Chapter 244: Chapter 244: Refining the Spiritual Artifact_1

“Can you really teach me magic?” the little ghost prince asked excitedly.

“Not only can I teach you magic, but I can also give you guidance at the right time, allowing you to cultivate to realms only spoken of in legends. However, as a price for all of this, you must become the guardian spirit within this jade token, and come out to protect its master whenever he is in danger,” Xu Fan said with a slight smile.

“Are there no other conditions?” the little prince asked anxiously.

“Just this one. I am helping to boost your combat abilities so that you can better protect the owner of this jade token. Moreover, I will refine this token anew. After the refinement, the speed at which you cultivate inside will be much faster than it is now!” Xu Fan said indifferently.

“Fine, I’m willing!” the little prince nodded and agreed to Xu Fan’s terms.

In truth, the conditions Xu Fan offered were extremely generous. Just protecting Tongtong in times of danger would grant the little prince the privilege of cultivating a superior ghost cultivation technique provided by Xu Fan, a bigwig who commanded respect in the Cultivation World.

If those three resentful spirits from before knew about this, they would be beside themselves with rage.

Because the little prince’s aptitude for cultivation was top-notch, Xu Fan proposed such generous terms. Of course, enhancing the little prince’s strength was also an indirect way of boosting his own, as the jade already housed the spirit of the prince, who had been living inside it for thousands of years, making him the most suitable guardian spirit for the token.

With the little prince’s agreement during the artifact refinement, the jade token could be transformed into a true spiritual artifact, which would be far more powerful than the damaged jade pendant Xu Fan had acquired from Zangyu Tower.

Once the guardian spirit was in place, it could automatically sense danger in the vicinity. If anything tried to harm Tongtong, the guardian spirit would emerge immediately, activating the defensive arrays within the spiritual artifact to shield Tongtong from harm.

Moreover, this guardian spirit was capable of cultivating on its own and now possessed a strength not weaker than a Martial Arts Grandmaster. In critical moments, it could be directly summoned to fight, ensuring that even an average martial artist would no longer be able to injure Tongtong.

Xu Fan confirmed the arrangements with the little prince once more and then called him over.

Xu Fan’s hand slowly extended, settling on the prince’s shoulder, and from the prince, he extracted a wisp of gray smoke.

Throughout the entire process, the little prince did not resist at all.

Afterward, Xu Fan infused the Ghost Cultivation Technique “Spirit Perception Technique” from his own mind into the little prince’s head. Holding the wisp of gray smoke in his hand, he then detached from the space within the jade token.

What was miraculous was that even though Xu Fan had exited the space of the jade token, the wisp of smoke still lingered between his fingers. This wisp of smoke was actually a part of the little prince’s soul. Xu Fan wanted to turn the little prince into the true guardian spirit of the jade token, which required embedding the prince’s soul into it.

Now the little prince was at most residing inside the jade token, but after Xu Fan transformed him into the token’s guardian spirit, the little prince would fuse completely with the jade token.

They would share both glory and loss together.

If the Jade Token were to suffer any accidental damage, the little Prince, as its Artifact Spirit, would also dissipate immediately.

However, similarly, if the little Prince’s cultivation were to continuously improve, then the tier of this Jade Token would also upgrade along with the increase in the little Prince’s strength.

Xu Fan casually released a barrier array within the room to isolate sound and light before sitting down cross-legged, beginning the process of artifact refinement.

With a light gesture, Xu Fan utilized the Air Control Technique, and the pristine Jade Token quietly floated in mid-air.

The first step of artifact refinement was to remove the impurities and the carved designs originally found on the Jade Token, which required the use of high-level Spiritual Fire.

Fortunately, Xu Fan was an Alchemist, and the Dan Fire used for alchemy was perfectly suited for artifact refinement.

From Xu Fan’s left hand, a wisp of cyan Dan Fire slowly emerged, which he then used to move the Jade Token onto his palm using the Air Control Technique.

Under the intense heat of the Dan Fire, the Jade Token spun slowly, transforming into a puddle of milky-white liquid, from which the little Prince emitted a cry of terror.

“Begin cultivating the ‘Spirit Perception Technique’ I taught you. Concentrate your mind on the core, without distraction. Do not worry about the temperature outside. I have it measured and will not harm you,” Xu Fan calmly said to the little Prince within the Jade Token.

The little Prince within the Jade Token sat down obediently upon hearing Xu Fan’s words.

The grand hall originally within the Jade Token had already vanished under the heat of the Dan Fire in Xu Fan’s palms. Now the space within the Jade Token had turned into a foggy scene, with only the little Prince sitting alone amidst the mist, focusing his energy and starting to cultivate the ‘Spirit Perception Technique’ that Xu Fan had taught him.

After the Jade Token turned into a pool of lustrous liquid, Xu Fan continued to release the Dan Fire while using his powers to remove all the impurities within the Jade Token, leaving the liquified jade even more brilliant and clear.

In Xu Fan’s other hand, he held a strand of the little Prince’s remnant soul. He gently released the tendril of smoke, allowing it to slowly fuse with the jade liquid.

“Now I’m about to carve the Artifact Spirit Array. You need to fully merge with this Jade Token. This process is crucial, and you must not resist at all, or else your soul will be destroyed!” Xu Fan warned the little Prince in the Jade Token, as the fire in his hand gradually weakened.

As the temperature decreased, the liquid jade began to solidify. Xu Fan modeled the Jade Token after the image of a small cat from his memory, shaping it anew. Then, using his finger as a pen and his qi as ink, he began to inscribe arrays onto the Jade Token.

There were three arrays Xu Fan needed to inscribe on the Jade Token. The first was the Guardian Spirit Recognition Array, which would bind the Jade Token to the little Prince, turning it into a true Spiritual Artifact.

The second array was the Yin Yang Conversion Array. With this array, the little Prince would transform from a vengeful spirit into a regular spiritual life form. This would prevent inconceivable occurrences such as bringing misfortune to the host or causing people who touched it to see ghosts, and it would also allow the little Prince to appear from within the Jade Token during daylight, thanks to the array.

The third array was a Protective Array custom-designed by Xu Fan for Tongtong. With this array, along with the little Prince’s prompt warning radar function, it would be possible to offer all-round, three-dimensional protection for Tongtong. Should danger arise, a reflexive activation of the Protective Array would shield Tongtong from all harm. Once the array was completed, it would at least be capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Martial Arts Grandmaster or a standard bullet shot.