Reading Settings
Font Size
16px
Line Spacing
1.6
Reading Width
900px
Font Share
Theme
Text To Speech

279: Chapter 214: Research on Sword Fragments, Refining Divine Materials with the Flame of Civilization

Headquarters of the Hundred Schools Society, the Society Leader's Meditation Chamber.

The noise and vibrant energy of the outside society were blocked out by a thick soundproofing barrier. The light inside the chamber was soft, provided only by a few floating runic lamps that emitted a tranquil, clear glow. The air carried a faint, soothing fragrance from the burning mixture of various spirit plants that aided in calming the mind and focusing the spirit.

Lin Zhou sat cross-legged on the central Spirit Gathering Jade Platform within the chamber, his eyes slightly closed and his breathing long and steady. His condition had mostly returned to its Peak—his divine core was stable, his Divine Power was abundant, and the Fire of Civilization burned quietly in the depths of his Soul, more condensed and intense than ever before.

However, he was not in a hurry to begin the perilous exploration of the cave world. Before him lay another urgent matter, equally fraught with great opportunity and risk—that fragment of the [son of heaven sword Fragment (Damaged)].

The jade box containing the fragment now hovered about a foot in front of him, its lid open. The roughly three-inch-long fragment, dull and lusterless yet faintly exuding an aura of extreme sharpness and majestic authority, lay quietly on the dark velvet cushion inside the box.

Only upon close observation could one truly sense its extraordinariness. The fragment's broken edges were jagged and uneven, as if shattered by some irresistible force. Its material was neither metal nor jade, resembling both bronze and iron, yet it faintly shimmered with a noble purple-gold hue, now extremely dimmed like a dust-covered pearl. The surface of the fragment was covered in intricate, naturally-formed Dao patterns so fine they were nearly invisible to the naked eye. These patterns were currently dormant, but when Lin Zhou's Divine Thought lightly brushed against them, he could feel the preserved, cold, and haughty remnants of rules within—fragments of Laws belonging to concepts like 'Imperial Sovereignty,' 'Mandate of Heaven,' and 'Judgment.'

What concerned Lin Zhou even more was the warning Su Yueyao had brought: this fragment might unpredictably resonate or clash with the cave world he was about to explore, and its Origin, the 'Way of the Human Emperor,' seemed to have played some unclear role in the great calamity that led to the fall of the ancient civilization.

'Fortune and misfortune are hard to predict... But since it is already in my hands, how can I shrink back?' Lin Zhou slowly opened his eyes, the Fire of Civilization flickering within them. 'Way of Civilization embraces all rivers. Even if this fragment originates from the 'Imperial Way,' its material and the rule-based information it contains are still part of the river of civilization. The key lies in how to 'assimilate and utilize' it.'

With a thought, he connected with the Temple of Civilization deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

*Hum—!*

The phantom of the Sanctuary flickered briefly behind him, and a condensed yet gentle pale golden light projected out, enveloping the sword fragment within the jade box. This was the Temple of Civilization's 'Appraisal' and 'Analysis' function. While it couldn't directly fuse with the fragment like refining an ordinary card, it could provide the most fundamental insights.

As the pale golden light scanned it, the dormant Dao patterns on the fragment's surface began to be 'lit up' one by one—not restored to activity, but forcibly 'read' and parsed by the Sanctuary's power. Simultaneously, more detailed and fundamental data about the fragment began to surface in Lin Zhou's consciousness, some even presented directly in the Sanctuary's unique script and imagery:

**[son of heaven sword Fragment (Damaged) In-Depth Analysis Report]**

**Origin Composition:**

**Primary Material:** Human Emperor Purple-Gold (Purity 87.3%, Severely Damaged Spiritually). This material is an Innate divine material that can only be born under special conditions involving the condensation of Human Race beliefs, the starlight of civilization, and the Luck of the Imperial Way. It possesses inherent properties such as 'Indestructibility,' 'Sharpness,' 'Dominion,' and 'Capacity to Bear Luck.'

**Core Imprints:**

**Imperial Law Fragments:** Constituting approximately 42% of the fragment's total rule content. Includes sub-fragments of Laws such as 'Divine Right of Kings (Damaged),' 'Mandate of Heaven (Damaged),' 'Sole Arbiter of Creation (Damaged),' and 'Heavenly Decree as Law (Damaged).' Low integrity (average <15%), existing in a severely damaged and mutually conflicting, unstable state. Exhibits strong rejection and corrupting influence on beings not aligned with the 'Imperial Way' system.

**Residual Human Race Luck:** Constituting approximately 18% of the fragment's total rule content. This is the faint Luck that naturally gathered when the Human Emperor of old wielded this sword (or its projection) to rule over part of the Human Race. The Luck is nearly exhausted and scattered, retaining only a trace of fundamental connection and a latent inclination towards 'Protecting the Human Race' and 'Suppressing External Evils.'

**Residual Unknown High-Dimensional Information:** Constituting approximately 25% of the fragment's total rule content. Structure is extremely chaotic and encrypted, suspected to be memory or informational imprints related to the 'Ancient Calamity' and 'Struggles between Dao Traditions.' Unreadable due to fragmentation, but faintly emits ominous and chaotic fluctuations.

**Basic Sharpness/Durability Rules:** Constituting approximately 15%, relatively stable, but potency is less than one-tenth of its original due to the influence of other damaged rules.

**Current State Assessment:**

**Rule Structure:** On the verge of collapse, spiritual nature annihilated by 99.8%, retaining only a trace of instinctive resistance (towards non-Imperial Way) and mournful lament.

**Material Spiritual Nature:** Severely damaged, but the foundational quality is exceptional, possessing the potential to be recast and partially restored through special means.

**Internal 'Imperial Law Fragments' and 'Unknown High-Dimensional Information'** carry high risk. Direct contact or Fusion may easily lead to self-rule contamination, Dao Heart injury, or even trigger unpredictable incidents.

**Preliminary Processing Suggestions (Temple of Civilization Projection):**

**High-Risk Path (Direct Absorption/Fusion):** Success rate below 0.1%. Requires forcibly suppressing and devouring the conflicting Laws within the fragment using one's own rules. The process Extremely easy (extremely prone to) triggers backlash, causing disorder in one's own divine domain rules and erosion of one's Dao Heart by residual Imperial Laws. The gains do not outweigh the losses. Not recommended.

**Conservative Path (Strip Material, Discard Rules):** Success rate approximately 7%. Use gentle methods (e.g., specific divine flames, disintegration arrays) to slowly strip and purify the 'Human Emperor Purple-Gold' material for use as top-tier Artifact Refining material. This process requires discarding all rule-based information within the fragment (including potential Human Race Luck and unknown information). Safer but yields minimal gains.

**Aggressive Path (Tempering with Fire of Civilization, Selective Transformation):** Success rate unknown (depends on executor's mastery over the Fire of Civilization and steadfastness of own Dao Heart). Use the Fire of Civilization to temper the fragment. Leveraging the Fire's properties of 'Inclusiveness,' 'Evolution,' and 'Eliminating the Dross to Preserve the Essential,' gradually disintegrate and purify the unstable, conflicting rules within the fragment (especially the damaged Imperial Laws and chaotic unknown information). Attempt to retain and transform the relatively neutral or beneficial parts (such as some understanding of 'Order' within the 'Heavenly Decree as Law' fragments, the residual Human Race Luck connection, and the basic sharpness/durability properties). Ultimately purify the 'Human Emperor Purple-Gold' material, laying the foundation for subsequent recasting. This path is time-consuming, consumes vast resources (Divine Power and civilization points), and may provoke violent resistance from the fragment during the process, but offers the highest potential rewards.

The report was clear. Lin Zhou hesitated almost not at all, his gaze locking directly onto the 'Aggressive Path.'

The conservative path was safe but wasteful. Beyond its material, the fragment's greatest value lay precisely in the rule-based information it contained—even if fragmented and conflicting. If he could 'digest' and 'transform' it using Way of Civilization, absorbing even a small portion of its essence would bring immeasurable benefits for his understanding of the 'Imperial Way,' gaining insights by analogy, and potentially dealing with related ancient secrets in the future.

As for the risk... Exploring the cave world was perilous to begin with. If he didn't dare attempt tempering a mere broken fragment, how could he face the unknown graveyard of civilization?

'It's decided. I shall refine this divine material with the Fire of Civilization!' Lin Zhou's eyes sharpened, his resolve firm.

He did not begin directly within the meditation chamber. Tempering such a divine object would inevitably create significant disturbances and require absolute concentration. With a thought, his entire consciousness, along with the hovering jade box and fragment, was instantly pulled into a deeper, more fundamental space—the inner core of the Temple of Civilization, the Origin of the Fire of Civilization.

This was not a specific hall, but an boundless, seemingly Chaos-filled Void Realm composed of countless points of civilization light and torrents of wisdom. At the center of the void, a gentle yet vast flame, its color chaotic as if containing all possibilities and evolutions since the dawn of civilization, burned quietly.

This was Lin Zhou's Fire of Civilization Origin! More fundamental than the river phantom he manifested externally, closer to the source of the 'Dao.'

Here, his control was strongest, and the Fire of Civilization's potency was greatest.

Lin Zhou's phantom stood before the Origin Fire, gazing at the sword fragment he had brought in. Within the Sanctuary's core space, the fragment seemed to sense a greater threat. Its dull surface actually emitted an extremely faint, resistant, and sorrowful ripple of purple-gold light on its own.

'Let's begin.'

Lin Zhou's phantom raised a hand and gave a gentle summoning gesture towards the Civilization Origin Fire.

*Whoosh—!*

A thread of flame, only as thick as a strand of hair and of a chaotic color, separated from the Origin Fire. Like a living spirit serpent, it slowly slithered towards the sword fragment. This thread of flame appeared weak, but its 'heat' was not manifested on a physical level. Instead, it was a force of 'tempering' and 'purification' that acted directly upon the essence of rules, concepts, and information.

The flame thread carefully made contact with the fragment's surface.

*Hiss—!*

The moment of contact triggered a sudden mutation!

The lifeless fragment, as if thoroughly provoked (or having touched upon the most inviolable part of its residual instincts), violently erupted with a far stronger purple-gold radiance than before! Within this radiance, countless phantom images of fragmented Imperial Law runes flashed, collided, and wailed! A domineering, majestic, and utterly unyielding remnant of will, mixed with the sword's unwillingness and fury at being broken, coalesced into a low yet Soul-piercing—

*Screeeech—!!!*

A dragon's roar! Not the roar of a real, living dragon, but a roar at the level of Law, the final, most instinctive resistance and intimidation issued by the authority of the "Imperial Way" represented by the "son of heaven sword" when facing the erosion of a fundamentally different "Way of Civilization" Origin that even seemed to subtly restrain it!

The oppressive might contained within this dragon's roar, while far inferior to a complete projection of the son of heaven sword, was still enough to shake the minds of ordinary Faint Divinity beings and destabilize their rules!

However, this was the core of the Temple of Civilization! Lin Zhou's home ground! The place where the Fire of Civilization Origin burned!

Faced with this Imperial Way dragon's roar akin to a death throe, that wisp of chaotic-colored flame filament merely paused slightly before its light brightened a fraction. More torrents of civilization information flow, containing infinite concepts like "all rivers flow into the sea," "the long river of history," "the wisdom of the masses," and "natural evolution," surged forth along the flame filament!

This was not a head-on collision, but an embrace, a dissolution, an assimilation!

The tyrannical will of "supreme and sole authority" and "Mandate of Heaven is unique" within the dragon's roar, when encountering the vast torrent of concepts within the Fire of Civilization—"myriad paths coexist," "the Mandate of Heaven is fickle," "the people are noble, the ruler is light"—was like a red-hot iron ingot thrown into the ocean. While it initially provoked a violent reaction (the dragon's roar), its core of "uniqueness" and "exclusivity" was rapidly surrounded, diluted, and parsed by the more grand and inclusive concepts of civilization!

The fragments of Imperial Law within that violet-gold radiance began to melt and disintegrate even more rapidly, like ice and snow under the sun, transforming into the most primitive streams of rule information, greedily absorbed, analyzed, and archived by the Fire of Civilization. Some purely negative, conflicting parts were directly incinerated and purified; some relatively neutral or potentially useful parts (such as certain forms of "Order," parts of the "adjudication" process) were stripped out, carefully stored, and set aside for later digestion and absorption.

The refinement steadily progressed amidst fierce resistance and even stronger suppression and purification.

Lin Zhou focused his entire being, synchronizing his Divine Thought completely with the Fire of Civilization Origin, meticulously controlling the flame's temperature, angle, and the rule tendencies of its penetration. He could clearly "see" every minute change in the fragment's internal structure and sense that the residual "Human Race Luck" it contained seemed to become somewhat more "pure" and "lively" after the Imperial Law was weakened, showing a faint "affinity" toward the Fire of Civilization, as if finding a new home. As for the "unknown high-dimensional information," it was like the most stubborn reef, floating and sinking within the flames. Although its outer chaotic protective shell was also slowly stripped away, revealing an even more complex and inscrutable encrypted core within, completely deciphering it would be no short-term task.

Time seemed to lose all meaning within the core space of the Sanctuary.

After an unknowable period, when those unwilling dragon roars completely dissipated, the violet-gold radiance on the fragment's surface dimmed entirely, the Imperial Law fragment was purified by over seventy percent, and the remaining portion was temporarily sealed and suppressed, Lin Zhou knew that the initial, preliminary refinement and purification of the first stage was barely complete.

The fragment now seemed slightly smaller in volume (by about 5%), its color becoming more restrained and deep, no longer violet-gold but a somber, profound black. Yet, upon closer inspection, within that profound blackness, there were tiny, subtle points of violet-gold and chaotic starlight swirling. That aggressive Imperial Way oppressive might and sense of conflict had greatly diminished, replaced by a more "neutral," "material-like" feeling, though one could still sense its inherently noble and sharp essence.

Most importantly, the intense sense of repulsion between the fragment and the Fire of Civilization had vanished. In its place was a subtle calmness, as if after being "tamed," even a hint of dependence nurtured by the Fire of Civilization.

Lin Zhou's phantom figure looked slightly weary, but his eyes were filled with excitement. He extended his hand in a beckoning motion, and the fragment that had undergone preliminary refinement slowly flew to his palm.

Its touch was cool, exceptionally heavy (three inches in length, yet its weight rivaled a small mountain), and the sharpness contained within seemed even more pure and restrained.

[son of heaven sword Fragment (Initial Refinement Complete)]

Status: Imperial Law purification 72%, unstable rules preliminarily stabilized, material spirituality beginning to recover (1%), weak link to Human Race Luck restored, unknown information partially sealed.

Re-forging Possible: The current fragment preliminarily meets the conditions to serve as an "artifact embryo" for re-forging.

Re-forging Requirements:

civilization points: 1,000,000 points (used for deducing re-forging plans, harmonizing rules, and imbuing new spirituality).

Special Technique: [Civilization Forging Method] (requires unlocking corresponding knowledge from the Temple of Civilization, or personal comprehension).

Auxiliary Materials: Multiple high-grade divine Materials compatible with the concepts of "Civilization," "Order," "Protection," and "Sharpness."

Re-forging Environment: Must be performed in the core of the Temple of Civilization or a similar high-grade rule environment.

Warning: The re-forging process is irreversible and will fundamentally alter the fragment's essence and form. The resulting product will depart from the category of "son of heaven sword," becoming a brand-new artifact imbued with "Civilization" characteristics. Success rate is influenced by multiple factors.

"One million civilization points..." Lin Zhou looked at the staggering number, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. The civilization points he had accumulated so far were still far from that figure. It seemed the matter of re-forging would have to be planned for the long term, at least until after returning from the exploration of the secret realm, where perhaps there would be significant gains.

However, even the results of this preliminary refinement had already benefited him greatly. Not only had he obtained a semi-finished divine material of extremely high essence, but through the purification and analysis of the Imperial Law fragment, he had gained a deeper, more intuitive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the "Imperial Way" and the different manifestations of "Order." These insights themselves were valuable nourishment that could feed back into his "Way of Civilization," making it more complete and profound.

Just as he was about to withdraw from the Sanctuary's core space to rest briefly, a slight fluctuation came from the barrier outside the meditation chamber—a notification of a visitor, and one with high clearance at that.

Lin Zhou focused his mind, his consciousness returning to the meditation chamber. He placed the preliminarily refined fragment back into the jade box (the jade box could no longer completely isolate its aura; a higher-grade container was needed), composed his slightly weary expression, and spoke, "Please enter."

The meditation chamber door slid open silently, revealing Su Yueyao's figure at the entrance. In her hand, she held a small box crafted from Starwood, her expression carrying a hint of inquiry and concern.

"Senior Yueyao." Lin Zhou rose to greet her.

Su Yueyao stepped into the chamber, her sharp gaze sweeping over Lin Zhou's slightly pale face and the extremely faint, lingering aftertaste of rule-burning in the air that hadn't fully dispersed. She glanced at the jade box beside him, whose aura seemed to have changed somewhat, and understanding dawned in her heart.

"It seems you have already attempted it," Su Yueyao said, placing the Starwood box on the table. "How did it progress? Did you encounter that 'dragon's roar' backlash?"

"I did, but it was suppressed by the Fire of Civilization," Lin Zhou did not conceal it, briefly summarizing the results of the preliminary refinement and the distant requirements for re-forging.

Upon hearing this, a flash of wonder appeared in Su Yueyao's eyes. "To purify Imperial Law without harming your own Dao foundation... your Fire of Civilization is indeed miraculous." She pointed to the Starwood box she had brought. "I came because I remembered that in an even more ancient Family record, it was mentioned that the 'son of heaven sword' did not exist in isolation. Part of its power and rank came from a matching 'scabbard' or 'sword case.' The sword governs attack and adjudication; the scabbard (case) governs nurturing and storage, harmonizing Luck, and shielding from heavenly secrets. If the sword is broken, its scabbard (case) might..."

She did not finish, but the implication was clear. If a matching scabbard or sword case for the son of heaven sword had been passed down, it might be of immense assistance to Lin Zhou in handling this fragment, and even for future re-forging.

Lin Zhou's heart stirred. "Senior, you mean..."

"I am merely providing a clue," Su Yueyao said softly, opening the Starwood box. Inside was not a physical object, but a crystal shard recording a complex star chart with ancient textual annotations. "This star chart marks several vague coordinate regions suspected to be possibly related to ancient 'Human Emperor' ruins or relics. One of them is specially annotated as 'Place of Sheathed Sharpness.' This was something my grand-uncle obtained by chance during his travels across the starry sea years ago. Its authenticity cannot be guaranteed, and the location is extremely remote and dangerous. But if you intend to search in the future, it may serve as a reference."

This was yet another precious gift! Although the hope was slim, it was still a possible path.

"Thank you, Senior," Lin Zhou said solemnly, accepting the crystal shard.

"No need for thanks," Su Yueyao shook her head, her gaze returning to the jade box, her tone turning slightly grave. "With the initial refinement of the fragment complete, its aura, though restrained, has an elevated essence, making it easier to be sensed by beings of the same Origin or hostile forces. Your exploration of the secret realm is imminent; you must be even more cautious. I suspect the Xuanyuan Family may already have some awareness."

Lin Zhou's eyes sharpened, and he nodded.

After seeing Su Yueyao off, Lin Zhou stood alone in the meditation chamber, his fingers brushing over the jade box containing the fragment, sensing the power within that had become docile yet appeared even more profound.

The Fire of Civilization refines divine material, its edge beginning to show.

The road ahead was long, with crisis and opportunity forever walking side by side.

Prev Next

🔊 Text To Speech

Listen while reading

Ready