Repair Talisman.

The Talisman's structure was more than ten times more complex than the Cleaning Talisman.

If the Cleaning Talisman was a domineering, one-size-fits-all cut, then the Repair Talisman was a delicate embroidery needle.

It needed to follow the original texture of the matter to guide, reshape, and close the gaps.

"Texture..."

Shen Nanxi closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a faint shimmer flickered in the depths of his gaze.

In his vision.

This sword embryo was no longer cold metal, but a mass of tangled lines.

Some lines were broken, some were twisted, and many black spots were stuck between the lines, obstructing their flow.

Those were the Impurities and damages.

"I need to connect the broken lines and straighten the twisted ones."

Shen Nanxi picked up the spirit fox brush and dipped it in some golden Talisman ink.

This was the ink Wang Duojin had prepared for him using "Adamantine Sand," specifically for drawing strengthening-type Talismans.

He set the brush to the surface.

This time, he didn't have that violent Aura as if he wanted to wipe away heaven and earth.

His movements were very light and slow.

The tip of the brush moved across the sword embryo like it was caressing a lover's skin.

Golden threads spread along the cracks of the sword embryo.

"It's broken here... connect it."

"There's a black spot here... bypass it, squeeze it out."

Beads of sweat formed on Shen Nanxi's forehead.

This kind of micro-manipulation was much more exhausting than pure destruction.

It consumed not only his vitality and spirit but also his understanding of the Laws.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Phew..."

Shen Nanxi let out a long breath as the final stroke was completed.

Buzz!

The sword embryo trembled slightly.

Its originally dark and rough surface suddenly lit up with a faint golden glow.

Then.

A magical scene unfolded.

Those visible black spots of Impurities actually seemed to come alive, being "squeezed" out from inside the sword embryo, turning into black powder and falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, the cracks on the sword embryo healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

No, it wasn't healing.

It was restoration.

Like time was flowing backward.

This sword embryo was transforming from its "forged into a sword embryo" state back to a more primitive state.

"Is it done?"

Shen Nanxi watched with anticipation.

The golden light grew brighter and brighter.

Finally, with a soft "crack."

The light dissipated.

Shen Nanxi was dumbfounded.

The sword embryo that had been brimming with Sword Qi was gone.

In its place was a fist-sized, irregular, dusty gray stone.

This is... iron Ore?

"Huh?"

Shen Nanxi picked up the stone, completely bewildered.

"I... wasn't I supposed to repair it?"

"How did I repair it back into its mother's womb?"

Although that sword embryo had many Impurities, it had at least been tempered a thousand times.

Now, it was great.

It had turned directly back into raw Ore.

Does this count as being repaired?

Pfft—

From outside the thatched hut came a burst of stifled laughter.

Ye Chengshan (Ergou) poked his head in, looking at the stone in Shen Nanxi's hand, laughing so hard he slapped his thigh.

"Junior Martial Uncle! Your skill is incredible!"

"When others repair things, they refurbish them; you, however, go for atavism!"

"If some old lady with too many wrinkles asks you to fix her up, wouldn't you repair her back into a fertilized egg?"

Shen Nanxi's face turned beet red.

"Don't... don't talk nonsense."

"I just... didn't use the right amount of force."

He looked at the Ore in his hand with some frustration.

Although it had become raw Ore, the purity of this stone seemed much higher than the sword embryo from before.

All those Impurities had been "repaired" out by him.

"Let me see it."

A voice rang out from thin air.

The next moment, Chu Xuanjin's figure appeared in the hut.

"Revered Master!"

"Grandmaster!"

The two of them hurried to salute.

Chu Xuanjin ignored them and reached out to pick up the Ore.

Heavenly Dao Dharma Eye, open.

[Item: Nine Heavens Profound Iron Essence (Raw Ore)]

[Purity: 100% (Perfect)]

[Evaluation: Stripped of all traces of Acquired processing and Impurities, returning to the most fundamental state of matter. This is the prototype of 'Karmic Regression.']

A hint of surprise flashed in Chu Xuanjin's eyes.

Karmic Regression.

This was a high-end operation involving the Law of Time.

This kid had stumbled his way into touching the threshold of the Law of Time?

Although it was just restoring an object to its previous state, this potential... "Not bad."

Chu Xuanjin nodded and tossed the Ore back to Shen Nanxi.

"Although the direction was slightly off, the essence was correct."

"The ultimate form of repair is restoration."

"However, Nanxi."

Chu Xuanjin pointed at the stone.

"Next time you repair something, you must think clearly in your mind whether you want to repair it into a 'sword' or into 'iron'."

"Your intent determines the direction of the Talisman."

"Intent..."

Shen Nanxi was lost in thought.

When he was drawing the Talisman just now, he was indeed thinking "remove the Impurities, fill the cracks."

As a result, the Talisman faithfully executed the command: it treated all the Acquired fire energy and tempering marks as Impurities and removed them, and treated the polished sword shape as damage and filled it in.

Thus, it turned back into a stone.

"I understand, Disciple understands!"

Shen Nanxi's eyes lit up.

"I need to give it a 'definition'!"

"Correct."

Chu Xuanjin smiled approvingly.

"The Dao of Talismans is about defining the world."

"If you say it's a sword, it's a sword. If you say it's iron, it's iron."

"This is the true essence of the Myriad Talismans Reaching Heaven Scripture."

With that, Chu Xuanjin flipped his palm.

A tattered tea bowl with a missing piece appeared in his hand.

This was something he had accidentally crushed while drinking tea earlier.

"Come, try this."

"Fix it."

"Remember, I want a bowl for drinking tea, not a lump of mud."

Shen Nanxi took the tea bowl and took a deep breath.

This time, his gaze became exceptionally solemn.

Definition.

This is a bowl.

A complete, smooth bowl used for holding tea.

He picked up the brush and set it down again.

This time, the flow of the Talisman runes changed.

It was no longer a simple reversal, but a type of reconstruction.

Ye Chengshan stood by, not daring to breathe, staring intently at the tea bowl.

As the Talisman runes lit up.

Countless tiny particles began to gather at the gap.

It wasn't flowing backward; it was growing.

Like a wound scabbing over, the gap was "growing" back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After three breaths.

The light faded.

A perfectly intact tea bowl appeared in Shen Nanxi's hand.

Not even a single crack could be seen.

"I did it!"

Shen Nanxi excitedly held up the tea bowl.

"Revered Master! I did it!"

Chu Xuanjin took the tea bowl and flicked it with his finger.

Ding.

It was crisp and pleasant to the ear.

"Not bad."

In his mind, the System notification rang.

[Ding! Disciple Shen Nanxi has comprehended the Talisman intent of 'Material Reconstruction'.]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Law Insight · Creation (Fragment)!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Immortal Grade Peak · Heaven-Mending Mud (One Vat)!]

Chu Xuanjin was in a great mood.

Not only did he gain Law insight, but he also saved the money for a new bowl.

"Alright, keep practicing."

"When you can piece back together something that has been ground into powder, you can complete your apprenticeship."

Chu Xuanjin walked away with his hands behind his back.

At the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Ye Chengshan.

"Ergou."

"Huh? Grandmaster, I'm here!"

Ye Chengshan immediately stood at attention.

"Your Junior Martial Uncle is practicing micro-manipulation; what about you?"

"All you do is stand there grinning like an idiot all day."

Go, till that Spirit Field on the back mountain."

"No spiritual energy allowed, and no hoes allowed."

Chu Xuanjin pointed at Ye Chengshan's hand.

"Use your fingers to till it."

"Till it until it's soft and even."

"If I see a single clump of soil..."

Chu Xuanjin narrowed his eyes.

"I'll have your Junior Martial Uncle draw a Cleaning Talisman for you and 'clean' off that layer of fat you've got."

Ye Chengshan shuddered, his face turning pale.

"Yes! Grandmaster! I'm going right now!"

Seeing Ergou scrambling toward the back mountain, Shen Nanxi couldn't help but laugh.

He gripped the spirit fox brush in his hand.

These days of being watched over by his Revered Master and teased by his fellow Disciple...

It was truly wonderful.

"Revered Master, thank you."

He gave a light kowtow toward the direction where Chu Xuanjin had disappeared.

Then, he picked up the Ore he had "ruined" during the repair.

"Again!"

"This time, I will repair you into an... unparalleled sword!"

In the thatched hut, the golden light of the Talisman lit up once more.

The boy's focused profile looked exceptionally sacred amidst the light and shadows.